Mesa Lonestar Special schematic needed

[Liquids]

The LSS is a good sounding amp IMO. It can be difficult to tweak, but there are alot of good sounds available. It doesn't have alot of headroom so tt can be a bit on the mushy and/or dark. It is often difficult to get the highs right, at least for me. The choice of rectifier playes a big part here. There are few guys in my area that use them and they sound like dogshit, but that is an operator problem. On the plus side, it is an easy amp to play and is very forgiving with regard to less than stellar technique. You very rarely feel like you have to fight with it.

I remember liking that amp and wanting one for a while there, until I went in a completely different direction... And I admit I was also kinda shy about it having a Mesa label on it if I got one, tonal purist that I was at the time...

Looking at the preamp schem, I can't really envision how in the world the bass doesn't get overwhelming on that amp with those cathode caps. Maybe it's the EQ location, and/or the requisite careful tweaking of the EQ, I don't know.

I'm itching to find one and play it at a local store to hear it 'now' with my ears 'now.' I'm tweaking a custom high gain preamp that runs on high voltages. This thing has a fairly different (and simplistic) topology all considered, much lower B+ voltages for the preamp tubes, low value cathode bypass caps, liberal sculpting of the low via passive R-C filtering between stages to keep it tight.

I'd like to mess with the circuit if I can get around to it, though playing one again now might help eliminate or intensify the desire to replicate it as a starting point...

Would love to hear how dropping the voltages down in that zone, or replicating that circuit but getting the voltage up higher would influence the overall voicing of the circuits.

[azatplayer]

I had one some time ago, also had that same issue with the 5Y3.
Ive owned a lot of the mesa gear, and that Lonestar series is imo the best stuff they make. Really great amps. I had the Bigger Lonestar as well, great amps.
Very usable with the power switching, i used the 5 watt a lot for small gigs. Bloody heavy combos tho.

[Liquids]

I wired up a clone of the lead channel yesterday, and I liked it quite a bit. Instead of the EQ I just used a passive bass control, since I am running the preamp into my amp which has EQ on it.

The preamp has a bit of that characteristic muddy tonality of 'dumble' style amps, so I'd say that some more low end filtering would be a good thing. But I found it more satisfying than I did the D'lite preamp - the Lonestar circuit it seemed a lot 'sweeter,' less touchy, and far less abrasive/more usable at equivalent higher gain levels, IMO.

The way the gain control is wired is weird though.

[Reeltarded]

Have one of these sitting here that spit smoke and smells bad. Looks like big resistors on middle back of the board are blackish.

Anyone know of a schematic? I wasn't there when amp went foof. The 30w supposedly worked but it ate a fuse before it got here.

I guess I should be suspicious of the rectifier tube.

[ampdoc1]

I had a shop for 10 years in Tulsa, and worked on pretty much all Mesa products thru 1995. NONE of the Mesa schematics were ever complete,.and I imagine they are the same now.

If you are just trying to fix one, the schematic info will help, but if you're trying to build one part by part, only Mesa has that info, and even their certified techs can't get that from them.

And yeah, Randall is an A-HOLE to the 10th power.

[cbass]

I would not own an amp if the company wouldn't provide service info.Thats just stupid .Unless they wanna service if for free for the rest of my life.

I've never been in a mesa but I can't imagine that they're doing anything that hasn't been done before.

[Reeltarded]

I just need to know what all probably went from the second description of what happened to this poor silly person's amp. There are burned large "appears to be" cathode testicles.. oops.. damned auto spell. Resistors. Seems like the tubes probably failed along with gawd knows.

Stinks! Must have been pretty.

[vibratoking]

I am not certain, but I think the SS rect is used in 30W mode only and the tube rect is used in 5W and 15W modes. I believe that the output tubes are also switched out of the circuit in the different wattage modes. That information may help you diagnose what may be going on in the one you have.

Here is a link to the manual. Page 2 talks briefly about the rectifier. Page 9 is interesting regarding the output tubes.

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/LS_Special.pdf

There are some good hints about the circuit which may help you glean what is going on, but not a lot of details. Also, the boogie board has quite a few threads about the LSS.

[Reeltarded]

Excellent! Thank you. Thing runs hot when it runs from what I hear. 60-odd R cathodes and a billion volts or something.

[vibratoking]

Mine doesn't run nearly as hot as my Dclone. The innards are typical boogie...mind boggling switching options...I know you like that. Good luck with it. I could open mine and help with any measurements, pics, or whatever else might help.

It's a good amp in the hands of a good player, but aren't most amps that way? I typically run the clean side in 30W mode, cause it's the only real cleans to be had. I run the OD side in 5W mode whenever the drummer lets me. I also feel the amp sounds best when the FX loop is bypassed.