tonymckenziecom | 4 years ago

The Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier is one of the best rock amps around and I set out to refurbish this amp back to great condition. This PART ONE covers the fitting of a Power Transformer to accommodate 240 volts operation.

What you will learn:
How good is the overall amp quality?
Were the specifications correct for the power transformer?
Do I need anything else?
Is this replacement easy to fit?
Were there any issues found?
Can I buy a transformer?
What if something goes wrong?
Do I need to be qualified to do this work?

I bought this second user amplifier from reverb specifically to refurbish and get the rectifier back to excellent condition, but the amp only supported 120 volts. So I contacted Mesa Boogie and bought a power transformer so that the operation could be 240 volts that the UK has in the wall sockets.

In this part one of a series you will see what's involved in the operation, but also some of the pitfalls and problems that I experienced along the way and how I overcame them in my case.

Watch my Mesa Boogie Road King II Power Transformer conversion where I go in to far more depth than this video here: https://youtu.be/b1beyNTs0rc

And other videos of this refurbishment:
Intro to the amp I refurbish: https://youtu.be/bfYDAR43Ols
Part One: The Power Transformer: https://youtu.be/qYprumTY4Fo
Part Two: The Tubes and Biasing: https://youtu.be/u1VHquzhqqk
A closeup of a Road King II: https://youtu.be/ZKutLcVOGXQ

This series of videos covers this transformer change, but also in other parts covers tube replacements, the issue of biasing and modifications, other things to watch for on used Mesa Boogie Rectifier amp's and lastly some cosmetics that will help make your amplifier stand out from the crowd.

There is no doubt that the overall costs will be high because of the pricing involved in replacement parts and if you are not qualified then the cost of an engineer to do the work.

In my case I have an engineer and also great support from the authorized Mesa Boogie dealer 'Rob' based near Leicester in the UK. His information is available in the video.

So if you're looking for that elusive older dual or triple rectifier from Mesa Boogie and would love to buy one from the 2000's to around 2010 then these might be the routes to go down and then at least you will be sure that your amplifier is top notch. As time goes by these will become rarer and likely help keep the investment you made in yours.

All parts are purchased by me as an ordinary user of this amplifier and I was not given any parts and did not benefit in any way that you would not be able to. As an ordinary user my experience with any buying is exactly what yours might be.

If you are not a qualified engineer that has experience of working on tube or valve amps with up to 500 volts then do NOT attempt these modifications as there are lethal voltages inside all valve and tube amplifiers, but you are more than welcome to watch what I did with my amplifier.

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#mesaboogie #dualrectifier #triplerectifier #powertransformer240volts