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Fault diagnosing Mesa cab


TheButler
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I've mentioned it already on here, but my Mesa 1516B cab, with the EV drivers, is making unwanted noise. Its a kinda crackle, not really farty, more buzzy. Thing is, its got the 15, a 10 and 2 6's and a horn. I don't know which, or where the noise is coming from. How can I test the drivers for damage? Visually there is no damage on the cones or surrounds.

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Well I'd start off on basics.

Turn the cab on it's back and remove the grille.
Are the speaker screws tight?

Gently push down on each cone, listen for any grating noises or sensation as you do this.
This will indicate whether the laquer on the speaker coil has melted.

If that's OK then it's time to start disconnecting some cables.
Start with just one speaker connected and keep adding them until you get the noise back - the last one you added should be treated as the prime suspect.
Be carefull when you do this - keep the amp volume low and make sure that the bare wire ends can't touch either themselves or anything metallic (a roll of insulating tape would be good if you have one).

If you get a prime suspect then look at the rear of the speaker - there will be two copper wires running from the speaker connector block to the cone - make sure that they go into the cone at such an angle that the length of the wire isn't flopping against the cone.
If it has flopped then gently reposition it so it can't vibrate against the cone and try again.

If all that fails then it's probably time for a recone - usually a far cheaper option than replacing drivers.

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[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1335119318' post='1626038']
Look at the rear of the speaker - there will be two copper wires running from the speaker connector block to the cone - make sure that they go into the cone at such an angle that the length of the wire isn't flopping against the cone.
[/quote]

Quick way to test this - turn the cab on each of its sides, and try it to see if the noise goes away. If it does, as icastle says it's probably a wire resting on a speaker cone. Not a biggie, but time to take it apart.

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