After watching several of your videos I have started to pay attention to the "amp guts" as I search for my next tube head. You've got me wanting a single channel or simple circuit design. Something like a Friedman SS100 or Soldano SLO 100. I would love to see a video from you discussing your top 5 best amps for reliability and ease of repair. Thanks for the content.
Check out Kool amplification, they make simple single channel , classic vintage influenced amps with great sound. I have a JTM45/Bassman and a Clean Fender style amp from Kool , great tones especially in wet/dry dual mono :)
I enjoy your videos and I appreciate the efforts you put into making them . I’m a fan of MESA . My pride and joy is a tremoverb . But as an aerospace tech , I watch your videos to learn and take note of the weaknesses and design flaws you mention . It makes me aware of potential failure points and I GREATLY appreciate that from you . It doesn’t take away from my love of the amp. Just puts everything into perspective and I agree with your analysis and expertise . Great work 👍🏼
I LOVE Mesa amps... But I don't have to work on them. I just think both the clean and dirty tone is stellar and have gigged with them for a long time. My most recent is an F-30 that I bought used in 2010 and has been through the mill with a respectable cover band since 2014. I replaced the power tubes about 5 years ago when showing signs of age I had them tested and the were clearly dying. After 12 years of use this amp has paid for itself many times over and never let me down at a gig so if she dies tomorrow, we are still money ahead. I do appreciate the agony endured by techs who repair amps with wonky circuit design and unusual internal components. I worked as a tech in a different industry for many years and I feel your pain, but in the end these amps sound pretty great. Cheers!
I bought a brand new Mesa in the early 2000's and it crapped out the 2nd gig I played with it right in the middle of the set. When I got back to my area, there was a guy not too far away in northern WV named Charlie Powers. Has a shop called Guitar CPR. He was able to do warranty work on Mesa's. I took it to him and he said a lot of the things you did about working on Mesa's. I moved on from them and never looked back. Thanks for all your cool videos. You are a true expert.
This is one of the most informative and fair Amp Repair Channels out there. You are not a hater of any amps. But you are a professional involved in the business of repairing a product for your customers, and it is not a sin to prefer said repairs of some brands over others. I used to service and repair waste oil heaters, and some brands and models were less appealing to work on than others for various reasons, and usually the consensus among the techs from various repair companies was the same regarding repair friendliness, and or just plain old piss poor design and cheap ass parts. Please keep up the good work. It takes a generous man to eat the cost of producing a video to help others while having to hoist the Nixonesque duel peace fingers pose, and be forced to exclaim "I am not a Messa hater"... Cheers!
I’m thinking about buying a non working mesa if I can get it cheap just to learn from it. They’re very intimidating. I don’t charge anyone for fixing amps(I’m not confident enough to charge ,yet) but mesa’s are a challenge dangling in front of me. I’m very used to cramped chassis already. I started with Ao44’s and Ao39’s for example. Mesa’s take that to another level with the layers of pcb’s. I have no issue with your question answering (?). You’ve genuinely helped me out a few times. Thanx!
I am not a tech, by any stretch. But I appreciate all the videos you make! Thank you for showing us the guts of an amplifier and what we could look out for. Oh, and I agree with you... Maxwell House _is_ the best coffee for the price! Cheers!
Ive run into this with at least 5 Boogies ive owned over the past 30 years. Amp techs in general hate working on them without guidance from Boogie. The last one was a MKIIC+ I owned and ended up sending it to Boogie. Sounded fantastic!
@@PsionicAudio hahaha…im sure. In all fairness…i was able to speak with Mike B directly and he sorted out the problem so from that perspective….cant complain. Great channel man! Cheers!
This is why I love by 71 Marshall super lead it’s a it’s a simple head with point-to-point wiring that’s relatively easy to fix. Mesa makes amps that are far more complicated than they really need to be , Just ask any tech… I love your show… Keep on rocking
Love my Boogies. I have mid 70's mkI and 2 mid 80's mkIII's. 2 of them were sent back to Mesa for overhauls. Never , not once have these amps ever let me down. In and out the freezing trailer on to a hot stage for years. But I do see how bad they are to do repairs on. Great RU-vid channel sir.
