just got a used mesa nomad, but it got damaged in shipping

[iamrobk]

As the title says, I just picked up a Mesa Nomad, but it got a bit damaged in shipping. Heres 2 pictures that show the damage



As you can see in the second, theres a screw holding on a plastic piece that just snapped on the one side, so now its only being held up by the other side and the wires. Anything I can do on my own to fix it, or should I just call Mesa? Think they'd be able to send me the part?

Edit: Oh, and it sounds/works fine, by the way.

 

[nomad100hd]

i'm sure they will send you the part, they sent me a choke which i think that's what the pic is of, or its' the OT either way they will send you one.

 

[Old BF Shred]

Don't tell me....let me guess.
UPS?

 

[94Tremoverb]

That's the output transformer, and for it to break that bracket - it's steel, not plastic - the amp must have been dropped *really* hard, probably straight down, but possibly on its front. I would strongly recommend checking for other damage from the same cause, up to and including cabinet damage, stripped or bent chassis bolts, or loose speaker magnets. If it works fine, it probably hasn't damaged anything much inside - although it will have pulled the wires a fair bit - but for future reference, it's not a good idea to just turn something on to see if it works, with this kind of damage. It needs to be thoroughly inspected first. I never even power up anything that's been shipped to me without opening it up first, even *without* visible damage. You just can't be too careful, with the way these companies toss things around.

 

[b0nkersx]

Don't tell me....let me guess.
UPS?

+1

UPS is so poorly managed.

 

[nomad100hd]

unless dude had already broke it and rig it to stay up, and shipping loosened it! I agree with opening things first to have a look before power up.

Consider though an after market OT like mercury magnetics on or some kind of upgrade!

 

[GD_NC]

So this post brings up a good question...

Is it best to ship combos, and Mark style heads, upside down so the tubes and trannies are facing up? I recently received a DC-2 packaged this way and I thought it made a lot of sense.

Any reasons not to do it this way?

 

[iamrobk]

Yeah, it was UPS. Never using them again, if I have the choice. For better or worse, I go back to college Sunday and am leaving the amp at amp, so I won't be able to do anything with it until Spring Break or summer. I think I am going to just save up a bunch of money and take it to a professional around here to replace the OT and get it fully checked out. I have looked it all over myself though, and besides that, it's really in remarkable shape. Nothing else wrong with it at all, and like I said, it sounds great. The guy packed it remarkable well (seriously, the box and everything else must have weighed 20 pounds by itself), and the tubes all came perfectly, so who knows. Just thinking about it now, the OT is very close to the power tubes, so maybe over time the heat of the power tube weakened the metal? Who knows.

 

[Tweeked]

Don't tell me....let me guess.
UPS?

UPS=Mesa Killers :twisted:

 

[94Tremoverb]

There's no way the heat from the tubes could do anything to that metal - it's steel. It's purely physical stress damage. That said, the design of these transformer brackets is not the best, because the metal is weakened where it's folded through a right angle, and the transformer only has two securing bolts, so the weight of it is constantly flexing the whole thing back and forth slightly as the amp is moved. Over time they can get fatigued, and this failure is not *especially* uncommon - although mostly in older amps - what's probably happened is that the bracket was just a little weaker than usual anyway, and the drop finished the job.

In fact, the whole transformer doesn't need to be changed, if you can find a tech with a spare bracket of the right size, eg off a dead transformer of the same type. It's possible to remove the bracket, with a little patience, and refit a new one - I've done this on several vintage amps where changing the whole transformer is not desirable for originality/tone reasons. You also sometimes see other bodges with bits of sheet steel bent around the transformer, or even zip ties... it will actually work fine, how the transformer is physically held in place doesn't affect its performance.

 

[iamrobk]

So I'm finally going to be home for the summer and I'm just curious if anyone here could recommend a place/person I could take my Nomad to to get checked out in the Philadelphia area (anyone do free estimates?). If the OT got knocked around this bad, there could be something else wrong/loose/whatever (even though I doubt it). I figure I'd rather be safe than sorry, and plus I want to get them to mod the loop to serial anyway, since I can't do it myself (no soldering experience, and an expensive amp isn't a good place to start :lol.

