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

[pedrozepelim]

I think it's all of the reasons you guys have mention.

The thing is: the Laney (GH 50L) is a EL34 amp, with that british drive, grainy, brownie, jus as I like it.

The Caliber is a (almost) vintage amp that I always loved the cleans and never could found the right EQ for Lead.

This one is diferent: I love even more the clean channel, and the Lead chanel, well, I'm begining to think that I feel this way because 1. the speaker is new an 2. this is an american amp with american Overdrive, wich is very diferent. I want to belive that it is diferent an usable, not bad.

I'll take my time.

You ask me about my settings, righ?

Clean- Gain 1:00h
Treble 1:00h
Mids 12:00h
Bass 2:00h
Bright Off

Drive- Gain 10:30h
Treble 2:00h
Mids 9:00h
Bass 11:30h
Contour On

Master 10h (bedroom level) :(

[Ogi-wan]

When I first got my F-30, I also thought that it was a very dark sounding amp.

You might want to try dialing back the bass a little. I usually have my channel 2 bass between 9:00 and 10:30, depending on my mood, what I'm doing, the alignment of the stars, etc. :)


I think it's all of the reasons you guys have mention.

The thing is: the Laney (GH 50L) is a EL34 amp, with that british drive, grainy, brownie, jus as I like it.

The Caliber is a (almost) vintage amp that I always loved the cleans and never could found the right EQ for Lead.

This one is diferent: I love even more the clean channel, and the Lead chanel, well, I'm begining to think that I feel this way because 1. the speaker is new an 2. this is an american amp with american Overdrive, wich is very diferent. I want to belive that it is diferent an usable, not bad.

I'll take my time.

You ask me about my settings, righ?

Clean- Gain 1:00h
Treble 1:00h
Mids 12:00h
Bass 2:00h
Bright Off

Drive- Gain 10:30h
Treble 2:00h
Mids 9:00h
Bass 11:30h
Contour On

Master 10h (bedroom level) :(

[K3v1n]

Hi,

I recently bought a tc electronics G-system.
I own a Mesa Boogie f 50. Does anyone know how to use the channel switching capability of the g-system with the f 50?
The f-50 does not use midi but the connector looks like a midi plug tho.
The guys at tc Tc electronics told me i should wire a custom cable.
Does any one know how to make one?
G-System uses 2 outputs on TRS jack with one relay on tip and on relay on ring
:confused:

[hal9000]

Hi,

I recently bought a tc electronics G-system.
I own a Mesa Boogie f 50. Does anyone know how to use the channel switching capability of the g-system with the f 50?
The f-50 does not use midi but the connector looks like a midi plug tho.
The guys at tc Tc electronics told me i should wire a custom cable.
Does any one know how to make one?
G-System uses 2 outputs on TRS jack with one relay on tip and on relay on ring
:confused:K3v1n, welcome to the forum and the F-series Brotherhood! :)

If you go here you'll see that I've explained how everything should work: G-system switching with an F-series amp (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21265640&postcount=4333).

[willrock]

hey guys, i just got my f50 a week ago, its guitar centers floor model, i changed the power tubes already and i checked the preamp tubes, and its all good. but the sound kinda fades in and out after a while im playing with it! i really dont want to return this amp.. i like its tone a lot! anyone experienced the same problem??

[pedrozepelim]

Since this amp, in the Lead Channel, it's all or nothing, I'm thinking of changing the preamp tubes with 12AT7's or 12AU7's. Does anyone ever tried this, or you concern is High Gain?

[Santuzzo]

How many of you guys use their F-50 for Metal ?
Do you only use the amp's distortion, or do you use a distortion pedal infront of it?

[MrVisual]

How many of you guys use their F-50 for Metal ?
Do you only use the amp's distortion, or do you use a distortion pedal infront of it?

I use it mainly for metal. Dream Theater, Killswitch Engage, Megadeth, Stone Sour etc. The F-50 has easily enough gain, I just use a boost for solos and riffs that need a tighter sound. I've also noticed that with a cab you don't need to use the gain so much because of a bigger low end.

Where's my brotherhood welcome BTW? :D:D

Kidding

[hal9000]

hey guys, i just got my f50 a week ago, its guitar centers floor model, i changed the power tubes already and i checked the preamp tubes, and its all good. but the sound kinda fades in and out after a while im playing with it! i really dont want to return this amp.. i like its tone a lot! anyone experienced the same problem??You might want to try another speaker cab to see if you got a bad C90. Lt_Core had a bad speaker and it was an intermittent problem like you're describing. I doubt you have a dirty input jack, but it's worth at least trying to run a modeler or other line level source through your FX return to isolate the problem. Make sure to plug a cable into the FX send jack and nothing else which will disconnect the preamp.

[hal9000]

I use it mainly for metal. Dream Theater, Killswitch Engage, Megadeth, Stone Sour etc. The F-50 has easily enough gain, I just use a boost for solos and riffs that need a tighter sound. I've also noticed that with a cab you don't need to use the gain so much because of a bigger low end.

Where's my brotherhood welcome BTW? :D:D

KiddingMrVisual, welcome to the forum and the F-series Brotherhood! :)

Methinks I need to add that to my sig.

[MrVisual]

I have a feeling that this amp is going to stay with me for years :) A Rectifier has always been my dream amp on albums, but when I tested it myself the F-50 won.

[hal9000]

How many of you guys use their F-50 for Metal ?
Do you only use the amp's distortion, or do you use a distortion pedal infront of it?Santuzzo, I use my F-100 for metal and I don't feel the need for a pedal unless I want a different voicing. I have three metal clips in my sig. Sludge is without a boost and the other two are using a treble booster which is simply an EQ shifted towards the high end.

Also, having the right speaker cabinet will make all the difference in getting a nice tight bottom end and having percussive palm mutes. Most metal guys favor closed-back 4x12 cabs, and there are plenty to choose from. While a 4x12 is nice to play through, it isn't so nice to transport. :) Consequently, there are some slamming 2x12s from the likes of THD, Mesa, Genz-Benz, Swanson, StoneAge, etc. that will bring the heavy tones, but still help your back. I've also recently been turned on to the vertical slant 2x12s from Swanson (http://www.swansoncabinets.com/info.html), StoneAge (http://www.stoneagecustomcabinets.com/wst_page4.html) and Reinhardt (http://www.www.reinhardtamps.com/files/Cabs.html) that are too sweet.

Here's an example of the Reinhardt 2x12:
http://www.kennyf.com/my_amp.jpg

You can stack the slant and straight for a mini-full stack:
http://www.reinhardtamps.com/files/Stack1.jpg :eek:

[MrVisual]

Also, having the right speaker cabinet will make all the difference in getting a nice tight bottom end and having percussive palm mutes. Most metal guys favor closed-back 4x12 cabs, and there are plenty to choose from.

It is also good to keep in mind that F-50 has a really thick sound. Horizontal Recto 2x12 cab for example was way too bassy for F-50. I could probably cause some earthquakes with it :D

F-50 sounds more natural with C90s and more compressed and heavier with V30s. I'm not that experienced with cleans, let's just say that C90 was better in that area.

[dumeril7]

It's very interesting how different folks hear their tone! I find the drive channel on my F-30 to be very bright. I generally roll back the treble most or all of the way. OTOH, I use quite a bit of midrange. I'm more of a blues-rock player and going for a warmer Robber Ford / Eric Johnson kind of sound. I agree that the drive channel is kind of all or nothing. In fact, IMO the channel 2 gain knob has a weird taper: it all happens between 8:00 and 11:00. Beyond that, turning up the knob adds progressively less gain. But for the low-to-medium gain sounds that I like, its all concentrated between about 9:30 to 10:00 and very touchy to dial in. I've been thinking about changing to a different taper pot to see it that helps. Any experiences with that?

D7

[pedrozepelim]

I must be crazy! I don't know if it is the speaker, or if my ears got used to the amp, but now it seems very bright. I have the following settings:

G- 10:30
T- 10:30
M- 1:00
B- 10:00
Countour ON

As you can see, I'm cuting the treble, now. Probably tomorow I'll change my mind...

Got a few questions for you guys:

1. boogie amps are very picky about pedals: give me a god OD pedal to go with it (plexi kind of sound, and SRV kind of sound) in the clean channel.

2. what are the diferences between a C90 and the V30 (tone wise)?

Thanks!

[hal9000]

I must be crazy! I don't know if it is the speaker, or if my ears got used to the amp, but now it seems very bright. I have the following settings:

G- 10:30
T- 10:30
M- 1:00
B- 10:00
Countour ON

As you can see, I'm cuting the treble, now. Probably tomorow I'll change my mind...

Got a few questions for you guys:

1. boogie amps are very picky about pedals: give me a god OD pedal to go with it (plexi kind of sound, and SRV kind of sound) in the clean channel.

2. what are the diferences between a C90 and the V30 (tone wise)?

Thanks!When the treble is down the mid control will add treble at a different frequency as well as mids. I normally run my mids at 3:00 and treble/bass at 9:00.

1) I haven't found my F-100 to be picky about pedals at all. I've used lots of ODs and clean boosts through both channels and they all worked well. Of particular note for me is the suite of pedals I've kept. The Tonebone Classic sounds excellent through the clean channel for adding a Plexi sound to my rig. It sounds and feels like a British amp and not like a pedal at all. The Germania Treble Booster is awesome for leads and tight rhythms through the overdrive channel. The Bad Monkey is good in both channels.

2) The C90 is less colored and has deeper bass than a V30. V30s can have a harsh upper-mid sound when they're new, but of course, that's why they cut through so well.

[Santuzzo]

Santuzzo, I use my F-100 for metal and I don't feel the need for a pedal unless I want a different voicing. I have three metal clips in my sig. Sludge is without a boost and the other two are using a treble booster which is simply an EQ shifted towards the high end.

Also, having the right speaker cabinet will make all the difference in getting a nice tight bottom end and having percussive palm mutes. Most metal guys favor closed-back 4x12 cabs, and there are plenty to choose from. While a 4x12 is nice to play through, it isn't so nice to transport. :) Consequently, there are some slamming 2x12s from the likes of THD, Mesa, Genz-Benz, Swanson, StoneAge, etc. that will bring the heavy tones, but still help your back. I've also recently been turned on to the vertical slant 2x12s from Swanson (http://www.swansoncabinets.com/info.html), StoneAge (http://www.stoneagecustomcabinets.com/wst_page4.html) and Reinhardt (http://www.www.reinhardtamps.com/files/Cabs.html) that are too sweet.


Thanks !

I have been considering an F-50 combo vs a Rectoverb combo, as you may have seen on my other thread.

So, I'm sure the Rectoverb will have more gain/distortion on tap. But I don't know if it has the same clean headroom the F-50 does.

Does the F-50 combo have the same amount of gain as the F-100?

[hal9000]

Thanks !

I have been considering an F-50 combo vs a Rectoverb combo, as you may have seen on my other thread.

