I am thinking pretty heavily into getting a Walkabout but I am a little concerned with the power. I run a GK head (450 Watts) for gigs. I know this is a 300W head, but its a loud one. Anyone have experience comparing these ranges? Competing with 3 guitarists, a loss in power isn't really an option. Thanks!
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Mesa Walkabout Megathread!
- Thread starter Vic
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Chef
In Memoriam
Yessir, CAIG De-oxit Gold.
MF, GC and others carry it, sometimes even radio shack, tho you can order online direct from them as well.
I'm glad the fx send/return clean up fixed you up StingrayFunk...I've never sent mine off to get updated...I never, ever use the active input, nor the fx loop, so, I don't care
MF, GC and others carry it, sometimes even radio shack, tho you can order online direct from them as well.
I'm glad the fx send/return clean up fixed you up StingrayFunk...I've never sent mine off to get updated...I never, ever use the active input, nor the fx loop, so, I don't care
Yessir, CAIG De-oxit Gold.
MF, GC and others carry it, sometimes even radio shack, tho you can order online direct from them as well.
I'm glad the fx send/return clean up fixed you up StingrayFunk...I've never sent mine off to get updated...I never, ever use the active input, nor the fx loop, so, I don't care
Cool. I've got some Radioshack brand TV tuner cleaner and I'll blast it with that. I do need to grab some of the De-oxit Gold...I've heard you can't beat it.
I don't/won't use the active input either and I have nothing to run into the fx loop so I'll hang on to it as is for quite a while and then if I get the willies then I'll send it in to Mesa. I am going to woodshed this week on the Mesa and if it is still working by Friday then it will see my gig on Saturday for sure. The tone of this little sucker is outstanding!
TV tuner cleaner contains a lubricant and is great for cleaning/lubricating scratchy potentiometers. For "contacts", you need to use a contact cleaner that doesn't contain a lubricant.
Since you have the lid off your Walkabout, it probably wouldn't hurt to spray the tuner cleaner in each of the pots, work it in a bit and spray 'em again.
Thanks for the information! I didn't know there was a difference. That really helps. Well...I'll be off to Radioshack or GC tonight for the De-oxit and some compressed air.
Chef
In Memoriam
i'm about a week or so away from calling the boogie store in hollywood and ordering myself a new, blackface walkabout scout. so here's what i've gleaned from this massive thread....
i'm going to get the 4 ohm 12" combo...
i'm going to grab an 8 ohm extension cab (if i have a choice, running at 2.67 ohms is preferable to running both at 2 ohms, is that right?)...
i'm going to grab myself some 1/4" plugs to seal off the effects loop jacks...
i'll see how the fan noise issue sounds to me before making a decision to replace it...
am i missing anything else?
i'm going to get the 4 ohm 12" combo...
i'm going to grab an 8 ohm extension cab (if i have a choice, running at 2.67 ohms is preferable to running both at 2 ohms, is that right?)...
i'm going to grab myself some 1/4" plugs to seal off the effects loop jacks...
i'll see how the fan noise issue sounds to me before making a decision to replace it...
am i missing anything else?
Not an issue on the new ones, AFAIK.
I think you'll be fine, unless you're playing it quietly in a library.
Chef
In Memoriam
newer walkabouts have an fx loop bypass miniswitch; and in any case you shouldn't have to patch around as standard procedure.
4 ohms with an 8 ohm extension works very well.
4 ohms with an 8 ohm extension works very well.
Whether is not good or not, I used De-Oxit for cleaning a dirty / noisy Pot on an old Stewart Preamp I had and it worked in record time. I've been gigging with that preamp weekly for six months without a hiccup. Maybe TV Tuner cleaner is better, but De-oxit worked great! It was all I had. Sort of like when you need a screw driver and all you have are kitchen utensils, every knife becomes a screwdriver. Not the preferred tool, but it gets the job done.
I used De-Oxit years ago....it did clean out the scratchiness, but the pot later froze up. I did not use the amp regularly and that might be the key. I haven't had the same problem with a lubricating cleaner.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
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- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Wateroftyne has it down.
2 ohms is quite safe too unless you are really running it flat out all the time. I've never needed that much volume even with too loud guitarists and drummers. But it might be of concern to young guys playing metal at ridiculous volumes.
I don't know about the effects loop on the new amps. But you wouldn't just seal the effects loop with 1/4" plugs. You'd use a short instrument cable with 1/4" plugs to complete the circuit. This is something I had to do on one GK 400RB head when the effects loop jacks got old and bent. They weren't dirty. They just got deformed. The proper repair would have been to replace them but I never got around to it because a 1 foot instrument patch cord was convenient and solved the problem. I just left it in there and when I sold the amp to a working bassist years later he just left it in too.
The Walkabout fan noise didn't bother me except it might be a problem in a very quiet room playing cocktail jazz with a piano player and even then, only the piano player would be likely to hear it. I've used mine at home in my very small music room and it doesn't bother me enough to want to replace the fan. Anyhow, when the head is mounted in the Scout cabinet fan noise is less. When the head is out of the cabinet and used with a different cabinet, like a 4x10" for example for more volume in very big rooms, fan noise is of no consequence. I've used mine this way on a number of gigs and never had a complaint.
Have fun with your amp when you get it. There is nothing that sounds quite so good in that size range. Once you get used to using the boost to get a bit of overdrive or tube compression and the semi-parametric eq for tweaking your sound, all thoughts of buying a big tube amp disappear.
Hmm, fair point - I've had advice to pursue the CAB, but maybe invest in another head. This will actually result in a lot cheaper, possibly better situation. I am under the impression that the weakest (but not necessarily 'weak') part of the WalkAbout Scout combo is the head.
Chef
In Memoriam
Jeez. Stupid me.
My upright wasnt' sounding right at rehearsal...
After chasing cables, changing preamp batts, monkeying with different pickups...I remembered what I posted earlier here.
Patch across the fx loop, problem solved. I just cleaned them dang things like three months ago.
My upright wasnt' sounding right at rehearsal...
After chasing cables, changing preamp batts, monkeying with different pickups...I remembered what I posted earlier here.
Patch across the fx loop, problem solved. I just cleaned them dang things like three months ago.
The incessant bumping of this thread is giving me GAS for a Walkabout Scout! I would love to get one for a smaller option to my Carbine 212 combo.
You guys are killin' me...
You guys are killin' me...
To be quite honest I must say that I found the head rather lacking with no outstanding features for the price asked, paying fo the nameplate certainly comes to mind when you consider that I've recently purchased an Ashdown Little Giant 1000 for just over £300 GBP/$450 USD
I'm glad you like your Ashdown, Bassman. It sounds like a good amp.
Your views about Mesa and the prices you have to pay in the U.K. are well known. If I were you, I wouldn't pay that price either. Luckily for us, here in North America the prices are much more reasonable. It sounds like you did the right thing by not getting a Mesa when you first wanted one.
Some U.K. and European gear gets ridiculously expensive when imported to North America too. That's why it doesn't sell very well here. That doesn't mean it's not good quality stuff. It's just overpriced here.
Enjoy your Ashdown while we, who like our Mesas, enjoy them.
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