 

[derekjason]

im not familiar with techs from philly, but if u have a free day and wanna take a road trip, check out central jersey music in edison nj, theyre a mesa authorized spot. ask for dennis, if im not mistaken he worked for ampeg for a long time. good luck dude.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I can personally vouch for the dramatic tonal improvement that Mercury Magnetics upgrade can add to your amp!

 

[iamrobk]

I can personally vouch for the dramatic tonal improvement that Mercury Magnetics upgrade can add to your amp!

Yeah, I just read that in another topic is another reason I'm exploring the option of just getting a new OT. Can anyone describe the difference though?

 

[Monsta-Tone]

It's really strange. I have amps that I have had for quite a while and thought that they sounded very good.
Then, I started working with Mercury and providing their transformers for some of the amps that I mod.
It has really changed my mind about changing the OT & the Choke. I don't really think that changing the PT makes a huge difference in the tone, or at least I haven't really noticed yet.
I have a complete set of Mercury transformers for my Heartbreaker that I will install sometime this month. I am hoping to film a video of the before and after.
I think that I will start with the power transformer on purpose so that I can see if it has any effect, then the choke, then the output.


As for OT changes, here is what I have noticed:
Much greater headroom, which is the amount of clean volume before the amp starts to breakup.
Much wider range of available tones, like the proverbial blanket has been lifted and suddenly there are more highs, mids, and bass.
Much more sustain, even at lower volumes.
Almost every amp I've done this to has been louder. I have done before and after videos (can't get them off of the camcorder yet or I would post a link) with the same exact settings, same cab, cables, guitar, everything but the transformer is the same and the amp appears louder. I think this mostly due to the added range of frequencies.
More Harmonics! The amp seems to breathe a lot more and not feel stifled. It seems easier for me to get the tones and notes that I am looking for.


Paul at Mercury swears by Chokes with no end bells. He says that the end bells cut down on the available impedance of the choke and make it only do half of what it is supposed to be doing. I really want to see what just changing the choke does for my HB! So much so that I may change the choke and then the PT!


Bill M. from the FDP says that it takes a good amp and turns it into something fantastic.

 

[iamrobk]

Wow, thanks for all that! Hell if I read that I'd probably consider upgrading my OT even if it wasn't dangling down like it is. :lol: But knowing that upgrading it will probably help make the sound better does help me justify having to spend all that I'll need to on this. BTW, do you guys recommend that I take it to a Mesa authorized place, or is pretty much any legit repair person good? I've never had to get any work done on an amp before.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Where are you located?
Maybe someone in your area will chime in with a good guy!

I've heard some horror stories about Mesa techs in some areas. Just like anything else, there are good and bad guys everywhere.
Any good amp tech should be able to get it done in about an hour or so. The hardest part is getting the tie-wraps under the circuit board off.


Also, if you can't afford a Mercury, a Heyboer or Hammond is a really good 2nd choice! Just try to get the biggest one that will fit in your amp and have the proper impedances!

 

[iamrobk]

Yeah, I'm right outside Philly. I'm hoping someone can chime in with a good tech in the area, otherwise I'll just take my chances somewhere.

Oh, and you think I should buy the OT myself ahead of time and then just take it to the tech? Makes sense, just hadn't really though of it.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Which Nomad is it and I'll find you some options!
If it's a Mercury, the dealer may get better pricing. They have a pricing tier based on how many transformers a person has purchased.

I'll give you 3 choices, Mercury, Heyboer, and Hammond. All 3 sound incredible. So far, I have only been able to afford to build my amps with Heyboer & Hammond, but they are very high quality.



Paul at Mercury can set you up with a really serious upgrade if you have the room. I just put a Bassman upgrade transformer in a .50 Cal instead of the standard Mesa replacement from Mercury. All I can say is the guy loves it and I didn't want to ship the amp back out it sounded so good! It was freakishly huge and barely fit though.

The set that I got for my HB is a direct replacement (actually the very 1st one) power transformer, choke and the largest output transformer we could fit in there based on the distances between the cab and speakers. I actually have to re-install the choke somewhere else to make room for it! :mrgreen:

 

[iamrobk]

I have the Nomad 55, a 2x12 model if that makes a difference. Thanks for the all the help, I really appreciate it!