binky_bass Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Hi all, For the first time in about 5 months, I've fired up my Mesa Boogie Strategy Eight:88 just really to blow off any cobwebs and make sure it's still alive and well! I've noticed that every maybe 10-20 seconds there's a pop or a crackle coming from the amp... The symptoms are as below: Popping occurs every 10-20 seconds when the amp is turned on. When the standby switch is engaged, there is no popping. It's not the bass or the leads (tested the full run). The sound of the pop reacts to effects, so for example when reverb and delay are engaged the popping has a little reverb and delay to it. With no effects engaged, the popping still exists, just obviously without the effects of the effects... I have had the amp in my lounge for the last 5-6 months and I (perhaps foolishly?) didn't have the cover on it as it looks better without it! Could dust have gotten in there and is now causing an issue with the valves? The whole rig has had very light use as I got it maybe 3 months before COVID and used it once a week for 4 hours or so at band practice and never really pushed it anywhere near the max. I don't think its the valves themselves, as I say its had light use since purchase so if the valves (or one valve) was dodgy already I'd not be best pleased! Any thoughts or fixes to such an issue? Is it easy and safe enough to remove all the valves and give everything a good clean before re-seating the valves? Could it really be dust thats caused the pops? Any advice would be welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 28 minutes ago, binky_bass said: Could it really be dust that's caused the pops? That's what I was thinking as I read your post. Sounds like a job for a paint brush and the Hoover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Pots may be dry, so some deoxit could solve some popping. Is there an FX loop? A cable would give a hint, whether the loop is defective - and would need that deoxit, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigguy2017 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Pull out the valves and reseat them. Tap the preamp valves with a chopstick and check for ringing / microphony. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Be cautious fiddling with valve amps, especially when switched on (even when they're not, the power supply caps can hold a potentially lethal charge). The internal supply rail is dc and usually high voltage. If you don't know what you're doing, take it to someone who does. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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