Mesa F-series Lounge. Come on in and share your secrets.

[Rodimus Prime]

(sigh) its good to have a good amp.

[snakum]

I like HAL's Contour channel settings for a mod'd Marshall grind, but I find that Channels 1 and 2, with a Bad Monkey, are all that I need.

Crystal clean tones --> Channel 1 and neck p'up on G&L
SRV & Hendrix --> Channel 1, neck p'up, Bad Monkey on
ZZ Top & Skynyrd --> Channel 2, middle p'up, volume rolled off
Blackfoot and STP --> Channel 2, bridge HB, volume full
Van Halen --> Channel 2, bridge HB, volume full, Bad Monkey on

It's all there ... all of it. There is nothing in the set list of either band that I can't do with an F-100, a Strat/Legacy, and a Bad Monkey. From Bob Seger to Pink Floyd to Stone Temple Pilots to Seether ... I can get a very close approximation of everything with my rig. I am impressed more and more every day with this amp.

Where has the F-100 been all my life? It's a classic rock, blues, and top forty rock players dream amp ... and with TUBES. :D

:wave:

[Rodimus Prime]

so far i'm thinking this will be my setup:

clean plus ibanez sd9 --> srv/hendrixy od clean
dirty channel --> new pearl jammy/soundgarden rhythm
dirty channel plus sd9 --> vintagy lead gain with bite
contour --> foo fightersish rhythm
contour + compressor --> slashish lead

Slash is my hero, just fyi

[Surfcaster]

I've not really gotten into using my pedals in conjunction with Channel 2, I suppose that's something I could explore more. My problem with that is the fewer pedals I have to hit to change sounds on the fly, the better. If I have to change channels, then engage an OD or EQ pedal simultaneously it gets to be a pain...especially if you need to hit one or more effects pedals. I suppose for all you G-Major users out there it's not a problem.

And while there are great tones to be had using booster pedals,s the volume increase can be problematic.

So right now here's how I get my four basic tones

Sparkling Clean - channel 1
Light OD - channel 1 w/ Zoom PD-01 used as an OD pedal (not boost, though that works very nicely except for the volume issues)
Crunch - channel 1 w/ MI Audio Crunch Box used as Distortion pedal (for a Plexi grind)
High Gain - channel 2 w/ contour
Then for solos I use either an EQ pedal in the loop set for a mid boost and slight volume boost, or I can use the Zoom PD-01 to get a little more gain if I need it.

Of course, there are variations on each with guitar (strat or les paul), guitar volume and pickup selection. For jazzy tones I roll the tone off on the neck pickup and use either the sparkling clean or the Light OD with the volume rolled back.

[musicdog400]

I have a Digitech Tone Driver pedal (a kind of Tubescreamer / TS808 clone). While it is a notch below the sound I get out of the F-50 preamp, I am surprised how good it does sound. That tells me that the output section, speaker, and cabinet are contributing a lot to the overall sound.

[jman435]

Just a quick note of thanks. I've been on the prowl for a Boogie amp for about 6 months and this great thread helped me to to decide on the F30. I just picked one up on ebay as a bare , but complete chassis from an F30 combo for $525 in like new condition! I'll install it in a mini head cabinet I'm making from brazillan cherry with ebony inlays and black hardware. I now have to decide on speaker cabinets. I'm thinking one, 1X12 open backed cab and one, 1X12 closed back cab. Both 8ohm speakers. I play rock and metal via an Ibanez RG 320DX with EMG 81 and 85 pickups. I also use Monte Allums modded Boss Metal Zone and CS-1 pedals.

Anyone have speaker suggestions for me for these cabinets or different cabinet suggestions? Thanks everyone for such a great, informative thread!

[hal9000]

Originally posted by jman435
Just a quick note of thanks. I've been on the prowl for a Boogie amp for about 6 months and this great thread helped me to to decide on the F30. I just picked one up on ebay as a bare , but complete chassis from an F30 combo for $525 in like new condition! I'll install it in a mini head cabinet I'm making from brazillan cherry with ebony inlays and black hardware. I now have to decide on speaker cabinets. I'm thinking one, 1X12 open backed cab and one, 1X12 closed back cab. Both 8ohm speakers. I play rock and metal via an Ibanez RG 320DX with EMG 81 and 85 pickups. I also use Monte Allums modded Boss Metal Zone and CS-1 pedals.

Anyone have speaker suggestions for me for these cabinets or different cabinet suggestions? Thanks everyone for such a great, informative thread! jman435, welcome to the forum and the F-series Brotherhood! :)

If you wanted to go Mesa, I would suggest the compact 1x12 half-back and 1x12 Thiele for a quarter-stack with immense tone.

If you wanted to build the cabs yourself or load existing cabs, I like the idea of open top, closed back bottom cab which is basically what I do. My personal favorite speaker combination is the Classic Lead 80 and V30, and www.avatarspeakers.com has a special deal on the V30 in their Hellatone 60L (broken-in UK-made V30). I'm also partial to the Celestion Century Vintage Neodymium speakers that I just put in my F-100. They're like the V30 in most ways, but have a bit more bass and smoother mids. Of course, they only weigh 3.65 lbs so they saved 13 lbs on my 2x12 combo.

BTW, if you're making cabs and are not sure what they'll look like with the F-30 head, I can prototype them for you, just send me an email (sig). Also, if you can afford the space, I really like the size of Mesa's widebody 1x12 cabs (22.5" wide) because they sound huge, but aren't that big.

[snakum]

they saved 13 lbs on my 2x12 combo

:idea:

[Pwn3d]

How much does a mesa 2x12 cab cost? (the smallish compact recto one)

And the f30 and f50 heads?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Pwn3d
How much does a mesa 2x12 cab cost? (the smallish compact recto one)

And the f30 and f50 heads? The Recto 2x12 is $559 and weighs 61 lbs.

F30 head = $899
F50 head = $1049

Source: http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=3101

[snakum]

The Recto 2x12 is $559 and weighs 61 lbs.

And I have one that is like new, with the Mesa slip cover, for sale cheap. :D

I'm going to go with a lighter 1x12 cuz I don't really need a 2x12. We mic everything.

[Pwn3d]

Originally posted by hal9000
The Recto 2x12 is $559 and weighs 61 lbs.

F30 head = $899
F50 head = $1049

Source: http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=3101

Yeah, I couldnt remember where to find the price list.

I'd be iffy on the cab tho. I could get something else for that much. However having a matching set is nice.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Pwn3d
Yeah, I couldnt remember where to find the price list.

I'd be iffy on the cab tho. I could get something else for that much. However having a matching set is nice. Personally, I think the Avatar Premier Vintage 2x12 is the ticket. You can then get any combo of speakers you want, and it will look cool with an F-series head on top.

[Pwn3d]

Originally posted by hal9000
Personally, I think the Avatar Premier Vintage 2x12 is the ticket. You can then get any combo of speakers you want, and it will look cool with an F-series head on top.

hehe, exactly what I was thinking...

[jds22]

Hal, is there any reason you decided to go with the Celestion Neos over the Jensen Neos? Just curious as I like the description you've given of the Celestions but I really like the price of the Jensens.

Thanks,
Jerry

[hal9000]

Originally posted by jds22
Hal, is there any reason you decided to go with the Celestion Neos over the Jensen Neos? Just curious as I like the description you've given of the Celestions but I really like the price of the Jensens.

Thanks,
Jerry Yup, I wanted the V30 sound, and the CV delivers. Lots of people like the Jensen as well. If you have a chance, give them both a try. If you do a search over on www.thegearpage.net you'll get lots of hits from "neo" "Century" "Jensen" and the like.

[jds22]

Thanks

[Rodimus Prime]

opted to spend my lunch break playing my amp than eating. good choice i'd say. I think she likes my strat more than my tele. i also notice a subtle difference in tone between plugging my 2x12 cab directly into the 8ohm leaving the combo unplugged. bigger, tighter, less fizz (though there is barely any to begin with). I think when i record i'll do that but live will always have both. i like the presence of both amp and cab

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by hal9000
Yup, I wanted the V30 sound, and the CV delivers. Lots of people like the Jensen as well. If you have a chance, give them both a try. If you do a search over on www.thegearpage.net you'll get lots of hits from "neo" "Century" "Jensen" and the like.

Hopefully I didn't make a mistake putting in the Jensen NEO without listening to the Century NEO. Our local shop didn't have any and I needed a speaker ASAP with a gig the next day. The Jensen is a ton less brittle, which to my ears makes all the difference.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
Hopefully I didn't make a mistake putting in the Jensen NEO without listening to the Century NEO. Our local shop didn't have any and I needed a speaker ASAP with a gig the next day. The Jensen is a ton less brittle, which to my ears makes all the difference. Just to be clear, I have the Century Vintage neo which is definitely not brittle. I hear that the regular Century is though. Most people say that the Jensen and Century Vintage are similar. Besides, if it sounds good, it is good. :)

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by hal9000
Just to be clear, I have the Century Vintage neo which is definitely not brittle. I hear that the regular Century is though. Most people say that the Jensen and Century Vintage are similar. Besides, if it sounds good, it is good. :)

Oh, I'm not complaining. Just didn't get a chance to compare the two speakers. I'm loving it!

A new band is opening for us next week and their guitarist loves my Mesa. He has a solid state Randall. I think he just got a Carvin tube head and a Marshal 1960 cab.

It is a fantastic amp. Always finding new tones. Not as thrilled with my Tele through it but any humbucker guitar just smokes.

[Jeru]

Hey all,

I am fairly new to my F-30, LOVE the clean sounds, but having difficulty getting a gain sound that is more gritty (think old marshall) than smooth/compressed high gain. To my ear the gain has a distinctly modern flavor, and I am wondering how you folks get the good, gritty, old-school rock tones from your F-series rigs.

I rotate between playing a LP studio, tele w/ SD HB in the neck, and a strat.

I bought the F-30 to replace my Peavey classic 30 -- the Classic 30 had a wonderful chimey clean, but couldn't do dirty to save itself, and didn't take well to any of the OD/Dist pedals I tried using with it. I bought the F-30 to be the all-capable amp, and hoping you can help me to realize this.

[Rodimus Prime]

First off, marshall and mesa's are different worlds. Mesa definately has its own voice and doesn't try to be something that its not. In this way, its etched its name in rock tone history. To try and make it sound like something else would be an injustice to the amp. The amp has killer gain tones, try to meet the amp on its terms and understand it as its own beast. You'll find yourself on a whole (pause) nutha (pause) level.

[jcoggins7]

If you absolutely must have that Marshall tone, just put a really good pedal in front of it. The F-Series like boutique effects. I'd reccomend a Z-Vex Box of Rock, MI Audio Crunchbox, or a Menatone King of the Britains (you might want to wait until the new one of these comes out in a month or so to buy anything though).

[Lt_Core]

Has anyone tried the Marshall Guvnor 2 Plus through the F-50's clean channel? Curious how that would sound. I listened to a bunch of online mp3s and it sounds great.

[Adam Poland]

Your best bet for a Marshall like tone would be MAYBE a boost pedal in front with the gain even to the LED (9 o clock), the highs about 11-12 o clock, the mids up there around 2-3 o clock, and the bass around 9 o clock.

Someone told me that setting I had on my amp for a little while sounded Marshall-y to them. I've never really played a Marshall before but I've heard them live and I didn't really notice. Just don't get a low of low end or lots of gain and you should be fine with a Marshall type of tone.

After complaining about how my amp sounds for a while now I've gotten the best tightened metal tone I've had in quite a while so I'm pleased with the way it's been treating me lately.

[snakum]

the Classic 30 had a wonderful chimey clean, but couldn't do dirty to save itself, and didn't take well to any of the OD/Dist pedals I tried using with it

I gigged Classic 30s/50s for over ten years until I bought my first Laney a couple months ago. With a good speaker and JJ tubes the Classic 30 smokes just about any amp under a grand for grit. Cranked Vox tone to the max with a Weber Blue Dog and Marshall Bluesbreaker with a Greenback. At around 5 or 6 on the clean volume they'll start to sag and break up into gorgeous power tube compression and saturation. I saw probably 20 other guys in clubs using Classic 30s over the years, and most of us used pedals with them (Bad Monkey and Tube Screamers mostly).

Maybe you were expecting metal tone from the C30? If so ... you won't like the F-30 either. :D

[mattleesc]

my f-30 combo sounds retardedly harshy and thin, to the point of sheer ear ownage when standing directly in front of the speaker. same goes for micing it up.

otherwise, off-axis is just :love:


do you think i should get it checked or something? i must mention that i used to get frequent power drop outs while playing, but it hasnt been happening recently.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
Has anyone tried the Marshall Guvnor 2 Plus through the F-50's clean channel? Curious how that would sound. I listened to a bunch of online mp3s and it sounds great. I have a Guv'nor II plus and used it for a while with my F-100. It's a good sounding pedal with a lot of adjustment. But, keep the bass low because it will get muddy quick. I mostly used it for medium gain smooth soloing work on the clean channel.

Here's my rig before I changed over to the G-Major/FCB 1010:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000CustomGigRigSmallRevDLightSh.png

[hal9000]

Originally posted by mattleesc
my f-30 combo sounds retardedly harshy and thin, to the point of sheer ear ownage when standing directly in front of the speaker. same goes for micing it up.

otherwise, off-axis is just :love:


do you think i should get it checked or something? i must mention that i used to get frequent power drop outs while playing, but it hasnt been happening recently. Yeah, well, that's a guitar speaker for ya'. :)

All speakers have a bright spot right in the middle of the dust cap. Normally, you should adjust the amp while in the highest treble zone so you don't take the heads off your audience members. Also, it depends on how well played your V30 is, because it needs a good 20 hours of high volume time to really get broken-in. Once it's broken-in the highs will get smoother and the bass will be deeper. There is also a product called the Weber beam blocker that is basically a disc that sits in the middle of the speaker. It redirects the high frequencies to the outside of the cone, where they are mixed with the lower frequencies which will smooth out the tone. You could also make a beam blocker out of cardboard, wood, plexi, etc. or even duct tape that will just sit in front of your amp and block the central portion of the speaker. A disc about 4" in diameter should do the trick.

If you are having volume transitions while you play, it could be due to the power from the wall, so move your amp to a different outlet/circuit and see if it helps. If it continues, you probably need new EL-84s.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Adam Poland
Your best bet for a Marshall like tone would be MAYBE a boost pedal in front with the gain even to the LED (9 o clock), the highs about 11-12 o clock, the mids up there around 2-3 o clock, and the bass around 9 o clock.

Someone told me that setting I had on my amp for a little while sounded Marshall-y to them. I've never really played a Marshall before but I've heard them live and I didn't really notice. Just don't get a low of low end or lots of gain and you should be fine with a Marshall type of tone.

After complaining about how my amp sounds for a while now I've gotten the best tightened metal tone I've had in quite a while so I'm pleased with the way it's been treating me lately. Adam, it's good to hear that you're getting great metal tones from your amp. :thu:

What did you do different this time, including settings, boost (if used), and guitar compared to before?

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally posted by mattleesc
my f-30 combo sounds retardedly harshy and thin, to the point of sheer ear ownage when standing directly in front of the speaker. same goes for micing it up.


Is your amp new? I also think that you speakers are just breaking in. I found that there was this high end flutter that just ripped into my face, but no either i'm going deaf or the speaker is mellowing out. My already broken in 2x12 cab didn't have that problem. Play it loud for a long time. You'll also get to know her better.

I still can't believe how mint my 3 year old amp was, and the deal i got it for. $800 shipped baby! :thu: For goodness sake, the speaker wasn't broken in and the tubes are like new still. It's like a 3 year old floor model or something.

Is there any way to date it from the serial number? Also, another tube question, do you guys know what 12ax7's mesa uses. Mine say "Russian A".
I'm pretty sure that these (http://www.thetubestore.com/sovtek6l6wxt.html) are the 6L6's and my guess is that these (http://www.thetubestore.com/sovtek12ax7lps.html) are the 12ax7's. anyone here in the know?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
<snip>

Is there any way to date it from the serial number? Also, another tube question, do you guys know what 12ax7's mesa uses. Mine say "Russian A".
I'm pretty sure that these (http://www.thetubestore.com/sovtek6l6wxt.html) are the 6L6's and my guess is that these (http://www.thetubestore.com/sovtek12ax7lps.html) are the 12ax7's. anyone here in the know? Send an email to Mesa with the serial number and they'll tell you what year it is. Also, if you look at the back of the chassis, or remove it from the cabinet, you'll see date markings usually.

AFAIK, Mesa tests and relabels Sovtek tubes for their stock STR 430 6L6GC. Doug, from www.dougstubes.com told me that the STR 440 is a Ruby 6L6GCMSTR which is what I'll be putting in my F-100 over the weekend. Check for my post above that details my preamp tube layout.

[Jeru]

Originally posted by snakum
Maybe you were expecting metal tone from the C30? If so ... you won't like the F-30 either. :D

No, not metal, but a gritty overdrive. To my ear the F-30's gain sounds very saturated and smooth, whereas I am trying to sound more raw, organic? Think less smashing pumpkins and more black crowes-ish, or maybe some of mike campbell's lead tones (petty).

Ideas:

1) Maybe what I'm after is power tube breakup and not 12ax7 preamp stage dist? If that's the case, maybe a volume pedal in the effects loop to allow me to crank the volume some to drive the power tubes without being sick-loud? (I maybe should have gotten a master volume amp..?)

2) Somebody mentioned Boutique overdrives? Does anybody here have any experience with a Fulltone OCD ? I have a self-modified TS-9 and boss SD-1, but haven't been able to find the right gritty OD from either.

Many thanks to all of you for your assistance and for putting up with my long post. (guess that's why we're here though, eh?)

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Jeru
No, not metal, but a gritty overdrive. To my ear the F-30's gain sounds very saturated and smooth, whereas I am trying to sound more raw, organic? Think less smashing pumpkins and more black crowes-ish, or maybe some of mike campbell's lead tones (petty).

