Anyone play a Mesa Walkabout? info?

[biffonbass]

Just wondering if they sound any good.
I'm getting older and my gear keeps getting smaller.
I would still like small, but great tone.
Suggestions?

[branbolio]

these sound great, the best sounding small bass combo i ever heard. and ive done sound for hundreds of bands.

[biffonbass]

Ever heard the head version?

[dkbmusic]

Head, cab and combos all sound amazing. I NEED one. :)

[biffonbass]

Head, cab and combos all sound amazing. I NEED one. :)
Anyone know what a new head goes for?

[The Golden Boy]

I really liked the M-Pulse 600 head I messed with.

Haven't seen one in a while though.

[dkbmusic]

Anyone know what a new head goes for?

$1149, I believe.

[biffonbass]

$1149, I believe.
O.K.
Thanks.
That gives me an idea of how badly I should want one.
Now I can compare some other stuff to it when I go out and try stuff out.
Any other gear suggestions out there?

[jerseydrew]

I love my Walkabout
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/jerseydrew/mesaBassRig1.jpg

[biffonbass]

I love my Walkabout
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/jerseydrew/mesaBassRig1.jpg
Can you hear the tube preamp?
Nice warm and fat?

[TwinandTwang]

I love the Walkabout Scout. I researched the Talkbass.com boards to see what experienced bass players had to say, since I know guitar gear and not bass gear. It is nice and small and has tone and power. I changed my fan to one that was less noisey. That was my only real issue. It's an easy and cheap mod.

[biffonbass]

O.K. then.
Thanks.
Now I just need to play one for my self.

[jackevorkian]

I picked one up used for about $750. I was looking at Ampeg and SWR in that price range, and the Mesa was much better and smaller/lighter. The fan is a bit noisy for bedroom playing, but with a few other instruments in the mix you'll never notice it.

[biffonbass]

I've had some rigs with noisy fans, so I can live with that in a live setting.
Tell me more about the tone!

[zenfreud]

I briefly tried a Walkabout and the small size, power (300 watts/4 ohms) & features are impressive. However at the time I didn't care for the character of the tube overdrive circuit, just wasn't what I had in mind. Admittedly, I am very picky, no doubt there are many players making great music with Walkabout amps. I might try a Walkabout again, seemed like a well-thought out quality product. The Mesa M-Pulse 600 (600 watts/4ohms) is the next step up, and from what I've read, (haven't tried one yet) has a clearer, but still tubey tone/feel. The Mesa amps are built in the U.S. and have a five year transferable warranty, outstanding support.

Another bass head in the small/powerful/with overdrive category is the Genz-Benz Neo-Pak 3.5, might also be worth checking out. Don't know the warranty, they're made in Taiwan.

Over at the Talkbass forum, the small/powerful bass amp du jour is the Italian MarkBass LMII head (500 watts/4 ohms), sells for $599. It weighs about six pounds(!) and has very extensive eq. It is a very impressive amp, but does not have a tube or overdrive circuit and was too dry/clinical for my rock leanings. They have another more expensive model with a tube compressor, but I'm more interested in their upcoming R500, which will have a tube pre & more old-school eq section. MarkBass amps have a two year warranty, and are only available through GC.

I expect this year's NAMM show will have many new bass amps in this general category.

[jzucker]

they're ok. I like the markbass much better. Much more power, much more versatile, much lighter, much cheaper.

[biffonbass]

Thanks all.
I'll check out the Markbass stuff also.
I'm tired of the s.s. stuff I have and want to go back to tube preamp,
so I may have to do more looking.
I'd go all tube, but I'm old and I don't want to pack all the weight.

[jzucker]

Thanks all.
I'll check out the Markbass stuff also.
I'm tired of the s.s. stuff I have and want to go back to tube preamp,
so I may have to do more looking.
I'd go all tube, but I'm old and I don't want to pack all the weight.

the tube stuff is overrated IMO unless you're doing the jack bruce thing...

