School Me On Walkabout

[Luke the Fluke]

and can drive a variety of cabinets very well despite its 300 W rating.

I had a early red face - mid playing once the transformer went. Mesa put me in touch with a local approved tech who replaced the part and serviced the amp. So bare in mind this guy has just been testing the amp...
When I picked up I said something along the lines of “it’s a great amp even though it’s only 300w into four ohms”
He looked at me strangely and apparently was getting about a third more out of it.

 

[Jeff Elkins]

Superb head. My all time fave...

... Best. Tone. Ever!

Totally agree. Posted about it in the current *idealized sound" thread. I have the 112. Had two, sold the amp out of one and converted it into an extension cab. It's not as portable as my Quilter+Upshot rig, but I still haul it out to some smaller shows for the tone.

 

[staccatogrowl]

Superb head. My all time fave. If you need loud, I advise getting just the head with a flexible stack. . like a 4-Ohm 410 or 212 when you want big, and a 112 for when you want low. . Best. Tone. Ever!

Also, if you need loud, consider scrubbing some Walkabout ultra lows with an auxiliary high pass filter (HPF).

 

[burgerdj]

Also, if you need loud, consider scrubbing some Walkabout ultra lows with an auxiliary high pass filter (HPF).

I added a Broughton Always On and it was a revelation! Prior, I had been using the parametric on the amp itself, but that only cut certain frequencies (which helped). The HPF gave back a good bit of headroom.

 

[Mikey F]

They sound great. Fan is noisy but very simple to replace.

 

[Ewo]

I never owned a Walkabout, but I've often seen folks saying the Subway WD-800 is an improved version. What I can tell you from personal experience is that the WD-800 into one or two of the Subway cabs is the best gig rig I've ever had. And I've been through a lot of amps, over the years.

 

[jnewmark]

From Two Fingers : " The para mids. Spend a LOT of time with that section of the EQ when you first get it. Grt to know that part of the EQ and any band/song/genre/bass/stage/room is at your command. " To me, this is the secret of the Walkabout, no matter what cab(s) you use. Unfortunately, I ran out of patience fiddling with it and sold it on, but, you do really need to spend some time with that feature. I ran mine with a 212/tweeter, 4 ohm cab for awhile, and I still found it a little lacking in volume but I was in a moderately loud band at the time.

 

[Old Fart]

Look what followed me home. Walkabout 15. It's got the 4 Ohm speaker. Cosmetically it is in good shape except for some fairly violent rash at the front edge of the cabinet, on the vertical part of that front edge, from the lower corner extending upwards about five inches. It has been 'fixed' with black epoxy, which is fine. The very nice older gentleman who sold it said it was never gigged, always treated well (except for the rash), and it looks like it indeed has, as he says, been treated well except for that. It replaces my only other combo which was stolen.

First impression: O. M. G. If my old (stolen) BA-115HPT was 200 Watts, then this thing is about 1000 Watts. Alternatively, if this thing is 300 Watts, then the Ampeg was about 75 Watts.

I can see I will need to spend a bit of time learning how to use the para EQ and other tone controls. I am very happy to have this. I paid $600.

 

[Mike Arnopol]

I think that the Walkabout is by far the best sounding head Mesa has made. You just need pretty efficient speakers.

 

[StayLow]

Nice amp, OP. Excellent price. May you rock it for many musical years to come!

I've used mine in a wide variety of bands, room, with and without the Scout cabs, and contrary to what some have said I never fiddled much with the EQ.

I'd put the bass between about 10 o'clock and 1 o'clock, usually toward the left o'clock, typically boost the treble a touch, and maybe use the "passive" mids knob, parametric set flat except for perhaps rolling off some ultra-lows. out cabs.

That works very well for taming the big lows, especially through the Scout cabs with the passive radiator.

Could be I'm missing something though. Will revisit the parametric EQ.

My next-favorite bass combo is the Ampeg B100 Rocket. The fliptop is excellent too, as were some SWR combos IMO (especially if doubling). AER is amazing, but I haven't tried most of the European brands.

Modern combos I've used can definitely get the job done, and sound terrific, but you (or at least I) just don't fall in love with them. I'd never say "just give me *THAT* sound, except louder than love!"... unless it's the WalkAbout.

 

[Old Fart]

Second Impression: I love this thing. It appears there are virtually no negative posts about this combo here on TB and I concur. It sounds good no matter how you shape the tone, and there are about 1.7 million different settings with the tone knobs, para EQ and tweeter attenuator controls. Plus, I now have a combo amp again. If a guy is going to have a combo amp, this is arguably the one.

I do have some concerns, and perhaps @agedhorse can offer some insight. The fan is not very loud. Certainly tolerable and replacements are available, I think. That said, there is some hissing in the tweeter which is Master Volume-dependent. With the Master on, it hisses. With the Master off, it does not. This is not a big deal.

My biggest concern is that from time to time there is a bit of crackling. Just occasionally and not loud, but a bit of crackling. It happens even with the volume knobs both turned all the way down. Perhaps I should call the excellent people at Mesa customer service and see what they say. See if someone in my area is qualified to service this head. The crackling is a little annoying and not loud (so far I've mostly had the amp running with volume knobs turned down while I do house chores). But....my concern is that this may indicate a failing circuit.