Ideas:

1) Maybe what I'm after is power tube breakup and not 12ax7 preamp stage dist? If that's the case, maybe a volume pedal in the effects loop to allow me to crank the volume some to drive the power tubes without being sick-loud? (I maybe should have gotten a master volume amp..?)

2) Somebody mentioned Boutique overdrives? Does anybody here have any experience with a Fulltone OCD ? I have a self-modified TS-9 and boss SD-1, but haven't been able to find the right gritty OD from either.

Many thanks to all of you for your assistance and for putting up with my long post. (guess that's why we're here though, eh?) For Black Crowes on channel 2, I would turn down the gain to 9 - 10:00 with a humbucker guitar, crank the mids to 3:00 and push the master up over 11:00 if you can stand it. BTW, you do have a master volume amp. The masters just happen to be on both channels. You can add a final master with the FX Loop master diagram in my sig. If you really need power tube distortion, you'll have to either crank the amp, or use a power attenuator like the THD Hot Plate, Weber Mass, etc.

[snakum]

For real ... and I mean REAL dynamic grit, a la early ZZ Top ... a cranked/attenuated EL-84 amp can't be beat. Power section gain is a totally different animal from pre amp gain. You could use the FX loop jumper and just max everything in front and use the FX pot to control output.

It's tough on tubes ... but it IS the sound of tube toneage. :thu:

[mattleesc]

Rodimus Prime:

i bought the 2 year old combo used from a guy who lives in a government apartment. im going to assume he never plays beyond low volume levels since he sold the amp due to the "overwhelming volume".

how do i go about breaking the speakers in without getting evicted? will hellatone speakers do the job?

[snakum]

how do i go about breaking the speakers in without getting evicted?

You could do what I always do. Send them to Boogs and let him break 'em in for ya'. :D

[Rodimus Prime]

well, the hella's are broken in and i hear good things about those speakers. but i like the old fashioned way. just fine a place where you can let her rip. Even if you play it at 3 for a period of time she'll soften up. When you play them at low volume, you can hear them begging to be turned up louder. Its hard not to give in

[hal9000]

Originally posted by mattleesc
Rodimus Prime:

i bought the 2 year old combo used from a guy who lives in a government apartment. im going to assume he never plays beyond low volume levels since he sold the amp due to the "overwhelming volume".

how do i go about breaking the speakers in without getting evicted? will hellatone speakers do the job? Mattleesc, put that bad boy in a central closet with a pillow in front of the speaker. Don't put anything over the back though since it still needs to breath. Then, crank it up.

If you don't have such a closet, play it with the amp lying down on its face into a pillow. Technically, you could take the amp chassis out of the F-series cab so you could cover the speaker completely, but that takes a bit of work.

A lot of people will use rock recordings to break in speakers by running a CD player into the FX return of the amp. Just don't use something that has a ton of bass. Most any recording will do with trick.

[mattleesc]

i know this sounds silly but, crank it ALL the way up?

how long do i do this?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by mattleesc
i know this sounds silly but, crank it ALL the way up?

how long do i do this? Nah, 12:00 on the Master with the channel 2's gain at 12:00 will run the speaker pretty well. You'll start to notice a change in the speaker's tone after a few hours. Real burn-in should take 10-20 hours depending on how hard you push it.

[snakum]

Nah, 12:00 on the Master with the channel 2's gain at 12:00 will run the speaker pretty well. You'll start to notice a change in the speaker's tone after a few hours.

LOL .... yeah, 12:00 and 12:00 ought to do it. :D

[Adam Poland]

Originally posted by hal9000
Adam, it's good to hear that you're getting great metal tones from your amp. :thu:

What did you do different this time, including settings, boost (if used), and guitar compared to before?

I put the volume all the way up in my boost/EQ, lowered the 100 a tiny bit, and the 200 down one "dot"

Lowered the gain to 9 o'clock and I put a bit more treble so I'm around 10 o'clock and the mids to about 2-3 o'clock and the bass to about 10 o'clock.

I read the manual a little bit and realized the higher the treble the more bass response and noticed just moving it very slightly. I'm still sort of thin compared to the rest of my band, but I stand out because of all the mids I use and my pinch harmonics that fly out my guitar. I'm using my LTD Viper 400 with the 81 in the bridge and have been messing around with that. I actually had to lower the pickup to get it a little less gainy and because my strings would hit it during shows somehow.

I'm starting to like it a bit more than I did and I'm thinking of maybe getting some new preamp tubes in the future to make it a tiny bit warmer feeling.

[jds22]

Another F-30 vs. F-50 question.

I got a chance to play both today, combos, side by side. I didn't have an a/b box so I just moved the cable back and forth. BTW, I'm mainly concerned with channel 2. I have some questions about the difference in tone.

I was playing at low volume, not loud enough to cause power tube break up. A few things came to mind. Since the volume was so low how much do you think the power tubes were contributing to the sound? A little, a lot, not at all until pushed? I also have to wonder how much of a difference there is between the V30 and the C90. How much do you think they are contributing to the sound?

After doing this side by side, if I had to walk out of the store with one, it would have been the F30. It just seemed smoother and more alive, if you know what I mean, to my ears. The 50 seemed a bit gritty and harsh sounding.

FYI, I also eliminated a few other contenders today.
I can check Rivera Suprema, Fandango, and Quiana off my list.
I can also check off the Fender SuperSonic.

It will definately be an F series. Just need to be sure of which model.

Jerry

[Rodimus Prime]

what are you going up against in your band? another 2x12 or 4x12 cab being powered by the amp would definately thicken things up!

[Adam Poland]

If you're referring to me, my band has 3 guitarists and each of us deal with different spectrums of things. One of us has a lot of highs, another has lows, and I usually deal with the mids because I do a lot of fills and harmonics.

The more I get lower to hear my whole sound, though, my sound is pretty thick, but it's thin to where you can hear every single thing I'm doing which isn't always bad and could just be the EMGs that I'm hearing.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Adam Poland
If you're referring to me, my band has 3 guitarists and each of us deal with different spectrums of things. One of us has a lot of highs, another has lows, and I usually deal with the mids because I do a lot of fills and harmonics.

The more I get lower to hear my whole sound, though, my sound is pretty thick, but it's thin to where you can hear every single thing I'm doing which isn't always bad and could just be the EMGs that I'm hearing. The EMG 81 is usually a pretty thin pickup. Have you every played a guitar with an EMG 85? Those are huge sounding.

[Ogi-wan]

Originally posted by Jeru
Does anybody here have any experience with a Fulltone OCD ?]


I played with one for about a week. It has a nice sound to it, completely different from the F-series sound, but I ended up returning it because it seemed to suck the warmth out of the amp, if you know what I mean.

My F-30 is my first tube amp, and I love the warmth. With the OCD, I felt like I was taking a step backwards towards solid state.

[Adam Poland]

Originally posted by hal9000
The EMG 81 is usually a pretty thin pickup. Have you every played a guitar with an EMG 85? Those are huge sounding.

I had my 85 in the bridge for a little while and it did indeed sound really good. Only thing I found noticable was the 85 didn't have the mid spike like the 81 does and it played a factor with the loose low end.

I dunno. Tomorrow we have a show and I might mess with my equalizer to see what tones I get to possibly thicken things up bit.

[mattleesc]

ive got a feeling my f-30's drive channel is just harsh and thin afterall.

stuff to check? 2 month old tubes are from a JJ retube set.

[Natek]

Question about Hellatones 60L's!!

Okay, well I have an Avatar 2x12 V30 G12h30 open back cab. I noticed that no matter what I do, I just notice this touch of harshness comming from the speakers as I'm 99% sure its not the F-50 head with JJ's in it. I'm positive I've played enough to break em in. Also, the low end is lacking just a touch which, correct me if I'm wrong, has quite a bit to do with the open back.

Would selling my cab (which is MINT) and buying a closed back 2x12 loaded with Hellatone 60L's smooth things out a touch, get rid of that tad bit of harshness, and help with the low end?

I've heard great things........SO, If i DO decide to do that and anyone is interested in a mint avatar cab to buy OR trade for what I want, just let me know!

By the way, I'm getting the D-sonic installed in my EBMM JP's bridge, purchasing the Xotic effects BB preamp to add a little extra "somethin" for both my cleans and lead, and getting a two channel rack EQ (so i can run one channel before the preamp and one channel in the loop) to tweak everything up. I'll HOPEFULLY get some clips of all this when I get every up and goin....or at least a review:) I'm jacked

[jcoggins7]

I'd say go for it Natek.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by mattleesc
ive got a feeling my f-30's drive channel is just harsh and thin afterall.

stuff to check? 2 month old tubes are from a JJ retube set.

It could also be the speaker...some people really like the V30 with the F-Series...Hal9000 is one of them. But in addition to the C90 that came stock in my F50, I've also got a V30, and I prefer the C90. In fact, I've got two different tube amps and I don't really care for the V30 with either. Now I think it's a good speaker with the right amp or for certain types of music, and it does work well together with my G12H30 in my 2x12 cab, but by itself I find it harsher and thinnner than the C90 or the G12H30.

[snakum]

I gigged my F-100 for the first time last night. It was a last minute call-up and so I didn't have my Recto cab. I played (mic'd) thru my little Classic 30 extension cab with an Emi Tonker and it was KILLER. I'd used at practice and really liked it, now I think I might take my V30s out of the Recto cab and replace with a Tonker and a Stonehenge. I like the BIG SOUND of the cab but the Emi speakers just really seem to smooth out my Strat/Legacy toneage a lot more.

Gig went well ... made a little money ... I've been missing playing out. And the F-100 just killed. I went straight into the amp ... no pedals ... nothing. Played the whole show with nothing but the channel selector and my volume knob. :thu:

Damn I love this amp. I am usually sceptical about amps after having spent so many years gigging a pair of Classic 30s (awesome setup, btw). But an F-100 with two Tonkers in the Recto cab will probably be my rig for a very, very long time. I couldn't have played our entire show (classic rock to pop to metal) with any other tube amp I know of, and not need pedals. This thing is ME. :thu:

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally posted by Natek
Also, the low end is lacking just a touch which, correct me if I'm wrong, has quite a bit to do with the open back.

Would selling my cab (which is MINT) and buying a closed back 2x12 loaded with Hellatone 60L's smooth things out a touch, get rid of that tad bit of harshness, and help with the low end?


instead of selling your cab, why don't you buy a piece of wood to fill up the whole back? That might make more sense to do and would be hella cheaper. HA!

[Teind]

Originally posted by Adam Poland
I had my 85 in the bridge for a little while and it did indeed sound really good. Only thing I found noticable was the 85 didn't have the mid spike like the 81 does and it played a factor with the loose low end.

I dunno. Tomorrow we have a show and I might mess with my equalizer to see what tones I get to possibly thicken things up bit.

i currenty have an issue with my EMGs.. 81 89. they are ok for rythm but on solos... it sucks like hell. when ever i get on G B E strings. they tend to sound "midi-ish" so does the pinch harmonics.. :mad: heres wat im talking about. listen to the last part the pinch harmonics. is it really supose to sound like this? "midi-ish" ? http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=622682&songID=4657328

[Soulcrusher_X]

Originally posted by Natek
Question about Hellatones 60L's!!

Okay, well I have an Avatar 2x12 V30 G12h30 open back cab. I noticed that no matter what I do, I just notice this touch of harshness comming from the speakers as I'm 99% sure its not the F-50 head with JJ's in it. I'm positive I've played enough to break em in. Also, the low end is lacking just a touch which, correct me if I'm wrong, has quite a bit to do with the open back.

Would selling my cab (which is MINT) and buying a closed back 2x12 loaded with Hellatone 60L's smooth things out a touch, get rid of that tad bit of harshness, and help with the low end?

I've heard great things........SO, If i DO decide to do that and anyone is interested in a mint avatar cab to buy OR trade for what I want, just let me know!



The G12H-30s/Hellatone 30 has a bit of a crunchy character on the top end that can seem harsh with certain amps. I think they sound smoother with brighter and more compressed amps, like the JSX, XXX and 5150 I used to have. With the more 'open' sound of a Mesa.....especially the F-series, they might sound harsh. I've never tried the two together, so I can't fully comment. I DO in fact have a 4x12 full of Hellatone 60Ls with my F-100 and it definitely sounds great. If you plan on selling your 2x12 cab to get another, maybe try a Premier Avatar or Splawn Oversize 2x12 with the Hellatone 60Ls. The extra volume in the oversize cab would probably make the amp sound bigger and a bit bassier.

[jds22]

I DO in fact have a 4x12 full of Hellatone 60Ls

How would you compare these to regular V30s.

Is the description on Avatar's site accurate?

I was really thinking about Hellatone 30's but now may rethink it.

[Soulcrusher_X]

Originally posted by jds22
How would you compare these to regular V30s.

Is the description on Avatar's site accurate?

I was really thinking about Hellatone 30's but now may rethink it.

They have a little more bass response, the mids are smoother as well as the high end being a tad smoother.

The Hellatone 30s are really big sounding, pretty warm, but they have a crunchiness on the top end that some people might think of as 'harsh'.

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally posted by Teind
i currenty have an issue with my EMGs.. 81 89. they are ok for rythm but on solos... it sucks like hell. when ever i get on G B E strings. they tend to sound "midi-ish" so does the pinch harmonics.. :mad: heres wat im talking about. listen to the last part the pinch harmonics. is it really supose to sound like this? "midi-ish" ? http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=622682&songID=4657328

that, my friend, is some awesome sweet ass tone! maybe i should think about getting a humbucker for my tele. So far i'm all single coils. Nice playing!

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Soulcrusher_X
They have a little more bass response, the mids are smoother as well as the high end being a tad smoother.

The Hellatone 30s are really big sounding, pretty warm, but they have a crunchiness on the top end that some people might think of as 'harsh'.

I have a Hellatone 30 and at first I did find the top end kind of harsh. The F50's got that DR fizzy top end and the H30 emphasizes the those frequencies, and at first it seemed like too much. Right now it's in a closed 2x12 cab with a V30 and I'm really liking it with my F50...I get huge bass! And I find I like the crunchy top end...though the sound REALLY depends on where I stand in relation to the speaker/cab. As I move around the room the sound really changes, but in one certain spot (where I get mostly H30 and very little V30) it's just really sweet! I need to try mic'ing it up sometime to see what I can get down on a recording.

I don't really have enough room in my basement, but I'm guessing if you'd get back far enough away from the speaker where the sounds from the two speakers really meld together it would sound pretty cool! The furthest I can get back from it is about 12-15 feet, and it sounds pretty good, but I think further would sound better.

[mattleesc]

Originally posted by mattleesc
ive got a feeling my f-30's drive channel is just harsh and thin afterall.

stuff to check? 2 month old tubes are from a JJ retube set.

okay sorry for dragging this on, but do you think it could be my tubes?

i opted for the JJ high gain retube set from eurotubes, two hand picked V1/V2 higher gain 12ax7s.

could this be the source of the harshness? are there any tube to warm my amp up?

speakers, im planning on getting a 2x12 avatar with tonkers/swamp thangs. as for the open-back combo, what speaker would be an ideal combination to match with the avatar?

[Adam Poland]

Take those high gain JJ's out immediately. I absolutely HATED my F-50 with those in there. They made everything sound beyond terrible. If you want high gain, get the regular JJ's. I have two in mine and they're alright, but I'm sure there are better tubes out there.

Doug from Doug's Tubes told me a Tung-Sol Reissue 12ax7 for V1, Sovtek 12ax7LPS for V2, and the rest 9th Gen Shugangs (but I've heard some people the treble drops out with these or something so I'm waiting on getting all these tubes).

But in reality, the high gain TUBES are terrible in the F-50. Period.

(edited so people can stop saying I'm bashing the F-50)

[snakum]

I've used JJ tubes for over six years and I must strongly disagree. The difference between Bob's "hi gain" AX7s and the regulars are simply not that big a deal. If your F-30 is "thin" it most definitely isn't due to JJ tubes, at least not a healthy set. JJs thicken up and smooth out the notoriously harsh-upper-mid stock Classic 30s, should do the same for an F-30.

Besides ... he's talking about an F-30, not an F-50. The differences in the tone/sound of an EL-84 based F-30 and the 6L6 based F-50 is huge.

Matt ... your problem is definitely not JJ tubes, assuming your set is healthy. Trade them all out with the original Mesa/Sovteks and see if it changes the tone from thin and harsh to thick and chewy. If it does ... you got a bad set from Bob and he'll make it right. :thu:

I'm betting your problem is that you've never experienced new Vintage 30s. They have an upper mid spike that is like nails on a chalkboard to some, and it's worse when they're new. I didn't think anything could sound worse than a PV Blue Marvel in a Classic 30 till I heard one with a new V30. Eeeeewwwww. :freak:

I've never liked them in any amp I've owned, and I've come to the conclusion I'm never going to totally like them with my F-100 either and will be trading mine out for Tonkers. Totally smooths the F-100 right out. Should be killer in the Recto cab. :D

[barneyc4]

Do any of you guys play David Gilmour/Pink Floyd stuff with your F-series? Do you think F-Series amps will work for Gilmour/Floyd tone?

I would really like to hear someone play a Pink Floyd song with an F-Series amp.

[snakum]

We do The Wall in our set. Does that count? :D

The F-100 kills for a pushed clean tone with single coils. :thu:

[barneyc4]

Originally posted by snakum
We do The Wall in our set. Does that count? :D

The F-100 kills for a pushed clean tone with single coils. :thu:

WOW the whole album?!!

Can you post any clips!! Please Please Please!!!!!

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Adam Poland
Take those high gain JJ's out immediately. I absolutely HATED my F-50 with those in there. They made everything sound beyond terrible. If you want high gain, get the regular JJ's. I have two in mine and they're alright, but I'm sure there are better tubes out there.

