Mesa 200 Buster club

[Furious_Man77]

Scored a great Mesa built grille here on TB! (Thanks, Furious)

I think it classes it up nicely, don't you?

Before:

After:

Glad you like it - looking good!

 

[Calexia13]

Hi guys, it's been a while, but I finally put a finish on my buster head that carpenter out of central valley made for my buster. Here it is. I finished it in a varathane cabarnet color, and the "grill" my brother burned a design into it, and then I sealed it with a gloss. Hope you guys like it.

Regards,

Ed

 

[scotch]

Dig it!

 

[Professor X]

I'm in! Picked up a buster head off of CL this weekend. LOVE IT! I can't get over how good it sounds and how clean the sound is for an all tube head.

 

[monsterthompson]

Rad.

 

[bassinflorida]

Hello all. I purchased one of the latest Buster heads listed on TB. Haven't used tube heads for many years but wanted to get back into the game. This head is in the condition as advertised. Superb!
I do have a question. A tube was damaged during shipping and a replacement pair is on order. However I have the 'itch' to use this head this weekend with 4 tubes. I have been testing it all week and there is no doubt it will be loud enough and reliable. I do not know if I would damage it by doing a 3-4 hour gig with only 4 tubes. Also I do not know which sockets would be best to have the tubes in if it is ok to do this. Any input appreciated.
James

 

[Chef]

If it were me, I'd call Mesa and ask this question

 

[bassinflorida]

Chef greetings from the sunshine state.
I usually overlook the easiest solution. I did send them an email request a little while ago but then saw it would be a few days before they could respond.
I will call and post the info.
thx.

 

[hennessybass]

I wouldn't do it.

From the Buster manual...

"The power tubes should be all but quiet when they are tapped. If crackling or hissing changes with the tapping, you have probably
found the problem. To confirm a noisy power tube, merely put the BUSTER on STANDBY, remove it from its socket and turn it back
on. It will cause no damage to run the BUSTER briefly with one power tube missing. You may notice a slight background hum,however, as the push-pull becomes unbalanced. Whenever you are trying to diagnose a suspect tube, keep your other hand on the
POWER and STANDBY switches ready to shut them off instantly in the unlikely case you provoke a major short. If you think you’ve
located a problem tube but aren’t sure, we recommend substituting the suspect with a new one just to be sure of your diagnoses.
You will be doing yourself and us a big favor by just following the simple guidelines previously mentioned regarding tube replacement."

 

[bassinflorida]

Gotta wait till Monday. I really like this head and do not want to do anything foolish to it.
thx

 

[bassinflorida]

Thx Hennessybass.
"run the BUSTER briefly" may be the key here.
I believe I will not use it until I get the replacement tubes! This is where the KILO will fall into the rotation.
r&r

 

[hennessybass]

That sucks, but best to do it right and have the buster out for a weekend rather than risking some major damage and having the buster out for who know how long. Congrats on a GREAT amp.

 

[Furious_Man77]

Agree, not a good idea. Even though the Buster has a stout transformer, it might be fine or be a really high repair bill. Any good local shops that might have some Mesa 6L6's on hand? Even a 'pre-owned' duet would be better than running 2 tubes short.

 

[bassinflorida]

Folks thanks. Really good input. I am near Tampa and have some recommendations of tube repair shops. Being away from tube amps for so long I was not sure how other 6L6 would fare. Planned on getting a spare set later of course.
The ot does appear to be substantial. I kind of see why these heads have held up. I would also agree they are underrated.

 

[scotch]

Got my Buster head back (had my amp guy clean it and make sure it's tuned up) & have used it on a couple of gigs... I do love it! Not sure I'm ready to let it go yet.

 

[bassinflorida]

Thought I would mention Mesa did provide me with their take on running the Buster with 4 tubes. Considering I have not purchased any new Mesa gear that was pretty cool of them.

 

[bassinflorida]

KIlO on the backup bench, Buster on the front line.

 

[Calexia13]

Do you mind sharing what Mesa's take was on running the Buster with 4 tubes? Would be good information to have at our Buster club. Thanks!

 

[bassinflorida]

Do you mind sharing what Mesa's take was on running the Buster with 4 tubes? Would be good information to have at our Buster club. Thanks!

My apologies for the delay. Here is the reply from from Mesa verbatim.


"Hello there,
Thanks for your email.
I suppose (due to the PUSH/PULL circuit design) you could run the amp, less 1 pair of POWER tubes. Simply remove the 2 OUTSIDE tubes (furthest LEFT, furthest RIGHT) & that should do the trick... however: to get the best out of the amp, load the amp up with the proper amount of tubes.
Hope this helps!
If you have any further questions, please call us here at the factory at (707) 778-6565 Monday - Thursday 9-5 PST.

*please note: my office hours are Monday's & Tuesday's, 9am - 7pm*
"
Thanks for your interest in MESA!

 

[Calexia13]

Thanks Bassinflorida, good to know in a pinch that the amp will work with 4 tubes, would probably allow you to get some of the grind at lower volumes I imagine, too.