Mesa Boogie are now official called MESA BOUT.

[UKBoogieboy]

After on going failure of my F50, and also a F50 I was lent when my F50 was being repaired, the shop has given me a credit note because they are writing the F50 off as a bad amp due to constant breaking down, the F50 I borrowed also went wrong.
I was using the credit note and adding money to it to buy the Express 5.50, the Express 5.50 arrived today, the shop took it out of the box, removed the packaging and carefully slid the protectors from the valves. plugged it in and let it warm up on stand by for a few minutes.
Plugged guitar in and switched on, nothing, turned up both gain and master on both channels, just loud mush and a small amount of signal, almost nothing at all.
The tech checked the valves, they were fine, tried two leads, and another guitar, still the same. I also tried a secondhand tremoverb with the trem not working, and a New rectoverb where you couldn't touch the solo knob because the amp made an ear shattering noise.
I have lost faith in Mesa Boogie now although I am still going to have to buy an Express 5.50 because there is nothing else on the market that is suitable.
The shop told me the 50% of Mesa Boogie amps don't work out of the box and are sent back, he said ampeg are similar.
One of the guys in the who deals with Mesa Boogie for customers says that Mesa Boogie don't care because they have got such a big name it doesn't matter that people aren't satisfied with amps breaking down and bad service, he said other makes do their best to help the customers but told me that a few weeks ago they had a customer who spent a lot of money on an amp which broke down about a week after buying it and all Mesa boogie told the shop was that he had to buy another amp, so the shop felt bad not being able to do anything.
This isn't good enough, I hope the new express 5.50 I am now waiting for works, or else I will not be buying anything else, I will buy Soldano.

I watched a tour of the factory on youtube and saw how much testing goes on, must just be for the camera because why are broken amps being sent out one after another?

 

[floaty83]

I have an extremely difficult time believing that 50% of amps that come from Mesa are DOA. One factor that I think a lot of people forget about is shipping. UPS and Fedex usually dont have any special handling for anything that is valued less than $5000. Working in a shipping and receiving dept for a couple of different places, I've seen how the drivers alone handle packages. Heavy boxes get stuff thrown on top of them, kicked over, dropped, etc. All it takes is one big vibration and a solder joint breaks leaving a dead or half dead amp.

I have no doubt that Mesa tests every amp that leaves its facility to be in 100% working order, only to have the shipping company completely f*** it all up by the time it reaches the store or end user.

I've had my Express 5:50 for over a year and it works just fine, no problems yet. I bought it off the floor at a local music store.

 

[kfinkel1966]

There are a few things about the initial post that just don't sound right to me. It seems to me that if any manufacturer (foreign or domestic) was shipping 50% of their brand new inventory in a non operational state, they would not remain in business for very long.

I can only say that over the years I have owned several Mesa products both new and used and have never had a single issue. Whenever I called with a question, I was called back in a reasonable amount of time by a person who was knowledgeable and passionate about their job. I am sorry to hear that your experience with them was not a positive one.

 

[ryjan]

Sounds like Mr. Repairman is a little biased (no pun intended). Mesa's qc and customer service are top notch and I'm sure you will here a lot of the same from anyone who has ever done buisiness with them. Mesa amps rock \m/ :twisted: \m/

 

[soundchaser59]

Bad shipping practice was my big thought, also. Mesa did not get where they are by shipping 50% dead amps, they woulda been outa business a long time ago if that were true.

One of my local amp techs said he visited the Vox factory (in Korea maybe? not sure) and everything there worked just fine. Two months later the same amp he played at the factory that worked perfectly at the factory arrived at the Omaha retail store dead. He opned it up to service and found nothing but 3 or 4 cold solder joints. As stated above, one drop on the tarmac or the boat is all it takes to knock a solder joint loose from a circuit board. Probably one reason why P-2-P hand wired amps are so reliable, it's almost impossible to knock a solder joint loose from a turret board.

