i bought a used mesa 2ch dual about 2 months ago i believe it's dated 2001. for the first time i finally got to play it loud last week and boy did i have problems... the most major of all was at random it would make very loud popping/hissing sounds as if something were scratching from the inside out. i thought it may have been my guitar so i cut the volume...and it still happened. so i unplugged...still happened. it came and went as it pleased and no matter what setting i changed it to it happened. the guy i bought it from said i might need to retube it but i haven't yet. do you think that is my only problem? just old tubes? i'm running mesa 6l6's, 2 5u4g's, and the 12ax7's. i cant seem to figure out the problem but from what i found it may be something serious? (hopefully not). i am not very skilled in any type of wiring or electronics and this is my first tube amp so if you guys could please "dumb" the terminology down so i can understand it it would be great...i'm not as knowledgeable as you all are! i'll add more information later today when i have more time. thanks for the help guys!
HELP! mesa 2ch dual having major problems!
- Thread starter coryxcfc
- Start date
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Welcome to the Boogie Board, and the world of tube amps. What you describe sounds like a typical 'tube(s) on it's way out' senerio.
The first thing I would do if I bought an 8 year old amp is change the power and preamp tubes. Seeing how this is your first Mesa, I recommend all new Mesa tubes.
If the seller thinks you may need tubes, believe me, those are old tubes in there. I doubt the seller would invest in all new tubes then sell the amp.
What tubes are in there now? Are they Mesa's?
Dom
The first thing I would do if I bought an 8 year old amp is change the power and preamp tubes. Seeing how this is your first Mesa, I recommend all new Mesa tubes.
If the seller thinks you may need tubes, believe me, those are old tubes in there. I doubt the seller would invest in all new tubes then sell the amp.
What tubes are in there now? Are they Mesa's?
Dom
yes as of right now they are all the mesa stock tubes that came with it. one of the tubes actually seems to be in crooked (one of the 6l6's)? but still turns on when the amp is on. but it doesn't seem to be crooked enough that it would make a problem. do you think just to be safe i should replace ALL of the tubes at once? like the 6l6's 5g4u's and 12ax7's? or should i not do that? i feel so stupid because this is probably all common sense questions that you all already know but i don't have a clue about! plus i have a few other related questions...
can i still keep playing it if one of the tubes are bad? or will it damage my amp in a serious way?
and a question related to tone... i like to play metal. i guess you could say current "hardcore/screamo" (yeah yeah...bash me later...) anyways... it seems that i have literally NO deffinition of my lower strings. like when i do some low end thrashy riff alternate picking the low strings sounds as if i'm using the neck pickup with my tone all the way down...its that muddy.
now once again i'm new to tube amps so i'm sure its just a setting i have it at but are there any good settings you guys would recommend? the pickups in my guitar are duncan SH-8's btw. thanks again boogie board!
can i still keep playing it if one of the tubes are bad? or will it damage my amp in a serious way?
and a question related to tone... i like to play metal. i guess you could say current "hardcore/screamo" (yeah yeah...bash me later...) anyways... it seems that i have literally NO deffinition of my lower strings. like when i do some low end thrashy riff alternate picking the low strings sounds as if i'm using the neck pickup with my tone all the way down...its that muddy.
now once again i'm new to tube amps so i'm sure its just a setting i have it at but are there any good settings you guys would recommend? the pickups in my guitar are duncan SH-8's btw. thanks again boogie board!
clutch71
Well-known member
Various tubes are a users choice so I would suggest that you look through the tube section or talk with an online dealer like http://www.dougstubes.combefore retubing. I personally would not push my luck playing the amp with bad tubes. You can swap out preamps 1 by one but if ther power tubes are bad you risk taking out the mains fuse and potentially a grid resistor. Not overly expensive but not as easy to fix as replacing tubes.
If both of the rectifier tubes are glowing, I wouldn't worry about replacing those at this point. They last forever and I'm willing to bet your playing on bold anyway.
Since you mentioned hardcore/screamo sounds like you need nice fast tight riffing. El34's will tighten the recto up nicely and ad an OD as a clean boost, gain=0, tone 50-70%, level parity or max . I also prefer a Recto cab loaded with V30's.
If both of the rectifier tubes are glowing, I wouldn't worry about replacing those at this point. They last forever and I'm willing to bet your playing on bold anyway.
Since you mentioned hardcore/screamo sounds like you need nice fast tight riffing. El34's will tighten the recto up nicely and ad an OD as a clean boost, gain=0, tone 50-70%, level parity or max . I also prefer a Recto cab loaded with V30's.
so then you recommend replacing the 6L6's with EL34's? i've heard that the 6L6's give a more modern sound while EL34's give a more vintage sound. is that right or do i have it backwards?and what should i do about the 12ax7's? replace those too or no?
and i have the mesa rectifier cab with the v30's in it and its amazing.
and one last question (hopefully). i'm thinking about once i get this 2ch fixed of getting the new 3ch dual rectos. what type of sound do the new 3ch's put out as compared to the 2ch that i have already?
and i have the mesa rectifier cab with the v30's in it and its amazing.
and one last question (hopefully). i'm thinking about once i get this 2ch fixed of getting the new 3ch dual rectos. what type of sound do the new 3ch's put out as compared to the 2ch that i have already?
clutch71
Well-known member
The Rectifier platform is going to give the amp a more modern feel regarldless of 6L6's or EL34's. It's a matter of personal preference really. In general 6L6's have a bigger bottom end and are more mid scooped. EL 34's have a tighter bottom end and are more mid range.
Yeah, I'd replace the 12AX7's as well. You can e-mail Doug at dougstubes and tell him the type of music your interested in, amp, guitar, and cab you use and he'll make a suggestion. From power tubes to preamp and the position he feels they should go in.
The biggest benefit you'll get from a 3 channel is 1 clean channel, and two over drive channels. If you are using the amp solely as clean/dirty, the 2 channel will do you just fine. If you haven't read the manual yet, I highly advise that.. You can find them on Mesa's site.
Yeah, I'd replace the 12AX7's as well. You can e-mail Doug at dougstubes and tell him the type of music your interested in, amp, guitar, and cab you use and he'll make a suggestion. From power tubes to preamp and the position he feels they should go in.
The biggest benefit you'll get from a 3 channel is 1 clean channel, and two over drive channels. If you are using the amp solely as clean/dirty, the 2 channel will do you just fine. If you haven't read the manual yet, I highly advise that.. You can find them on Mesa's site.
thanks for all the info. i haven't had a chance to retube it yet but i have taken your advice and have been looking at a bunch of different types of new tubes online. i plan on making the switch from the 6L6's to EL34's i think. from what i've read they would seem to give me more of the sound i'm looking for. i appreciate all the help from both of you guys, thanks again!
A
Anonymous
Guest
First, I'd really recommend re-tubing first before making any decisions! I think you'll find the tone improves drastically to the point where it will take you a while before you can think about a new amp!coryxcfc said:
On that note, I've had the opportunity to A/B the two in a side by side comparison. As much as I want to justify my owning of 2 channels by saying the tone is better, I just can't do it. With a 3 channel, you need to set them up a little differently, but it's damn close. The feel between the two is nearly identical, but the 3 channel has more treble which some can see as more aggressive. I prefer the 2 channel amps because it's the tone I'm used to; the early 90s Rectifiers are some of the best amps I've ever owned, right up there with my Bogner Ecstasy, though different.
Volbeat's "The Human Instrument" was recorded with a 3 channel Rec. If you like the tone of that more than what you've got after a retube, I'd say go for it.