Doug from Doug's Tubes told me a Tung-Sol Reissue 12ax7 for V1, Sovtek 12ax7LPS for V2, and the rest 9th Gen Shugangs (but I've heard some people the treble drops out with these or something so I'm waiting on getting all these tubes).

But in reality, the high gains are terrible in the F-50. Period. If you dislike the amp that much, why not sell it, and buy something that fits your style better?

Perhaps you're just not a Mesa guy.

I'm sure we can come up with something that will work for you. What are you looking for out of an amp?

[snakum]

Originally posted by barneyc4
WOW the whole album?!!

Can you post any clips!! Please Please Please!!!!!

No ... just the one song, I'm afraid. :(

[barneyc4]

Which one did you play? And how did it sound?

I know Gilmour uses Hiwatt amps. Those amps have really big punchy cleans. How are the F-50/F-100 cleans?

[Rodimus Prime]

"Those amps have really big punchy cleans. How are the F-50/F-100 cleans?"

never played a hiwatt though i've played lotsa fenders. i liken myself to be somewhat of a fender guy. The F-50 cleans are amazing. Really 3dish and very versatile. I choose it over the new fender supersonic partly because the clean channel was better. it doesn't break up unless you want it to and when it does its very smooth and its pretty tight, no farts. i wish sometimes it had a tube rectifier so that it could get some more sag but i have a pedal that does a great job of that. awesome, awesome clean. tough to beat :thu:

[jcoggins7]

But in reality, the high gains are terrible in the F-50. Period.-Adam Poland

I highly disagree with you. I think that there might be a good explanation why you think this though: your cab. I'm not saying that your cab sucks (though it could; I'm not very knowledgable about B-52 cabs, I just know I hate all their amps), but maybe the speakers in it don't match the amp well. Personally, I think that broken in V30s sound great with my Mesa/Boogie F-50. It could also be your amp settings. Maybe you're EQing it wrong or adding too much gain. I don't understand how you can say that the high gain (especially the contour mode) is terrible though. I've personally compared it to a Dual Rectifier through the same cab (Recto 4x12), and I honestly preferred the F-50 (granted, the DR was a 3 channel version, but still). It wasn't as harsh sounding as the Rectifier, and the F-50 has hands down a much better solo/lead tone (much more fluid), while the Rectifier is pretty much only good as a rhythm amp. And I looked at your band pictures. You can't honestly tell me that you prefer a Marshall or Randall to the F-50. Marshalls aren't as good as they used to make them, and Randalls just try and do the Rectifier thing, but don't do it as well. You really really have to crank the really expensive ones to get a good tone. You don't have to crank the F-50 nearly as much. You should get it up to at least 9:00 to experience the full glory of it though. Please understand I'm not trying to criticize your tastes either. You might just like a Marshall sound better than a Mesa sound after all, and if that's true, I'd recommend Splawn amps to you. They'll slay any Marshall.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Adam Poland
But in reality, the high gains are terrible in the F-50. Period.

If I understand Adam correctly, he's not saying the the F-50 has terrible high gains, he's saying that using the Eurotube high gain 12ax7s in the F50 sounds terrible. I really don't think he's bashing the F50, just the combination of the high gain 12ax7s and the F50.

But like all things tone related, your individual mileage may vary and some may well like the high gain 12ax7s in the F50. Personally, I've never tried them, nor do I intend to. The F50 has more gain on tap than I use, so there'd be no point for me to do so. However, I am considering going with Eurotubes standard retube kit for the F50 when the time comes to change out the original Mesa tubes.

[Adam Poland]

Originally posted by Surfcaster
If I understand Adam correctly, he's not saying the the F-50 has terrible high gains, he's saying that using the Eurotube high gain 12ax7s in the F50 sounds terrible. I really don't think he's bashing the F50, just the combination of the high gain 12ax7s and the F50.

But like all things tone related, your individual mileage may vary and some may well like the high gain 12ax7s in the F50. Personally, I've never tried them, nor do I intend to. The F50 has more gain on tap than I use, so there'd be no point for me to do so. However, I am considering going with Eurotubes standard retube kit for the F50 when the time comes to change out the original Mesa tubes.

You sir, are correct. The F-50 has more than enough gain for me, but when I used the JJ high gain tubes, my tone was just terrible. It didn't really add gain or make the gain more defined like Bob had told me, it just made the gain less manageable and very very ear piercing. I had some people who played Mesa amps for years try to get a good tone out of my amp and they never could and when I told them what tubes I had in it, they gave me the most evil look every time.

The regular JJ's are pretty good in the F-50, but they are the only tubes besides the stock ones and high gains that I've used so I can't really compare them to anything else.


And to jcoggins, I'm sorry you thought I was bashing the F-50. In no way am I bashing it. I've found a very nice tone from mine and I'm sure if I had a better cab (mainly better speakers) I could find the exact tone I'm looking for. That Marshall wasn't even ours and the guy that used it had possibly the most shrill treble sound on that thing.

[jcoggins7]

Oh ok man that's good. Sorry about that misunderstanding. I thought that it sounded sketchy.

On a completely different note, just in case anybody's interested in getting a new Roadster cab, I'd advise otherwise. A guy I know with an inside connection at Boogie said that there's something wrong with the new V30s. I don't know everything about it right now (he said that he wasn't at liberty to talk about it over the internet), but I'll find out as soon as I see him next, which should be soon. I'll keep you guys posted. Idk if it's a Celestion problem or a Mesa problem.

[jds22]

I went to pick up a used F-30 today but the store sold it a few days ago. :mad:

I think I'll save a bit more and get an F-50 anyways.

I did get a chance to play a DC-5 though for comparison. The lead channel is quite a bit different from the F series. The DC is much grainier, not as smooth as the F series.

[jcoggins7]

Ok guys, here's the update on the Mesa V30 cabs. Apparently, Celestion has been giving Mesa the shaft within the past few months. They've been sending Mesa their Chinese made V30s instead of the English made V30s without Mesa knowing. So it's not Mesa's fault. The difference is that the Chinese made ones have thicker cones, and are therefore brighter and take much longer to break in. Mesa has realized this and isn't happy with it, though I don't know what all they've said to Celestion about it. They may not be able to prove it. Idk. But on a side note, Mesa is supposedly designing and working on making their own speakers, which I think is really really good. As if their products didn't sound good enough to begin with. So basically, my advice is that if you're on the market for a Mesa cab or amp with V30s in it, I recommend you buy an older one. All the Roadster cabs have been affected by it, and I assume anything else of theirs that's been made in the past few months with V30s in it has been. This hasn't been going on for long. Just test the gear before you buy thoroughly.

And just in case anybody wants to know where I got this information, I know somebody who owns and has owned several different Mesas and used to have artist relations with them before they dropped all their nationally unrecognized artists from the program. He and his dad ordered some of their cabs recently, and heard the difference immediately, and when they called Mesa asking about it, that's what the guy (I'm pretty sure he was somewhat high up, though I'm not positive) told them.

I was gonna buy a used Recto 2x12 when I got one anyhow, so the whole issue doesn't bother me that much.

[serpent561]

How do the F-series amps sound at low volumes (like practice or bedroom)?

[eSoTeRiK]

Originally posted by serpent561
How do the F-series amps sound at low volumes (like practice or bedroom)?

I live in a townhouse with very thin walls, so I have to keep my F-50 pretty low. It sounds pretty good still, amazingly. I can't say that about a lot of other amps. It doesn't sound fantastic, but sounds pretty good and is more than enough for practicing. :)

[serpent561]

The reason I'm asking is, I'm considering getting a tube amp sometime and I'm interested in the F series since I like what I heard. I live in an apartment and I don't play with a band but I do jam sometimes with some friends.

[snakum]

Originally posted by serpent561
How do the F-series amps sound at low volumes (like practice or bedroom)?

Imho ... the F50/F100 is one of the few amps that has decent pre amp fullness - getting your gain from the pre amp tubes, as opposed to the power section. Not many amps do this well. Laney does a good job of it, as does the Peavey XXX. But the Peavey Classics and the Carvin X-series have to be cranked to sound big, round, and full. In my opinion, this is also true of the F-30. Gotta crank it to get that sweet tube sag and dynamics. Not so the F-50 and F-100. They're sweet at all volume levels. :)

[CAC]

I'll chime in here too. I have a Mesa F-50 and it sounds very good at low volumes and amazing at higher volumes. I would also recommend checking out the Traynor YCV 50 which is very good at low or high volumes. I am considering a Micro Cube myself for really low volumes, but I used to have a modelling amp for practice and I hardly used it because even at lower volumes the Mesa sounded so much better so I sold it.

[Curtis.Fagan]

Though Mesa is one of my all time most loathed amplifier companies, I ownt he F100, because it is very very very sturdy and flexible. They are great amps for just about anything, and they odn't have that recto-fart sound that makes your guitar sound like it wasn't meant to be anything other than a preamp in the first place. (Read: Whitenoise buzzy tripe!)

The F100's simplicity, tone, and brute strength caught my ear, and the note seperation and clarity sold me on it.



I have to agree with snakum though, at lower volumes, these amps are fantastic. I can't complain even the slightest. the only thing better is when they turn up and you get a wonderful power amp saturation that makes it tres dreamy for me.

So yeah, classy head, decently built, and has enough nuts to be just crushing for my metal band.

I am a happy guy.

Love,
Curtis

[snakum]

they odn't have that recto-fart sound that makes your guitar sound like it wasn't meant to be anything other than a preamp in the first place. (Read: Whitenoise buzzy tripe!)

That's the same reason I chose the F-100 over the Recto. The F-100's clean and 'pushed clean' tones are second to no other amp on the planet, yet it has a full, beefy gain in more quantity than I'll ever use.

[barneyc4]

How would you compare the F-50/F-100 cleans to Fender cleans?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by barneyc4
How would you compare the F-50/F-100 cleans to Fender cleans? You're going to have to specify which Fender you mean of course, but overall, the F-series has excellent cleans that compare favorably to all but the most sought-after vintage gems.

The F-50 and F-100 can pull off Fender Blackface tones with aplomb, and with a low gain setting on channel 2, you can even get woody Tweed Bassman style cleans.

When I'm in a classic rock mood and I want to change things up a bit, I reverse the channels. So, channel 1 becomes my crunch tone with the gain and treble all the way up using a humbucker guitar, and channel 2 is my clean tone with the gain roughly at 8:30 using single coils and the master up around 2:00. Mmm... That's good fun right there.

[Lt_Core]

Has anyone ever tried the MI Audio Crunch Box on the F-50 clean channel?

[Rodimus Prime]

hey hal, i might pick up a dano 7band eq today. how does it compare to the boss. i tried to a/b them (with fast switching) and i could hear some differences that might lead me towards the boss but the dano price seemed so nice. i know that you have both, can you comment on the comparison? Also, i'm thinking of getting this because i need a lead boost pedal and i used to use a compressor. that pedal doesn't do much for the f50 so i was thinking i'd eq my lead differently. thots?

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
hey hal, i might pick up a dano 7band eq today. how does it compare to the boss. i tried to a/b them (with fast switching) and i could hear some differences that might lead me towards the boss but the dano price seemed so nice. i know that you have both, can you comment on the comparison? Also, i'm thinking of getting this because i need a lead boost pedal and i used to use a compressor. that pedal doesn't do much for the f50 so i was thinking i'd eq my lead differently. thots?

I've got both of these pedals, too, and personally I'm equally impressed with both. The biggest drawback the Dano has is you could easily knock the sliders out of place with your foot when hitting the switch, simply due to the pedal's layout. But otherwise I find they sound pretty much the same...my Dano is just as quiet as my Boss.

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally posted by Surfcaster
I've got both of these pedals, too, and personally I'm equally impressed with both. The biggest drawback the Dano has is you could easily knock the sliders out of place with your foot when hitting the switch, simply due to the pedal's layout. But otherwise I find they sound pretty much the same...my Dano is just as quiet as my Boss.
sweet, how is it as a lead boost? is that what you use it for?

[Adam Poland]

I have the Dano EQ and it has done wonders for my setup for sure. I don't use at as a lead boost, but an overall boost for the front end of my amp. If you were to use it as a lead boost and switch it on and off, someone told me that a TB Looper would be good for that so you don't actually touch the fragile stompbox that the Dano is. It's got a good volume kick to it and it's really noticable compared to what my SD-1 was. My SD-1 would actually lower my volume and it killed me when I switched it on and off to my cleans so I just threw it out of my loop and got the Dano. Using it as a boost gives me more of a metal edge to everything and it tightens the crap out of the low end for sure.

[Natek]

Drop Sonic!!!

This just in: I just got the Drop Sonic (with the bar facing the neck) installed on my EBMM JP6 guitar. One word: everingthing-i-wanted-in-the-bridge-pickup:) It replaced my stock pickup which is basically a modified Steve's Special.

But seriously, I think this thing was made for the F-series amps. It's so incredibly mean sounding while being unbelievably articulate. The low end is PERFECT for me. I was really looking for a pickup to fix the low end and it definately did it. Its more of a tight sound and better defined. It has a little more output (which is nice!). Harmonics are easier to pull off compared to the stock bridge . and the lead tone? perfect. A tad more mid-boosted but not harsh AT ALL. I can't get enough of the pickup's mid boost. The split mode, in my opinion, is much better; ESPECIALLY when you put gain on the split coil mode (having one coil of the neck and one coil from the bridge)

I have the G-major in the loop and Dynacomp before the pre. I have my gain set between 12:00 and 2:00 on contour mode with the the bass around 10 or 11, the treble at 12 ish, and mids at 2 or 3; For rhythm I simply have it on bypass mode on the G-major. For lead, roll back a notch or two on the tone knob, add a little delay and/or chorus/reverb and There you have it! perfection!:D

[Lt_Core]

Since the search feature is disabled at the moment, does anyone have any experience with putting in Eurotubes into their F-50? Not the high-gain, just the regular tube kit. Just curious if it does indeed affect tone and what the differences sound like. Thanks!

[Rodimus Prime]

ok, picked up the dano 7band eq. works really well for a lead boost. the insane thing is the FX loop. I've never used it before. it's wierd, the control in the back seems to affect the volume output so i have my masters flat and my fx loop control is my main volume and it really helps the shape of my tone. i'm done! i have all the tone i need. clean, srv od, vintage crunch and blistering huge gain! and they are all fantastic!
I use a tele and a strat only, i have a 2x12 cab that i use all the time. my gain channel is; gain-4, treble-flat, mid-8, bass-3, reverb-3, master flat. LOVE it. see you guys. i think i'm done with this forum. i have everything that i need.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
ok, picked up the dano 7band eq. works really well for a lead boost. the insane thing is the FX loop. I've never used it before. it's wierd, the control in the back seems to affect the volume output so i have my masters flat and my fx loop control is my main volume and it really helps the shape of my tone. i'm done! i have all the tone i need. clean, srv od, vintage crunch and blistering huge gain! and they are all fantastic!
I use a tele and a strat only, i have a 2x12 cab that i use all the time. my gain channel is; gain-4, treble-flat, mid-8, bass-3, reverb-3, master flat. LOVE it. see you guys. i think i'm done with this forum. i have everything that i need.

Hi Rodimus Prime,

Great to hear that your Boogie is delivering on all fronts. Controlling the overall volume by controlling the FX Loop's return level really does shape the tone to my ears - allowing the channel masters to be cranked (when you say "flat", do you mean flat out, or at 12 o'clock?). I run my G-Major in a similar way in my loop, and I love the results too - not least because it's MIDI controlled so I get real-time control of the Return level from my foot controller. :thu:

The key thing is that I get inspiring tones for all kinds of styles. I hang out here because of the people and the fun - it's certainly NOT because I'm GASsing. :p

I went to see Robben Ford last night in London, and his tone was glorious (Fender Twin and Zen Drive - courtesy of a Les Paul and a Sakashta). I was inspired on many fronts, but my F-50 foundation was solid. :cool: I may spend some time today dialling in some similar FX patches on the G-Major, oh - and I need a LOT of practice on my chops and harmony. :D :o

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Rodimus Prime]

i get definate gas and i need not too. I was so thrilled with my tone yesterday that i made my mind up to just not think about other amps or whatever... just because i could. I also seem to spend far to much time here. i'll still kick around just maybe not as much.

My band recently picked up an MBox2 Factory bundle to record our ep/demo. I'll bounce some amp only clips and post them here so people can listen to those as well when trying to decide whether or not to grab one of these little bad boys!

[Josh O]

Howdy all, guess I'll keep this one going. I just picked up an F-50 1x12 combo with a 2x12 Recto cabinet for some more low end. What an awesome amp. I've gotten into a slight minimalist mood as far as pedals go and this amp is really fitting the bill, it's already kicked my Keeley Ultra DS-1 and Keeley Twilight MT-2 to the curb and I'm loving be back into amp distortion vice pedal. The only dirt pedal I'm holding onto is my Keeley Fuzz Head when I want to get a little fuzzy ala Jimi. Look forward to looking through this whole post of great info. Real quick, thoughts on THD Hotplate affecting tone? I don't have one yet but am thinking of getting one to throttle the overall master volume back some, nothing drastic like trying to set channel 1 to wide open throttle for crazy 6L6 breakup and then expect the Hotplate to get me back to bedroom volume but enough to say I can set the master volume to 9:00 on each channel and throttle it back to be a little quieter. It's my understanding that the Hotplate is pretty transparent up to a certain dB reduction, what would you say that cutoff point is before it starts really mucking with the amp tone?

[John Denver]

URGENT!! I was playing my F50 last night, when something strange and terrible happened. I had the gain around 9:30 and the master at 12:00 on the contour channel....i was playing when all of a sudden the sound cuts out...i turn on a light and notice a small plume of smoke that "puffed" out of the back of my amp. I quickly turned it off and checked the fuse....it wasn't blown. What could this be? I had the speaker connected. I also use a compression pedal as a boost....but not too much of a boost. I turned the amp on a little while later to check it out....it works fine....what happened? I am scared to turn it on now....only had it 4 months. PLEASE HELP!!

