NAD: 3Ch. Triple Recto with problems: No sound but noise

[siouwkurur]

Dear forum, please give me a clue or some help,
just got my brand new export version -- 230 V, 3 Ch Triple Rectifier (for IDR 28,625,000 or equivalen to about U$ 3000), ser. #050882. The first play with it right out from the box in the retailer shop, use with a Marshall 1960AV, the clean channel just produce no sound and it found that V1 already dead, replacing with a 12AX7EH and the clean channel came to life again. The next day while playing only in bedroom volume with the footswitch engaged, and the 2 selector at the back panel, Loop and Ch. switch, assigned to FT SW, Send and Return volume at 12 o'clock, after 10 or 15 minutes of playing with normal sound was produced from all of the 3 channels, suddenly when change to Ch. 3 by the footswitch, i lost the volume, no sound produced from the cab, instead just sounded somewhat like background noise, the (distortion) sound from Ch. 3 Modern and from Ch. 2 Modern just came out very faint, and when select to the ch 1 clean, no sound at all. I switched back the stan-by switch, and checked the amp at the back, all the power and rectifier tube glowed normally, make sure that the send knob turned to full clockwise, check the channel and the loop assign selector, and turn them back to the FT SW mode, flip the stand-by switch to on and play again and the sound come as normal, all the 3 channels produce the sound as they suppose to sound, but after a while the symtomps of no sound/losing volume came again. I switch off the amp and after a couple play it again and at first all 3 cahnnels just sound normal and then lost volume again, i already tried just plug my lead direct to the return jack at the back panels, but the sound still very faint except i turn all the master knob at the front panel fully clock-wise, the noise sound come bigger with some loud crackling/popping dominate the (direct) guitar sound. Does anybody ever have the same experience with the Recto before? Can anyone give me advice what is the cause of my new triple Rectifier problem? Is it possible that the V5/phase inverter tube goin bad? Please help me to solve. (Too bad, in my country, Indonesia, the Mesa/Boogie distributor will never give any guarantee if the amps they sold to the customer are crap, so we have to figure it out and solve it by ourself). I always like and worship the mighty rectifier sound of my amp, and just try to figure out the problem...
Much much appreciate in advance for your help big fellas!

 

[YellowJacket]

(Too bad, in my country, Indonesia, the Mesa/Boogie distributor will never give any guarantee if the amps they sold to the customer are crap, so we have to figure it out and solve it by ourself).

Caveat emptor, that is all. You think it wouldn't hurt to test all the equipment before selling it but apparently being a good business person hurts too much. If they won't even bother to guarantee a product, you shouldn't buy from those assholes, no matter how great the amp is! (especially not with a $1,000 USD markup)

Mesa is so great with customer service. You need a new country and that should solve most of your problems!! :shock:

 

[siouwkurur]

Yeahh you are right YellowJacket, i shouldn't buy any Mesa product from them, Indonesia's Mesa distributor 'Melodia Music' is totally crap assholers :x , how could 'em, as the only distributor and retailer in my country, they could not give any support warranty to the products. They just trying to sell but if there any problem occured with the product they have no certified 'Mesa/Boogie' technician. Most of the case, if any of the amps they've sold have some problems and send it back to them to repair, they will do very lousy job with inexperience and incompetence 'tech' that will create more problems and they will billed with high price to the customers. Or, they will offer to send the amp to Mesa in the US and charge for shipping and handling to the customer with no guarantee when the repair job will accomplished.
Anyway, what actually the cause of my Triple Rectifier 'suddenly lost/vanished sound after play for awhile' problem? I will try to check teh preamp tubes, especially the V5. Any suggestion? I would also want to know how to contact Mesa, what is their customer service email address?
Thank you and regards!

 

[R_ADKINS80]

Sounds as if it is a temperature problem somewhere. As you are playing it, it gets hotter and something goes foul. This could be anything from a tube to a bad solder joint...not to mention the windings of a transformer. Tubes, unfortunately, are going to be the only easy fix. If it's not a tube then you will deffinately need a technician.

 

[siouwkurur]

Still puzzled with what actually happened with my new triple recto, start from the first i realized that the preamp tube V1 already crapped out V1 in the first try when the amp just took out from the box, after trans Atlantic shipping from Mesa factory in the US, and then experienced with losing volume, so i have a lot of question about Mesa reliability, never had such problems before with all of my previous all tube non Mesa amp, and its logic if then i have a big question about Mesa unstable performance/reliability and quality control. First i guessed it was the phase inverter tube V5 fucked up, but after changed it a couple time, it didn't solve the problem, then i found out that the stock tube in the V5 is nothing wrong at all. With more frustrating, i opened the amp to look under the hood, before that i pulled out all the pre-amps, power amps and rectifiers tubes. Then by using a magnifier glass, meticulously i checked every mm's of PCB inside; the solder joints, caps, resistors, relays, sockets, mechanical switches, etc, etc. There was no sign of faulty, except if i noticed there were some small diameter 'bubbles' of soldering tin spread out in some areas of the circuits board, just wondering if someday they could creating another problems like shorted some of the traces or soldering points or created arc in the vicinity of HT area (maybe the bubbles was developed as a side residue during the wave(?) soldering process in the production). Well honestly i had no idea, (except for the bubbles that by using a sharp tip pin-set i took them out from the PCB) there was no sign of faulty, all the parts look alright, no weird smells, no sign of burning. So i plug in again all the tubes to their sockets and put the chassis back ti its metal face plate housing and firing the amp again, and whoa it back to life, sound as it suppose to sound, all of the 3 channels, no volume lost, no faulty, no 'self-switched' channel and i've been playing the amp in 3 consecutive days, it just sound OK. I also wondering if the certain positioning of the foot-switch lead could cause the switching from one channel to another malfunction. I notice that before i positioned the lead right under the power tranny. Is the induction emitted from the tranny could affect the foot-switch functioned? Who knows, and i don't get the exact answer of what caused 'the lost of volume in sudden when switched among the channels' malfunction of my amp. It could be the contact of some of the tubes in their sockets like R_ADKINS80 say or another caused. Well i still need to figure out what actually happened with my amp, any ideas?
Anyway now it just simply sound awesome!
Cheers!

 

[siouwkurur]

My 3Rect (seems like) just sound alright by itself now, i mean just (maybe like what i've done before when the problem of lost volume in sudden when changing channel via footswitch occured before) pulled out all the tubes and pulled 'em back in their sockets.
Meanwhile, i've been in the state of anxiousity waiting what will happen then every time firing up the amp... but after already 3 or 4 consecutive days of playing the amp and find no symptoms of faulty so i start to believe that my amp just OK! What actually happen before? I'm still looking for the exact explanation; The 'contact' problems when it heated up, maybe one of logical explanation of the cause.
But then we always wondering if Mesa amp today get so easy to crapped out even a brand new amplifier, reliability issue? Maybe the rate of faultyness still fair enough over all the product, but how come we will boost our confidence and assurance for the quality and superior product of Mesa? I love the sound of my 3Rect and hope it will last longer.... heavy and brutal sounding amp!

 

[siouwkurur]

Does anyone notice if everytime switching the channel from 1 to 3 using the footswitch (on a 3 channel Triple and Dual) will make the LED on Ch 2 slightly blinking? Is that normal? Or only occur in a particular amp? Mine is a Triple and have that kind of thing when switch from ch 1 to 3.