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

[woodylong]

Hal 9000
Thanks for the input. Ok if I do this witch MID foot controller would you recommend? The easer the better at this point

[andershoeg]

Originally posted by woodylong
Hal 9000
Thanks for the input. Ok if I do this witch MID foot controller would you recommend? The easer the better at this point

what about the one tc actually produce to work with the g-major? looks easy to use:

http://www.synergyguitars.com/TC-Electronics-Effects/G-Minor.jpg

b.r. andershoeg

[hal9000]

Originally posted by woodylong
Hal 9000
Thanks for the input. Ok if I do this witch MID foot controller would you recommend? The easer the better at this point The foot controller will be entirely dependant on what you want to be able to do with your rig. For me, having tap tempo (which is a toggling CC message) and tuner mute (can be CC or PC) plus your normal program change messages were requirements. So, a lot of the simple program change controllers were out. I ended up with the FCB 1010 since it is more powerful than almost everything up to about $800. With the FCB you can have any button do either CC, PC or both with expression pedals and relays built-in. Of course, it's funky to program, but as long as you read the manual, it's not that difficult and of course we can help you along.

IMO there exists quite a gap in the MIDI controller world because the market is really geared towards the ultra-high end pro market. So, full-featured controllers cost $800 and up. The DMC Ground Control Pro gets very good reviews, but is lacking in flexibility compared to the FCB and also costs $400. It does have a nice display with editable preset names which is a plus and few other features that are nice to have.

If you decide to use the G-Minor, it can give you patch changes, tuner, and tap tempo all in the same mode so it's quite versatile. However, since program changes are incurred by scrolling through the patch numbers, there will be quite a bit more tap dancing than a unit with dedicated switches for at least 4 patches and bank up/down. By comparison, the FCB has 10 switches to be used however you'd like. I have mine setup with my basic four sounds at the bottom left to right and the fifth button is tap tempo. The top row are all alternate versions of the sound below it with solo boosts or FX. The final right most top button is for tuner mute. Of course, that's just the way I like to do things. I don't feel the need to have named presets since I just label the switches themselves on the FCB.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by andershoeg
what about the one tc actually produce to work with the g-major? looks easy to use:

b.r. andershoeg You know what I'd really like to have? A G-system MIDI controller without the processor where any button could be assigned CC, PC, or both, with the tuner and preset names on the display. That product would destroy all controller competition if it was priced at roughly $500-600.

[andershoeg]

Originally posted by hal9000
You know what I'd really like to have? A G-system MIDI controller without the processor where any button could be assigned CC, PC, or both, with the tuner and preset names on the display. That product would destroy all controller competition if it was priced at roughly $500-600.

You are definitely right about that. That would be a great, solid controller. I have had a G-major and a Roland FC-200 for years. Worked great too.....much like the behringer (actually a little more solid constructed than the behringer, but also a little more expensive though). Sold it, and now i use a couple of pedals....much happier now ;)
B.r. andershoeg

[Goldwing]

Originally posted by hal9000
You know what I'd really like to have? A G-system MIDI controller without the processor where any button could be assigned CC, PC, or both, with the tuner and preset names on the display. That product would destroy all controller competition if it was priced at roughly $500-600.

You are absolutely right. I was looking for something like that but couldn't find any. Since the G-system is really expensive and I needed a lot of effects I decided to buy a simply but powerfull BOSS GT8. Here is my solution, lets see what you guys think of it:

I use my stompboxes in the GT8 loop wich can be set in any place of the fx chain and can be call in or out the signal.

Yes, the GT8 amp channel feature can't change the channels in the F50 but if you buy a CFX from axess you could do it with midi commands from the gt8.

The GT8 must be placed in front of the amp in this scheme. I can't hear too much difference by placing it in the effects loop of the F50 but if you want to do it you also could buy a GRX4, place your stompboxes there and controll it with the GT8 midi commands.

With all this now you have a powerfull effects processor, full names for each patch, analogic and digital effects, true-bypass for individual pedals, a lot of patches to store... and full sounds from your F series amp.

Maybe in the US this setup gets near in cost to a G-system (altough I still think that its cheaper) but in my country is least than the half of the price, so It works for me.

Hope I could help

cheers!

[hal9000]

http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Red_Granite_Perspective_600x800.jpg

Care to take a guess about what this pedal does?

[Joeytpg]

hi guys! tonight the most amazing thing happened to me.....i bought a Mesa F-50 a month ago, but didn't have my guitar here with me to play, so i went home over x-mass and brought back my guitar....

....ok, so i've been playing thins amp for 3 days and for some odd reason i was not diggin' it....i tried Hal's settings and everything, but again...NOTHING (oh,sorry i mean in Dist. Channel that is, 'cause the clean channel's just jaw droppin')

so, to give you some info, i have a Fender Strat with an EMG system (two single coils and an 85' humb in the bridge) and like i said, i just did not like the distorted sound, it sounded dead, fizzi, and just NOT MESA......... so after ALMOST feeling bad i remembered that EMG's sound A LOT better when they're set high, close to the strings....i didn't have it like that because my other amp (a Marshall) just sounded better with the EMG's set in the middle (high-wise)...........

JESUS GUYS WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! it's like the amp came alive!!! it sounds SOOO rich and amazin!....damn!......


sometimes it's just not the amps, nor the tubes, nor the settings....it's the guitar and pickups.......

i'm a happy dude now!


P.S.

i opened a post with this, but i believe it belongs here :D

[zer0psi]

Originally posted by hal9000
http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Red_Granite_Perspective_600x800.jpg

Care to take a guess about what this pedal does?

Boost?

[Dann'sTheMan]

Originally posted by hal9000
<snip\>
Care to take a guess about what this pedal does?

Compressor? :thu: :cool:

[mynameistaken]

Originally posted by Goldwing
I use my stompboxes in the GT8 loop wich can be set in any place of the fx chain and can be call in or out the signal.

Yes, the GT8 amp channel feature can't change the channels in the F50 but if you buy a CFX from axess you could do it with midi commands from the gt8.

The GT8 must be placed in front of the amp in this scheme. I can't hear too much difference by placing it in the effects loop of the F50 but if you want to do it you also could buy a GRX4, place your stompboxes there and controll it with the GT8 midi commands.

With all this now you have a powerfull effects processor, full names for each patch, analogic and digital effects, true-bypass for individual pedals, a lot of patches to store... and full sounds from your F series amp.


+1 :thu:

for the Boss GT-8. Once you get it set up right, it makes it a breeze to change patches. The 4 cable method works very well with this amp. A very nice an easy way to gig.

[Lt_Core]

Hmmmm....I bet I do ;) Thanks again, Neil! Can't wait to fire it up.

Lt_Core

Originally posted by hal9000
http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Red_Granite_Perspective_600x800.jpg

Care to take a guess about what this pedal does?

[parsku]

Originally posted by hal9000
http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Red_Granite_Perspective_600x800.jpg

Care to take a guess about what this pedal does?

Yep, it's a boost. At least it's written on the bottom right of the pedal... :)

[Swimrunner]

Hi there. I bought a Mesa F-30 a while ago, but I'm never able to crank it - I'm in high school and live in the suburbs, where my neighbors/parents mean stuff's gotta be pretty quiet most of the time. I've been thinking of getting an attenuator, does anyone have any recommendations for what works well?

I play with a gibson LP faded dc (p-90's) if that's helpful, which by the way works great with the clean channel bright/dark for single coil/humbucker sounds (at least to my ears).

[ashjn]

Originally posted by Swimrunner
Hi there. I bought a Mesa F-30 a while ago, but I'm never able to crank it - I'm in high school and live in the suburbs, where my neighbors/parents mean stuff's gotta be pretty quiet most of the time. I've been thinking of getting an attenuator, does anyone have any recommendations for what works well?

I play with a gibson LP faded dc (p-90's) if that's helpful, which by the way works great with the clean channel bright/dark for single coil/humbucker sounds (at least to my ears).

The THD Hotplate works well....

If you don't use the FX Loop, a much cheaper alternative is Hal's Mix Pot Master Volume found in his sig...

NEW! FX LOOP MASTER VOLUME (http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000F-SeriesMixPotMasterRevB.jpg)

[ashjn]

I recently purchased a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Duece as an alternative to the F-100. I then realized that instead of running the Boss DD-20 in the loop of both (which is a great delay for running with the F-Series by the way) I can plug into the DD-20, and use it as a signal splitter to run into the F-100 and Stiletto at the same time. Some of the sounds I have been getting are very interesting. I love the F-100 clean with the Stiletto's Fluid Drive...

The only downside is now I can't run the delay in the loops, only infront. The clean channels still sounds good, but I am not that into the distortion channels with the delay up front..

Here is the F-100 head tucked away in it's new home..

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f315/ASHJNBITCH/F-100Head.jpg

And here it is in context with the rest of the rig...

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f315/ASHJNBITCH/Stiletto-F-100Rig007.jpg



Anyone else running the F-Series with other amps?

[hal9000]

Hold on now, the light's green:

http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Green_Granite_Top_600x800.jpg

[plumptone]

Power tubes for the F-50. I'll be replacing with Mesa tubes. I noticed my old ones have a code written on the base - is this important - do I need to match them up, or will any stock mesa 6L6s work? Thanks in advance - plan to pick up today at the local GC.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by plumptone
Power tubes for the F-50. I'll be replacing with Mesa tubes. I noticed my old ones have a code written on the base - is this important - do I need to match them up, or will any stock mesa 6L6s work? Thanks in advance - plan to pick up today at the local GC. The color code is for matching pairs. You should have the same color on both tubes. Mine were red. IIRC you can use any color you'd like as long as they're the same.

I have Ruby 6L6GCMASTRs now in my F-100 which are in the Mesa bias range. I highly recommend them from www.dougstubes.com.

[willrock]

Originally posted by Dann'sTheMan
Hi willrock,

and welcome to the F-series brotherhood - here's to a bunch of good times with your new amp! :thu: What kind of music do you play? The F-series is stunningly versatile, and you may surprise yourself on how just how long you continue to find new tones - for me, I was finding new tones years after purchase thanks to the wider brotherhood! What settings did you use for the MkIV tone? :cool:

Regarding posting audio clips - it's a two stage process. The first is getting the audio clip itself prepared which involves creating the original sound recording, and converting it into an MP3 file (for maximum compatibility). The second stage is uploading the MP3 file onto the world wide web so that it can be downloaded at leisure - this involves uploading the file onto your own personal webspace (that might have been provided by your Internet Service Provider), or using webspace provided by some of the free services on the internet such as soundclick, mp3lizard or even myspace. Let us know if you need more help with any of these steps. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.



my mark iv settings is channel 2 gain-1:30, treble and mid is max and bass is on 0. but i only use this on low to moderate volume, so i dont know how would it sound like on higher volumes. its sounds mark IVish to me.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by ashjn
I recently purchased a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Duece as an alternative to the F-100. I then realized that instead of running the Boss DD-20 in the loop of both (which is a great delay for running with the F-Series by the way) I can plug into the DD-20, and use it as a signal splitter to run into the F-100 and Stiletto at the same time. Some of the sounds I have been getting are very interesting. I love the F-100 clean with the Stiletto's Fluid Drive...

The only downside is now I can't run the delay in the loops, only infront. The clean channels still sounds good, but I am not that into the distortion channels with the delay up front..

Anyone else running the F-Series with other amps? I've run all my amps in various combinations at some point, but I've done exactly what you're doing with my F-100 and my singer's TSL 100 half stack using my DigiDelay's stereo output on Ping-pong. It's a bit of a low-fidelity effect in overdrive since you're distorting the delays, but if you're ever in the mood to bust out the Star Spangled Banner Hendrix-style, it's glorious sounding. :)

I've also run wet/dry and stereo with my F-100, T-verb and VHT 50CL which are all based on my G-Major's stereo outputs. So, one of the amps is the main tone generator, and the other side of the stereo image is simply into an FX return. It's quite interesting to hear my F-100's tone coming through the EL-34 power section of my VHT 50CL.

[willrock]

by the way im a prog-rock/metal type of player so the clean and dirty channel fits me perfectly. im still working on my clips though.. but this amps really rocks, i cant ask for more.. its kinda buttery smooth type of feel this amp gives me.

[willrock]

Originally posted by mynameistaken
+1 :thu:

for the Boss GT-8. Once you get it set up right, it makes it a breeze to change patches. The 4 cable method works very well with this amp. A very nice an easy way to gig.

boss gt8 4 cable method works well with my mark IV but its sounds nasty with my F30. as far as i know, 4CM works well if the amp has a serial effects loop, and doesnt work so well with parallel FX loop. so how did you fix it?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by willrock
boss gt8 4 cable method works well with my mark IV but its sounds nasty with my F30. as far as i know, 4CM works well if the amp has a serial effects loop, and doesnt work so well with parallel FX loop. so how did you fix it? Do you turn up the FX mix pot all the way (90%) on your F-30 for use with the GT-8?

My F-100 with the FX mix pot maxed works great with the G-Major.

[mynameistaken]

Originally posted by willrock
boss gt8 4 cable method works well with my mark IV but its sounds nasty with my F30. as far as i know, 4CM works well if the amp has a serial effects loop, and doesnt work so well with parallel FX loop. so how did you fix it?
I run my loop at MAX 90%.

I turn off all pre-amps and only use the stomp box models. The pre-amps sound bad IMO, but i haven't tried running them in the loop.

I keep my levels pretty low on everything. Output level,Master level, patch level, effect level etc. If i get them too high the amp will sound like its about to explode (kinda scary)

Make sure your LOOP is turned on and your FX chain is set properly. I run my Foot Volume (FV) first in the chain. If you run your FV in the loop it you will still have some sound even with the Foot Volume turned all the way down.

[ashjn]

Originally posted by hal9000
I've run all my amps in various combinations at some point, but I've done exactly what you're doing with my F-100 and my singer's TSL 100 half stack using my DigiDelay's stereo output on Ping-pong. It's a bit of a low-fidelity effect in overdrive since you're distorting the delays, but if you're ever in the mood to bust out the Star Spangled Banner Hendrix-style, it's glorious sounding. :)

I've also run wet/dry and stereo with my F-100, T-verb and VHT 50CL which are all based on my G-Major's stereo outputs. So, one of the amps is the main tone generator, and the other side of the stereo image is simply into an FX return. It's quite interesting to hear my F-100's tone coming through the EL-34 power section of my VHT 50CL.

Thats cool. I will try running the F-100 into the power section of the Stiletto later...

[ashjn]

Originally posted by willrock
boss gt8 4 cable method works well with my mark IV but its sounds nasty with my F30. as far as i know, 4CM works well if the amp has a serial effects loop, and doesnt work so well with parallel FX loop. so how did you fix it?

+1. I had the GT-Pro for a while, and couldn't get it to work right with the F-100. Called Boss and they said it works much better with Serial loops...

[hal9000]

Originally posted by ashjn
Thats cool. I will try running the F-100 into the power section of the Stiletto later... I believe the Stiletto has the same loop setup as the F-series and the rest of the Mesa amps, so put a dummy cable in the FX Send jack of the Stiletto to completely disconnect the preamp. If you don't, just like the F-series, you'll notice that it sounds like a blanket has been put over the speakers.

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi guys!

I've been away for a while... that's because I don't have 'net at home at the moment... and on the other hand we are recording our 3 song promo as we speak (or should I say as I write).

Anyway, here's the sound I've come up with today... please, feel free to comment so that I can mod it if necessary while I still can... my ears are pretty tired at the moment so I can't say anything about the sound for today at least :rolleyes:

http://www.scenerychannel.com/kity-gtrtest.mp3

[hal9000]

Originally posted by Tommi Inkila
Hi guys!

I've been away for a while... that's because I don't have 'net at home at the moment... and on the other hand we are recording our 3 song promo as we speak (or should I say as I write).

Anyway, here's the sound I've come up with today... please, feel free to comment so that I can mod it if necessary while I still can... my ears are pretty tired at the moment so I can't say anything about the sound for today at least :rolleyes:

http://www.scenerychannel.com/kity-gtrtest.mp3 That sounds nice and different from usual. To me, the guitar sounds darker, bassier, and looser than Premiere. I like to refer to that kind of tone as raunchy, which is good in my book.

[hal9000]

I finally got my Toneport UX2 which I bought as my first recording interface. I had a chance to use it as the cab sim + FX for my silent rig and it worked very well. It's a lot easier to use than the PODxt Live for the cab sims that's for sure. I also like the built-in VU meters for input and output monitoring. The really nice feature of the UX2 is that it has line-level inputs which match the output of the Hot Plate's line out, so setting levels is a piece of cake. I just go to my loudest sound on the amp, and playing hard, adjust the Hot Plate's line out until it reaches about -3 dB on the input meter. Then, you can adjust the output level via the volume control on the UX2's Gearbox panel. All my audio for both input and output is USB, so my headphones are plugged into the UX2 rather than the computer. I can monitor the full output that way (just like you'd normally hear out of your computer speakers).

I got some great tones using the Mesa 4x12 cab sim (V30s) straight up with no EQ or FX at all. When I have a bit more time, I'll record a clip with some new material. I also messed with some of the other cab sims and the British Greenback cabs are a treat. I'll throw some tracks together with one of those cabs, and you'll swear there's a Brit amp in the room. :)

I really need to get an SM-57 and an Audix i5 for recording since the UX2 has two mic inputs. Those mics will be my next purchases.

http://edge.macworld.com/2006/12/images/content/toneport480.jpg

[jcoggins7]

Dude Tommi the new clip sounds incredible! What were your settings? And I don't know if you can answer this, but I'm looking for a bridge pickup (preferably Dimarzio) that will get me a tone like that out of my maple-necked Strat. I know it won't sound exactly the same, but I want a ballpark. After a lot of research, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go for the Breed, but if you have any other suggestions, I'm open.

