Mesa's with PCB jacks, sockets, pots, switches, ribboncable

[fredmullegun]

My Heartbreaker has everything chassis mounted and just a main PCB in the middle. I noticed the Rectoverb has some PCB mounted stuff, and the F-30 has PCB mounted preamp sockets among other things including a ribbon cable.

I noticed the Rectifiers (Dual and Triple) are all chassis mounted with a main PCB. What about the DC-5's?

Are all new mesa using PCB mounted stuff more and more?

 

[AdmiralB]

AFAIK Mesa never chassis-mounted preamp tubes.

It certainly seems that the more recent amps are made more cheaply. Most if not all of them are mounting the power tubes on PCB 'daughterboards'. The first amp I saw done that way (aside from EL84 amps) was the Buster.

I think it's pretty sad that a lot of the things Mesa used to brag about NOT doing, are things they do now. In fact, their web site still says this:

We individually mount and point-to-point wire all jacks, switches, transformers and 8-pin power tubes.

I don't think they've chassis-mounted a power tube socket on a new design since 1998.

I just repaired an Express last week. It had burnt one of the screen resistors (not the amp's fault, this was user error). I was pretty dismayed by the build quality.

 

[fredmullegun]

I dunno what I was thinking on the preamp, brain freeze. I mean poweramp.

But the new amps have ALOT of daughterboards. And the problem is if you have to remove them then those ribbon cables only bend so many times. I broke one on my Pro Jr.

I don't think they've chassis-mounted a power tube socket on a new design since 1998.

That disturbs me. I thought it was just the "budget lines" like F30 or express. What about the 3 channel Rectos?

 

[AdmiralB]

I don't know about the current DRs or the RK/Roadster. The Stilettos have PCB-mounted power tubes.

The Buster was a 6x6L6 amp with over 550V on the tubes, you'd think if any amp would be built 'rugged', it would have been.

 

[Charlie]

The PCB mounted sockets are my only real gripe with Mesa amps. I cringe everytime I change the power tubes in my Stiletto.

 

[tobytheplatypus]

That disturbs me. I thought it was just the "budget lines" like F30 or express. What about the 3 channel Rectos?

I'll open up my 3Ch Triple Recto tonight to see if i can get some pics for ya's
it's an '03 or '05 i believe (is there a way to check short of calling Mesa from Eastern Canada? lol)

 

[timv]

The roadking is like a computer inside. Everything is little pcb's.. Actually, the pots are chassis mounted but that is about it, only the front ones though.
The thing that threw me off a bit on some of the newer amps, roadking and dual channel triple rectifier to be exact, were how small the transformers were for amps that are over 100 watts. My old mark 3's and older amps had nice big powerful looking transformers, these look like half the size.
Also, the bass 400's, even the earliest non plus ones, always had pcb mounted pots so that began in 82' or so.......

 

[JimAnsell]

here is the roadster board:

the pots are all chassis mounted. the power tube sockets say RUBY on them, so i'm assuming that is the same ruby as the CHINEESE made tubes.
the power tube sockets aren't great either. my 2nd roadster that i got had a bent power tube socket pin RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX! It took me about 20 minutes and some presicion screw drivers to bend it back to be workable.
i could use the one unused pin on the socket, unsolder it, and pop it in the socket with the bum pin. EXCEPT they clip off the ends of the pins after they solder them in for some reason!
ok, so i could get new higher quality tube sockets and install them myself easily, since all the power tube sockets are mounted on a seperate narrow pcb, but then it would void the warranty.

so little things like that bummed me out about dropping 2k on a new amp from a company i stand behind very strongly.

but other than that, it is layed out the best it could be layed out for an amp with this many features. I mean there are 7 seperate pc boards in there, instead of one big one. the ribbon cables in an amp like that is probably a good idea. i mean other wise it would look pretty crazy in there and be alot harder to work on if something happend...:cough cough mark IV cough cough:

 

[tobytheplatypus]

but other than that, it is layed out the best it could be layed out for an amp with this many features. I mean there are 7 seperate pc boards in there, instead of one big one. the ribbon cables in an amp like that is probably a good idea. i mean other wise it would look pretty crazy in there and be alot harder to work on if something happend...:cough cough mark IV cough cough:

yea, i can agree with you there - i think that would be near impossible, or atleast extremely agravating to work on if it wasn't laid out....theres alot of stuff in there

 

[TheSon]

Yeah... I get the need for ease of access, but too true on the price of these things vs that kind of build... A little too Marshall for my liking, PCB to the max.

