Well, I Dropped My LoneStar Off At The Shop, Today

[LSCMan]

Had to drive 150 miles to get there.
The first thing the owner says is: 'You know what? Mesa's got their head up their ***!'
I'm thinking....Huh? :?

Then he says:' So they still got me down for authorized repair station, huh? I haven't sold any Mesa equipment in years. They expect me to buy $6,000 worth of stuff just to get started. **** them!'

Then he says:' You know, those Mesas burn up tubes like crazy, cause they use old technology.'

I'm thinking...What? :?

Then he says:' You know what's a good amp? This THD Univalve!

I'm thinking... OK......

He says:'They don't burn up tubes cause they have a built in Hot Plate!'

:shock:

:?

But he says he has an ace amp tech, I talked to him on the phone, seemed OK. He says maybe the tube inserts are carbonized, but he really can't say over the phone.

Oh well, we'll see what happens. The place I bought it from can't work on it, they would have to send it back to California and I would pay the shipping!

 

[RR]

I hear alot of guitar shops ditch MESA/Boogie. Take it with a grain of salt.

Look at the post blow "Whats the deal with the Mesa Dealer Agreement ?"

Sorry to hear what happened to your LoneStar. How long have you had it? I read the earlier ones do have a high break down rate. But I would think the newer ones should have been improved are more durability. I would assume. But I dunno know.

I want a LoneStar, and the break down rate has not discourage me. Uh, forgot to mentioned, I live on the California Coast and finding an Authorized Dealer or even driving to Petaluma is a walk in the park relatively compare to others.

A friend of mine had a THD UniValve. It self-adjustable bias so you put any power stage tube. It has a reactive rectifier that give "sag" like a rectifier tube even though its solid state. It pretty cool.

But don't get the idea its versatile like your LoneStar. It does have dual switchable preamp gain setting but not footswitchable (that I know of). But its fairly limited. A nice amp though. Great for studio not sure how practical playing live.

Just an opinion.

 

[vatoben]

i've been lurking here for a while and this thread made me decide to jump in and get my feet wet.
i own both a LSS and a THD Univalve. i just finished working on a record where i used both amps on most of the songs. these two amps go together like peanut butter and jelly. my LSS is number 65 and i got it when they first came out. i have yet to experience any difficulty or breakdowns with the amp. i've had my uni for a few years now and that thing is built like a mesa (in the most complimenting way). if you have the patience to learn a very nuanced and unique amp you might dig the uni. but it takes a lot of time and tweeking to learn what it can do. the LSS for me has been the opposite: plug in, set everything at 12:00 and sound like a dream from jump. i got excited when i read the thread because these are my two favorite guitar amps i've ever owned and they sound amazing tracked together. if you're a gear junkie like myself then you might really dig the uni in addition to you other gear.

 

[Brewski]

Oh well, we'll see what happens. The place I bought it from can't work on it, they would have to send it back to California and I would pay the shipping!

Hey LSSMan, that totally blows. Have you tried getting a Mesa rep on the line? Maybe there's another repair facility within driving distance. It's worth a shot. I'd bend someone's ear.

I guess we're just a little spoiled out here in the California Bay Area. We can be at Mesa's doorstep, if need be. I'd see if there are any alternatives before you ship it out.

Good Luck.

 

[LSCMan]

The deal is, I bought it in Anchorage in September. It worked fine till I switched over to el34s.
The place I bought it is not an authorized repair station. The only one in Alaska is in Soldotna, 150 miles away. Cheaper to drive there than ship to California, I'm thinking. Nice drive, anyway, saw 3 eagles and a moose.


