Mesa M6 Carbine Mega Thread part 3:

[zenrad]

I absolutely love my M6, I used it with a PH212 or an Avatar 15/6/1 - sold both cabs but the M6 is going nowhere. These days I'm using my D800+ and a SW115 + SW112 and love it, but while it can get close there's nothing I've ever played that sounds and feels the same.

 

[Fingertone]

I absolutely love my M6, I used with a PH212 or an Avatar 15/6/1 - sold both cabs but the M6 is going nowhere. These days I'm using my D800+ and a SW115 + SW112 and love it, but while it can get close there's nothing I've ever played that sounds and feels the same.

+1...that's one amp that will never be sold!

 

[Fingertone]

Sounds great through all my cabs...bergantino HD212, NV610T and my mesa PH410

 

[Al Kraft]

I absolutely love my M6, I used with a PH212 or an Avatar 15/6/1 - sold both cabs but the M6 is going nowhere. These days I'm using my D800+ and a SW115 + SW112 and love it, but while it can get close there's nothing I've ever played that sounds and feels the same.

A Carbine through the PH212 or two of them is pretty much as good as bass tone with serious volume gets for me. I too am very satisfied with the D-800 and SW112/115 set-up, but on those rare occasions when I pull out the heavy gear it still puts a smile on my face.

 

[silvertripper]

What years had issues with the M6 and M9 specifically before Mesa incorporated the design change into their production?

I really want a m6 or m9 but I'm cautious about these heads because of the issues they had in their early years. I called Mesa already on a couple heads and spoke with Rich, he told me they were in the early production and could "eventually" have problems.

I've searched this question already, can't find definitive answers regarding specific years or serial number sequence

 

[Destroyer661]

What years had issues with the M6 and M9 specifically before Mesa incorporated the design change into their production?

I really want a m6 or m9 but I'm cautious about these heads because of the issues they had in their early years. I called Mesa already on a couple heads and spoke with Rich, he told me they were in the early production and could "eventually" have problems.

I've searched this question already, can't find definitive answers regarding specific years or serial number sequence

If you call Rich with a serial number they should have it in their system whether it's been updated or not.

 

[silvertripper]

If you call Rich with a serial number they should have it in their system whether it's been updated or not.

Thanks. I called Rich initially, but was wondering if there was a year or serial number when they started making the heads with the updates already? For example will a head from 2012 be produced with the upgrades already? I know I head from 2010 was pre-upgrade.

 

[Al Kraft]

I would imagine Mesa could tell you the exact serial number when they incorporated the final/last set of fixes for any of the Carbines (M3, M6 or M9). If something prior to that serial number was sent back to Mesa for updates, that they should also know that. Any mods made outside the factory (even at authorized repair sites) are probably less certain.

There were a number of updates over the life of the Carbines, but IMO the last and most effective (for safety and reliability) set of changes came when the max power on the M9 was reduced to 600 Watts. A quick search should get you to that time frame date wise.

FWIW, my M9 was 900 Watts when I purchased it new and came back from the "final configuration" update at 600 Watts. If something was lost in terms of max volume, headroom, and/or shear power, I never noticed!

 

[silvertripper]

I would imagine Mesa could tell you the exact serial number when they incorporated the final/last set of fixes for any of the Carbines (M3, M6 or M9). If something prior to that serial number was sent back to Mesa for updates, that they should also know that. Any mods made outside the factory (even at authorized repair sites) are probably less certain.

There were a number of updates over the life of the Carbines, but IMO the last and most effective (for safety and reliability) set of changes came when the max power on the M9 was reduced to 600 Watts. A quick search should get you to that time frame date wise.

FWIW, my M9 was 900 Watts when I purchased it new and came back from the "final configuration" update at 600 Watts. If something was lost in terms of max volume, headroom, and/or shear power, I never noticed!

Looks like Mesa is closed until Monday.

Someone surely knows when the upgrades were in production? I am looking at a few M6 heads, they are priced right but years range from 2009 to 2012.

 

[Al Kraft]

Looks like Mesa is closed until Monday.

Someone surely knows when the upgrades were in production? I am looking at a few M6 heads, they are priced right but years range from 2009 to 2012.

My M-6 was bought in early March 2011 (and obviously built before then) and was serial #PH-1982. When I talked to Mesa about getting my M9 checked for issues in July 2014 they suggested I give them the serial numbers of my M6 and M3 for them to see if there were any updates needed. According to them all three heads should be updated and sent back to them. The update work on my M6 (which was working fine at the time) included a transformer replacement, 8 new capacitors, and two new rectifier diodes.

Now this is me reading between the lines...I suspect that all thermal management issues had already been incorporated in my unit when it was manufactured, but that Mesa felt there were some power amp component issues that might pose a reliability (and/or maybe safety) issue. I would be willing to bet these elements were similar to the ones that were part of the power drop on the M9 from 900 Watts to 600 Watts, but that's a pure guess.

What I can say for sure is that there were a lot of changes during the Carbine history and some were related to thermal management, some to supplier changes, some for other reasons. Given that my amps were all placed in a latest configuration in July 2014, my guess is that any head built around or after that would be a pretty safe bet. That said, there are no absolutes regarding how an amp left the factory other than contacting Mesa with a serial number - and those from the 2010-2013 time frame often need to be looked at by a Mesa technician to know for sure what you have from threads I recall from those days.

