Chasing Yuck | Mesa Studio .22+

[@Dang...]

It's obvious why your client wants this amp restored. These .22+ amps sound great. I gigged a pair of Mesa Studio .22+ combos hundreds of times over MANY years, absolutely no problems, great sound. Dragged in and out of countless gigs, completely dependable. The clean tones on these are WAY sweeter than any Fender Deluxe Reverb. People tend think of Mesas for dirt, but the cleans from this model are outstanding. Mine still sound excellent, even after over 30 years.

[@chessbrothersnewy]

Have to agree with you. Channel switching with this amp is difficult to control and better to use an overdrive pedal & stay clean all the way. Have you re-capped yours ?? Mine occasionally drops out ( loses volume) - I use a patch cable in the send jacks all the time (because that is a known culprit). Also this amp has a universal power transformer ( extra tappings) that helps if you move from the US to Australia ( 115V mains to 230-240V) and don't want to rely on step down transformers.

[@joepeezy4sheezy]

@@chessbrothersnewyyou may be able to use contact cleaner on the jacks. That fixed the issue on my dc5

[@desvega5849]

Sometimes I can't believe I ever held Mesa/Boogie to the standard I once did. Then I remember that I sold them, got a Marshall, and am much happier overall

[@PsionicAudio]

I grew up wanting one. Bad. All the cool ads in the mags, all the stars playing them, the look, the leather, everything. Just screamed QUALITY. Then I was asked to repair one. Wow, a lot of really bad things going on inside. Maybe this was just a dud. Then the next one came in… After working on I don’t know many hundreds now, well, maybe they’ve just all been duds… There’s gotta be a bunch of great ones out there, right? Right? I’ve yet to see one.

[@johnmarshall3903]

Smart man!

[@BenState]

Yeah Mark Tremonti has a lot to answer for :)

[@davidmccarroll3217]

They have a sound, haven't yet found quite that sound in any other amp - kinda like that sound, what the heck, I guess I just get to live with the consequences :D

[@sparkyguitar0058]

@@BenState M Tremonti don't fix them. So in reality he don't care what amp you have. I know it's a joke and I've got my own Boogie. Luckily before I knew better I got a S O B and these are 1 board, not all these stacked boards and crazy ways of Mesa later. But these is not the only site talking about Mesa's ways of building amps. And I'm a Mesa fan boy also.

[@michaelmoore7975]

@0:39 True. No thing and no person is perfect. Example: I've been wrong before.....and I'm not afraid to admit it. It was that time I thought I was wrong about something, but turned out I was wrong.

[@csmith29581]

I thought gasoline and a match was the Industry standard fix for Mesa Boogie. I guess with the current price of gasoline, it might be cheaper to fix it.

[@comajoebuck999]

😅😅😅

[@Impractical_Engineer]

I always wanted a Mesa and within the last 5 years wanted a Lone Star real bad. Then I read about all the issues and stayed away. I'll stay with my 1972 Super Reverb.

[@ditchgator1]

Client has put his trust in the right man for the job😎👍 Looking forward to the finished task and to what this amp has to offer sonically 😃 😎👍

[@michaelfuller34]

Nanu - nanu, Just as deliberate and informative work even though you are obviously not into this amp. Orson would be proud.

[@Dirge4july]

Was my first tube amp. On;y one of two i ever owned and will ever own again.. i think it was the plus version tho. Needless to say i didnt know better and my teenage metal headed mind was disappointed. I wasnt knowledge enough at the time to try and over drive. If that would of got me anywhere.

[@ctcards2636]

Wowza. That was a dirty PCB and some serious burning going on. Thanks for the video, and good luck with getting this amp all finished. 🙂

[@matthewf1979]

BTW, I’m so happy you introduced me to those Square Plugs. I’m re-doing my pedal board with them and the Cioks DC7/8 combo as I type this.

[@fairguinevere666]

Ooh, what plugs are those? I need to put together an actual board eventually.

[@jerryking2418]

Very informative. I like that you show us what mundane things such as cleaning falls to the amp tech. Thanks for sharing.

[@michaelmoore7975]

@10:29 Not sure if applicable in your instance, but I have on more than 1 occasion disassembled a good pot and swapped out the shaft for a variety of reasons, i.e. length, diameter, etc. There is _some*_ interchangeability regarding the wiper; and the 4 little tab locations on the body are almost always identical. (respective to body diameter) And if the wiper itself is bad I've removed it from the shaft by grinding off the peened over/swaged area, put the new one on, then re-peened/swaged the wiper securely by dimpling with a center punch. Only takes about 10 minutes. *some.

[@PsionicAudio]

That was plan C but won’t be necessary.

[@michaelmoore7975]

@@PsionicAudio I like customers with patience, time _and_ money. Rarely do all 3 occur at the same time.