Which Mark III do you have? I have an 88-89 blue stripe. I sent it to Mesa in 2000 for an overhaul, strictly preventive. It's a freaking tank and never failed me either.
I love Mesa for what they sound like, not what a pain they are to work with. It took me a while to figure out the circuit board of the old 2ch Rectifiers and they have SO many unnecessary components or complicated switching solutions built into them for the fact that they are just plain one-chain two-channel amps.
That was a very balanced summary of why many Techs won’t work on Mesa amps. I will only accept Boogies from existing customers. They are a black hole of time.
So glad I found this channel. I can't get enough. Thanks for the detail, the technical explanations, and the opinions where appropriate. The only trouble is now I don't feel good leaving my '72 Pro Reverb with just any local service guy....
I’ve got an original 1987 Studio .22 with Graphic EQ that I love, things didn’t seem so cheaply made at that time, later I owned a Nomad 45 that had such lousy cheap control pots that I traded it in for a 68 DRRI that I want to learn more about….Thanks for your channel, it’s a wealth of knowledge and information!
The Studio .22 EQ is a great amp. Bought mine new, and it drives a 4X12 cab at ridiculous SPL. Relatively simple circuit, not too cramped inside, a few small issues in 30 years, just got a clean bill of health, except for the POS stock Eminence speaker.
A friend asked me to look at a Boogie 22 Caliber he recently acquired with some issues. I reluctantly agreed to "look at it" but didn't guarantee I'd fix it because they are so labor intensive. I'm retired and amp repair/building is a hobby, not an occupation. I do repairs for friends at reduced rates. On old Fenders and Marshalls it's a fun hobby, but when it comes to PCB amps I usually say no.
I had one of those. I wanted to like it, but in the end, I don't know why I bought it. Didn't sound that great and I really grew to hate it. Also, In over 4 decades of playing electric guitar, it's the only amp I've ever played that overheated (outdoor gig during a moderately warm day).
Surprise surprise. My Mk V 35 started sounding flubby a day after plugging in a fuzz pedal. After a 6 month wait at Mesa's factory (they lost it), all the invoice read was "Cap Tant 2.2uf 35V 10%" The fact that they didn't start working on it after calling 6 months later was the cherry on the sundae to make me put this on the market this week.
I once tried playing through a Mesa/Boogie Nomad, the 4 X 10 combo version that used four EL84 power tubes if my memory serves me right, you wouldn't believe just how difficult they are to get a decent sound out of one of those things, I could get a reasonable-ish clean sound out of it but no matter how much I adjusted the tone controls and gain control, i always ended-up with a really harsh cold-sounding overdrive sound that got really "farty" when you turned-up the gain, and I think it has a lot to do where Mesa/Boogie place the tone-stack in the preamp section, they place it in between two 12AX7 triode gain stages so that no matter what you do with the tone controls, the result is a heavily-clipped signal, Marshall put the tone stack right at the end of the preamp which is more sensible to me.
I was a Mesa fan boy from my first version MKIII in the 80's. I drank their Koolaid marketing BS too. I have been lucky never to have had any issues with the 5models I've owned..I'm now trying to sell them with difficulty... would be buyers may have all watched this post. Keep up the great work Lyle.
Thanks for you honest professional opinion like I said I don’t own a tube amp cause they are to loud I played a blues junior for about 10 min and I knew if I used it as my amp I would be evicted and if I did have the space and my tube amp broke down I can’t fix or afford to have fixed but still I have fun watching your videos
I'm a Marshall guy but I like the Mesa speaker 2x12 cabs for easy band practice setup however I would never consider using a Mesa amp head.....fricking puzzles to firgure out if something goes wrong...
Lyle, nice to know I wasn't the only one playing "coffee roulette" during covid. In my case I discovered plain old Folgers regular roast works for me and if I need an extra kick I go half reg roast and half Folgers Black Silk. 😉 Oh, and after reading through the comments on your videos for the last 16-18 months I've subscribed to your channel don't sweat the " well actuallys" (trolls) neither I or the majority of of your subscribers/viewers give a rats pee-toot about them.