[jds22]

only had it 4 months. PLEASE HELP!!

Take it to a tech.

[John Denver]

Will Mesa Boogie pay for that since it is under warranty? Parts and labor? Or do i have to send it to them?

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
ok, picked up the dano 7band eq. works really well for a lead boost. the insane thing is the FX loop. I've never used it before. it's wierd, the control in the back seems to affect the volume output so i have my masters flat and my fx loop control is my main volume and it really helps the shape of my tone. i'm done! i have all the tone i need. clean, srv od, vintage crunch and blistering huge gain! and they are all fantastic!
I use a tele and a strat only, i have a 2x12 cab that i use all the time. my gain channel is; gain-4, treble-flat, mid-8, bass-3, reverb-3, master flat. LOVE it. see you guys. i think i'm done with this forum. i have everything that i need.

Hey Rodimus,

Quick question for you. Are you using the Dano EQ output slider as your volume control? That's what I do with my Boss EQ. Are you doing something different? I have my FX loop control all the way up so my delay, chorus, tremolo and phaser pedals come through clearly.

I don't hear a lot of tone suckage with the EQ in the loop acting as an attenuator. Just curious if this is what you mean. Thanks!

[Rodimus Prime]

actually, i have my volume flat and i've just eq'd the mids and highs to be boosted slightly and the lows out a bit. It gives me enough frequency boost to cut through without actually being louder.
i only have my fxloop at around 70% and its definately enough.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by John Denver
Will Mesa Boogie pay for that since it is under warranty? Parts and labor? Or do i have to send it to them?

Hi John Denver,

Sorry to hear of the problem you've been having. As it's still under warranty, your first contact point should be the store that you purchased it from. They will deal with the issue under Mesa's warranty, using Mesa approved technicians, and billing the costs back to Boogie. The repair/verification shouldn't cost you anything more than getting the Boogie back to the vendor, and the hassle of not having the amp whilst it's being seen to. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by Josh O
Howdy all, guess I'll keep this one going. I just picked up an F-50 1x12 combo with a 2x12 Recto cabinet for some more low end. What an awesome amp. I've gotten into a slight minimalist mood as far as pedals go and this amp is really fitting the bill, it's already kicked my Keeley Ultra DS-1 and Keeley Twilight MT-2 to the curb and I'm loving be back into amp distortion vice pedal. The only dirt pedal I'm holding onto is my Keeley Fuzz Head when I want to get a little fuzzy ala Jimi. Look forward to looking through this whole post of great info. Real quick, thoughts on THD Hotplate affecting tone? I don't have one yet but am thinking of getting one to throttle the overall master volume back some, nothing drastic like trying to set channel 1 to wide open throttle for crazy 6L6 breakup and then expect the Hotplate to get me back to bedroom volume but enough to say I can set the master volume to 9:00 on each channel and throttle it back to be a little quieter. It's my understanding that the Hotplate is pretty transparent up to a certain dB reduction, what would you say that cutoff point is before it starts really mucking with the amp tone?

Hi Josh O,

and welcome to the F-series Lounge and brotherhood! :) Great to hear that your F-50 is rockin' your world.

The Hotplate has its fair share of fans amongst the brotherhood, and it's a fine unit. Before you sink your cash into one though, I highly recommmend checking out the various approaches to Loop Attenuation that have been highlighted in this thread. Many of us have found this approach to give us all the control, and most importantly, tone that we desire at very modest volume levels. Check out the Mix Master Mod instructions in the first post of the Lounge (or in hal9000's sig) for a cheap and simple way of checking if Loop Attenuation will work for you. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Natek]

I've got some questions concerning pedals and the FX loop:

Lately I've been considering selling my G-major for pedals because of the SOLE fact I just simply don't have the time to program all what MIDI has to offer. Also, half of the things on the G-major are just overkill for what I want. sad but true. I'm thinking about purchasing a quality true bypass delay, chorus, possibly a simple phaser, volume pedal, EQ's, and gain/boost pedal.

My question is this. I still want to have the loop attenuation trick working and I know some of the effects need to be in the loop. So, would this work (sorry i'm sort of new to this part): could I buy an EQ with an output control (because the eq would be last in line in the loop aside from the volume pedal) to control the volume decibal wise. Then from there, could I put the volume pedal either immediate first in the loop or last in order to get the swell effect whilel retaining the lowered "attenuated" volume? I hope this makes sense. If not, anyone have any other recomendations? thanks a bunch

[Pwn3d]

OMG I think I fell in love with a f30 at GC so small, so compact, so LOUD. I wonder what it would do with some better tubes and a cab.

:love:

[jds22]

OMG I think I fell in love with a f30 at GC so small, so compact, so LOUD. I wonder what it would do with some better tubes and a cab.

Try it through a 212 cab loaded with V30s. :love:

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Natek
I've got some questions concerning pedals and the FX loop:

Lately I've been considering selling my G-major for pedals because of the SOLE fact I just simply don't have the time to program all what MIDI has to offer. Also, half of the things on the G-major are just overkill for what I want. sad but true. I'm thinking about purchasing a quality true bypass delay, chorus, possibly a simple phaser, volume pedal, EQ's, and gain/boost pedal.

My question is this. I still want to have the loop attenuation trick working and I know some of the effects need to be in the loop. So, would this work (sorry i'm sort of new to this part): could I buy an EQ with an output control (because the eq would be last in line in the loop aside from the volume pedal) to control the volume decibal wise. Then from there, could I put the volume pedal either immediate first in the loop or last in order to get the swell effect whilel retaining the lowered "attenuated" volume? I hope this makes sense. If not, anyone have any other recomendations? thanks a bunch

That should work fine for you...as for whether to put the volume pedal in first or last, I'm not sure. My first impulse would be to put it in last to control the volume of the effected signal. But you could certainly try both and see which you prefer one.

[Natek]

Hey thanks a bunch Surfcaster! I was thinking and hoping it would work.

Can anyone recomend some HIGH quality pedal EQ's which has in input and/or output control so I can also use it for loop attenuation? I don't wanna skimp on sound quality so gimme some great pedal ideas! thanks guys:)

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Natek
Hey thanks a bunch Surfcaster! I was thinking and hoping it would work.

Can anyone recomend some HIGH quality pedal EQ's which has in input and/or output control so I can also use it for loop attenuation? I don't wanna skimp on sound quality so gimme some great pedal ideas! thanks guys:) Natek, if you're only going to use the EQ for a volume drop and not for sculpting the sound, IMO you'd be best served by a low impedance passive volume pedal like those used for keyboards: Boss Pedal (http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?ItemPos=6&TempID=7&DepartmentID=3&STRID=14115&CategorySubID=435&CategoryID=435&BrandID=0&CategorySubPriceRangeID=0&pagesize=10&Method=3&PriceRangeID=0&SortMethod=&SearchPhrase=&Contains=&Search_Type=Department&GroupCode=&categorysubsearch=true)

Ernie Ball VP Jr 25k (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ernie-Ball-VP-Junior-25K-Active-Volume-Pedal-?sku=152108&src=3SOSWXXA)

In using a nice passive pedal you could ride the volume all set long so that you could equalize the difference between channel 2/contour, add a solo boost, etc.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by Natek
I've got some questions concerning pedals and the FX loop:

Lately I've been considering selling my G-major for pedals because of the SOLE fact I just simply don't have the time to program all what MIDI has to offer. Also, half of the things on the G-major are just overkill for what I want. sad but true. I'm thinking about purchasing a quality true bypass delay, chorus, possibly a simple phaser, volume pedal, EQ's, and gain/boost pedal.

My question is this. I still want to have the loop attenuation trick working and I know some of the effects need to be in the loop. So, would this work (sorry i'm sort of new to this part): could I buy an EQ with an output control (because the eq would be last in line in the loop aside from the volume pedal) to control the volume decibal wise. Then from there, could I put the volume pedal either immediate first in the loop or last in order to get the swell effect whilel retaining the lowered "attenuated" volume? I hope this makes sense. If not, anyone have any other recomendations? thanks a bunch

Hi Natek,

If the G-Major isn't working out for you, then of course there are alternatives. I agree with hal9000 that a passive line level volume pedal will be a great addition to your chain. As for where to place it in the loop, I personally prefer it at the front of the chain in the loop, and in front of the delay effect - this way, when you turn it down, the delays still ring on. :cool:

On the other hand, I don't think it need be a huge effort to get going with the G-Major. When I started, I simply made use of the Factory presets until I had a better feel for which patches worked for me in a live context - whenever I got a good one, I'd copy it into the User presets area. A while later, once I had a bunch of useful general sounds in the User area, I was ready to organise the patches into a bank for live gigging: I kept my expectations realistic, and just set up a handful of sounds to get me through a gig - say three clean sounds, three dirty sounds and a couple of lead sounds. This first bank is still the bank I use the most. Over time however, as I've come up with tweaked patches, I simply save them to a similar location in a different bank e.g. I have a tweaked version of the Lush Chorus patch with a clean sound in location 02, a tweaked version of the Wide Chorus patch in location 12, and a completely custom Chorus + Detune patch in location 22 (an awesome patch that's way beyond the humble stomp box). :)

One final option with digital patches is simply to get hold of other people's settings - this way you can experiment with patches that other people have laboured tweaking. :p I'm happy to share mine, and I may even be able to experiment with the MIDI SYSEX download approach, so that you don't even have to deal with the hassle of inputting patches. :D

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Natek]

Originally posted by Hal9000
Natek, if you're only going to use the EQ for a volume drop and not for sculpting the sound, IMO you'd be best served by a low impedance passive volume pedal like those used for keyboards: Boss Pedal

I was thinking about using the EQ to not only drop the volume, but use it to sculpt the sound. Would this not be a good idea? Would it better to just get an extra volume pedal for this? As for EQ's, I wanted to get two; one before the preamp and one in the loop. any suggestions? how do the MXR EQ's measure up?

Thanks Andy for the quick reply! Unffortunately about the G-major, for some reason I just like having the "feel" of the pedals if ya know what i mean. I have NOTHING against the G-major though!:) It definately does what it's supposed to.

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
Since the search feature is disabled at the moment, does anyone have any experience with putting in Eurotubes into their F-50? Not the high-gain, just the regular tube kit. Just curious if it does indeed affect tone and what the differences sound like. Thanks!

Nobody has tried the Eurotube replacement kit? Cmon, guys... ;)

[Lt_Core]

Hey guys,

I stopped at our local GC tonight. After I walked out I noticed a Music Go Round store a block down. Not sure how I missed it before so I stopped in.

They had 2 mint condition Mesa 212 cabs with V30's. Each were going for $400. They had a Hughes & Kettner Zen amp head (modeler) plugged into it. Sounded pretty good. I'm tempted to bring in my F-50 and give it a go.

I don't know anything about cabs. I just have experience with my F-50 112. Is this a good deal? Am I better off looking at Avatar cabs?

[barneyc4]

I would go for a Mesa. It would match your amp too.
You can never go wrong with the mesa.

[Lt_Core]

Just checked Avatar's site. They sell the G212H DUAL VINTAGE 30 Closed Back for $288 + $34 shipping. Saving over $100 on the Mesa. The Mesa offers a lower profile and would look killer under the F-50.

[markmann]

Originally posted by Natek
I was thinking about using the EQ to not only drop the volume, but use it to sculpt the sound. Would this not be a good idea? Would it better to just get an extra volume pedal for this? As for EQ's, I wanted to get two; one before the preamp and one in the loop. any suggestions? how do the MXR EQ's measure up?

Thanks Andy for the quick reply! Unffortunately about the G-major, for some reason I just like having the "feel" of the pedals if ya know what i mean. I have NOTHING against the G-major though!:) It definately does what it's supposed to.
Natek, you're not alone in deciding to switch from rack effects to pedals. I still own and occasionally use my Rocktron Intellifex unit which I think is a great piece of gear but I've never been able to completely get my arms around midi controlled programable effects. I'm glad for those who are comfortable using rack gear, and I have tried to embrace the technology, but as many times as I've switched back and forth between rack and pedals I seem to always gravitate to the pedals. There's somthing about the simplicity, picking the exact effect I want and having them at my feet for easy tweaking that I can't seem to live without. If I need basic attenuation I use a volume device in the loop which you can chain other effects to if desired. I'm actually building a new pedalboard right now and I'll post pic's of the stuff I use with my f50 if anyone is interested.

[markmann]

Originally posted by barneyc4
Which one did you play? And how did it sound?

I know Gilmour uses Hiwatt amps. Those amps have really big punchy cleans. How are the F-50/F-100 cleans?

I own both and I can say without any hesitation that the f50 will clean the Hiwatt's clock in that department. Interestingly, I can make the f50 sound like the Hiwatt's best clean tone.

Distortion is another story, two completely different beasts.

[markmann]

OK, different subject...

I finally bought a Bad Monkey and man I'm really digging it at the moment. The BM has been on my wish list for a long time but my list is long and the Monkey was not at the top. I've owned LOTS of OD and distortion pedals and I've never been this impressed at first use. I've had an SD1 on my board for a while now but have not been satisfied. I really like the SD1 for bridge solo OD stuff with buckers but that's about it. The BM is great as a clean boost and works great with single coils and buckers alike in all positions. What I like most is that I can set it to fatten up the clean a bit without coloring the tone. EXCELLENT. This is the first pedal that I've found that can do mild OD to my liking. When used this way it allows me to use the f50 red channel for heavy tones.

40 bucks? You gotta be kidding me... worth every penny.

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by markmann
OK, different subject...

I finally bought a Bad Monkey and man I'm really digging it at the moment. The BM has been on my wish list for a long time but my list is long and the Monkey was not at the top. I've owned LOTS of OD and distortion pedals and I've never been this impressed at first use. I've had an SD1 on my board for a while now but have not been satisfied. I really like the SD1 for bridge solo OD stuff with buckers but that's about it. The BM is great as a clean boost and works great with single coils and buckers alike in all positions. What I like most is that I can set it to fatten up the clean a bit without coloring the tone. EXCELLENT. This is the first pedal that I've found that can do mild OD to my liking. When used this way it allows me to use the f50 red channel for heavy tones.

40 bucks? You gatta be kidding me... worth every penny.

Couldn't agree more....now I want to try an MI Audio Crunch Box on the clean channel to see if it's truly a Marshall-in-a-box pedal.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by markmann
OK, different subject...

I finally bought a Bad Monkey and man I'm really digging it at the moment. The BM has been on my wish list for a long time but my list is long and the Monkey was not at the top. I've owned LOTS of OD and distortion pedals and I've never been this impressed at first use. I've had an SD1 on my board for a while now but have not been satisfied. I really like the SD1 for bridge solo OD stuff with buckers but that's about it. The BM is great as a clean boost and works great with single coils and buckers alike in all positions. What I like most is that I can set it to fatten up the clean a bit without coloring the tone. EXCELLENT. This is the first pedal that I've found that can do mild OD to my liking. When used this way it allows me to use the f50 red channel for heavy tones.

40 bucks? You gotta be kidding me... worth every penny. LOL! I just bought a BM too. :) It'll be here at the end of the week and then I can give it a thorough run through.

I also have a full retube set from dougstubes.com waiting to go into the F-100, so I'll have some reviews next week for everyone.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
Couldn't agree more....now I want to try an MI Audio Crunch Box on the clean channel to see if it's truly a Marshall-in-a-box pedal.

Lt_Core.

I recently purchased one of these pedals and have been very pleased with it and use it with my F50's clean channel for a medium gain plexi-style tone (then let the F50's lead channel do my higher gain tones). It's got LTOS of gain on tap and gets fairly compressed at high gain levels...much like the F50. But it definitely has more of a mid presence than the F50 and is a little tighter on the bottom end. I have some sample clips on my Soundclick page...even a couple clips that compare the Crunch Box to the F50's lead channel. Here's the link:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381358

[Adam Poland]

So a small problem is devoloping into a little bigger one. I was playing my F-50 today and took out my Dano EQ as my boost and put up the gain to 12:00 and the treble at about 10:30-11:00 and it stiffened the contour so much that I didn't need the boost anymore because it sounded even better. I'm getting happier and happier with my overdrive sounds from this thing. But anyway, I fixed my cleans back up to where they were before I ran the boost and ran through my band's setlist of songs up until I got to one of the major clean parts I play. My cleans kept popping in and out and it does it more and more the longer I keep the countour channel on and it's starting to bug me a little bit since we're going to be recording soon and I don't want it to sound like that while recording.

Anyone have a similar problem?

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by Surfcaster
Lt_Core.

I recently purchased one of these pedals and have been very pleased with it and use it with my F50's clean channel for a medium gain plexi-style tone (then let the F50's lead channel do my higher gain tones). It's got LTOS of gain on tap and gets fairly compressed at high gain levels...much like the F50. But it definitely has more of a mid presence than the F50 and is a little tighter on the bottom end. I have some sample clips on my Soundclick page...even a couple clips that compare the Crunch Box to the F50's lead channel. Here's the link:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381358

Great clips! Crunchbox sounds great to me. Seems to have more mids and warmer but I'm not a sound engineer. You also have the C90 / V30 comparison. Very cool! My F-50 has a Jensen NEO in it now but I've been looking at a Mesa 212 cab with V30's.

What settings did you use on the F-50 C90/V30 comparison clip? I love that tone! Thanks!

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
Great clips! Crunchbox sounds great to me. Seems to have more mids and warmer but I'm not a sound engineer. You also have the C90 / V30 comparison. Very cool! My F-50 has a Jensen NEO in it now but I've been looking at a Mesa 212 cab with V30's.

What settings did you use on the F-50 C90/V30 comparison clip? I love that tone! Thanks!