[dustman283]

well guys i just got my f-50 today got a new floor model at a small music store for 750. i love this amp more than anything else already and the only bad thing i have noticed is the reverb is a little noisy when turned up. any other time the amp is quiet. is this a problem with the amp or is it just how they all are. also i was wondering if anyone colud tell me what the bag in the bottom of the amp has in it. I know there is the pouch for the footpedal but mine has somthing in the very bottom of it. i didnt know if it was part of the amp or some kind of accesory i didnt want to mess with it till i found out what it is. thanks

[zer0psi]

Originally posted by dustman283
well guys i just got my f-50 today got a new floor model at a small music store for 750. i love this amp more than anything else already and the only bad thing i have noticed is the reverb is a little noisy when turned up. any other time the amp is quiet. is this a problem with the amp or is it just how they all are. also i was wondering if anyone colud tell me what the bag in the bottom of the amp has in it. I know there is the pouch for the footpedal but mine has somthing in the very bottom of it. i didnt know if it was part of the amp or some kind of accesory i didnt want to mess with it till i found out what it is. thanks

Combo, I'm guessing?

[Surfcaster]

Well, I got my new tubes from Dougs Tubes on Friday and put them in the F50 on Saturday. A pair of TAD 6L6s and 2 Tung Sol 12ax7s in V1 and V2. I really didn't hear much difference...if anything there was more emphasis on the fizzy top end, which I'd rather hear less of. At first I thought the bottom end was tighter with the new tubes, but on further testing I do not think it was really much different.

But something strange happened...suddenly my volume dropped severely ...I could still hear the guitar, but it was way quiet and there was all this white noise. I had to turn the master way up to hear the drive channel, though the clean channel was okay. I hit the Standby off then on and it was normal again, but it happened again. So I did the standby thing again and it was okay. I then put the old Mesa 6L6s back in and it worked fine.

So I put the TADs back in and this time I could hear the volume was cutting in and out on BOTH channels and the white noise issue was there on both channels, too, though not as much as before. So I put the Mesa 6L6s in again and it seemed to be fine.

I tried the TADs one more time and it happened again on both channels, so I decided it must be the tubes, but this time when I put the Mesa tubes back in it was still doing it. I was really frustrated by then, but out of time, so I just turned it off. That evening I put all the Mesa tubes back in (6L6 and 12ax7s). I played it for a couple hours on Sunday with no problems. So at this point I think I'm sticking with Mesa tubes...besides, I didn't think the others sounded any better. I think the Mesa tubes are probably at least as good.

I did try the new tubes in my little Class A custom brew head and I thought it sounded just a little better, so at this point I'm keeping the new tubes to use with that amp (which only takes one of each, so I'll have a spare set!). And I played that amp for about 30 minutes on Sunday and had no issues like I was having on the F50, so I don't know what was going on with the F50...was it the tubes or something else??? Hopefully it won't do that again.

In the meantime I guess I'm going to need to order a spare set of Mesa tubes.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by hal9000
I finally got my Toneport UX2 which I bought as my first recording interface. I had a chance to use it as the cab sim + FX for my silent rig and it worked very well. It's a lot easier to use than the PODxt Live for the cab sims that's for sure. I also like the built-in VU meters for input and output monitoring. The really nice feature of the UX2 is that it has line-level inputs which match the output of the Hot Plate's line out, so setting levels is a piece of cake. I just go to my loudest sound on the amp, and playing hard, adjust the Hot Plate's line out until it reaches about -3 dB on the input meter. Then, you can adjust the output level via the volume control on the UX2's Gearbox panel. All my audio for both input and output is USB, so my headphones are plugged into the UX2 rather than the computer. I can monitor the full output that way (just like you'd normally hear out of your computer speakers).

I got some great tones using the Mesa 4x12 cab sim (V30s) straight up with no EQ or FX at all. When I have a bit more time, I'll record a clip with some new material. I also messed with some of the other cab sims and the British Greenback cabs are a treat. I'll throw some tracks together with one of those cabs, and you'll swear there's a Brit amp in the room. :)

I really need to get an SM-57 and an Audix i5 for recording since the UX2 has two mic inputs. Those mics will be my next purchases.

http://edge.macworld.com/2006/12/images/content/toneport480.jpg

Congrats on the Toneport, Neil. I enjoy mine, either just as a modeling unit, or running the F50's record out through it. I've not used it with a mic yet as it's easier to use my Boss BR-864 if I'm micing the amp.

Speaking of Greenbacks, I just got one delivered today and it's waiting for me at home. While I really got it to use with my Class-A custom brew head, I'll have to try it with the F50, too (at low volumes mind you, since it's a 25W speaker and it'll be in a 1x12 cab.)

[parsku]

Originally posted by dustman283
well guys i just got my f-50 today got a new floor model at a small music store for 750. i love this amp more than anything else already and the only bad thing i have noticed is the reverb is a little noisy when turned up. any other time the amp is quiet. is this a problem with the amp or is it just how they all are. also i was wondering if anyone colud tell me what the bag in the bottom of the amp has in it. I know there is the pouch for the footpedal but mine has somthing in the very bottom of it. i didnt know if it was part of the amp or some kind of accesory i didnt want to mess with it till i found out what it is. thanks

The bag in the bottom of the amp has the spring reverb unit in it. What kind of noise does the reverb make? Hiss?

[hal9000]

Originally posted by dustman283
well guys i just got my f-50 today got a new floor model at a small music store for 750. i love this amp more than anything else already and the only bad thing i have noticed is the reverb is a little noisy when turned up. any other time the amp is quiet. is this a problem with the amp or is it just how they all are. also i was wondering if anyone colud tell me what the bag in the bottom of the amp has in it. I know there is the pouch for the footpedal but mine has somthing in the very bottom of it. i didnt know if it was part of the amp or some kind of accesory i didnt want to mess with it till i found out what it is. thanks Welcome to the F-series Brotherhood dustman283! :)

The bag at the bottom of your combo is the reverb tank. I would make sure all the connections from the amp to the tank are secure. I don't notice any increased noise from my reverb at all, and with it up at full tilt on the clean channel, it's still quiet. Lot's of times, noise in reverb is due to the tank having a broken or semi-broken spring or transformer connection. A new tank is about $25, so don't worry if that's the problem, but the store should pay for the tank and installation. If they don't pay for installation, it only takes a few minutes with a couple of screws and four RCA connectors.

[parsku]

Originally posted by Tommi Inkila
Hi guys!

I've been away for a while... that's because I don't have 'net at home at the moment... and on the other hand we are recording our 3 song promo as we speak (or should I say as I write).

Anyway, here's the sound I've come up with today... please, feel free to comment so that I can mod it if necessary while I still can... my ears are pretty tired at the moment so I can't say anything about the sound for today at least :rolleyes:

http://www.scenerychannel.com/kity-gtrtest.mp3

Mukavan rapeat soundit sulla, Tommi! Kirkkautta tuo saattaa vaatia lisää, mutta sehän riippuu sitten kokonaismiksauksestakin.

Keep up the good work! :)

[rockon1000]

OK so my next amp will be an F50. Been playing my friends every chance I get to make sure its "me". Pretty much no doubt now. My only gripe is the CRAPPY reverb. Its not even worth turning up. Whats the deal with it anyways? :confused:

[mynameistaken]

Originally posted by rockon1000
OK so my next amp will be an F50. Been playing my friends every chance I get to make sure its "me". Pretty much no doubt now. My only gripe is the CRAPPY reverb. Its not even worth turning up. Whats the deal with it anyways? :confused:

I don't like spring reverb's either. That goes for all amps. Just getchya a stomp.

[rockon1000]

Originally posted by mynameistaken
I don't like spring reverb's either. That goes for all amps. Just getchya a stomp.

Well theres spring reverb and theres totally useless spring reverb. The F50's fall in that catagory. Both the floor model and the one my friend bought were the same so I figure thats the way they are. Yes, I will use a outboard unit.

[MKCL]

Hi all,

Gigged last night again with it and this time my footswitch didn't bail me out. Given that it's not the F-series footswitch, it just stopped working. After the show, it worked again.

Anyways, I am using a Strat. I guess my main concern is the tone I get when the '5-way' switch is all the way 'down'. It's difficult to explain, but basically, on my Strat, the switch can be in 5 positions. In the '2nd' and '4th' position is sounds really nice, but the other ones are either too 'bassy' or 'trebly'. Does anyone have experience with a Strat through an F-series and is getting a good sound?

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by hal9000
That sounds nice and different from usual. To me, the guitar sounds darker, bassier, and looser than Premiere. I like to refer to that kind of tone as raunchy, which is good in my book.
Thanks Hal!

I was actually after all those qualities you mentioned :)

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by jcoggins7
Dude Tommi the new clip sounds incredible! What were your settings? And I don't know if you can answer this, but I'm looking for a bridge pickup (preferably Dimarzio) that will get me a tone like that out of my maple-necked Strat. I know it won't sound exactly the same, but I want a ballpark. After a lot of research, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go for the Breed, but if you have any other suggestions, I'm open.
Thanks!

My settings are on the 2ch contour on: Gain and Treble 13:00 Mid and Bass 12:00, Master 9:30

Breed is a good choice although it's not that aggressive... perhaps D-sonic humbucker (blade towards the neck) would be a bit more aggressive and with blade towards the neck it's still rounder sounding.

[Tommi Inkila]

Originally posted by parsku
Mukavan rapeat soundit sulla, Tommi! Kirkkautta tuo saattaa vaatia lisää, mutta sehän riippuu sitten kokonaismiksauksestakin.

Keep up the good work! :)
Moro ja kiitos,

Soundinhan pitää olla syvä ja tumma ja musta
:evil: :D ... eiköhän sitä kirkkautta miksauksessa ja masterissa löydy.

[XiXora]

Does anyone know how Tommi records his amp?

Mic technique, which mics etc.
Sounds very nice!

[mynameistaken]

Originally posted by MKCL

Anyways, I am using a Strat. I guess my main concern is the tone I get when the '5-way' switch is all the way 'down'. It's difficult to explain, but basically, on my Strat, the switch can be in 5 positions. In the '2nd' and '4th' position is sounds really nice, but the other ones are either too bassy or trebly. Does anyone have experience with a Strat through an F-series and is getting a good sound?

Here is what I do. I put my Tone knob on the strat at around 5 on the bridge pick up. Then I adjust the amp to sound ok with that setting. Then when I go up to position 5 on the strat and it gets a little muddy I roll up the tone knob to 10 and it clears it up and gives me the treble I need.

of course if you have standard strat with no tone knob on the bridge pick up thats not going to help. I also have aftermarket pickups that are a little different than the stock ones.

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by MKCL
Hi all,

Gigged last night again with it and this time my footswitch didn't bail me out. Given that it's not the F-series footswitch, it just stopped working. After the show, it worked again.

Anyways, I am using a Strat. I guess my main concern is the tone I get when the '5-way' switch is all the way 'down'. It's difficult to explain, but basically, on my Strat, the switch can be in 5 positions. In the '2nd' and '4th' position is sounds really nice, but the other ones are either too bassy or trebly. Does anyone have experience with a Strat through an F-series and is getting a good sound?

I've got a Strat that I use with my F50. I absolutely love the Strat for cleans. I get a wonderful thick yet chimey tone with the neck pup and I also get some very nice chimey, quacky tones at positions 2 and 4, though I probably favor 2 a bit more. I can get pretty much the exact tone I want on the clean channel with my Strat.

I get much better distortion tones with the F50 using my Les Paul and so that's the guitar I generally use with it when I need distortion, but I can still get good distorted tones with the Strat, they are just a little thinner and brighter. But then I'm using a Blue Lace Sensor in the bridge, and I think it's a little fatter and warmer than a stock Strat pickup. My neck pickup is a Gold Lace Sensor, so it should sound pretty similar to a vintage Strat pickup, just noiseless. My middle pickup is a stock Strat pup, since the Lace Sensor I had there died and I've never replaced it...but then I never use the middle pup by itself, only in combination with the other two.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by MKCL
Hi all,

Gigged last night again with it and this time my footswitch didn't bail me out. Given that it's not the F-series footswitch, it just stopped working. After the show, it worked again.

Anyways, I am using a Strat. I guess my main concern is the tone I get when the '5-way' switch is all the way 'down'. It's difficult to explain, but basically, on my Strat, the switch can be in 5 positions. In the '2nd' and '4th' position is sounds really nice, but the other ones are either too bassy or trebly. Does anyone have experience with a Strat through an F-series and is getting a good sound? I use a Strat as well, and I love the distortion tones from the neck, neck-middle and middle single coils. However, my Strat is fat meaning that it has a humbucker in the bridge instead of a single coil. If you find that the bridge position single coil isn't working for you in distortion, there are a number of single coil-sized humbuckers that will kick your Strat and F-50 into overdrive.

Check this SD JB jr out: http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/stratsdescr.shtml#JBJrforStrat

[markmann]

Originally posted by MKCL
...Anyways, I am using a Strat. I guess my main concern is the tone I get when the '5-way' switch is all the way 'down'. It's difficult to explain, but basically, on my Strat, the switch can be in 5 positions. In the '2nd' and '4th' position is sounds really nice, but the other ones are either too bassy or trebly. Does anyone have experience with a Strat through an F-series and is getting a good sound? Hey, MKCL, what model Strat and what pickups do you have?

I'm no Strat expert but in my experiences I've learned that Strat's can be much more finicky than say a Les Paul. IMO it's hard to get a bad tone from most humbeucker equiped guitars with decent pup's. Most Strat's that I've played almost always sounded good clean but getting good distortion is another matter, plus playing technique plays a big part as well... if you want an aggressive tone from a Strat you need to play it aggressively.

I've had my current Strat for a long time and for much of that time it had red, silver and blue Lace Sensor pup's. I really liked the blue (neck) and silver (middle) for clean tones but never really cared for the red (bridge) exept when used in the #2 setting. I never used my Strat for distortion because it sounded muddy and loose no matter what amp I used and the bridge pup just sounded harsh. My main guitar was a LP so it wasn't a big deal since that guitar excels at distortion.

It wasn't until I found a need to have a guitar that could cover all the bases that I went on a hunt to find one. I almost bought a new HSS Strat but I like my Strat so much that I decided to experiment with new pup's. After much research I ended up with a set of Bill Lawrence noisless single coils that have worked very well for me. Since the switch the Strat is now my #1 guitar and I play it almost exclusively (but keep in mind that I don't play metal). My Strat now sounds great clean, distorted and with pedals.

From what I've learned if you don't like your tone go out and play a bunch of different Strat's until you find one you like and then either change guitars or consider a pup change.

[Lt_Core]

Couple of random questions:

1. Any Phase 90 users out there with it in the F-50 loop? I have a Phase 90 with the R28 mod being held for me at $50. Worth it? I use phase infrequently but figured this wasn't a bad deal. It's virtually mint.

2. I have a 2005 Highway 1 Tele with stock pups and they are obviously quieter than my Ibanez/Agile 3000 humbuckers. What would you recommend replacing the Tele pups with, but still keep that Tele sound?

3. I was reading the couple of posts on reverb. Not a big fan of the F-50's reverb either. What do you guys use? EH Holy Grail, etc.?

4. Anybody looking for a Boss GE-7 EQ? I've had it in the spam list but will give a fellow F-series guy a deal. PM me....thanks! Need to sell to get a new wah.

[Torh]

Originally posted by MKCL
[...]Anyways, I am using a Strat. I guess my main concern is the tone I get when the '5-way' switch is all the way 'down'. It's difficult to explain, but basically, on my Strat, the switch can be in 5 positions. In the '2nd' and '4th' position is sounds really nice, but the other ones are either too bassy or trebly. Does anyone have experience with a Strat through an F-series and is getting a good sound?
If you can get a friend that knows how to handle a soldering iron (right term?), you can open up your guitar and assign one cable from your bridge pickup to the lower tone control, as suggested here... That's the cheapest way to find if you still want to have that particular bridge pickup. If you find you don't like it, you might want to check out single-coil sized humbuckers, as what hal9000 suggested. I have a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails myself, and I'm very pleased. However, that one is very open and well suited to hard rock and metal. Maybe a Cool Rails bridge is what you are looking for? Dunno about the bridge version of this, but I have the neck version, and it's very bluesey... Creamy and punchy, I'd say.

If you haven't done so, check out seymourduncan.com/forum. An incredible resource. :)

[Surfcaster]

Originally posted by Lt_Core
Couple of random questions:

1. Any Phase 90 users out there with it in the F-50 loop? I have a Phase 90 with the R28 mod being held for me at $50. Worth it? I use phase infrequently but figured this wasn't a bad deal. It's virtually mint.

2. I have a 2005 Highway 1 Tele with stock pups and they are obviously quieter than my Ibanez/Agile 3000 humbuckers. What would you recommend replacing the Tele pups with, but still keep that Tele sound?

3. I was reading the couple of posts on reverb. Not a big fan of the F-50's reverb either. What do you guys use? EH Holy Grail, etc.?

4. Anybody looking for a Boss GE-7 EQ? I've had it in the spam list but will give a fellow F-series guy a deal. PM me....thanks! Need to sell to get a new wah.

I can only respond to the reverb issue, and only partly. I currently have a Line 6 Verbzilla on order from MF, but have to wait for them to get and process a return before it will ship out. I hope to have it in a couple weeks. I was hoping to spend less on a reverb pedal, and was actually pretty interested in the new Marshall Reflector pedal...heard good reviews on it's tone and was interested in the reverse reverb setting. But it hasn't gotten good reviews for build quality/reliability. So I'm going with the Line 6.

Another thing I was looking for in my reverb was a really long decay time, and it didn't look like the Holy Grail would offer that. Having said that, some people I know whose opinions I respect really love their Holy Grail pedals.

Anyway, once I get my Verbzilla, I'll report back on it.

[Goldwing]

Hi. I have an F50 and a Jimmie Vaughan Strat. Never had any troubles or bad sound from my gear.

I love every position. The Tex-Mex pickups are hot! but for some time I used to have a Custom 69 in the neck.. and also sounded great.

Not issues at all...

what strat do you have? what pickups? what kind of sound are you trying to achieve?

cheers!

[Torh]

Originally posted by Surfcaster
I can only respond to the reverb issue, and only partly. I currently have a Line 6 Verbzilla on order from MF, but have to wait for them to get and process a return before it will ship out. I hope to have it in a couple weeks. I was hoping to spend less on a reverb pedal, and was actually pretty interested in the new Marshall Reflector pedal...heard good reviews on it's tone and was interested in the reverse reverb setting. But it hasn't gotten good reviews for build quality/reliability. So I'm going with the Line 6.