So, I'm sure the Rectoverb will have more gain/distortion on tap. But I don't know if it has the same clean headroom the F-50 does.

Does the F-50 combo have the same amount of gain as the F-100?My F-100 has about the same amount of gain as my Tremoverb and they both can rip your head off. :)

My F-100 has more clean headroom than the T-verb. Since that channel is also used for Vintage high gain, it's more sensitive than the F-100's clean channel.

The F-50 and F-100 have exactly the same amount of gain since the preamps are identical.

I haven't tested the Rectoverb for clean headroom, so I can't say.

[dumeril7]

1. boogie amps are very picky about pedals: give me a god OD pedal to go with it (plexi kind of sound, and SRV kind of sound) in the clean channel.

2. what are the diferences between a C90 and the V30 (tone wise)?


Can't help you with the speaker question; not enough experience with the C90.

Pedals: Like hal9000 I've found the F-30 to be pretty pedal-friendly (although the Mark series Boogies are notoriously finicky about pedals). I've gotten great results with a Fulltone Fulldrive, a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive and an Electro Harmonix English Muff'n. The Fulldrive worked especially well for SRV sorts of sounds.

Re: brightness. I do know that if you turn Contour on, the amp gets brighter. A bit too thin in the lower-mids for my tastes, in fact -- I tend to leave Contour off and then hit the front-end with a boost pedal or EQ.

Also, the human ear is less sensitive to bass and treble at low volumes than at high volumes (Google "Fletcher Munson curves"). So if you're doing your listening at different volume levels that could explain why you're hearing different responses.

D7

[Santuzzo]

My F-100 has about the same amount of gain as my Tremoverb and they both can rip your head off. :)

My F-100 has more clean headroom than the T-verb. Since that channel is also used for Vintage high gain, it's more sensitive than the F-100's clean channel.

The F-50 and F-100 have exactly the same amount of gain since the preamps are identical.

I haven't tested the Rectoverb for clean headroom, so I can't say.

Thanks a lot !

BTW, your rig graphics are way cool !:thu:

[John Denver]

I was doing some research after reading about what people do with the G-major to incorporate channel switching with effect switching on the F50. I would like to do this with my current collection of pedals. So far i have found this:

http://www.rjmmusic.com/loopgizmo.php

It seems really cool. They said they would make a custom cable to accomodate the F50 footswitch......$34.99 for a 10 foot length.

Just wondering if there are any other products similar to this that are not as expensive. $199.99 with ac adaptor. Or if anyone has used one and can comment on it. Do these have any delay when you step on the switch? Or is it as fast as a footswitch?

[pedrozepelim]

Thank you all so much!
You have been great!

[jcoggins7]

Originally posted by pedrozepelim
1. boogie amps are very picky about pedals: give me a god OD pedal to go with it (plexi kind of sound, and SRV kind of sound) in the clean channel.

I haven't found my F-50 to be too picky about pedals, but it doesn't like Boss stuff, Fulltone Fulldrive 2s sound slightly muffled sounding on higher gain settings (on the pedal) as compared to how it sounds through some other amps, and the Visual Sound overdrives sound very muddy with it (even though they sound amazing with Fender amps). But anyways, all the new Menatone products and the Maxon Reissue OD808 I've tested with the F-50 are like a match made in heaven (I've actually tried them all lol). For a hot British kinda sound I would very highly recommend the Menatone King of the Britains. In my opinion, there's no better pedal. For a Stevie kind of tone I've found the Maxon Reissue OD808 to be the most accurate so far. Honestly, as a pedal, I like Menatone's Blue Collar Overdrive better due to it's extended frequency range and transparency over a typical TS kind of sound, but it probably wouldn't be what you're looking for.

[beyondthislife]

To Hal and anyone else who uses a Bad Monkey in front of their F-series amps:

What are your settings? I bought a BM per recommendation of this thread and am generally pleased. I just want to see what you guys do with it.

[hal9000]

I was doing some research after reading about what people do with the G-major to incorporate channel switching with effect switching on the F50. I would like to do this with my current collection of pedals. So far i have found this:

http://www.rjmmusic.com/loopgizmo.php

It seems really cool. They said they would make a custom cable to accomodate the F50 footswitch......$34.99 for a 10 foot length.

Just wondering if there are any other products similar to this that are not as expensive. $199.99 with ac adaptor. Or if anyone has used one and can comment on it. Do these have any delay when you step on the switch? Or is it as fast as a footswitch?Hi John. The Loop Gizmo looks like a nifty product. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:

1) If you want FX both in front of the amp and in the FX loop, you can configure the Gizmo in a 4-cable setup where your F-series preamp is in one of the loops.

If you look at this diagram, it's actually quite similar to the amp gizmo:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000GRX4G-MajorModelerRig.jpg

Yeah, I know it looks ridiculous, but if you follow the signal path, you could wire the Loop Gizmo the same way. Loop 1 has all the pre-amplifier FX. Loop 2 is the F-series preamp. Loop 3 and 4 contains FX loop boxes.

There are other analog loopers out there, but not as integrated as this one. Ultimately, you're still going to have to Tapdance to get everything going the way you want. With a MIDI setup like mine or Dann'sTheMan's a single press of a switch configures everything we need including pre-amplifier stomp boxes , FX loop stuff, channel selection, EQ, etc. Granted you'll need both a MIDI looper and a MIDI footcontroller, but in the long run adding MIDI to a rig is a lot more flexible.

[_nameless]

I'm officially in the Mesa F lounge!
I can't wait to fire it up!

[John Denver]

Hi John. The Loop Gizmo looks like a nifty product. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:

1) If you want FX both in front of the amp and in the FX loop, you can configure the Gizmo in a 4-cable setup where your F-series preamp is in one of the loops.

If you look at this diagram, it's actually quite similar to the amp gizmo:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000GRX4G-MajorModelerRig.jpg

Yeah, I know it looks ridiculous, but if you follow the signal path, you could wire the Loop Gizmo the same way. Loop 1 has all the pre-amplifier FX. Loop 2 is the F-series preamp. Loop 3 and 4 contains FX loop boxes.

There are other analog loopers out there, but not as integrated as this one. Ultimately, you're still going to have to Tapdance to get everything going the way you want. With a MIDI setup like mine or Dann'sTheMan's a single press of a switch configures everything we need including pre-amplifier stomp boxes , FX loop stuff, channel selection, EQ, etc. Granted you'll need both a MIDI looper and a MIDI footcontroller, but in the long run adding MIDI to a rig is a lot more flexible.


That's a good point Hal. I totally forgot about controlling the FX loop on the F50. For my setup at this point, i don't really have anything in my loop anyway though. It would probably be something i will need in the future, but for right now i am just trying to get up front FX to engage only on certain channels with one stomp.

For example:

I would use the global loop for my compressor(i always leave that on)
Channel 1 loop would be nothing for now(the F50 clean does me well)
Channel 2 loop would have boost/dirt
Function switch would be for contour

This way i can go from straight clean to boosted/dirtier channel2 with one stomp. This is what i need for live applications. I know i can get most tones for channel2 by adjusting the amp, but i need this to be for live applications...(i am the only guitarist/singer in the band)

I could turn on/off pedals that were in the loop during clean parts...etc...then kick whichever i chose on with a stomp....or even disengage that loop for pure F50 dirt. Still some toe tapping...but i could engage everything i choose exactly on beat....very important to me.

I may look into midi down the road, but for right now we are going to be gigging a lot(just recorded a new EP), and i need a solution. If this item is overkill for what i need, please let me know....sorry for long post.

[pedrozepelim]

I had this one for sale. Never got good results with my Caliber 50+ (I think it had to do with the mids in that amp and the Celestion C90).

But today I decided to give it a try with my F30. I'm so glad I didn't sold it yet!

It's an Ibanez Tube King, and although it can do massive gain, I'm using it for a light overdrive, kind like a JTM crunch (think AC/DC). At least I think I am, because I never played one before :).

Later today I'll try to post some samples (if I find out how to post them) so you can have a listen, and give me your opinion.

[willrock]

to Hal9000, dude, im browsing through this thread for months now and since i have my dream f50 already since last week, the more im lurkin and reading this million posts :cool: i'm just wondering, how did you do all those oh so cool graphics? man i can do a lot of stuff and a lot of money if i can do those! :eek: my gears are , earliest musicman jp 6string nonmatching headstoch, no piezo (pearl redburst), ibanez sa2120fm, mark iv wide head,mesa f50, recto 2x12(horizontal),boss gt-8........ where can i find those graphics in the internet if i can? pls :)

[hal9000]

to Hal9000, dude, im browsing through this thread for months now and since i have my dream f50 already since last week, the more im lurkin and reading this million posts :cool: i'm just wondering, how did you do all those oh so cool graphics? man i can do a lot of stuff and a lot of money if i can do those! :eek: my gears are , earliest musicman jp 6string nonmatching headstoch, no piezo (pearl redburst), ibanez sa2120fm, mark iv wide head,mesa f50, recto 2x12(horizontal),boss gt-8........ where can i find those graphics in the internet if i can? pls :)Hi willrock, I'm afraid there isn't a place to find graphics like you've seen from me anywhere on the web. I'm an artist, and everything you've seen from me is drawn from scratch using whatever reference material I can get my hands on. If you check out my portfolio on www.64graphics.com, you can see more of my most recent work. You can also send me an email through the site if you want a quote on a rig drawing, logo, CD art, etc.

[ashjn]

What other devices are similar to the GX4?

Also, if I am understanding correctly, could loop 4 be used to channel switch the F-100? Using the same type of cable you use for the G-Major

[jcoggins7]

Has anybody here with the Lexicon PCM-80, TC Electronic G-Force, or Eventide Eclipse? I really want to go rack, and I would like to hear what people have to say about these three products, especially in comparison to each other and the TC Electronic G-Major (I know there are several that have experience with this one here).

[Roccaforte Amps]

[QUOTE=hal9000;21803978]Hi John. The Loop Gizmo looks like a nifty product. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:

1) If you want FX both in front of the amp and in the FX loop, you can configure the Gizmo in a 4-cable setup where your F-series preamp is in one of the loops.

If you look at this diagram, it's actually quite similar to the amp gizmo:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000GRX4G-MajorModelerRig.jpg

Yeah, I know it looks ridiculous, but if you follow the signal path, you could wire the Loop Gizmo the same way. Loop 1 has all the pre-amplifier FX. Loop 2 is the F-series preamp. Loop 3 and 4 contains FX loop boxes.








Geezus, why not just plug into your comuter and call it a day.:freak:

[hal9000]

Geezus, why not just plug into your comuter and call it a day.:freak:What? You don't like Goldbergian rigs? :) Welcome to the F-series Lounge Doug.