Thanks, Lt_Core, it's been a while, but I'm pretty sure they are my standard settings, which for the lead channel would be

Gain - 10:30-11:00
Treble - 1:00
Mids - 3:00
Bass - 11:00
Master - 9:30 +/-

For clean:

Gain - 1:00 (bright pulled)
Treble - 1:00-1:30
Mids - 10:30
Bass - 11:00
Master - 9:30 +/-

I most likely used my Les Paul bridge for the lead and my Strat neck for the clean.

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by Surfcaster
Thanks, Lt_Core, it's been a while, but I'm pretty sure they are my standard settings, which for the lead channel would be

Gain - 10:30-11:00
Treble - 1:00
Mids - 3:00
Bass - 11:00
Master - 9:30 +/-

For clean:

Gain - 1:00 (bright pulled)
Treble - 1:00-1:30
Mids - 10:30
Bass - 11:00
Master - 9:30 +/-

I most likely used my Les Paul bridge for the lead and my Strat neck for the clean.

Thanks for the settings. That's the contour channel, right? Bass up that high? The low-end always woofs out on me. I bought the F-50 used and have never swapped out the tubes. I have a new set of Eurotubes just sitting there. Wouldn't hurt to try.

[jds22]

Tired of waiting. MUST HAVE NEW AMP NOW!!! :mad:

I guess I'll wait a little longer. :(

Most likely going to buy one when I get back from vacation the first week of Dec. A used but like new F-50 combo.

Still might end up selling my 212 cab after I get the combo. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

[markmann]

Originally posted by hal9000
LOL! I just bought a BM too. :) It'll be here at the end of the week and then I can give it a thorough run through.

IMO, it's an unbelievable pedal for the money. I've never been impressed using any pedal for low-gain tones but the BM seems to do it with ease. What I was after was a way to go from clean rhythm to a boosted slightly fatter lead tone that has some cutting power. I haven't tried it with a band yet but I have a feeling it'll do the job. Most pedals do higher gain well but not low gain. The tone controls are very dynamic and I found that cranking both tone controls up produces the most natural sound.

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by markmann
IMO, it's an unbelievable pedal for the money. I've never been impressed using any pedal for low-gain tones but the BM seems to do it with ease. What I was after was a way to go from clean rhythm to a boosted slightly fatter lead tone that has some cutting power. I haven't tried it with a band yet but I have a feeling it'll do the job. Most pedals do higher gain well but not low gain. The tone controls are very dynamic and I found that cranking both tone controls up produces the most natural sound.

I'm going to have to try cranking both tone controls up. How high is your gain set? It's a great pedal. With the already great clean, overdrive and contour F-50 channels, it adds a fourth channel to the mix.

[Flannery]

Originally posted by markmann
OK, different subject...

I finally bought a Bad Monkey and man I'm really digging it at the moment. The BM has been on my wish list for a long time but my list is long and the Monkey was not at the top. I've owned LOTS of OD and distortion pedals and I've never been this impressed at first use. I've had an SD1 on my board for a while now but have not been satisfied. I really like the SD1 for bridge solo OD stuff with buckers but that's about it. The BM is great as a clean boost and works great with single coils and buckers alike in all positions. What I like most is that I can set it to fatten up the clean a bit without coloring the tone. EXCELLENT. This is the first pedal that I've found that can do mild OD to my liking. When used this way it allows me to use the f50 red channel for heavy tones.

40 bucks? You gotta be kidding me... worth every penny.

I use a Boss Blues Driver with my F-50 and have been very pleased with the results. It gives me that Stonesy slightly broken up sound if I need it, but I can also kick it on for a little extra gain during solos.

Have any of you had experience with the Bad Monkey and the Blues Driver? The BM sounds like an interesting pedal, but if I have something that already covers that base, it would be kind of redundant.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
Thanks for the settings. That's the contour channel, right? Bass up that high? The low-end always woofs out on me. I bought the F-50 used and have never swapped out the tubes. I have a new set of Eurotubes just sitting there. Wouldn't hurt to try.

Yeah, that is with the contour on.

That's where I often have the bass, but I do pull it down a little on occasion...maybe 10:00 or so, but generally not much lower.

If you put in the Eurotubes, be sure to report back. I'm thinking I'll be buying a replacement set for my original tubes here in the coming months. I've had the amp 3 years now and am still on the original tubes...though for the last couple of years it only gets used a few hours on the weekend, so the tubes don't see that much action.

[hinrich]

Have any of you had experience with the Bad Monkey and the Blues Driver? The BM sounds like an interesting pedal, but if I have something that already covers that base, it would be kind of redundant.

I find the Blues Driver sounds too bright with strat, almost scratchy where I have to turn the tone knob down to 7:00 or 8:00. Sounds better with my Les Paul but I actually found the Behringer Vintage Tube Overdrive TO800 to sound better than the BD for half the price. Never tried the Bad Monkey but I'm intrigued now.

[Rodimus Prime]

do the combo's woof out in the bass becuase of the open back thing? like if it acted as a head into a closed back cab would that help control the woof?
Just thinking of versatility... i don't think i would want soo much bass, having it at 3-4 is plenty bass. Like its huge and at that level i sometimes even fight against the bassist so i crank mids and i need it to be punchy.

I'm excited for practice tonight just talking about the amp :thu:

[jds22]

I may have a good deal in the works for an F-50 head.

I'm a little leary though as it's thru craigslist and out of state.

[Samoan tiikeri]

Cheers!

I bought my F-50 combo about 4-5 months ago. I have been very satisfied of those bright cleantones and crunchy rhythm-tones, but the only little problem are the lead sounds. At this moment my lead solo sound is pretty dry/bright, and i would have most preferably some creamy type of sound to solos. For example Petrucci and Morse have that type of leadsound. :)

So i thinked to ask some help from you guys, what distortion or overdrive pedal would be the best choice to boost the f-50 combo?

Samoan Tiikeri

[Flannery]

Dann'sTheMan was kind enough to post his settings way back on page 1 of this thread. I tried them out and found them all to be quite useful (although I tweaked them to my exact taste) so you might want to check them out.

I use a Boss Blues Driver and am very happy with it. It's a great sounding, versatile pedal. The Behringer Vintage Tube Overdrive TO800 was mentioned in another post, and it's considerably less than the BD (I've always liked Behringer stuff, but I might be in the minority on that one). I've never tried one out but if it's similar to the BD you can't go wrong.

[jds22]

WooHoo. I just pulled the trigger on an F-50 head in good condition with footswitch.

It should show up at my office one day next week. The bad part is I will be out of state on vacation and won't get to play it. :mad:

For now I'll be using my Avatar 212 with Eminence tonespotters but will most likely replace these speakers. Great soudning speakers but not really what I'm after. Leaning towards Hellatone 60l but nothing's definate yet.

:thu:

[snakum]

Originally posted by jds22
WooHoo. I just pulled the trigger on an F-50 head in good condition with footswitch.

It should show up at my office one day next week. The bad part is I will be out of state on vacation and won't get to play it. :mad:

For now I'll be using my Avatar 212 with Eminence tonespotters but will most likely replace these speakers. Great soudning speakers but not really what I'm after. Leaning towards Hellatone 60l but nothing's definate yet.

:thu:

Good luck with the F-50. I'd like to find one myself, cuz the F-100 is overkill for me. A smaller/lighter, yet near-exact replica of the F-100 would be perfect for me. (whispering) "Wanna trade?" :D

Make sure you get the original receipt for it so you can register for the five year warranty. My head and cab were only a year old and look brand new (even have hang tags, manuals, etc.) and I still have four years on the warranty.

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by snakum
Make sure you get the original receipt for it so you can register for the five year warranty. My head and cab were only a year old and look brand new (even have hang tags, manuals, etc.) and I still have four years on the warranty.

Ummm, yeah to that one. I bought a 3 month-old Mesa F-50 combo on eBay. Arrived safely, gigged with it for 3 months then the C90 speaker died unexpectedly.

The guy couldn't find his receipt so I ended up putting a Jensen NEO in it. The moral of the story is ask for a receipt, hell, beg for a receipt because you never know what's going to happen. Mesa won't register my amp because I do not have receipt. Sucks!

[1longhorn]

i've got an f-50 that's in excellent condition...with footswitch and cover...i need to sell it...
i'd like to offer it first here on this forum...
i think $730 + shipping is a fair deal...
if interested, let me know...
cheers...

[Pwn3d]

So I tried the F30 again yesterday.

Pro's:
- Bubbly cleans
- Fucking LOUD (for me)
- Minimal tweaking to get the sound I wanted
- Found an awesome lead tone, very liquidy

Con's:
- Couldnt find a decent rythm tone for any blues, finding some settings might help
- It needs volume to get some girth.

I went and played a vox ad30vt right afterwards, honestly I dont know what to get. I can do more with the vox, but I get a better sound with the mesa. It's not the price that gets me, its just that I only use my amp at home and I dont need to turn it up loud, nor do I want to. Decisions...

I think this was partly affected by the fact that I found "the" sound I'be been looking for in overdrive/lead with my current setup. Why do I want to get another amp then you ask? I just want something different. I find my HRD overwhelming some of the time, it sounds like there's just too much happening and not enough guitar coming through if you can understand that. I think I need to go back with some of them printed settings.

still :( for now

[poida]

**BUMP**:love:

[Tonemeister87]

^ WOW! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

:D

[Pwn3d]

Originally posted by Tonemeister87
^ WOW! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

:D

Well, yeah. Im crazy. But I also have a trainwreck clone and a princeton reverb coming on the build bench. :rolleyes:

[Josh O]

HELP!!!!! I've been playing my F-50 combo for the past week and today it's feeding back uncontrollably on channel 2, with or without contour. I haven't changed the settings since I tried it in the store, I've got the gain at 1:00 and the master volume is going anywhere between close to off up to 10:00 depending on the time of day. I've used a variety of guitars with it (PRS Custom 24 in the store, TCM Taurus Standard and EBMM JP6 at home) and up until this morning, it's been pretty quiet for a rather gainy amp, only feeding back if I leave the guitar unattended with the volume wide open, as one would obviously expect. This morning, I introduced my pedalboard to the amp, just a wah and delay to see how they'd sound. Wah sounds great, delay definetely needs to be in the FX loop. But now when I'm playing, as soon as I take my hand away from the guitar, the amp is instantly feeding back, no slow buildup, straight to ear piercing howl, no matter what the master volume level is, it's still there even when I leave the room the amp is in. I went back to guitar straight to amp, no FX, and still, it's doing it. Channel 1 is fine clean and the only way to get rid of the out of control feedback on channel 2 is to roll the gain back to 11:00. I shouldn't have to do that. It did not do this before. Did a preamp tube prematurely bite the dust on me?

[jman435]

Wow! Picked up an F30 on ebay for $550 and have had it for 2 days. Likewise, I need some help. All three channels sound awsome through a 1x12 Vintage 30 cab. using an Ibanez RG320 with EMG 81 and 85. Using a Monte Allums modded Boss Metal Zone up front the thing does it all; it sings, soars, chunks big time bottom end. However, I tried it through the loop and got a loud background hum no matter where I set the pedal level or the effects mix %. Is there a problem with the loop? The pedal functions perfectly otherwise and through my other amp. Also, the seller was nice enough to include two new JJ EL 84 power tubes. What do you guys think of this brand of tube, and have you tried them in your F30? How did they effect your tone? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Jason

[Pwn3d]

Originally posted by jman435
Wow! Picked up an F30 on ebay for $550 and have had it for 2 days. Likewise, I need some help. All three channels sound awsome through a 1x12 Vintage 30 cab. using an Ibanez RG320 with EMG 81 and 85. Using a Monte Allums modded Boss Metal Zone up front the thing does it all; it sings, soars, chunks big time bottom end. However, I tried it through the loop and got a loud background hum no matter where I set the pedal level or the effects mix %. Is there a problem with the loop? The pedal functions perfectly otherwise and through my other amp. Also, the seller was nice enough to include two new JJ EL 84 power tubes. What do you guys think of this brand of tube, and have you tried them in your F30? How did they effect your tone? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Jason

In my opinion, and most others too, you're not supposed to put overdrive/distortion pedals in the loop. Only pedals like chorus, delay, reverb, etc; time based effects.

When I switched to JJ tubes in my hot rod deluxe my sound improved over stock. JJ tubes are great for what they are I dont know how they would sound in your mesa. Just make sure the bias is right or that they are ment for that certian range. (which I dont think is a problem) Pop them in and see how you like them and then report back here.

:wave:

[jman435]

OK... I thought that might be the case. I just read another post on another thread who liked the JJ's. I'll give 'em a try like you've suggested. There's really only one way for me to know for sure; try 'em! Thanks for the info. Great thread everyone :)

[Natek]

Mesa F-50 and EBMM JP VIDEO (clean channel/guitar review)

Since I was bored on my Turkey Day break, I decided to get out my digital camera and try to show everyone thats been interested in the F-50, the clean channel. I would do the gain channel but the mic on my digital camera sounds horrid when it's on the gain channel:mad:. That explains why a bit of the clean clips sound a little overly bright. grr. Anyways, the camera DOESN'T do justice to this amp.

Anways, bash the tone all you want since that's what I'm goin for.........not my on-the-spot playing please :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn1P9rIQJw

P.S. reduce the vid size for better quality

P.P.S. I sound like a goober when I try to explain things on there :p

[mrfreeze]

Originally posted by Natek
Mesa F-50 and EBMM JP VIDEO (clean channel/guitar review)

Since I was bored on my Turkey Day break, I decided to get out my digital camera and try to show everyone thats been interested in the F-50, the clean channel. I would do the gain channel but the mic on my digital camera sounds horrid when it's on the gain channel:mad:. That explains why a bit of the clean clips sound a little overly bright. grr. Anyways, the camera DOESN'T do justice to this amp.

Anways, bash the tone all you want since that's what I'm goin for.........not my on-the-spot playing please :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn1P9rIQJw

P.S. reduce the vid size for better quality

P.P.S. I sound like a goober when I try to explain things on there :p


not too shabby natek...

i love your amp...thanks for letting me use it:thu:
Jonathan

[Pwn3d]

Originally posted by Natek
Mesa F-50 and EBMM JP VIDEO (clean channel/guitar review)

Since I was bored on my Turkey Day break, I decided to get out my digital camera and try to show everyone thats been interested in the F-50, the clean channel. I would do the gain channel but the mic on my digital camera sounds horrid when it's on the gain channel:mad:. That explains why a bit of the clean clips sound a little overly bright. grr. Anyways, the camera DOESN'T do justice to this amp.

Anways, bash the tone all you want since that's what I'm goin for.........not my on-the-spot playing please :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn1P9rIQJw

P.S. reduce the vid size for better quality

P.P.S. I sound like a goober when I try to explain things on there :p

:thu:

[Tommi Inkila]

Cool vid Natek and it's good to see you in action! :) ...and it's good to see that I ordered my 7-string in the right color (that's sapphire black, right?)

It's a shame that those vidcam mics aren't up to high sound pressure... once we had an external mic for the camera while we were playing live and the sound was much better... then some other technical problems occurred so there's nothing to publish... don't remember what was the problem :rolleyes:

---

I've been lately bothered with acoustic tones myself... Here's a clip from my best effort so far.

http://www.scenerychannel.com/aspt.mp3 - same takes slightly differently panned and EQ'd.

Any feedback is appreciated. BTW, have you guys noticed how hard it's to play acoustic properly (evenly)? I'm waiting in horror our recording sessions in January... maybe some F50 clips coming then too :thu:

[Natek]

Hey Tommi.......believe it or not but it's the Carbon Blue color that I have. The lighting wasn't the greatest and kinda dark on the guitar so it sorta looks like the saphire black would in the light. Either way, both great colors!:)

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by Natek
Hey Tommi.......believe it or not but it's the Carbon Blue color that I have. The lighting wasn't the greatest and kinda dark on the guitar so it sorta looks like the saphire black would in the light. Either way, both great colors!:)
:eek: :)

Looks good... I guess the sapphire black will be even heavier :D ;)

[teof]

Hey guys!

Great to have know that there's such a useful section for the F series amp. I am about to purchase one of this unit. I was wondering if any of you could help clear my doubts. I'm thinking of getting a F50 head and to bring it around for practices. Owners of the F50 head, do you find it portable enough? Hope to hear from you guys. Thanks so much!

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by teof
Hey guys!

Great to have know that there's such a useful section for the F series amp. I am about to purchase one of this unit. I was wondering if any of you could help clear my doubts. I'm thinking of getting a F50 head and to bring it around for practices. Owners of the F50 head, do you find it portable enough? Hope to hear from you guys. Thanks so much!
Hi,

I think that the head part is easily portable although it weights quite a bit. The cab is obviously the annoying part to transport.

[Tommi Inkila]

Here's another acoustic tone... got to stop this search for a while :)

http://www.scenerychannel.com/aspt3.mp3

[teof]

Originally posted by Tommi Inkila
Hi,

I think that the head part is easily portable although it weights quite a bit. The cab is obviously the annoying part to transport.

Hey Tommi,

Thanks so much for the prompt reply. Which means it would be manageable to carry the head by the handle to bring it around to practice studios? Coz I hope to my tones out of the bedroom :)

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by teof
Hey Tommi,

Thanks so much for the prompt reply. Which means it would be manageable to carry the head by the handle to bring it around to practice studios? Coz I hope to my tones out of the bedroom :)
Yeah, I find the head carriable, although long walks (a mile/kilometer) could be a problem.

Do you have extra cab at home?

[ashjn]

Can you record a clip of the first part again? One with the Dyna Comp On, and one with it Off. I want to hear the difference it makes....

[teof]

Originally posted by Tommi Inkila
Yeah, I find the head carriable, although long walks (a mile/kilometer) could be a problem.

Do you have extra cab at home?


Sounds great. I currently do not own an amp. Just relying on my BOSS GT6. So I thought it will be nice to invest on a decent simple rig. Then came the idea of a F-50 head, maybe a 1x12cab and perhaps rely on GT6 for the effects. I play pretty much of progressive stuff like dream theater.

