Problem with my brand new 2:50 - I can't replace the fuse!!!

[faser]

All right guys.. First post here so let me introduce myself.. I live in Greece and I play guitar just for fun.. However I've got to admit that I have spent a lot of money into it and I have built quite an adorable rack (as for myself is going )!!! The last addition of my rack was a Mesa Boogie 2:50 power amp which I bought it brand new from a French e-store.. Before this, I was running my Triaxis through the FX Loop return of my Peavey JSX head (btw great amp, I wouldn't abandon it if it was midi controllable)..

Anyway, my brand new power amp arrived a couple of weeks ago but due to my tight schedule I wasn't able to play more than 5 hours (2 "sessions" of practice let's say of 2&1/2 hours each).. Yesterday, I tried to turn it on for the 3rd time and it was dead.. No pilot lamp flashing, no fan moving, no sound, nothing.. I checked the power cord and it was firmly plugged.. I would like to mention that I treat my gear with care and especially my tube amps (i.e., a 10-minute standby switch operation before and after playing, a Furman power conditioner installed, and so on).. I didn't hear any weird sounds the day before nor smoke, smells, etc.. I turned it off normally after playing.. I really couldn't even predict this malfunction!

After ruling out the power cord as a potential cause, I thought that the fuse blew.. OK.. I checked the manual and it mentioned that a blown fuse may be the outcome of faulty tubes.. To be honest, I consider faulty tubes mounted on a brand new 2:50 unacceptable on behalf of Mesa Boogie but I had the same problems with my brand new Triaxis (I emailed Mesa and they suggested swapping the factory tubes, which I did and it was fixed) so I was kind of prepared..

Now here's the problem.. First, I removed the 4th 6L6 (the one close to the power cord) in order to have more space to work.. Then, I remove the plastic lid that says "Fuse".. Then I was expecting to pull out the fuse easily but I was mistaken.. The fuse was all the way inside the main body of the amp and there wasn't an inch of it outside in order for me to grasp it with a some sort of pliers.. Anyway, I tried to insert something within the fuse hole in order to grasp the fuse but to no avail.. To make things worst, the "plastic cylinder" that holds the fuse was pushed even deeper and now I can't put the plastic lid back.. It seems to me that in order to replace the fuse you need to remove the cover but I don't want to do this because it will certainly void my warranty (I have purchased it only 3 weeks ago and this amp came with a full 2-year warranty)..

I would be grateful if someone could clarify this to me.. Do I need to remove the cover in order to pull the fuse out? If this is not necessary, is it an easy thing to do, because it seems to me that Mesa designed this thing as if it doesn't want anyone to mess around with the fuse..

Thanks in advance and sorry for this first and lengthy post

 

[tonefreak25]

So here is some info, which you probably already have...but it never hurts to be sure.

FUSE: This is the 2:50’s A.C.’s ( Alternating Current ) main fuse and provides protection from outside A.C. fluctuations, as well as power tube failure damage. Should the FUSE blow, replace it with the same rating in a slo-blo type package. The domestic U.S. version requires a 3 Amp SLO-BLO FUSE. A power tube short or failure is often the cause of a blown fuse...Follow the cold start procedure mentioned earlier in the ON / STANDBY switch section and watch the power tubes as you flip the STANDBY to the ON position. If a power tube is going bad or is arcing you will see it! Flip the STANDBY switch to STANDBY immediately and replace the faulty power tube and the FUSE if necessary. If you see nothing abnormal as you lift the STANDBY switch, it is possible that a power tube shorted temporarily and blew the FUSE. If this is the case it may work again normally.
To be extra safe you may want to replace all power tubes in the troubleshooting tradition and save the replaced set as spares. Carry along a few extra fuses for they too could be worth their weight in gold some day.

 

[faser]

Thanks for your info.. Actually, I have read the manual many times but I totally agree that it never hurts to be extra sure.. However, a friend of mine told me how to extract the fuse off the fuse holder (gently press it and then turn in counterclockwise half a turn) but it was late.. I had already "lost sight" of the fuse holder (i pressed it so hard that it fell into the main part of the amp).. Now the only solution is to remove the top cover.. I am awaiting confirmation from Mesa to do so (just in case this will void my warranty)..

Thanks again..

 

[tonefreak25]

Ok, now I see what happened. Bummer man, I wish I would have better understood what was going on. I made the bad assumption that everyone has dealt with the push turn pull fuse holders. My apologies my friend. However you should be able to correct without to much trouble. Good luck!!