[markmann]

To Hal and anyone else who uses a Bad Monkey in front of their F-series amps:

What are your settings? I bought a BM per recommendation of this thread and am generally pleased. I just want to see what you guys do with it.In my case the BM settings are guitar specific. I REALLY love how it interacts with my Strat and f50 and for that I have the gain at 12 o'clock and the tones at 2:30-3:00. This setting gives me a nice fat boost. I don't generally use the BM with my other guitars equipped with either p90's or humbuckers but when I do I have to back off the gain and tweak the tones a bit.

Hope that helps.

[MrSandMan]

Anyone know where I can find schematic for the F-50?

My F-50 has issues:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/Chazzy29/Rating%20system/DSCN2789Medium.jpg

[jcoggins7]

Ooh man that sucks.

[danbronson]

Holy shit. A very similar thing happened to mine. I just soldered the resistor back on. Looks like yours has taken quite a bit of damage though.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/100/306209204_aa54f2d162_b.jpg

[Dann'sTheMan]

Anyone know where I can find schematic for the F-50?

My F-50 has issues:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/Chazzy29/Rating%20system/DSCN2789Medium.jpg

Hi MrSandMan,

I believe those are/were your Screen Resistors. It's not uncommon for them to be taken out when a Power Tube fails. I actually think it's quite elegant and professional of Mesa to have that cut out so that the circuit board is not damaged should a screen resistor go.

Obviously it's a pain that it happened to you, but it's just part of the territory of owning a tube amp. Thankfully Mesa have made it relatively easy to fix. I believe you'll need 470 Ohm resistors (2 Watt handling IIRC). You should also replace your power tubes, as they were likely the cause of the shenanigans. Should be a straightforward job for a tech, :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[hal9000]

Hi MrSandMan,

I believe those are/were your Screen Resistors. It's not uncommon for them to be taken out when a Power Tube fails. I actually think it's quite elegant and professional of Mesa to have that cut out so that the circuit board is not damaged should a screen resistor go.

Obviously it's a pain that it happened to you, but it's just part of the territory of owning a tube amp. Thankfully Mesa have made it relatively easy to fix. I believe you'll need 470 Ohm resistors (2 Watt handling IIRC). You should also replace your power tubes, as they were likely the cause of the shenanigans. Should be a straightforward job for a tech, :)

Big smiles,

Andy.Andy, I've just verified on my schematics that the two screen grid resistors are in fact 470 Ohms and 2 Watts. As danbronson already pointed out, it's a simple fix if you're comfortable with a soldering iron and are aware of the lethal voltages in a tube amplifier. As Andy said, it's because Randall Smith has been designing amps a long time that the screen grid resistors are placed on the circuit like that. I'm really sorry that you'll have to repair the amp, but these resistors are often the casualties of blown power tubes. Once you get two new resistors and put them in place, you should be good to go.

[MrSandMan]

hey thanks guys, where is the best place to buy the Resistors? My local tech didn't have any... so I'd rather pick them up myself. He'll install them for me.

thx

[dumeril7]

Andy, I've just verified on my schematics that ....

You have F-series schematics? Can you share 'em?

Short of that, can you tell me the specs on the FX loop mix pot? I want to replace it with a push/pull pot so I can switch between series and parallel...

Also, do you have the specs on the footswitch LEDs, in particular the Contour LED? I've built a box that allows my GT-8 to switch channels, but also provides a separate footswitch for Contour. When I wire in my LED, following the Mesa footswitch as a guide, it lights up the LED fine but it doesn't actually turn the Contour on. I'm guessing the resistance on my LED is too great, but I don't know for certain....

D7

[pedrozepelim]

In the clips you guys posted, some of them are recorded direct.

How did you do it?

Dis you use a Pod only with the speaker simulation?

Did you use a plugin with the speaker simulation?

I tryed to do this:

guitar---pedals----amp---direct out from the amp---- input in PodXTLive (pad) with the V30 Cab shure sm57 on axis 0% room---usb---Sonar

... sounded no where near what it sounds in reality.

Can you give me some pointers?

[Don M]

Hello...I've been a horn player (trumpet) for nearly 30 years but have retired from that and have picked up the guitar which has been a life long dream of mine. Anyway, got my first guitar...Ernie Ball MusicMan Luke and about to get my first amp...MESA Boogie F30. :thu:

I plan to start at page 1 of this thread and go all the way to the end but wanted to ask a question. The amp is practically new (4 months old) and I was wondering if you guys recommend any upgrades, tweaks, etc. that I should do right off the bat?

Thanks...looking forward to hanging with you guys.

[darklord0424]

Just bought an f-100 today. I couldn't be happier :).

[jcoggins7]

Congrats to the both of you. Welcome to the brotherhood.

[Curtis.Fagan]

Is there any way that I could say, take a seperate Peters preamp and plug it into the effects loop of the F100 and use it as a third channel.

I ask because I also have a 100watt Peters power amp that slays ass, and was hopeing I could get massive Peters tone, and also use the f100's tone for some different clean tones, instead of my one and only crunch.

Love,
Curtis

[hal9000]

Is there any way that I could say, take a seperate Peters preamp and plug it into the effects loop of the F100 and use it as a third channel.

I ask because I also have a 100watt Peters power amp that slays ass, and was hopeing I could get massive Peters tone, and also use the f100's tone for some different clean tones, instead of my one and only crunch.

Love,
CurtisCurtis, yes you can run a preamp into the F-100 no problem. Plug a dummy instrument cable or 1/4" plug into the FX send jack and nothing else. This is necessary to disconnect the F-100's preamp. Then, run the output of the preamp into the FX return of the F-100. All your volume control will come from the preamp. If you want to run the F-100's preamp out to the Peter's power amp, take the F-100's FX send and plug it into the Power amp's input.

[MKCL]

I have a few questions. First, I bought this amp used and I've only changed the power tubes. I think I may have to change preamp tubes soon. There was a 'hiss' or some noise before, but now I can't really hear it.

1) Can anyone confirm this is a preamp issue?

2) As for preamp tubes, do all four sockets use the same 12AX7s?

3) Are all 12AX7s the same?

4) If I buy cheap preamp tubes, would the tone suffer?

Information appreciated!

[Curtis.Fagan]

If you're hoping to switch between the F100's channels and the preamp you'd be buying from me, you'd need some sort of switching matrix to accomplish that. You'll be switching two sets of things:

1) the guitar, alternately to the inputs of both preamps, and

2) the input of the poweramp in question, between the outputs of both preamps.

You can use the F100 as a poweramp for a preamp of mine, just as you can use the slave amp I made as a poweramp for the F100's preamp. But switching between all the channels on both preamps, that requires a switching matrix.

Since I have no personal interest in switching matrices, I can't recommend one. But now that I've told you what you'd need (again :)), you can take that info and start digging around. I'm sure some people on this forum use setups like that in one way or another.

Yes yes!! Again! I know. I'm looking for a cheaper option though, cuz I did look into some switching matrix options, and well, it's not a cheap. Actually, it's crazy expensive, at least the ones I looked at.

I might just opt for running the preamp through the power amp alone, and running the two side by side. That could be fun too.

Love,
Curtis

[MrVisual]

I had a chance to play my F-50/stiletto 4x12" combination yesterday (it's too loud when I'm playing at home). It sounded MONSTROUS with a Bad Monkey in front of it. The tone was so incredible, I was just laughing :D

Definitely keeping this one.

[Curtis.Fagan]

I won't lie, I'm extremely happy with my F100. It is the one Mesa head, (aside from the Mark series,) that I am enthusiastic about. The contour is rarely on except for leads, or when I wanna be a jerk and hurt everyones ears.

Generally the rectified sound isn't my thing. I like really open, brilliant, balanced, vibrant tone. But since buying a Hiwatt is so far off into the future, I'm very happy with this head.

I found anice gritty clean sound, that can be opened up to being a sort of rounded out rock tone. Whereas with the distortion channel, I find I can run it really hard, with lots of gain, and dial in some very metal and modern gain sounds, without my guitar sounding coated.

So yeah, great amps.

Love,
Curtis

[v_c]

Very simple tech question for the F-50 guys :
When you're using the recording/headphones out, are you using the power tubes? Or does the signal just go straight from the pre-section into the headphone/recording circuitry?

[hal9000]

Very simple tech question for the F-50 guys :
When you're using the recording/headphones out, are you using the power tubes? Or does the signal just go straight from the pre-section into the headphone/recording circuitry?The recording circuit is tapped right before the Phase Inverter, so there is no PI or Power tube contribution to the signal, which IMO is paramount. Also, the recording output has its own cab sim which I don't care for, but is usable.

[v_c]

The recording circuit is tapped right before the Phase Inverter, so there is no PI or Power tube contribution to the signal, which IMO is paramount. Also, the recording output has its own cab sim which I don't care for, but is usable.
Thanks for the reply.

[dumeril7]

So, hal9000, can you share with me the specs (resistance, taper) on the FX loop mix control for the F-series? It would really help...

D7

[hal9000]

So, hal9000, can you share with me the specs (resistance, taper) on the FX loop mix control for the F-series? It would really help...

D7The FX Mix pot is 25 kΩ with a linear taper and I believe a 1/4" shaft. IIRC, Mesa uses CTS pots. I've had good luck with Alpha pots as well. You can use a SPST push-pull POT as long as you adjust the pot for 0% mix. However, a DPDT push-pull will let you keep the mix POT where you want and simply switch the loop from series to parallel.

The footswitch LED already has a bias resistor in the main branch, so you don't need another one. It would be best to measure the voltage drop across the footswitch's contour LED so you can choose one as close as possible.

Did you not get my PM? Send me an email (sig) and we can talk about it.

[Miqueas92]

Hola Amigos,

Greetings from México. I just found out about this forum and beleive that I am about to learn a lot on the F´s.

I have a Marshall JTM30 2x10, Vox Tonelab SE and a Gibson SG Standard. I am happy with my set up but... AAS (amp acuisition syndrome) has set in. A few months ago I was at a GC and had a chance to try out an F30 with a Boss ME50 pedal.

I liked the Boss and bought it. But, I was really impressed with the F30, didn´t have the dough for the amp though :( but I´ve been checking ebay now for a while and it is just a matter of time I think before i can pick one up.

I do have a question. Does anyone use a moddeler like my Tonelab, Line6 etc with an F30 or F50 combo¿¿ Or have you¿¿ Did it work¿¿ the good, bad and ugly¿¿

Anywho, thanks Mick

[ashjn]

Hola Amigos,

Greetings from México. I just found out about this forum and beleive that I am about to learn a lot on the F´s.

I have a Marshall JTM30 2x10, Vox Tonelab SE and a Gibson SG Standard. I am happy with my set up but... AAS (amp acuisition syndrome) has set in. A few months ago I was at a GC and had a chance to try out an F30 with a Boss ME50 pedal.

I liked the Boss and bought it. But, I was really impressed with the F30, didn´t have the dough for the amp though :( but I´ve been checking ebay now for a while and it is just a matter of time I think before i can pick one up.

