Mesa Caps in EU?

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BesaMoogie

BesaMoogie

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Hi everyone,
can someone tell me, where to get Mesa Boogie branded caps in the EU?
I am planing to do a cap job, but ordering from Boogie directly costs a lot for shipping. So are there any shops in the EU selling them? I tried some here in Germany and they keep telling me they can`t get the from Boogie.
 
Hi everyone,
can someone tell me, where to get Mesa Boogie branded caps in the EU?
I am planing to do a cap job, but ordering from Boogie directly costs a lot for shipping. So are there any shops in the EU selling them? I tried some here in Germany and they keep telling me they can`t get the from Boogie.
Caps are caps... Just source it from a reliable vendor like digikey or mouser it should be not a problem... Ya should getta same rating and brand as per what's stated...
 
Hi everyone,
can someone tell me, where to get Mesa Boogie branded caps in the EU?
I am planing to do a cap job, but ordering from Boogie directly costs a lot for shipping. So are there any shops in the EU selling them? I tried some here in Germany and they keep telling me they can`t get the from Boogie.
@BesaMoogie not sure if you saw my post on FB. I just went through the same thing and spoke to Mike B. about all the options. I went with the following because I wanted stock values.

Buy (4) Sprague 30uf @ 500v caps & (2) F&T’s 220uf @ 300v caps. These are the same values and dimensions as stock caps and look the closest, minus the F&T which is black. BTW the F&T’s are just as good as Sprague and cost less. As for the Radial caps, I didn’t change them.

The other option is to buy IC caps from Mesa. They switched over to IC due to supply chain issues and reliability. Keep in mind they don’t offer 30uf @ 500v. They’ve substituted that value with a IC 47uf @ 500v.

According to Mike they passed the tone test at Mesa and are their new go to.

Not sure if the best place to buy in the EU Because I’m US based. However, I’d check with:

EU based - Tube Amp Doctor

or

US based - Amplified Parts
 
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Caps are caps... Just source it from a reliable vendor like digikey or mouser it should be not a problem... Ya should getta same rating and brand as per what's stated...
@BesaMoogie not sure if you saw my post on FB. I just went through the same thing and spoke to Mike B. about all the options. I went with the following because I wanted stock values.

Buy (4) Sprague 30uf @ 500v caps & (2) F&T’s 220uf @ 300v caps. These are the same values and dimensions as stock caps and look the closest, minus the F&T which is black. BTW the F&T’s are just as good as Sprague and cost less. As for the Radial caps, I didn’t change them.

The other option is to buy IC caps from Mesa. They switched over to IC due to supply chain issues and reliability. Keep in mind they don’t offer 30uf @ 500v. They’ve substituted that value with a IC 47uf @ 500v.

According to Mike they passed the tone test at Mesa and are their new go to.

Not sure if the best place to buy in the EU Because I’m US based. However, I’d check with:

EU based - Tube Amp Doctor

or

US based - Amplified Parts

Thanks for the advice. Yes I did read your post. Like mentioned on FB, I want to stay "vintage correct" but it looks like I have to go with this route. And then again there`s this rabbit hole of caps changing the sound of your amp :doh:when it comes to F&T`s

I found some sprague that are rated 30uF and 350V instead of 300V. Any ideas on these? ASAIK the Mesa caps were produced on old sprague machines from the 50`s
 
Thanks for the advice. Yes I did read your post. Like mentioned on FB, I want to stay "vintage correct" but it looks like I have to go with this route. And then again there`s this rabbit hole of caps changing the sound of your amp :doh:when it comes to F&T`s

I found some sprague that are rated 30uF and 350V instead of 300V. Any ideas on these? ASAIK the Mesa caps were produced on old sprague machines from the 50`s
@BesaMoogie do you mean Sprague 220uf @ 350v?

Check their dimensions, they’re longer than stock by ~ 1 inch, which made them too big for my Mark III’s.

The stock 220uf @ 300v mains caps were made by Mallory. The only companies making caps with same ratings and very close dimensions are F&T or IC.

As for changing tone, I live by the rule if ain’t broke don’t fix it, especially when it comes to my vintage point to point wired stuff. Why put an aftermarket steering wheel on a vintage Ferrari if the stock one is still good?

But with the Boogie’s, they have tightly spaced components, small solder pads and holes for components which make working on them difficult for the Do-It-Yourself’er.

It really boils down to if you plan on gigging and running the amp hard frequently. If that’s the case the peace of mind afforded by preventative maintenance would be the best route.
 
@BesaMoogie do you mean Sprague 220uf @ 350v?

Check their dimensions, they’re longer than stock by ~ 1 inch, which made them too big for my Mark III’s.

The stock 220uf @ 300v mains caps were made by Mallory. The only companies making caps with same ratings and very close dimensions are F&T or IC.

