Update: Trouble with my Mesa M6 Carbine

joban81 · #1 08-09-2011, 11:42 PM

Update: Called Mesa today and they told me to make sure the amp was being plugged in correctly and to take out the fuse and clean it with sandpaper because some sort of dust can build. They said that this was likely what was causing the amp to shutdown.

I took the fuse out and it looks pale and one of the ends seems like it's a bit burned but I'm not sure...I'll call them tomorrow and let them know how it went (I don't have the amp with me it's at my friends house but I do have the fuse with me).

Thanks to everyone who has offered their advice.

End Update

Hello, I'm new to the site and this is my first thread and it sucks that it's not a positive one.

I recently purchased a used Mesa M6 Carbine 2x12 bass amp. The amp looks pristine but the first time I played it it shut down on me as soon as I raised the volume.

Used it again with volume very low for about 40 minutes and it was fine. Took it to band practice volume was raised like at 2:00...was playing a song my friend moved the voice knob and it shut down again.

After a few minutes it turned back on started playing a song and it shut down again. Played the rest of practice on my Line 6 LD300 no problem.

We finished practice and I was by myself using the amp and after about 20 minutes of playing in low volume...I decided to turn up the volume and it shut down again.

I have no idea what's going on. The original buyer purchased it in January of 2010 so it still has the warranty. But can anyone on this forum help me out? Have any of you had a problem like mine with this amp?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Bonerific · #2 08-10-2011, 12:45 AM

Maybe the tubes are old try getting new ones or to guitar center see if they could let you test if it is the tubes....never owned a tube amp

LeonD · #3 08-10-2011, 06:17 AM

Opinions here are good but I'd give Mesa a call today as soon as they get in. They'll have you send it in and it'll be upgraded to current specs. When you get it back, it'll be just like a brand new amp.

And their turnaround is very quick. Chances are they'll have it only for a few days. Factor in shipping time back and forth and you'll be good to go.

Morning Beer · #4 08-10-2011, 06:51 AM

I had a M9 that had issues, repaired every time at Mesa. After the 2nd gig it went down I swore off of them for good. I owned it less then a year and it was babied.

I know lots of people have had great success with theirs and no issues, but there have been quite a few with problems. Mesa's CS if good, not GB good but good.

I tend to believe there may be some design issue with the M#. I haven't seen nearly as many issues brought up with Mesa's other amps

RickenBoogie · #5 08-10-2011, 11:36 AM

I agree to contact Mesa. Use the warranty- they're good about it, and the M6 is a solid amp.

BassmanPaul · #6 08-10-2011, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonerific

Maybe the tubes are old try getting new ones or to guitar center see if they could let you test if it is the tubes....never owned a tube amp

The amp is what? 18 months old? The tubes should still be running a decade from now. It's not a full tube amp. Pre-amp tube won't make the amp shut down though they may cause it to go silent.

I would say that the amp is going into protect mode. Possibly something awry with the speakers or speaker cabling. Check if the drivers are stock and have not been replaced by car speakers.

Does the amp have a fan? If so, is it running? Does the amp feel hot to the touch when it shuts down?

Try running an instrument cable between the Fx send and return if the amp has them. Does that help?

rpsands · #7 08-10-2011, 01:59 PM

Mesa has a 5 year transferable warranty. Get a hold of them.

BassmanPaul · #8 08-10-2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpsands

Mesa has a 5 year transferable warranty. Get a hold of them.

I, for one, didn't know that!

OK What HE says!!!

sunbeast · #9 08-10-2011, 09:33 PM

It's a shame that somebody passed this problem along to you without your knowledge (it sounds likely that it was having this issue before you ever got it). Where did you buy it? If you got it on Ebay or with a credit card, you may be able to get your money back if you don't want to deal with the warranty yourself.

Some of the early M6s and M9s had this (or a similar) issue- mine did straight out of the store I bought it brand new. I contacted Mesa and had a new amp on my doorstep in less than a week with no further issues. Since yours isn't brand new, you'll have to send it in to get fixed/updated. Hopefully you got the original sales receipt with your amp?

Another possibility to try- insert a cable between the Effects Send and Effects Return jacks- one of these jacks interrupts the through signal, so if it is oxidized or bent in a weird way it could cause the cutting out problems (leaving the effects loop swich Off SHOULD eliminate that issue as well- some other Mesa amps tended to develop this problem, which is why they added that switch). Also check the fuse holder and make sure it isn't loose in any way (I have heard that some of the Carbines had a bad batch of fuse holders). The problem with my amp actually seemed to be a component in the preamp that was grounding out with heavy vibration, though that is just my theory based on a little bit of experimentation before I sent the amp back...