I do have a question. Does anyone use a moddeler like my Tonelab, Line6 etc with an F30 or F50 combo¿¿ Or have you¿¿ Did it work¿¿ the good, bad and ugly¿¿

Anywho, thanks Mick

I used to use a Boss ME-50 with my F-100. Ran it out in front. Sounded pretty good actually. Now I have gone to individual pedals, and I think it sounds better...

[bowen71]

Hola Amigos,

Greetings from México. I just found out about this forum and beleive that I am about to learn a lot on the F´s.

I have a Marshall JTM30 2x10, Vox Tonelab SE and a Gibson SG Standard. I am happy with my set up but... AAS (amp acuisition syndrome) has set in. A few months ago I was at a GC and had a chance to try out an F30 with a Boss ME50 pedal.

I liked the Boss and bought it. But, I was really impressed with the F30, didn´t have the dough for the amp though :( but I´ve been checking ebay now for a while and it is just a matter of time I think before i can pick one up.

I do have a question. Does anyone use a moddeler like my Tonelab, Line6 etc with an F30 or F50 combo¿¿ Or have you¿¿ Did it work¿¿ the good, bad and ugly¿¿

Anywho, thanks Mick


I use an ME-50 in the loop of my F-50 head and think it works pretty good. I used to use it out front and it sounded great, then I started reading this forum and found out how good of a distortion sound I could get right out of the amp. So I changed to the loop so I could use the amp's distortion. There is a couple trade offs by using the ME-50 in the loop that you should keep in mind. Being in the loop the Wah and compressor on the ME-50 don't work right, and since you can only send 90% of the signal through the loop you cannot silent tune. Which hasen't been a problem for me, if I switch to the clean channel it is quiet enough to not be noticed on stage when I tune. Also the harmonizer sounds like crap in the loop. But I pretty much only use the delays, choruses, noise suppressor, and tuner on the ME-50 anyway. For $295 new it's well worth what I use it for I feel.

Also another thing I use on the ME-50, you will read a lot about in the forum, is since the ME-50 has the volume pedal and the level knob on it, you can use them to attenuate the amp through the loop.:idea:

[willrock]

The recording circuit is tapped right before the Phase Inverter, so there is no PI or Power tube contribution to the signal, which IMO is paramount. Also, the recording output has its own cab sim which I don't care for, but is usable.


what do you mean by PI? sori for an ignorant question tho:)

[hal9000]

what do you mean by PI? sori for an ignorant question tho:)PI = Phase Inverter. It's the last 12AX7 (V4) that splits the preamp signal to drive both the positive and negative half cycles of the class A/B output stage.

[Miqueas92]

Thanks for the input folks.

I´m still wanting to know if anyone has used a Tonelab Se with the F30 or 50¿¿¿

I am sure that I would only use the modulation, delay and such as the amp it´s self will take care of the tone.

Also, it´s great to see that there are some Brothers in the Lord here, blessings from Morelia, México to you all.

Thanks, Mick

[Goldwing]

Thanks for the input folks.

I´m still wanting to know if anyone has used a Tonelab Se with the F30 or 50¿¿¿

I am sure that I would only use the modulation, delay and such as the amp it´s self will take care of the tone.

Also, it´s great to see that there are some Brothers in the Lord here, blessings from Morelia, México to you all.

Thanks, Mick
Eres de Morelia? yo estoy en Guadalajara y tengo un F50. Saludos!!!

ok ok.. I'll write in english.-

I run a Boss GT8 in front of the F50, didn't use the loop, instead I use the Hal's Mod to make it master volume and its just great. I use a Big Muff, Electric Mistress and an SD-1 in the loop of the GT8 and its pretty good.

I used before with a ME-33 and worked fine, but let the amp sound by itself in the overdrive channel or with the help of a good analog stompbox. Just leave the multieffects for modulations and delays.

regards!!

[Miqueas92]

Gracias Goldwing,

No soy de Morelia, soy N. Ameicano y radico aqui en Morelia por los ultimos 18 años.
Thanks for letting me know that your GT8 works well with the F50. My SE has a lot of things I can use without the amp or cab moddeling.

Nos vemos,

Mick

[dumeril7]

I'm using a GT-8 with an F-30. I built a little stompbox that allows the GT-8 to switch channels on the F-30, while also providing a footswitch for turning the contour on and off. Works great except that I'm still debugging an issue with the LED indicator for the contour.

Also, I'm currently using the "4 cable method" for connecting the GT-8 to the F-30. This allows you to have effects (like overdrive, compression, wah) before the F-30, as well as in the F-30's effects loop (delays, modulations, etc.). The drawback is that setting up the gain levels for optimum signal-to-noise is a massive pain in the butt. I'm not sure I'm going to stick with this arrangement, but its definitely flexiable.

D7

[Rodimus Prime]

I had practice last night. Pulled out my strat for the first time in a while and DAMN that amp was bright as hell. I had the bass waaay up and the treble OFF and played in the regular gain mode, not the contour. whats up with that? I might:
pull the tung-sol from v1 to v2 and drop an eq pedal in the fx loop. Do these sound like good ideas? will they help?

[Goldwing]

The 4CM didn't work for me but I hardly notice any difference with just place the GT8 in front of the amp.

One thing is a rule with the multieffects..you MUST set the levels right or everything will sound too digital and distorted. There are a few of manuals to help you do this online, if anyone needs help I'll be glad to help.

18 years living in Mexico wow.. I have a friend who plays the drums in a group in Morelia and I have the chance to go last year to hear the "local scene" of music there, its a good music scene in my opinion..

cheers

[Tommi Inkila]

Hey guys... Sorry for not actively participating here... about 1,5 months and I'll once again have some quality free time... and I will start experimenting with similar silent recording setup that Neil invented :)

Meanwhile check my new songs here http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21980957#post21980957

[Miqueas92]

What pedals work best with the F´s¿¿

Wha, Comp, etc.

Thanks, Mick

[darklord0424]

I was wondering the same thing. I'm just now getting around to putting together a pedal board together. First off is def the OD.

[ashjn]

The DD-20 has been working great in the loop. That is an all-around great pedal. Its cool that it has a mini looper as well...

I recently picked up a Phase 90. Works well, but not as well as DD-20

[jcoggins7]

As for a wah pedal, I firmly believe that Teese/Real McCoy Custom wahs are the best for any amp. They're hand-made in Gaffney, South Carolina by basically one dude and a few helpers. While they are sort of expensive, when you compare them to the very popular Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q and Budda Bud-Wah, the price difference doesn't look all that bad anymore. I have a Teese Wizard Wah, and love it to death. I know a guy that has an original Cry Baby, and he likes my Wizard better. That's how good they are. However, I recommend checking out the other Teese models on his website before settling on one:

http://www.realmccoycustom.com

Real high quality stuff.

[Alligator]

Hey there F-Peeps

I have a small dilema in the overdrive dept. I LOVE the tones i get from the dirty channel on the F50, and i LOVE the gorgeous clean sound of the clean channel. The issue i have is that i often find it tricky to get that tone somewhere in between, just breaking overdrive rather than full distortion i guess. I know you can dial back the volume to tame the dirty channel but i often have a number of pedals to switch on and off at the same time and thinking about dialing the volume as well is just too much to think about...

Can anyone recommend a really, really good overdrive pedal that i can use to get this type of warm, responsive overdrive??

Cheers :)

PS I play a 335 with Bare Knuckle Mule humbuckers... (Check out the Bare Knuckle user reviews and believe what you read! ;) )

[pedrozepelim]

Hey there F-Peeps

I have a small dilema in the overdrive dept. I LOVE the tones i get from the dirty channel on the F50, and i LOVE the gorgeous clean sound of the clean channel. The issue i have is that i often find it tricky to get that tone somewhere in between, just breaking overdrive rather than full distortion i guess. I know you can dial back the volume to tame the dirty channel but i often have a number of pedals to switch on and off at the same time and thinking about dialing the volume as well is just too much to think about...

Can anyone recommend a really, really good overdrive pedal that i can use to get this type of warm, responsive overdrive??

Cheers :)

PS I play a 335 with Bare Knuckle Mule humbuckers... (Check out the Bare Knuckle user reviews and believe what you read! ;) )

I'm also searching for an OD that will give me that breaking overdrive sound. Right now I'm running a Tube Factor from Ibanez in the clean channel, for that JTM 45 kind of crunch and I'm loving it. I never used it with my old Mesa Boogie Caliber 50+, because those two didn't match at all.

Bur now I could't be happier. It's not a JTM 45 on the spot. It is not an OD as well defined as the JTM. And I don't want it to be. It round, smooth, full, warm, and you can hear every note in a chord.

Because of the 3 band EQ you can shap the pedal voicing to better suit your amp, wich you can't do with other OD's that only have one tone knob.

As soon as I figure out a way to record with the direct output, and get convincing sounds like some of the guys here, i'll post some clips.

[Flannery]

Hey there F-Peeps

I have a small dilema in the overdrive dept. I LOVE the tones i get from the dirty channel on the F50, and i LOVE the gorgeous clean sound of the clean channel. The issue i have is that i often find it tricky to get that tone somewhere in between, just breaking overdrive rather than full distortion i guess. I know you can dial back the volume to tame the dirty channel but i often have a number of pedals to switch on and off at the same time and thinking about dialing the volume as well is just too much to think about...

Can anyone recommend a really, really good overdrive pedal that i can use to get this type of warm, responsive overdrive??

Cheers :)

PS I play a 335 with Bare Knuckle Mule humbuckers... (Check out the Bare Knuckle user reviews and believe what you read! ;) )

My solution for this was to get a Boss Blues Driver. It does that in-between thing really well.

And as an added bonus you can kick it on for leads for a little extra boost.

[plumptone]

A while back I posted about an infuriating intermittent drop-out issue I had been having with my amp. 2 amp techs and more than a couple of months later, the issue seems to have been resolved. Answer? Bad speaker.

Folks: if any of you have been having a similar problem (amp cuts out intermittently while playing at volume - with no apparent tube involvement), I would STRONGLY suggest you think about looking onto your speaker as the culprit. The second guy I took it to here in NJ ended up calling Mesa/Boogie and was advised that amps with serial #'s above and below mine had come in and/or been independently diagnosed with the same problem. Boogie had apparently received some bad C-90s. If under warranty the replacement with an upgraded C-90, as well as installation is covered. (I ordered mine early last year and took it home in June).

After getting it back I had the opportunity to gig with it, and so far everything seems good to go. I was able to play test at home before taking it out for a gig to break in the speaker, and to my ears, the amp seems to have more headroom in the clean channel now, and is even more articulate than it was before. I'm very, very happy to have it back in working order.

On a different topic - there were some posts about Wah pedals. I just sent an older Crybaby in to Robert Keeley for some mods, and he does some incredible work. The thing is dead silent now, true bybass, has a very cool bright blue LED to tell me when it's engaged, and sounds wonderful. Just my $0.0s on that topic. Definitely look into it if you are interested in improving your older wah pedals. Family run business, and great customer service.