Bring the cab around for practices and gigs would be tough. So I am thinking of just bringing out the F-50 since it contributes most to the tones (though I do admit that the cab makes a diff too). I will probably have the F50 linked up with the cabs or combos that are available in the practice studios.

Do fill me with any advice and comments. Thanks alot Tommi!

[Tommi Inkila]

I have to add that you you need somekind of cab or dummy load right away at home since tube amps need to have something where to "unload its power"... can't come up with right English term at the moment.

Using the head at home without any cab or dummy load the head will be damaged.

Otherwise it sounds like a plan :)

[teof]

Originally posted by Tommi Inkila
I have to add that you you need somekind of cab or dummy load right away at home since tube amps need to have something where to "unload its power"... can't come up with right English term at the moment.

Using the head at home without any cab or dummy load the head will be damaged.

Otherwise it sounds like a plan :)

Thanks for the input Tommi. Is there a specific term for the dummy load? Perhaps I could check this one out, could save me some cash instead of going for a cab. :P

[Tommi Inkila]

Some power attenuators acts as dummy load... maybe others could give some proven examples of those :rolleyes:

Anyway, I think it might be even cheaper to buy some small cab instead of dummy load.

[teof]

Originally posted by Tommi Inkila
Some power attenuators acts as dummy load... maybe others could give some proven examples of those :rolleyes:

Anyway, I think it might be even cheaper to buy some small cab instead of dummy load.

Cool. Maybe I should look at a simple 1x12 afterall. The head looks more proper with another "box" below it heh. Hopefully, I join this club as a proud owner soon. :)

[Rodimus Prime]

still looking for a remedy to smoothe out the high's when the amp is turned up loud. anything, i'm thinking maybe a preamp tube swap will do the trick. Waiting for Hal's comments on that. Anyone else have any suggestions?
Tommi, i've been a longtime fan. You've definately influenced my decision to purchase my amp. I'll have some clips posted soon. What do you do to smoothe out the highs, or is that just how things are?

[markmann]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
I'm going to have to try cranking both tone controls up. How high is your gain set? It's a great pedal. With the already great clean, overdrive and contour F-50 channels, it adds a fourth channel to the mix. I had the gain at high noon, both the tones were around 3 o'clock.

Id like to get it set so that I can use it for solo's on the clean channel and also as a boost on the red channel so that would give me 5 options without turning any knobs. :thu:

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
still looking for a remedy to smoothe out the high's when the amp is turned up loud. anything, i'm thinking maybe a preamp tube swap will do the trick. Waiting for Hal's comments on that. Anyone else have any suggestions?
Tommi, i've been a longtime fan. You've definately influenced my decision to purchase my amp. I'll have some clips posted soon. What do you do to smoothe out the highs, or is that just how things are? Hey,

I'm happy to hear that I had some influence :)

You could try to smooth the amp by changing JJ 12AX7 (ECC83S) to V1 preamp slot... if that's not enough then V2 as well. Actually I have 4 tested JJ on my drawer waiting for our next recordings... I'm going for darker tone.

The rest of my "smoothness" comes from vintage30 elements, SPL Goldmike mk2 recording preamp and the pickups on my Music Man. Basicly Dimarzio Air Norton and Steve's Special, which I'll change to D-Sonic soon and then see if it fits the tone I'm looking for on our next single/EP. There's no special tricks like extra EQs, just the combination of equipment.

[Rodimus Prime]

thanks tommi, what i was thinking of doing was slipping in a tung sol in v1 and jjs in v2 and v3 and leaving v4 stock as these tubes are almost nos condition and they are made in russia, not the newer chinese ones. i believe that they are currently sovtek 12AX7LPS which are pretty good.

if you think thats worth while to try and that it will make a significant difference then i'll pull the trigger on that config

[Adam Poland]

+1 on the JJ's in V1. It helped mine out a lot with the highs since I used to play shows every week or so. I've gotten some replies on how my tone sounds so natural which is a plus.

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
thanks tommi, what i was thinking of doing was slipping in a tung sol in v1 and jjs in v2 and v3 and leaving v4 stock as these tubes are almost nos condition and they are made in russia, not the newer chinese ones. i believe that they are currently sovtek 12AX7LPS which are pretty good.

if you think thats worth while to try and that it will make a significant difference then i'll pull the trigger on that config
Go ahead and try it... I spent many hours on changing the preamp tubes.

Still I find that using a JJ on V1 could be the best option since V1 affects the amps overall tone the most and tung-sol is actually quite bright tube so it could be better on V3 or V4 :rolleyes:

[Rodimus Prime]

i just experimented a little bit at a moderate volume level (7:30/:45) between a stock russian 2 tube, a very old jj, and an EH 12at7. for the contour mode, i really loved the at7 but it just can't handle it microphonically and it just squeals uncontrollably when i turn up the gain in the clean. Very unfortunate. In the contour, it lowered the volume, shaved off some of the highs, kept it nice and warm and the mids shone through more. If that tube could handle it, and if the clean channel used a different set of preamp tubes i'd definately keep it. shame.

i didn't notice too much of a difference between the stock tube and the jj. that said, paying such close attention to the tubes today, i think my preamp tubes aren't in such great condition as i thought previously. heard definate wear today and there were some microphonics.

[Arpie92]

wooo mesa boogie F-50 time this tuesday. i wont be able to concentrate in school at all

EDIT: ive been wanting a new amp for 3 years now and been saving for 1-1/2 and been wanting a f-50 for 6 months, its scary to think that it's right around the corner

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by Arpie92
wooo mesa boogie F-50 time this tuesday. i wont be able to concentrate in school at all

EDIT: ive been wanting a new amp for 3 years now and been saving for 1-1/2 and been wanting a f-50 for 6 months, its scary to think that it's right around the corner

Congrats! You will love it. I can't believe an amp this small packs such a huge punch. I get excited every gig just setting it up. Ah, the Mesa smell.....

[Samoan tiikeri]

Originally posted by Flannery
Dann'sTheMan was kind enough to post his settings way back on page 1 of this thread. I tried them out and found them all to be quite useful (although I tweaked them to my exact taste) so you might want to check them out.

I use a Boss Blues Driver and am very happy with it. It's a great sounding, versatile pedal. The Behringer Vintage Tube Overdrive TO800 was mentioned in another post, and it's considerably less than the BD (I've always liked Behringer stuff, but I might be in the minority on that one). I've never tried one out but if it's similar to the BD you can't go wrong.

Do you use your blues driver in clean channel or in dirty channel? In fact i can borrow bd-2 from my good friend.

[Lt_Core]

One more question about your MI Crunch Box. Do you honestly believe it adds that Plexi/JCM800 tone to your F-50 and is worth the $110? I can't seem to get a Marshall tone out of the stock F-50. How well does it handle tight palm-mutes? Thanks!

I have $100 to spend on a X-Mas present and this might be it.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
still looking for a remedy to smoothe out the high's when the amp is turned up loud. anything, i'm thinking maybe a preamp tube swap will do the trick. Waiting for Hal's comments on that. Anyone else have any suggestions?
Tommi, i've been a longtime fan. You've definately influenced my decision to purchase my amp. I'll have some clips posted soon. What do you do to smoothe out the highs, or is that just how things are? When I'm playing at high volumes with my band either in practice or at gigs I have my earplugs in (Hearos Hi-Fi or Etymotic Research ER-20s), so I don't ever hear my amp at ridiculous volumes (at least that get to my ears :)). However, I've been playing a lot more at home recently and I've found that my Hot Plate does a great job of knocking down the high treble beam of the speakers when the bright switch is off. In the same way, an EQ in the loop would be equally useful for dropping the highs around 3-6 kHz depending on what you're hearing.

If you're wondering about how other amps compare, my Tremoverb and VHT 50CL both have post-distortion EQ, so you can darken them significantly with the treble and presence controls. Ultimately, your ears are more sensitive to treble as the volume increases which is why the perfect treble setting at low volume seems harsh at higher SPLs. My rule of thumb for volume is that as it goes up, I drop treble and gain to keep the sound from getting harsh and to prevent uncontrollable feedback. Also note that as the gain is reduced on the F-series, the treble control has more influence and you'll get more bass.

[Rodimus Prime]

yearrr, i totally used to have those plugs but my dog ate them. i should pick up a new pair. i'm using toilet paper at the moment :D

still waiting to hear your review of your new tubes

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
One more question about your MI Crunch Box. Do you honestly believe it adds that Plexi/JCM800 tone to your F-50 and is worth the $110? I can't seem to get a Marshall tone out of the stock F-50. How well does it handle tight palm-mutes? Thanks!

I have $100 to spend on a X-Mas present and this might be it.

It fits the bill for me. The emphasis on the EQ is in the mids, so there's a little less bass which results in a tighter bottom end. However, the pedal does compress as you increase the gain, which results in a spongier bottom end at higher gain levels.

I have mine set at what I'd call a hot-rodded plexi gain level which is around 9:30 oclock on the gain knob...it's probably just a bit more gain than the typical AC/DC sound. From there up to 11:00 is what I'd call a the JCM800 range, with 11:00 being somewhere around a JCM800 with a boost pedal in front of it. At those levels I find the bottom end is still tighter than the F50 stock. However, push it up to noon or higher and the bottom end is too spongy for my tastes, though it does work nice for leads at that level.

So when I need a tight bottom end for palm-muting I find the Crunch Box delivers nicely. YMMV.

[Rodimus Prime]

this thread has been dormant for too long.
bump

[snakum]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
this thread has been dormant for too long.
bump

I'll help ...


Damn, I love my F-100/Recto cab more and more each week. It is still kicking ass every weekend in the local dives. Smooth, articulate, dynamic .... everything an amp should be, with humbuckers or single coils .... covers everything from Van Halen to Pink Floyd with only a Bad Monkey. :D

[Rodimus Prime]

do you stack them or is your f100 a head. i'm tempting the idea of getting some sort of marshall 4x12 cab possibly with greenbacks for my f50 and i'll run the amp as a head for bigger gigs and stuff.
anyone have any experiences with the fseries and greenbacks?

[snakum]

I have the F-100 head with the 2x12 Recto horizontal cab. I have used the F-100 with Peavey Sheffield and Emi Private Jack, Stonehenge, and Tonker speakers. The Sheffield 1230 and Private Jack are very similar to Greenbacks, and both speakers are, in fact, modeled on old worn Greenbacks with respect to the freq curves. The F-100 takes on a very mellow, yet open character with Greenback-inspired speakers. The Stonehenge and Tonker (both VERY similar to each other) mellow the Mesa out a bit more and add a tad more compression. At the same time, I like the F-100 with the Vintage 30s - and I have never liked the V30s with ANY amp except old Marshall Super Leads (definitely not with my JCM800). The Vintage 30s have a kind of upper mid spike that sucks with just about any amps I've ever tried with it, but the F-series SMOKES with the V30. Awesome with a single coil solidbody axe. :thu:

It's as if the F-series plays nice with just about any speaker you throw it on. Very odd ... but very cool.

I'm gonna feed mine a Peavey Blue Marvel tomorrow just to test my theory that the F-series is so good that it is awesome with literally ANY guitar and speaker cab. :freak:

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
this thread has been dormant for too long.
bump Did you get a chance to try an EQ in the loop to drop treble at high volumes?

[Rodimus Prime]

thats good to know, thanks. i have my f50 powering a 2x12 closed back cab with v30's and i do like the sound but sometimes i'd like them to feel more stiff in the bass and have more mid range presence. oh well, i'm not desparate to give it a go as i'm very pleased with my tone, i just love the look of having a marshall 4x12. it makes my knees weak. like a nice old jcm800 cab.... mmmm

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally posted by hal9000
Did you get a chance to try an EQ in the loop to drop treble at high volumes?

not just yet. i havn't had the chance between work and family. band practices have been on hold for about a week. we'll get to it again on saturday.
i got the dano 7band eq and i've used it in the loop for a volume boost. actually, i don't boost the volume, i cut the bass and slightly boost the mids and keep the highs somewhat flat. i don't quite get it but it seems to really boost everything even thought the volume level on the eq is lower than flat and i have a definate increase in bass. its wierd is all. I'll prolly experiment more with the eq pedal when i record with it with my band. My buddy is borrowing it today do do a recording with a les paul and a sennheiser e609. I'm going to stop by and see how thats going. partly because she's my baby

[Rodimus Prime]

have you popped yer preamp tubes in yer f100 yet?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
have you popped yer preamp tubes in yer f100 yet? Yup, i put all new preamp tubes in the F-100 and I replaced the power tubes as well. As I suspected, they aren't very different from the stock Mesa tubes. I was having a fluctuating volume issue that made me strongly suspect the outside 6L6 pair. The whole retube fixed that. With the Tung-Sol in V1, it's perhaps a bit brighter than normal compared to a Mesa 12AX7 Russian 2. I may play around with one of the JJs in the V1 slot as opposed to the Tung-Sol just to see if it makes a difference. Since I now have the Century Vintage speakers in there, it's hard to really give an accurate portrayal of the differences compared to stock V30s.

This is the layout I'm currently running:

V1: Tung-sol reissue 12AX7
V2: JJ ECC83S
V3: JJ ECC83S
V4: Balanced EH 12AX7

V5-V8: Ruby 6L6GCMSTR, graded for Mesa's plate current spec (24 mA).

All I can say is that the new tubes sound good, I get the tones I'm used to with my F-100, and they aren't microphonic. The Ruby 6L6GCMSTR tubes have a very similar look (including the blue glow) to the Mesa STR 430 which are stock in the Mesa 6L6 amps.

Anyway, all the new tubes (4 12AX7s and 4 6L6s) only cost $115 shipped which is just a little more than Mesa charges for a matched quad of STR 430 tubes, so I'll probably buy my tubes from www.dougstubes.com from now on. :)

[Rodimus Prime]

i replaced my power tubes with TAD6L6's that are comparable to the ruby's. Apparently they're going for the same thing. I've decided that i like the stock12ax7 russian 2 preamp tubes and would like to keep that as close to stock as possible. I thought i knew what the model of 12ax7 was but i was wrong. Do you have any idea what they are? Mesa just uses chinese tubes and i don't want to use those. i might just put jj's in all slots if i don't find what the model is.

[snakum]

I ran JJs in all my Pevaey Classics over the past six years. Love 'em in Peaveys. Wanna try 'em in a Mesa Booger.

Call Bob P at Eurotubes and just tell him what sound you're after and he'll hook you up cheaper and faster than anyone else on JJs.

Or, if you prefer doing business with Doug, he can do an excellent job with JJs as well, for not much more money.

Both are good folks, imho. :thu:

[Rodimus Prime]

in canada, we go with thetubestore.com
they're good guys and we won't have to pay extra crazy shipping or doodies. so i like to do my research, find out what i want and go for it from thetubestore.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Rodimus Prime
in canada, we go with thetubestore.com
they're good guys and we won't have to pay extra crazy shipping or doodies. so i like to do my research, find out what i want and go for it from thetubestore.

I've use thetubestore.com before and been very pleased, even though I live South of the border. :D The shipping time was only a few days...much shorter than they said it would be, which is always good.

[jcoggins7]

I have a Groove Tubes 12ax7. I'm gonna check out how it sounds in V1 just for kicks and I think I'll post the results on here if anybody's interested.

[Flannery]

Originally posted by Samoan tiikeri
Do you use your blues driver in clean channel or in dirty channel? In fact i can borrow bd-2 from my good friend.

I use it on the clean channel for the most part. I set it up to give me a barely breaking up sort of distortion, that way I can run the dirty channel of the Mesa more dirty. I also use the BD sometimes on solos if I want some extra sustain. It doesn't color the sound very much to my ears, so it works quite well for that.

[Dave M]

Guys

I've owned my F50 for 6 months now and I'm struggling to get a good lead tone out of it. I'm not hear to dis the amp....

- The clean channel is awesome
- The lead channel for crunchy chord tones, breaking up clean sounds and even nu-metal modern tones is awesome

I just cant get a creamy warm sustained lead tone. It sounds dry and lacking in depth to my ears. I tried retubing with JJ's and even hooked it up to my Cornford cab with Vintage 30 speaker.

Before I sell the amp and head for the Lonestar camp where am I going wrong.

[Rodimus Prime]

maybe you're not. maybe the tone that you want just isn't what the amp can give you. its a great amp but its not the be-all-end-all amp. there's no such thing... at least i havn't heard it

[Antti Loponen]

I've been having a slight problem with my F-30 channel switcher. After going to the clean channel, it's as if it flicks back quickly to the distortion channel, and goes back, resulting in a short cut in the sound. Sometimes it was about the cable being loose, but it's not now. Any ideas? I still have a week of warranty left :D

Another dumb question, sorry for asking this again. I think it's time to replace the tubes. I've played 40 gigs with my amp and countless hours of practice and recording during this year. When I play chords on the low strings the sound goes really fuzzy. I'd like to try some other brand of tubes than Mesa, but what do I need to do? Can I just ask for a matched pair of EL84's and some preamp tubes and put them in, and that's it? No biasing or anything? Or do I just need to stick to the Mesa tubes?

[Dann'sTheMan]

Welcome to Samoan tiikeri and jman435 to the F-series brotherhood! Tell us more about the kind of music you play. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by Natek
Mesa F-50 and EBMM JP VIDEO (clean channel/guitar review)

Since I was bored on my Turkey Day break, I decided to get out my digital camera and try to show everyone thats been interested in the F-50, the clean channel. I would do the gain channel but the mic on my digital camera sounds horrid when it's on the gain channel:mad:. That explains why a bit of the clean clips sound a little overly bright. grr. Anyways, the camera DOESN'T do justice to this amp.