Another thing I was looking for in my reverb was a really long decay time, and it didn't look like the Holy Grail would offer that. Having said that, some people I know whose opinions I respect really love their Holy Grail pedals.

Anyway, once I get my Verbzilla, I'll report back on it.
By all means, report back! I plan on purchasing one... I'm sure you'll be happy with it, I've heard nothing but great things about them, also from guys that are *very* into vintage stuff...

[MKCL]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I edited my other post with quotations around 'bassy' and 'trebly', just in case I'm not using the correct words.

Anyways, I'm using a Fender Lite Ash Strat made in Korea. I got a good Christmas deal, so I paid a bit less. I think it's this one...only black and I don't have a tremolo.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Lite-Ash-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-with-Tremolo?sku=511337&src=3SOSWXXA

Pickup switching: 5-way!

Sometimes I strum so aggressively, I accidently hit the switch and it goes into the lowest position. I think it's the bridge pickup that doesn't sound too decent.

We basically play indie/punk/rock.

Do you guys switch your amp settings when your pickups switch? If so, what kind of settings do you guys have for the 'lowest' position? I like the lounge settings a lot!

[jcoggins7]

You guys I have a Verbzilla. I love it. Thing sounds great and has lots of different reverbs (just that beats everything else in the price range) and is built like a tank (except for maybe the knobs, which could possibly break if you kicked them). The only downsides I've had is that when switching between reverb types I get a clicking sound, which I think they all do, and the fact that it has to either have a dedicated wall wart or be plugged into a Pedal Power 2 (you'll hear a little bit of noise if you don't do that, and it's especiall true for the F-50, which picks up unshielded connections). I'd recommend it though. Great little box. I use it all the time.

[markmann]

Originally posted by MKCL
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I edited my other post with quotations around 'bassy' and 'trebly', just in case I'm not using the correct words.

Anyways, I'm using a Fender Lite Ash Strat made in Korea. I got a good Christmas deal, so I paid a bit less. I think it's this one...only black and I don't have a tremolo.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Lite-Ash-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-with-Tremolo?sku=511337&src=3SOSWXXA

Pickup switching: 5-way!

Sometimes I strum so aggressively, I accidently hit the switch and it goes into the lowest position. I think it's the bridge pickup that doesn't sound too decent.

We basically play indie/punk/rock.

Do you guys switch your amp settings when your pickups switch? If so, what kind of settings do you guys have for the 'lowest' position? I like the lounge settings a lot! I've heard good things about the Korean lite ash model although I have not played one myself. I'm a fan of Seymour Duncan so I'm surprised that you're not getting great tones from it.

No, I generally don't change amp settings when I switch pickups or guitars because my standard setting works well for both single and dbl coil and for all positions.

[hal9000]

Originally posted by MKCL
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I edited my other post with quotations around 'bassy' and 'trebly', just in case I'm not using the correct words.

Anyways, I'm using a Fender Lite Ash Strat made in Korea. I got a good Christmas deal, so I paid a bit less. I think it's this one...only black and I don't have a tremolo.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Lite-Ash-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-with-Tremolo?sku=511337&src=3SOSWXXA

Pickup switching: 5-way!

Sometimes I strum so aggressively, I accidently hit the switch and it goes into the lowest position. I think it's the bridge pickup that doesn't sound too decent.

We basically play indie/punk/rock.

Do you guys switch your amp settings when your pickups switch? If so, what kind of settings do you guys have for the 'lowest' position? I like the lounge settings a lot! Ohhh... Birdseye maple, me likey. I'm sure you get some nice tones out of that Strat with the maple neck and SD pups. Perhaps you're just a fan of a humbucker at the bridge like I am? The thing with a Strat is you can have the best of both worlds. There are tons of different pickups that will quench your thirst for more output should you so require and you could even move into a full size humbucker with a pickguard change. Most Strats these days are routed for a humbucker at the neck and bridge in case you'd like to change it in the future.

As far as changing settings on my amp, per my Strat's pickups, I don't. In fact, I get most of my sounds by leaving the amp alone, and driving things from my guitar. Just so we're straight, I like to call position 1 the neck single, and position 5 the humbucker. With just my fat Strat, I can go from varying tones of clean (Positions 1-4), to bluesy raunch (Pos. 5) on channel 1, to overdrive solos and heavy blues (Positions 1-4) to metal (Pos. 5) on channel 2. Then, when I bring in my Fernandes Ravelle, which is like an LP, I can get a whole new set of tones compared to my Strat, although it's not as versatile. That reminds me; I need to add some coil splits to the HBs on my Ravelle. :)

[Torh]

Originally posted by MKCL
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I edited my other post with quotations around 'bassy' and 'trebly', just in case I'm not using the correct words.

Anyways, I'm using a Fender Lite Ash Strat made in Korea. I got a good Christmas deal, so I paid a bit less. I think it's this one...only black and I don't have a tremolo.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Lite-Ash-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-with-Tremolo?sku=511337&src=3SOSWXXA

Pickup switching: 5-way!

Sometimes I strum so aggressively, I accidently hit the switch and it goes into the lowest position. I think it's the bridge pickup that doesn't sound too decent.

We basically play indie/punk/rock.

Do you guys switch your amp settings when your pickups switch? If so, what kind of settings do you guys have for the 'lowest' position? I like the lounge settings a lot!

Cool, you've got the same guitar as me (I have it in natural finish).

Uhm, I think your best bet is to get a friend or your local shop to assign the bridge pickup to one tone control.... That's the cheapest way... If you find you still don't like the tone from the bridge, you can buy a new pickup. As I've said, I have the Hot Rails in my Lite Ash, and I'm pleased with it.
However, I can ensure you that the Lite Ash guitars are routed for H-S-H, meaning you can have a humbucker both at the neck position and the bridge position. So, if you go that way, it'll be approx. 30$ for a new pickguard, and the price of the humbucker you buy, that's not too bad is it...? :thu:

[Lt_Core]

I'm getting serious G.A.S. over that ash Strat. Darn these guitar forums!!! :)

I have a Tele and 2 humbucker guitars but feel I'm missing that Strat sound here and there. How do the stock pups in the ash Strat compare to the stock American pups? Higher output?

[zer0psi]

So what all speakers has everyone used with their amp?
I have a plain old Recto 412 with V30's and am very curious to know what it would sound like with two G12T-75's or g12-H30's cross patterned in. Any insight/input?

[MKCL]

...Perhaps you're just a fan of a humbucker at the bridge like I am? The thing with a Strat is you can have the best of both worlds. There are tons of different pickups that will quench your thirst for more output should you so require and you could even move into a full size humbucker with a pickguard change. Most Strats these days are routed for a humbucker at the neck and bridge in case you'd like to change it in the future.

As far as changing settings on my amp, per my Strat's pickups, I don't. In fact, I get most of my sounds by leaving the amp alone, and driving things from my guitar. Just so we're straight, I like to call position 1 the neck single, and position 5 the humbucker. With just my fat Strat, I can go from varying tones of clean (Positions 1-4), to bluesy raunch (Pos. 5) on channel 1, to overdrive solos and heavy blues (Positions 1-4) to metal (Pos. 5) on channel 2. Then, when I bring in my Fernandes Ravelle, which is like an LP, I can get a whole new set of tones compared to my Strat, although it's not as versatile. That reminds me; I need to add some coil splits to the HBs on my Ravelle. :)

If I recall correctly, position 5 is pretty noisy compared to position 2 and 4. Is this natural? It's noisy to the point I'm reluctant to use position 5. Anyways, would position 5 still be noisy if I did a pickup change to humbuckers?
I am also curious with the P90s. What difference would a P90 be compared to humbuckers in a Strat?

Cool, you've got the same guitar as me (I have it in natural finish).

Uhm, I think your best bet is to get a friend or your local shop to assign the bridge pickup to one tone control.... That's the cheapest way... If you find you still don't like the tone from the bridge, you can buy a new pickup. As I've said, I have the Hot Rails in my Lite Ash, and I'm pleased with it.
However, I can ensure you that the Lite Ash guitars are routed for H-S-H, meaning you can have a humbucker both at the neck position and the bridge position. So, if you go that way, it'll be approx. 30$ for a new pickguard, and the price of the humbucker you buy, that's not too bad is it...? :thu:

Do you get good *chug* from your Strat with the Hot Rails?

I plugged in my other guitar, the ESP/LTD EC-50 into the Mesa F-30 and I was surprised at how good it sounded at a cheaper price. The EC-50 is equipped with humbuckers and I think the distortion is more 'aggressive'. It got me thinking, maybe I should upgrade and get a Les Paul, SG or something with humbuckers. However, some brought up the point of replacing the Lite Ash pickups with humbuckers. What is the significant difference between a Strat with humbuckers VS a Les Paul with humbuckers?

[Tommi Inkila]

Does anyone know how Tommi records his amp?

Mic technique, which mics etc.
Sounds very nice!
Hey thanks :)

I use SPL Goldmike mk2 recording preamp to RME HDSP9632 audiocard with Cubase SX2. This time I had to mics on the cab straight to grille, quite close edge of the element. I had SM57 on one element and Beyerdynamic M201 on another. That Beyer is a great mic and I recommend it to compliment SM57.

I recorded some video material of my setup but the camera have been breaking during the recordings so we'll have to wait if there's anything useable on the tape... luckily, the audio "tapes" have been working nicely this time.

[Surfcaster]

So what all speakers has everyone used with their amp?
I have a plain old Recto 412 with V30's and am very curious to know what it would sound like with two G12T-75's or g12-H30's cross patterned in. Any insight/input?

I have a 2x12 cab with one V30 and one G12H30 in it and I like it pretty well with my F50. I go back and forth on how I orient the cab. For a long time I set it horizontally and tried to get a mix of both speakers, which was pretty nice, but the V30's have such a strong mid presence that they seem to dominate the G12H30. So then I set it vertically with the H30 on top, so that I heard more of it. But you have to be careful because the H30 has a lot of top end and really brings out the upper crispiness of the F50 on the lead channel. Then I turned it around and had the V30 on top for a while. Now it's back to horizontal.

Personally, I think my favorite combination is the stock C90 and the V30. I used to have my V30 in a 1x12 cab and would set the F50 on top of it as a sort of mini stack. But most of the time I just use the stock C90 by itself.

Just this week I bought a Greenback and put it in my 1x12 cab. I don't plan to use it much with the F50 since it has only a 25W power rating, but I figure a few minutes at low volumes would at least give me an idea of whether or not 2 greenies in a 2x12 would be a good match with the F50. IIRC, someone else posted that they did NOT like the F50/Greenback combination, but I've got the speaker, so I've gotta try it myself!

[Torh]

If I recall correctly, position 5 is pretty noisy compared to position 2 and 4. Is this natural? It's noisy to the point I'm reluctant to use position 5. Anyways, would position 5 still be noisy if I did a pickup change to humbuckers?
I am also curious with the P90s. What difference would a P90 be compared to humbuckers in a Strat?

Do you get good *chug* from your Strat with the Hot Rails?

I plugged in my other guitar, the ESP/LTD EC-50 into the Mesa F-30 and I was surprised at how good it sounded at a cheaper price. The EC-50 is equipped with humbuckers and I think the distortion is more 'aggressive'. It got me thinking, maybe I should upgrade and get a Les Paul, SG or something with humbuckers. However, some brought up the point of replacing the Lite Ash pickups with humbuckers. What is the significant difference between a Strat with humbuckers VS a Les Paul with humbuckers?

The 2nd and 4th (notch) position in a Strat is generally never noisy, due to phase cancellation of pickups.. If you want to keep all the pickups, but want to get rid of the noise, check out this resource (http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php).
I'm not playing metal much anymore, but the times I do play, I'm very content with the HR. If you play metalesque music occasionally, I believe the HR might serve you well.
However, some in this thread has advocated turning down the bass in the preamp section of the F-50, and using an EQ in the loop to get the bass up again.. I haven't felt the need for it for now, but you might want to think of this option too, if you go with the HR.
If you're mainly playing metal, you should perhaps just get an ordinary humbucker and a new pickguard..

[zer0psi]

Yeah, I wasn't necessarily looking to run Greenbacks, as I know how dark they are, and the F-50 isn't exactly a bright amp as it is. I was think T75's might be interesting for a tigher high gain sound and bringing out the top end a bit, and H30's could be a nice warm, but not overly dark sound. What does the C90 sound like? Any characteristics/comparisons to other speakers?

[Surfcaster]

Here are some comparison clips I recorded a few weeks ago, comparing the V30, C90 and G12H30 speakers, both clean and dirty. The dirty mp3s are about 1.3MB and the cleans about 0.5MB, just fyi.

The dirty clips are a Les Paul on the bridge and the cleans are a Strat on the neck. Close mic'd with an SM57 just directly over the edge of the dustcap on all speakers.

You'll have to pardon the couple of spots where the stereo tracks aren't quite in sync...I was running out of time, so I couldn't get them quite as clean as I would have liked.

DirtyC90 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/DirtyC90.mp3)
DirtyV30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/DirtyV30.mp3)
DirtyH30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/DirtyH30.mp3)
CleanC90 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/CleanC90.mp3)
CleanV30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/CleanV30.mp3)
CleanH30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/CleanH30.mp3)

Also, I'm currently hosting these on my own personal webspace and they are eating up about half of what I have available, so I probably won't leave them there for more than a week or so.

[musicdog400]

Thanks that was a great post. I think my vote is for the C90 since it had the least treble.

[dustman283]

does anyone have a problem with the f-50 having any background noise. when turned about half way up mine makes a sound like the sound you get in between radio stations. it is worse on the gain channel. i am pretty new to tube amps is this normal or is somthing wrong. also my reverb is very noisy when turned up on the clean channel.the amp is brand new and i dont know whether i need to pick up a noise gate or call mesa or what. PLEASE HELP ME OUT GUYS!!!Thanks

[Lt_Core]

does anyone have a problem with the f-50 having any background noise. when turned about half way up mine makes a sound like the sound you get in between radio stations. it is worse on the gain channel. i am pretty new to tube amps is this normal or is somthing wrong. also my reverb is very noisy when turned up on the clean channel.the amp is brand new and i dont know whether i need to pick up a noise gate or call mesa or what. PLEASE HELP ME OUT GUYS!!!Thanks

I don't know how to help you but that is not right. My F-50 is dead silent. Take it back to where you bought it. Under warranty? Good luck!

[Surfcaster]

does anyone have a problem with the f-50 having any background noise. when turned about half way up mine makes a sound like the sound you get in between radio stations. it is worse on the gain channel. i am pretty new to tube amps is this normal or is somthing wrong. also my reverb is very noisy when turned up on the clean channel.the amp is brand new and i dont know whether i need to pick up a noise gate or call mesa or what. PLEASE HELP ME OUT GUYS!!!Thanks

The whitenoise that you are describing is fairly normal, though I think it varies some between models/brands. I think some Mesa's tend to suffer from a little more of it than some other brands, but all the tube amps I've owned have had this to some degree. As long as it's not noticeable when you're playing at normal volumes I wouldn't worry about it too much.

As for using a noise gate, I'm not sure how much that would help...it depends where the noise is generated. If it's in the preamp you'd need to put the gate in the effects loop to do much good, but if it's in the power amp there's not going to be much you can do. I'd recommend trying before you buy just to make sure it will do what you're hoping...unless someone here has experience they can share on that.

What kind of noise are you getting on the reverb and how high of settings are you talking about...with reverb maxed? at 3:00? at 12:00?

[hal9000]

To all of you guys who took a guess as to what this pedal is, thanks:

http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Red_Granite_Perspective_600x800.jpg

I built it for Jeff (Lt_Core) because he couldn't find exactly what he wanted on the market. It was designed to go into the FX loop and acts as an attenuator and solo boost when the switch is pressed. Green is rhythm and red is boost. I've been wanting to put my designs into a fully developed pedal for a while, so I want to thank Jeff for the opportunity. Jeff also promised a gig report after this weekend, so I'm anxious to here how the Stealth Boost performs. I named it the Stealth Boost for three reasons, 1) It was designed with Mesa's Stealth amp in mind, 2) It's so transparent it's like the pedal isn't even there, 3) I don't have enough experience with painting and labeling FX boxes to add nifty logos to the top, so all the labeling is on the side, hence the stealthy look. :)

[dustman283]

The whitenoise that you are describing is fairly normal, though I think it varies some between models/brands. I think some Mesa's tend to suffer from a little more of it than some other brands, but all the tube amps I've owned have had this to some degree. As long as it's not noticeable when you're playing at normal volumes I wouldn't worry about it too much.

As for using a noise gate, I'm not sure how much that would help...it depends where the noise is generated. If it's in the preamp you'd need to put the gate in the effects loop to do much good, but if it's in the power amp there's not going to be much you can do. I'd recommend trying before you buy just to make sure it will do what you're hoping...unless someone here has experience they can share on that.

What kind of noise are you getting on the reverb and how high of settings are you talking about...with reverb maxed? at 3:00? at 12:00?

at 12 and 3 o'clock you can hear a good amount of noise and there is a problem at playing levels on the gain channel with background noise not having anything to do with the reverb. thanks

[hal9000]

at 12 and 3 o'clock you can hear a good amount of noise and there is a problem at playing levels on the gain channel with background noise not having anything to do with the reverb. thanksIf the noise is all together bothersome in every mode, you probably have a bum V1 tube since that will affect the noise of the amp most. If you have a chance, swap the preamp tubes around to see if you can find the one with the least amount of noise. For starters, the V4 tube which is used for the Phase Inverter affects your tone the least so try that one first. Also, make the store give you a new set of preamp tubes, just for giving you a noisy one. :)

[MKCL]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a guitar that has a good clean and that has good chug and distortion. I'm considering a humbucker guitar, preferbly a Les Paul or related. I'll probably sell my other guitars if I go with a better one. Anyone have experience with these guitars with their F30?

Gibson LP Vintage Mahogany
ESP/LTD EC-400
Epiphone Les Paul Custom (I'll probably switch pickups if I pick this one)

Which one to pick? Choices...sigh.

[Goldwing]

Hi. I need a little help here...

I'm currently loooking for a new overdrive. I'm thinking in getting a TubeDriver or maybe a ToneBone... I'm Looking for a very slight overdrive.. very Gilmour in Shine On or The Edge in Pride. It seems to me that the F50 its too powerfull for that.

its just that....well.. the F50 already have a great overdrive channel and the TubeDriver is using the same 12AX7 tube right? So what is the case in buying an overdrive pedal with the same tube???

