Hey Some Questions on the Mark V

[Andre Oliveros]

Hi, im a Mark V user since Feb 2011 and a new forum member so yeah hello, people call me Dre and im a Markcoholic, i never owned a Boogie before and well its awesome and im happy that i finally bought it, it took some time to get the money (and say goodbye to an Orange amp) but im happy that meanwhile i was saving money mark V appeared because i was saving for the mark IV, but! i have some things going on that i dont like, and its not because the sound its because i dont know it might be problems,

1. my solo button on the footswitch sometimes just dont click.
2. the cable of the footswitch, sometimes clicks and tickles, i read that its a common problem, but i didnt get it how to really fix it, i have been moving it or just re connect the cable and works fine. but a fix would be great. since im also having a hard time finding in this country a new cable.

3. why i get a noticeable hum when im on triode mode channel 3, pentode goes fine, but once you switch triode you get a "thummm" hum. i dont remember that happening before.

4. im receiving a radio station, i tried to put a ferrite ring but it does not get any better.

i have a theory, about the radio station thing, i moved to Argentina and here the voltage its 220V, i bought a 750W transformer, because i researched that was not problem at all using a transformer as long as it has enough Watts, i did change the power outlet when i connected first the amp, and same thing , and also put the ferrite ring and same, i hear some radio tunes, what do you guys think?


PD.if helps, im not a new tube amp user, i own a marshall JCM2210 (in stand by for modding) a Fender Bassman 100 (finding some time to recap and fix it) and recently owned a Orange which i sell to get the Mark... so for me its kinda intimidating just open and fix things in this one since the Orange was so plain and simple, and also im on warranty time with the Mark ...

 

[HeadlessAxeman]

4. im receiving a radio station, i tried to put a ferrite ring but it does not get any better.

use shorter cables - as needed. I hear the occasional radio (or radio transmissions?) as well through a mark V with a lot of static in the background. A ferrite ringwon't help much if you have cables long enough to tie an elephant down.

1. my solo button on the footswitch sometimes just dont click.

2. the cable of the footswitch, sometimes clicks and tickles, i read that its a common problem, but i didnt get it how to really fix it, i have been moving it or just re connect the cable and works fine. but a fix would be great. since im also having a hard time finding in this country a new cable.

Foot-switch might be faulty see if u cant get a replacement..or it might be a DIY fix-it.
Foot-switch tickling syndrome - can't help you there buddy

3. why i get a noticeable hum when im on triode mode channel 3, pentode goes fine, but once you switch triode you get a "thummm" hum. i dont remember that happening before.

the noise is to be expected ..but not a major hum...ideally you should hear minimal to none on a MARK V. it depends on your signal chain..do you use a lot of FX in front of the amp and any in the fx chain ? Crank the gain much?

Hope it helps...

 

[Andre Oliveros]

Well no, i do use a lot of pedals but im receiving this problems going straight to the amp, im using gain near 1 o' clock, but, maybe my cables might be long, i use monster cables, weird thing is i ve never faced this problem before, im kinda blaming the country, or the apartment where im living, i didnt get that much time to experiment my amp in my house where the voltage its 110V and everithing was ok, but i remember i didnt notice any of this radio, or even the hum over there, also the hum is not the loudest tube problem hum, but its noticeable, now if its normal ill be fine with it, i was thinking on buying one ISP decimator anyway for cleaning any extra "noise" "hum" "hiss", thanks.

 

[HeadlessAxeman]

your hum could be related to the change in power source. Remember its just not 220 V..whats the frequency? 50 Hz or 60Hz?

 

[HaggertysMusic]

I've never noticed an audible hummmm when going between triode/pentode.

The footswitch should be a warranty claim. Are you able to contact your dealer/distributor or Mesa/Boogie directly on this issue?

 

[MusicManJP6]

Possibly a stupid question, but your monster cables are instrument cables and not speaker cables right? A friend of mine was using a speaker cable by accident and was picking up radio stations really bad. Changed out that cable and it went away.

My V is totally quiet.

 

[MesaGod666]

1. my solo button on the footswitch sometimes just dont click.
2. the cable of the footswitch, sometimes clicks and tickles, i read that its a common problem, but i didnt get it how to really fix it, i have been moving it or just re connect the cable and works fine. but a fix would be great. since im also having a hard time finding in this country a new cable.

3. why i get a noticeable hum when im on triode mode channel 3, pentode goes fine, but once you switch triode you get a "thummm" hum. i dont remember that happening before.

4. im receiving a radio station, i tried to put a ferrite ring but it does not get any better.

i have a theory, about the radio station thing, i moved to Argentina and here the voltage its 220V, i bought a 750W transformer, because i researched that was not problem at all using a transformer as long as it has enough Watts, i did change the power outlet when i connected first the amp, and same thing , and also put the ferrite ring and same, i hear some radio tunes, what do you guys think?


PD.if helps, im not a new tube amp user, i own a marshall JCM2210 (in stand by for modding) a Fender Bassman 100 (finding some time to recap and fix it) and recently owned a Orange which i sell to get the Mark... so for me its kinda intimidating just open and fix things in this one since the Orange was so plain and simple, and also im on warranty time with the Mark ...

