My Mesa 50/50 has arrived, but...

[LightSeeker]

It arrived today, after many complications (like getting through customs and charging me 150€, those goddamn bastards ) but it's here.
Played it through my local store's Ibeanez 4*12 cab. The cleans sounded grerat! will post clips soon (probably tomorrow), but the distortion was very harsh, when plugged through the normal output. It changed when I connected the power amp to the recording output of my Mesa Studio preamp. I got a much more smoother, santana like distortion. But plugged into the normal output, it just sounded bad. What is wrong here? How can I get this kind of a sound on the normal output (because through the rec output the volume drops significantly and the cleans aren't so good)

It was the same before, when I was running my studio through my Vox AD60vt amp's efects loop, but then I thought that the cause of the problem was the lousy power amp section. Now I see, that the problem is the pMesa Studio preamp, but I don't know what is actually wrong with it. This thing is supposed to be on the level, yet when switched to distortion and ran through a power amp on the main output it really sounds the same as my Vox AD60vt modelling amp.
What should I do' Any idea of what might be wrong?

[Lefty Robb]

Change the tubes...

[LightSeeker]

you think that they are the problem? It is true, that they have been in there for two years, but I've heard that preamp tubes last a looong time

[Lefty Robb]

The first thing I do anytime I have a bad output on anything with tubes is change em, because you know if you change em and it sounds exactly the same, its time for it to go to the amp doctor.

[Martyr Machine]

Originally Posted by LightSeeker

you think that they are the problem? It is true, that they have been in there for two years, but I've heard that preamp tubes last a looong time

They can last a long time, or they can die quickly for no reason at all. It's just what they do.

[LightSeeker]

Bu isn't tube failure suppose to go in hand wit loss of high end and output and so on. I exerience neither of those. Just the harsh, solid state like distortion tha Mesa isn't known for

[LightSeeker]

Test of the rig
lo-fi URL: http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=5582011&q=lo
hi-fi URL: http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=5582011&q=hi

al done in one take, the parts are separated ba an annoying noise. The sequence is as follows: 1. clean (slightly distorted) sound from the nomral output of the preamp into the power amps, 2. clean (slightly distorted) from the recording output, 3. Overdrive channel from the normal output and 4. overdrive from the recording output.

I', really dissapointed. It's not smooth at all. What the hell is wrong?

[shogun]

link does not work

[LightSeeker]

Test of the rig
lo-fi URL: http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=5582011&q=lo
hi-fi URL: http://www.soundclick.com/util/getpl...d=5582011&q=hi

Sorry, maybe something was copied wrongly. Here's the link again (it works in my browser)

[LightSeeker]

I went to an amp tech today, he tried it out and said he loved the sound of it. "It's the thing that cuts through the live band. That's how Mesa is supposed to sound like. it's supposed to have a nasty sound. If you wanted a smooth distortion you should've picked up a marshall, which sounds fine by itslef, but gets lost completely with a live band," is what he said to me.
Fully functional or not, I still dont like that kind of distortion. It just sounds fizzy and harsh to me, and if I put the preamp through the recording output the cleans get muddy and even then the overdrive isn't as good as I wanted it to be.

I always thought that Mesa is known for their smooth santana like tones (except the rectos of course) and the sound coming from my preamp is definetely NOT that kind of sound.
"If you want to get that kind of a sound get a Triaxis," he said to me.
Is he right? Wha kind of a premap would give me those nice tones that I'm looking for?

[shogun]

i wouldnt agree that santana has a smooth tone, at least not live.. IMO recto's are the ****s for lead ( on their own ).. p.s. a tube amp does not sound good at a low volume or even on its own loud... u have to be in a good room / be with a band to appreciate them.. ( talking about high gain tube amps. )

what did u mic this with

[LightSeeker]

I miced it with an AKG 100 perception microphone.
I did play it at 15 watts almost fully opened up, it didn't sound any better actually.