straight from Randalls mouth

[no soul]

Turns out......

Using GroveTubes rated from 4 to 6 in a Mesa will not void your warranty or be considered used of "non mesa parts" as Mr. Smith has said these tubes all fall within spec of what Mesa usually goes with.

 

[Profklamen]

I wish he would tell me that in writing. Otherwise it doesn't do me much good. One of the Mesa techs told me twice in the past two weeks that using any non mesa tubes would void the warranty. He mentioned Groove tubes by name and said that they can't rely on their product for Mesa amps.

 

[no soul]

Ive heard the same thing from their techs... but then different from Randall and from the west coast rep. Why, is beyond me...

They were implicit on the rating having to be within the 4-6 range though.

If people want to believe the hype and use only mesa tubes, more power to em then.

 

[Profklamen]

So soul,

It's not "hype" it's part of their stated warranty.

If something goes wrong with my over $2000 amp, I would like to have them fix it and not void the warranty by using tubes that they have explicity stated will void the warranty.

I'm an honest person, I'm unwilling to use non-Mesa tubes, and then if there's a problem just put some Mesa tubes in the amp when I send it in for service.

If there's any "hype" it's this rumor that Mesa says it's OK to use non Mesa tubes. However, since you seem to be close enough to Mr. Smith to have inside information that is unavailable to me, perhaps you could get him to send me a fax stating that it will not void my warranty to use Groove Tubes in the 4-6 range.

 

[Silverwulf]

I've used GT's rated around "6" in my Mesa's quite often, although my Mesa's are not under warranty, so I'm worried about it. It's true that a rating of 4-6 falls under the set bias in a Mesa. The only issue with ordering tubes (if you want them) is that some places sell them in approximate ratings on-line, such as "GT Rated 4-7." You don't know if they're going to send you a "4," or if they're going to send you a "7." So, if you're going to buy, I would suggest either finding an outlet that will give you the same deal you find on-line for pricing, or find an on-line vendor that lets you pick the exact rating of the tube you want.

As for the warranty and Randall Smith...just call him! 8) I've spoken with Smith a handful of times, as well as Mike B. (and his wife once or twice!). Mesa has great customer service, and all you have to do is give them a call. They'll be happy to help and sort through the issue with you.