tube amp techs/ gurus- help

[ksmith63]

I'm about to buy a used Mesa Bass 400 but it doesn't work. All of the tubes light up but the amp barely produces any sound.
Does anyone have any ideas as what could cause this or how much $$ it will take to repair? I dont want to buy an amp that also needs a new transformer....:smack:

 

[greendy123]

Re: tube amp techs/ gurus- help

Have you tried different speaker cords to see if that was the problem. It could also be old tubes thats causing that.

 

[shredaholic]

Re: tube amp techs/ gurus- help

Do you get a slight hiss when you turn the volumes up really loud?

 

[Liquid]

Re: tube amp techs/ gurus- help

Hmm well try tightening up the jacks. You could just bad connection on one of the wires. If that dosnt work look inside. You may not be an amp guru but if theres a big chunk outa the circut board or somthing really obvious like that you might be able to tell. Good luck.

 

[wixedmords]

Re: tube amp techs/ gurus- help

There are sometimes fuses hidden in spots you cannot see. I would check that out, with the help of the manual. Even if a fuse looks good, it can be a failed fuse.

EDIT: Read it again, it isn't fuses, you are getting sound. I would replace the power tubes, and move around the pre tubes.

 

[firebirdVII]

Re: tube amp techs/ gurus- help

Is the sound really distorted?

You might find some answers in the user manual which is in the middle on the left column in this link (I haven't loaded adobe yet, so I can't read it)

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/user_manuals.htm