Mark V:25 Makes A Clicking Sound

[Inthenoise]

I bought a Mark V:25 used from Guitar Center. Within the first couple times of playing it, I noticed it makes a clicking sound. The sound happens once the tubes warm up a bit, set with a high gain tone, and is blended into the background sound of the amp while not playing. It can be pretty loud. The clicking varies in cadence: click - click - click will quickly speed up to clickclickclickclickclick, then remain that way. It is very intermittant. Sometimes the sound isn't present at all. The local pro tech shop has been unable to diagnose, much less fix the issue. This has gone on for a long time and is very frustrating. I've got five Mesa amps and have never heard anything like this. Does anyone on the Board have any experience with this or thoughts as to what the cause could be? Thanks.

 

[mace]

This could be a new innovation from Gibson Mesa, an amp with a built-in metronome. But it sounds more like an electrical problem with the relay or something. I’ve never experienced that kind of problem and I don’t remember reading about anything similar here.

 

[Walstib]

I think I'd start with a tube swap (you didn't mention that that was done). Some tubes, when starting to go bad, will start to make a putt, putt, putt sound at different speeds on their way to eventually failing. I hope that helps.

 

[Inthenoise]

I think I'd start with a tube swap (you didn't mention that that was done). Some tubes, when starting to go bad, will start to make a putt, putt, putt sound at different speeds on their way to eventually failing. I hope that helps.

Thanks, Walstib, yeah, that's finally what the tech shop did. Power tubes. Surprising it took so long to land on that. In my initial convos, I asked, "could it be the tubes?" This didn't register with anyone I spoke with as a likely potential cause. So, folks out there, if your amp makes a clicking sound in the background noise, start by changing the power tubes.