Sometimes I think that its more probable that I do not know how to setup right my amp that the need of an overdrive pedal....

I guess that always I could change the tube in the TubeDriver for a 12AU7 and get what I want in that way...

What do you think?

thnks!

[Rodimus Prime]

some people here swear by the bad monkey and have good results with that. I got a chance to test one out and i wasn't all that impressed for how i like to play.
i can't vouch for the other pedal that you mentioned but i have played and owned tonebones. They are fantastic pedals, however they aren't trasnparent at all. They kind of take over your amp. Sure, there will be differences with how each amp reacts to the pedal but it takes over for the most part.

My alltime favorite od pedal is my Ibanez sd9. I recorded with it and my f50 last night and it was great. I turned my amp up to about 6, gain on 8 and i had the gain on my pedal at 1 and it tightened my bass and just added enough hair to give it so much more sweet character. It sounded like an ac30 but with a fuller bottom. lovely pedal. Maxon still makes them

[Rodimus Prime]

another thing, i've noticed that when i put in lower gain tubes, like 12at7's or 12au7's, i loose alot of glassy highs.

[Lt_Core]

To all of you guys who took a guess as to what this pedal is, thanks:

I built it for Jeff (Lt_Core) because he couldn't find exactly what he wanted on the market. It was designed to go into the FX loop and acts as an attenuator and solo boost when the switch is pressed. Green is rhythm and red is boost. I've been wanting to put my designs into a fully developed pedal for a while, so I want to thank Jeff for the opportunity. Jeff also promised a gig report after this weekend, so I'm anxious to here how the Stealth Boost performs. I named it the Stealth Boost for three reasons, 1) It was designed with Mesa's Stealth amp in mind, 2) It's so transparent it's like the pedal isn't even there, 3) I don't have enough experience with painting and labeling FX boxes to add nifty logos to the top, so all the labeling is on the side, hence the stealthy look. :)

Thanks, Neil! Two gigs this weekend (one at a local bar and one in a huge hotel ballroom for Budweiser). I'll report back and let you know how it went. I'm very excited to get to soundcheck. 5 hours away!

[Surfcaster]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a guitar that has a good clean and that has good chug and distortion. I'm considering a humbucker guitar, preferbly a Les Paul or related. I'll probably sell my other guitars if I go with a better one. Anyone have experience with these guitars with their F30?

Gibson LP Vintage Mahogany
ESP/LTD EC-400
Epiphone Les Paul Custom (I'll probably switch pickups if I pick this one)

Which one to pick? Choices...sigh.

I have a Gibson LP Studio that I use with my F50 and I'm really happy with...though I'm considering swapping out the pickups...at least the bridge. But what I'd put in (probably a Dimarzio Virtual PAF) would be very similar to the Burstbucker Pros they put in the Vintage Mahogany (at least the one MF sells). The problem with the 498T in the Studio is that it's a little too hot for me and has a little too much treble. The Burstbucker Pro is not quite as hot, so I'm guessing it would do the trick. Now the Vintage Mahogany, being all mahogany with no maple top, will probably be a bit darker, but I'd guess it'd still sound great.

I think you could get a real nice Epi, too...though you might want to hand pick it to make sure you get a good one. And if you swap out the pups, you could have a great guitar for a nice price.

I have no experience with ESP guitars.

[barneyc4]

Can the Mesa Boogie F-50/F-100 do Mark Tremonti tones. Alter Bridge/Creed

Here is a live vid of what he sounds like.

I do own a Mark Tremonti Model PRS so I have that covered.

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

[MKCL]

I have a Gibson LP Studio that I use with my F50 and I'm really happy with...though I'm considering swapping out the pickups...at least the bridge. But what I'd put in (probably a Dimarzio Virtual PAF) would be very similar to the Burstbucker Pros they put in the Vintage Mahogany (at least the one MF sells). The problem with the 498T in the Studio is that it's a little too hot for me and has a little too much treble. The Burstbucker Pro is not quite as hot, so I'm guessing it would do the trick. Now the Vintage Mahogany, being all mahogany with no maple top, will probably be a bit darker, but I'd guess it'd still sound great.

I think you could get a real nice Epi, too...though you might want to hand pick it to make sure you get a good one. And if you swap out the pups, you could have a great guitar for a nice price.

I have no experience with ESP guitars.

Cool, well my budget is under CAD 1000. I think the Epiphone Les Paul Custom is only CAD 655, so then I have some leftover money to do a pickup switch. Last time I owned an Epiphone SG, I took it back. I really dislike the pickups, but the finish was nice.

Then there's the ESP/LTD EC-400. I have the EC-50 right now by ESP/LTD and I really enjoy it, which is why I am considering an upgrade.

And the Gibson. I'm not sure if I'm paying all that money for the brand. I mean, would a modded Epiphone Les Paul Custom sound better than a Gibson?

[Lt_Core]

Cool, well my budget is under CAD 1000. I think the Epiphone Les Paul Custom is only CAD 655, so then I have some leftover money to do a pickup switch. Last time I owned an Epiphone SG, I took it back. I really dislike the pickups, but the finish was nice.

Then there's the ESP/LTD EC-400. I have the EC-50 right now by ESP/LTD and I really enjoy it, which is why I am considering an upgrade.

And the Gibson. I'm not sure if I'm paying all that money for the brand. I mean, would a modded Epiphone Les Paul Custom sound better than a Gibson?

My 2 cents.....I needed a backup guitar to my Ibanez, which was my main gigging guitar. Didn't want to spend tons of cash on a Les Paul and I don't collect guitars/record. I only play live in our band. I ran across a mint condition Agile AL-3000 with upgraded pickups. Seymour Duncan Jazz & JB.

I got it in September and have played over 20 gigs since then. That guitar is rock solid!

People can rail on LP clones all day long but the Agile AL-3000 has become my main axe. It is amazing, especially for the price. It destroyed the Epi Standard in every when I played the Epi. If you don't care about the brand name and want the best buy for your LP-clone buck, check it out:

http://www.rondomusic.net/al-3000rootbeer.html

[bowen71]

Cool, well my budget is under CAD 1000. I think the Epiphone Les Paul Custom is only CAD 655, so then I have some leftover money to do a pickup switch. Last time I owned an Epiphone SG, I took it back. I really dislike the pickups, but the finish was nice.

Then there's the ESP/LTD EC-400. I have the EC-50 right now by ESP/LTD and I really enjoy it, which is why I am considering an upgrade.

And the Gibson. I'm not sure if I'm paying all that money for the brand. I mean, would a modded Epiphone Les Paul Custom sound better than a Gibson?

I use an Epiphone Les Paul Custom with my F-50 half stack and I love it! And it still has the stock pickups.

By the way, I also have an Epiphone Korina SG that has the same pickups and it sounds much harsher then the Les Paul.

[jcoggins7]

Can the Mesa Boogie F-50/F-100 do Mark Tremonti tones? Alter Bridge/Creed

With a PRS, it can get pretty darn close. And you can definitely get some Recto type sounds out of them, though I think that the F-Series is much more versatile. You would probably be best off getting a head and a closed-back Mesa cab loaded with V30s. And if you have the extra cash...you could also get a Klon, since he uses one of those all the time. The thing about Triple Rectifiers and any of the Rectifier Solos except for maybe the Single is that it's a) pretty difficult to EQ them, and b) you have to turn them up pretty loud before they sound like they're supposed to.

[jcoggins7]

Also, Hal, is that pedal you made true-bypass? And how much would you make me one for? You can PM me if you like for the price.

[mynameistaken]

Here are some comparison clips I recorded a few weeks ago, comparing the V30, C90 and G12H30 speakers, both clean and dirty. The dirty mp3s are about 1.3MB and the cleans about 0.5MB, just fyi.

The dirty clips are a Les Paul on the bridge and the cleans are a Strat on the neck. Close mic'd with an SM57 just directly over the edge of the dustcap on all speakers.

You'll have to pardon the couple of spots where the stereo tracks aren't quite in sync...I was running out of time, so I couldn't get them quite as clean as I would have liked.

DirtyC90 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/DirtyC90.mp3)
DirtyV30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/DirtyV30.mp3)
DirtyH30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/DirtyH30.mp3)
CleanC90 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/CleanC90.mp3)
CleanV30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/CleanV30.mp3)
CleanH30 (http://mysite.verizon.net/jdtieszen/CleanH30.mp3)

Also, I'm currently hosting these on my own personal webspace and they are eating up about half of what I have available, so I probably won't leave them there for more than a week or so.

thanks for the clips. I like the C90 dirty and the V30 clean the best.

[Surfcaster]

To all of you guys who took a guess as to what this pedal is, thanks:

http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Red_Granite_Perspective_600x800.jpg

I built it for Jeff (Lt_Core) because he couldn't find exactly what he wanted on the market. It was designed to go into the FX loop and acts as an attenuator and solo boost when the switch is pressed. Green is rhythm and red is boost. I've been wanting to put my designs into a fully developed pedal for a while, so I want to thank Jeff for the opportunity. Jeff also promised a gig report after this weekend, so I'm anxious to here how the Stealth Boost performs. I named it the Stealth Boost for three reasons, 1) It was designed with Mesa's Stealth amp in mind, 2) It's so transparent it's like the pedal isn't even there, 3) I don't have enough experience with painting and labeling FX boxes to add nifty logos to the top, so all the labeling is on the side, hence the stealthy look. :)


Cool looking pedal, hal9000! I built myself a boost pedal a few years ago which I mostly used as a solo volume boost in the fx loop of my Ampeg Reverberocket. It was based on the Alembic Stratoblaster and designed by the guy who has the www.generalguitargadgets.com...he's got lots of great projects, btw. Anyway, that's a really cool idea to combine it with a loop volume control.

[Surfcaster]

thanks for the clips. I like the C90 dirty and the V30 clean the best.

Yeah, I've found that the speaker I like best for dirty is often different than the one I like best for clean. I guess that's partly why a number of pros actually use two completely different amps for clean and dirty.

[zer0psi]

Anyone ever try a C90 in a closed back situation? Like a 412 or 212?

[ashjn]

I have C90's in my 3/4 closed back cabinets....

[markmann]

some people here swear by the bad monkey and have good results with that. I got a chance to test one out and i wasn't all that impressed for how i like to play.
i can't vouch for the other pedal that you mentioned but i have played and owned tonebones. They are fantastic pedals, however they aren't trasnparent at all. They kind of take over your amp. Sure, there will be differences with how each amp reacts to the pedal but it takes over for the most part.

My alltime favorite od pedal is my Ibanez sd9. I recorded with it and my f50 last night and it was great. I turned my amp up to about 6, gain on 8 and i had the gain on my pedal at 1 and it tightened my bass and just added enough hair to give it so much more sweet character. It sounded like an ac30 but with a fuller bottom. lovely pedal. Maxon still makes themWhat guitar were you playing when you tested it? I found that it works best for boost on the clean channel with a low gain setting on the Monkey. Also, the tone controls need to be tweaked for transparency and when set right I can dial out the mid hump that most OD pedals produce. The only downside that I've experienced is that I have to set it differently for humbucker vs single coil, which means that if I switch back and forth I'll need two pedals.

[Alligator]

And the Gibson. I'm not sure if I'm paying all that money for the brand. I mean, would a modded Epiphone Les Paul Custom sound better than a Gibson?

I was looking to buy a Gibson ES 335 a while ago but over here they go for £1600. I don't know the exchange rate but either way its crazy money, although it is a Gibson...

Anyway, i ended up finding a lovely Epi 335 in vintage sunburst in my local shop for £389. It feels great to play, nice neck, well finished frets, the sunburst is gorgeous. So i got it set up and had some Bare Knuckle Mule humbuckers installed. They're fantastic handmade, top quality pups with tone like you never heard. The whole deal cost £650 and i've ended up with one seriously nice guitar. It feels great and sounds amazing through the F50.

So my advice, if you want a Gibson but can't afford the price go get yourself a well built Epi and stick some top quality pups in it. Its important to get a guitar that feels good to play and is generally well built and finished, so hunt around a bit but it's really worth the effort.

I still lust after Gibsons but i honestly think i'd get a set of these pups installed in any Gibson i bought.

[Lt_Core]

First off, hats off to Neil for a great job building the pedal. It looks fantastic! It was his idea since I couldn't find the right tool for the job. Needed a simple device to attenuate the volume plus still use my effects loop without buying a Mini Mass or Hot Plate. He added the solo boost switch. Excellent idea!

So, two shows this past weekend. One at a local bar where we always draw well and the night turns into a drunken debauchery :) The other at a corporate event in a hotel ballroom. Two different kinds of shows, indeed.

The first thing our sound company told us was that we would have to keep our volume (onstage and FOH) down at the hotel, for obvious reasons. Ding! We have a winner! The Stealth Boost is a true blessing. Not only is it dead quiet, I could dial back my overall volume to an acceptable level, still maintain the F-50 crunch, use my effects loop and use the solo boost footswitch! It worked wonderfully! I was loving it. Our singer even said, "Wow, you're not very loud tonight." He's always bitching about stage volume but not this time.

At the previous bar show I had it up louder because it was a crazy show and everyone was just rocking out (lame reference but it's true ;) ).

I also debuted a Dimebag Wah that I bought here on the spam thread. It seems to be a tone sucker so I'm going to put it into some kind of bypass/loop box in the near future.

When it was all said and done, the Stealth Boost is a total winner! We gig 3-6 times a month so I'm sure I'll have more comments but it did the trick beautifully. Thanks, Neil!

[Rodimus Prime]

What guitar were you playing when you tested it? I found that it works best for boost on the clean channel with a low gain setting on the Monkey. Also, the tone controls need to be tweaked for transparency and when set right I can dial out the mid hump that most OD pedals produce. The only downside that I've experienced is that I have to set it differently for humbucker vs single coil, which means that if I switch back and forth I'll need two pedals.

i was using an sss strat. it was alright. I was looking to retire my current od pedal simply because its old and increadibly beaten up but i wasn't able to reproduce the same kind of tone that i've come to enjoy SO much with it. I was looking for something pretty speciific, or better, and didn't find it in the monkey. Nothing against it, i just prefer my ibanez sd9. I think i might save up for a maxon sd9 to replace it

[Lt_Core]

i was using an sss strat. it was alright. I was looking to retire my current od pedal simply because its old and increadibly beaten up but i wasn't able to reproduce the same kind of tone that i've come to enjoy SO much with it. I was looking for something pretty speciific, or better, and didn't find it in the monkey. Nothing against it, i just prefer my ibanez sd9. I think i might save up for a maxon sd9 to replace it

How does the SD-9 differ from a typical TS-9?

[hal9000]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a guitar that has a good clean and that has good chug and distortion. I'm considering a humbucker guitar, preferbly a Les Paul or related. I'll probably sell my other guitars if I go with a better one. Anyone have experience with these guitars with their F30?

Gibson LP Vintage Mahogany
ESP/LTD EC-400
Epiphone Les Paul Custom (I'll probably switch pickups if I pick this one)

Which one to pick? Choices...sigh.If you like SuperStrat guitars, the ESP LTD H-400 is sweet guitar with real Seymour Duncan pups.

http://www.espguitars.com/images/guitars/H-400_ACSB.jpg

The 5-way switch gets you all three of the normal humbucker settings, but also single coils sounds as well making this guitar ridiculously versatile. I have the H-1000 and it can get every bit as sweet sounding through my F-100 as my Ravelle Limited (Les Paul like) does. For the ESP EC, I like the EC-400AT (SD JB/'59):

http://www.espguitars.com/images/guitars/EC-400AT_MGO.jpg


I'd also look into Fernandes' line of guitars, because the Ravelle Deluxe and Monterey Deluxe are sweet guitars with a huge sound and come in under budget.

Ravelle Deluxe (SD JB/Jazz):
http://www.fernandesguitars.com/ravelledhb.jpg

Monetery Deluxe (SD JB/Jazz with coil taps):
http://www.fernandesguitars.com/mdiv.jpg

Of all these guitars, the Ravelle is the most Les Paul-like with its deep taut bass. The others are all very similar sounding with the H-400 and Monterey Deluxe being the most versatile. The H-400 has the thinest neck and best upper-fret access.

[hal9000]

First off, hats off to Neil for a great job building the pedal. It looks fantastic! It was his idea since I couldn't find the right tool for the job. Needed a simple device to attenuate the volume plus still use my effects loop without buying a Mini Mass or Hot Plate. He added the solo boost switch. Excellent idea!

So, two shows this past weekend. One at a local bar where we always draw well and the night turns into a drunken debauchery :) The other at a corporate event in a hotel ballroom. Two different kinds of shows, indeed.

The first thing our sound company told us was that we would have to keep our volume (onstage and FOH) down at the hotel, for obvious reasons. Ding! We have a winner! The Stealth Boost is a true blessing. Not only is it dead quiet, I could dial back my overall volume to an acceptable level, still maintain the F-50 crunch, use my effects loop and use the solo boost footswitch! It worked wonderfully! I was loving it. Our singer even said, "Wow, you're not very loud tonight." He's always bitching about stage volume but not this time.

At the previous bar show I had it up louder because it was a crazy show and everyone was just rocking out (lame reference but it's true ;) ).

I also debuted a Dimebag Wah that I bought here on the spam thread. It seems to be a tone sucker so I'm going to put it into some kind of bypass/loop box in the near future.

When it was all said and done, the Stealth Boost is a total winner! We gig 3-6 times a month so I'm sure I'll have more comments but it did the trick beautifully. Thanks, Neil!You're welcome Jeff, and thanks for the great review! I'm glad it worked out for you and as you predicted, you got your tone at a lower volume, which made your singer happy. :)

[hal9000]

Cool looking pedal, hal9000! I built myself a boost pedal a few years ago which I mostly used as a solo volume boost in the fx loop of my Ampeg Reverberocket. It was based on the Alembic Stratoblaster and designed by the guy who has the www.generalguitargadgets.com...he's got lots of great projects, btw. Anyway, that's a really cool idea to combine it with a loop volume control.Thanks! The design is about as simple as you can get, but there's really no virtue in complexity. It's simply a master volume and output level adjustment similar to what Mesa puts on all the newer amps. In fact, I redesigned basically the same thing that Randall Smith uses without realizing it until later.