 

[silvertripper]

Thanks for the help fella's.

I spoke with Mesa, the first serial of the M6-Version 2 head is PH-2363.

Maybe this will help someone else who is trying to date a Mesa M6 head. If you call Mesa, they are very helpful.

PH-001163, 10/10/09
PH-001593, 4/5/10
PH-002003, 3/2/11
PH-002096, 6/22/11
PH-002302, 1/11/12

The next group of serials/dates are version 2 of the M6. Upgrades were already incorporated during manufacturing.

PH-002363
PH-002472, 10/29/12
PH-002529, 12/19/12
PH-002550, 1/8/13
PH-002628, 6/12/13
PH-002852, 6/11/15

 

[agedhorse]

If you call Rich with a serial number they should have it in their system whether it's been updated or not.

Yes, Rich will know. The factory works 4 x 10's and is closed on Fridays.

Guessing is guaranteed to give incorrect results. There were quite a few different updates throughout the amp's >10 year life. I'm reasonably familiar with the history and I wouldn't even begin to guess without verifying through records.

 

[silvertripper]

Yes, Rich will know. The factory works 4 x 10's and is closed on Fridays.

Guessing is guaranteed to give incorrect results. There were quite a few different updates throughout the amp's >10 year life. I'm reasonably familiar with the history and I wouldn't even begin to guess without verifying through records.

I spoke with Rich. The Version 2 of the M6 head started with Serial PH-002363. Any M6 after that has already been upgraded during manufacturing.

I'm revising my prior post to include this info. I'm sure it will help others with the same questions.

My M6 arrives Friday! I can't wait!!

 

[zenrad]

After reading these past few posts I'm thinking that it's not usual to have a date written under the serial number.

I bought this at a GC just before they stopped selling Mesa products (I got it at a good discount), it was supposed to be new. It's never given me any problems.

 

[DJJazzV]

Glad I visited this thread again. As suggested in here, I called Rich with my M6 serial #. The amp has worked flawless for years for me, but I just wanted to be sure. It's an early Carbine with a # that starts 000.
He said all updates were done in 2014 and it used to be owned by Rhonda Smith. Little bonus information on top of the peace of mind about the amp.

 

[agedhorse]

We try hard to keep on top of this stuff, but with so many moving parts we are not always perfect. Especially if an owner doesn't register the amp.

 

[donahue]

I'm kicking around the idea of picking up an M6/9 for my death metal band. I understand it's hard to find a better amp for that genre? As far as fast and punchy goes?

Edit: Also does the M6 get more love than the M9? If so, how come?

 

[Al Kraft]

I'm kicking around the idea of picking up an M6/9 for my death metal band. I understand it's hard to find a better amp for that genre? As far as fast and punchy goes?

Edit: Also does the M6 get more love than the M9? If so, how come?

I'm not a death metal player, but if in your face power with a quick, precise not delivery is one of the ingredients, a Carbine won't disappoint! I think the M9 lost some admirers after the power drop from 900 to 600 Watts. I own all three Carbine models and can tell you that after mine were updated by Mesa, I didn't notice any change in output at gig volume with my M9.

So now that they both have the same power rating, it really comes down to features that are important to the user. The M6 has simple straight forward controls - that's a big plus for many folks. The M9 offers a lot more tone shaping and an excellent on-board compressor - which may or may not appeal to you. If the M6 gets you the voicing/tone you like, an M9 won't do all that much for you. If you'd like more EQ capability than the M6 has, the M9 is a great way to get that extra control, and the compressor is a great added bonus.

 

[_Some Dude]

Edit: Also does the M6 get more love than the M9? If so, how come?

It’s cheaper and has less bull****.

IMO

 

[donahue]

I'm not a death metal player, but if in your face power with a quick, precise not delivery is one of the ingredients, a Carbine won't disappoint! I think the M9 lost some admirers after the power drop from 900 to 600 Watts. I own all three Carbine models and can tell you that after mine were updated by Mesa, I didn't notice any change in output at gig volume with my M9.

So now that they both have the same power rating, it really comes down to features that w are important to the user. The M6 has simple straight forward controls - that's a big plus for many folks. The M9 offers a lot more tone shaping and an excellent on-board compressor - which may or may not appeal to you. If the M6 gets you the voicing/tone you like, an M9 won't do all that much for you. If you'd like more EQ capability than the M6 has, the M9 is a great way to get that extra control, and the compressor is a great added bonus.

Cool, thanks for the detailed response. The onboard compressor really has my interest. Being able to plug straight into the amp with no need for a compressor pedal would be a bonus for sure. But if the Carbine series is as quick and punchy as they say, is a compressor really necessary?

Right now I'm using a Peavey VB-2 and was/am using a D-180. I rotate amps in and out and sometimes try for a one-amp-fits-all-genres rig, but the death metal band is getting more serious and thought about getting a butt-kicking amp just for that band, and if it didn't work as well for my rock, and doom bands that would be ok too.