As for changing tone, I live by the rule if ain’t broke don’t fix it, especially when it comes to my vintage point to point wired stuff. Why put an aftermarket steering wheel on a vintage Ferrari if the stock one is still good?

But with the Boogie’s, they have tightly spaced components, small solder pads and holes for components which make working on them difficult for the Do-It-Yourself’er.

It really boils down to if you plan on gigging and running the amp hard frequently. If that’s the case the peace of mind afforded by preventative maintenance would be the best route.
I have an RevC which has a slightly lower PV at 420-430 Volts (last time I measured). It should be around 450v according to RevF schematics.
But that is not my main concern. It`s the RevF which has an audible higher hum level. I was adviced to have a look on the filter caps because of this.
Here is a pic of one of the caps which could point to it starting to bulge
 

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I have an RevC which has a slightly lower PV at 420-430 Volts (last time I measured). It should be around 450v according to RevF schematics.
But that is not my main concern. It`s the RevF which has an audible higher hum level. I was adviced to have a look on the filter caps because of this.
Here is a pic of one of the caps which could point to it starting to bulge
@BesaMoogie I see what you’re talking about. Your easiest solution would be to sell me the Rev C and let me worry about that cap 😉.

All wishful thinking aside 🤣, I’d change the cap out and save the old ones. If resale value is the concern you can always store all the original replaced components in a bag and make them available to the next buyer later down the road.

It’s cheaper in the long run to have the peace of mind the new caps will provide. The last thing you want is to have a cap fail and cause a bigger issue like a damaged transformer or PCB board.

As for the new caps altering the tone, yeah they won’t sound exactly like the originals. But they aren’t going to alter the tone so much as to make the amp unrecognizable. Also keep in mind new caps can sound stiff at first and take run time to break in.

As for if F&T’s will sound different than Sprague or Mallory, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who could distinguish between them blindfolded. The F&T’s are every bit as good sound wise & quality for a fraction of what Sprague cost.
 
@BesaMoogie I see what you’re talking about. Your easiest solution would be to sell me the Rev C and let me worry about that cap 😉.

All wishful thinking aside 🤣, I’d change the cap out and save the old ones. If resale value is the concern you can always store all the original replaced components in a bag and make them available to the next buyer later down the road.

It’s cheaper in the long run to have the peace of mind the new caps will provide. The last thing you want is to have a cap fail and cause a bigger issue like a damaged transformer or PCB board.

As for the new caps altering the tone, yeah they won’t sound exactly like the originals. But they aren’t going to alter the tone so much as to make the amp unrecognizable. Also keep in mind new caps can sound stiff at first and take run time to break in.

As for if F&T’s will sound different than Sprague or Mallory, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who could distinguish between them blindfolded. The F&T’s are every bit as good sound wise & quality for a fraction of what Sprague cost.
In a Marshall, I've had 2 experiences where the F&Ts DID change the tone; it became more 'grainy' in the decay of the notes...went with ARS and no more 'grainy' thing. I'm not the only one who feels that way, at least with a Marshall.
With a Mesa who knows. If Mike B says it's ok it probably is.
 
They change the tone because they work properly as arent dry as Martini 😀
Wrong.
Like I said, I'm not the only person on this forum that feels there is a noticeable difference in tone, between F&T and ARS filter caps, in a vintage pre 1990 Marshall anyway.
Other amps may not have any noticeable difference..but in the few vintage Marshalls I've had with F&T as soon as I changed them to ARS the amp sounded like a Marshall should.
The F&Ts were all post 2016 also...so they weren't shot. They change the tone for the worse, in a vintage Marshall.
 
@BesaMoogie I see what you’re talking about. Your easiest solution would be to sell me the Rev C and let me worry about that cap 😉.

All wishful thinking aside 🤣, I’d change the cap out and save the old ones. If resale value is the concern you can always store all the original replaced components in a bag and make them available to the next buyer later down the road.

It’s cheaper in the long run to have the peace of mind the new caps will provide. The last thing you want is to have a cap fail and cause a bigger issue like a damaged transformer or PCB board.

As for the new caps altering the tone, yeah they won’t sound exactly like the originals. But they aren’t going to alter the tone so much as to make the amp unrecognizable. Also keep in mind new caps can sound stiff at first and take run time to break in.

As for if F&T’s will sound different than Sprague or Mallory, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who could distinguish between them blindfolded. The F&T’s are every bit as good sound wise & quality for a fraction of what Sprague cost.
This would definitely cause less head ache o_O:ROFLMAO:, this vintage thing can be a burden. For now I am constantly firing up my amps as it`s better for the lifespan of the caps.
Think I gonna go the F&T or IC route and hope that Mesa will stock the caps again in the future. The spragues from ebay will be definitely to big. Another option would be TAD caps, but afaik they are just relabeled FT`s. Will give them a call.
 
