Slight pop going into Standby

[primal]

Anyone else have this issue?

It is a pop when ever I put the amp into standby. Not too loud. My wife and daughter were in the room one time when I put it into standby and they didn't even notice.

Also not like the Roadking/Roadster channel switching into channel 3 pop. That pop wakes the dead and is on every Road King and Roadster I have ever plugged into it.

But an annoying little pop nonetheless.

What is weird is that the pop is going INTO standby, Not coming out which is when I would expect a pop would be more likely.

What bugs me the most is I know it did not do this when I got it new. I loved that it was my first "popless" boogie. My Road King had the channel three thing going on that would basically make you wet your shorts if you didn't know it was coming. My Mark IV initially had this God awfull Pop/Crackle that would scare the crap out of you coming OUT of Standby. I got that one fixed but the Mark IV still has a slight pop when switching from lead channel to R1 the first time. It is quiet after that.

I took a spare preamp tube and went through every single preamp tube one by one. No difference.

I replaced all the power tubes. No difference.

It is louder in 90 watt mode then in 45 watt mode, but the master volume and volume have no effect. In fact, I almost thing the louder I have the Master volume, the softer the pop.

I think I have isolated it to the preamp circuit. If I put a pedal in the loop and then put then turn the pedals level all the way off, I won't hear the pop. So the pop is definately being produced before the loop.

Whether or not I have the loop and reverb hard bypassed makes no difference.

I am probably going to bring it to a tech. I got an authorized tech about 20 minutes from me who is pretty good. He will probably laugh when he hears it considering how soft it is. But I know the amp didn't do that when I got it. And considering the money I payed I want it perfect.

Anyone else getting that pop?

For me this is the only pop I get. I can switch channels all day without any issues.

 

[theweatherman]

mine pops sometimes. not very loud, but it does do it when i go in and out of standby

 

[primal]

For me it is only going into standby. And yeah it's not that loud. I think most RoadKing/Roadster owners would look at me and say "your kidding right" after hearing it.

It's just that I know it used to not make any pops at all.

 

[MBJunkie]

I haven't noticed any "pops" at all going into standby or out of standby. For that matter, I haven't noticed any pops at all from this amp switching between the modes either (which is what matters to me).

Personally, I wouldn't be pulling my hair out even if I did have "pops" when switching to standby mode because that is when you are taking a break. If it were to be "popping" while mode switching...that would be a different matter.

Just for a reference, I am usually running my amp at 45W with the channel volume set between 1-3 o'clock with the master volume around 8:30 - 9:00. All of my tone and presence settings are in the middle ranges (treble at 12, mid at 11, bass at 9:30 and presence at 11-12).

I do recall seeing one of your posts saying that you were using some sort of "brake" and cranking the master to 3 o'clock. Are you still running your ED this way? Just curious.

 

[primal]

I haven't noticed any "pops" at all going into standby or out of standby. For that matter, I haven't noticed any pops at all from this amp switching between the modes either (which is what matters to me).
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...
I do recall seeing one of your posts saying that you were using some sort of "brake" and cranking the master to 3 o'clock. Are you still running your ED this way? Just curious.

Yeah, it isn't a big deal, but since it is under warranty I have swapped emails with the local Mesa Tech (Yontz at Mad Science Works. Great amp tech!) and he is going to look at it in 2 weeks. He say more then likely it is just the standby switch itself and has already ordered one.

From time to time I do use a hotplate. But for me it has been a mixed bag. There are times I would swear it makes a difference, others not.

In the end, if I am able to jack the Master up to 9:00, you don't need the hotplate.

In fact, at times I feel the hotplate robs some of the frequency spectrum.

My main use for the hotplate is as a power soak. For late night playing when everyone is in bed. I set it to be nothing more then a load box. I then run the slave out into an effects pedal that has a cabinet simulator, then into my mixer.

If I couldn't do that with the hotplate, I would sell it! It doesn't do enough for anything else.

I even used it with a Plexi a couple weeks ago. It is great for getting the plexi sound at less then earbleeding volumes, but for getting a plexi to bedroom volume it sounds awfull

 

[MBJunkie]

Got it Primal.

The only reason that I asked about the use of your hot plate was that I thought that jacking the master volume to 3 o'clock with it engaged may be related to the pop that you are experiencing when switching to standby. For that matter, everything else that you have tied into the amp could be the reason?

One suggestion would be to try your guitar directly plugged into your ED (without hot plate or effects in the front of amp or loop), set the amp master volume to 8:30 or 9, let it warm up in standby, play a while, and then go to standby mode to see if you still experience a "pop".

If not, your amp is probably perfectly fine without the need for a tech to check it out.

Just a thought.

Good luck

 

[primal]

I haven't cranked the Master like that in a while. Too nervous. It actually started doing the pop prior to me getting the attenuator anyway.

Most times I only have my guitar plugged in. Once in a while I will add some delay through the loop, but rarely.

I went through and tested it with nothing connected. Nothing in the loop, no attenuator, no guitar or patchchord plugged into the amp. It still does it.

But hopefully my tech is correct and it is simply the standby switch itself going bad. Either way it is not that loud.

 

[MBJunkie]

I figured you had already checked it with guitar directly into amp. Hopefully it is a simple fix.

 

[HIgh Gain Junkie]

I haven't played mine in a few weeks, since getting a Bogner Ecstasy, but I do seem to recall hearing the same kind of sound when switching to standby. It was always such a minor thing that it never really bothered me, unlike the pop sound my Tremoverb used to make when switching channels sometimes. If it bothers you then have it looked at, but my guess would be that it's just something the ED's do.

 

[primal]

I haven't played mine in a few weeks, since getting a Bogner Ecstasy, but I do seem to recall hearing the same kind of sound when switching to standby. It was always such a minor thing that it never really bothered me, unlike the pop sound my Tremoverb used to make when switching channels sometimes. If it bothers you then have it looked at, but my guess would be that it's just something the ED's do.

Ironically I just dropped it off with the tech today. Should have it back in a couple days.

Yeah it certainly isn't near as loud as channel switching my Road King, but I know it didn't do it when I initially brought it home.

Just worried the tech is going to test it out and laugh and say "that's it?"

 

[primal]

Getting my ED back today. Last few days have been a bummer without it, though having a Mark IV to play in the meantime aint exactly roughing it.

Anyway, the verdict....

Nothing is wrong with the amp. It's normal.

The tech did say he heard it though did remark it was not every loud. He spoke with Mesa. Mesa told him they thought it was normal. They then pulled an ED off the line and tested it and they said it does the same thing.

I know the one at GC doesn't do it (though in all fairness, there is something wrong with the ED combo at GC in Raleigh right now. It has no gain at all). Mine didn't do it when I first got it.

But in all fairness, it isn't loud. And from a Mesa perspective, it is the least amount of popping I have had on any Mesa amp.

So atleast I get my amp back today.

 

[primal]

So I get my amp back and....

NO MORE POPPING!!!! Whohoooooooo!

So I email the tech and tell him that and he was like "it was here. If you put it on clean and put the Master past halfway up it should pop".

So, I test it, and yes, if I have the master past noon on the clean channel there is a slight pop. But I never play that loud. I never play close to that loud. At that volume I would have to mic the drummer. It may have always popped like that.

But before it would pop with the master off. Now, at any volumes I play at it is perfectly quiet.

So I guess in the end I did have a bad standby switch!