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| Hey Amp Man, I have a Mesa Boogie Studio .22 that I gig with regularly. It is loud enough with the mic setup I made for it, but I never use the lead channel because there’s not enough volume – there is no separate gain knob for this channel. The tone of the lead channel is awesome, but it doesn’t cut over the band, so I use a pedal over the clean for leads. Obviously I would rather use the Boogie tone – is there a viable mod available that will bring the second channel up a few dB for live use? Rick, The Fishin’ Musician South Lake Tahoe, CA |
Hi Rick,
I saw more than a few Mesa Studio Caliber Series amps come through my shop back in the day. I also remember them lacking a “Lead Master” control and thought it might be a nice feature. I guess a few other players thought the same thing, because shortly thereafter I saw the Caliber “+” series, which incorporated a Lead Master control. Not remembering much more than that, I pulled out the schematics to check out the circuit differences. After hours of careful scrutiny – okay, five minutes – I can tell you that I believe there is a solution to your dilemma. I’ve come up with a modification that can be executed in one of two ways: One being a fixed level adjustment and the other an actual “Drive Level” control. This will not replicate the exact circuit changes between the Studio and Studio + series amps, as those changes are a bit more complex, but it should yield an equally useable result. As always, if you are not familiar with servicing a tube amp, please have someone qualified perform this modification. It might also be beneficial to have the Studio .22 schematic to reference.
Locate R241 (47k) on the circuit board. It should be in the area of LDR4 and is associated with the Master Volume control. This resistor is placed in the circuit when LDR4 is energized and is used to attenuate the signal when the amp is placed in the “Lead” mode. Unfortunately it’s attenuating the signal a bit too much for your needs so we will need to remedy that.
The first method is to select a value that will attenuate the signal less, which is a trial and error process. Start by replacing the 47k resistor with a 68k or 82k resistor. Play the amp at your typical settings and see if the balance between the rhythm and lead channels suits your needs. If the lead is still a bit too attenuated, move up in value to a 100k or possibly a 150k – there is really no correct value here, it’s simply whatever works best for you.
The alternate method is to install a Lead Master control. This will need to be mounted on the chassis, probably on the rear panel. As a suggestion, you might want to try leaving enough wire length on the pot so that you can drape the pot outside the chassis, temporarily remount the chassis in the enclosure and play the amp while adjusting the pot to see if this modification will work for you prior to drilling the chassis and mounting the pot.
Lift the side of the 47k resistor (R241) that is connected to ground. If this is not visually verifiable, then it can easily be checked using a multimeter or continuity checker. Look for continuity or zero resistance between the chassis and the ground side of the resistor. Using a tightly twisted pair of wires, connect one to the pad on the circuit board and the other to the disconnected side of the resistor. Connect the other ends of the wires to a pot. Connect the ground wire to the CCW (counterclockwise) terminal on the pot and the other wire to the wiper (center terminal). A good starting value for the pot should be a 100k linear. If this does not yield enough of an increase when the pot is set to its maximum position then I would try a 250k. Like before, there is no correct value – let your ears be your guide.
There you have it – your own customized Studio .22 +. Now you can get back to pickin’ and fishin’.
| Jeff, I am playing on a 2x12 Soldano combo. I had a 5-amp fuse blow on me several months ago. I assumed it was an outlet thing, so I just didn’t plug in that wall again. Well, recently it has blown the fuse three times with two outlets that haven’t given me a problem until now. Of course I replaced the fuses and it seems to be okay. I’m just curious what would set the fuse off – is it the outlet or the amp? If it is simply replacing the fuse, it’s no problem, but I just want to make sure there aren’t any hidden issues beyond what I know. Thanks. Brian S. Rosen |
Hi Brian,
This is an issue I’m sure I’ve covered before, but to briefly sum up for any new readers, this symptom is typically indicative of an intermittently shorting output tube. You need to have the output tubes replaced and re-biased. True, a few 20-cent fuses are far less expensive than a new set of output tubes, but there will be a point when the fuse remedy will no longer work. By waiting, you also stand an increased chance of damage to internal components.
