New Studio .22 User Here, With Some Questions...

[Psychotronic]

Recently picked up a used Studio .22 like the one pictured below. No visible mods were done to it, but alas no footswitch. Not being too familiar with this amp, I have a few questions:

1. Clearly the footswitch is meant to change the channels, but was it a 2-button switch that could engage/disengage the 5-band EQ, as well? Is the EQ section switchable beyond the front panel of the amp?

2. The pots and EQ sliders must be pretty dirty, because they are often arbitrarily noisy. How can I go about cleaning them?

 

[mikebu]

One button footswitch for the channel switching. You can buy them here, you want the Mark II Rhythm to Lead Switch:

http://mesa.stores.yahoo.net/hrtmkftsw.html

I'm not real knowledgeable on the studios and whether you have a Studio 22 or a Studio 22 Plus. Find your manual here:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/user_manuals.html#gpm1_2

It looks like the Studio 22 Plus lets you use a EQ Switch...

 

[mikebu]

Also if the amp has never been serviced you probably need to have your Capacitors replaced. You can send it back to the factory and they will go through the amp and replace what is necessary...

 

[RR]

I think that's a Studio .22 not the plus. But it looks fully loaded (5-band EQ and Reverb(?).

On a Studio .22+ there's 8 knobs and the switches are rocker switch not toggle (bats) switches.

Now here's where it gets blurry between the two, mine (a Plus) has an EQ footswitch jack in back. It also has Auto EQ which means when I switch into the lead channel, the EQ is automatically engaged. Yours probably has that feature but I'm guessing.

Yes, get a footswitch for it. Its just a simple SPST footswitch so a generic footswitch will work. You don't have to use a patch cable, speaker cable works for this type of footswitching.

Use DeoxIT Contact Cleaner to clean the pots and EQ sliders. But that means opening the chassis.

Hope this help.

 

[hank66]

Looks like a 22. (not a plus). On my22+, the eq footswitch jack is on the back. I didnt know they even made a 22 with a five band eq. I always thought thats what the '+' signified. Any footswitch will work. I've had mine for 20 years now and I love that amp. Try it with a cab, sometime. That little sucker has balls.

 

[MrMarkIII]

The "+" means it has a separate Lead Master (eight knobs).

 

[himmelhund]

I don't believe the Studio .22 is a channel-switcher ( I have one and love it ).

AFAIK the .22 just adds another gain stage to the existing (single) channel when you stomp the footswitch.

The .22 has a known issue with the volume level on this additional gain... it is usually WAY louder than the clean setting.

I upgraded all trafos on my Studio .22 with mercury magnetics.. The amp was from the 80s. I am really fond of this amp, I use it with an extension 1x12 cab running it through a Jensen P12Q and a ToneTubby ceramic hempcone... all the distortion you need and a smooth, singing tone at any volume level.