 

[agedhorse]

The crackling is not normal. Does it do this with the master volume all the way down?

 

[Old Fart]

Thank you, Mr. Agedhorse. To answer your question, the crackling is not volume-dependent. It happens when the Master (and the Gain for that matter) are all the way turned down. It happens when they are turned up also, and the volume of the crackling stays the same at any (or none) volume. It is intermittent. Most of the time, there is no crackle. It is not terribly loud (like plugging a cord into a bass with the volume on), but it is definitely audible and must be addressed. There is a thought-to-be competent amp repair shop in town and I have a personal friend who is skilled. There is likely no warranty, which is fine, but I may call the Mesa guys tomorrow simply because it would be my preference to take this unit to someone familiar with them.

At first I thought the fan was quiet enough. There is no rattling or jet noise. However, when the head is set into the Scout, the fan makes the entire box resonate a bit. It bothers me little, but my lady finds it annoying. I think I may want to swap out this fan. I have read threads on this and while I am competent to replace this including minor soldering, I also read about removing a resistor which tells me I should take it to a competent tech. I could, perhaps, get the fan and then have it installed. Some of the Silenx fans are NLA, but I saw a recent (2018) post singing praises for the Silenx EFX-08-15. Any tips for me?

I am disappointed this amp is not yet perfect, but not disturbed. I am grateful to Mesa for their most excellent products, overall. Mesa believes in quality and so do I. This dang thing just sounds heavenly. Its performance has been lauded here almost ad nauseum so I won't repeat all that, but I am VERY glad to own this unit now. With a quiet fan and the crackling addressed, I might just forget I have other heads. Likely.

 

[agedhorse]

With the crackle, does your amp have the effects bypass switch installed on the back?

As far as the fan goes, there's some recommendations I posted (on the WA thread I think) about that. There were different versions and revision levels of the WA, I don't recall removing any resistor, but that could have been a revision I am not familiar with.

 

[Old Fart]

Thank you. It does have the Effects Bypass switch, but it seems to crackle regardless of switch position. I will check it some more, but I'm pretty sure. The crackle sounds like a dirty pot, except the pots are holding still in the off position.

There are many WA threads. MANY. Several have over a thousand posts. There are perhaps ten thousand posts here on TB singing the praises of this combo. Perhaps I will start another.

 

[BassmanPaul]

Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditional transition into manhood. The term has been superseded with "temporary mobility" because its original name has sometimes been used as a derogatory term in Australian culture, demeaning its spiritual significance.[citation needed]

 

[Old Fart]

A friend did some outdooring for a couple of weeks and upon his return he said "I woke up on a mountaintop on my 50th birthday." I adopted his habit, woke up atop Mount Catherine on my 50th have have gone on solitary walkabouts each year since. I like that term. My avatar is from Sahale Glacier Camp, where backpackers look down on the 7000-ft peaks we call the Cascade Range.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

derogatory Ozzie slang?

I have heard it used to indicate someone has "done a runner" or disappeared.

 

[StayLow]

Thank you. It does have the Effects Bypass switch, but it seems to crackle regardless of switch position. I will check it some more, but I'm pretty sure. The crackle sounds like a dirty pot, except the pots are holding still in the off position.

Failing tube?

The fan is a very easy replace. Just minor soldering required, or you could simply cut & strip the wires and twist & tape them together with the new fan if someone doesn't want to, or can't solder.

I don't recall what the airflow requirement is. AgedHorse or someone else will know. There are many more high-quality silent fan brands now than back when it became fashionable to replace them.

Just be aware that it isn't the fan itself that's noisy, it's the airflow through the slats and the casing vibrating. Try running the fan when the case is open, or more so when it's detached from the case and you'll see it's silent. If you're very handy, you'd likely get much more silence by removing some or all of the slats than by changing the fan.

IF changing the fan, look for one that comes with rubber bushings (or make your own) to dampen the fan itself vibrating the casing.

Another good trick is to try to loosen or tighten all the knobs and screws, or put pressure on the case in various places, to see if it gets quieter.

I have a few amps by another brand that are identical, and one has a "fan" that's much quieter than the other two. "Fan" in quotes because all three fans run totally silent when not attached to the cases.

By randomly adjusting various screws on the case, one became quieter and the 3rd became less noisy by bending the top panel a bit. I got the idea when I noticed there was no bothersome sound if I simply placed a hand on it. Nothing was actually loose and vibrating, just the case itself was more resonant. With so many screws, panels, knobs, etc. that's no real surprise.

It can drive you insane chasing faint vibrations in amps, cabs, cars, etc. It's usually not what you thought it would be.

As for your whole combo vibrating and making noise, it's possible the amp isn't snug in its compartment. There are foam strips on back of the removable panel which deteriorate over time that are meant to keep the amp snug. Could be it's rattling around slightly in the compartment. Try some other form of padding to see if that helps.

 

[Jeff Elkins]

When I picked up my second WA, I had a problem with output being too low. Not the same issue, of course. But based on advice I received here, I worked all of the 1/4" jacks with a cable end and the problem disappeared.