Got some funky tube happenings on the new MKIIC+............

[floridamike]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a trade for a Simul/Rev/105 combo (she's mint btw ) and I get her home to check her out and am having some issues. The amp has all of the original Mesa preamp tubes (not sure what actual brand they are) and two Phillips Str-387's on the inside plus two Peavey (probably Phillips) branded Str-387's on the outside. Played it at my buddy's house for about 30 minutes and sounded pretty good.

Bought some new SED-Winged C 34's and popped them in the outside and had all kinds of noise and scratch. Pulled them and put the others back in and same scratch plus glowing blue inside tube. Yanked the inside two and swapped the outside to the inside and popped the 34's in there and the amp plays now but sounds really cold. On simul class the inside left 6l6 is glowing and warm but the inside right is cool and not glowing.

Any idea where to start? Can I run it on class A with just the 34's in there? Should I pull all of the preamp tubes and replace or just replace one at a time until I hear a good sound?

And btw, when she WAS working with the four 6l6's it killed!

 

[adrenaline junkie]

I'd probably try spraying the tube sockets with some contact cleaner, then replace the tubes but work them each in and out several times and see what happens.

 

[ANIMATED SUSPENSION]

Were the new SED Winged C's supplied within Mesa/Boogie specs ? Are the power tubes in it to Boogie specs ?? If you swap the inner right with the inner left does it work in that socket ?

 

[floridamike]

Wow...the same 6l6 that didn't work in the inside right did not work on the left. I replaced it with oneof the previous ones that I thought worked and hit the simul class switch and the 6l6 glowed blue and the left El34 started getting red hot so i shut it down quickly. How do i find out if the SED's were within boogie specs?

 

[ANIMATED SUSPENSION]

If you don't ask for tubes to Boogie specs, you could be getting anything !!! :shock: Are they a matched pair and have they got any kind of rating or code on the bases ?? I wouldn't risk using anything other than M/B tubes or matched pairs of tubes from a REPUTABLE supplier that GUARANTEES that they are within M/B specs. Otherwise serious and EXPENSIVE damage is your only guarantee I'm afraid. You cannot just change power tubes like they're light bulbs in any amp, there's a lot more to it and a lot more at stake !! If it's a fixed bias amp, only fit matched tubes that are within spec for that amp. If the amp bias is adjustable you either fit new matched tubes then get the bias adjusted by a tech, or, if the bias is set correctly and you know the specs of the tubes in it, fit new ones with the same spec.

 

[Boogiebabies]

Sounds like you have a internal broken pin for the heater (# 2 and 7). It could be messing up your plate voltage and bias to the other tubes. It would not be a bad idea to connect pins 1 and 8 on the outer sockets while you are in there. This would let your EL-34's run much better.

 

[floridamike]

You know when I pulled the right outside 6l6 the black piece in the middle of the tube was broken off and there was no sign of it inside so we just stuck it back inside and it played fine until we shut it off. However, when I puilled that one and put the EL34 back in that spot is when the trouble started. Just found out that we have a new boogie "service center" here and the guy has been one of the best amp guys around Raleigh for years any way so I think I'll let the pro handle it. Much appreciation!!

 

[Boogiebabies]

Mad Science Works ? Don't forget about David Riley.

 

[floridamike]

Darren Riley don't do Boogies! He does all of my other stuff and he is the one who sent me to Yonce at Mad Science. He officially is a Boogie service center now!.

 

[Elpelotero]

Mike,

Does your user name suggest you're in Florida, or is it just a name?
I'm in Miami and will be in Tampa this summer. I also pass through Gainesville occasionally.

 

[Boogiebabies]

Be careful, Boogie will give a service center to anyone with a pulse and have never even seen a C+. Half of them from the website are no longer service centers. If you need to take it to a tech on the owners dime, that's understandable before purchasing. While it's there have the bias caps changed and the pots and sockets cleaned.
Have a look for bulged filter caps too. It may not be bad to change them anyway.

What's with the punctuation ? So Darren does not do Boogie's and Mad Science does. If your name was TriangleMike I would have assumed you already knew about the area.

Good Luck.

 

[Boogiebabies]

Mike,

Does your user name suggest you're in Florida, or is it just a name?
I'm in Miami and will be in Tampa this summer. I also pass through Gainesville occasionally.

It's TriangleMike now and he knows how to get off the Beltline at Capital Boulevard to get to the Ford Dealer and Guitar Center.

 

[floridamike]

Triangle born and raised my man. The FloridaMike started with a fantasy football board...most of the guys in the league check out a certain website I was using so I used a fake name to throw 'em off (worked too..won our super bowl last year). Just kind of stuck.

I called Darren (he usually does all of my amp & guitar work) and he said..."man, I don't do Boogies" call Yonce (who many of my buddies have used for quite awhile). Darren's great and I have heard good stuff about Yonce. Would it be worth it to take the chassis out and send it to Mike at Boogie? Any idea on shipping from NC? Any idea on how much a repair like that would be? I'll probably keep it anyway so it would be on my dime and probably negotioated for the tiele cab he has (a newer model but in great condition). I'm trading my '66 Deluxe Reverb (a little rough conditionwise but great sounding w/ non original speaker and cord) for the Boogie.

The boogie has been sitting in a living room for years and rarely taken out. Tolex doesn't have a mark on it.

 

[Boogiebabies]

Shipping would be about $ 62 UPS ground, and dangerous. I don't think I have ever seen a bill from Mesa under $ 250. I would really let Yonce try to fix it. From what you described it should not be a hard repair. Those tube pins snap off the circuit board all the time and pins 1 and 8 need to be connected. I've done free C+ consultation in NY, VT, MN, GA, AZ, CA, FL, IL, AL, MA, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France and Asia. I have never found another IIC+ owner who was a Tar Heel.

 

[floridamike]

Come on down to Raleigh and fix it onsight. Same guy has an old MkIIB that needs a going through. We'll pay the gas and the bill and you can get the hell out of Charlotte for the day! Close enough to get some real Eastern NC BBQ while you're at it. You got a shop in Charlotte? I've got some real close friends there I'd love an excuse for to go see. If you could do it the same day I'd almost jump in the car and run down there at some point (especially since you're a C+ expert). This thing is super clean on the outside and I expect to have it a long time so I'm serious about bringing it.

 

[Boogiebabies]

No plans to go up to the Capital any time soon, but thanks for the barbecue bait. We have a mix of eastern and western here. I work out of my house, which doubles as a Mesa museum. If you can take a few pictures inside the chassis, that would be half the battle. I help a guy in Italy put in a simul-class OT, so this is easy.