Can a Blown Tube Injure the Head?

[Leng]

I drove 230 miles to pick up my Dual Rectifier and then took it back home.

I must have misheard him on the phone, the serial number is actually R0771. Maybe a '93?

Got it all set up, it sounded fantastic. Then after I turned up the gain a bit, every note started loud then quieted quickly so I flipped the switch to standby quick as can be and checked the tubes.

The biggest tube on the far right, one of the 5U4G's I guess (I'm a noob) had a black film on the inside. I unplugged the head and am going to buy a replacement tube, should I replace all the tubes? The others look good but the previous owner didn't know when they were last replaced.

Also, I noticed that this picture he sent me a week before I got the amp shows clearly that tube already blown when he had it.

If he was playing on it while it was blown, was he injuring the DR? Could my DR need repair?

And, when the head is set to silicone diodes, shouldn't it still play with a busted rectifier tube, since it's solid state?

Anyone know if these Rubys are a good deal?
http://www.mercasystems.com/s/ruby-tubes-c380.html?csid=347d69009f57086cc9042582b3b93894&sl=EN&currency=usd

 

[clutch71]

Was it doing this when you picked it up or just when you got it home?

When your in the silicone diode mode you should be all right. If your in that mode and still recieving volume swell yes you've got a bad tube somewhere, most likely in the power section. Check your bias switch and ensure that it's in the 6l6 mode.

If you see a tube that's not glowing as brightly or out completely pull it and it's partner. The two inside match up and the two outside match up.

You can run it at 50w, which to my ear doesn't necessarily make it any quieter just loses some bass FWIW.

No that should be a 92 IMO. The one I was geeking for was 822 and it was supposedly a 92. You can pull the chasis and look at the hand written initials and dates. Don't touch the capacitors which look like blue D-cell batteries, they retain a charge and can hurt you.

It also never hurts to call Mesa and talk to them.

Good luck.

 

[jtb226]

i would definitely replace all the tubes. especially if he didn't know when they were last replaced. it'll make it sound even better.

as for your rectifier tubes (the ones on the right) definitely replace those. even with the amp in diodes mode, some power still goes to the rectifier tubes. i had a problem not too long ago with blowing fuses. i knew it wasn't a preamp or power amp tube, as i had just replaced them all. i had figured that there was no point in replacing the rectifier tubes b/c i always played on diodes mode. i was wrong. i kept popping fuses and then someone suggested changing rectifier tubes. haven't had a problem since.

 

[Leng]

I replaced both the rectifier tubes with Ruby 5U4GC's and the head still isn't working.

Help! All the tubes look GREAT now, glowing and everything, but I can't get the head to work.

 

[18&Life]

Hmm that's the problem buying used special stuff like tube amps .
I prefer save money than buy a new one.Now you're feeling that problem in your pocket (in your heart too).
I really hope you can fix it :wink:

 

[Barry]

I replaced both the rectifier tubes with Ruby 5U4GC's and the head still isn't working.

Help! All the tubes look GREAT now, glowing and everything, but I can't get the head to work.

Are you sure all your cables are good ? Fuse ? If you cant get it going by the weekend called mesa artist relations/customer service 707 778 6565 , thet are closed on Fridays . Not sure where you are at but they are on the west coast so there may be a time difference .

 

[Leng]

There's a muffled but easy to hear "pop" when I switch from Standby to On.

Can't hear the guitar until the master knob's past 12, and then it's muffled and intermittent.

What could the problem be? Preamp tubes? Power tubes? They all look flawless, the fuse looks brand new, but I don't know what to look for, couldn't find any FAQ on tubes or anything here, and the manual is totally useless. Tested the speaker cable and cabinet with another head and they sound great.

Is my only option to pay $60 an hour to have it fixed? Or should I pay for a full set of replacement tubes and hope the head works?

 

[Barry]

There's a muffled but easy to hear "pop" when I switch from Standby to On.

Can't hear the guitar until the master knob's past 12, and then it's muffled and intermittent.

What could the problem be? Preamp tubes? Power tubes? They all look flawless, the fuse looks brand new, but I don't know what to look for, couldn't find any FAQ on tubes or anything here, and the manual is totally useless. Tested the speaker cable and cabinet with another head and they sound great.

Is my only option to pay $60 an hour to have it fixed? Or should I pay for a full set of replacement tubes and hope the head works?

On the mesa site there is a page that talks about tube life . If you go to the online store I think its in there somewhere . I would call mesa on Monday .

 

[Leng]

I feel pretty silly.

I hadn't turned the Master up past 2'oclock or so for fear of burning something since I didn't know what the problem was. Well I ended up putting the master to 3 o'clock and playing a few chords and it sounded like whatever the problem was just ended instantly and everything works as normal on the head now. It must have just needed a little umph to get it started.

Everything's smooth sailing. The head sounds great, absolutely perfect Mesa goodness.