Anyway, speaking of building things, in musicdog400's clip thread, he got me thinking about the Contour filters compared to the Mark IV. The F-series actually does have the same graphic EQ circuit (minus the 240 Hz band), just with fixed resistors. A little experimentation with parallel resistance on each band would go a long way to arriving at a final circuit. In addition, if you were to have a graphical representation of the F-series Contour filters, the 80 Hz slider would be almost at the top, the 750 Hz would be almost at the bottom, the 2200 Hz slider would be 3/4-way to the top, and the 6600 Hz slider would be a tad lower than the 2200 Hz. Obviously, these are rough calculations, but you get the idea. The 1k resistors that act as the other side of the pots could be lowered to get a greater ratio in case you'd like to scoop more mids, add more bass, drop/add some of the high or mid treble, or all of that, etc.

[Rodimus Prime]

How does the SD-9 differ from a typical TS-9?

the ts9 has this crazy mid-range hump that totally changes the tone and nature of the amp. the sd9 is FAR more trasparent. it still adds a good amount of gain if needed, i usually keep my gain on 1, and really makes the amp feel like its being pushed through an attenuator.

other than that, the sd9 was intended as more of a distortion pedal than an od pedal like the ts9 but i find it works better as an od and its still a really good distortion pedal. If you get the chance to, try one out. I play it with gain on 1, volume flat and tone around 4 (its a fairly bright pedal)

[shpunt9]

That stealth boost is very much like the line selector by boss in that
it allows you to control the volume of both the boost and the regular volume
from the effects send and return.
The line selector however has the additional options of looping select
pedals .
Just some info on esoteric stuff!

[hal9000]

That stealth boost is very much like the line selector by boss in that
it allows you to control the volume of both the boost and the regular volume
from the effects send and return.
The line selector however has the additional options of looping select
pedals .
Just some info on esoteric stuff!Ha Ha, well, I certainly don't intend to compete with Boss on any level. There will always be many ways to solve a problem, and in the case of the Stealth Boost, it fit Jeff's needs perfectly which is all you can really ask for.

Welcome to the forum and the F-series thread BTW. Are you interested in the F-series? :)

[rockon1000]

My friend just bought the F-50. I love the amp and plan to get one. Question:His reverb barely works. How is the reverb on these amps? Thanks Bob

[Rodimus Prime]

My friend just bought the F-50. I love the amp and plan to get one. Question:His reverb barely works. How is the reverb on these amps? Thanks Bob

i've never been a huge fan of the reverb. i kinda keep it at 3 so you know it might be there if you really listen for it but other than that its not really there. If he got it second hand maybe a good tube change would do the trick.

[rockon1000]

i've never been a huge fan of the reverb. i kinda keep it at 3 so you know it might be there if you really listen for it but other than that its not really there. If he got it second hand maybe a good tube change would do the trick.



Its brand new. Just wondering if the reverb is "ok" or useable since you cant really hear his even turned up.

[Rodimus Prime]

if you have the footswitch plugged in make sure that its not turned off.

[Rodimus Prime]

hey guys, this one's just for you. Just started recording with my band and we have this one song thats nowhere near done but i used my f50 for the most guitar tones except the bridge where the other guitar player is using his deville for the rhythm.
The SONG is nowhere near done but here is what i thought were some nice clean tones for you to enjoy. btw, when you think the song is done, skip ahead to 3:14 and the band is back in.
I'm SO excited to get this project out into the public.
Nothing Matters - Tripmeter (http://www.purevolume.com/brentbisaillion)

[Rodimus Prime]

moving the link to here.
http://www.purevolume.com/brentbisaillion

[jcoggins7]

Nice tone. What tremolo was used?

[Joeytpg]

hi guys....i've been thinking about re-tubing my F-50...... i don't know much about tube brands and tubes in general (it's my first Tube Amp)

what can you recommend me? i play very varied music...but mostly Hard Rock- Heavy metal, some alternative.

i know it's not a Mark, it's an F-50 which covers the Heavy Rock genre perfectly...but i want to tighten the low end a little bit......what tubes can help the "heavy side" of the F-50 morE?


I also live in Spain, so i need them delivered to me here.

[Surfcaster]

I picked up a Greenback the other day for another amp that I have, but of course I had to try it with the F50, too. And I recall someone here posted a while back that the Greenback was not a good match with the F50. Well, they were right!

Then today I decided to put the Greenback in my 2x12 cab alongside the G12H30 and that was just as bad if not worse...very trebly and buzzy! So for me, it's just the C90 and V30 from here on out!!

However, I LOVE the Greenback (by itself and with the G12H30) with my other amp...very sweet!

[Rodimus Prime]

Nice tone. What tremolo was used?

thanks! :thu:

i did alot of testing a research before i bought my tremolo. i wanted something that sounded great, was versatile, quiet and gave good a vintage vibe when set right.
Its a dano tuna-melt :wave:

Its a very good pedal, despite its plastic body

[jcoggins7]

Haha figures. Sounds good. Danelectro has like a little quiet kinda cult following in Harmony Central lol it seems like to me. Not that it's a bad thing. I just find it somewhat funny. Maybe it's the pedal names.

[ashjn]

Check out Mesa's website

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/product_info.htm#

F-Series are no longer up. They have been replaced by the Express

[barneyc4]

bye bye f-series:(

my first tube amp. will never forget you.

[Muzikazoo]

Haha figures. Sounds good. Danelectro has like a little quiet kinda cult following in Harmony Central lol it seems like to me. Not that it's a bad thing. I just find it somewhat funny. Maybe it's the pedal names.

I've owned some Danalectro pedals, and while some of them are crap....you can't beat 35 bucks for the Tuna Melt tremolo. Little thing sounds great.....the knobs are crap, but it's kinda set it and forget it for me.

[VoodooChild24]

Hey Neil, are you planning to put this in production in the near future? Let me know man. Looks cool.

To all of you guys who took a guess as to what this pedal is, thanks:

http://www.64graphics.com/stealthboost/SB_Red_Granite_Perspective_600x800.jpg

I built it for Jeff (Lt_Core) because he couldn't find exactly what he wanted on the market. It was designed to go into the FX loop and acts as an attenuator and solo boost when the switch is pressed. Green is rhythm and red is boost. I've been wanting to put my designs into a fully developed pedal for a while, so I want to thank Jeff for the opportunity. Jeff also promised a gig report after this weekend, so I'm anxious to here how the Stealth Boost performs. I named it the Stealth Boost for three reasons, 1) It was designed with Mesa's Stealth amp in mind, 2) It's so transparent it's like the pedal isn't even there, 3) I don't have enough experience with painting and labeling FX boxes to add nifty logos to the top, so all the labeling is on the side, hence the stealthy look. :)

[Dann'sTheMan]

Check out Mesa's website

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/product_info.htm#

F-Series are no longer up. They have been replaced by the Express

Looks really interesting features-wise: series FX loop, tweakable Contour, multi-mode channel operation (should make for interesting MIDI-controlled switching possibilities) - can't wait to try one! It'll be interesting to see how much overlap there is with that F-series voicing that I fell for (on past form, Randall will make sure it has its own thing going on). :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Tommi Inkila]

Looks really interesting features-wise: series FX loop, tweakable Contour, multi-mode channel operation (should make for interesting MIDI-controlled switching possibilities) - can't wait to try one! It'll be interesting to see how much overlap there is with that F-series voicing that I fell for (on past form, Randall will make sure it has its own thing going on). :)

Big smiles,

Andy.
Yep, it will be interesting to hear it in action... and it's probably true that the amp is quite different from F if old signs are right.

Express-lounge doesn't sound that good though :)

[Joeytpg]

no help with the tube selection from my fellow F-brothers ?? :cry:




P.S.

No Express clips yet? i'd love to hear it

[hal9000]

Hey Neil, are you planning to put this in production in the near future? Let me know man. Looks cool.Thanks Desi! :) I've got the parts for two more on order of which one is claimed. If you want the other one, send me an email (sig) and we can work out the specifics.

I don't have the time to make this kind of product with my graphic design business going full bore (A blessing to be sure :)). However, when I do have time, I can build these to order. The first one I built for myself was actually remotely operated via a DPDT relay, and I may eventually create an alternate design which does the same. So, instead of having the pedal on a board, it could reside on top of the amp or even be secured inside the amp such that the FX loop cable run would be really short. Then, basically any latching 1/4" switch would change modes from rhythm to solo.

[Rodimus Prime]

no help with the tube selection from my fellow F-brothers ?? :cry:




P.S.

No Express clips yet? i'd love to hear it

i just upgraded my tubes and i like the outcome.
i have 2 TAD 6l6str's, a tung-sol 12ax7 in v1 and the rest are jj's. I don't know what you have access to where you are. The could be the reason no one is responding.

[Rodimus Prime]

I'm fairly excited to have my first discontinued model.

"cool, what amp is that?"
"its a mesa f50"
"wow, i've never heard of it, do they still make it"
"nope, its a jem. get one if you can find it. They go for about a million dollars now"
"..."

[Lt_Core]

I've owned some Danalectro pedals, and while some of them are crap....you can't beat 35 bucks for the Tuna Melt tremolo. Little thing sounds great.....the knobs are crap, but it's kinda set it and forget it for me.

:( My Tuna Melt bit the dust last weekend. The switch for soft tremolo now doesn't work and the hard tremolo switch now is the soft tremolo.......grrrrrrrr!

It sounds great but that cheap enclosure sucks. Oh, well....anybody have a tremolo pedal at a decent price? ;)

[Rodimus Prime]

i think it would be worthwhile to put the dano-tuna guts in a stronger shell. Thats really its biggest downfall.
Hal, where did you get that pedal shell from?

[plumptone]

Tube amps are such a pain sometimes. I'm very frustrated right now. I got my F-50 last year in July. I was blown away by the way it looked and sounded, and was in tone heaven for about two weeks. After the second gig with the amp it sounded lifeless - insufficient head-room, and just weak tone. Called Boogie, they suggested maybe bad pre-amp tubes. I switched out V1 for a known good, and was off to the races again.

Fast forward another couple of months. V1 goes microphonic. I replace with another known good tube. I call Boogie, and they send me out two brand new 12ax7s, which I hold on to. A month later the amp starts really acting up: an hour into rehearsal it starts sputtering really badly in both channels. I take it to GC where I bought it, and of course it wouldn't repeat the problem there, so I go home with my tail between my legs, but happy that the probplem seemed to have gone away.

Two weeks ago, and this time at a gig, I turn on for the third set, and hit the first chord. The thing is stuttering again. FORTUNATELY I had my trusty DC-3 with me as a back up.

Went to GC, bought two new output tubes, and two more preamp tubes. Completely retubed the amp. Recall the 2 12ax7s Mesa sent me? They were BOTH completely useless. Noisy as hell. In fact, holding the tubes up to my ear and tapping them with my fibger I could HEAR the insides rattling? WTF???

Put ANOTHER two known good 12ax7s in there (my last spares) to replace those shot ones, had rehearsal last night, and wouldn't you know it?????? Yeah - the thing starts farting out and stuttering on me again. THIS TOTALLY SUCKS.

Now I'm going to have to take it to my tech, and I'll be without the amp for probably a couple of weeks. I have two recording sessions and three gigs coming up. I sincerely hope that I don't have a lemon on my hands. This is my fourth Boogie, and the ONLY one I've ever had any problems with. All my others went at least three full hard years without needing new preamp tubes, and most have taken over a year to need new output tubes.

Just needed to vent.

[hal9000]

i think it would be worthwhile to put the dano-tuna guts in a stronger shell. Thats really its biggest downfall.
Hal, where did you get that pedal shell from?It's a trade secret. :) Just kidding buddy! Hammond Manufacturing and the various clones are the best for a pedal rehouse, so you just have to figure out the right size for the components, battery, and controls to fit.

Is this the pedal?
http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/tn/9/9/1/367991.jpg

If so, there are a few caveats I can think of that may prevent a rehouse from being cost effective or even possible given decent soldering skills.
1) I'm sure all the parts are mounted to a PC board, so you'll have to be exact when drilling the holes in the new box.
2) You'll have to figure out how to mount the PC board so it's secure.
3) If you want to replace the cheap micro-switch with a heavy duty switch like I used on the Stealth Boost, you may have trouble soldering to the PC board or even damage it beyond repair if you're not careful.

On the plus side, you can add true bypass to the Tune Melt with the blue 3PDT switch and you'll never have to worry about the switch breaking.

If you want more info about rehousing the Tuna Melt, send me an email (sig).

[hal9000]

:( My Tuna Melt bit the dust last weekend. The switch for soft tremolo now doesn't work and the hard tremolo switch now is the soft tremolo.......grrrrrrrr!

It sounds great but that cheap enclosure sucks. Oh, well....anybody have a tremolo pedal at a decent price? ;)If you take the housing apart, you'll probably find that the hard/soft switch has a bad connection to the PC board. You can touch up the solder to see if it will fix it. Also, if you use a paper clip, you can short each of the switch's outer terminals to the center to see if the pedal will switch modes properly, which will tell you if the switch is hosed. I'm assuming the switch is SPDT (three terminals with the center common) here, but it could be SPST (two terminals either connected or open) as well.

[Goldwing]

Check out Mesa's website

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/product_info.htm#

F-Series are no longer up. They have been replaced by the Express

Only 25watts for the EL84 version?? too little doesn't it?

I hope the clean channels be as good as the one in the F50.. then I will think in try one..well maybe read the reviews and with lucky try one. There is no dealer of Mesa/Boogie in my country.

[hal9000]

Only 25watts for the EL84 version?? too little doesn't it?

I hope the clean channels be as good as the one in the F50.. then I will think in try one..well maybe read the reviews and with lucky try one. There is no dealer of Mesa/Boogie in my country.Actually, the F-30 is 22 W, but I'd be more concerned with the sensitivity of the 10" E50 speaker in the Express 2:25 combo.

[Lt_Core]

If you take the housing apart, you'll probably find that the hard/soft switch has a bad connection to the PC board. You can touch up the solder to see if it will fix it. Also, if you use a paper clip, you can short each of the switch's outer terminals to the center to see if the pedal will switch modes properly, which will tell you if the switch is hosed. I'm assuming the switch is SPDT (three terminals with the center common) here, but it could be SPST (two terminals either connected or open) as well.

Hi Neil, that was all Greek to me! LOL! I am so not handy with stuff like that.

Another Stealth Boost comment from practice last night. I normally use my old PODxt/Atomic at practice but the PODxt's power connection broke when it accidentally fell :(

I ran home real quick, grabbed my F-50, TU-2 and Stealth Boost. Woohoo! Practice safe levels! I love this pedal. That's all I know....later!

[Goldwing]

Hmmm.. Yeap. I think you are right Hal, and the series loop is not an improvement in my opinion, at least they should have put level control in it.

Also.. couldn't find if mesa is going to include the the foot switch...

[hal9000]

Hi Neil, that was all Greek to me! LOL! I am so not handy with stuff like that.

Another Stealth Boost comment from practice last night. I normally use my old PODxt/Atomic at practice but the PODxt's power connection broke when it accidentally fell :(

I ran home real quick, grabbed my F-50, TU-2 and Stealth Boost. Woohoo! Practice safe levels! I love this pedal. That's all I know....later!Jeff, I wish it was cheaper to ship stuff because I could probably repair it for you, but it would be roughly a 1/4 of the cost of the pedal for a round trip to me and back.

I'm glad the Stealth Boost is doing its job for you. As for the new Express 5:50, it still doesn't have an overall master or solo boost, so the Stealth Boost will continue to be a useful item. :)

[hal9000]

Hmmm.. Yeap. I think you are right Hal, and the series loop is not an improvement in my opinion, at least they should have put level control in it.

Also.. couldn't find if mesa is going to include the the foot switch...Ha ha, well, the thing with an FX loop is that people are divided as to which way is the best. So, unless you make a loop switchable from true-series to parallel, somebody's always going to find fault. I guarantee as soon as the Express is released, you'll have people complaining because it doesn't have a parallel loop. :) For metal guys where EQ is used in the loop a lot, series makes sense. I currently use my F-100 as if the loop was series by setting the FX Mix pot to 90%.

[Surfcaster]

Check out Mesa's website

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/product_info.htm#

F-Series are no longer up. They have been replaced by the Express

Interesting. I like the idea of having a couple modes on each channel and the ability to drop output to 5W is cool. The other thing that excites me is the tube-driven reverb, which I wish they would have done on the F-Series. But my guess is these will retail for more than the F-Series with these kinds of features. I'll be interested to see what kind of price tags they end up with.

[hal9000]

Interesting. I like the idea of having a couple modes on each channel and the ability to drop output to 5W is cool. The other thing that excites me is the tube-driven reverb, which I wish they would have done on the F-Series. But my guess is these will retail for more than the F-Series with these kinds of features. I'll be interested to see what kind of price tags they end up with.You're in luck:

Mesa Boogie Express 5:25: $1,049.00

http://www.fqms.com/Mesa_Boogie_Express_5_25_Duo__P22285.cfm

Edit: $1199.00 for the 5:50:
http://www.fqms.com/Mesa_Boogie_Express_5_25_Duo__P22286.cfm

So, from Mesa's normal pricing strategy, the head's will be $50 less than the 1x12 combos, and the 5:50 2x12 combo should be around $100 more than the 1x12.

[hal9000]

Interesting. I like the idea of having a couple modes on each channel and the ability to drop output to 5W is cool. The other thing that excites me is the tube-driven reverb, which I wish they would have done on the F-Series. But my guess is these will retail for more than the F-Series with these kinds of features. I'll be interested to see what kind of price tags they end up with.I guess I was right:


25 watt Short Head - $999
25 Watt 1x10 Combo - $1049
50 Watt Medium Head - $1149
50 Watt Long Head - $1149
50 Watt 1x12 - $1199
50 Watt 2x12 - $1299

[Lt_Core]

Wow...pretty good pricing IMHO if its that versatile. Can't wait to get reports back from people attending NAMM.

[ashjn]

I will be @ NAMM tomorrow and report back tomorrow night on the Express!

[Lt_Core]

I will be @ NAMM tomorrow and report back tomorrow night on the Express!