[@The_Great_Won]

Than you for the step by step process❤❤❤❤

[@jasonwright7513]

LOL I had one of these in the early 2000s and had to have it serviced 3 times in 6 months( constant problems finally the music store just gave me my money back) but I understand why this guy loves the sound when it works it really has a great Rock sound to it it's a pity that the reliability just isn't there with these Mesa boogies.

[@75YBA]

You’re a wizard.

[@Curranproducer]

all the vintage mojo is now on that paper towel!!!! this is INSANE!!!!! DERPS!

[@100grassfed]

Srsly, those squeege harmonics

[@chickenlickin3820]

good work dude

[@richard66754]

Mesa Boogie has gone out of their way to earn every bit of the hate they receive.

[@danielabilez3619]

Um.. I don't know. My stiletto deuce still kicks ass. BTW My Lee Jackson and my two Bugera 333xl also are doing fine. But the guy doing the work on that amp, that guy is the money. You always need the following: good bartender, good doctor, good lawyer, good jeep mechanic, & good amp repair guy. Not necessarily in that order

[@leftchicago]

Yes. I've owned several Mesas over the years but not a one without issues.

[@mikecostello624]

@@leftchicago Same here

[@scottwilcox6313]

Tasty tone crunchies yummy. Some of the traces look like they're normal in size.

[@gercortright]

I am considering moving all new replacement parts to the other side of the board where I can see them. I will also add shielded on one end 20 ga. wires from the pots to the board. Do you see any problems with that approach? Mouser has those standoffs, LCBS-16-19, locking circuit board support. I believe Digi-Key does also. Thanks for any advise.

[@andrewhenderson9474]

Good work.

[@nfundenberger.]

I have a Studio22 that’s been shelved for nearly 30years. May I ask what the general sticker price of getting this amp tip top was?

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I was listening to a mini big band swing jazz band playing all the standards. The guitarist had a new model Epiphone ES335, or whatever the model # is, and he had this amplifier. I found it extremely muddy sounding and didn’t cut through at all. At times I couldn’t hear the guitar one bit!

[@pizzadave1208]

I recently did an outdoor big band gig without any close miking, and on the recording you could clearly hear my rhythm guitar through the Mesa .22.

[@syrup_drinker]

Have considered using an old sonicare for your brush? They can be fairly gentle, I keep one for for when I leave bits of finger in my practice fretboard.

[@PsionicAudio]

What the hell is your practice fretboard made of? Bits of finger?! Yikes! I use an electric toothbrush to simulate an amp being played to test for sympathetic vibration issues. But the old manual toothbrush is fine for this purpose.

[@syrup_drinker]

@@PsionicAudio I have dry finger tips, and end up leaving an excess of white particulate that settles in the wood grain. Not a big deal for maple or ebony but indian rosewood gets nasty fast when mixed with sweat. I have seen a few videos of guys scraping fretboards with a razor to remove muck and I am trying to avoid that.

[@mattjohnson6916]

That is a very odd phase inverter. I'm looking up the schematic as you describe it and trying to wrap my head around it. Were they aiming to increase the headroom heading into the power tubes or just out thinking themselves?

[@PsionicAudio]

I think Randy just wanted something to patent.

[@hiegdk_]

Have you ever used an ultrasonic cleaner for dirty boards like this? Any reason not to?

[@PsionicAudio]

No, I wouldn’t submerge a board even if my USC was big enough.

[@Andyanddiana467]

I used to own one of these amps. Lots of headroom, but insanely loud, and noisy; it always needed constant maintenance to sound optimum. Sold it and haven’t played tube anything since.

[@terrybanks5063]

shame you had such a bad experience that you never played tube amps again.. on the other side of the fence, there are plenty GOOD brands that have very little problems whatsoever. and are WELL DESIGNED! mesa is terrible for design but they keep techs in business. lol. i have 3 tube amps right now, all really sweet, havent changed a tube or a part in over 15 years 🙃 and if i need to they are all handwired so very easy to fix! handwired class a is what you want for a trouble free tube amp. if it aint handwired, do not spend thousands. p.s.. no hate for solid state either btw, to each their own. i actually like them for certain styles myself. but hate fixing them too most the time! 🙂

[@Andyanddiana467]

@@terrybanks5063 In fairness, there were other factors too. I gig a lot in NYC, where dragging a tube rig is a pain.

[@ErebosGR]

Same experience. I had a .50 Caliber+ that was left to me from my dad. Remarkable cleans, insanely loud, but temperamental, noisy, biased so hot that it went through tubes like skittles. Modelling amps and amp sims for me and I don't wanna see tubes ever again.

[@jbolt247]

Just curious is drilling some vent holes through the board inside the tube connections would help with heat in that area? Assuming there are no traces there.