[John Denver]

A while back I posted about an infuriating intermittent drop-out issue I had been having with my amp. 2 amp techs and more than a couple of months later, the issue seems to have been resolved. Answer? Bad speaker.

Folks: if any of you have been having a similar problem (amp cuts out intermittently while playing at volume - with no apparent tube involvement), I would STRONGLY suggest you think about looking onto your speaker as the culprit. The second guy I took it to here in NJ ended up calling Mesa/Boogie and was advised that amps with serial #'s above and below mine had come in and/or been independently diagnosed with the same problem. Boogie had apparently received some bad C-90s. If under warranty the replacement with an upgraded C-90, as well as installation is covered. (I ordered mine early last year and took it home in June).

After getting it back I had the opportunity to gig with it, and so far everything seems good to go. I was able to play test at home before taking it out for a gig to break in the speaker, and to my ears, the amp seems to have more headroom in the clean channel now, and is even more articulate than it was before. I'm very, very happy to have it back in working order.

On a different topic - there were some posts about Wah pedals. I just sent an older Crybaby in to Robert Keeley for some mods, and he does some incredible work. The thing is dead silent now, true bybass, has a very cool bright blue LED to tell me when it's engaged, and sounds wonderful. Just my $0.0s on that topic. Definitely look into it if you are interested in improving your older wah pedals. Family run business, and great customer service.

Good to hear your back up and running! You may remember that i had a very similar problem as you....intermittent volume loss.

The issue i have is that this hasn't happened in about a month. I was wondering if you had any other suggestions on how to test if the speaker is bad...and if yours had any other symptoms. As i said it hasn't happened in a while, but i am noticing that i get a slight hum that comes in and out now on both channels. Wondering if this happened with yours as well...or if i need to look at tubes.

Any info would be great!

[plumptone]

My symptoms started after I had the amp a couple of months - it would cut out very quickly and then return to normal operation. Gradually this got worse, to the point where the amp would basically be stuttering - intolerable in a gig situation. No hum or hiss to speak of. The cut outs would generally happen at higher volumes (on both channels) and after playing hard for over an hour.

Before I took it in I tried everything I could think of, and ended up replacing all the tubes. When that didn't fix it, I had no option but to take it in.

A simple test would be to disconnect the internal speaker and run through a known good extension cab. If the problem doesn't happen there, you've determined it's the speaker. I can't believe I didn't figure that out - what I was doing was running the internal plus an extension, because I was afraid that the speaker dropping out would hurt the OP transformer. The second tech I took it to told me that would not help, because if one speaker is dropping out because of an open short, then the extension would cut out too because the speakers are in parallel (or something like that). This is the only advice I have.

[Santuzzo]

Hi everybody,

I'm still thinking about getting an F-50, and as I want to buy it new, I need to make a decision kinda fast, as it is out of production, so it won't be in stores for too much longer, I guess.

At this point I'm still in a bit of a doubt as I have not tried too many other amps/brands that might be interesting, too.

But I have tried the F-50 combo, and I loved it with my hollow body jazz guitar.
I also loved it with a solid body.
I'm still in a bit of doubt if it will have enough gain for Metal, I know many guys here already told me it will have enough distortion ....

What I would like to know from all you guys who are using an F-50 combo, what kind of styles are you using it for?
Are you using any bosster/distortion pedals in front of it?
If yes, how does that sound?

Say I would get one and feel I'd need a bit more distortion, would it work well to put a good booster/distortion pedal infront of it in order to get more gain/distortion for Metal?

I do think, the good clean sound is the most important thing to start with, cos if that's not there, no peadl can make it better, but if there is not enough gain on tap on the lead channel you can always use a pedal. But I'm nit sure if that's really gonnd sound great?!
So, anybody who is doing that, please share your experience/opinions/advice with me !

Cos' I'm still in doubt whethert to get the F-50 or not.
I have two real good offers here now (one of an F-50 in a store, so it's basically a floor-showroom model) and one brand new out of the box, which costs a little more, but I think I'd prefer the out of the box one, even if it costs a bit more.
Any opinions on this?

I appreciate it !

Thanks!

Lars

PS : Sorry about the lenght of this post.

[Alligator]

Lars my man, just do it!

I can tell you now that you wont regret it. This amp has plenty of distortion for metal, and as you rightly say, adding a decent boost or distortion pedal can easily beef things up a bit (or a lot!).

I've used my F50 for Jazz, Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop(!), Blues, Classic Rock, Country Rock, generally over-the-top heavy-rock type stuff etc etc etc and i've never been dissapointed by this amp. Incidentally i've just started experimenting with a Keeley Katana clean boost in front of the amp and its incredible! Sooooo much tone!

One thing i have noticed about this (and probably any other decent amp) is that it really brings out the character of the guitar/pick-ups you're using. You wanna play metal? Get yourself some active or overwound pick-ups!

I paid £1295 (yes folks sterling, not dollars) for my F50 and i've never looked back. Two years later and i'm still finding great tones.

Anyway, my point is - buy the amp.:thu:

[Santuzzo]

Lars my man, just do it!

I can tell you now that you wont regret it. This amp has plenty of distortion for metal, and as you rightly say, adding a decent boost or distortion pedal can easily beef things up a bit (or a lot!).

I've used my F50 for Jazz, Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop(!), Blues, Classic Rock, Country Rock, generally over-the-top heavy-rock type stuff etc etc etc and i've never been dissapointed by this amp. Incidentally i've just started experimenting with a Keeley Katana clean boost in front of the amp and its incredible! Sooooo much tone!

One thing i have noticed about this (and probably any other decent amp) is that it really brings out the character of the guitar/pick-ups you're using. You wanna play metal? Get yourself some active or overwound pick-ups!

I paid £1295 (yes folks sterling, not dollars) for my F50 and i've never looked back. Two years later and i'm still finding great tones.

Anyway, my point is - buy the amp.:thu:

Thanks for your advice !
This is very helpful !

Waht does this clean boost you wrote about exactly do?
Does it give the clean a little break up when you hit the strings harder, like for Blues-kinda sound?

You said, you have also been using your F-50 for over-the-top Metal. Did you use a gain pedal (if yes, which pedal) for this or did you use the amp's distortion exlusively?

Do you have the head or the combo?

[Alligator]

Thanks for your advice !
This is very helpful !

Waht does this clean boost you wrote about exactly do?
Does it give the clean a little break up when you hit the strings harder, like for Blues-kinda sound?

You said, you have also been using your F-50 for over-the-top Metal. Did you use a gain pedal (if yes, which pedal) for this or did you use the amp's distortion exlusively?

Do you have the head or the combo?

Glad to be of service.

To be honest i'm no metal player. There are guys on this thread that know much more about that style of playing and are using the F50 for exactly that. I've experimented with metal tones but never with a band or for a sustained period. I tend to play more heavy-rock (think Black Keys, if you know of them) rather than metal. Having said that, i'm confident there is enough gain in the amp for metal playing, but if your thinking huge, bone crushing doomcore distortion, you may need some extra kick from a pedal.

The boost i'm using is the Keeley Katana boost- its essentially a clean boost with the added function of extra gain. It basically boosts the signal from your guitar, and with it the volume of the output. Don't get me wrong, this is not an overdrive, though it can be used to drive the clean channel into breakup. I'm using it to literally boost my volume levels and cut through the mix during solos, thats what it's designed for and its brilliant for it.

When i first got the Katana i put it in front of the amp, turned it right up and pushed the clean channel hard, way into overdrive. The tone was just incredible, amazingly rich juicy tone with lovely harmonic feedback. (It sounds cheesy but it sounded like the amp was having an orgasm!) Perfect for blues and rock - Hendrix / SRV etc etc. The only problem is by the time you're at this level of break-up the volume is SO LOUD!! I'm gonna need a hot-plate to allow me to turn the volume down while still driving the tubes hard enough to squeeze out that tone! (or a really good overdrive pedal, hence my earlier post)

I think the best thing about this amp is the tone. It sounds amazing and is really powerfull, while still being portable and practical for gigs etc. You can add what you like and in my experience, if it's a decent piece of kit at the right point in the signal chain, it'll sound great. Its a great foundation to build your sound on.

Anyway, i'm rambling. Hope this helps... :)

Peace

[Alligator]

...I have the F50 combo, by the way.

[Santuzzo]

Glad to be of service.

To be honest i'm no metal player. There are guys on this thread that know much more about that style of playing and are using the F50 for exactly that. I've experimented with metal tones but never with a band or for a sustained period. I tend to play more heavy-rock (think Black Keys, if you know of them) rather than metal. Having said that, i'm confident there is enough gain in the amp for metal playing, but if your thinking huge, bone crushing doomcore distortion, you may need some extra kick from a pedal.

The boost i'm using is the Keeley Katana boost- its essentially a clean boost with the added function of extra gain. It basically boosts the signal from your guitar, and with it the volume of the output. Don't get me wrong, this is not an overdrive, though it can be used to drive the clean channel into breakup. I'm using it to literally boost my volume levels and cut through the mix during solos, thats what it's designed for and its brilliant for it.

When i first got the Katana i put it in front of the amp, turned it right up and pushed the clean channel hard, way into overdrive. The tone was just incredible, amazingly rich juicy tone with lovely harmonic feedback. (It sounds cheesy but it sounded like the amp was having an orgasm!) Perfect for blues and rock - Hendrix / SRV etc etc. The only problem is by the time you're at this level of break-up the volume is SO LOUD!! I'm gonna need a hot-plate to allow me to turn the volume down while still driving the tubes hard enough to squeeze out that tone! (or a really good overdrive pedal, hence my earlier post)

I think the best thing about this amp is the tone. It sounds amazing and is really powerfull, while still being portable and practical for gigs etc. You can add what you like and in my experience, if it's a decent piece of kit at the right point in the signal chain, it'll sound great. Its a great foundation to build your sound on.

Anyway, i'm rambling. Hope this helps... :)

Peace

Thanks , man !

Yes, this does help ! BIG time !:thu:

I also tend to think an amp need to have that good clean tone, and if there is not enough gain (which may not be the case with the F-50, after all) you can always get more distortion with a decent pedal.

As I said, I tired the F-50 with my hollow body jazzguitar, and the sound was beautiful !

I just called and e-mailed a store about it, so the order for the amp should be on soon !

I'll keep you posted !:thu: :wave:

Once again, thanks a lot !

[Santuzzo]

Dudes !!!!

I finally did it !

I just ordered the F-50 combo, and it should be here next week !

I'm so excited about it, and can't wait to get my new amp....

So I will be a member of this lounge as a new onwer of an F-50 ! :) :thu:

Thanks everybody for your input and advice !

[MKCL]

Hey guys,

I was wondering about the tubes for the F30.


How often do you guys change the power and preamp tubes?

I use the amp at bedroom levels almost everyday or every other day (if I'm home). I crank the amp about once every 1 or 2 weeks due to gigs or practices. Sometimes we have a few gigs in a row, sometimes we have like 2 gigs a month. It changes from time to time. The last time I changed the power tubes were a few weeks ago.