Woohoo! Thanks! :thu:

[Surfcaster]

Wow...that's more reasonable than I imagined. But it would have to be quite a bit better than the F50 for me to even consider it. If I would replace the F50 the Stiletto Ace is currently the front runner...though I must say I'm pretty interested to try the new Marshall VintageModern amps, too. But I am interested to hear a first hand report, ashjn.

[jcoggins7]

I'm fairly excited to have my first discontinued model.

"cool, what amp is that?"
"its a mesa f50"
"wow, i've never heard of it, do they still make it"
"nope, its a jem. get one if you can find it. They go for about a million dollars now"
"..."

heck yes lol

Saying farewell to the F-Series is also bittersweet to me [tear]...oh well, that just means I got one and whoever doesn't have one is screwed [evil cackle]. My F-50 is also my first tube amp.

[Lt_Core]

It's a trade secret. :) Just kidding buddy! Hammond Manufacturing and the various clones are the best for a pedal rehouse, so you just have to figure out the right size for the components, battery, and controls to fit.

Is this the pedal?
http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/tn/9/9/1/367991.jpg

If so, there are a few caveats I can think of that may prevent a rehouse from being cost effective or even possible given decent soldering skills.
1) I'm sure all the parts are mounted to a PC board, so you'll have to be exact when drilling the holes in the new box.
2) You'll have to figure out how to mount the PC board so it's secure.
3) If you want to replace the cheap micro-switch with a heavy duty switch like I used on the Stealth Boost, you may have trouble soldering to the PC board or even damage it beyond repair if you're not careful.

On the plus side, you can add true bypass to the Tune Melt with the blue 3PDT switch and you'll never have to worry about the switch breaking.

If you want more info about rehousing the Tuna Melt, send me an email (sig).

Here's more info an rehousing a Tuna Melt. Original thread at the top of this thread...complete with pics for savvy soldering-pedal guy not me ;)

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=202746

For some reason, the direct link to this page is wacky....copy & paste it to a new browser window.

Enjoy!

[Foorever]

I am looking into buying a F-100. How loud are these? I have a Carvin x100b i have band practice with it at about 5 or so on the lead channel. Is that about what this is putting out?

[hal9000]

Here's more info an rehousing a Tuna Melt. Original thread at the top of this thread...complete with pics for savvy soldering-pedal guy not me ;)

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=202746

For some reason, the direct link to this page is wacky....copy & paste it to a new browser window.

Enjoy!As I suspected, it's not worth the cost unless you fancy this kind of work. You'd be a lot better off simply building a BYOC Trem: http://www.buildyourownclone.com/trem.html for $70

[hal9000]

I am looking into buying a F-100. How loud are these? I have a Carvin x100b i have band practice with it at about 5 or so on the lead channel. Is that about what this is putting out?Welcome to the forum Foorever! :)

The F-100 is one of the loudest amplifiers around for both pristine clean and distortion, so there should be no situation where you don't have enough volume capability (given decent speakers of course). In addition, the F-series in general has a very good master volume, and with a few tricks, can get excellent conversation level tones as well. See the FX Loop Master diagram in my signature.

For most people, the F-50 is all the power they will ever need, and generates stunning Blackface clean tones in part because of the 6L6 output stage. The F-30 is also seriously loud, but may run out of clean headroom depending on how loud your drummer plays and the output level of your pickups. The F-30 also has a different output stage using EL-84s so it has a bit different feel and tone than the higher powered brothers F-50/100, but is clearly a sibling since the preamp is identical.

[Joeytpg]

Hal, Andy, Tommi?....can you recommend me new tubes? i play hard-rock mostly.....so i want some tubes that will help the "Heavyness" of the amp....

[hal9000]

Hal, Andy, Tommi?....can you recommend me new tubes? i play hard-rock mostly.....so i want some tubes that will help the "Heavyness" of the amp....Here's what I use:

V1: Tung-Sol reissue 12AX7
V2: JJ ECC83S
V3: JJ ECC83S
V4: Balanced EH 12AX7 for the PI
V5-V8: Ruby 6L6GCMSTR rated for Mesa's bias range, which are supposed to be the same as the Mesa STR-430 that comes stock in the F-50/100.

If you want the amp to be brighter, leave the Tung-Sol in V1, if you want it darker, swap a JJ in there.

Lots of people like the SED 6L6, but they are pricey. Really, the Mesa 12AX7s are very good and I don't really see a reason to replace them unless one has gone bad. As you can tell, the Mesa power tubes are also very good. Mine lasted two years with tons of gigging and practice and would still work in my amp if need be. It's just that Mesa's tube prices are a bit much compared to other dealers. As long as you stay in the Mesa bias range for the power tubes, you can use anything you'd like. Preamp tubes don't have any restrictions as long as they are 12AX7s.

[Surfcaster]

Hal, Andy, Tommi?....can you recommend me new tubes? i play hard-rock mostly.....so i want some tubes that will help the "Heavyness" of the amp....

DoveTailing off Hal9000's post here, the Tung Sol may also give you just a tad more gain than the Mesa 12ax7, but sound quality will likely not be that much different, at least it wasn't in my experience.

As for power tubes, I recently put a pair of TAD 6L6s at Mesa spec into my F50, but I really couldn't tell any significant difference tonally...and I've heard from other places that there isn't really a lot of tonal difference from one quality tube to another (of the same type tube anyway). So I've come to the conclusion that Mesa's tubes really are good tubes, and I'll probably stick with them. They may be a little pricier, but not by a lot.

The other thing that kind of scared me was my amp was sputtering when I had the TADs in. I've had no problems with it now that I put the Mesa tubes back in...that's another reason I think I'll just stick with Mesa tubes. Besides, my amp only gets played a couple hours on the weekend, so my tubes will last a long time at that rate, so a few extra bucks every few years is no biggie.

[Lt_Core]

I just put in a new set of JJ's from Eurotubes. It's seems a bit darker, as everyone has suggested. True test will be at tomorrow's gig.

[Foorever]

Welcome to the forum Foorever! :)

The F-100 is one of the loudest amplifiers around for both pristine clean and distortion, so there should be no situation where you don't have enough volume capability (given decent speakers of course). In addition, the F-series in general has a very good master volume, and with a few tricks, can get excellent conversation level tones as well. See the FX Loop Master diagram in my signature.

For most people, the F-50 is all the power they will ever need, and generates stunning Blackface clean tones in part because of the 6L6 output stage. The F-30 is also seriously loud, but may run out of clean headroom depending on how loud your drummer plays and the output level of your pickups. The F-30 also has a different output stage using EL-84s so it has a bit different feel and tone than the higher powered brothers F-50/100, but is clearly a sibling since the preamp is identical.

Thank you for the info. These Carvins are pretty loud that's why I was wondering. I don't want to go a step down, our drummer plays pretty loud. I haven't put new tubes in this thing since I've owned it, which has been quite some time and it still sounds pretty good.

I've been looking to maybe trade my X100B out to try a Mesa, really any Mesa, I was kind of hoping for 100 watts but figured I wouldn't get close trading it straight up. I dont know why I want to trade, I love this carvin, i've just never tried a mesa. So.. who knows :cry:

[ashjn]

Unfortunately, I only got to check out the 5:25 clean/crunch channel (both modes). It is definitily a different beast than the F-Series. The F-Series clean sounds much fuller from what I heard. They had a whole display set up of the express. They had a 5:25 Micro full stack with the short head and 2 1x10 cabs. Looked pretty cool....

Any other questions feel free to ask

[hal9000]

Unfortunately, I only got to check out the 5:25 clean/crunch channel (both modes). It is definitily a different beast than the F-Series. The F-Series clean sounds much fuller from what I heard. They had a whole display set up of the express. They had a 5:25 Micro full stack with the short head and 2 1x10 cabs. Looked pretty cool....

Any other questions feel free to askTell me you played with the Contour knob???? Thanks for the preliminary info. Was the 5:25 the 1x10 combo? I would imagine that with the smaller cab and 10" speaker, that it would be lacking bass, plus it's also an open back design, right? Did the crunch sound British to you? It seems from Mesa's advertisement that they were implying that the crunch mode was intended for Brit rock.

[rakester]

why a 1x10, why not just go with a 1x12

[ashjn]

Tell me you played with the Contour knob???? Thanks for the preliminary info. Was the 5:25 the 1x10 combo? I would imagine that with the smaller cab and 10" speaker, that it would be lacking bass, plus it's also an open back design, right? Did the crunch sound British to you? It seems from Mesa's advertisement that they were implying that the crunch mode was intended for Brit rock.

No. Actually we had the 5:25 hooked up to a 2x12 cab. They said it was a 2x12 Express Cab. The crunch did sound more British, almost along the lines of the Stiletto crunch with the gain turned down. And no, i didn't get to mess with the contour. I didn't get to mess with channel 2 either. Mesa was the last stop for us on the way out. Mapquest said the drive from my house should take 1 hour, 15 minutes. With the lovely LA traffic all the way down, it took just under 3 hours to get there, which drastically cut my NAMM time...

[Surfcaster]

why a 1x10, why not just go with a 1x12

My guess is for portability...smaller and lighter. I was using a 10" Eminence Ramrod for a while a year ago and to be honest, it really sounded pretty good.

[gdwill2u]

Welcome to the forum Foorever! :)

The F-100 is one of the loudest amplifiers around for both pristine clean and distortion, so there should be no situation where you don't have enough volume capability (given decent speakers of course). In addition, the F-series in general has a very good master volume, and with a few tricks, can get excellent conversation level tones as well. See the FX Loop Master diagram in my signature.

For most people, the F-50 is all the power they will ever need, and generates stunning Blackface clean tones in part because of the 6L6 output stage. The F-30 is also seriously loud, but may run out of clean headroom depending on how loud your drummer plays and the output level of your pickups. The F-30 also has a different output stage using EL-84s so it has a bit different feel and tone than the higher powered brothers F-50/100, but is clearly a sibling since the preamp is identical.


I know thios has been discussed ad infinitum before but if you don't mind could you go over a couple of questions for me about the rear panel volume mod.

1. What is the advantage of this to just using the master volume knob?

2. You diagram only shows how to solder the 1/4" jack, but what else is involved, I seem to remember reading about a volume pedal in the loop?

3. Does the placement of the volume pedal (if that is what is used) matter, I currently run a DD-3, an EQ and a TZF Paradox pedal in my loop?

thanks in advance
Bob

[hal9000]

I know thios has been discussed ad infinitum before but if you don't mind could you go over a couple of questions for me about the rear panel volume mod.

1. What is the advantage of this to just using the master volume knob?

2. You diagram only shows how to solder the 1/4" jack, but what else is involved, I seem to remember reading about a volume pedal in the loop?

3. Does the placement of the volume pedal (if that is what is used) matter, I currently run a DD-3, an EQ and a TZF Paradox pedal in my loop?

thanks in advance
BobHi Bob,
1) Attenuation in the loop allows you to get better tone at the same output level as using the CH2 master. As long as you can get the CH2 master above 9:00, everything starts to sound better. Also, you get an overall master for both channels. With the FX loop mix mod, I like the pot at around 2:00.

2) If you already use the loop, the FX loop mix mod isn't going to work. However, since you already have an EQ, you can use its level control to do the same thing as a volume pedal.

3) If you were to use a volume pedal in the loop, it's probably best to have it last so as you feed the FX, their input levels won't change based on the position of the volume pedal. A regular 250k volume pedal will work, but it's best to use a line level 25k volume pedal to better match the impedance of the loop. Also, I prefer to run the loop mix at max (90%) since you have the most control over volume and EQ.

Is that more clear?

[gdwill2u]

Hi Bob,
1) Attenuation in the loop allows you to get better tone at the same output level as using the CH2 master. As long as you can get the CH2 master above 9:00, everything starts to sound better. Also, you get an overall master for both channels. With the FX loop mix mod, I like the pot at around 2:00.

2) If you already use the loop, the FX loop mix mod isn't going to work. However, since you already have an EQ, you can use its level control to do the same thing as a volume pedal.

3) If you were to use a volume pedal in the loop, it's probably best to have it last so as you feed the FX, their input levels won't change based on the position of the volume pedal. A regular 250k volume pedal will work, but it's best to use a line level 25k volume pedal to better match the impedance of the loop. Also, I prefer to run the loop mix at max (90%) since you have the most control over volume and EQ.

Is that more clear?


Gottcha, thanks:thu:

[Joeytpg]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn1P9rIQJw&mode=related&search=


some very nice F-50/gmajor/Earnie Ball MM cleans....... :)

[breakingstring]

Does anyone know of a relatively cheap delay that works well with the F-50 combo effects loop? I know some people use the G Major, and I was considering the G-Sharp, but it's above what I want to spend.

I'm interested in the tape delay sound more than anything.

[jcoggins7]

Check out the Line 6 DL4 ($250) or Line 6 Tonecore Verbzilla ($150). They both have tape delay simulators as well as digital and analog sounds and humongous delay type choices that work with each. The Verbzilla is like a one-footswitch, non-true-bypass version of the DL4. The DL4 is extremely popular with recording and performing guitarists here in Nashville. It's on almost everyone's pedal board.

[breakingstring]

Check out the Line 6 DL4 ($250) or Line 6 Tonecore Verbzilla ($150). They both have tape delay simulators as well as digital and analog sounds and humongous delay type choices that work with each. The Verbzilla is like a one-footswitch, non-true-bypass version of the DL4. The DL4 is extremely popular with recording and performing guitarists here in Nashville. It's on almost everyone's pedal board.

Thanks. It looks like the DL4 is actually more money than the G-Sharp (at least where I am in the UK), so if I were to spend that much I would probably go with the TC rack unit instead as I liked the clips I heard. The verbzilla looks like a possibility. I'm also wondering about the Echo park.

[jcoggins7]

Are you looking for reverb or delay? I own both pedals, and if you could describe for me what kind of sounds you want a little more in depth I can tell you which one would be better for you.

[mrfreeze]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn1P9rIQJw&mode=related&search=


some very nice F-50/gmajor/Earnie Ball MM cleans....... :)

that's the other guitarist in my band! Natek. his setup is great. except when he took his MM and got the D-sonic in the bridge at a music shop and got it serviced, i guess they messed up the neck pretty bad. so he had to send it into to EB. but nonetheless, a fantastic setup.

[breakingstring]

Are you looking for reverb or delay? I own both pedals, and if you could describe for me what kind of sounds you want a little more in depth I can tell you which one would be better for you.

I think a good example would be the delay sound in the song 'The Bell and The Hammer' which you can stream from this page.

http://www.purevolume.com/thisdayandage

That's pretty much what I'm after.

[Tommi Inkila]

Hal, Andy, Tommi?....can you recommend me new tubes? i play hard-rock mostly.....so i want some tubes that will help the "Heavyness" of the amp....
For the heaviness I'm really pleased with my current setup from Tube Amp Doctor. I have 4 x 12AX7-Cz (they are most likely tested and relabeled JJ's and to be exact at this moment I have one Svetlana in there, but I don't think it changes the package a lot.) and 6L6GC-STR pair.

[jcoggins7]

breakingstring, I think you'd be much better off with the Echo Park than the Verbzilla for that sound. You can get pretty close to that sound with the Echo Park.

[Geiri]

Hey dudes

Thanx for a great forum. When I first heard a mark4 many years ago I got hooked on mesa gear and sounds but actually never bought one until my dual rectumfrier. The thing is I was always aiming for that searing boogie lead from bands like stryper and such but never got close, so now many amps and many disapointments later I found the F 50 mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I borrowed one from the store and need your input on how to get that tone. A guy on the boogie boards anders hoeg comes really close with his F 30 bt I need guidance regarding eq, hotplate, pedals and such, and regarding the express isn't that just an f 50 with more options??

Sorry for the long thread, I'm just so glad I found you:thu:

[Geiri]

Hey dudes

Thanx for a great forum. When I first heard a mark4 many years ago I got hooked on mesa gear and sounds but actually never bought one until my dual rectumfrier. The thing is I was always aiming for that searing boogie lead from bands like stryper and such but never got close, so now many amps and many disapointments later I found the F 50 mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I borrowed one from the store and need your input on how to get that tone. A guy on the boogie boards anders hoeg comes really close with his F 30 bt I need guidance regarding eq, hotplate, pedals and such, and regarding the express isn't that just an f 50 with more options??

Sorry for the long thread, I'm just so glad I found you:thu:

[jcoggins7]

I'm pretty sure that the Express is not an upgraded F-series amp. Supposedly, Mesa was going for a different sound than the F-Series, so that the Express would be unique, though still retain it's Boogieness.

[Geiri]

Yeah nevermind anywhoo

I'm drooling so bad over this f 50 in front of me I think I'll buy it.


I'm using radial tonebone hot british in front of it and with the clean channel set to fat clean I get hot modded marshall sound that is probably the best I ever heard. There is one 12ax7 in the box which brings it to life. That means I have dirty channel + contour straight up. It's turning in to a four channel amp with this box. :thu:

[jcoggins7]

props. I want to do a similar thing with the new Menatone King of the Britains (I played number 001 and they sound INCREDIBLE).

[SandmaN211]

i heard from another forum that mesa stoped making the f- series, its that true?

[andershoeg]

Hey dudes

.... A guy on the boogie boards anders hoeg comes really close with his F 30 bt I need guidance regarding eq, .........

well geiri, i am all over the www ;) ok, not everywhere, but here i am for sure :) I can't remember the settings for the clips you've heard, but they are probably pretty easy to dial in. No extreme settings, thats one thing i know for sure :)
feel free to ask more q's if you like, or have some q's for me.
B.R. andershoeg

[andershoeg]

i heard from another forum that mesa stoped making the f- series, its that true?

yes, sandman211, it is true. i think (looks like it) the new "express" is its replacement in the mesa line-up.

b.r. andershoeg

[Geiri]

Hey anders

In the shred clip and petrucci clip do you use a distortion pedal in front or is it just the mesa gain.
tusind tak fra island

[Geiri]

and will hotplate tighten the sound at room levels??

[Gtrchavo]

Has any one that owns an F50 have a chance to play the Express 5:25 at NAMM? The Reason I am asking is because I did. Now those of you who went to NAMM know that unfortunatelly it is real hard to try anything out there because it is so noisy and they won't let you turn it up loud enough to get a good idea how it truly sounds. That being said, I thought it sounded a little Thin compared to my F50.