[@gb1978gb]

I can see a new market for 'Vintage Tone Towels' now.....imagine the marketing claims and slogans..."works like magic, your amp will absorb the vintage mojo taken directly from real classic amps. So authentic you can smell the vibe of a 65 super reverb." etc......

[@chrisjones7022]

Do you recommend DeoxIT FaderF5 for cleaning pots or do you use another product? Thanks

[@PsionicAudio]

D5 for cleaning F5 for lubing

[@chrisjones7022]

@@PsionicAudio 👌

[@TheStimpy60]

I have heard of yuk, but not schmoo. Is it similar to schmoz ?

[@BogeyDopeYT]

Watch some AvE

[@birkuz]

Great Vid as always Lyle. Did you order the vactrols from Mesa?

[@acoustic61]

Look at the Crud!

[@1Dougloid]

Calibrated thumbnail. Are the Vactrols Perkin-Elmer or the replacements commonly available these days?

[@BenState]

Another great video Lyle. Q. Would you recommend taking a new amp to a tech to get this kind of stuff addressed? It seems most amps we mortals can afford will have some of these issues. Looking at my Orange Tremlord 30 for example, it seems that the rectification diodes are next to the main filter cap and all of the resistors are hard against PCB. Luckily the PCB is easy to remove.

[@LPCustom3]

I wonder if the current owner of Boogie (Gibson..) reads any of these posts..? It’s called “read & improve”…I never like working on their amps except for the Mk1 and the Mk2

[@petermcateer1354]

Just my luck. I bought a Mesa MarkV25 head last spring. Pretty versatile bit of gear...awesome cleans, liquid fury OD, insane high gain sounds that I'll never use, and everything in between. Then of course a few months later I stumble upon your amazing channel. Now I feel like I'm waiting for a grenade to go off. How long do Mesa's questionable design/construction/component choices take to manifest themselves as real problems?

[@fixedgear37]

Oh stop worrying. This guy hates every amp. You'll be fine

[@petermcateer1354]

@fixedgear37 sold it anyway. Replaced it with a MojoTone Tweed Super kit that I put together... and if need be, can service... myself.

[@I.M.Guitar-Nerd]

Those standoffs look quite a bit like computer motherboard standoffs.

[@kevindonohue8918]

Marketing my friend. Mesa was all marketing

[@notasilicaanimus]

Lots of mojo on that paper towel.

[@jst601]

Springtime fresh & bursting with tone.

[@chuckdriver8269]

Lyle, just wondering if you’ve tried Ronsonol to clean the sticky ickies? Worth trying. 🎸🇺🇸

[@PsionicAudio]

Naptha stinks and you can’t just throw the paper towel in the bin. I use it where necessary, but outside. In general I try to use the mildest solvent possible that will do the job.

[@jameshenz1780]

Thanks for sharing Lyle. I learn so much .Question if you find the time sir. I have a 1984 Mesa C+. I have no idea how they became known as " the Ho!y Grail " of amps. I never was floored by mine. Anyway, it came with 2 watt carb comp screen grids. One failed many years ago. I replaced them all with metal oxides. Recently I wanted to make the amp like the day I received it so I put new 2 watt carbon comps back in on the screen grids. They're off the board a good bit. Good or bad move? Do they affect tone in any way or is it just a reliability issue? The one failed because I put in a shorted power tube and had a mess to clean up. lol. When replacing them I just grabbed metal oxides. Never thought much about it. I have some if you think I should put them back in. Love your videos and wish that I had just a teeny weeny bit of your knowledge. Blessings. Jim.

[@stillpist]

It's the holy grail amp of you play thrash metal or metal on general. Master of puppets was recorded on one. I'm not sure about it for anything else but it has that sound and it is a holy grail sound.

[@j_c_93]

Do you know if the Mesa Studio 22 is the same circuit as the Mesa Studio Preamp?

[@qddk9545]

Download the schematics and check it out yourself buddy.

[@j_c_93]

@@qddk9545 don't know how and don't care to know how

[@matthewf1979]

I’ve been seeing those MOD caps a lot lately. Are they giving you any trouble? They’re still cheap and come in direct replacement values for Fender Tweed to Silver Panel amps. Other MOD products are pretty decent for what they cost.

[@PsionicAudio]

No issues thus far.

[@IL2TXGunslinger]

Yesterday - I watched Lyle replace the terrifically cheap caps in a Fender Deluxe reissue. No comment from the peanut gallery. Last week it was a shoody cheap (of all things) plastic input jack on anothe Fender POS. Now here is an older Mesa - which has clearly been used hard by an owner. Ever cleaned? Taken in for maintenance. But somehow the Sprauge filter caps lasted over 20 years! It’s a cheap Mesa amp, but even so still has much higher quality components than anything non-custom shop that Fender has produced since the 70’s. Cheap Fender crap. However no one in the comments section ever says anything bad about Fender here. In fact, many who watch this channel will run over to Reddit and bad mouth Mesa - using their incredible tube electronics expertise to recommend against anyone who comes to ask about Mesa. I decided a while back that posting anything positive about Mesa is a waste of time on social media. The good thing about all this is that I’ve been able to snag a great 4x10 Maverick for $400 and after replacing 2 12AX7’s. Thanks guys!