Anways, bash the tone all you want since that's what I'm goin for.........not my on-the-spot playing please :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn1P9rIQJw

P.S. reduce the vid size for better quality

P.P.S. I sound like a goober when I try to explain things on there :p

Hey Natek,

Loved the vid - I think you did an excellent job in front of the camera, both in terms of presentation and of playing. You do realise that you will inevitably be asked to do the same for the dirty sounds - it's what people like to hear from Boogie! :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by Dave M
Guys

I've owned my F50 for 6 months now and I'm struggling to get a good lead tone out of it. I'm not hear to dis the amp....

- The clean channel is awesome
- The lead channel for crunchy chord tones, breaking up clean sounds and even nu-metal modern tones is awesome

I just cant get a creamy warm sustained lead tone. It sounds dry and lacking in depth to my ears. I tried retubing with JJ's and even hooked it up to my Cornford cab with Vintage 30 speaker.

Before I sell the amp and head for the Lonestar camp where am I going wrong.

Hi Dave M,

What are your settings? Are any of the clips in my sig in the ball park of what you're looking for, or could you link us to a lead sound that represents what you're after.

The Lonestar is one of my favourite Boogies - vying for the number 2 slot with the MkIV, however I personally much prefer the lead sounds in the F-series. My initial suggestion would be to start with the Lead channel (withOUT contour) - the key thing though is that I think the channel Volume needs to be up above at least 10 o'clock to get this channel singing and sustaining. Look forward to getting a bit more info. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by Antti Loponen
I've been having a slight problem with my F-30 channel switcher. After going to the clean channel, it's as if it flicks back quickly to the distortion channel, and goes back, resulting in a short cut in the sound. Sometimes it was about the cable being loose, but it's not now. Any ideas? I still have a week of warranty left :D


Hi Antti,

It sounds like you have a poor connection somewhere in your footswitch set-up. It may be the lead (you can replace the lead with a fully wired MIDI cable), but I'd also check the sockets at both ends of the cable to see if any of the pins have been bent/loosened, or if some stray wire is temporarily causing a (pin 4) connection to ground.


Another dumb question, sorry for asking this again. I think it's time to replace the tubes. I've played 40 gigs with my amp and countless hours of practice and recording during this year. When I play chords on the low strings the sound goes really fuzzy. I'd like to try some other brand of tubes than Mesa, but what do I need to do? Can I just ask for a matched pair of EL84's and some preamp tubes and put them in, and that's it? No biasing or anything? Or do I just need to stick to the Mesa tubes?


You don't have to use Mesa tubes, but if you choose not to, then I'd suggest finding a tube supplier with a good reputation (FWIW I use www.watfordvalves.com). All you have to do is tell them that you are looking for Power Tubes that are within Mesa's spec and tolerances - and thus there'll be no need for biasing. A reputable tube supplier will likely be able to offer pretty much any power tube that they stock, as they will have tested them and can choose the ones that fall within Mesa's range. Pre-amp tubes are all cathode biased, so you can choose whatever compatible tube that you like, and not have to worry about any biasing. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[snakum]

Anyone aware of a relatively inexpensive flight case for the Mesa F-100 head? I'd like something for $100 or less, if humanly possible, but the lowest I've seen are the heavy-duty ATA cases on EBay for about $180.

Anyone tried those $59 cases on Ebay from the company in Holbrook, NY? (They named the town after me, of course. :D ) I'd prefer foam cushioning, but these carpeted cheapos may be enough. I ain't gonna be throwing this expensive puppy around anyway. Anyone seen one? Tried one?

[rensid]

I want to buy a new tube amp and tried out quite a bunch.

I play alot of different styles, from dirty bluesy stuff to rock to metal also with some subtle clean passages.

The one i'm thinking about right now is the Mesa/Boogie F-50 Head.
I woulfd like to know is there a significant difference in tone & sound between the F-50 and the F-100 head?

And what would be your suggestion for a good cab?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by rensid
I want to buy a new tube amp and tried out quite a bunch.

I play alot of different styles, from dirty bluesy stuff to rock to metal also with some subtle clean passages.

The one i'm thinking about right now is the Mesa/Boogie F-50 Head.
I woulfd like to know is there a significant difference in tone & sound between the F-50 and the F-100 head?

And what would be your suggestion for a good cab? Rensid, welcome to the forum! :)

No, there isn't a significant difference, especially considering just the heads. The F-50 is insanely loud, so I don't think you'd ever be in a situation where you wouldn't have enough clean headroom.

If you're in the US, I would look at the Avatar Vintage 2x12 Closed-back (http://www.avatarspeakers.com/) with a mix of a Hellatone 60L and a Classic Lead 80 or even dual Hellatone 60L speakers. Both the Hellatone 60L and Classic Lead 80 are variants of what comes stock with the F-series, where the CL80 is similar to a Mesa Custom 90 (stock in the F-50), and the Hellatone 60L is a broken-in V30 (stock in the F-30/100).

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally posted by hal9000

If you're in the US, I would look at the Avatar Vintage 2x12 Closed-back (http://www.avatarspeakers.com/) with a mix of a Hellatone 60L and a Classic Lead 80 or even dual Hellatone 60L speakers. Both the Hellatone 60L and Classic Lead 80 are variants of what comes stock with the F-series, where the CL80 is similar to a Mesa Custom 90 (stock in the F-50), and the Hellatone 60L is a broken-in V30 (stock in the F-30/100).

If you're in canada you can get avatars from Steamco Music (http://www.steamcomusic.com/) based in winnipeg i believe. They are great products for sure!

[rensid]

Thanks for the advise!

Too bad I'm not in the US, I'm from The Netherlands, Europe and Avatar doesn't ship to here. :(

Any other suggestions?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by rensid
Thanks for the advise!

Too bad I'm not in the US, I'm from The Netherlands, Europe and Avatar doesn't ship to here. :(

Any other suggestions? I'm pretty sure there is a European distributor for Avatar, but I can't recall the site.

Barring an Avatar dealer, I'm sure H&K, Diezel, Cornford, etc. could provide you with a fine cab.

[Rodimus Prime]

well, avatars are good because they are good quality and inexpensive so i guess whatever cab you can get your hands on.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Natek
Mesa F-50 and EBMM JP VIDEO (clean channel/guitar review)

Since I was bored on my Turkey Day break, I decided to get out my digital camera and try to show everyone thats been interested in the F-50, the clean channel. I would do the gain channel but the mic on my digital camera sounds horrid when it's on the gain channel:mad:. That explains why a bit of the clean clips sound a little overly bright. grr. Anyways, the camera DOESN'T do justice to this amp.

Anways, bash the tone all you want since that's what I'm goin for.........not my on-the-spot playing please :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn1P9rIQJw

P.S. reduce the vid size for better quality

P.P.S. I sound like a goober when I try to explain things on there :p

Very nice. While the tone from the camera might not be ideal, it's amazing that these cameras sound as good as they do!

[Surfcaster]

I've been thinking about getting a compressor pedal and am wondering what people would recommend for under $100. I know Andy uses a MXR Dynacomp, but I believe it's an older version which I hear is preferred over the current production models. Are the current production models still good pedals? And what about the MXR Super Comp, which is advertised as an "Improved" Dynacomp?

Of course, I've heard wonderful things about the Keeley Compressor, but am not quite ready to lay down $220 for one, so if the MXRs are decent pedals, I'd probably go with one...I like the $70 price tag!

[Samoan tiikeri]

Originally posted by Dann'sTheMan
Welcome to Samoan tiikeri and jman435 to the F-series brotherhood! Tell us more about the kind of music you play. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Thank you Andy for welcoming me to the Mesa-lounge!

Well, i like many different kind of music. Some favourite bands are Frank Zappa, Dream Theater, Megadeth, Van Halen, Opeth, The Doors, Kingston wall and stuff like that.

Thanks for asking :)

[snakum]

I have absolutely nothing to add today.











But damn ... I sure do love my Mesa Booger more and more every gig. This thing is incredible. And to think someone told me I'd never find Fender clean, cranked Bassman crunch, and singing Mark III lead tone in the same amp. :love:

[Lt_Core]

Originally posted by Surfcaster
I've been thinking about getting a compressor pedal and am wondering what people would recommend for under $100. I know Andy uses a MXR Dynacomp, but I believe it's an older version which I hear is preferred over the current production models. Are the current production models still good pedals? And what about the MXR Super Comp, which is advertised as an "Improved" Dynacomp?

Of course, I've heard wonderful things about the Keeley Compressor, but am not quite ready to lay down $220 for one, so if the MXRs are decent pedals, I'd probably go with one...I like the $70 price tag!

I had a stock Boss CS-3 which sucked on the F-50's OD channels. Horrible. I've been thinking about the Barber Tone Press. Supposedly, its Blend knob is pretty cool.

[Samoan tiikeri]

Hello hello!

Here`s a little mesa clip, played with my mesa f-50 and stratocaster. This clip is recorded with vocalist microphone.

There is couple impure spots, but however here it is.

The song here is pantera - this love

http://mp3.mikseri.net/hifi/s/saapasjalkakissa_-_kipale_x.mp3

[fxschx]

Originally posted by Dave M
Guys

I've owned my F50 for 6 months now and I'm struggling to get a good lead tone out of it. I'm not hear to dis the amp....

- The clean channel is awesome
- The lead channel for crunchy chord tones, breaking up clean sounds and even nu-metal modern tones is awesome

I just cant get a creamy warm sustained lead tone. It sounds dry and lacking in depth to my ears. I tried retubing with JJ's and even hooked it up to my Cornford cab with Vintage 30 speaker.

Before I sell the amp and head for the Lonestar camp where am I going wrong.

Hello,
my name is Frank and i live in Germany.
I'm a F 30 owner since 2 months and have the same problems like Dave M.
I tried different pedals,tubes and setups, but it didn't help.
Yesterday i called Ralf Reichen from www.tonehunter.de in cologne/germany and told him my problem.
He said, that it is possible to change the setup of the amp to get the tones i like. I send him the amp next week and think that he can help me.
:thu:
Frank

[Alligator]

Hi Dave M and Frank (and Hi Brotherhood! Long time!)

I've had my F50 for nearly 2 years and i'm still finding new tones - I've noticed the amp sounds slightly different everytime i plug it in and is really sensitive to subtle changes in EQ setting, not to mention guitar type / setting. What guitar(s) are you using? This amp will really show up any imperfections in pickup/guitar quality.

I've replaced the power valves with JJs. I'm playing a 335 loaded with Bare Knuckle Mule humbuckers and last night i found one seriously "creamy warm sustained lead tone" - it was heaven! Settings below...

(Dirty Channel with contour)
Gain - 10-10:30
Treble - 12:30
Mid - 10:30ish
Bass - 12ish
Master - 10

Guitar settings...

Neck pickup
Vol 7-8ish
Tone 8ish

One key thing with these settings is i was attenuating volume with a vol pedal in the loop. This creamed off the treble and really warmed up the mid response. I'd love to post a clip but at the moment i don't have the facility. I've often noticed that rolling the volume off a little on the guitar warms up the tone...

Its been mentioned before that this is a great amp but not necessarily perfect for you and i would really agree. It's perfect for me, as are those Bare Kunckle Mules, but neither may be to your taste.

[fxschx]

Hi Alligator,
thank you for your tips, i will test it, but i think that i had played with this setup.
My Guitars:
Fender Stratocaster American, now with Seymour Duncan Vintage pickups
Epiphone LesPaul Std.
I think a PRS is good for this amp but i'm playing lefthand and PRS has more lefthand guitars :-(
I can change the Epiphone pickups, but for the same money i get the tonehunter modification.
Frank

[hinrich]

I'm not selling it, I don't even know the owner. I just thought I'd pass this on: http://toronto.craigslist.org/msg/242206284.html

I may be selling my F30 combo soon...

[hal9000]

Originally posted by fxschx
Hello,
my name is Frank and i live in Germany.
I'm a F 30 owner since 2 months and have the same problems like Dave M.
I tried different pedals,tubes and setups, but it didn't help.
Yesterday i called Ralf Reichen from www.tonehunter.de in cologne/germany and told him my problem.
He said, that it is possible to change the setup of the amp to get the tones i like. I send him the amp next week and think that he can help me.
:thu:
Frank Hi Frank. Welcome to the forum and the F-series Brotherhood! :)

Personally, I love the thick solo tones I get from my F-100 in channel 2 (not contour) with either of my humbucker loaded guitars in the neck position. If you look at my sig for the recommended audition settings, "Modern Solo" is a real treat. Both my humbucker guitars are loaded with SD '59 pickups in the neck which are smooth and sweet.

[plumptone]

Originally posted by Surfcaster
I've been thinking about getting a compressor pedal and am wondering what people would recommend for under $100. I know Andy uses a MXR Dynacomp, but I believe it's an older version which I hear is preferred over the current production models. Are the current production models still good pedals? And what about the MXR Super Comp, which is advertised as an "Improved" Dynacomp?

Of course, I've heard wonderful things about the Keeley Compressor, but am not quite ready to lay down $220 for one, so if the MXRs are decent pedals, I'd probably go with one...I like the $70 price tag!

I use the MXR Dynacomp and love it. When I'm playing clean, it's on almost all the time. The one I have is one of the "newer" models, I guess (it's a 1996, I think). For the price, I don't think you can go wrong with the mxr. At moderate levels it's a very transparent pedal, and the effect is subtle. Maxing out the compression will give you all the squish you're looking for, but the trade-off is a bit of added noise, and a noticeable loss of definition in the attack. I don't mind that particularly, but I know some guys do. I think the upgraded model has a knob that compensates for this and preserves the pick attack. I never use it in channel 2, because (1) who needs the extra compression, and (2) the hiss is substantial.

The unit has been very reliable, is extremely easy to use, and does fantastic things for you if you ever get into slide playing (think Lowell George). If you set the compression at noon, and use the output knob to boost your signal, it gives the front end of the F-50 a nice push too - kind of like a line-driver. I'm a huge fan of this pedal. Having said all of that, I recently got to try out a Keeley, and when I can scrape the cash together, I'm probably going to pick that unit up - it's just a higher quality compressor. The difference is tough to describe, but once you hear it, you know you're playing through a better unit. Less of a "pumping" sound I guess you could say - more even compression.

One word of caution - I use the power supply, not the 9-volt. Because I use it so much, I was going through batteries at a pretty steady clip. The power supply has paid for itself many times over at this point. Good luck. If you get the MXR, you'll be a happy camper.

[workingman]

Hi everyone. I'm Jason and live near Washington DC. I've owned my F-50 Combo since May 2003 and *LOVE* it. I don't play out in a band (mostly play for my own enjoyment) and stumbled on this forum/thread while researching a minor problem my F-50 was having a couple weeks ago (problem is resolved for now).

This thread is indeed a treasure trove of info for those of us that own an F Series. :) I've learned a bit from reading everything (I started last week and yesterday FINALLY read the entire thread - all in my copious spare time ;) )

Anyways, just saying "Hi" to everyone and hopefully I'll contribute here occasionally.

-- Jason

[Natek]

Hey guys.......I, again, Have some more questions for you all.

First off, I decided to go pedals and as far as delay goes, I'm kind've stuck. It'd be great to go analog because of the quality but that means a very pricey pedal which doesn't allow things such as the hold option and reverse. On the other hand.....digital.....the last thing I want is something to color my tone something horrid when on or off. Also, I wanted a delay with some decent delay times......quite a bit more than just 300ms. I have about $200 max to spend on a delay new OR used. Any takes on the Maxon/Ibanez/Memory Man Analog pedals? Any digital delays from the boss line like the DD-5, DD-6, or DD-20?

Next off, I'm failry sure about the T.C. Electronic Chorus/flanger/pitch modulator used mainly for my chorus effect. I'm really just going for that lush sound on the clean channel and maybe a tad added to the lead channel. comments on this?

As for phaser.......I just feel I need to go for the EVH MXR Phase 90. simple, sounds good, and I'd use it mostly with leads.

Boost/Gain pedal. Here's where the other half of the headache starts. I'm sold on the Xotic BB preamp clips that i've seen as NOTHING i've heard sounds like this pedal. lets count the reasons this rocks. True Bypass. Trebble/Bass controls. Use as either a clean boost or Gain pedal. Every setting I've heard is amazing. Smooooooth tone for days over both the clean and drive channels. and lastly "Xotic effects" is a great brand. My question???? Why the HECK is this thing not as pupular as the famous tubescreamer. am I missing something? I want a pedal for both smooth creamy leads and also something to "juice up" the lead channel.

Lastly, Anyone know a great....and not too pricey ($100 new/used).....fuzz pedal to put before a talk box? I've read up a little on talk boxes and I understand they respond very well....actually better....to fuzz/overdrive pedals.

Well thats about it for now. thanks for your input!!

[Natek]

Ohh yeah........on the F-50, as of lately I've found that the leads on Channel 2 WITHOUT contour sound superb compared to the contour on! There's no longer that harshness I noticed while soloing on the countour channel. It also sounds a tad smoother but maybe its just me. Keep in mind I'm boosting the signal a tad with the Dynacomp. Either way, wow i've been missing out!

[jds22]

Back from vacation with an F50 head waiting to get fired up. It's used and I had it shipped to my office while I was out of town. It's definately used and needs some cleaning up but I didn't notice any tears. The chrome parts are kind of dingy and discolored but I can probably take care of that.

I did notice it has Sovtek 5881s in it. How do those compare to a 6L6?

Everyone is still asleep so it'll be a while until I can turn it on. I'll report back later.

Jerry

[ashjn]

Originally posted by Natek
Hey guys.......I, again, Have some more questions for you all.

First off, I decided to go pedals and as far as delay goes, I'm kind've stuck. It'd be great to go analog because of the quality but that means a very pricey pedal which doesn't allow things such as the hold option and reverse. On the other hand.....digital.....the last thing I want is something to color my tone something horrid when on or off. Also, I wanted a delay with some decent delay times......quite a bit more than just 300ms. I have about $200 max to spend on a delay new OR used. Any takes on the Maxon/Ibanez/Memory Man Analog pedals? Any digital delays from the boss line like the DD-5, DD-6, or DD-20?

