Finally own a Mesa!

[Nylisk]

I'm getting back into playing guitar. I finally had enough money saved up to buy my first tube amp. After shopping for about 2 or 3 months, and attempting to research what some of the best amps are online, I finally found the amp I liked. What I was looking for was:

• - a combo amp so I could take to my friend's place if I wanted to.
  - something with an effects loop because I eventually will splurge on "toys" for the guitar. I also thought I would absolutely need to EQ the gain inside the guitar. I was already planning on having to do that... (I was so disappointed with the amps I had seen that I figured that EQ was just necessary for good sound.)
  - an amp that had a variety of sounds. I really like metal, but having a great clean sound and stuff in between is also really important.

I went into every local guitar shop in southern New Hampshire to try stuff, used and new. Almost nothing interested me. I tried that new Line6 valve amp and that was like ... meh. The only thing that was remotely interesting was this Peavey Valveking combo, but I still wasn't "wowed" by it.

I remembered there was this one store that I forgot about in a town I never really goto. It turns out they are the only Mesa dealer in New Hampshire. I tried this used Rect-O-Verb 50 combo and was blown away. I'm talking intro to Back To The Future here! It was $1,099 instead of $1,499 for a new one. It was just barely the maximum that I wanted to spend. After the sale and I'm lugging this heavy monster into the backseat of my car, it hit me... I finally own a Mesa Boogie.

So you gotta know this. I'm a young guy, just turned 23 six days ago. I got my first guitar as a christmas gift maybe 7 years ago. I've been playing off and on as a hobby since then. So for some years as I've been learning about guitars, certain amps became associated with being for a lack of better word godly. You would look at a Mesa head and think to yourself "some day when I'm good enough and have enough money" (which is a real bad mindset... when is anyone "good enough" anyways?)

But it hit me that I finally own a Mesa Boogie amp. I'm not one to really say any one brand is better than the other... but I think it's an occasion to be excited about! For the last few days after buying, I randomly remember that I own a Mesa Boogie amp and it makes me immediately happy. When I goto use it and hear the Modern setting I have said to myself "THIS is why guitar playing is fun!" which is what this is all about right?


I do actually have a question after all of that. My amp is making a "tube rattle" noise. I called up the place I got it twice. The first guy suggested that the tubes were maybe just a little loose. So by his advice I reseated them and tightened the grip that held them. That kind of helped... but the rattle is still very much there. So I called back and spoke to another guy who was very informative about tube rattle. At this point my mind wasn't as worried as before because at this point I know understand that it's not that uncommon.

I can understand hearing it a little on clean... I guess that's understandable. But I can hear it pretty well on the Vintage gain channel even. So I'm wondering if maybe the tubes should be replaced? This is my first tube amp and I really don't have enough exposure to this stuff to tell.

The guy told me I could bring it back in so they could hear it and help me decide if it is a tube rattle problem and how to deal with it.

I'm really happy with the amp but it just sounds like 2 empty beer glasses are vibrating against each other a lot when I play.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the Mesa club

About the tube rattle, that's a very common issue with tube combos, where the tubes are set behind the speaker. I know there is some sort of tube guard you can get for it that's basically a metal cage to protect the tubes from vibrations from the speaker, but I can't remember who makes them or what they're called. If nothing else, you could just mount something around the tubes, but make sure they have air flow around them still.

 

[MesaENGR412]

Dude, i thought the exact same thing when I first stepped into the Mesa realm 3 years ago. I have been playing guitar for 11 years now, and I bought my half-stack my senior year in high school ( I just turned 21). When it came in (I had to wait for them to build my custom ordered head) I couldn't believe it, and when I finally had it set up in my room (haha yes, I do occasionally play a TRIPLE Rectifier in my BEDROOM :twisted: ) I just had to sit down for a second and take it in. It is one of the best feelings to know that you own something that the musicians that you look up to own, and that you now can get the same exact sounds out of the amp that they do....plus there's just nothing like standing in front of it and pumping out a huge power chord that's so loud it makes your insides vibrate hahaha. Rock on man, and I hope you get that tube issue fixed.

-AJH

 

[Platypus]

Congrats and welcome!

 

[disassembled]

Congrats on the purchase. Just wait till you sell it and go through a bunch of different stuff as money/time allows and then you can decide which amp is for you. I thought Peavey was the amp company for me until i bought a triaxis and 20/20 on a blind whim a year and a half ago. I still own the triaxis but i definitely have been around the proverbial mesa block a few times now. Luckily I am in a good financial position to where i can afford just about any toy i wanted as far as guitar goes but i am very content with what i have.

I find that it's most important to play an amp that makes you want to play for hours on end versus playing one that everyone else tells you is good but does nothing for you personally. I play my triaxis rig for nearly 8 hours on sunday and that just proves it's the right amp for me well, for the bedroom anyway.


Years ago I though anything Mesa was overpriced and I would be hard pressed to be able to afford anything that carried the name until I seriously started shopping and have found some great deals you just have to keep your eyes peeled.

I hope the amp works out for you and that you sort out your rattle issue.

Greg

 

[fbomb]

welcome aboard

 

[insideout]

Congrats on joining the Mesa family. I think many of us have experienced the "holy crap, I can't believe I actually own this thing" feeling. I've been playing for 25 years. The first 18 of those years was with a Marshall Mosfet 100 half stack (solid state) then I went the modeling route with a Line6 AX212, then GNX3000. Finally, about 2 months ago I said enough is enough. I've always wanted a Mesa and now I can afford one, I'm going for it. Every time I turn it on, I get all warm and fuzzy inside . My brother also plays and has a Mesa F-50. That little thing will strip the paint right off the walls. Mesa ROCKS!!

 

[G.I.G.]

Congrats, bro! I feel the same way about owning my Mesa's. Even though I'm playing bars and small clubs, I can look over and know that I'm playing through the same sh!t the pros are. I went through the modeling and solid state phase where I tried to convince myself that tube amps were over rated, blah, blah, blah. After about a week with my DR when I bought it in '02, I knew there was no looking back!

You'd be hard pressed to find another amp manufacturer with such well-built products AND such a diverse line-up of amps. It doesn't matter what your style is, there is a Mesa that is built for you! The more I play mine, the more I love it! Alright, I stop beaming now. :wink:

 

[recto-robbie]

PM sent

 

[Nylisk]

I went back to the store with the amp and two guys looked at it. They agreed that the rattle was much more than the usual quarks of a tube amp.

They replaced the tubes with Mesa two 6L6 STR-440s.

Now all is well. Thanks for all of the info.

 

[Machine Gun]

Congratulations and welcome!!