Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

Sorry to say this, and Im sure i'll get flammed all to hell and gone but IMHO recent Mesa trannys are nothing to write home about anyway...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

Sorry to say this, and Im sure i'll get flammed all to hell and gone but IMHO recent Mesa trannys are nothing to write home about anyway...

Really buddy? The only Mesa amp I ever owned,was a Tremoverb head.....Sold it. For me it was all about fuzzy preamp buzz and it was a dark sounding amp.

I'm still very much a Fender,Vox,Marshall kinda guy at heart...

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

Really buddy? The only Mesa amp I ever owned,was a Tremoverb head.....Sold it. For me it was all about fuzzy preamp buzz and it was a dark sounding amp.

I'm still very much a Fender,Vox,Marshall kinda guy at heart...

I used to have an original MK I combo...killer amp, not really what I wanted tonally but a killer amp none the less and it was built like a tank...however I've used and checke dout a few newer Mesa amps and they look fairly low buck on the inside...I hate to say it but it is what it is...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

I used to have an original MK I combo...killer amp, not really what I wanted tonally but a killer amp none the less and it was built like a tank...however I've used and checke dout a few newer Mesa amps and they look fairly low buck on the inside...I hate to say it but it is what it is...

These days,I'm no longer a Mesa user....Too many freakin buttons,switches,and modes on their amps! Sometimes guitarists just don't want things too tweakable and less confusing!

The Mark 1 was the tweaked out Fender Princeton amp with a 1x12,modded for casgading gain,etc.. right?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

These days,I'm no longer a Mesa user....Too many freakin buttons,switches,and modes on their amps! Sometimes guitarists just don't want things too tweakable and less confusing!

The Mark 1 was the tweaked out Fender Princeton amp with a 1x12,modded for casgading gain,etc.. right?

I hear ya!

The MK 1 is the amp that came right afte the Princeton Boogies...100/60 watts, graphic EQ, cascade stage, oak cab, wicker grill and mine was special order...it had a single 15...an EVM15L...heavy as all get out!

It was a cool amp but not user friendly to be honest...you could get a good rock sound out of it but by the time you did it didn't clean up well and despite being 100 watts through an EVM speaker the cleans were lacking IMO...when I stopped using that I switched to my Twin Reverb and a homebrew 50 watt Marshall in a 1x12 combo cab and an AB box...it was more stuff but it actually was easier to move (that Boogie was really heavy!) and sounded better all the way around!

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

Too many freakin buttons,switches,and modes on their amps! Sometimes guitarists just don't want things too tweakable and less confusing!

The Mark series and Road King/Roadster are ridiculously complex. My Stiletto Ace has a few more switches and modes than I think are necessary but it's not too bad: 2 channels, 2 EQs. pretty much the same as my Single Rec was but with the option of tube rectification.

Sorry to say this, and Im sure i'll get flammed all to hell and gone but IMHO recent Mesa trannys are nothing to write home about anyway...

I haven't really played enough Mesa amps to agree or disagree when talking about the whole product line. My Single Rec was well-built except for the pots and knobs felt a little flimsy. My Stiletto is built like a tank and fit and finish are excellent. The tone on both was great (to my ears). Maybe they don't have the "magic" that the early Mark series had . . . I dunno. The early Dual Recs had Mark IV transformers and they're supposed to be the best-sounding Rectifiers ever built (they also go for big $$$ nowadays).

Anyways, I'd hold my Mesa up against any other production amp in the $1500-$2000 price range (God knows its better than some of the Framus and Engl amps I've seen lately . . . the high price tags must be from import fees/duties . . . they are NOT $1000+ amps). Maybe not all of the current Mesa amps are as nice (mine is a late 2006 I think). Really don't know.

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

Sorry to hijack, but would it be worth replacing my drake trannys on my original JCM 800 2204 with MM? What are the signs of the trannys going??? Or would it be like wearing a tin foil hat waiting for the aliens? LOL.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

Sorry to hijack, but would it be worth replacing my drake trannys on my original JCM 800 2204 with MM? What are the signs of the trannys going??? Or would it be like wearing a tin foil hat waiting for the aliens? LOL.

you'd know it if the transformers were dying. if you haven't lost volume or power or heard a degradation in tone, you're fine.

as far as modding for the sake of modding, you could definitely try an output transformer from the Axiom line and see if you like the difference - you'd probably want the high-gain 50W Plexi model but contact Paul @ MM if you want some advice. He's been extremely helpful anytime I've had questions on compatibility. The JCM800 isn't a sacred vintage amp that is supposed to remain untouched - it's more like the muscle car of Marshalls that's ready for hot-rodding. if you have the $$, I'd say go for it. that's what I did with my Stiletto. It didn't need the upgrade really, but I'm happy that I got it done.

expect to pay just under $200 for an OT and then $60-$100+ for a tech to install, depending on whether or not it's a drop-in upgrade. Some amps have a very straightforward layout though and if you have a basic understanding of circuits and decent soldering skills, you might be able to install it yourself.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

I haven't really played enough Mesa amps to agree or disagree when talking about the whole product line. My Single Rec was well-built except for the pots and knobs felt a little flimsy. My Stiletto is built like a tank and fit and finish are excellent. The tone on both was great (to my ears). Maybe they don't have the "magic" that the early Mark series had . . . I dunno. The early Dual Recs had Mark IV transformers and they're supposed to be the best-sounding Rectifiers ever built (they also go for big $$$ nowadays).