Another reason why I started buying only American made amps. Everything that was shipped from another country had serious problems either right outa the box or within a few weeks or months of use. Everything that has been made in the USA and shipped in the USA (by truck most likely) has worked perfectly since day 1......including all the used Mesa amps I've had. Only the Subway Rocket has a problem, and that was cause by a user inserting a tube crooked.

 

[thunda1216]

I purchased a damaged Heartbreaker head for a ridiculously low price in 2000. The case was broken in shipping. It's still broken. I have been playing it 30-40 hours a week for 9+ years now, and the only problem I have had is a couple of failed preamp tubes and one failed rectifier tube (both failures occurred in 2004).

ty

 

[dmcguitar]

I can't see there being a 50% failure rate, Ive seem many instores that sit there for years and don't seem to get sold being played, and new ones come in and none have had real issues. plus they have a 5 year warranty, so if its brand new and the guys says buy a new amp, tell him to fix it or have them ship it back it should all be covered. (althought if it was a sever problem they might say they get you a new one instead of fixing it) thats my guess.

 

[Scrapinger]

I've got to chime in here. I've had some issues with my Mark IV, but mostly related to bad tubes. Mesa was awesome about taking it back and looking at it. THere is just no way 50% of their amps are bad. I can believe the tube failure rate is up there, but their amps are rock solid.

 

[UKBoogieboy]

The shop said a 1 year warrenty?

Yes, I think it is the shipping that breaks them.

 

[UKBoogieboy]

Hi, I brought the Express home after the shop changed all of the 12ax7's with another set of mesa 12ax7's (the amp was dead when it arrived into the shop from Westside (Boogie UK).
The amp works fine but there is a sound like a kazoo, a vibration, does not sound glassy like valve vibration but its definetey something, it doesn't do it at first when its really quiet, but when I turn it up it start and THEN continues when turned down quiet again.

I tried it on 5 watts quiet and it was fine, but when I turned it up it started and again continued when I turned it back down again?

Any ideas

 

[Pappy]

I purchased a 1 year old used 5:25 from some young podunk in North West Kentucky in May 2009.
He packed it poorly in a crappy 200lb burst box , with bubble wrap and peanuts from K-mart. I was horrified when Brown showed up with it.
The box was f**ked!! Almost round, not square any more.
I opened it up and noticed the tubes were at an angle in their sockets, like the package had been thrown and landed on it's side.
I straightened out the tubes, plugged the amp in and it worked flawlessly.
I haven't had a problem yet.
Knnock on wood.

 

[UKBoogieboy]

The box was perfect! They have now put in new boogie power valves aswell, and its bizzing like hell, two notes together and it sounds like its gonna explode with a rumble.
Shop is pi++ssed off with me severly but its not my fault.

 

[EtherealWidow]

The box was perfect! They have now put in new boogie power valves aswell, and its bizzing like hell, two notes together and it sounds like its gonna explode with a rumble.
Shop is pi++ssed off with me severly but its not my fault.

So is it fine? I know you said it was perfect, but when you say it sounds like it's going to explode that sounds bad.

 

[UKBoogieboy]

I mean the cardboard box was perfect, as in no damage at all, yes the amp was rumbling and vibrating like hell when just past half volume!
Its gone now, not getting another one, I will either go Express 2x12, or Lonestar 2x12, but the lonestar means longer with no money and I have sold everything I own apart from my guitars in the last few weeks to get one, still need more money, they are £2300 here, I only get £90 a week (income support) to live on, lol.

 

[EtherealWidow]

Hmmm. Well good luck with whatever you do. Sorry it didn't work out man.

 

[UKBoogieboy]

Lonestar arrived today, BROKEN as usual, my 4th Mesa Boogie, its an inferior sound to the express, pretty crap in my opinion, so 4 amps in a row, 4 problems. All different Models, F50, Rectoverb, Express, Lonestar, all from different times.