And also, for the 12AX7s. Would cheap ones make my tone suffer?

[ESL94]

Dudes !!!!

I finally did it !

I just ordered the F-50 combo, and it should be here next week !

I'm so excited about it, and can't wait to get my new amp....

So I will be a member of this lounge as a new onwer of an F-50 ! :) :thu:

Thanks everybody for your input and advice !

Congrads!

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger myself on the F-50.
I just found out this guitar store could order one @ their new list price $899!
Next week I find out how much I will be getting back from my taxes.

[Curtis.Fagan]

Hey there F-Peeps

I have a small dilema in the overdrive dept. I LOVE the tones i get from the dirty channel on the F50, and i LOVE the gorgeous clean sound of the clean channel. The issue i have is that i often find it tricky to get that tone somewhere in between, just breaking overdrive rather than full distortion i guess. I know you can dial back the volume to tame the dirty channel but i often have a number of pedals to switch on and off at the same time and thinking about dialing the volume as well is just too much to think about...

Can anyone recommend a really, really good overdrive pedal that i can use to get this type of warm, responsive overdrive??

Cheers :)

PS I play a 335 with Bare Knuckle Mule humbuckers... (Check out the Bare Knuckle user reviews and believe what you read! ;) )

I was having the same issue, so what I did was bring the master down on the clean channel, pumop the gain to about 2oclock, and did the same with the mid's. Bring the bass back to about 11oclock, and the trebs around the same.

I'm sure you'll find that a good place to start. I'm using a Hamer with an EMG81 in the bridge, so it's easy to overdrive.

Just be careful with your post gain when you have it set up like this, because that channel has tons of volume, and the volume becomes really sensitive....

Thats all, thanks.

Love.
Curtis

[Curtis.Fagan]

Good to hear your back up and running! You may remember that i had a very similar problem as you....intermittent volume loss.

The issue i have is that this hasn't happened in about a month. I was wondering if you had any other suggestions on how to test if the speaker is bad...and if yours had any other symptoms. As i said it hasn't happened in a while, but i am noticing that i get a slight hum that comes in and out now on both channels. Wondering if this happened with yours as well...or if i need to look at tubes.

Any info would be great!


I had this happen with an old cab, and it turned out that the speaker coil was going.

I'm no expert, and the only way I've ever been able to tell is by gently pushing on the speaker cone with even pressure. If it's stiff, or pops, you've got a broken speaker coil, and it's time to replace. At this point, you're probably not hearing anything from that speaker anyways.

Now as far as loss in volume, this can be a few things. Most common...your speaker's cone edge is getting effed up. Second, and was the reson and old amp of mine literally exploded into flames, was that some stuff in the board was dying, and I cranked the amp, and it blew up.

So, the definitive answer would be to get to know your tech, and let them look at it. Ask them questions, and learn as much as you can, CUZ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Love,
Curtis

[Miqueas92]

So...

I have been trying to learn more about the F´s and Mesa in general. I have noticed that there are older amps, Mesa Boogie, from the 90´s and such that
are somewhat like the F30s and 50s. Now I know that there will be some differences, so... can anyone fill me in on these older amps and how they are different/same as the F´s¿¿ Like the 22 Studio. The .50 and some of the others. Also, why would I want the F30 or 50 over the other amps¿ Thank you for your time.

Mick

[jcoggins7]

As far as the amps your talking about go, I've only played one of them. I've tested out the DC-5 combo before I bought my F-50 combo, and I was very strongly considering buying it, since it was only $600 at the store. However, after playing the F-50, I was sold on it. The clean channel was much better on the F-50 and the gain was more to my liking. Don't get me wrong, I actually really enjoyed the DC-5. It's just that the F-50 sounded like an upscale Boogie, while the Dual Caliber series sounded like Mesa's budget line (which is still better than a lot). There is something cool about the graphic EQs though...which is why I may someday buy a Mark IV to go along with my F-50.

[Alligator]

Hey Curtis,

Thanks for the advice. I actually went out at the weekend and tried a few different overdrives. Ended up buying a Zvex "Box-of-Rock" - honestly the best overdrive i've heard in a pedal - and it has a built in boost!

Apparently it was modelled on the JTM 45 and it really does sound fantastic! EXACTLY the tone i was after. If i set it right and pick the strings softly i can hear absolutely no change in tone at all! No break-up or distortion and no colouring of the sound or tone loss, just the exact same clean tone singing away. Then, as i dig in a bit and play with more attack, the tone crunches and breaks up beautifully. It's really responsive and has great harmonic complexity - couldn't be happier! I'd definately recommend trying one of these if you can get hold of one!

Thanks also to Pedrozepelim and Flannery for the advice on overdrives - much appreciated.

Massive congratulations to Santuzzo! and the same to ESL94 :)

(- $899 for a new F50??? Man, i paid £1295!! Yes, Pounds Sterling! Check the exchange rate and do the math!)

Peace

[Alligator]

Hey Peeps

Has anyone noticed or had problems with a slight low frequency hum in the FX loop of the F50?

I spent an hour last night checking all my pedals and eliminating them one by one; trying different power supplies and batteries only. I got down to one pedal (Keeley Boost) running on a battery and it was still there, though it's definately not the pedal. The only thing i didn't check was the leads (duh!) though i'm pretty sure they're fine...

Maybe i'm being too picky, i can probably live with it but wondered if anyone had any comments...

Peace

[MKCL]

hey guys,

how often do you change your preamp and power tubes?

i use it mainly at home and gig 2-4 times a month. add in a few practices a month and i probably just crank the amp 8 times a month.

what's the duration for the preamp tubes?

[hal9000]

hey guys,

how often do you change your preamp and power tubes?

i use it mainly at home and gig 2-4 times a month. add in a few practices a month and i probably just crank the amp 8 times a month.

what's the duration for the preamp tubes?Preamp tubes can last a very long time. Most people change them when they go microphonic or simply fail. Others change preamp tubes for tonal reasons. I have Mesa preamp tubes from when I bought my F-100 (4+ years ago) and they are still good.

Power tubes last anywhere from 1-2 years at the rate you're playing. Usually, you can tell that the tubes are starting to sound wrong, there isn't enough volume, the bass is weak or distorted, etc. It's a good idea to change your power tubes at least every 1-1.5 years to prevent any catastrophic failures taking your screen grid resistors out or worse which can happen when a tube is arcing or has a physical short.

[Alligator]

Hey Peeps

Has anyone noticed or had problems with a slight low frequency hum in the FX loop of the F50?

I spent an hour last night checking all my pedals and eliminating them one by one; trying different power supplies and batteries only. I got down to one pedal (Keeley Boost) running on a battery and it was still there, though it's definately not the pedal. The only thing i didn't check was the leads (duh!) though i'm pretty sure they're fine...

Maybe i'm being too picky, i can probably live with it but wondered if anyone had any comments...

Peace

Further to my previous post, i checked the leads and they're not the problem...

Like i said, I can probably live with this but i just thought i'd mention it.

Cheers

[SandmaN211]

As for a wah pedal, I firmly believe that Teese/Real McCoy Custom wahs are the best for any amp. They're hand-made in Gaffney, South Carolina by basically one dude and a few helpers. While they are sort of expensive, when you compare them to the very popular Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q and Budda Bud-Wah, the price difference doesn't look all that bad anymore. I have a Teese Wizard Wah, and love it to death. I know a guy that has an original Cry Baby, and he likes my Wizard better. That's how good they are. However, I recommend checking out the other Teese models on his website before settling on one:

http://www.realmccoycustom.com

Real high quality stuff.

hey i got a budda wah too but when i plug it into my f-50 it doesn't sound like a budda wah and not very responsive, i could pedal down up and down realy fast and wont hear the wah wah, more like a weak tremolo, is it the amps prob? btw im using that fx loop trick by hal to make my amp softer, maybe thats y?
and about the effect plugs at the back, r you suppose to plgue the wah in there??

sorry for my noobness, this is my first wah and tube amp.....

[hal9000]

hey i got a budda wah too but when i plug it into my f-50 it doesn't sound like a budda wah and not very responsive, i could pedal down up and down realy fast and wont hear the wah wah, more like a weak tremolo, is it the amps prob? btw im using that fx loop trick by hal to make my amp softer, maybe thats y?
and about the effect plugs at the back, r you suppose to plgue the wah in there??

sorry for my noobness, this is my first wah and tube amp.....Wah goes in front of the amp generally. My FX loop master won't affect the sound of the wah as long as the wah is out front of the amp.

[jcoggins7]

Originally Posted by SandmaN211
hey i got a budda wah too but when i plug it into my f-50 it doesn't sound like a budda wah and not very responsive, i could pedal down up and down realy fast and wont hear the wah wah, more like a weak tremolo, is it the amps prob? btw im using that fx loop trick by hal to make my amp softer, maybe thats y?
and about the effect plugs at the back, r you suppose to plgue the wah in there??

sorry for my noobness, this is my first wah and tube amp.....

Yeah hal9000 is correct here. Wah goes in front of the amp. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone putting one in the FX loop and having good results. What your problem most likely is is that the Budda wah doesn't work with the gain type of the F-50. Some wahs just don't work with certain gain/distortion/fuzz types. That's why Teese wahs have, "fuzz-friendly technology," which is basically just a Foxrox part that they install. You can buy one and install it yourself on the Budda. Here's the webpage:

http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/Wah%20retrofit%201.html

And here's how to install them on the Budda:

http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/Wah%20retrofit%20Budda.html

[Tommi Inkila]

Hey guys,

Checkout my first clip of silent recording http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1621232

[Santuzzo]

Hi everyone !

I'm a happy new owner of a Mesa F-50 combo !

It got here today, and I love it !

I must admit, though, I haven't played it so much yet, as I did not feel too good due to personal circumstances (g/f, or actually ex-g/f content:cry: ).

But I'm glad and happy to have this amp now !

Lars

[PowerDude]

My F-50 showed up today too.
Here's a pic:
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4912/img1543byc8.jpg

[SandmaN211]

Yeah hal9000 is correct here. Wah goes in front of the amp. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone putting one in the FX loop and having good results. What your problem most likely is is that the Budda wah doesn't work with the gain type of the F-50. Some wahs just don't work with certain gain/distortion/fuzz types. That's why Teese wahs have, "fuzz-friendly technology," which is basically just a Foxrox part that they install. You can buy one and install it yourself on the Budda. Here's the webpage:

http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/Wah%20retrofit%201.html

And here's how to install them on the Budda:

http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/Wah%20retrofit%20Budda.html

alrite thanks
so your saying budda and mesa dont work well together?

[hal9000]

Hi everyone !

I'm a happy new owner of a Mesa F-50 combo !

It got here today, and I love it !

I must admit, though, I haven't played it so much yet, as I did not feel too good due to personal circumstances (g/f, or actually ex-g/f content:cry: ).

But I'm glad and happy to have this amp now !

