Heartbreaker with Mercury Magnetics - It's Baaaaccckkkkkk

[jpdennis]

I picked up my Heartbreaker (the v2 blackface) chassis tuesday the 21st of this month. It now has new MM power transformer, output transformer, and choke. Of course I double checked the chassis' ground on all the metal jacks and pots. Used the chopstick test on tubes and components. Assembled with care. I no longer have that annoying hum from the power transformer when it is in standby. First problem out of the way. I replaced the beartrap retainer with a spring retainer for the Rectifier tube - I have an Amperex Bugle Boy with the metal base I have been waiting to use properly. Second problem out of the way. I purchased the Tung-Sol 6L6GC-STR power tubes since I have had many hours of discussion with Mesa (Mike & Rich) as well as personal research into types of power tubes versus rectifier tube stress versus using the copper rectifier replacements, etc. Peace of mind in place. For taking so long the tech gave me a RCA 12AX7 which I put into V1 aong with various others (no Russian tube in V4) in the V2-V7. Whew.

Turned it on for a short test Thursday evening. Man do I need to take a bath and shave today. I really did play it that long except to eat, take two short naps, and ... well 'nough said there. This thing is over my head. I mean I started to use the Channel one for my clean and Channel 2 for over drive like before. WRONG. Switched to Ch1 for high gain soloing and Ch2 for everything else; by this I mean, blues soloing, rhythm (whether clean, sparkling, or even crunch), chicken pickin', SRV style, etc . Not sure if I can cover it all, but I can say that I will not be able to leave the knobs in place throughout a nights playing any more.

Whether I use Full or Variac power with Vacuum or Diode rectifier at 100 or 60 watts, this darn thing has extremely well defined AND distinct notes whether single (duh), arpeggios, or full chords. Total clarity. The change between Full & Tweed is extremely distinct. The vacuum rectifier seems more fluid.

The Tung-Sol power tubes are really interesting but the jury is out until I use it this coming weekend. So far they seem really good, but I am not in a mix nor do I really know what my stage levels are going to end up being.

But the Ch2 is flat amazing. I am finding many types of sounds from Fender to Marshall to some I have yet to identify but REALLY LIKE! And that is on low gain. Ch1 sings for soloing and the boost almost made me fall backwards like in "Back To The Future" so I had to adjust the Master and Volume quite a bit.

So for now my settings will be worked around using curvaceous, with Ch1 on Hi Gain/Boost/Fat, Ch2 on lo gain with bright, tweed, & tube rectifier. The wattage setting and all the knobs will be adjusted as I go through the next several weeks of testing and playing.

I did try full power, with bold, 100 watts, silicon diode rectifier, hi gain for both channels, and full power. VERY VERY loud (I am looking for another word actually) - maybe I should say it was very very bold because even turning the level down it still seemed "in my face". The only complaint I have is at this setting with every front pot at 12 o'clock or above I would get this 60cycle hum if I put the reverb at 100% in either channel. I did use two other exactly the same reverb tanks that I know are good and put this one in my Mark III with no issues. I then tried different tubes for the reverb channel and little or no change. Any other setting and no hum. And I won't be using 100% but I am sure many of you reading this are of the same makeup I am when it comes to any annoyance with our gear.

All in all this sounds really really good so far, but again I will know more after next weekend. Till then "boogie on"! 8)

Dennis

 

[piggyboy]

sounds awesome man
any pics or soundclips of the beast?

 

[jpdennis]

sounds awesome man
any pics or soundclips of the beast?

Coming soon to a theater new you :lol:

Soon as I can I will get some photos on photobucket and then see if we are recording next week during our shows. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. I like to get show recording so I have a better idea as to how it is really cutting through the mix.

Dennis

 

[jpdennis]

Well, for the first item of business - I rerouted the shielded grey cable from the chassis mounted RCA reverb return module to the PCB. Tighted up one signal cable as well as slightly modified how the green tranny wires to the power tubes lay out. I made a small plate for where the long screw is used to help the chassis be firm in the cabinet (near the chassis reverb RCA in/out modules) and got a new copper grounding strip for the chassis to aluminum shield connection (though not sure how it would help unless I was putting another head on the top of the combo itself, but ...) No hum at 100% reverb - yes! [NOTE: I did rotate the reverb tank but either way it didn't make any increase or decrease in the hum, however, I am leaving it in the position where the output transformer of the tank is at maximum distance from the power transformer.]

Pictures.

The PT has the designation on the sticker of "MESA-HEARTB-P". You can see the other tranny marking by magnifying the pics. I included the pics of how I setup the fan (same one I use for the .50 Cal and the Mark III). I tried several areas and this was the best for cooling and no noise from being to close to the cabinet which tends to amplify the air being "sucked" from the bottom of the fan forced upward as well as blowing on the speaker. The power tube closest to the choke and the rectifier get the least amount of benefit from the fan. They can still be touched after an hour of playing, but the other three power tubes are slightly luke-warm to the touch (the rectifier is good and the power tube close to the choke warm to slightly hot to the touch). I don't recommend anyone touching the tubes but I thought I would at least try to qualify to some extent what the fan did for me.

So far I am playing with pre amp tube placements and types and rectifier tube types. The only constant right now are the Tung-Sol 6L6GC-STR tubes.

I am going slowly. More as this develops.

Dennis

PS: I did put a metal grill on the bottom of the fan as well. Save a finger - you may need it. :lol:

 

[jpdennis]

Next level -

Here are the tubes (based upon what I have in my stash and what else I can afford) I have ended up with for the final testing;

V1 - RCA 7025 short plate (so far the best if I am going to use the Ch1 for soloing with some nice sustain but a little cleaner - imagine if Petrucci & SRV were brothers and had a third brother wanting a solo sound in between)
V2 - Tung-Sol 12AX7 (best V2 I have found for my other 2 Mesas so ... more qualitative not quantitative)
V3 - Sylvania 12AD7 (interestingly this tube has taken most the darkness out of Ch2 and gave me more variances to play with while keeping the bell like clean)
V4 - TAD 7025 S (Latest read is this is not Russian - the internet is so confusing. :shock: Sounds great with the 12AD7)
V5 - Mesa 12AX7 (the gold JJs and the TAD seemed to break up too soon for some reason)
V6 - Mesa 12AX7 (turns out that using this tube stopped any volume loss unless I MAX out the pot ... 100% some volume loss but 99% none)
V7 - Mesa 12AX7 (I have yet to test the FX loop with this but I am thinking about what happened in V6 & V5)
V8 thru V11 - Tung-Sol 6L6GC - STR (BIAS on 6L6/6V6)
V12 - 5AR4 Chinese

Results next as we are playing this Friday in a large ballroom style, high ceiling boxy bar/dinner seating/dance floor bar & grill.

If anyone can tell me for a fact where the TAD is made I may have to rethink (I have heard that mantra of "No Russian" in cathode follower valve position).

Thanks for any input here!

Dennis

 

[thunda1216]

TAD tubes are Chinese manufactured.

I have for the last 10 years only used ch 1 for solo/boost. There are so many tones lurking in ch 2 that it is my main channel for lo and hi gain tones. I really like the lo gain setting with the gain maxxed. (Mine is a Head version)

My preamp tubes are:

V1 - RCA 7025 long black plate
V2 - Sylvania 7025 Long Gray Plate
V3 - Sylvania 7025 Long Gray Plate
V4 - Zenith 12AX7A Long Plate
V5 - Baldwin (American manufacture, Syvlania I believe) 12AX7 Long Plate
V6 - JJ ECC 83s
V7 - Baldwin (Japanese manufacture) 12AX7A

Reverb - on mine, there is a volume drop on either channel if set above about 75% no matter what tube I use. I tried a Brimar 12AT7 but only lost overall reverb "depth" and still had the volume loss if maxxed out.

Like you, I can get lost with it for really long periods of time. The ol' lady comes out to the garage looking for me!

It really shines for loud gigs, and it is stock!

enjoy

 

[jpdennis]

TAD tubes are Chinese manufactured.

Whew, thanks.

There are so many tones lurking in ch 2 that it is my main channel for lo and hi gain tones. I really like the lo gain setting with the gain maxxed.

For now I am using the 6L6 tubes and I agree that using lo gain for Ch2 and adjusting the volume and master in the "above noon" area really does give me a lot of cool tone based upon how I attack my strings. I am using my Frankenstrat with the SSH, my 2008 Les Paul Trad Pro, the 1981 The Strat, the 1990 Firebird, and the 1970 Custom Goldtop with some really interesting outcomes. The level pot is a little tricky for me as I am finding this to be a different amp from before.

Reverb - on mine, there is a volume drop on either channel if set above about 75% no matter what tube I use. I tried a Brimar 12AT7 but only lost overall reverb "depth" and still had the volume loss if maxxed out.

That baffled me to the point I now have 4 new pots in my parts bag just in case. But using the Mesa 12AX7 really did make that "almost" go away completely.

It really shines for loud gigs, and it is stock!

I am realizing this is not a practice amp. I have experienced the lack of definition the manual talks about if the Level and the master Channels are below 1.5. No liking that. But for stage I am getting the feeling this is going to just shine like a hot star. The new transformers have given this amp very noticable variance between the POWER SOURCE and the RECTIFIER SELECT more then any other area that i have noticed so far. Andy has spoken about not having bell ends on the choke, which is how it came from mercury. I don't know yet if I wil notice this more if I were to use EL34s or not, but for now I am playing it safe according to Mesa.

Thanks again for the feedback and great info.

Dennis

 

[domct203]

Hey, that looks like the rear view of my Roadster!

What a difference the transformers have made in terms of dynamics and feel. They took an amp that I really liked and turned it into an amp I love!

Dom

 

[jpdennis]

... What a difference the transformers have made in terms of dynamics and feel. They took an amp that I really liked and turned it into an amp I love! ...

True. :wink:
**************** First real review******************
This is with the tubes I have listed above.

So last night I used the tweed variac setting with 100 WATT & rectifier. I set the overall amp to curvaceous. Ch1 was on hi gain with boost & trim and Ch2 was on lo gain and bright.

• I used the Ch1 mid "dial-in-gain boost" (page 5 of the manual) feature when you push the knob at noon or higher. Seemed to clean up the overall tone as well as give great definition to the sustain to the point I had to use one of my FX Tube Dist patches in the M13 to get more of the singing tone I had prior to boosting the Mid control. Not bad at all. At this point I now had two separate and distinct soloing settings. Very clear, no fizz, not dark at all. Great tone for crunch chords as well
• Ch2 has great clarity for country chords AND metal chords based upon how I attack the strings. AC/DC "Shook Me All Night Long" was the best it has ever sounded for the opening phrase. At the same time Dixie Chicks "Some Days You Gotta Dance" was very clean while the slide work in their song "Let 'Er Rip" had a bite and wasn't overboard as it may have been in Ch1 (no change in Ch2 amp settings for these songs). Again, not dark and now I have a third and fourth lead sound when using the Ch2 as it's own soloing section or adding the M13 Dist FX.
• I didn't really feel the Presence controls on either channel did anything great. It brought forward a little more distinction to the tone at about 11:00 to 12:30 but not much after that.
• I set the reverb controls for both channels at around noon - 1:00. This made the reverb was very usable in a more subtle way like how my Mark III is when I have not engaged the reverb switch since the Mark III reverb is always on but can be very wet with the reverb footswitch engaged. If I wanted Dick Dale reverb I just used the M13.
• I mic'd the left most speaker when you face the amp. I use a Sennheiser 906e set within an inch of the speaker grill off-center and slightly tipped to an angle diagonally (more out at the top of the mic) to the speaker itself trying to catch the upper left quadrant of the cone while catching part of the dust cap as well. This gave me a very accurate tonal reproductive quality of my speaker sound through the out front PA speakers with little if any attinuation via the mixing board
• I did not have any problem cutting through the stage mix AT ALL :lol:
• I was told I needed to turn up for the out front mix and since it seems our sound man missed the que to increase the monitor send for my amp I merely turned up the Level control and was told my out front sound came "alive" while my on stage sound balanced the stage since the other guitar player was turned up in the monitors and I was losing some of the mix I had before on stage before set 2.
• The fan was not heard at all via the PA and there was not any hiss or annoying unwanted amplifer noise

Overall the amp was very responsive and clear. I can not accurately compare the El34s I had in it earlier since that was pre Mercury Magnetics transformers. My ending settings at the front control knobs where;

• Channel 1
• Volume = noon+
• Treble = 3:00+
• Mid = noon+
• Bass = 10:30
• Master = 9:30

• Channel 2
• Volume = 12:30
• Treble = 3:00
• Mid = 1:00
• Bass = 1:00
• Master = 1:00+

The ending level was at 11:00

I will try bold and full power for my next gig.

Dennis

 

[jpdennis]

Last night I used the Full Power setting with 100 WATT & silicone diode rectifier setting. I set the overall amp to bold. Ch1 was on hi gain with boost & fat and Ch2 was on lo gain and warm. I replaced V1 & V3 with Tung-Sol RI 12AX7s and put a set of JJ 6L6GCs for this test. Used the same mic placed the same as well as kept the reverb & presence in the same range for Ch2 while boosting presence just slightly for Ch1.

Channel 1

• Volume = 2:30
• Treble = 11:00
• Mid =1:00
• Bass = 10:00
• Master = 9:00

Channel 2

• Volume = 12:00(-)
• Treble = 3:00(+)
• Mid = 1:00
• Bass = 1:00
• Master = 2:00

The ending level was at 9:00

This gave the amp a definite "In Your Face" presence for both Channels. I used my Frankenstrat with the S-S-H (DiMarzio Air Norton - Chopper - X2N) and my 1970 Goldtop with the old DiMarzio Super Distortion at the bridge and the old DiMarzio PAF at the neck. The balance between the 2 channels was great even using the M13 in the loop. I didn't have to use any distortion models from the M13. Nor did I adjust the amp controls during the evening. Using the guitars' volume knobs gave me complete control over the balance of heavy crunch chords to R&R with a bite soloing to singing leads for Channel 1. By using how I attacked the strings allowed me to keep the guitars' volumes dimed for channel 2 whether I needed a real clear and crisp clean for rhythm or a great crunch. Solos were so so in Channel 2 for my needs. Maybe for covers of the Surf and early to mid 1900's country it would be a good fit.

I should have tested the previous settings with the change in tubes I used but I was in a different room. I noticed a lot of difference with the rectifier, power, and bold settings since before we actually started the show. I placed power on full before turning on the amp. Played it for about 20 minutes to warm it up. Changed the rectifier then brought it back from standby & it was noticable. Putting it into bold was even more noticable.

Still feel the transformers have made the rectifier setting, full/variac, and 100/60 more noticable than before. It is as though I have less power when in variac with the MM as opposed to the Mesa stock transformer. The rectifier setting from tube to diode is more distinct as well. As with my .50 Caliber, the OT really makes the notes distinct albeit chording, arpeggios, or rapid single notes. The 100 to 60 WATT seems more like I lose bottom end with either set of 6L6 tubes but I really haven't had the chance to go to the 60 WATT setting in public. Maybe later this year.

I never really noticed the boost in Channel 1 as I do now, though I wasn't thinking about it before either. This is the same with the presence in either channel as well, though with the settings I am now using in Channel 1 any adjustment with the presence isn't as distinct as with the presence control with Channel 2. I wish I would have been forward thinking enough to listen more closely to those two controls.

I didn't change the reverb transformer and have not noticed any diminish in the quality (I do have the Rev B of the HB if that is the correct term). However, the .50 Caliber had the reverb tranny swapped for a MM BlackFace reverb tranny and it made a noticable improvement. Maybe when I have more expendable cash I will do that.

Dennis

 

[jpdennis]

Well, last night I used the amp in the same configuration as my last post. However, it was a smaller room. Outcome - reduce the presence! Otherwise - this is rapidly becoming my favorite Mesa!

Short and to the point!!

Dennis

 

[ken361]

bet the amp is a beast with those mercurys in

 

[Guitarzan]

Very cool! I love my Heartbreaker!

 

[jpdennis]

bet the amp is a beast with those mercurys in

Very much so! 8)

Very cool! I love my Heartbreaker!

Oh no, just when I thought I was happy with my Heartbreaker I now having cabinet envy. :mrgreen:
Only one word for that - Nice!!!! :shock:

Dennis

 

[jpdennis]

So, the jury is in. Put back in the Tung-Sol 6L6GC - STR power tubes. Learned that putting both channels on high gain when using Ch 1 with boost engaged gives me as close to a balance level as possible. Also, the amp is much more versatile then with the JJ power tubes and not so "almost" to clinical/aneseptic in sound.

Using the FULL/VARIAC power with the new PT from MM really makes a difference in the many voices I can get from this amp. With FULL - DIODE - 100 WATTS this thing is very crunchy and tight. Similar to what I have read about (and heard only two of) the Mesa Rectifier amps. With VARIAC - RECTIFIER - 100 Watts it is very smooth and more fluid. Soloing using Ch 1 is great and I can get a nice old school country out of Ch 2 while attacking the strings gives me some modern day country grit. I have been able to get some AC/DC chording and soloing out of it as well. Also, nice R&B as well as slide blues. It seems this amp is very under rated or not understood. Don't know if that is 100% true since it seems there are some underground Heartbreaker players (or at least previous owners who ask how "I" get a better sound then they did) who have been coming out of the woodwork to admire the tone. I don't know if I will put in EL34 power tubes yet or not. I am considering the Tung-Sol EL34B if I do., but for now ...

Dennis