Leftover Mark III trannys. I have one in mine. I'm of the opinion that there's a lot of hype surrounding those early Rectifiers and their magical parts. I'm still of the opinion that most of it has to do with Mesa re-voicing what was originally intended as a 'Solo' hair metal amplifier into one more suitable for the heavy rhythm playing everyone was actually using them for.

That said, it's just my opinion....

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

I'm a huge fan of MM stuff. I've also heard a lot of fantastic Heyboer equipped amps.

I'm building a marshall-style head as we speak and I've gone with Heyboer, mainly due to cost. I'll give it a good go and if I don't like it the first thing I'll order is MM...

 

[jeremy]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

im sure you will like it. heyboer makes good stuff but they dont have as many options as mm when it comes to fine tuning the b+ or how much iron (ie fat stack)

 

[glassman]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

I like reading through your very informative posts.....I too have modded alot of tube amps and have also maintained and rebuilt them,I've done hundreds of pedals for guys on this forum since about 2004 or so,like yourself,I've dabbled quite a bit in electronics and everything related to guitars,amps,tubes,and effects.....My statements were,that I've noticed an improvement in both amps that I've upgraded transformers on....I had to switch transformers in my 66 Pro Reverb amp because of oscillation and weird issues I had at that time with the stock OT...

I did read that Fender wanted clean headroom from his amps and I'm still thinking he never thought anyone would crank his amps loud enough to get gain and compression...The blues guys invented that phenomena... ;o)

The British guys were messing with feedback,gain,and distortion also...Guys like JH,and Pete Townsend quickly come to mind...

It sounds like we both have some good information to share with each other!
I have been asked to consider doing some pedal mos/repairs by my local music stores; if you don't mind, I may come to you for some advice on what is effective and what isn't. I'm not sure I'm gonna go that route yet so it depends on that. I've modded most of my personal pedals but have never used any of the kits that are currently available.

 

[glassman]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

I used to have an original MK I combo...killer amp, not really what I wanted tonally but a killer amp none the less and it was built like a tank...however I've used and checke dout a few newer Mesa amps and they look fairly low buck on the inside...I hate to say it but it is what it is...

Built like a tank is almost an understatement! I recall the first one I looked inside...what a work of art! 1/4" thick boards and one of the neatest layouts this side of an old Hiwatt. It had to be a really early one too; all the labeling on the back was done with a pressure sensitive labeler (like the ones that had the rotary dial on top that you selected a letter and squeezed the handle).

Did yours have the optional Mesa FetTron in it?

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Any other Mercury Magnetics fans here?

It sounds like we both have some good information to share with each other!
I have been asked to consider doing some pedal mos/repairs by my local music stores; if you don't mind, I may come to you for some advice on what is effective and what isn't. I'm not sure I'm gonna go that route yet so it depends on that. I've modded most of my personal pedals but have never used any of the kits that are currently available.

I've built quite a few pedals and have etched my own boards also...The pedals I have built weren't my own ideas though.....The mods I came up with for the pedals I was modding,were my ideas though....I used to play through the pedal(s) and figure out what I disliked about it...I'd then figure out what part of the circuit needed tweaking....The schematics helped alot in that respect! After I'd get the pedal dialed in,I'd also upgrade caps in key areas...Basically it was a change of cap values,resistor values,and an opamp change....I felt that if my ears were happy with the changes,that forum members would enjoy the changes also....I must have modded a 100 pedals or so,but stopped because my interests changed...I was modding the most common and affortable pedals....Some examples....The entire Tube Screamer family,Boss DS1,Boss SD1,OD2,(other Boss pedals that I can't remember) Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive,Dunlop and Vox wahs,vintage fuzz pedals,vintage MXR D+,RAT,Boss EQ, Marshall Pedals,and just about anything I felt I could mod,plus I fixed a whole bunch of pedals....When I was putting a pedal together for myself,I'd always experiment with the different gain diodes and I'd add fat switches and stuff(All kinds of cool things)...It was alot of fun...:1:

It's funny cause almost all of my own pedals I've tweaked,but I'm currently very happy with my Vox ToneLab LE and the tones I get straight into my BF Pro Reverb combo...All of my effects are built right into the ToneLab..

There are a ton of guys on this forum with alot of talent and knowledge!

Sorry for getting off track on this one all.