I've been watching your vids for some time and as a result I have gone down the route of having my amps built by a local guy. Yeah it's more expensive but if there's a problem (there haven't been any) he's just a phone call away to quickly remedy any faults. You just can't beat having your amp built by someone who cares about their work. I don't expect perfection, but I'm willing to pay more to avoid assembly line concessions in quality. If it's in your budget, I highly recommend getting one "great" amp rather than several "o.k." amps, it's cheaper in the long run and far more satisfying. Keep on pluckin!
I've started videos on some Mesa repairs I've done. I've never finished the videos because the repairs were so frustrating. I'm rebuilding a 400 Bass Amp now that has a conductive circuit board. It's unreal how much extra work comes with what could be a simple repair.
I own a Rocket 44 made in the year 2000. I purchased it second hand in 2011 and had a faulty compent replaced which caused the amp to randomly change between contour and rhythm modes by itself intermittently. After this repair it has worked perfectly for me for 12 years and it's an incredibly compact 1x12 amp that holds its own with full Marshall stacks. It's spectacular for crunch and lead playing. It is also simple yet sonically versatile with an excellent silient recording out option. I make sure to purchase power tubes that fall within the correct bias range. Some tube sellers willl offer this. Eurotubes, for example, will sell you hot, cold or medium tubes. I'm actually only on my third set of power tubes with this amp in all these years and I have played it heavily at volume in many environments. I will have to get the caps checked at some point shortly though. What I do know about Mesas. (a) Approved Mesa techs/service people have full access to the schematics and they're not supposed to share them. (b) To deliver a lot of sonic options/choices into a single amp package and keeping it all-tube means cramping a lot of electronics into a small space. The options exsist in the first place because there was market demand for amps to do more things espeically from the 1970s-1990s. Ironically, we are now living through a backlash period with guitar gear where keeping it simple (or a misguided search for an authentic past re-creation) is more in vogue. People are looking through their rear view-mirrors in a lot of cases which is why current Mesa amps like the Filmores are more stripped back feature-wise. (c) The Mesa factory released a bulletin a few years back regarding the accelerated failure of Russian tubes in the cathode follower postion(s) on several Mesa amps. This is a copy and paste below from the Boogie Board forum which was from about 2008 (I think): "Many (but not all) Mesa/Boogie amplifiers have one or two “cathode follower” tube stages in their preamps. Tube selection is CRITICAL in these stages. Specifically, in a 12AX7 tube used as a “cathode follower”, the voltage difference between that present at the cathode, as compared with the heater voltage, can be withstood or tolerated by certain types of tubes, whereas other tubes will fail. The failure of a “cathode follower“ tube will cause sound dropouts or signal loss. For the past few years, Mesa has been using two types of 12AX7 tubes: ones originating in Russia (Sovtek EH), and ones originating in China. The Russian (Sovtek) tube is NOT reliable as a cathode follower. Of the tubes we are using today (March 2008), ONLY THE CHINESE 12AX7 IS RELIABLE AS A CATHODE FOLLOWER. In conclusion, if you are troubleshooting for signal dropout in a Mesa/Boogie amp, suspect a cathode follower tube, and try replacing it with a Mesa 12AX7 that is marked as “CHINESE” (silk-screened on the tube itself). Below is a partial list of Mesa amps and cathode follower tube locations: Lone Star & LS Special: V3 M-Pulse: V2 Stiletto: V3 & V4 Venture: V2 Road King I: V3 & V4 Big Block 750: V4 Road King II: V3 & V5 Titan: V4 Roadster: V3 & V5 M2000: V2 Dual & Triple (2ch or 3ch): V3 & V4 Bass 400+: V2 Tremoverb: V3 & V4"
Given a 30 volt break down voltage on a j175 not a good choose in a tube circuit even as a muting device . Give the number of 350 volt devices to choose from for this use . There are many many fine reasons to distrust the longevity of all of the MESA designs . Glad to see your over 20K there.
A friend of mine had one of these and it sounded quite good, But looking inside this thing eventhough I have no knowledge of electronics it looks scary to maintain. I´m glad I have "only" a simple single channel amp without any fancy stuff just a speaker out and some tubes thats all I need ^^
I have heard that they are a pain to work on. As a “User”, I must admit that I bought my Mesa Fillmore 50 on the basis of the marketing video w/ Andy Timmons-with never a though as to the expense and hassle of repairs. It sounds like the Blackface of my dreams, but I hope that it does not turn out to be a nightmare on the bench for a tech. I don’t think they’ve been out long enough to have seen their way into the repair shop very often. I would love to know about these new amps, as to their sturdiness? Btw: IMO…You sound like a realist, not a Hater.
