New "Used" Tremoverb Head - output issues help!

[jared]

Folks,

Picked up a used tremoverb head last week... R-0036xx with the power cord attached (can't remember the last two digits off hand)... seemed like a nice catch.

Gigged it with the tubes that were in there... not bad... volume dropped out occasionally but it came back... figured ok, bad tubes and since i didn't know how old the ones that came with it were, i'd swap out every tube in the amp... all 4 power tubes, 6 12ax7's and the two rectifier tubes..

So today I get around to doing just that... switched from 6L6 to EL34 to give that sound a shot, love it on the overdrive...

Sounds great for about 2 mins... can hardly turn the volume up... until a sudden loss of output... now, i need to turn the master for each channel up all the way, just to get bedroom volume!

I checked my V1, V2 and V6 sockets... as a spot check... still no improvement.. all tubes glowing... bold/spongy switch no difference... tube/silicone diodes no difference...

I had a tremo combo last year that did this same thing... took it for a fix.. got it back with all new tubes and they said it was fixed, but it wasn't...

I don't know what's wrong and I know they say it's almost always the tubes, and Mesa's are tanks, and this and that but I've returned 5 Mesa's in two years... and this is the second tremo to do something similar...

Anyone have any idea what i'm doing wrong? Again it was playing at full volume and dropped in the middle of playing it, no adjustment to knobs, loop settings, gain, nothing!

I want to take it back and have it looked at but I want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything blatantly obvious!

Thanks everyone!

 

[ShamefulAddiction]

This may be too obvious, but you did switch the bias setting from 6L6 to EL34 right?

 

[kmanick]

also clean the inputs to the loop.
that is a notorious reason for amps losing volume (for whatever reason )

 

[jared]

I did make sure to change the bias switch first. Long story short, I returned the amp to the store and got a full refund. I wasn't about to mess with a used amp that had problems. I have faith in Mesa as my Mark IV has done me well for short of a year now. But I want a different sound and the Tremo is it. Unfortunately, I can't find one that actually works.

 

[jared]

Hit or miss just about sums it up! If I think back over time, I've had a couple tremo combos and heads through the years, but I always sold them based on not being able to justify needing them. Now that I gig regularly and want one, I can't find a good one! The sad thing is, I can only remember one of them working well, the other several had issues. I once had a Nomad 55 and that was fine. I had an Express 5:50 that was awesome but not enough drive (which lead me to the Mark IV). I tried a new Stiletto Ace that I returned in two weeks because of an awful clicking sound coming out of the back. I've had more misses than hits but the hits have lasted me long and I'm pretty understanding that used gear just has issues. Next up, Lonestar! I think I can get my nice cleans and a nice rhythm overdrive with the amp, and kill it for metal with a pedal in the event I need to go there. I probably shouldn't have an amp that goes from clean to metal and try to find a sound in between for rhythm. I had previously dismissed the Lonestar because it wasn't "enough". But I think it's plenty and I've just been holding out for having the brutal metal available to me. We'll see!