Next off, I'm failry sure about the T.C. Electronic Chorus/flanger/pitch modulator used mainly for my chorus effect. I'm really just going for that lush sound on the clean channel and maybe a tad added to the lead channel. comments on this?

As for phaser.......I just feel I need to go for the EVH MXR Phase 90. simple, sounds good, and I'd use it mostly with leads.

Boost/Gain pedal. Here's where the other half of the headache starts. I'm sold on the Xotic BB preamp clips that i've seen as NOTHING i've heard sounds like this pedal. lets count the reasons this rocks. True Bypass. Trebble/Bass controls. Use as either a clean boost or Gain pedal. Every setting I've heard is amazing. Smooooooth tone for days over both the clean and drive channels. and lastly "Xotic effects" is a great brand. My question???? Why the HECK is this thing not as pupular as the famous tubescreamer. am I missing something? I want a pedal for both smooth creamy leads and also something to "juice up" the lead channel.

Lastly, Anyone know a great....and not too pricey ($100 new/used).....fuzz pedal to put before a talk box? I've read up a little on talk boxes and I understand they respond very well....actually better....to fuzz/overdrive pedals.

Well thats about it for now. thanks for your input!!


I went with the DD-20 and haven't looked back. Sounds great with the F-100 in the loop.

I too am considering picking up a Phase 90 and am interested in some feedback on the Phase 90/F-Series combo...

[jds22]

OK quick review.

F50 head into 2x12 closed back Avatar w/Eminence Tonespotters(Celestion g1265 clone).

PRS CE22 with Dragon IIs
Carvin Kit with C22s
EVH Phase90 in front of amp.

DIGGIN IT. Definately loud enough for a hard hitting drummer. Cleans are awesome with the gain around 1oclock. Lead channel is awesome, gain between 11 & 2.

Phase 90 in front of amp sounds great. Really thick and syrupy.

Definately going to swap the speakers, probably for some Hellatone 60Ls. The Tonespotters are great sounding speakers, big and warm with a sweet top end. I'd like the lows to be a bit tighter though.

The amp came with 5881s in it but I noticed one was broken during shipping. I put in a new pair of Svet 6L6s in it. It also has Mesa 12ax7s in all 4 preamp sockets. What is everyones opinion of those? Should I change out the preamp tubes?

Thanks,
Jerry

[barneyc4]

Hi guys,
sorry to interrupt, but whats a good pedal to boost my solos with the f-50? I play hard rock.

I don't really have a budget forthis pedal. Fullton OCD? Keeley TS9? Analogman TS9?

[snakum]

As far as boost/OD pedals go, I haven't played many that can best the lowly Bad Monkey. It plays very nice with my F-100, my Laney, and my Peavey backup amp. Does Stevie Ray when used on the clean channel, or gooses the dirty channel for a bit more volume/gain. Very warm ... very 'tubey' ... no coloration to your tone ... no alteration of tone when it's off, either. Awesome pedal. :thu:

Same with delays. I use the relatively inexpensive Digitech DigiDelay in the loop. I tried about ten different pedals (at home, with my setup from three years ago) and the DigiTech held it's own against all of them, with only the most expensive Boss delay pedal offering everything the Digi does. The Boss unit was also killer, and had reverse delay and a minimal looping capability. The Digi has reverse delay, too, for those weird songs, and it has a chorus delay, which negates the need for a seperate chorus pedal. I have a slap-back setting, a chorus delay setting, and a lead delay setting and it kicks ass for me. And again .. no tone coloration, which was an absolute MUST for me.

Wish I could brag about DigiTech's Turbo Flange. But I'm afraid I can't. It kinda' sucks, kinda' sorta' ... and bad. :(

[barneyc4]

has anyone tried the RC booster for solo boost?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by barneyc4
Hi guys,
sorry to interrupt, but whats a good pedal to boost my solos with the f-50? I play hard rock.

I don't really have a budget forthis pedal. Fullton OCD? Keeley TS9? Analogman TS9? I love my HBE Germania for solo boosts. It's a treble booster based off the same design that Brian May made famous. The Germania really screams for solos and makes you cut through like a knife.

I'll be testing out the Bad Monkey this week, so I'll give my impressions when I'm done. I would start with the BM. I'd also take a look at the Dano Fish and Chips EQ because they can be wonderful as a boost.

[solitarycheese]

Hey F-Series Loungers,

I'm in the market for a new amplifier. I need something versatile that can do classic rock and can bring on decent metal tones if needed (the perfect heavy tone in my mind is something along the lines of Atreyu). Good cleans are a plus. I've been looking at everything, and am currently considering an F-50 ( or 100) head (which would most likely sit on a 2x12 cab) or a Mesa Rectoverb. Which would you reccomend? If you have any other suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

Keep the awesome clips coming, too! Great job to everyone.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by solitarycheese
Hey F-Series Loungers,

I'm in the market for a new amplifier. I need something versatile that can do classic rock and can bring on decent metal tones if needed (the perfect heavy tone in my mind is something along the lines of Atreyu). Good cleans are a plus. I've been looking at everything, and am currently considering an F-50 ( or 100) head (which would most likely sit on a 2x12 cab) or a Mesa Rectoverb. Which would you reccomend? If you have any other suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

Keep the awesome clips coming, too! Great job to everyone. Hi solitarycheese. I think the F-50 or 100 would work great for the styles you mentioned.

I had a brief listen to Atreyu, and their sound seems vaguely Marshall-esque and is pretty tight. IIRC there is a 5150 in there somewhere. Hmm... Both the F-50 and Rectoverb can get very aggressive to get you in the ballpark of those tones. For the tight rhythms though, IMO, both amps would need a bass-starved boost like a TS-808, TS-9, SD-1, Bad Monkey, EQ, etc. The boost isn’t for gain, but to tighten the low end up a bit. Both the F-series and Rectoverb have about the same level of gain.

As far as a comparison between the F-50 and Rectoverb, they are pretty evenly matched, especially if you lean to the high gain side of life. IMO, the F-50 has stunning cleans as good as Mesa has ever produced (yes, including the Lone Star). The Rectoverb cleans are good, but not in the same ballpark. For breaking-up sounds I give the edge to the F-50 since it doesn't always have the aggressive edge to the sound like the Rectoverb. If you like a lot of bass and aggressive upper mids/treble for your heavy sounds then the Rectoverb may be the ticket. The F-50 is a little smoother on top and has less bass (but it’s tighter). For solo sounds, I love my F-100 on regular channel 2 compared to anything the Rectoverb has. The F-series channel 2 (without contour) is much like a Mark series amp. It can be very fluid for leads. For the Rectoverb, I like the Vintage mode for leads, but it really needs a boost to get the feel like the F-series.

So, as you can tell there are lots of things to like about both amps. If you can, give them both a thorough run through. If I can persuade you, please take along my recommended settings for auditioning an F-series amp (sig). Also, if you can swing it, take a look at the older Tremoverbs since IMO, they are the best sounding amps in the Recto-series.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by workingman
Hi everyone. I'm Jason and live near Washington DC. I've owned my F-50 Combo since May 2003 and *LOVE* it. I don't play out in a band (mostly play for my own enjoyment) and stumbled on this forum/thread while researching a minor problem my F-50 was having a couple weeks ago (problem is resolved for now).

This thread is indeed a treasure trove of info for those of us that own an F Series. :) I've learned a bit from reading everything (I started last week and yesterday FINALLY read the entire thread - all in my copious spare time ;) )

Anyways, just saying "Hi" to everyone and hopefully I'll contribute here occasionally.

-- Jason Jason, welcome to the forum and the F-series Brotherhood. :)

It's good to know that you're enjoying the F-50. What kind of music do you like to play and how do you setup your amp?

BTW, I'm from outside of Richmond, VA originally and I have to travel to DC for business all the time.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by barneyc4
has anyone tried the RC booster for solo boost? Sorry, barney, I don't have anything to add about the RC Booster, but I will say that Xotic's site is a GAS inducing nightmare. I want every one of their pedals. The new chrome and copper pedals look sweet!

If you have an EQ, you can get an approximation of what the RC booster will do with your amp although the EQ will be noisier probably.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Natek
Ohh yeah........on the F-50, as of lately I've found that the leads on Channel 2 WITHOUT contour sound superb compared to the contour on! There's no longer that harshness I noticed while soloing on the countour channel. It also sounds a tad smoother but maybe its just me. Keep in mind I'm boosting the signal a tad with the Dynacomp. Either way, wow i've been missing out! Yup, Channel 2 for solos is sweet! Since I equalize channel 2 and contour with my G-major, I have most of my heavy rhythm patches with contour and almost all my solos with channel 2. With both of my humbucker guitars on their neck SD '59s, channel 2 sings.

[solitarycheese]

What's the deal with the Tremoverb? Is it just a Dual Rec with tremolo and reverb option built in?

PS: Just to clarify, this amp would mostly be used for medium gain/vintage gain type sounds- Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc. I'd just like the ability to do metal, too.

[jds22]

What's the deal with the Tremoverb? Is it just a Dual Rec with tremolo and reverb option built in?

Not sure how it compares to a DR but I gigged with one for a few years. Great sounding amp for what you're playing.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by solitarycheese
What's the deal with the Tremoverb? Is it just a Dual Rec with tremolo and reverb option built in?

PS: Just to clarify, this amp would mostly be used for medium gain/vintage gain type sounds- Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc. I'd just like the ability to do metal, too. The Tremoverb was the flagship Mesa until the Road King came out. It is a Dual Rectifier with tremolo and reverb, but the real love comes from its tone. Basically, for most people, the 2-channel Duals from the first run sound best, and the early T-verbs capture that tone. My T-verb is smoother and just plain sounds better than any other Recto I've tried (I haven't played a Racktifier BTW). Anyway, it has two channels with a really good Clean sound or Vintage High Gain, and the second channel can either be Blues or Modern High Gain. You can also clone the channels so you could have two Vintage High gains, two Modern High gains, etc. The FX loop is switchable, as are the reverb and tremolo. This is what mine looks like:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000_Blonde_Tremoverb_Head.jpg

[snakum]

Concerning metal ... we were playing around after practice the other night with some 'vulture-raping death metal' and we found that, when tweaked correctly, the Bad Monkey on the contour channel of my F-100 yields an excellent scooped metal/dual recto tone with the mids rolled all the way off. The other guitarist in my band is a metalhead at heart and he LOVED the tone. Something about the way the contour channel is voiced also allows the tone to cut thru better than the average heavy-mid-scooped tone without blasting the volume.

I imagine just about any tube screamer-type pedal will do the same thing to an F-50/F-100. I think Mesa should use this in their ads ...

"From Fender clean to Vulture-raping Death Metal and everything in between ... the F-Series has you covered." :thu:

:D

[Torh]

Originally posted by Natek
First off, I decided to go pedals and as far as delay goes, I'm kind've stuck. It'd be great to go analog because of the quality but that means a very pricey pedal which doesn't allow things such as the hold option and reverse. On the other hand.....digital.....the last thing I want is something to color my tone something horrid when on or off. Also, I wanted a delay with some decent delay times......quite a bit more than just 300ms. I have about $200 max to spend on a delay new OR used. Any takes on the Maxon/Ibanez/Memory Man Analog pedals? Any digital delays from the boss line like the DD-5, DD-6, or DD-20?]
DD-20 is excelent in many ways. You'll have tons of possibilities, and most of it is very good sounding. However, the twist-function is horrible, no use for that one. Good idea, but the volume three-folds, and brings destruction to your home. But that's just one of the many functions.. However, I can't get the smooth- nor dual- or the the warp-functions to work without getting weird sounds, when using the unit in the loop (one exception though, which might turn out to not being an exception, eventually ;) -- using smooth works now as I have set the output mode to A: dir, B: efx, having fx send -> input DD-20 -> output B (efx) -> fx return. Haven't tried the warp- or the dual-functions yet....

[Adam Poland]

Anyone try running 5881's in their F-50 yet?

[rakester]

Originally posted by snakum
Concerning metal ... we were playing around after practice the other night with some 'vulture-raping death metal' and we found that, when tweaked correctly, the Bad Monkey on the contour channel of my F-100 yields an excellent scooped metal/dual recto tone with the mids rolled all the way off. The other guitarist in my band is a metalhead at heart and he LOVED the tone. Something about the way the contour channel is voiced also allows the tone to cut thru better than the average heavy-mid-scooped tone without blasting the volume.

I imagine just about any tube screamer-type pedal will do the same thing to an F-50/F-100. I think Mesa should use this in their ads ...

"From Fender clean to Vulture-raping Death Metal and everything in between ... the F-Series has you covered." :thu:

:D

Hey snakum, what were your exact setting on the amp and both bad monkey please? I am interested in trying that out, let me know please :)

[snakum]

Originally posted by rakester
Hey snakum, what were your exact setting on the amp and both bad monkey please? I am interested in trying that out, let me know please :)

I have it written down at the house. I'll scrounge it up tonight and post it.

[rakester]

cool man, that would be greatly appreciated

[snakum]

I didn't get back in until now ... almost 2:00AM. Couln't find my notes (I keep a written record of all my settings). It looks like I had the F-100's channel 2 (w/contour) at ...

gain=2:00
hi=11:00
mid=8:00 (off)
bass=9:00
reverb=8:00 (essentially off ... doesn't really work anyway :D )
master=9:30 (loud as holy fuck, even on 60 watt setting)
contour=ON

With the Badus Monkus set at ...

vol=10:00
lo=3:00
hi=3:00
gain=1:00

Unless I bumped anything moving the head and pedal, this was about what we were using. Yielded a semi-scooped crunch that still cut thru nicely. I kinda' liked it. :thu:

[rakester]

cool man, i'll give it a go when i get back tonight :thu: :thu:

[Alligator]

[/QUOTE] First off, I decided to go pedals and as far as delay goes, I'm kind've stuck. It'd be great to go analog because of the quality but that means a very pricey pedal which doesn't allow things such as the hold option and reverse. On the other hand.....digital.....the last thing I want is something to color my tone something horrid when on or off. Also, I wanted a delay with some decent delay times......quite a bit more than just 300ms. I have about $200 max to spend on a delay new OR used. Any takes on the Maxon/Ibanez/Memory Man Analog pedals? Any digital delays from the boss line like the DD-5, DD-6, or DD-20?
[B][/QUOTE]

Hi Natek - Haver you tried the Line 6 DL 4? I'm using one in the loop of my F50 and it's got some fantastic tones in there plus a looper and reverse functions...

Just thought i'd mention it!

Peace :)

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Natek
First off, I decided to go pedals and as far as delay goes, I'm kind've stuck. It'd be great to go analog because of the quality but that means a very pricey pedal which doesn't allow things such as the hold option and reverse. On the other hand.....digital.....the last thing I want is something to color my tone something horrid when on or off. Also, I wanted a delay with some decent delay times......quite a bit more than just 300ms. I have about $200 max to spend on a delay new OR used. Any takes on the Maxon/Ibanez/Memory Man Analog pedals? Any digital delays from the boss line like the DD-5, DD-6, or DD-20?



I've got a DD-5 that I've had for years and have been really happy with it. If I was buying today I'd get a DD-6, simply because I only use tap tempo and the DD-6 has it built in, with the DD-5 I have to have a second pedal to set tempo. I don't feel it colors my sound much at all. It has up to 2 seconds of delay...I think the DD-6 may have bit more than that.

[Goldwing]

Originally posted by hal9000
Hi solitarycheese. I think the F-50 or 100 would work great for the styles you mentioned.

I had a brief listen to Atreyu, and their sound seems vaguely Marshall-esque and is pretty tight. IIRC there is a 5150 in there somewhere. Hmm... Both the F-50 and Rectoverb can get very aggressive to get you in the ballpark of those tones. For the tight rhythms though, IMO, both amps would need a bass-starved boost like a TS-808, TS-9, SD-1, Bad Monkey, EQ, etc. The boost isn’t for gain, but to tighten the low end up a bit. Both the F-series and Rectoverb have about the same level of gain.

As far as a comparison between the F-50 and Rectoverb, they are pretty evenly matched, especially if you lean to the high gain side of life. IMO, the F-50 has stunning cleans as good as Mesa has ever produced (yes, including the Lone Star). The Rectoverb cleans are good, but not in the same ballpark. For breaking-up sounds I give the edge to the F-50 since it doesn't always have the aggressive edge to the sound like the Rectoverb. If you like a lot of bass and aggressive upper mids/treble for your heavy sounds then the Rectoverb may be the ticket. The F-50 is a little smoother on top and has less bass (but it’s tighter). For solo sounds, I love my F-100 on regular channel 2 compared to anything the Rectoverb has. The F-series channel 2 (without contour) is much like a Mark series amp. It can be very fluid for leads. For the Rectoverb, I like the Vintage mode for leads, but it really needs a boost to get the feel like the F-series.

So, as you can tell there are lots of things to like about both amps. If you can, give them both a thorough run through. If I can persuade you, please take along my recommended settings for auditioning an F-series amp (sig). Also, if you can swing it, take a look at the older Tremoverbs since IMO, they are the best sounding amps in the Recto-series.

Hi everyone

I'm also in the process of getting a good overdrive unit for overdrive the clean channel and to boost a little the channel two of my F50

I have a stock Boss SD1 right now and is good for getting more gain from the channel two but it doesn't raise the volume enough as a booster.

Has anyone tried the BD-2 modified by Keleey? I'm thinking in getting one. It has a better low end response than the stock model AFAIK.

In the other hand, I have the honor to lend my F50 this past weekend to several of the best bluesman of Spain for a little gig in the Hard Rock Café and for the first time I could have a very good glance of what my amp can do played in the right hands jejejje.. In short, I think now that many overdrive sounds can be achieved just by tweaking the settings, the thing is that a good overdrive could really help to get the right sound but I don't know if it's really worthy to pay for the overdrive pedal or should I try more tweakings with my amp.

what do you think?

thnks!!