Hidden issue solved.
Jeff Bober
Co-Founder and Senior Design Engineer – Budda Amplification
jeffb@budda.com
www.budda.com
©2007 Jeff Bober
In continued support of their 3x GRAMMY-nominated album Dark Matter, Pearl Jam will be touring select U.S. cities in April and May 2025.
Pearl Jam’s live dates will start in Hollywood, FL on April 24 and 26 and wrap with performances in Pittsburgh, PA on May 16 and 18. Full tour dates are listed below.
Support acts for these dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for these concerts will be available two ways:
- A Ten Club members-only presale for all dates begins today. Only paid Ten Club members active as of 11:59 PM PT on December 4, 2024 are eligible to participate in this presale. More info at pearljam.com.
- Public tickets will be available through an Artist Presale hosted by Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up for presale access for up to five concert dates now through Tuesday, December 10 at 10 AM PT. The presale starts Friday, December 13 at 10 AM local time.
earl Jam strives to protect access to fairly priced tickets by providing the majority of tickets to Ten Club members, making tickets non-transferable as permitted, and selling approximately 10% of tickets through PJ Premium to offset increased costs. Pearl Jam continues to use all-in pricing and the ticket price shown includes service fees. Any applicable taxes will be added at checkout.
For fans unable to use their purchased tickets, Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster will offer a Fan-to-Fan Face Value Ticket Exchange for every city, starting at a later date. To sell tickets through this exchange, you must have a valid bank account or debit card in the United States. Tickets listed above face value on secondary marketplaces will be canceled. To help protect the Exchange, Pearl Jam has also chosen to make tickets for this tour mobile only and restricted from transfer. For more information about the policy issues in ticketing, visit fairticketing.com.
For more information, please visit pearljam.com.
Offering precise tuning accuracy and a super bright display screen, the Crazy Little Thing is approximately the size of your guitar pick – easy to use, unobtrusive and utterly dependable.
Housed in a sturdy shell, the Crazy Little Thing can be rotated for easy viewing from any angle, and its amazingly bright display makes it perfect for the sunniest outdoor stages or the darkest indoor studios. You can clip it to the front of your headstock or on the back of your headstock for extra-discreet usage – and you can easily adjust the display to accommodate your preference.
As the newest addition to Snark’s innovative line of headstock tuners, the Crazy Little Thing is rechargeable (no batteries!) and comes with a USB-C cable/adapter for easy charging. Its display screen includes a battery gauge, so you can easily tell when it’s time to recharge.
The Crazy Little Thing’s highly responsive tuning sensor works great with a broad range of instruments, including electric and acoustic guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin and more. It also offers adjustable pitch calibration: its default reference pitch is A440, but also offers pitch calibration at 432Hz and 442 Hz.
Snark’s Crazy Little Thing rechargeable headstock tuner carries a street price of $21.99. For more information visit snarktuners.com.
At 26, Blu DeTiger is the youngest musician ever to have a signature Fender bass guitar. The Fender Limited Player Plus x Blu DeTiger Jazz Bass, announced in September, pays tribute to the bassist and singer’s far-reaching impact and cultural sway. She’s played with Caroline Polachek, Bleachers, FLETCHER, Olivia Rodrigo, and more, and released her own LP in March 2024. In 2023, Forbes feature her on their top 30 Under 30 list of musicians. So how did DeTiger work her way to the top?
DeTiger opens up on this episode of Wong Notes about her career so far, which started at a School of Rock camp at age seven. That’s where she started performing and learning to gig with others—she played at CBGB’s before she turned 10. DeTiger took workshops with Victor Wooten at Berklee followed and studied under Steven Wolf, but years of DJing around New York City, which hammered in the hottest basslines in funk and disco, also imprinted on her style. (Larry Graham is DeTiger’s slap-bass hero.)
DeTiger and Wong dish on the ups and downs of touring and session life, collaborating with pop artists to make “timeless” pop songs, and how to get gigs. DeTiger’s advice? “You gotta be a good hang.”