LarsLars, welcome to the F-series Brotherhood! :)

I know it was a long process for you to choose an amp, especially at the prices in Europe. I hope the F-50 brings the tone for you like my F-100 does for me.

[hal9000]

My F-50 showed up today too.
Here's a pic:
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4912/img1543byc8.jpgSweet! A red one. That's the first red combo I've seen. Welcome to the forum and the F-series Brotherhood! :)

When you have a moment, tell us more about the music you play and the rest of your gear.

[Santuzzo]

Lars, welcome to the F-series Brotherhood! :)

I know it was a long process for you to choose an amp, especially at the prices in Europe. I hope the F-50 brings the tone for you like my F-100 does for me.


Thank you !:)

[markmann]

alrite thanks
so your saying budda and mesa dont work well together?
The Budda works fine with my f50 and I've been through a bunch of wah's. I use it out front with and without volume reducing devises and it sounds great. If you're running it in the loop then you need to move it to the amp's input. If it doesn't sound like a wah it's not because a Budda doesn't work with a Mesa.

What guitar are you using? Do you have another wah to comare it to?

Keep in mind that if you ask 10 people what a good wah is you'll get 10 very different opinions but every pedal will make a wah sound of some sort, just different flavors. I chose the Budda for several reasons, one of which is because it works well with both clean and distortion tones and not all do.

[Santuzzo]

Wow !

This amp rules !

Today I played it some more, and I'm blown away by the sound. And it is LOUD .....

I'm happy I got this amp. :thu:

[Lt_Core]

Anybody use the new Mini Mass 50W with there F-50? I'm guessing it would go between my 8ohm jack and my Avatar Vintage cab.

https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/minimass.htm

[Tommi Inkila]

Anybody use the new Mini Mass 50W with there F-50? I'm guessing it would go between my 8ohm jack and my Avatar Vintage cab.

https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/minimass.htm
I'm also thinking to get that for my silent recording setup... any users? :)

[Lt_Core]

I thought Neil mentioned once that he recommended the Mini Mass 100W if you really need to crank the F-50. I would never get that loud...LOL!

I think the 50W Mini Mass would be perfect.

[Santuzzo]

My F-50 showed up today too.


Congrats !!!

Looks awesome the red F-50 !!!!:thu:

[jcoggins7]

SandmaN211, I would have said that the gain structure and frequency response of the amp and wah didn't work well together, but since markmann uses a Budda and says it works well with his, I'd go with the option that maybe the wah has a problem with its insides.

[bowen71]

Anybody use the new Mini Mass 50W with there F-50? I'm guessing it would go between my 8ohm jack and my Avatar Vintage cab.

https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/minimass.htm

I use one. The reason I chose it was because it was so much cheaper then a hotplate. You are right it goes between your amp's output jack and your cabinet.
It has a switch for whatever ohms you run at and a switch for bypass if you want your full signal to go through. Then it has a great big knob that you dial in how much of your signal goes through. When I got mine I didn't like it because I was trying to attenuate to much of my signal, I had the knob set at half way at 5. Then I learned from someone on this forum to try attenuating a little less, so now I run it at 8-9 just to take a little off and I like the results a lot better! Plus I attenuate a little bit in the loop with my ME-50.
The mini mass also has a line out if you want to run direct to the board or for recording but I haven't tried that. We always run wide open or use a mic on stage. We were talking once about running direct but our bass player didn't have a line out jack so I contacted Weber and asked if it would be safe to run a 400 watt bass head through it as long as it is on bypass for the line out function and Weber told me that is was fine. So it is pretty versitle. I have also read and experianced first hand that Weber's support is great. Overall I would say unless you want to cut a whole bunch of volume it works real well, but I haven't tried others to see what they sound like if you cut to much sound with them.

[Lt_Core]

Just picked up the new version of the Mini Mass 50W for $75 shipped. Totally mint and barely used. I'll let you know how I like it.

[PowerDude]

Sweet! A red one. That's the first red combo I've seen. Welcome to the forum and the F-series Brotherhood! :)

When you have a moment, tell us more about the music you play and the rest of your gear.

Thanks!
Mostly hard/classic rock. The music I grew up with (late 70's and early 80's). Haven't gigged in quite a while, but I've been considering it lately as my kids are now old enough where they don't require constant attention....
I've been playing a lot of blues over the last 4 or 5 years, just for my own amusement. I live in a small town where there aren't many musicians anyway. My gear's in my sig, but I used to have an original Gibson Firebird and a peavy 50W 2x12 combo. I hate I ever got rid of either of those. :( That was when I was young and foolish though.

[haleyes]

Just wondering if I can generate some interest in helping noobies like myself understand tube amps. After many months of reading and wanting, I finally bought an F-50. I bought it new from a dealer in Kentucky on Ebay and it will be here in a few days. This will be my very first experience with a tube amp, and I want to learn from the group here. :D

Questions:

As I take it out of the box, what should I be looking for other than broken glass?

What if anything should I do to the tubes before I even turn it on?

What if anything should I check before I turn it on?

How should I turn it on?

What should I hear when I turn it on?

What should I see? Tubes glowing?

What is standby?

How long is too long for the amp to be on at one time?


Now I know these are very basic questions...maybe even stupid. I apologize in advance :) I intend to read the manual many, many times. There was an experience recently where a person bought an F-50 from someone here and saw smoke coming from the amp as soon as it was turned on. I just don't want to make the same mistake, if one was made. :cry:

I've been lurking here for a while and I've found a wealth of information and a spirit of generosity. I would like to ask more questions as they arise with your permission. Thanks.

larry

[dumeril7]

As I take it out of the box, what should I be looking for other than broken glass?

Nothing special, just like any other amp you're looking for any damage to the amp.

What if anything should I do to the tubes before I even turn it on?

Make sure they're well-seated in their sockets.

What if anything should I check before I turn it on?

Make sure you plug into a good, grounded 3-prong socket. And don't use one of those 3-prong to 2-prong adapters. They're dangerous if there's ever a ground fault in the amp, your body could end up being the path to ground and there's plenty enough voltage to kill you. That applies to any amp, or any electrical device with a 3-prong plug.

[Edit:] I almost forgot! You also need to make sure you have a speaker hooked up to the amp and that it is provides the proper impedance, rated in ohms. In other words, if the amp is set to, say, 8 ohms, the speaker configuration you provide must also be 8 ohms. On a Mesa, this means that you plug an 8 ohm cabinet into the 8 ohm speaker jack, for example. Other amps may give you a switch for selecting the impedance and only one jack. You can blow the output transformer by not providing a speaker (or some other type of load). You can sometimes get away with impedance mismatching but in general its a good practice to match the impedance of the speaker configuration with the amp.

How should I turn it on?

Flip the on/off switch to on. Let it warm up for a couple minutes, then flip the standby switch to "on" and wail. This will increase tube life.

What should I hear when I turn it on?

Maybe a bit of hum, but not an excessive amount. When you play, you should hear an amplified guitar. :thu:

What should I see? Tubes glowing?

Tubes will give off a bit of orange light. You may also get some blue glow. This is all normal. If the plates (the folded metal parts inside the tube) start to glow red, that's not normal. Turn off the amp. Could be a failing power tube, in which case new tubes (assuming they're good) will fix it. Could also be some fault in the amp, in which case you'll need to take it to a tech.

What is standby?

Layman answer: Turning an amp on but leaving the standby set to "standby" gives power to the tubes, but there won't be any sound. The technical answer is that it allows the tube heaters to warm up the tubes before the main power supply is applied to them.

In practice, you should turn on the amp first, leaving the standby swtich set to "standby". After a couple minutes, turn the standby switch to "on". This will prolong tube life. During set breaks, you can leave put the amp in standby (i.e. turn the standby switch so that it is not set to "on"). This will keep the amp warmed up so you can start playing immediately by flipping the standby switch to "on" without having to go through a warmup period.

How long is too long for the amp to be on at one time?

Most amps go through a 24-hour burn-in. Its not so much about how long you leave it on as it is about how much of a workout its given. Heat is the enemy, although it is also a natural byproduct of tube amps. Playing at loud volume is a workout and will cause the amp to heat up. So will not providing adequate ventilation for the amp (leave a few inches between the rear of the amp and the wall). Playing outside in hot weather will also cause it to stress. Under those conditions, give the amp a break every once in a while. Let it cool down (turn if off) for 15 minutes.

9 times out of 10, problems with tube amps can be traced back to a bad tube. That's always the first place to check.

D7

[dumeril7]

I figured you guys might be interested in some projects I completed.

First, I built a little box that allows my Boss GT-8 to switch channels on my F-30, and also provides a footswitch so that I can manually switch the contour on and off. Its based on the modified cable that Dann'sTheMan described at the beginning of this thread, except that I built it into a box so that I could put in the footswitch. If I'd had enough room on my box (I cannibalized it from a broken Gibson MIDI Guitar Widget), I would have also put in a footswitch for reverb, but the box would have placed two switches too close together. Basically you use the Mesa footswitch cable and plug it into the 5-pin socket on the box instead of the Mesa footswitch. Then you plug a guitar patch cord from the 1/4" socket on the box into the "Amp Control" socket on the GT-8. Voila, the GT-8 controls the channel switching and you can still turn the contour on and off if you need to.

http://www.softcloudcove.com/dumeril7/misc/F-SeriesSwitchBox1.JPG

http://www.softcloudcove.com/dumeril7/misc/F-SeriesSwitchBox2.JPG

I also recently built a true-bypass loop switcher with 4 loops. I installed the components for an additional loop, but I wired it to switch the tremolo on a Fender amp that I have. (I can easily convert this to be another loop if I ever want to.) Basically, I put all my clean tone effects in the "clean" loop, all my crunch effects in the "crunch loop" and so on. Then I can switch on and off multiple devices at once, and when they're off they are completely out of the signal path. I use this with my main rig, which is a mid '70s metal panel Marshall and a '63 brownface Fender Concert. By plugging a grounded out (sleeve connected to tip) 1/4" plug into the return jack, any loop can also act as an A/B selector with the A side going out the loop send and the B side continuing on to the other loops. I use this on the "Clean" loop to switch to the Fender Concert and its effects. The rest of the effects go to the Marshall.

It probably sounds complicated, but its actually a lot simpler to use than stringing all the effects together in a row.

Anyway, here are some photos of that:

http://www.softcloudcove.com/dumeril7/misc/Looper1.jpg

http://www.softcloudcove.com/dumeril7/misc/Looper2.jpg

http://www.softcloudcove.com/dumeril7/misc/Looper3.jpg

D7

[MKCL]

Hey guys,



Is it safe to place another smaller combo (20 lbs or so) on top of my Mesa F30 while it's on or off?



Sometimes I sit on it...

[ashjn]

The red F-50 is really cool!

[hal9000]

Hey guys,

Is it safe to place another smaller combo (20 lbs or so) on top of my Mesa F30 while it's on or off?