My RKII looks similar inside just a few more bits .... What really dissapointed me was that when it arrived, I took it out of the box, turned it on and WHAT!!! The six LED's on the front of the RK where the power switches are were virtually dead when supposed to be lit ... reluctantly I opened it up to find that the small daughter board where they are attatched was hanging out free in the chassis not held into the LED holder/lens' ... popping it back in was easy enough and prob solved, but for $5750 (disgusting UK import price... and I haggled a great deal :? should have have been $6500) you want a little more decency ... and two pre-tubes were bad plus a noisy fan ... yeah it all got sorted real fast from service, but still ... I wanted a little more excellence for that excellently large sum... will I change it though? ...no chance in hell :twisted:

Oh, and yeah on the transformers dude ... I had an Orange OR120 Reissue ... 4xEL34 and 3x12AX7 and Mains former was a monstrosity ....
RoadKing with 2x5U4 / 6x power / 6x12AX7 / a whole mess of LEDs, relays and a fan... but a former half the size??? thats beyond whack ... either Orange are way to scared and went far too generous on the electric headrooms, or is RoadKing is right on the nose? ...

 

[timv]

I just wanted to clarify, I just opened up a newer 400+ I am working on and it does have chassis mounted pots that aren't on the pcb, they must have changed that early on because my old 89' 400+ had pcb mounted pots like all the 400 non plus I have seen, this amp is a 94' and they redid the pcb so the pots aren't soldered directly to it anymore, that was a good move.

 

[JimAnsell]

the ever lusted after mark IIC+ has pc mounted tube sockets ya know...

 

[AdmiralB]

the ever lusted after mark IIC+ has pc mounted tube sockets ya know...

Not power tubes.

ALL Mesas have PCB-mount preamp sockets.

 

[JimAnsell]

the ever lusted after mark IIC+ has pc mounted tube sockets ya know...

Not power tubes.

ALL Mesas have PCB-mount preamp sockets.

60 watt mark IIC+ i used to own:

 

[JimAnsell]

the mark III's and IV's have chasis mounted power tubes.

 

[Boogiebabies]

Technically, the IIC+ preamp and power tube sockets are both screwed into the chassis. The tube pins are just soldered directly to the circuit trace. The new Mesa preamp tubes are PCB mounted and rely only on the plastic standoffs to keep the whole board connected. There is some flex when changing preamp tubes on most newer Mesa amps. The power tubes are still screwed into the chassis with the tube retainer. They feel pretty stout, more so than the C+ as the tube pins soldered to the circuit trance are the only connection to the circuit board. If you have ever changed a power tube in a C+ with the chassis open, it makes the whole board wiggle and in many cases when the four tube socket clamps get loose the tube pins snap from the circuit trace from years of wiggling.
The newer Mesa design is much better for the power tube mounting.

 

[JimAnsell]

. If you have ever changed a power tube in a C+ with the chassis open, it makes the whole board wiggle and in many cases when the four tube socket clamps get loose the tube pins snap from the circuit trace from years of wiggling.

i hate that about the c+. i've had to fix a certain fourmites c+ twice because of that :evil:

 

[fredmullegun]

Well here is my Heartbreaker. The preamps look different from the modern pre amps. Just looks like the modern ones have a specific part to make assembly easier, not better or worse.

Power tubes are 100% chassis mounted and so is everything else.

 

[Anonymous]

Post removed.

 

[fredmullegun]

/flex 8)

What amp is this?

What is the PCB mounted vertical on the top of the picture?