1. Are you hooked into a cab or is this a combo? Check your solo levels (Make sure that you actually turn it up). Are you using your FX Loop as well? Check the return levels on that as well. Also, check to make sure that your footswitch cable connections are secure.

2. See end of #1.

3. Check your connections and make sure that you are using a speaker cable into your cab. Hum is normal and can be reduced by using a power conditioner/regulator, a noise gate, and various other tools. Do you use a ton of stomp boxes? Make sure that you properly wire the rig through the power conditioner if you have one. All of those CH2 & CH3 modes have some sort of hum and it's completely normal.

4. The Mark V is a tube amp. According to US law, it must conform to FCC regulations meaning it must accept interference. Do you use a wireless? If so, that will also receive random signals. There is no solution to this issue. I have a Marshall Mode Four as a back up in case I can't eliminate this sort of interference (NO POWER TUBES).

I highly recommend not getting into the chassis under any circumstances (unless you indeed are a Mesa certified technician). There's just too much stuff going on in there. Bring it to a certified tech if you feel there is an underlying problem that is not being addressed.

I hope this helps!!

 

[screamingdaisy]

I get the pentode to triode hum with EL34s, but I've never had it with 6L6s. It's very low level humming... just enough of an increase to notice it, but not so much as to be bothersome.

The radio station could be a broken or poor quality shield on a cable or an unshielded pickup cavity. Basically, the pickup and cable are an antenna, and the amplifier will amplify any signals it receives. That said, sometimes you'll get radio interference even with good stuff. If that's the case then moving an amp to a different part of the room (or a different room) can solve the problem.

The footswitch cable being loose and causing clicking is a known issue for Mesa.

 

[Andre Oliveros]

My Mark V its a beautiful white combo, with C90 speaker, and 6L6's, am not using anything as effects right now, and, not a stupid question, im using instrument cables, not speaker, i own a monster speaker cable, but i use that one only for cabs, but im really blaming that radio thing to the cable,

ahh just a curious thing that it happened in the first week i got it, i notice that a tube, one from the center was glowing red, i mean that bad plate red, i scared a lot because my Marshall gave me a lot of hard time with these kind of trouble, so what i did was took the center pair and put it in the outside pair of 6l6's and obviously the two at the sides put them in the center, since i did this, i have never experienced this tube glowing anymore... in neither wattages... can this be related to the triode/pentode hum change?

Dre.

 

[eudaimonia02912]

My Mark V hums in triode mode when I have SED EL34s in it. It doesn't hum with other brands of EL34s or with 6L6s.

 

[yeti]

about the RFI (radio frequency interference) what guitar are you using?

is it just with one guitar?

i used to have that problem with my ibanez jem, it picked up every staticky interfering freaking noise making device within 3 miles it seemed when i played it thru my heartbreaker straight in, guitar to amp. i switch to any one of my les pauls, and voila...gone.
i tracked the problem to the partially shorted hot wire from the output jack inside the guitar, and, while i was in there, i noticed the ground to the bridge was a cold solder joint. fixed both, and the problem went away.

you also could have a short in the amp on one of the input or output jacks....ever notice how before you plug in your amp to your guitar, if you have the amp on, and hold the cord, along with the loud ground noise buzz, you can usually hear a radio station in the background, but once you plug in and complete the circuit, the radio is gone? you may have an open solder joint inside the amp that is causing this.

you can shield the internal cavities of your guitar and amp box with some aluminum foil tape...i've had good results doing it with guitars, and know guys that have actually done whole racks with it. whether that makes a difference, i cant say, but i have been told it does.

you may have a malfunctioning tube also. i would honestly check them all with replacements if you have them. when i first got my heartbreaker, it had been sitting on the store floor for a year, and was seemingly put through it's paces....one of my friends helped me determine that it needed a new PI tube (under warranty)...the amp was REALLY noisy..and that cured it.

and then, even after all of that, it could be that the wire in your residence isn't a correct circuit, or, possibly, not even shielded at all.

old style knob and tube wiring (yes, it still exists believe it or not) is REALLY noisy with tube amps in my experience. i would take it to a different building and try it there and see.

 

[Tuna141]

Simple test for your "radio station" issue: unplug your guitar cable from the amp. If the interference goes away, it's not in your amp, so it's either your cable or your guitar causing the problem.

 

[thunder100]

1. my solo button on the footswitch sometimes just dont click.
quote]

A bit stupid question-->did you run up here the volume for the Solo?

http://www.musik-service.de/images/prx/395768685/i00.jpg

Left from Standbyswitch,the lower one?

Roland

 

[Andre Oliveros]

hey, yeah amps fine, its the guitar, weird, i put the EMI tape, inside of all the body, but it appears that needed to re solder and all that kinda service, so no more radio trouble, also answering thunder100, the button its the one that sometimes doesnt click, means that if i push the button down the light wont turn on because the switch may have an issue which i also solved i just re adjusted the switch without openning anything, weird switches, my wah wah used to do that and also a head rush delay pedal, so thanks guys, this amps keeps me really happy! its just great!

Dre.