Mesa/Boogie Studio 22 Plus - Needs help please...

CallMeNelson

Hi everyone,

Thanks for reading this. I've got my hands on what I think is a mid 80's Studio 22 Plus. The amp powers up and produces fair quality sound.

Problem 1:
The output varies. Most of the time I need it on about 5-6 to get bedroom practice levels. But sometimes it seems to 'right' itself and gets a huge volume boost. Then I only need to put it on 1-2 to get practice volume.

Problem 2:
The Lead channels gain seems to be maxed out. No matter what I do I only get what I assume is maximum distortion.

Problem 3:
The reverb doesn't work.

It uses two EL-84's (6BQ5) in the power stage, and five 12AX7's (ECC83) in the preamp stage.

Can anybody give me an idea where to start? (other than the expensive repairman down the road Wink

Thanks,

Charlie

Goes_To_Eleven · Hamster Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 87 Location: CT, USA

It sounds like the amp needs to be re-tubed. Power tubes must be biased, and unless you have a background in electronics, take it to your local tech. Re-tubing isn't very expensive. The tubes should run you about $60, and labor shouldn't be much more than $40-$50. The reverb failure might be a loose wire. Check all your connections inside.