The Clean was nice, when you added to countour it really spakled. Now they don't have the pull knob for the clean like the F series. I played it with a PRS Single cut and it made those Humbucker sound nice and clean. Again it sounded nice but I thought it lacked body. The cruch setting was great.

Channel 2 was usual Mesa drive, but then again it sounded thin. Now I am comparing this to my F50 which I love. The Burn setting of course was great. Now I did notice that I was having to crank the gain up to get a good metalish distortion.

Now this is just my first impression, I am no expert by any means. My local dealer will be getting a head here in a couple of weeks so hopefully I will get to a/b against my F50 and get a better Idea of what it really sounds like.

As far as features and flexibility it is a nice improvement over the F50 we'll just have to wait and see how it does sonically, after all its all about the TONE.:)

[Geiri]

the guy from my local music store played the expressess at namm. He told me that the power switch 50w down to 5w was great to play at bedroom levels with a pretty decent sound but an f 50 with a hotplate would be a lot better.

[Geiri]

where in your signal chain do you put delay and reverb?? I'm so used to the digital gear that I feel like I'm starting over playing the guitar. I have to rethink every thing

[jcoggins7]

I put my delay and reverb either a) after my Menatone Ms. Foxy Brown or b) in the effects loop. It all depends on what I'm playing at the time. I don't like putting my delay and reverb in the effects loop at the same time so much, because when I do it I set the echo first with it's mix at 100%, and then adjust the mix on the back of the amp. I have the reverb after the delay, but unfortunately, I can't also max its mix because if I did then the delays wouldn't be clear, so the reverb is barely audible, if at all. The other option that I could do for routing is set the amp's FX mix at 90% and then adjust the pedals, but then my tone gets affected negatively by the pedals. That's why I'm considering selling both of them and getting a rack like a TC or Eventide so that I can run both effects in the loop effectively. (no pun intended)

[Goldwing]

I'm not sure about the Express series. Mesa already tryied this "flexibility" in an amp with the nomad series and (maybe I'm wrong) I have the impression that the F series was very much well received instead, I mean.. the Nomad series didn't have so much succes as the F series.. at least is my impression.

So.. yes.. the power switch its a great great feature, but again if the 50watts expression amp is as heavy as my F50 I would probably leave it in the rehearsal room instead of carrying it from my home every time. That reduces the options to the express 5:25 that one could guess is probably less heavier and more mmm..transportable.

I think that the f series will become more valuable now that its out of production...jjejeje

Just guessing..



cheers!

[andershoeg]

Hey anders

In the shred clip and petrucci clip do you use a distortion pedal in front or is it just the mesa gain.
tusind tak fra island

Hej Geiri! :)
No i did not use any pedals in front on those clips. the shred clip is not the f30, but some amp.-sim. (amplitube 1). But the petrucci-one is just the mesa gain.....and it has got plenty of it!
Velbekomme fra Danmark ;)

[MKCL]

Hey guys, if anyone's interested in delay...here we go!

I just got the Boss DD-3 from someone for CAD 80. So far so good. Pretty easy to use and I got the delay time to drag out really long...neat features...not as much as the DD-20, though I never tried the DD-20, but I like my stuff simple, ahah.

I was wondering, do all Boss pedals use the same power supply? I do have a 9V right now, but I prefer using an adaptor for reassurance, especially for gigs.

I used to use a Zoom adaptor with my previous Boss GE7 (which I refunded, due to volume drops). Would that work with the DD-3?

[Surfcaster]

Hey guys, if anyone's interested in delay...here we go!

I just got the Boss DD-3 from someone for CAD 80. So far so good. Pretty easy to use and I got the delay time to drag out really long...neat features...not as much as the DD-20, though I never tried the DD-20, but I like my stuff simple, ahah.

I was wondering, do all Boss pedals use the same power supply? I do have a 9V right now, but I prefer using an adaptor for reassurance, especially for gigs.

I used to use a zoom adaptor with my previous Boss GE7 (which I refunded, due to volume drops). Would that work with the DD-3?

Yeah, I love my DD-5.

As for the adapters, yes...all Boss pedals use the same adapter, so that should be no problem. I'm currently running all my pedals on a Dano 9V adapter and a couple Hosa daisy chains and it works great.

[Surfcaster]

My Verbzilla pedal came the other day and I've had a few days to play around with it. I'm very pleased with the pedal. My guess is I will probably only use 2 or 3 of all the different reverb types, but that's fine because I'm very happy with those 2 or 3...namely the '63 Spring, Plate and Hall. The '63 Spring and Plate are both great all-around reverbs and will probably be my staple setting. But I love the Hall, especially for those huge, wet, long-tailed reverbs and imagine I will use that from time to time...especially with my acoustic.

I compared the '63 Spring reverb to the F50s built in reverb, just because I've never been all that impressed with the F50's reverb...it's okay, but could be improved. The main difference that I discovered was the tone of the reverb. On the F50 the reverb seems to be focused on the upper part of the frequency spectrum, whereas the '63 Spring on the Verbzilla has more body...more representation in the mid-low part of the spectrum. So that's my take on it now...the F50 reverb just lacks some "body".

It is a heavy little bugger, though...which is both good and bad. It should stand up to just about anything. On the other hand, it'll add a fair bit of weight to your pedal board!

[RyGy]

I am net to this forum, I have been reading it for a couple of months, and the advice here is great. I have had my F50 for just over two years, and it sounds great. I traded in a Mk IV for the F50. The Mk IV does not have a clean that sounds half as good as the F50. I have been getting into heavyer music lately, and am trying to get some good heavy sounds. I have tried some of the setting smentioned in the start of this thread, but I just can't seem to nail the sound that I have in my head. I have tried a V30, C90, and Jensen neo 12-100 speakers, and I am close with the neo. I am thinking that I will need to switch to a 4 12 cab to nail the sound that I want which is similar to Tomi's sound on his clips. Does anyone have any advice about how to get this sound??

[zer0psi]

I am net to this forum, I have been reading it for a couple of months, and the advice here is great. I have had my F50 for just over two years, and it sounds great. I traded in a Mk IV for the F50. The Mk IV does not have a clean that sounds half as good as the F50. I have been getting into heavyer music lately, and am trying to get some good heavy sounds. I have tried some of the setting smentioned in the start of this thread, but I just can't seem to nail the sound that I have in my head. I have tried a V30, C90, and Jensen neo 12-100 speakers, and I am close with the neo. I am thinking that I will need to switch to a 4 12 cab to nail the sound that I want which is similar to Tomi's sound on his clips. Does anyone have any advice about how to get this sound??

A 412 will definitely make it alot easier to get heavier sounds. It's much tighter, has more focused lower midrange, and sounds a bit darker. I've played the combo, and the head through the Recto 212 and 412. I love the 412.

[RyGy]

How did the 2 12 sound?? I like the idea of the small size of a 2 12??

[zer0psi]

I can't speak for many 212's, but the Recto one sounded nice. It's a lot darker than the combo by itself, but it's very clear, defined, and punchy. It can get all the chunky palm mutes you want and still be very clear for leads.

[jcoggins7]

I agree. Tommi uses a closed back 2x12 loaded with V30s, I believe, to get his sound, and when I played a Rectifier 4x12, my F-50's contour channel really came alive.

[MKCL]

I am net to this forum, I have been reading it for a couple of months, and the advice here is great. I have had my F50 for just over two years, and it sounds great. I traded in a Mk IV for the F50. The Mk IV does not have a clean that sounds half as good as the F50. I have been getting into heavyer music lately, and am trying to get some good heavy sounds. I have tried some of the setting smentioned in the start of this thread, but I just can't seem to nail the sound that I have in my head. I have tried a V30, C90, and Jensen neo 12-100 speakers, and I am close with the neo. I am thinking that I will need to switch to a 4 12 cab to nail the sound that I want which is similar to Tomi's sound on his clips. Does anyone have any advice about how to get this sound??

Wow, Mark IV for a F50?

As much as I like the F-30, isn't the Mark series, Mesa's flagship and supposingly really versatile?

[RyGy]

Wow, Mark IV for a F50?

As much as I like the F-30, isn't the Mark series, Mesa's flagship and supposingly really versatile?

The Mk IV in my opinion can't do two sounds that the f 50 does very well, cleans, and the cool sound you get on the clean channel with the gain at 10, and high output humbuckers. Overall the Mk IV was a great amp, but the versitility ended with the lead channel. That was the only channel that I liked. Teh sounds might be great to some other players, but for me the f 50 with an eq in teh loop is golden.

[Geiri]

What is the difference between series and parallel fx loops and how much better is it to run ambient effects ( delay/reverb ) through the loop vs the input ? I'm looking at the new floorpod plus which doesn't have a send/return jacks so it's all in the front.

[Joeytpg]

ok guys i need some help...i have pretty much Zero xperience with pedal in the loop......i honestly don't use pedals (a wah from time to time) i'm more of a rythm guitar player.

Anyways i'd like to know how should i set up my Boss EQ pedal in the F-50 loop? i have a Send and a Receive and the Mix button. What do i need to do to run that EQ in the loop to get a little bit more tightness ?

[SeasonOfPain]

The Mk IV in my opinion can't do two sounds that the f 50 does very well, cleans, and the cool sound you get on the clean channel with the gain at 10, and high output humbuckers. Overall the Mk IV was a great amp, but the versitility ended with the lead channel. That was the only channel that I liked. Teh sounds might be great to some other players, but for me the f 50 with an eq in teh loop is golden.
I actually have both amps, and also actually prefer the F-50's cleans. I definitely prefer the Mark's lead channel for actual leads, though... it seems much more fluid. The Mark's lead channel can also be tighter for more old-school metal rhythm, whereas the F-50 excels in heaver downtuned stuff. The F-50's a good cross between the Mark and Recto tones: thicker than a Mark, not as muddy as a Recto.

As far as cabs, I have the Standard Recto 4x12. I stupidly sold my horizontal Recto 2x12 back in '05, and have been kicking myself ever since. I finally just today re-acquired another horizontal Recto 2x12. While I plan to keep the 4x12 for now, I have to say I prefer the 2x12. It's tighter, lighter, and seems to record better. I haven't tried a 4x12 Traditional cab, however, so I can't speak for those.

[MKCL]

ok guys i need some help...i have pretty much Zero xperience with pedal in the loop......i honestly don't use pedals (a wah from time to time) i'm more of a rythm guitar player.

Anyways i'd like to know how should i set up my Boss EQ pedal in the F-50 loop? i have a Send and a Receive and the Mix button. What do i need to do to run that EQ in the loop to get a little bit more tightness ?

Yeah, actually someone told me already, but that was a while back.

I'm thinking of putting my Boss DD-3 into the F-30 effects loop. Hope it's not as noisy when on the lead channel.

[Muzikazoo]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone's compared the Nomad to the F series? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

[Joeytpg]

Yeah, actually someone told me already, but that was a while back.

I'm thinking of putting my Boss DD-3 into the F-30 effects loop. Hope it's not as noisy when on the lead channel.


hmmm? :confused: i'm afraid i don't understand your answer buddy :wave: care to explain me again? :P

[hal9000]

What is the difference between series and parallel fx loops and how much better is it to run ambient effects ( delay/reverb ) through the loop vs the input ? I'm looking at the new floorpod plus which doesn't have a send/return jacks so it's all in the front.Hi Geiri, I haven't had a chance to welcome you yet, so welcome to the F-series brotherhood!

Your F-series has a parallel loop meaning that there is always a direct connection between the F-series preamp and power amp, and the FX loop can be mixed in at any amount up to 90% with the FX mix pot. Randall Smith designed the loop so that the tone would be purer with only a bit of the signal getting processed. In contrast, a series loop sends the entire signal through the FX so the whole signal is digitized and converted back to analog which can lead to tonal degradation. With the FX mix knob up at 90%, the loop acts basically like a series loop, with a small bleed through (the last 10%).

Generally, a parallel loop is a higher-tier option because it allows both parallel and series operation. For tone-sucking pedals, a parallel loop is almost a must. All you have to do is turn up the pedal's mix to 100%, and adjust the F-series mix pot for the amount of effect you want to hear. A series loop, or parallel loop with the mix turned up full is really the only way to run EQ and solo boosts since you will get the most out of you equipment that way. With my G-Major, I run the loop mix up full at 90%, so I can take advantage of all the features. The G-major is designed to run in an FX loop and is very transparent. I've run some stomp boxes that really suck the life out of the tone because they aren't matched to the impedance or voltage of the F-series loop.

As for running time-based and modulation FX in the loop, I much prefer them there for distortion, but for clean, either way is good. Delay is much cleaner after distortion because you're not changing the character of distortion, just replicating it. If the delay is out front, the decaying level drives the preamp less and less which affects the amount of distortion and muddies the signal.

You can run the floor POD as an FX processor in the loop, but you'll miss the up front drive FX of course. The Boss GT-8 is much more flexible for FX, if that's what you intend it for. You can probably pick up a GT-6 for cheap these days and will give you both up front and FX loop FX using the 4-cable method. Alchemist uses a Boss GT-8 with his F-30, so perhaps you can ask him how he likes it?

[Surfcaster]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone's compared the Nomad to the F series? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

A friend of mine had a Nomad 45. It's been a while since he sold it and I don't know that we ever really did a side-by-side comparison. I remember thinking that I wished I had the Nomad at some points, but I think he always preferred my F50...though some of that could just be the "always greener on the other side" thing.

But here's what I remember about the Nomad...I thought it had a really great clean channel and lead channel, in fact I thought the lead channel had a little more gain and sounded a little more modern than the F50, though the F50 sounds pretty modern with the Countour engaged. The crunch channel was a bit harder to work with...in fact that's why my friend sold it because he couldn't get a sound he was satisfied with out of the crunch channel.

The Nomad has some features the F-series amps don't...like Presence control for each channel, Master Amp volume, solo boost.

The other thing, the Nomad 45 was a very different beast than the 55...neither of us thought the 55 was anything special. We also found the reverb on the 45 to be much better than that on the 55...unless something was wrong with the 55 we tried.

[Lt_Core]

Anybody looking to unload a Mesa Widebody 112 closed back cab? ;)

Or if you have another type of cab (2x12 recto, Avatar, etc.), PM me with details. I'm thinking about getting an extension cab for bigger gig, outdoor festivals, etc. Thanks!

[Geiri]

Hey Hal and thanx for the warm welcome.

How would I connect the pod xt live trough the effects loop? It doesn´t seem to have a send/return jack inputs.

Btw. brillant job on the cosmetics on your f-100

[hal9000]

Hey Hal and thanx for the warm welcome.

How would I connect the pod xt live trough the effects loop? It doesn´t seem to have a send/return jack inputs.

Btw. brillant job on the cosmetics on your f-100Geiri, thanks. I love the way my F-100 looks and every morning when I come downstairs to get ready for work, it puts a smile on my face.

As I said before, the XTL doesn't have the FX loop like the GT-6 or GT-8 has, so it's a bit limited for overall FX. However, if you want to run it in the loop, it's as simple as F-series FX Send > XTL input > XTL Left Mono Output > F-series FX Return. Turn up the FX Mix pot to max and you'll have control over the master volume with the expression pedal as well as the 4-band parametric EQ and all the time-based and modulation FX. The one thing you'll be missing is FX out in front of the amp. Also, if you wanted to switch channels on the F-series by using the XTL for MIDI you could get MIDI-controlled relay box like the CFX4 from Axess Electronics. (http://www.axess-electronics.com/products/cfx4.html) Then, you could setup patches on the XTL for FX and an F-series channel, and it all would change with a single stomp.

[rakester]

hey brothers, i need a little help..my f-30 has lost it's 'fullness'...in other words its time for a re-tube!!! I am a complete noob to which brands and types sound different so i need a little help. I play high gain stuff so gain is needed but i play loads of other different types when not playing in my band so the tubes need to be able to produce good high sounds and everything in between. Hope that makes sense. Any recommendations?

[MKCL]

hmmm? :confused: i'm afraid i don't understand your answer buddy :wave: care to explain me again? :P

My bad. Basically, I am also wondering how to connect it to the effects loop. I hope after I do that, it won't be as 'noisy' compared to putting the pedal in front of the amp.

[jcoggins7]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone's compared the Nomad to the F series? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

I have played both the Nomad 45 4x10 combo and 55 head, and have heard the Nomad 45 1x12 combo also, and I have very strongly hated the way they sounded. I tried everything, from using better guitars, to turning up the volume, and EQing the heck out of it. I could not find a sound I liked out of it, except in the clean channel. The cleans are nice and full sounding. However, the F-50 has just as good cleans as any Mesa amp except for maybe the Lonestar. The F-Series clearly beats the Nomad series in my opinion.

[Flannery]

I rented a Nomad for a week before I bought my F-50. I absolutely hated it. Compared to the F-50, it sounded like the sound was coming from a tin can.

[bnelly428]

what kind of distortion pedals do you guys use in combination with the F series channel 2? Right now I'm using both ch 2 and ch2 contour and clean/metal zone. anyone have a nice OD pedal that has a bluesy feel to it that they cant get out of the F?

Discuss Discuss

[twolfe278]

On my way to buy the last F50 in stock in the local music shop today. I can't help but to want one (been looking for months.) I wanted to thank all you guys for the awesomeness of "The Lounge." I've been debating that hard-earned $1000 for a while. Listening to you fellas, sacrifices will have to be made. No brand new "40 LCD TV, give me a Mesa. I look forward to joining you and contributing more often. Mucho appreciation. :thu:

[zer0psi]

On my way to buy the last F50 in stock in the local music shop today. I can't help but to want one (been looking for months.) I wanted to thank all you guys for the awesomeness of "The Lounge." I've been debating that hard-earned $1000 for a while. Listening to you fellas, sacrifices will have to be made. No brand new "40 LCD TV, give me a Mesa. I look forward to joining you and contributing more often. Mucho appreciation. :thu:

I was in the same boat...made some sacrifices to get my F50, but damn if it isn't worth it. It is sooo flexible, so loud, and honestly, a lot more than I expected. The only sound I find myself needing another amp for is that jangly EL84 sound.

