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Orange Drops going kaput in 80-90's Mesa/Boogies

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  • #1

    Orange Drops going kaput in 80-90's Mesa/Boogies

    What the title says ^^. I've had a couple 715 series OD's gone leaky/shorted in Mesas recently. Not blaming the manufacturer: OD's in general have a reputation for being indestructible. I'm sure Mesa chose them on this basis. However this is turning out to not be the case, 20-30 years on. If you run into volume or tone controls that are super scratchy, or bias being thrown way off in following stages, don't count those "indestructible" OD's out as suspects.

    Just yesterday, a 0.047 uF 400V feeding a volume control in a 1987 Bass 400. And a couple weeks ago, some 0.1 uF 400V both in a tone control and in output drive of a Mark IV.
    This isn't the future I signed up for.
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  • #2
    About four years ago I came across ODs that were shorted in coupling positions in a Mesa 400+. I think I have experienced a few more randomly here and there.

    Gotta check em.

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    • #3
      Yep...had me chasing my tail while working on my 2:90.

      When to start repair.

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      • #4
        Well that's a few decades so not super surprising.

        I've been seeing the dc filament rectifier diodes failing intermittently burning the board a bit.

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        • #5
          Can't trust the Orange?

          Is this a subtle dig on Trump? He says he's not shorted!

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          • #6
            Hmmmm... 715's are the ones I used for years. They're in all but one of the amps I've sold. Not good news.

            Leo, any chance both those amps were from the same era? ie: within a year of each other. Possible temporary manufacturing defect like a bad run of polypropylene sheet?
            "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

            "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

            "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
            You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Chuck H View Post
              Hmmmm... 715's are the ones I used for years. They're in all but one of the amps I've sold. Not good news.

              Leo, any chance both those amps were from the same era? ie: within a year of each other. Possible temporary manufacturing defect like a bad run of polypropylene sheet?
              Yes, '87-88. Happen to have another ailing late 80's Mk II here, but I haven't yet determined wassamatta. It's loaded with the usual 715P's.
              This isn't the future I signed up for.

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              • #8
                Ah. Hope springs. I would have been 20yo then and not quite getting to my amplifier hobby yet.
                "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

                "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

                "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
                You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

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