Mesa M6 Carbine Mega Thread part 3:

[mesaboogiebass]

If the DI out and EFX out is clean, sounds like the power amp section is bad. Bummer.

Yeah, that was my thought too.

 

[mesaboogiebass]

TO cut a long story short, i contacted Mesa Boogie distribution here in England. They said as i had a really early Fathom they would give me a new M6 as a free of charge replacement .

Can't fault Mesa for customer service.

Anyhow, i have been really happy with the new M6 for the last couple of months.

Last night at rehearsals, it started making strange noises then went really quiet. Then it stopped all together.

The pre-amp still works as i took a DI out to the desk.
I changed cables, basses, speakers etc, still nothing.
I took it apart last night and swapped the 12AX7, still nothing.
The tube glows and the power neon glows but no output stage.

Any ideas or similar problems?
I know it's under warranty still and I am sure Mesa will get it sorted, just a bit curious.

I have checked the manufacture date on the back of the amp and it says 9/28/11, so i know it's had the upgrades.

A quick update,

The amp went back to Mesa UK, they gave me a call to tell me the amp has failed and needs to be replaced again.

I can't fault there customer service though, they sent me a loan amp, Mpulse 360, until my new M6 arrives in a couple of weeks.

 

[Jerry J]

A quick update,

The amp went back to Mesa UK, they gave me a call to tell me the amp has failed and needs to be replaced again.

I can't fault there customer service though, they sent me a loan amp, Mpulse 360, until my new M6 arrives in a couple of weeks.

Thank you for the update. That sux! Mine hasn't given me a lick of trouble but it sure can give one an uneasy feeling. On the other hand I sure love the stuff that I get out of my M6. And my buddy just loves his M9. He gigs his almost every weekend without any trouble.

 

[projectapollo]

I bought an M6 combo used from GC. Sent the amp back to Mesa for updates in May. Came back with two fans in it.

 

[bassclef29]

I bought an M6 combo second hand in January 2010. The original sell date was October 31, 2009. To my knowledge, the amp was sold by the retailer shortly after its delivery from the Mesa/Boogie factory.

Based on this chronology, do I likely own the "already updated" version? [For that matter, how can I tell without disassembling it?]

The rig has always performed flawlessly, but I don't gig with it very often. Thanks for any help you can provide.
--Joe in San Diego

 

[projectapollo]

The updated ones have a bunch of vent slots in the top rear of the cover. The original ones have solid tops, no vent slots. At least i think that is a tell-tale sign of the update.

 

[Chef]

IIRC, and I may not, if you shine a flashlight thru the front left slots, you may be able to see the second fan....also, the vented top cover is a giveaway...

 

[bassclef29]

Thanks for the "tells" on the updated M6, projectapollo and Chef. I'll check them out. With luck, my amp is of the generation that does not require retrofitting.

 

[Gravity]

I just joined the M6 club on Sunday... Figured it was time to treat myself to a new head. ;-)

I went in being absolutely SURE I was going to walk away with the M-pulse 600... A/B on the same cab.. not even a question.. the M6 is my amp.

First impressions: There is so much subtle authority to the extreme low end. I've only ever experienced it from my JL W6 subs. It's not even that there is a lot of it... it's that its nice and sits right back there, but so solid that you can't ignore it. You know that it's a beast just holding back to this side of sanity and refinement.

I sure do love the mids and highs, but that tightly defined and slightly restrained sub bass is what makes me grin every time i fire it up.

I'm using mine with two Boogie Powerhouse cabs, a 4x10 and a 2x10 and I've plugged it into my Fender ultralight 1x12 cab also.

I am waiting to fire it up with both Boogie cabs in a band setting and loosen some plaster.

One time I woke up a deaf guy during a rehearsal (no lie)... This time I suspect I can start the Zombie apocalypse.


As a side note, I suspect the 'Fathom' trademark dispute was actually with JL Audio and their high end home theatre subs. The JL Fathom has a 2x12 model that pushes 3000W into two W7 speakers... Seems like there's some sort of weird Synergy of low end there between JL and Boogie ;-)

 

[mb94952]

I LOVE my Mesa amps !!!

Yes, we all love our Mesa Walkabout heads. That's a given. Just like the Honda Gold Wing is the best touring bike ever.

But...

I LOVE my Mesa M6 Carbine. I get excited everytime I hear it. I love the simplicity of it, and the center 5 position preset is so helpful. I love settings 1 and 2. It is so warm, round, and crystal clear.

The power is enough to drive the Millennium Falcon. This sucker is LOUD !! I've played clubs where I never had to turn up past 3, and I had my bass volume at about 30%.

The lightning fast response is hard to believe. I just can't say enough about the M6 Carbine.

Glassy notes always...

My M6 Carbine is like Natalie Portman - Sexy !!

 

[bassclef29]

Following suggestions from this thread, I called Mesa and arranged to ship the M6 head to Petaluma for the full update (or upgrade, whatever).

May as well do so before it has a chance to fail (which it has never done).

Thanks all.
--Joe in San Diego

 

[mb94952]

I am having problems with my M6 . It crackles and the hums and the volume dips about 50%.
Is this a preamp tube failure, and is it easy to replace ?

 

[Lenny]

It could be the pre amp tube. It's a good place to start and it's super easy to replace. Just take all the screws out of the cover and lift it off. Then pull the tube straight out. Line the pins up on the new tube and press it into place.

 

[mb94952]

It could be the pre amp tube. It's a good place to start and it's super easy to replace. Just take all the screws out of the cover and lift it off. Then pull the tube straight out. Line the pins up on the new tube and press it into place.

Thanks Lenny. Has this happened to you or anyone else here have a similar problem with their M6 ?

 

[Lenny]

I had a noisy tube, to be honest I can't remember exactly what kind of noises it was making, but it was a lot better after a tube swap. A new tube is around 12 bucks or so, so even if it turns out to be something else it's not an expensive way to find out for sure.

Have you tried other cables or another bass just eliminate those possibilities?

 

[mb94952]

I had a noisy tube, to be honest I can't remember exactly what kind of noises it was making, but it was a lot better after a tube swap. A new tube is around 12 bucks or so, so even if it turns out to be something else it's not an expensive way to find out for sure.

Have you tried other cables or another bass just eliminate those possibilities?

It's definitely the amp.

 

[Lenny]

Well, definitely try replacing the tube.

 

[Chef]

replacing tubes:
it likely won't pull straight up and out very easily, sometimes the pins are a very tight fit to their socket.
if this is the case *gently* pull up while *slightly* wobbling the tube in a -small- circular motion and it'll come up and out

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

replacing tubes:
it likely won't pull straight up and out very easily, sometimes the pins are a very tight fit to their socket.
if this is the case *gently* pull up while *slightly* wobbling the tube in a -small- circular motion and it'll come up and out

I was going to suggest that someone should post a video on YouTube on how to remove preamp tubes...then I searched and found this. It's not too bad.

The other things that I would probably do if changing the preamp tube on a Mesa amp would be to clean the effects loop jacks and wiggle the multipin connectors inside the amp. I haven't had to change tubes in my Walkabout yet, but the jacks and multipin connectors have needed some attention.

 

[mb94952]

This is why I love talkbass. I have questions and get answers.