I also picked up a Fillmore 50 last year and love it dearly, I honestly hadn't heard they were problematic, I always heard people refer to Mesa's as quality amps. I'm really hoping our amps are an exception. This video has made me kinda sad now lol
@@jbognap I go back-and-forth over the Fillmore, as opposed to the California tweed. I love the CT tone as well. One thing I can say for certain though is that I am able to get a nice classic rock, A la Allman Brothers tone out of the Fillmore. That is kind of what sold me on the amp.
I’ve had the same Lonestar Classic since Andy Timmons got his. My amp has been on winter tours. The thought of a winter in Buffalo NY makes my teeth chatter. I had a Mesa 20/20 power and paired it with a JMP-1 Marshall preamp. I spent more time trying to program the Marshall. A friend suggested I get a Trixas preamp. The Lonestar needs a proactive check up.
I do not accept Mesas in for repair, as matter of fact I grenerally do not a accept any amplifier bulit after 1980 with a few exceptions, the learning curve is to steep. don"t need the headache. I am busy with speaker repair and building the Hurricane line of tube guitar amplifiers. I love your videos very concise and to the point we don't need a complete analysis of the circuit, repair the amplifier and out the door.
Like the coffee commentary. Cultured and like. Great informative content. The Mesa looks like it has a lot of diced carrot in it, but it can sound good.
Great video! It really helps for those of us on a budget to know what gear is not only a better value (when buying), but also a long-term value (repairs, part availability, warranties and warranty issues). I have a Mesa/Boogie Blue Angel 4x10" that I need to get fixed. My girlfriend (at the time, btw this is not why we broke up, lol) put the cover on it and didn't turn it off or let me know that it was still on and needed to be turned off. It was like that for 2 weeks, until I discovered it. It was super hot. I turned it off once it cooled, and it blew a buss fuse. I changed the fuse and tried it again, and it started smoking. I had injured my hand/fingers(cut 3 fingers, severed one tendon in the left index finger) so I never had gotten to getting it fixed. Thankfully my hand is better(stronger, more stamina, and less pain. I used lockpicking as a way to strengthen my hands) and I adjusted also to the hand/finger permanent damage in my playing. I do have a few amps that are working(Crate GFX-1200H on top of a 4x12" half stack, a Gen 1 Fender G-Dec 30, Roland Micro Cube with the volume pot stuck on 10, a Roland/Boss Micro-BR for practice and portable recording, as well as computer interfaces so I can use software for amp and effects, with a Lexicon Alpha and a Digitech RP-150.
Lyle, would you differentiate early Boogies from later? In my experience, something changed in their production quality around the time the rectifier series started. The Marks 1-3 all seem very solid and reliable, and there is clearly an obvious difference in internal build quality, even to a chump like me. The later boogies (90s on) look like what you have on the bench there, and they are the ones I have had issues with.
I have a 15w joyo tube amp i absolutely love, it does all the things. My only issue is it's not quite enough stage volume at some venues, but micd up with proper monitoring I like it just as much as my 100w tube amp and boss katana (which i love with good speakers).
Great content, as usual!. Best to just plow straight ahead on the channel Lyle, it can't be nearly as responsive and accurate as your tech stuff! Very different than all your previous gigs, more than likely!
My Gosh, I'm so glad I found your channel.... I hear you regarding MESA!!??!? Awesome channel, plugged you on my own channel. Hope you do well - thank you and looking forward to diving deep!!
I refuse to work on Mesas since the 90s. The really old ones or simple ones I will, but most no. I don't want to hate them either, but you make the point about how much of a bitch they are too work on, and it is indeed needless.
Yeah not surprised The techs that tried to fix mine in the mid eighties couldn't even figure out the filter caps People should send these things back to Boogie for repairs I moved on to better amps anyways Marshall. HiWatt and finally a 90's Fender Tonemaster Was pissed at the techs tho for the minimal know how It was probably the best of the best as far as MB goes It was a late 70's or early 80's Mark series Unfortunately not a lot of great techs in Tampa FL back then
I'm so glad my assumptions about Mesa and their overly complex, most marketing-fluff-based amplifiers, aren't far off. I have never played one that felt good under the fingers. Notes die out instantly; dry, cold, rigid, thin tone. I am a semi-professional/professional player and I never hated how my guitar sounded more than plugging into a Mesa Mark IV, or the F30 I tried once. The single rectifier was the only one I cared for, and even then, it was "meh", in that I didn't hate it, but it was nowhere near as good as my Katana is/was. These days I play an ENGL Fireball, MT15, Ironball SE, and Friedman JJ Jr., and Katana, it takes seconds to get a great tone with those amps, nothing overly complex (well, ok, maybe the Ironball SE, but everything WORKS on that amp).
I already knew that Mesas were difficult to work on, but that looks like an absolute nightmare. Not being able to see the relay component designators on the board is just whacked. I had a recent experience with a Marshall DSL40CR... I absolutely loved the amp's sound and features (my first Marshall in 50+ years of playing), but I decided to sell it to a friend as I didn't need that much power anymore, and am trying to downsize my metric s888load of music gear... I never played the amp "out". My friend did a gig with it right after he bought it from me, and it died about 1/2 way through the first set. To make a long story short I bought the amp back and have spent more than a little time trying to figure out what's wrong, with little luck (I am an EE but have almost no tube amp troubleshooting experience, at least recently). From what I think I know the problem is in the preamp, and finally I have a schematic for most of it, but I'm just about done trying to figure it out myself. But the point is, having poked around in the amp a fair amount, I'm stunned by how complex its circuitry is, and how many points of failure there are. I will never buy such a complex amp again. I have a couple Dumble clones and a Swart STR Tremolo; all are relatively (at least as compared to the Marshall) simple amps, and they sound fantastic, so I think that sort of thing will be what I look for if I ever feel the need to get another amp (unlikely). .
I am not a fan of Mesa Boogie. Now that Gibson bought Mesa Boogie, I bet they will become a weirder entity to deal with. The "clean tone" of the featured amp isn't too smashing, but Mesa has always been better for high gain tones. It sounded fine for that. I am more of a clean tone to use as a pedal platform type, so Hiwatt amps are more of my jam. I have been rocking a 79 SA112 combo for years. If I wanted a high gain amp, it would be Soldano SLO 100.
I've never really got the love for Mesa Boogie. Apart from the very early Mks (like Mk.2, which I played and enjoyed, sounded and felt like a souped-up Fender) but they always remind me why i like fairly simple amps with minimal points of potential failure. I've always gravitated towards vintage amps that i can't afford. So I do my best with what I can afford and aren't too poorly made. Modern Fenders, Marshall (currently own no Marshalls),Vox (even the modern ones are pretty decent like the AC15C1), and something like a Fender Pro Junior or 5W Champ. I have a Blues Junior IV and like it. My workhorses are both Laneys. UK made VC30 2x10" loaded with stock Jensens, and a Chinese VC30 112 which required a bit of work but was worth it to me. All up, my 4 main amps probably cost me under $2K including any servicing. The AC15C1, the two Laney VC30s, and my Fromel modified Blues Junior loaded with an Eminence Neo L'il Texas. I have a cheapo 5W Champ clone and a Laney Cub12R which serve me well for home use. The Cub12R now has a Vintage 30, and runs at either 1W or 15W. It didn't cost much, neither did the Champ clone. I'd love something like a Hiwatt, a Reeves, a massive DR103 into a 4x12, but I'm not David Gilmour or Pete Townsend so that'd just be silly. Best tone I ever got from just a guitar+amp, no pedals, was a Japanese made VOX SG copy into a mid-80s JCM800. I didn't own the JCM, alas....
I absolutely don’t believe you hate Mesas. I appreciate exactly the point you are making about servicing. I love my Mesa, but it hasn’t broken yet.😊 To other amps, I searched RU-vid for psionic audio Bugera to see if you had any videos on Bugera repairs and I didn’t come across any. I was actually kind of surprised you didn’t include this brand in the amps under $500 video, but I know you couldn’t include everything. I have a v22 infinium head that I like and I believe a combo is still under $500. Just curious if you have worked on these amps and wondering if you see a design resemblance to other well known brands. Thank you.
I was listening to this and plugging away at work when it hit me...buddy kind of sounds like Pete Thorn. 🤔 Great videos too! Really enjoy listening to your technical opinions on different equipment like this.
Ha!!! You are not alone. I refuse to look at them if it's not a Mk1 or II. When I worked in Los Angeles even the best techs I met (who I won't name here) would tell the clients to take it to the Mesa Factory. Absolute crap.
BTW, I love coffee, I have a roaster here in town that I've been going to for nearly 10 years now and he's fantastic and more importantly, affordable! I pay a tiny fraction per cup of what you would pay for that Swillbucks stuff. I really enjoy doing it pour-over style, but I also have a Keurig with a 'fill your own K-cup' that I use this coffee with and its still pretty great.
@@PsionicAudio I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a coffee snob, and I would MUCH prefer a cup of Maxwell House to just about ANYTHING from Starbucks. It's horrid.
Thanks, that was a really good video on Mesa amps. Ive never owned one, tried quite a few out and i tried some of these models out for hours and I could NOT find a tone that worked for me. Tweak as I may i just couldnt find it.
Hysterical, you were a couple of miles from at the Johnson City guitar center. They have a good store and good people there. It's only a few years old.
My main gripe about Mesa/Boogie amps, well there's a few I can think of, is firstly they can be a real pain when it comes to dialling-in a decent tone, you either get a reasonable clean-tone, or a real harsh, cold sounding overdrive tone, I once tried-out a Mesa/Boogie Nomad 45, the one with the 4 ten-inch speakers in it, it was a royal pain to get any kind of a decent tone out of it, it was either a cold, sterile sounding clean, or a farty bass-heavy overdrive tone, the Nomad I tried had an issue with it's treble control knob too, my other gripe is where the tonestack is placed in a Mesa/Boogie, usually right between two 12AX7 gain-stages so no matter how you adjust the tone controls the result is always the same, a heavily clipped signal.
I've never had problems with my Dual Rec. 1000s of hrs on it, Only ever changed tubes. I've read more horror stories on the Mark amps but it's hard to say if they're any better or worse in terms of reliability. I think people exaggerate the unreliable factor, when you consider there are 1000s and 1000s of Mesa's out there that have never had issues, but as soon as one messes up people jump on the bandwagon of them all being bad, which is just not true across the board.
The Mesa Booger guitar amp has enough relays to count in Binary! The relays are as complex as the relay logic of the 1961 Lincoln Continental Convertible Sedan with Suicide Doors. Mesa does every move possible to use legacy components at end of life , and jacks up the component part count necessary to do the job of guitar amplification.
I've had boogies for years they just don't break down. Mark IV =32 years DC 5 20 sum years and a DC3 for 11. the only problem I had with any of them was .I had to replace the reverb tank once on the MK IV. that's it. I recommend boogies to everyone they sound great and last forever.
Mesa. I hate the multi channel versions. Very difficult to dial in for different rooms and seem to be moody. Although - my little single channel Subway 20 watt mesa is exceedingly simple, easy to dial in and very light to carry around. $400 bucks and a single trip to the tech for a cleaning and checkup and it has been bulletproof for 10 years. Run it through a 4 x 10 speaker for fun. TubeWorks amps I find are really good for a room that you don't trust and may need to leave in a hurry. TD752 models are a blast. But for the best sound in a place you care about, take the Deluxe Reverb, Silverface models are awesome.
RE: Mesa's. I owned one, the "Rectoverb". I spent two years gigging with another guitarist who used a Mark IV. I didn't like using mine. The sound. The longer I owned it, the less I liked it. Especially with single coil guitars. I tried the Mark IV. I would find myself tweaking knobs more than playing. Ironically, the guitarist I gigged with had his sounding incredible. He had a Suhr HSS as I recall. I wanted to like Mesa's, and tried many. I toyed with the Trans Atlantic Series for example. But then I started to recognize something in the sound. "Dyna-Watt". Once I heard what that was doing to the pick attack, I just couldn't stand it anymore. I'm curious though. Are there amps you like, or recommend? Either off the rack or after a few mods. TY for your posts. Always interesting and enlightening ...
@Psionicaudio Good day Lyle, sorry to bring up this old Mesa Rec Solo stream...and am enjoying a coffee as we speak. I have the same 3Ch dual rec solo exhibiting crackle, pop and hum on all 3 channels. Thanks for the info on looking at the J175's, bypass caps and ceramic Vishay disc caps. My question...as you didn't address in the video, did you disassemble and lift the preamp board to access the underside solder pads to replace the failing components..? Much appreciate your input!!
That amp looks soo complex. A friend asked me to look at his son's Peavey EVH5150 amp - a Tech said he would charge $150 just to look at it! His son was a student and I felt sorry for him, and I was curious so I said Yes - which I ended up regretting. It was similar to the Mesa with all of those computer type cables and connectors - it is so difficult visually to follow those wires and the circuit! I fired up the amp up and deduced that it was as simple as a preamp tube, or something relating to that first section. I changed the tube - no success - everything around the tube looked and measured OK - I was really baffled - and again frustrated that I could not follow the wires. I unplugged all of the computer plugs, cleaned all of the contacts and replugged everything. Bingo - it worked! The problem must have been the contacts - exactly which ones - I don't know. Never again!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!! I did finally buy a Mesa California Tweed because it just hits all the marks for features options and tone. I own 8 other well made hand wired tube amps and a Bogner Goldfinger. I’m a studio guy that doesn’t abuse my gear. Any knowledge or thoughts on the Mesa Cali or Filmore? It seems like they went back to old school amp building for those tone wise. I’ve never opened it up. Thanks. Tim
Lyle, I don't recall you playing any Dire Straits licks. "Espresso Love" would have been appropriate for this episode! (I do enjoy espresso, but not first thing in the a.m.; on overseas trips we always look for a breakfast place that serves cafe' l'American ---- but never Starsucks, ugh....).
Great tip on the blown cap causing hum on CH2, CH3, but not CH1. I have a dual rec that's doing the exact same thing, so i bet it's that. I designed a small board to fix the POP in mesa amps (and add MIDI if that's your thing). It mutes right at the output transformer, so you can remove (or just not replace) most of the J175's. Maybe something some of your Mesa customers would be interested: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qLbxynRshX0.html
Your right there about the 50 and 100 watt my marshall can be run at either and the difference is not that big, i played with a drummer and another guitat player and I would check it from time to time and there was not a big difference
If I could make a recommendation - maybe chucking a super quick summary in the description of what you discussed in the video might alleviate some repeat questions, as it makes searching for a relevant video a bit easier. That said, some people want all their work done for them, so that might not be enough anyway...
Most Mesa/Boogie amps tend to really be based on hot-rodded Fender circuits with an extra gain-stage added and some complicated channel-switching and switchable tweaks.
Love the evaluations Lyle! I’ve owned quite a few amps over the past few years and have had great fun restoring a few early 1950 Valco built babies as well. Aside from vintage amps I’m maybe thinking that relatively modern production amps that you are not addressing, due to not experiencing them in for work, might be a good sign for at least build quality/reliability. Tone King, Swart, Magnatone, Victoria, Supro………..?
I’ve had Magnatones in (two a few weeks back - they were killing their EL84s) and Victorias. Current production Supros are to be avoided. They literally catch on fire. Really stupid designs.
Thanks Lyle. Of those three brands mentioned I’ve only had a Victoria Ivy League for about a year. Liked it a lot. My Swart’s and Tone Kings, several models of each were really great. Always exploring and I’m always interested in quality input for future decisions and projects. Cheers.
I've been fortunate that my Mark IV has been trouble free since new. But aftervwatching a great many tech vids Mesa switching and fixed bias seem to be issues. This amp does crush tone wise bit Mr Smith definitely makes things more complicated than they have to be.
Mesa amps are servicemen’s nightmare for sure, for all the exact reasons you mentioned in the video! So here’s an objective +1 ☝🏻 from another service tech! 😂😂😂
I have a one year old Marshall dsl100hr. Any chance we could get a video of the changes you would make to one to ensure longevity and better operation? I’ve been working in small electronics repair for a few years now and I’m very confident in my abilities, but As a budding amp freak, I’m just so curious as to what changes a master like yourself would make?
