Thinking about ditching my V

[eudaimonia02912]

I've gone 3 weeks without a working Mark V, and I don't know when I'll get it back from the shop. This is the amp's second time being repaired. (It also ended up having three preamp tubes die simultaneously 6 days after purchase. Hmmm.) In 13 months of ownership, I'll only have had 11 months of use. Not a good deal for $2100 + tax.

Mesa may indeed have great customer service, but it still appears that I got some sort of lemon from them. So, though I love the Mark V sound, I'm strongly considering cutting my losses and selling this thing with a significant discount when I get it back.

I might pick up a Mark IV, or go in any number of directions. There are a lot of good high gain heads out there.

 

[screamingdaisy]

If you think you'll find something you like better then go for it.

Myself, after having gone around the block a few times I found I keep trying to make everything sound like a Mesa, so I've kind of given up on non-Mesa amps. I'm sure there's something out there that might be better for my personal tastes, but I'm not that interested in chasing the dragon any more.

 

[SteveO]

Myself, after having gone around the block a few times I found I keep trying to make everything sound like a Mesa, so I've kind of given up on non-Mesa amps. I'm sure there's something out there that might be better for my personal tastes, but I'm not that interested in chasing the dragon any more.

This is pretty much where I'm at, too. I've always liked the Mark series lead tone, so I'm content to stick with mine.

 

[eudaimonia02912]

The problem is that I doubt I'll find an amp that works better for me for sound quality. Instead, I'll just likely find an amp that works better by producing sound at all.

 

[golfnguitarz]

Man, sorry to hear about your troubles with the MV. That would definitely sour me on Mesa if I were in your shoes. The problem is that if I had to give up my MV now, I would probably feel like I have to buy two amps to make up for all of the lost modes! Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

[Rkorn]

Try contacting Mesa, if they are so great in customer service, I bet they don't want bad publicity.
Contact them to see if they swap your amp for another MV.
Still, 2 months out of 13 is not bad... maybe this next time will be the last!
Take it to someone who knows about electronics and have them seeing what is the problem!

 

[SBG200]

Try contacting Mesa, if they are so great in customer service, I bet they don't want bad publicity.
Contact them to see if they swap your amp for another MV.

This was gonna be my suggestion as well. I would demand a new amp and accept nothing less.

 

[Rkorn]

At least in USA you deal with Mesa.
All other countries deal with dealers (and that is so much worse)

 

[eudaimonia02912]

I'm getting my amp back today or tomorrow. (Turns out it was repaired a while ago, but the tech didn't call me.)

Turns out the problem was a burnt out JFET--effectively, my preamp was functioning as if the "pull silent" were permanently pulled.

That's two bad JFETs on this amp in one year.

 

[Rkorn]

Mine went to them today, hope it'll be here by friday, its the 2nd time he´s gone...
This time they lent me a Line6 Duotone.. it's probably the worst amp i ever played... I think i will be some time without turning that piece of crap on!!!
Peavey vypyr 15 is A LOT better!!!!

 

[eudaimonia02912]

Man, it sure is nice to have this amp back.

Like I said above, it was a JFET, but not the same kind of JFET as the one that died in the reverb circuit. The tech said the amp looks excellent inside--he's not sure why I'm having such bad luck. He also told me that they don't do wave soldering on the Mark V--they do it all by hand.

 

[Rkorn]

Can you explain what is JFET?
and difference between wave and hand soldering?

 

[eudaimonia02912]

A JFET is a type of transistor that can be used either as a resistor or as switch. The particular JFET that died on me was used to mute the amp when switching channels or switching through different settings, so as to prevent a loud pop.

Wave-soldering is a building technique in which a circuit board is run over a vat of molten solder, and thus soldering a bunch of components all at once. Hand-soldering is just soldering each component by hand. I was under the impression that the Mark V went through a wave-soldering process, but my tech said it does not.

 

[jb's 52]

A JFET is a type of transistor that can be used either as a resistor or as switch. The particular JFET that died on me was used to mute the amp when switching channels or switching through different settings, so as to prevent a loud pop.

I wonder if this is why some people experience loud pops, while others like myself don't.
Perhaps, this particular JFET is starting to go out on those that do.

 

[Vogelsong]

A JFET is a type of transistor that can be used either as a resistor or as switch. The particular JFET that died on me was used to mute the amp when switching channels or switching through different settings, so as to prevent a loud pop.

Wave-soldering is a building technique in which a circuit board is run over a vat of molten solder, and thus soldering a bunch of components all at once. Hand-soldering is just soldering each component by hand. I was under the impression that the Mark V went through a wave-soldering process, but my tech said it does not.

You have another PM.