And yes, before anyone else asks, I DID move the bias switch to el34 when I changed the tubes. :!:

 

[old-guy]

Hey LSSMan!
Just to let you know, I brought my LSC to an authorized
repair shop that was 15 minutes from my home. I'm not going to bore you with all of the details but the bottom line, the LSC is such a "new" model they weren't really sure how it was supposed to react or sound.
Now, they waited 3 weeks to tell me this. (I was a little pissed, but stayed polite) They called Mesa and got help over the phone from Mesa's tech. Turned out to be something with the internal ground. And this really is a class "A" shop. (seriously)
I don't know what the amps problem is, but unless this guy is really familiar with the LSC (or it's something so obvious to any tech)
you could be in for "aggravation." Right now my amp is perfect, but if I have any more "issues" it's getting packed up and shipped back to Mesa. The turn around time is about the same as the local shop. (Just costs me shipping) I'm gonna take out the chassis, pack & ship it myself.
How much was the dealer going to charge you to ship it.
Remember, just the chassis goes back, not the cabinet & speaker(s).
I'm just concerned. I hope this guy doesn't do anything to screw it up on you.
I feel bad for you. Believe me, I know what you're going through. Just be careful with these guys.

Hope all goes well for you!

Bob M.

 

[LSCMan]

Hey old guy, I didn't know that about the shipping! I didn't even ask what the charge would be, maybe I'll be finding out, though.

I can't see that guy being familiar with the LS, hopefully it's not something too technical and he can figger it out.

 

[Bikedude]

I had a brand new LSC 2X12 die on me after about 10 gigs. GC in Cleveland sent it to they're repair facility in Akron. After about 5 weeks i finally called the repair facility, and suprise, the tech had it on the bench when I called! Any way, he tells me that he can't repair it. So GC replaces the unit with a brand new one they had shipped up from Va. New unit has been in service for about 4 months with no problems so far. BTW I tried to get my $$ back from GC but they said Mesa would honor the deal with a new unit. I was ready to by an Eric Johnson Strat, but I guess I'm happy with the way things worked out. I'm saving my $$ now for a 52 Tele RI.

Wisch,
Cle.O.

 

[LesCarr]

:shock: Definitely talk to MESA/BOOGIE!
The guy at the shop has a problem (Attitude)
I would definitely ship it to them, MESA.
I'm trying boogies two amps the classic and special 1x12 combos cant seem to make up my mind which I like better :?

 

[cnumb44]

I did ship my LSC to Mesa a few weeks ago. Had an odd noise and there are no convenient dealers near me (within 2 hours). I called Mesa and Rich gave me an RA number and was helpful. I decided to do that when the closest shop told me it would be 3-4 weeks and Mesa said it would be about 2.

I dropped the chasis out and did bubble wrap and some ridged foam support. I sent it priority mail and they called me within 2 weeks to tell me what they had found. I have another thread I'll update when I get it back.

I just found it to be less hassle and faster to send it to Mesa. Plus, I knew they really knew the amp and what to do. From what I can tell the serivce patch they did on the grounding is not well published right now.

Best of luck.

 

[LSCMan]

I called down there today to see what was up.

He said the bias switch was fucked up and the el34s fried a couple of resistors in there, they are waiting for the parts to get here from Mesa.

I guess I was running el34s on 6L6 bias setting without knowing it. Sure did sound good, though. :shock:

 

[old-guy]

Hey LSSMan!

I am really glad that they found the problem with the amp. I gotta tell you I was "sweat'n" for you. They seemed to have a real "bug up their ***" for Mesa. That fact alone didn't leave me with a good feeling.

If I remember correctly (like your 6L6/EL34 switch my brain is also fried) you also own the LSS too, correct? If you do at least you have some great gear to hold you over until the "bad boy" comes back to you.

Any idea of how much time for the parts to arrive? And is Mesa footing the bill for the parts and the labor? (I would think all is covered under warranty)

Anyway, the "fix" is great news, I'm happy for you!

Take care!
Bob

 

[LSCMan]

Thanks, Bob! They said to call back in a week, it should be done. They want to change out the resistors and the bias switch and make sure it's really fixed. I hope it's that easy.

Yep, I still got the LSS for backup, and a Super Reverb Reissue, too, so I still get to play, but the Classic is my favorite.

Oh, yeah! I've only had the thing since September, so it better be warranty :!: