The Boogie Board

Hello everyone, i bought my first tube amp this past november and it is the Mesa Boogie Express 5:50. Absolutely love the amp but sadly i have had some problem with tube rattling. It has been back to the dealer twice on warranty and been looked over and it loooks like tube rattling is a problem i will just have to live with. As i am completely new to tube amps i have no idea but i have been told that it's quite normal and combos with 6l6's are more easily a victim to it.

Is tube rattling something normal? Is there something wrong with my amp? And is there anyway to fix tube rattling?

I had a 55 watt mesa boogie nomad 2x12 combo for a while. I had the same problems with tube rattle. It was really annoying. A tech looked at it but couldn't fix it. I eventually swapped it for an old mark III and converted it to a head. since then i had no more tube rattle problems.

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Current: Mark V Head, Express 5:25+ Combo, Cab clone 8 ohm, rectifier horizontal 2x12 cabinet
Past: Mark III simul-class 1x12 EVM combo, .50 caliber plus Head, Subway rocket reverb combo, Nomad 55 2x12 combo,

hahaha who told you it's normal - total BS.
Also total BS that 6L6 tube amps are more prone to it.
I've owned 10 different tube amps from 6 different makers over 20 yrs and also played over 100 different tube amps.
Any tube amp that has rattling tubes is defective & needs repair.

Yes easily fixed - they just replace the tube pin sockets - they are obviously too big so 1 or more tubes is vibrating when power is supplied.
I'd send it back for repair and demand they fix it urgently or you want a complete new/different amp.
Time to get tough and that you're sick of their lies & they've wasted enuf of your time.

I'd also contact Mesa Corp direct - have you done this or just gone thru your dealer
If your dealer refuses I'd demand a full $$ refund & they can have their defective amp back.
Then I'd go buy another 5:50 from a different dealer.
No good tube amp has rattling tubes as a design feature

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Gretsch Jet Firebird, Gretsch G5422, Gibson SG Deluxe, Strat Plus - Mesa 5:50, Mesa Mark V 25, analog pedal boards
Check my Mesa Soundclick recordings on http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... dID=792315

Both my dealer and Mesa Boogie directly told me that 6l6's in combo amps are more prone to tube rattling and that is also what i have found looking on different forums. To me it makes sense that when you put an amp in a speaker box the tubes could rattle but it's pretty annoying once you have noticed it. My Dealer has been more than helpful and it has been to them 3 times now for repair but sadly all the things they have done have only helped a bit. I did some trouble shooting myself after recommendation from Mesa directly and came to the conclusion that it was the power tubes that were rattling. Mesa told me that new power tubes should stop the rattle but i find it hard to be believe that it would be that easy.

Your dealer & Mesa are lying.
6L6 amps are not prone to tube rattling.
They are the most popular tube type used today & they wouldn't be so if they were prone to rattling.
And your dealer has not been helpful imo.
It's been to them for repair x3 you say - why didn't they replace the power tubes in the 1st attempted repair - obviously the 1st thing to be done.

The issue can be fixed by either
a) replacing the pin sockets for the power tubes in the amp or
b) giving you a completely new amp.

This should have been done the very first time you sent it for repair.
They should have put in new power tubes, tested it & if that did not work they should have gone to a) & b) above.

BTW - the pin sockets in my amps are a tight fit - takes a lot of wiggling to get tubes in & out - that's why they don't rattle.
I'll bet yours are a loose fit & you can check it yourself by trying to gently pull them out & in
They should be wiggled from side to side gently as you pull.
Mine take about a minute of wiggling to get them out on every amp I've owned

If you think they are being helpful ask yourself these 2 Qs.
Why do no other 5:50 owners have rattling tubes?
Where do Mesa Corp state that rattling tubes are a design feature?

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Gretsch Jet Firebird, Gretsch G5422, Gibson SG Deluxe, Strat Plus - Mesa 5:50, Mesa Mark V 25, analog pedal boards
Check my Mesa Soundclick recordings on http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... dID=792315

Had the same problem in my Express 5:50. The culprit was one of the power tubes. Turned the amp off and tapped on both power tubes. One of the 6l6's rattled when I tapped on it. There is such a thing as valve filament rattle. Changed out the power tubes and no more rattle.

Voted no even before reading the expert opinions...

hahahaha who's the 1 dope in this poll who voted that rattling tubes are normal.

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Gretsch Jet Firebird, Gretsch G5422, Gibson SG Deluxe, Strat Plus - Mesa 5:50, Mesa Mark V 25, analog pedal boards
Check my Mesa Soundclick recordings on http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... dID=792315

I encountered similar problems when playing loud through my Express 5:50 combo; the eventual solution was to switch to the Express + in a head + separate cab format, no more rattles.