Re: Mesa really hitting my last nerve.
Well that was cool. I called Mesa. They offered to pay for shipping to California so their tech could look at it. The guy who put my amp together in 1980 still works for them and he does the repair work on all the old Mesa's now. So it will be back to him after 34 years. I thought that was pretty cool and so far Mesa's customer service is awesome.
Very cool! I don't want to say, "I told you so!", but....um...I did....
The contact I had with Boogie CS was stellar and I am hugely impressed with the company now. My particular amp is one however that went out of production however in 1993 so was really hoping to be able to hook up with a couple folks who are using them in the real world on stage off the boards.
Main issue I am fighting is the way Mesa used a single gain control on both the clean and crunch channel on this amp. When I dial the clean gain to where it's nice round and has just a bit of hair the crunch side is way to buzzy but when I set the crunch where I want it then the clean is to weak and thin sounding. Also can't get a fat smooth singing tone out of the crunch using the Auto setting on the graphic like I want. The controls on this amp are set up and respond much differently than I am used to so getting with a few that have run the amp in the real world would help. Amp has potential to be a long term keeper if I can sort a couple things out here.
The single gain control of this amp is the main reason these amps were not more popular. It is of course, the weak point; sort of making all the settings some sort of compromise when you are using the amp as a live channel switcher. This isn't an issue in the studio where you can set up the amp for a specific tone for each track. One of the things you might want to play with is a clean boost; I use a DOD FX-10 Preamp that is always on with just a moderate boost and that seems to real fatten up the tone with my Mark IIIs (admittedly a different animal).
The tone controls on these amps do work, unlike some amps where you can spin the dials and not hear any change. This is where you really need to sit down with the Owner's Manual and read how the controls interact; it can save you a lot of time. I regularly go over my Mark IV manual--about once a year, even though I've had it for more than ten years now. LOL! I've only had the Mark V a year and a half now, and the Owner's Manual has really helped make me aware of all the potential of this amp. I was able to dial usable tones in less than five minutes with all three channels of the Mark V, but there is a lot more to this amp. So, the Manual is SO important, and there should be some recommended settings to get you started. Remember though, it is a child of the early '80s, so you won't find much in the way of settings for "Norwegian Death Metal Bluegrass", LOL!
And when you start feeling more adventurous, you can look at doing some tube swapping, i.e. "Amplifier Blueprinting". Different manufacturer's tubes each have their own tonal characteristics. Some of my Mesa amps have as many as FOUR different brands of 12AX7s in the preamp section; typically Mesa, Groove Tubes, JJ and E-H. Sometimes an E-H will sound great in V1, but a whole amp full of them can make the amp a bit too edgy; while all JJ's made the amp too dark. The now OOP GT-12AX7-M Mullard clone was a perfect blend of brightness and creaminess in V1, but poor QC issues (noise and microphonics) kept me from using them in other positions. Some brands worked well for the RHYTHM channel sockets, and others worked better for the LEAD channel sockets. So check out the tube function chart--you might want to experiment with various tubes in the preamp sockets to see if you can find a mix that will work well for both RHYTHM and LEAD channels.
And don't forget: ALWAYS take a spare 12AX7 with you to your gigs. It can be a real life-saver. (Good Idea to have a spare set of power tubes, too!)
For power tubes, I like the Mesa 6L6s, and the Winged C/S.E.D. tubes. I think in the Mesa combos, these two have the best tone and reliability. I also like the Winged C/S.E.D. EL-34s in my Simul-Class amps. If I get anything other than Mesa tubes, I get them from a tube vendor that knows what range to select for a Mesa amp. These combo amps have a lot of power in a small package, so you'll want to select tubes that are durable, noise-free and non-microphonic; that goes for the pre-amp tubes as well.
I wonder if there is a separate gain control mod (like the R2 Mark III mod) that can be done.
I don't know if they do a mod for this, but that is a TERRIFIC idea!
Bill