[TwinandTwang]

the tube stuff is overrated IMO unless you're doing the jack bruce thing...:eek:

[jzucker]

:eek:

Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm a big tube guy on guitar and even bass preamps but the mesa ain't it. The markbass is louder, cleaner, cheaper, lighter, more versatile and has great tone.

[TwinandTwang]

No burst bubble. I love mine, It sounds great. I couldn't be happier. I wanted an old Ampeg or Traynor but prefer a small amp.

[jzucker]

No burst bubble. I love mine, It sounds great. I couldn't be happier. I wanted an old Ampeg or Traynor but prefer a small amp.

Me too which is why I went with the 5lb markbass which is louder than my 1200 watt stewart amp.

[alanbass1]

Thanks all.
I'll check out the Markbass stuff also.
I'm tired of the s.s. stuff I have and want to go back to tube preamp,
so I may have to do more looking.
I'd go all tube, but I'm old and I don't want to pack all the weight.

You should definately check out the Eden WT550.

[jzucker]

You should definately check out the Eden WT550.

I didn't care for my WT550. It was way overrated, power-wise. Into a pair of 8 ohm epifani 1x12 cabs, it was barely loud enough to keep up with a loud drummer in a trio gig I did. I had it up 3/4 of the way. It's also a little harsh in the top end. It does record well though.

[zenfreud]

MarkBass will have an amp (Model R500) with a tube preamp for those who are seeking a different texture than the LMII provides. It's due the end of October, similar tiny chassis/light weight, might be worth checking out. However, the R500 is going to cost $929 versus the $599 the LMII goes for. I doubt this was designed strictly for players seeking heavily distorted tones, ala Jack Bruce's Cream-era work.

I owned an LMII for three weeks, just couldn't bond with it tonally, and trust me, I really wanted to love it. The small size, light weight, flexible eq and reasonable price make it an extremely attractive amp solution, provided you like the tone. Hoping I dig the R500, would allow me to sell my much larger tube amp.

[cadduc]

during my short history i have blown up every amp
marshall, hi watt, sound city, h-h, peavey, acoustic, park, ...

never blown up a g-k, mesa, sunn, or fender
their quality and support have been great

and with mark bass, ebs, warwick, and ashdown the support and parts are still in italy, uk, germany, and netherlands

that long supply chain is not a good thing

today i stay with mesa but g-k is a close number two

see mesa is headed by a uc berkeley guy, and g-k by a stanford guy
and i align myself with uc berkeley, but that is a whole other story

[alanbass1]

I didn't care for my WT550. It was way overrated, power-wise. Into a pair of 8 ohm epifani 1x12 cabs, it was barely loud enough to keep up with a loud drummer in a trio gig I did. I had it up 3/4 of the way. It's also a little harsh in the top end. It does record well though.

Wow, I have just moved up to an Eden WT800B with a pair of Epifani UL210 cabs. Before this I was using an Eden WT400 plus (which I still have) and this had plenty of power - I never had it turned above halfway in a two guitar noisey blues/rock band with a drummer that could be best described as clinically insane. I assumed the WT550 to be louder than the WT400 and would cope with most situations - the only reason I got the WT800B is that I really like the bi-amp option.

[medwards1969]

I bought a Walkabout Scout on E-Bay. I think it is a great little amp. It is the first and only Bass Amp I've ever had. Put it in the car. End of story!

[biffonbass]

May check out Eden also.
I like the idea of light.
I don't really need too much power wise,
and I can take or leave too much tube drive.

[Rob Martinez]

Try the Ampeg B200R, it has a tube pre-amp, weighs in at 65 lbs and has delicious, buttery tone! I love mine.

[walterw]

the walkabout to me has a lovely thick, compressed tone that fills a lot of space while still being clean and deep.

also, the walkabout scout is god's own perfect upright amp!

i'm just waiting for boogie to come up with a 1 rack-space bass preamp that has that thick sound, so i can use the power amps i have already.

[AlexL]

I run an MPulse 600 into an Eden 410XLT cab, wich sounds fantastic. My buddy wants to buy that rig from me, but it isn't going anywhere!

- E.

[biffonbass]

Anyone play thru an Eden wtx 260?