.50 cal plus help

[PRS24]

ok im thinkin about picking up this amp and this is what the seller has to say about the amp

Here is a Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber Plus head for grabs, needs a little cosmetic work but certainly an easy task for the right person. Bought this recently with the intention of fixing it up and using it for a backup but have since changed my mind (need the $$). To the details....

It is missing the front panel, but included is a replacement logo and grill cloth to make a new front panel. When I got it the bass pot was broken - this has since been replaced with a Mesa replacement pot, and all pots have been cleaned, so it works like a champ!! Also had the resistor removed in parallel with the master volume pot to "even" out the volume, see the following link for details: http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-229027.html. On this model it was right on the pot, so one side of the resistor was disconnected, the other side left on so if you choose to reconnect it, it's very easy to do. One of the output tubes has the tube locator/alignment pin broken off so the previous owner colored on the tubes and the chassis (see pics), tubes are fully functional though. The power cord is missing the ground terminal, again see pics.

would you get it or is it no good

 

[madryan]

Most of that is easy to fix. I wouldn't pay very much for it but I'd probably buy it if the price were right. I'd get a rackmount kit for it and not worry about cosmetics. How much does he want? Do you get to play it first?

 

[PRS24]

he's asking 370 so its a good price. and no its over the internet.

 

[madryan]

he's asking 370 so its a good price. and no its over the internet.

That amp in that shape isn't that great a deal. People get nice ones for not much more. There's a couple of used DC-5's here on the board that are more expensive but they're arguably better amps.

 

[PRS24]

so what all makes it not so great an amp?

 

[Monsta-Tone]

That's not a really bad price, but I've seen them go for around $400 or so complete.

The piece of wood that goes in the front is probably available from Mesa, but might run you $50-$75.
You might PM gts and see if he has one he can sell you.


The problem that I have had with used Mesa amps is that previous owners have been inside them with a soldering iron.
I've had melted relays, wires, etc. Nothing that was bad enough to make the amp non-functional, but bad enough to piss me off.

The .50+ is a great amp. I wish I still had mine. The DC-5 wins for distortion, but looses horribly for cleans.
Both are incredible amps and among my favorites.


Some things to consider:
Do you need the amp right away? If so, and it's the best deal on a .50+, then get it.

It will need the following though:
New Tubes - most used Mesas have been driven hard and usually the tubes are shot.
New LDR's - devices that change channels. On some of the older Mesa amps, the voltages are a bit high causing them to eventually fail. DC's suffer from this, but not as badly as the .50.
New filter caps - This amp is getting old enough that you will eventually need new power supply filter caps.


All this said, under $400 for a hand made tube amp is a great price when you consider that the Blues Jr. goes for around the same price is not even close in build quality and sound quality.

I have been watching it, but can't afford it. If I had the money, it would already be mine!

 

[PRS24]

how much would all that cost me??

 

[Monsta-Tone]

The maintenance is usually between $100 & $150. Your tech should also be cleaning all pots and jacks, and replacing any small items that may need it for this price.

It's most likely not needed right away, but for some reason (even when I'm not looking for a broken one!) every older amp I get has some problem that the owner didn't say anything about. Almost always with older Mesa amps that I've bought, they have a channel switching problem. It's incredibly easy to fix, but nobody mentions it because they want top dollar.

You might email him and ask him if each item on the amp works, and be very specific about channel switching, unwanted noises, humming, FX Loop, Reverb, EQ, etc.

Sometimes you end up finding a real diamond that won't need anything at all.



As for tubes, ask him how old they are, what brand, etc.
You should easily be able to re-tube this amp for under $100.

Like I said, even with the worst case scenario, you are still ending up with a hell of an amp for a really decent price.

 

[PRS24]

would this footswitch work for a 50 cal? it says marshall but it also says mesa.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-LED-AMP-FOO...ICS%2BUFI%2BUA%2BIA%2BUCI&otn=15&po=LVI&ps=54

 

[PRS24]

also how the original 6l6 tubes compare to STR-440 power tubes and jj ecc83s preamp tubes.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

That footswitch should work. If it doesn't, it might need a couple of parts inside to make it work right. Mesa footswitch circuits are a little different than most amps.

It's definitely worth a shot. If it doesn't work, email me and I'll get you a drawing or walk you through modding it.



As for the tubes, I'm not sure what version (420's most likely, but I might be wrong) the amp originally came with, but the 440's should sound loud and proud.

I really liked the JJ High Gain set from Eurotubes in mine when I had it. Lots of guys think that JJ's are too dark, but that's what the Presence and Treble are for!

 

[PRS24]

thank you very much!

Oh one more thing. Are the 50 cal heads and 50 cal combos different sizes or are they the same. Thanks!!

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I've never seen a small one, only the "Widebody" ones.
You should easily be able to make a head a combo or a combo into a head.

 

[PRS24]

well it was actually a combo that somebody turned into a head but the picture makes it look less wide and taller.

ahh i know i keep saying one more question but im just nervous about buying this. its my first good expensive amp haha. but i know the 50 cal is modelded after the mark iv. but can it get that tight gainy but not over the top gain. more just crunchy gain haha if you know what i mean. just not imense amounts of gain but still be tight.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

It will be tight, like a DC, but more raw and untamed.
You will have Captain Crunch coming out of your ears! These amps are really crunchy!

They are not nearly as tight (or moddelled after) as a Mark IV though. The closest you will get to a Mark IV without getting a Mark IV is a DC-10.

The .50 Cal is a great amp though. Look it up on Youtube. There are quite a few clips.

 

[wheelman]

I've never seen a small one, only the "Widebody" ones.
You should easily be able to make a head a combo or a combo into a head.

I only bought small body ones. Mine is super tight compared to my old dc-5, recto, or mark IV ( I tried in a store). I got one that's sounds weird now though. It's got this horrible thin buzzy tone going on. Almost like only the top end is coming through, but it's crappy sounding too. Caps might be shot. It also had the reverb unhooked by the previous owner. Sounded a little different to my other one as well before it went bad. I think do to different preamp tubes more than anything else. I did hook up an ADA preamp to it once and got a small shock while I did it.