I spent quite a bit of cash on this Mesa and am satisfied to have received flawless Mesa tone.

So... I played around with the knobs until I found a REALLY sweet spot:

Master - 2
Presence - 3
Bass/Mid/Treb - 12
Gain - 2:30

Cranked up the active volume and played Tool songs for about 30 minutes. Loud, crisp, crunchy, glorious!

Well, I then put the head away and set up my old rig the way I used to have it for comparison.

My old rig consists of nothing but a boss Metal Zone pedal and a $150 Crate powerblock 150w amp:

So, the new head cost $1150 and is a balls-out DR. My ENTIRE rig before this Mesa cost something like $300.

IMHO, my '92 2-channel blackface sounds quite a bit better than the brand new Dual and Triple Rectifiers I tried out in a local store. As was expected, since you guys told me the old 2-channels sound much better than the new 3-channels, and you were right.

My old $300 rig sounds MANY times better than the $1150 Mesa.

I guess this is where I'll make my exit from the Boogie Boards, unless you guys (Who have been extremely helpful) have any further advice, I'm gonna toss the thing on eBay.

 

[18&Life]

Are you saying that your pedal and crate sound better than your DR ???????????? :shock:

 

[Leng]

Unfortunately, that is what I'm saying... Trust me, I'm in pain here.

I drove 450 miles and emptied my bank account for this Mesa, read the whole manual twice just to be sure I knew my way around it. Studied many threads on this board for help and for the help I couldn't find, I started new threads.

Spent hours in a local store hacking away at their Dual and Triple Recs.

Now that I have them right next to each other for easy comparison, there is no comparison. The MT2 and Crate are the obvious victors.

 

[18&Life]

My friend so it's your mistake.
I've been playing boogies since 1994 and I won't change it for nothing.I've already played almost every amp's brands.
I think your ears prefer non mesa tone. :wink:
Thank god I don't have your ears :lol:

 

[Charlie]

Well ultimately you are the one that has to be happy with your tone and if a pedal and a Crate powerblock do it for you then that's what you should use.

I do have to say that it makes me wonder if your Boogie is not set up right and/or in need of repair.

 

[Rampage]

Dude give the amp some time! Just keep tinkering with the settings, read the manual online, and talk about settings with other two-channel owners. Most amps I have ever had take a week or two to find the sound I am looking for. Just keep playing it for a little while and try to find what you are looking for; the value won't go down and you may circumvent the disaster of selling the rectifier when it could easily be something you could love.

 

[stash49]

The thing about your crappy cheap $300 rig is that your ears are messed up from playing it-that thing would never cut it in the real world of live gigs with great drums, svt bass amps, huge PA and hundreds if not thousands of drunk sreaming rock fans-thats the enviroment where MESA thrive-and thats why absolultey no touring, recording, money making rock band with any kind of following would use your cruddy $300 rig. Thats also why almost all of them use Mesa-somewhere in the mix of most great modern rock bands, Mesa is there. You went from driving a tricycle to a NASCAR. It's no wonder your scared-and you should be. Mesas are real men's amps! 8)

 

[18&Life]

Yeah people think mesa amps are like zoom.
Ready to plug and play !! But with a crap sound.
They aren't.
They are jewels needing to be polish :wink:

Wow I think mesa should give me a triaxis because of my words :lol:

 

[Leng]

Although, I do think that my Dual Rec is a good deal louder than the Crate, that's not the reason I play guitar.

Now, could it be that I'm playing them both through a mid-quality Behringer 4x12? Don't get me wrong, it's a great cabinet and they both sound fantastic through it, but if I were to spend $950 on a new Mesa Recto cabinet, do you think the Crate would sound the same through that cabinet as it does on the Behringer and the Mesa DR would become this tone machine you guys are talking about?

To be quite honest, the Mesa sounds much better when it comes to powerchords and open leads. However, it sounds AWFUL when I palm mute, and that's what makes the decision for me! What's going on?

 

[Rampage]

Well, getting some nice speakers with a good power rating can definitely be helpful. If I had a rectifier I'd pick up either a 2x12 or 4x12 rectifier cabinet loaded with Vintage 30s. They come up on craigslist all the time for around $500 or less. My friend actually got one for $300 on there.

 

[Leng]

Okay, I really want to keep the Mesa, it almost feels like it has the potential to have better palm muted notes than the Crate, but no amount of fiddling I've done so far has made it happen.

Should I fiddle around w/ Silicone Diodes or Tubes in order to get a good, strong palm mute that doesn't immediately fall flat?

 

[18&Life]

Dude it seems like you don't even know how to set your mesa.
Read the manual first,than try your settings,than talk to other owners.
If you don't know how to set up properly,how can you expect a good tone from it ?
BTW behringer are crap.
Cabs are good ONLY if they come with celestions.
If they have behringer speakers,it's crap. :wink: