(AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

SteveAlysis

SteveAlysis

Active member
So, I bought a 3 channel Dual Rec for dirt, dirt cheap off craigslist. The guy brought the amp over to the studio, and we started testing it... everything seemed great. I took it off standby again and a fuse blew. I've read about this being fairly common with the Recs, and figured it was a bad power or rectifier tube. The guy offers to go buy some more fuses to test it out again. I agreed, and he leaves the amp and takes half the cash with him($350) as a collateral thing. He never comes back.

So i'm thinking i got one hell of a deal on an easy fix.

I watch the mesa trouble shooting video and start looking for the problem. Popped in a new fuse, and pull out all the tubes. Seems to be no problems with the rectifier tubes. I put the first power tube in(Like they say in the video), turn the amp on and everything is fine. Take it off standby and the amp flashes a huge bright light and starts smoking... i quickly turn in it off, but now the standby switch is stuck in the on position permanently, it moves, but wont stay in the standby position.

I havent turned it back on, and plan on taking it in later this week... any idea what the hell this could be?
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

Not positive but I got the feeling your cheap deal just got expensive. Worst part is now that you've buggered it up more you cant even dump it on the guy and get your 350 back. Well you can try but that probably wont work either.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

Mesa customer support is very responsive. Give them a call and ask them what they think you should do.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

Whereabouts was the flash? By the standby switch? From what you've said it sounds like the switch could have failed in a major way and melted which would explain the smoke and it not locking into the standby position.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

You're in California... how close are you to the Boogie Hollywood store or the factory in Petaluma? I have a feeling they're gonna need to work on it.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

Update :

Called the Boogie shop(I'm about an hour north) and they said it sounded like a bad power tube and the arc probably fried a screen resistor. So i took it to the closest Boogie certified tech, which luckily is only 15 minutes away... he checked it out right there and confirmed what the Boogie tech support had thought. Should be fixed and ready to go by tomorrow.

After a new set of tubes/labor, i still think I got a pretty good deal on the amp.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

SteveAlysis said:
Called the Boogie shop (I'm about an hour north) and they said it sounded like a bad power tube and the arc probably fried a screen resistor.
Click to expand...

I did that on my Carvin Legacy a while back. An overvoltage caused by a bad power tube caused two screen grid resistors to fry as well as some circuitry right around V1. The fuse blew, but not in time to prevent that from happening.

I never could get the amp to behave properly after that incident despite having the circuit rebuilt. However, Boogies are much hardier amps than Carvins are.

Is it a second-gen Dual or one of the new MultiWatters?
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

Sounds like a weird/sketchy deal all the way around. Here's hoping it all works out in the end, meaning you never hear from the guy again, and those repairs are all that are needed. But for the time being, congrats on your *****in' sub-$600 amp!
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

SteveAlysis said:
Update :

Called the Boogie shop(I'm about an hour north) and they said it sounded like a bad power tube and the arc probably fried a screen resistor. So i took it to the closest Boogie certified tech, which luckily is only 15 minutes away... he checked it out right there and confirmed what the Boogie tech support had thought. Should be fixed and ready to go by tomorrow.

After a new set of tubes/labor, i still think I got a pretty good deal on the amp.
Click to expand...

Ha from your original description i thought that the switch wouldnt physically move to the standby position.

Glad you've got it sorted.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

UPDATE II:

Just got it back from the tech and took it to the studio for a quick test.

Tele- El Capistan- Blue Sky- Boogie Channel 2(Raw)

Excuse sloppy noodling. Hum is just from the room

 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

Maybe he came back when you were at the shop.

J/k. Congrats
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

Dam, I thought I was the only that got awesome deals on Mesa's! Welcome to the club my man!
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

That's the cab with the 65's, yeah? Sounds good man, I knew you were a Gilmour guy, I can hear it.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

King IzzO))) said:
That's the cab with the 65's, yeah? Sounds good man, I knew you were a Gilmour guy, I can hear it.
Click to expand...

thanks guys! definitely having fun with it.

KingIzz, those are your 65's mang. I thought they might be too dark for the mesa, but I'm liking it so far. Really good low end and just the right amount of highs for me. It really is the best celestion I've tried.
 
Re: (AMP HELP) Mesa Dual Rec Smoking!

I agree with GearJonser. 450 to 500 is a real good deal, just be patient and get it to a tech. It will be worth it in the long run.
 
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