[@lennybrowntooth5009]

At least on the Fender you can replace them without pulling the whole thing apart.

[@BenState]

I suggest you watch a few more of his videos.

[@IL2TXGunslinger]

@@BenState I have watched at least 75% of all the videos produced since he started. I’ve watched Lyle’s standard upgrade of any reissue Fender which replaces cheap critical caps - resistors. It’s always amazed me how often he comments on accountants at Fender and replaces parts - and people never seem to notice.

[@IL2TXGunslinger]

@@lennybrowntooth5009 And on many Mesa’s as well - i will admit dealing with the plastic retainers is tedious when you first start - but for some reason the Bogners, Marshall’s and most of the newer amps never get the same treatment. I will give you this - some Mesa’s - have too many features - too many channels - packed into too little space. However so do many other modern amps.

[@justinhayes3434]

I had one of these and it was constantly in a state of disrepair. It sounded really good, but was so unreliable

[@ErebosGR]

I thought vactrols were only used in amps with tremolo. What is their function here? Voltage dividers? Relays?

[@chessbrothersnewy]

They attempt a form of channel switching via foot pedal. When engaged an extra valve gain stage comes into play - it requires some different eq - so several vactrols "switch" at the same time. This amp really isn't a 2 channel amp - more like a pseudo 2 channel one. Hard to control. IMHO stay on clean channel and use a pedal for OD. That way it doesn't matter to me if the vactrols fail ( the default is clean channel).

[@richardnagamitsu1582]

What didn’t you change 😂

[@BenState]

Standard old amp re-work.

[@TheCyberMantis]

Chuck the guts in the dumpster. Buy a new ENGL Fireball 25. Swap the ENGL guts into the MESA enclosure. Tell him it cost $1,500 to make it like new. In fact... it's better than new! 😆

[@richardnagamitsu1582]

How old is the amp? Was it original before it came to you?

[@PsionicAudio]

‘89 and mostly.

[@richardnagamitsu1582]

@@PsionicAudio that’s great of news for me (I hope). I have a 2008 Mesa TA-30 that needs some work, so I’m hoping (and fearing) what someone will find.

[@richardnagamitsu1582]

@@PsionicAudio Damnit, Lyle! I need an Excalibur!

[@jockbarnes136]

I own one of these amps that's working well, however the reverb on it is barely noticeable on 10. I checked the tank with a multimeter and its reading were good. It sounds like the reverb on this model is known for being weak, do you (or anyone reading) have any advice or experience in bringing this reverb circuit to life? Should I be investigating a long decay tank or newer or different tubes? What tubes run the reverb. Any help greatly appreciated many thanks

[@thecontinuum4164]

I have this amp.... I do like it... but I understand the tech hate for MESAs. They shove a lot on their boards...

[@gavinalmeida1994]

Removing the Excess Tone ,how dare you.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@brettmetivier1969]

I’ve owned many Mesa amps… the Studio .22 is possibly the worst one. Maybe this one will turn out to sound better than my experience but I’m skeptical…not in your work, of course, but because of what it is.

[@Burgschall]

On MESA I would be generous of using IPA and then a fire lighter...they are not worth the money they ask you for by far. SInce they got sold to Gibson there is zero chance to get spares parts here in EU and therefore I reject any Mesa for repair at all.

[@zacharyoliver1325]

Tasty tone crunchies! LOL... Why you rub all the tone off that crusty beast of little whipper-snapper!

[@damianstrochnetter9735]

Did you fart at the 7:50 mark?

[@PsionicAudio]

Thanks man. Tore a paper towel off the roll, but I’ll save that idea for any foley work I need to do…

[@hybridjohn1]

"excess tone" lolz

[@cheintz44]

Look at all the excess tone

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

These things are an absolute joke. How can they get so many things so so wrong and not quit out of shame?

[@PsionicAudio]

You just understand the majestic brilliance of brittle plastic standoffs that have transformed into unobtainium. It’s alchemy I tell you!

[@dopplebear9755]

lolol excess tone haha

[@rossknowles5608]

tone-yuck

[@bobbytubbs5469]

MESA DEFINITELY NOT WHAT THEY ONCE WERE LYLE RECAPPED MY 400PLUS AGREAT SOUNDING BASS AMP BUT THEY QUIT MAKING THEM &WENT TO CLASS D STUFF