School me on Filter Caps.

[VC4Ever]

I bought a couple old Boogie Mark's and am thinking about the filter caps. Should I send it to Mesa, a certified tech or try it myself. I am in Canada so if anyone has sent their amp to Mesa let me know.

 

[stokes]

Any tech worth his salt should be able to re-cap.No need to send it to Mesa.I would suggest insisting on good quality caps,not those Nichicons or other asian caps.I like Sprague and F&T's.Boogiebabies had mentioned another brand,I dont recall the brand,havent tried them myself,but if he says they are good,you can rely on that.

 

[kdorsey]

Just buy the caps directly from Mesa and call it a day. They ain't cheap but you only do this once every 20 years or so. Then you'll be certain they're extended temperature and within factory tolerances.

 

[stokes]

Not sure what Mesa uses these days,but they used to use Illinois for the big caps,not because they were the best available,but to keep their profit margin in line.Illinois may "sound" like an American name brand,but they're not.I had one customer complain that I didnt use the Illinois,another tech told him they had to be Illinois since that was OEM.He had them replaced,returned the F&T's I used to me and I gave him a refund.A year later he was back,the Illinois the other tech installed went bad.You should use whatever makes you feel comfortable,but in my experience,Illinois is not the best.

 

[kdorsey]

Not sure what Mesa uses these days,but they used to use Illinois for the big caps,not because they were the best available,but to keep their profit margin in line.Illinois may "sound" like an American name brand,but they're not.

When these parts were designed into the Mark series amps, Illinois Capacitor was located, owned, operated and 100% made in Illinois. Since then, the operations have been sold with HQ no longer in the States. At the time, they were one of the finest parts available on the planet. I know, we were their reps for several years.

This is why I recommended getting them directly from M/B. They have already done the testing, approval and sourcing better than anyone else can, in their own products. Quit working so hard at it and trust M/B, regardless of the manufacturer.

 

[stokes]

Although headquartered in Chicago,they have been manufactured in Asia since the '50's.Mesa is a profit driven corporation,have been since they began mass producing amps.Saving a few cents on each amp makes the share holders happy.They havent been "driven" by what is best,but what is good enough to keep the suits happy.Like I said,I dont know what they are using these days,I've only seen the older amps,hundreds of them over the years.In the past couple of years I've had a dozen or more Fender amps,Blues Devilles,Deluxes,that era,all had various symptoms and all were fixed by getting the crap filters Fender used during that era,IC's.Illinois Caps.Like I say,use what you feel comfortable with,but in my experience F&T's and Sprague are it.There was a period when Mesa advised people not to change caps in old amps unless they failed,had a few from this board bring me their amps after getting them back from Mesa with the old caps.I changed them and they were amazed at the difference.My point is that anybody can make a mistake,even Mesa.I believe they have changed their position on cap changes since then.I am curious as to what they use for the 220uf's these days.

 

[D2dark]

where do you live in Canada ? I know a couple good tech ( Mesa recommended me some )around Montreal.

 

[BlackBoxy]

Filter caps are easy to change when you find the seize can, mostly you got 2x220uf 300v serie, and 3 or 4 30uf 500v ..

would go for spragues atom 220uf for the seize , and Fischer and Tausche German 30 or 33 uf 500v !
they are low esr and high hours reliable

 

[rgx612a]

I'm in B.C. canada and i've shipped my Mark III down to Mesa/Boogie in california on a couple occasions for repairs. They are always pretty fair with their pricing and do a better job than any other tech could do with a boogie.

 

[>Photi G<]

Although headquartered in Chicago,they have been manufactured in Asia since the '50's.Mesa is a profit driven corporation,have been since they began mass producing amps.Saving a few cents on each amp makes the share holders happy.They havent been "driven" by what is best,but what is good enough to keep the suits happy.

Not sure where you're getting your information, but last time I checked, Mesa was a privately owned company, no shareholders to answer to or make happy. However, they will try to save a buck where they can, which is why they no longer have point-to-point power sections, and most off-board leads have been replaced by ribbon cables and header pins.

If I recall correctly, the first Mark Is and some Mark II As had Mallory caps for the B+, and a mix of stuff for low voltage and switching. Later, I think they were Spragues. Now the modern amps use custom made BMIs for the B+, and Illinois for most everything else. Tone caps are usually still Spragues tho.