[Lt_Core]

Just a quick note......a friend of mine lent me his Marshall Jackhammer pedal.

Wow...pretty versatile Marshall tones in that little sucker. The contour and freq. knobs can really squeeze some cool Marshall-esque tones out of it. Going to try it at gig volume Saturday night, with the clean channel.

[hal9000]

Just a quick note......a friend of mine lent me his Marshall Jackhammer pedal.

Wow...pretty versatile Marshall tones in that little sucker. The contour and freq. knobs can really squeeze some cool Marshall-esque tones out of it. Going to try it at gig volume Saturday night, with the clean channel.I have one I never use. If you're thinking about buying one, I'll give you a deal.

[Lt_Core]

Forgot to mention that I used the Overdrive setting, not distortion, on the Jackhammer.

[Rodimus Prime]

I have one I never use. If you're thinking about buying one, I'll give you a deal.

do you have one that you don't use?

[hal9000]

do you have one that you don't use?If you mean the Jackhammer, yes I do. Do you want to buy it?

[Lt_Core]

Neil, I sent you an email after your first post.....hook a brother up! ;)

[Rodimus Prime]

i'm tempted. $$?

[Goldwing]

what kind of distortion pedals do you guys use in combination with the F series channel 2? Right now I'm using both ch 2 and ch2 contour and clean/metal zone. anyone have a nice OD pedal that has a bluesy feel to it that they cant get out of the F?

Discuss Discuss

I'm using a Boss SD-1 with the ch 2. I'm gonna try a Blues Driver with MonteAllum mod soon I hope, if you find the ch 2 too agressive this modded BD-2 in the clean channel is probably a good choice. In the clean channel I use a Big Muff.

cheers

[Lt_Core]

I'm using a Boss SD-1 with the ch 2. I'm gonna try a Blues Driver with MonteAllum mod soon I hope, if you find the ch 2 too agressive this modded BD-2 in the clean channel is probably a good choice. In the clean channel I use a Big Muff.

cheers

I use a Little Big Muff with the clean channel, here and there. Very nice! Sold off the Tonefactor Huckleberry after I heard the LBM.

[jcoggins7]

Well for overdrives in front of the F-50's clean I use a Menatone Ms. Foxy Brown and love it for that 18-watt Marshall vibe. I've also tested their Blue Collar and Red Snapper, and I have to say that I was extremely impressed. They're on my list to buy. Also, the Maxon OD808 sounds great for that Texas Blues sound in front of an F-50.

[jcoggins7]

Also, on another note, I just purchased new pickups for my Strat. I got an Air Norton S for the neck, Cruiser Bridge for the middle, and Breed Bridge for the bridge. I'll be dropping them in the Sharp Concepts HSS pickguard I just received in the mail (which looks pretty hot), and wiring them to a master volume push/pull, master tone push/pull, and a master midrange shaper from Rothstein guitars. I'm pretty pumped.

[Surfcaster]

I finally got a chance to play a Stiletto Ace today and was really quite impressed with the amp. I found them in two different stores and the second had a couple F50s around, too. So I got to do a side by side comparison.

In the end, I chose the F50's clean channel over the Stiletto. The Stiletto clean is very nice, but is not quite as chimey and full as the F50.

However, I chose the Stilettos lead channel over the F50. It's quite a bit smoother. I'm not sure how best to describe it, but if the amps were sandpaper, the F50 would be a coarse grit sandpaper and the Stiletto a medium grit sandpaper. I think the F50 has more gain...but then I rarely turn the gain up past 11:00 on the F50, so I have no doubts that the Stiletto has enough for me.

Anyway, I see a Stiletto in my future...though it will probably take a couple years to save the cash for it...and who knows, there might be something else out there that appeals more to me by then!

[Help!I'maRock!]

anybody played the Express, which is replacing the F series?

[jcoggins7]

See previous page about the Express.

[breakingstring]

This thread is really useful.

However, I still have some questions maybe someone can help me with.

I haven't had my F50 combo for very long, in fact such a short time it hasn't been out of the house. I love the way it sounds, except for one thing - the palm mutes. All I seem to be able to get out of this thing is a sort of a 'thud' not a crunchy sound that makes them sound so good. This is especially true when playing just one string. I've tried different gain levels as well as some of the EQ settings suggested here but to no avail. I've only had the amp up to just below 9 o'clock, so I'm wondering if that could be it. But considering how loud it sounds, I'm not sure if would make a huge difference to blow the doors off. One other thing to note is that I'm using an EMG 81 in the bridge, which is a very hot active humbucker. It normally excels at muting. I've also tried other guitars, but I get the same result.

Any thoughts? The only idea I have is to get a bad monkey to boost the amp, maybe tighten it up?

Thanks if you can help!

[Surfcaster]

Breakingstring:

One complaint about the F-series amps is that the bottom end is pretty loose, and that really comes out when it comes to palm muting. In my experience, hotter pickups actually make it worse with this particular amp. Turning the volume up to say 9:30 or 10:00 will help some, but it's really quite loud at that point.

Using your Bad Monkey as a boost will also probably help tighten it up some...I've done that some with an OD pedal I have that's not a Bad Monkey with decent results.

The other option is to put an EQ pedal in front of the amp to pull out some of the bass frequencies and then another EQ pedal in the loop to boost the bass frequencies again. You won't get all your bass frequencies back doing this, but it will really tighten things up. I used to do this, then got tired of all the fancy tapping with my foot when I wanted to change channels...the channel button plus two EQs plus any effects you might be using...it's really too much! I guess if you're not channel switching during the song it might work fine, though.

There's no real magic bullet to solve that problem that I've heard of.

[breakingstring]

Breakingstring:

One complaint about the F-series amps is that the bottom end is pretty loose, and that really comes out when it comes to palm muting. In my experience, hotter pickups actually make it worse with this particular amp. Turning the volume up to say 9:30 or 10:00 will help some, but it's really quite loud at that point.

Using your Bad Monkey as a boost will also probably help tighten it up some...I've done that some with an OD pedal I have that's not a Bad Monkey with decent results.

The other option is to put an EQ pedal in front of the amp to pull out some of the bass frequencies and then another EQ pedal in the loop to boost the bass frequencies again. You won't get all your bass frequencies back doing this, but it will really tighten things up. I used to do this, then got tired of all the fancy tapping with my foot when I wanted to change channels...the channel button plus two EQs plus any effects you might be using...it's really too much! I guess if you're not channel switching during the song it might work fine, though.

There's no real magic bullet to solve that problem that I've heard of.

I don't actually have a Bad Monkey yet, I'm considering getting one. I tried boosting the amp / EQing it with a multi effects box (turning everything off except an eq and maxing the volume) and that seemed to help somewhat. Changed the tone a bit much though, but it's not really designed for that anyway.

I've also noticed that the amp seems tighter once it's been on for 20 minutes or so. Has anyone else noticed this or is it in my head?

[parsku]

I don't actually have a Bad Monkey yet, I'm considering getting one. I tried boosting the amp / EQing it with a multi effects box (turning everything off except an eq and maxing the volume) and that seemed to help somewhat. Changed the tone a bit much though, but it's not really designed for that anyway.

I've also noticed that the amp seems tighter once it's been on for 20 minutes or so. Has anyone else noticed this or is it in my head?

I've managed to have good and thight palm-mute sounds out of the F-50 combo by using an EQ in the loop. It's actually the EQ of my G-system, so I can change the channel and activate the EQ by just pressing a single switch. On the channel 2 and contour off I achieve very good rock sounds (Marshall-like, but with sweet Mesa-flavour). With the contour on I use just a little bit different EQ settings and get a very good modern heavy sound.

I've noticed that my ears adjust to the louder sounds when I test the amp... the distortion sounds a bit different after a while. Maybe I should wear ear protection more often! :)

[ashjn]

Anybody have any recommendations on phasers to use with an F-Series? Also any preference as to infront of the amp or in the loop?

I was looking at the MXR Phase 90's, any opinions on those?

[Joeytpg]

Breakingstring:

One complaint about the F-series amps is that the bottom end is pretty loose, and that really comes out when it comes to palm muting. In my experience, hotter pickups actually make it worse with this particular amp. Turning the volume up to say 9:30 or 10:00 will help some, but it's really quite loud at that point.

Using your Bad Monkey as a boost will also probably help tighten it up some...I've done that some with an OD pedal I have that's not a Bad Monkey with decent results.

The other option is to put an EQ pedal in front of the amp to pull out some of the bass frequencies and then another EQ pedal in the loop to boost the bass frequencies again. You won't get all your bass frequencies back doing this, but it will really tighten things up. I used to do this, then got tired of all the fancy tapping with my foot when I wanted to change channels...the channel button plus two EQs plus any effects you might be using...it's really too much! I guess if you're not channel switching during the song it might work fine, though.

There's no real magic bullet to solve that problem that I've heard of.


surfcaster, dude! please guide me...how can i put an EQ in the loop?

i have a Boss EQ Pedal how should i hook up the cables ? Send/Receive....etc?

[jcoggins7]

Anybody have any recommendations on phasers to use with an F-Series? Also any preference as to infront of the amp or in the loop?

I was looking at the MXR Phase 90's, any opinions on those?

Phasers should go in front of the amp generally. I don't have a phaser and haven't played many, but a lot of people use the EVH MXR phaser and flanger. I'm interested in the Red Witch phaser.

[Torh]

Anybody have any recommendations on phasers to use with an F-Series? Also any preference as to infront of the amp or in the loop?

I was looking at the MXR Phase 90's, any opinions on those?

Like it best in front - it's too overwhelming in the loop...

I have the Boss PH-3, I would _not_ recommend this to you.. It messes with your beloved Mesa tone.

Be sure to have a look at Nebula Phasers too, they seem very nice!

[hal9000]

surfcaster, dude! please guide me...how can i put an EQ in the loop?

i have a Boss EQ Pedal how should i hook up the cables ? Send/Receive....etc?Joeytpg, I've used EQ in front, in the loop and in both places at once. Generally, with an EQ in the loop, you can add a ton of bass to the signal as long as the mix pot is maxed (90%). Simply connect: FX Send > EQ in > EQ out > FX Return.

There is a caveat with the Boss GE-7 because a lot of people feel that it doesn't sound its best in the loop primarily because it was designed to go in front of an amp. The only way to tell that it will work is to try it of course.

One EQ that gets rave reviews is the MXR 10-band which by all accounts works great in an FX loop. To avoid having to put a pedal out front, simply drop the CH2 bass knob down to 9:00 or lower. You can then raise the bass (80 Hz - 240 Hz) in the loop to restore it to the same level, but the amp should be tighter.

[Lt_Core]

Joeytpg, I've used EQ in front, in the loop and in both places at once. Generally, with an EQ in the loop, you can add a ton of bass to the signal as long as the mix pot is maxed (90%). Simply connect: FX Send > EQ in > EQ out > FX Return.

There is a caveat with the Boss GE-7 because a lot of people feel that it doesn't sound its best in the loop primarily because it was designed to go in front of an amp. The only way to tell that it will work is to try it of course.

One EQ that gets rave reviews is the MXR 10-band which by all accounts works great in an FX loop. To avoid having to put a pedal out front, simply drop the CH2 bass knob down to 9:00 or lower. You can then raise the bass (80 Hz - 240 Hz) in the loop to restore it to the same level, but the amp should be tighter.

I second that....I do the exact same thing with my MXR 10-band.

[Lt_Core]

Anybody have any recommendations on phasers to use with an F-Series? Also any preference as to infront of the amp or in the loop?

I was looking at the MXR Phase 90's, any opinions on those?

Hi Ashjn, my EVH Phase 90 should be here today :)

I'll let you know how it sounds. I'm going to try it in front of the amp. Cheers!

[Surfcaster]

surfcaster, dude! please guide me...how can i put an EQ in the loop?

i have a Boss EQ Pedal how should i hook up the cables ? Send/Receive....etc?


I think Neil (hal9000) answered as well as I could. Really, I just experimented around with it. Most recently I've kind of given up on the bass thing and more often just use the GE-7 in the loop with a slight mid boost and level boost for solos. I'm planning on trying a lower output p/up in my LP to see if that doesn't help tighten things up a little, too. (I've got a Dimarzio Virtual PAF in another mahogany/maple top guitar that works really nicely with the F50, so I plan to try it out in the LP, and if I like it, I'll buy a whole set).

[Joeytpg]

oh thanks a lot Neil! that's just what i needed...the FX Send > EQ in > EQ out > FX Return. bit hehehe thanks a lot

Surfcaster thanks a lot too.

I'm happy with the F-50 tone...i just wanted to try dif. things and maybe tighten the low end for some old school metal jam :)

it's kind of hard to get a cool Iced Earth fast rythm tone with the F-50 as it is...or some Whiplash :)

[ashjn]

Hi Ashjn, my EVH Phase 90 should be here today :)

I'll let you know how it sounds. I'm going to try it in front of the amp. Cheers!

Thanks look forward to your update. On MXR's website it says there are like 3 versions of Phase 90. I'm trying to figure out the difference between them all!

[Lt_Core]

Thanks look forward to your update. On MXR's website it says there are like 3 versions of Phase 90. I'm trying to figure out the difference between them all!

I used to have an EH Small Stone phaser but it was too vintage sounding to me. I want a more modern phase. The EVH has a switch that goes from modern to script. Can't wait to fire it up!

[ashjn]

I used to have an EH Small Stone phaser but it was too vintage sounding to me. I want a more modern phase. The EVH has a switch that goes from modern to script. Can't wait to fire it up!

Ya I am looking for a more modern sounding phaser as well. Think along the lines of Incubus but not as heavy phasing. Let me know how the EV works!

[Torh]

Ya I am looking for a more modern sounding phaser as well. Think along the lines of Incubus but not as heavy phasing. Let me know how the EV works!

You might want to check out the Boss PH-2 too... I know Einziger in Incubus use(d) the unit alot. You can adjust the degree of phasing there, I believe..

[markmann]

I think Neil (hal9000) answered as well as I could. Really, I just experimented around with it. Most recently I've kind of given up on the bass thing and more often just use the GE-7 in the loop with a slight mid boost and level boost for solos. I'm planning on trying a lower output p/up in my LP to see if that doesn't help tighten things up a little, too. (I've got a Dimarzio Virtual PAF in another mahogany/maple top guitar that works really nicely with the F50, so I plan to try it out in the LP, and if I like it, I'll buy a whole set).
Hey Surf, I've been experimenting quite a bit with pickups and I've come to the conclusion that low output pup's work well with my f50. Not only that but I find that lowering the height adjustment so that the pup is farther from the strings also helps with clarity and tone. It seems that the type of distortion that's created by a hot pup, or a pup that is too close to the strings does not mix well with the f50's channel 2. At least that been my experience, and if I need additional crunch I'll get it with a pedal. The bonus to using low output pup's is that I can keep the master volume at 10 o'clock as well as running the gain a bit hotter than I would if I was using higher output pup's.

[Surfcaster]

Hey Surf, I've been experimenting quite a bit with pickups and I've come to the conclusion that low output pup's work well with my f50. Not only that but I find that lowering the height adjustment so that the pup is farther from the strings also helps with clarity and tone. It seems that the type of distortion that's created by a hot pup, or a pup that is too close to the strings does not mix well with the f50's channel 2. At least that been my experience, and if I need additional crunch I'll get it with a pedal. The bonus to using low output pup's is that I can keep the master volume at 10 o'clock as well as running the gain a bit hotter than I would if I was using higher output pup's.


It's nice to hear you confirm my suspicions, Markmann. I've got lower output p/ups in all my guitars except my Les Paul Studio, which just has the stock Gibson p/ups in it...the 498T in the bridge and 490R in the neck. The 498T is a fairly hot pickup with a fair amount of treble. I think that both the high output and the high treble are a bad combination with the F50, which tends toward sounding a little harsh on the top end anyway. In fact, both of my amps are somewhat trebly (if that's a word), so I think I'd get better tones out of both with lower output p/ups that don't have as much treble output, either.

I hadn't thought about playing around with p/up height, but it makes sense that this would be a factor as well...I might do that, too.

[markmann]

It's nice to hear you confirm my suspicions, Markmann. I've got lower output p/ups in all my guitars except my Les Paul Studio, which just has the stock Gibson p/ups in it...the 498T in the bridge and 490R in the neck. The 498T is a fairly hot pickup with a fair amount of treble. I think that both the high output and the high treble are a bad combination with the F50, which tends toward sounding a little harsh on the top end anyway. In fact, both of my amps are somewhat trebly (if that's a word), so I think I'd get better tones out of both with lower output p/ups that don't have as much treble output, either.

I hadn't thought about playing around with p/up height, but it makes sense that this would be a factor as well...I might do that, too.FYI, I've got a set of 490's in a LP and I like them and they also split very well. I actually like my 490R better in parallel mode better than series (normal). My bridge is a 490T and when I combine different modes I can make it sound very Stratty so it's a real versitile guitar.

Here's something else to try... different pickup pole screws. Different types and lengths produce different sounds and one general rule is that shorter screws produce a tighter sound.

[Goldwing]

It's nice to hear you confirm my suspicions, Markmann. I've got lower output p/ups in all my guitars except my Les Paul Studio, which just has the stock Gibson p/ups in it...the 498T in the bridge and 490R in the neck. The 498T is a fairly hot pickup with a fair amount of treble. I think that both the high output and the high treble are a bad combination with the F50, which tends toward sounding a little harsh on the top end anyway. In fact, both of my amps are somewhat trebly (if that's a word), so I think I'd get better tones out of both with lower output p/ups that don't have as much treble output, either.

I hadn't thought about playing around with p/up height, but it makes sense that this would be a factor as well...I might do that, too.

I used a set of Tex-mex in my JV strat. They work fine with both channels but you have to lower the pickups. Now I have a set of Classic 70's that have much less output and sound great, the tone has improved a lot and as markman said, you have more range of the master control to wokr with.

I think that I agree with what John Mayer said in an enterview about the lower output pickups, you have more tone from your amp and you cand blend the effects much more easily.

cheers

[Rodimus Prime]

how does the F50 sound with G12T-75's? I'm thinking about getting a marshall cab with those speakers. I know that f-series sounds good with V30's and the black shadow but not greenbacks. how about the G12T-75's? Has anyone here played an f-series with a marshall cab?