In a Marshall, I've had 2 experiences where the F&Ts DID change the tone; it became more 'grainy' in the decay of the notes...went with ARS and no more 'grainy' thing. I'm not the only one who feels that way, at least with a Marshall.
With a Mesa who knows. If Mike B says it's ok it probably is.
Yes, I was following this conversation and thought I just gonna go with Mesa caps to avoid another rabbit hole.
 
Wrong.
Like I said, I'm not the only person on this forum that feels there is a noticeable difference in tone, between F&T and ARS filter caps, in a vintage pre 1990 Marshall anyway.
Other amps may not have any noticeable difference..but in the few vintage Marshalls I've had with F&T as soon as I changed them to ARS the amp sounded like a Marshall should.
The F&Ts were all post 2016 also...so they weren't shot. They change the tone for the worse, in a vintage Marshall.
@Racerxrated thanks for sharing. Keep in mind the F&T’s I put in my Mesa amps are the (2) 220uf @300v mains caps (non Simul-Class).

The other (4) caps are all Sprague 30uf @ 500v, the same manufacturer & values Mesa used.

If you go the IC route here you’ll be using 47uf @ 500v. That’s what Mesa has on hand now per Mike B.

As for the mains caps, IC aren’t a bad alternative. I use them in my vintage tweed fenders when the esr on a cap goes bad.
 
@Racerxrated thanks for sharing. Keep in mind the F&T’s I put in my Mesa amps are the (2) 220uf @300v mains caps (non Simul-Class).

The other (4) caps are all Sprague 30uf @ 500v, the same manufacturer & values Mesa used.

If you go the IC route here you’ll be using 47uf @ 500v. That’s what Mesa has on hand now per Mike B.

As for the mains caps, IC aren’t a bad alternative. I use them in my vintage tweed fenders when the esr on a cap goes bad.
So are the mains caps less likely to contribute to the tonal character of the amp and or cause hum?
 
So are the mains caps less likely to contribute to the tonal character of the amp and or cause hum?
I’ll put it to you this way…. There’s 2 options with those mains caps and both manufacturers offer the same stock values/ratings and dimensions.

The only difference is F&T cost a tad bit more but have a reputation of being a higher quality cap with less failure rates. Either option won’t do you wrong.

As for the 30uf @ 500v caps I’d go with Sprague since they’ll look the closest to stock in appearance and have the same value/ratings. Only downside with Sprague is the Sprague tax. They’re more expensive than the others.
 
F&T caps are reputable and do a great job I'm sure. Just that for whatever reason, in the vintage Marshalls they just do something that adds a weird artifact to the decay of whatever you are playing. No idea why that is; but when I switched to ARS they sounded spot on to the original LCRs/Dalys.
 
F&T caps are reputable and do a great job I'm sure. Just that for whatever reason, in the vintage Marshalls they just do something that adds a weird artifact to the decay of whatever you are playing. No idea why that is; but when I switched to ARS they sounded spot on to the original LCRs/Dalys.
@Racerxrated man I wish I would've looked into the ARS caps before I went F&T. They look like the stock ones.

Not sure of their quality, but you got me interested in them. They're sized right to replace the stock Boogies and they're rated at 350v.

@BesaMoogie you may want to look into these if they're available. I'll probably go that route for the (2) 220uf mains caps next time I recap.

cap33-1.jpg


https://www.arselectronics.com/ARSWEB/CapPage2.html
 
@Racerxrated man I wish I would've looked into the ARS caps before I went F&T. They look like the stock ones.

Not sure of their quality, but you got me interested in them. They're sized right to replace the stock Boogies and they're rated at 350v.

@BesaMoogie you may want to look into these if they're available. I'll probably go that route for the (2) 220uf mains caps next time I recap.

View attachment 151198

https://www.arselectronics.com/ARSWEB/CapPage2.html
I don't want to paint an all encompassing judgement on F&T caps; plenty of players/techs use them and don't hear what I heard. It's just older Marshalls, in my experience.
 
I don't want to paint an all encompassing judgement on F&T caps; plenty of players/techs use them and don't hear what I heard. It's just older Marshalls, in my experience.
@Racerxrated all good man and likewise. That's why I love this forum. I literally didn't even think of looking into ARS.

Just got off the phone with Marty @ ARS and was impressed. I will definitely be buying some of their 220uf @ 350v caps for my amps.

They have a higher heat tolerance 105° vs F&T's 85°, look stock and fit the stock dimensions. This is all good info to have. Thanks man!
 
@Racerxrated man I wish I would've looked into the ARS caps before I went F&T. They look like the stock ones.

Not sure of their quality, but you got me interested in them. They're sized right to replace the stock Boogies and they're rated at 350v.

@BesaMoogie you may want to look into these if they're available. I'll probably go that route for the (2) 220uf mains caps next time I recap.

View attachment 151198

https://www.arselectronics.com/ARSWEB/CapPage2.html
Nice, looks like a good option! I will reach out to them.
 
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