new guy witha 2channel dual and some Qs

[2CDR]

hi guys,new mesa owner from Australia here
i picked up a 2 channel dual rec for $1800 aust dollars.
it came with an inverter to run on our 240 volt power so i guess it was a US import?
it has no foot switch and im open to suggestion for one.i normally run a line6 X3live in the loop of my other amps for FX and channel switching but not sure i can do that with this mesa.
this is the serial number. R-0147XX.can anyone shed some light or rough back ground info based on the serial number?
it is loaded with all mesa branded tubes and has EL34s in it.
IF i was to have the transformer swapped out to allow running 240volt kettle cord,will this affect the tone of the amp at all?
thanks for any answers info offered.

 

[94Tremoverb]

Some Mesa amps have dual-voltage transformers - if you open it up (or get a tech to, if you're not familiar with what to look for) you may be able to rewire it for 240V without changing the transformer. The connections are all inside, there's no voltage selector switch on the back. Not all of them do though, so you may still need to replace it. It shouldn't affect the tone if you use the correct type of transformer - or it may sound better, you're probably already not getting the best out of it by running it through a step-up (depending on the size and quality of that).

The foot switch is a standard single pole latching type. If you want an LED in it, it's wired in series with the switch, with the cathode to ground - no resistor, that's in the amp.

 

[2CDR]

ok ,thanks for the trans info.interesting.ill leave that for a tech as thats not my field and i dont want a fried amp lol.
excuses the silly Q but i really dont understand the whole foot switching,latching deal.can you expand on that please?
it was suggested a boss latching switch will do the trick.i have a boss AB-2.is there any chance this will work?how does a latching switch work? does it allow/change all channels? does just cycle the channels? will the L6 X3L in 4cm work?
sorry for the Qs but im very new to mesa.

 

[94Tremoverb]

No, the AB-2 won't work. It's an A/B routing switch, what you need is a simple latching footswitch like the Boss FS-5L. But even that is too complex really, you don't need the battery to drive the LED since the Mesa circuit will do it for you. If you can't easily make one, it's probably best to get a used one from Ebay etc - the one you want is the single button switch the size of a normal MXR pedal marked "Rectifier" in script across the middle. Other latching switches will work the amp but the LED may not light, or not in the right way (on for red channel). If you can't find one, any tech can build one very simply.

You only have two options for the channel, orange or red. You can't change the mode (vintage/clean), operate the channel cloning etc with a footswitch. You can turn the FX loop on and off once it's selected on the back panel, you need another of the same type of switch.

The Line6 will in theory work with the 4CM, but there is a problem... the Mesa loop is notorious for causing trouble with digital processors. It's a parallel loop and always lets a little dry signal leak through, which causes 'latency' issues with the pedal and may not sound very good. It is possible to mod the loop to series, again any decent tech can do it very easily if it's not something you want to attempt yourself (although it just involves removing one wire, really). This is a very common complaint about Mesas and the newest version of the 3-channel model has now gone to a series loop as stock.

I would keep your 2-channel though... they sound better. From the serial number yours is a 'Revision G', which is the last version of the 2-channel model but was made for by far the longest - they went through several changes quickly until that one, which is really the classic Dual Rectifier. I don't know the year but it's fairly late in the 1990s, they changed to Rev. G around 003000 in about '93 I think.

 

[fluff191]

Some Mesa amps have dual-voltage transformers - if you open it up (or get a tech to, if you're not familiar with what to look for) you may be able to rewire it for 240V without changing the transformer. The connections are all inside, there's no voltage selector switch on the back. Not all of them do though, so you may still need to replace it. It shouldn't affect the tone if you use the correct type of transformer - or it may sound better, you're probably already not getting the best out of it by running it through a step-up (depending on the size and quality of that).

Interesting. When I had to replace my power cord on my Rev. E, I wondered about where the cord is soldered. There were empty spots labeled "240v" or something like that. Go figure.

 

[2CDR]

you sir,are a champ
thanks for the info.i want to know as much as i can.
i think i will try hunting down an original mesa foot switch,worst case ill get the boss.
are there any threads on this fine site detaling how to mod the loop(this one wire i think i can do myself,after all i did do a 3.666 mod to one of my ADA mp1s lol)
again thank you for the info and your help :mrgreen:

 

[2CDR]

BUMP
anyone else care to chime in about the serial number? id like to gather as much info as i can about my amp

 

[2CDR]

the transformer the amp came with is a step down,so its 240v going in but 110v going to the amp.now i just had a good look at the transfomer and noticed it said 115v.not 110v.
can this damage my amp at all? to me thats running on a higher voltage than recomended?
common sence whould tell me its not ideal,but just how bad is it,or is it nothing to worry about?

 

[94Tremoverb]

Nothing to worry about. The amp is designed for a nominal line voltage and is capable of accepting variations above and below that, since line voltage can vary depending on your location, distance from the substation, time of the day (due to industrial power draw etc), by at least 5 to 10%. The voltage coming out of the transformer varies by the same percentage as that going in, so it could be 110V, 115V or 120V, you won't know without measuring it. The amp will take any of these with no problem. You may find it affects the tone of the amp a bit - that's why some people like to run voltage regulators with their amps, to keep it more consistent. It's only if it goes high by more than about 10% that there's any real risk.

 

[2CDR]

excellent! thanks for that.
i got to crank it last night at band practice and i gotta say,WOW im very much in love with this amp.

 

[2CDR]

my new baby