Sometimes I sit on it...Yes. Mesa's cabs are very strong. I've had my VHT 50CL, Tremoverb, 4-space Rack, and Hi-Octane (~120 lbs) all on top of my F-100 at the same time. With a really heavy object, you'll notice that the tolex will dent, but it will eventually come back out with time. If you're worried about damaging the tolex, put something down to distribute the weight below the feet of the top amp.

[haleyes]

Well, the Mesa F-50 combo arrived today. I'm in the process of "warming" the amp right now. I'm a little nervous about what will happen when I switch from standby to on :eek:

Hey, what in the heck is in the bag under the speaker? It looks like I might be able to work it out under the strap to see what it is, but I thought I'd ask first.

Well, I'm going in. :thu:

[hal9000]

Well, the Mesa F-50 combo arrived today. I'm in the process of "warming" the amp right now. I'm a little nervous about what will happen when I switch from standby to on :eek:

Hey, what in the heck is in the bag under the speaker? It looks like I might be able to work it out under the strap to see what it is, but I thought I'd ask first.

Well, I'm going in. :thu:That would be your reverb tank. If you reverb ever stops working, not the location of the two cables that plug into the amp and the tank and make sure they're secure.

You should expect glorious tone of the Mesa kind to emanate from the beast. :thu:

[jds22]

I'm a little nervous about what will happen when I switch from standby to on

You will hear Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.

:cool:

[Goldwing]

I figured you guys might be interested in some projects I completed.

First, I built a little box that allows my Boss GT-8 to switch channels on my F-30, and also provides a footswitch so that I can manually switch the contour on and off. Its based on the modified cable that Dann'sTheMan described at the beginning of this thread, except that I built it into a box so that I could put in the footswitch. If I'd had enough room on my box (I cannibalized it from a broken Gibson MIDI Guitar Widget), I would have also put in a footswitch for reverb, but the box would have placed two switches too close together. Basically you use the Mesa footswitch cable and plug it into the 5-pin socket on the box instead of the Mesa footswitch. Then you plug a guitar patch cord from the 1/4" socket on the box into the "Amp Control" socket on the GT-8. Voila, the GT-8 controls the channel switching and you can still turn the contour on and off if you need to.

http://www.softcloudcove.com/dumeril7/misc/F-SeriesSwitchBox1.JPG

http://www.softcloudcove.com/dumeril7/misc/F-SeriesSwitchBox2.JPG

....

D7

Great!!!..just what I need!! do you have schematics?

cheers!

[haleyes]

So far so good...

I've only been playing for about 4 years and all of that has been through a solid-state Crate GFX 212T. I always felt the Crate sounded a bit tinny. But then again, it could be me.

The Mesa F-50 combo sounds good. I plugged in directly, without pedals, and I like the sound. There seems to be more bottom and oomph. It also sounds very quiet with the Texas Special pickups, which was a surprise as I expected more noise or hissing. Don't know why.... Just hope it's as quiet with the pedals (Wah, compressor, ts9). Will I need the compressor with a tube amp?
I've never really played a clean channel before. Interesting. I hear more of my guitar characteristics than I do with the Crate. Of course, I'm not that good so it could be more of a detriment :)

The cleans sound just a bit sterile... probably not used to hearing it. What, if any, pedals do you guys use to tweak the cleans? The gain channel doesn't sound too bad.

One thing... I've been using a Boss F6 (dual) footswitch for the drum machine AND to toggle between two channels on the Crate, with a guitar cable. Doesn't look like I can do that with the F-50 footswitch. It uses a pin connector. Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone, I'll be back with more questions. I've got a lot to learn. :D

[jds22]

Express 5:25 vs. F30.

Ok I know this has probably been asked before and is buried somewhere in this thread but help me out and don't make me go back thru every page. :D

I've owned the F50 and played the F30 quite a bit. I think I favor the F30.

Not counting features, how do the F30 and the 5:25 sound in comparison to each other? I see that the Express has 2 different modes for each channel, but I really only need clean and lead. Anything in between I'll get with a pedal. Also most of the time the amp would be run thru my 212 cab so the 10" vs. 12" speaker in the combos really doesn't concern me either.

I'm just thinking that if they sound pretty much the same minus some extra features, I might as well save some cash by getting the F30.

Thanks,
Jerry

[dumeril7]

Will I need the compressor with a tube amp?


Not particularly, no. In fact, tube amps tend to have a nice, natural compression when you crank 'em up. But more importantly, I think you've developed a bit of mysticism around tube amps that really isn't necessary. Like any other amp, your ears will tell you if it needs compression or not. Does it lack sustain? Are you having a problem keeping your attack and/or phrasing at consistent levels? If yes, then maybe you should look at a compressor. Otherwise, there's nothing special about the amp that warrants one.


I've never really played a clean channel before. Interesting. I hear more of my guitar characteristics than I do with the Crate. Of course, I'm not that good so it could be more of a detriment :)

The cleans sound just a bit sterile... probably not used to hearing it. What, if any, pedals do you guys use to tweak the cleans?

I think it probably is a matter of not being used to hearing clean tones. The F-Series amp have a pretty good clean tone in general (IMO). I usually add some very low-level delay and occasionally a chorus. Maybe some compression for funk if I want a really consistent attack. But I could easily do without any of those things with the F-series.

I would suggest listening to some Mark Knopfler (early Dire Straits), SRV and maybe some Hendrix ballads to calibrate your ears regarding clean tones.


One thing... I've been using a Boss F6 (dual) footswitch for the drum machine AND to toggle between two channels an the Crate, with a guitar cable. Doesn't look like I can do that with the F-50 footswitch. It uses a pin connector. Any suggestions?

Easiest and most flexible thing to do is to use the F6 for the drum machine and the Mesa switch for your amp and just deal with two footswitches. Using the information at the beginning of this thread, you could make a cable that would allow you to use your F6 to switch, say, channels on your amp, but then you'd lose the ability to switch contour and reverb since the F6 doesn't have enough switches. I suppose you could add a switch to the Mesa footswitch box to start/stop your drum machine, but personally I don't think it really buys you much.

D7

[Nemesys]

Will I need the compressor with a tube amp?


I had a compressor when I bought my F-50, which I've since sold. One of the characteristics of Mesa amps that I particularly like is that they have a very strident tone, which I felt the compressor detracted from. All that matters is what sounds good to you, though -- try it out, see how you like it.


What, if any, pedals do you guys use to tweak the cleans?


I've played a bit with a Boss GE-7 (graphic equalizer). I like a clean sound with a bit of a scooped midrange, and the F-50 is a bit midrange-heavy even with it turned all the way down. I think some folks on here use Digitech Bad Monkeys with the drive turned down as clean boosts, but I'm not sure.

[ashjn]

The cleans sound just a bit sterile... probably not used to hearing it. What, if any, pedals do you guys use to tweak the cleans?

MXR Phase 90 if you are using single coils and a Boss DD-20 delay

[PTfan]

Hello everyone,

I've had an F50 for about 9 months and it went completely dead while I was playing the other day. There is no light on the front panel, etc... and I haven't been able to get it to power up or anything in the last two days.

Has anyone experienced this problem? Can you offer any advice? Are there any service centers in Michigan?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[andershoeg]

Hello everyone,

I've had an F50 for about 9 months and it went completely dead while I was playing the other day. There is no light on the front panel, etc... and I haven't been able to get it to power up or anything in the last two days.

Has anyone experienced this problem? Can you offer any advice? Are there any service centers in Michigan?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Checked the fuse?

[willburford]

Hey, I was (hopefully) this summer ditching my pod + atomic setup and go with F-30 + pedalboard and I was wondering how the F-30 took pedals. Could you guys post your pedalboard that you use with the F-30 (or f-50 or f-100 for that matter.. pretty similar, no?)? thanks a lot!

[whathappened]

hey tolling_bells...
personaly i've never had a pedal which the f-50 didn't took well, except "the worm" (electro-harmonix). but this pedal seems to be a bit noisy at all.

my chain:

fender tele -> crybaby -> mek tubedrive td-2 -> proco rat -> ibanez chorus/flange -> virtual sounds h2o chorus/delay -> f-50

[presa_tito]

Hey, I was (hopefully) this summer ditching my pod + atomic setup and go with F-30 + pedalboard and I was wondering how the F-30 took pedals. Could you guys post your pedalboard that you use with the F-30 (or f-50 or f-100 for that matter.. pretty similar, no?)? thanks a lot!

It takes pedals fine. I don't think pedalboard pics will represent the pedals that sound best through the F 30 though, so that's kind of pointless.

It's funny that I have an F30 and pedalboard and a pod xt live + atomic.

[whathappened]

ok, just one simple question (which was asked before, i'm shure...):
can i get a footswitch, i can activate the effect loop with?


or: dumeril7, is it possible to create a footswitch (like yours) to activate either my three f-50 channels (clean, lead, contour) plus three (or even more) effect chains? is it expensive? is it possible for a guy who is not very familiar with electronics?

roygbiv

[dumeril7]

ok, just one simple question (which was asked before, i'm shure...):
can i get a footswitch, i can activate the effect loop with?


Yes, sort of. Assuming you don't want to modify the amp, you could build a loop switcher like I did (with as many or as few loops as you want) and patch that into the effects loop (FX SEND -> LOOP IN, LOOP OUT -> FX RETURN). Then you can switch effects on and off in the loop. There may be some popping you'll have to deal with, but it'll work. Obviously you need long enough cables so that you can put the loop box on the floor where you want it.


or: dumeril7, is it possible to create a footswitch (like yours) to activate either my three f-50 channels (clean, lead, contour) plus three (or even more) effect chains? is it expensive? is it possible for a guy who is not very familiar with electronics?


Yes, that's possible. The "tremelo" switch on the loop switcher that I built does exactly what you'd need to do to switch amp functions on your F-50. You just install 2 of them (one for channel selection and one for contour on/off). It would probably be cleaner to put a 5-pin DIN socket (like the one in the Mesa footswich) on the loop switcher so you can use the regular Mesa cable to hook it up. For the effects chains, you just build the standard loops that I built.

Re: Expense. Mine cost about $70 for parts. The cost for switches and jacks adds up really quickly and unfortunately there's no way around it other than using cheap parts which is probably a bad idea from a reliability standpoint (especially the switches). OTOH, buying an equivalent box already made would have been about $200. I bought a pre-drilled, pre-painted enclosure, which was more expensive. If you have the tools to drill your own holes, and want to paint it yourself, you can save money. I'm thinking I could build what you're talking about for about $100, maybe less if I really scour the Internet to find the cheapest parts suppliers. I bought all my parts from pedalpartsplus.com (http://www.pedalpartsplus.com), BTW, because they had the nice pre-drilled enclosures.

Re: Not familiar with electronics. Hmmm. Depends on how good you are in general with DIY projects, with figuring things out, and with soldering which is the only real skill here. If you're not very technically inclined, I'm thinking it might be better to at least have somebody who can help you thru it. This could be difficult to do via e-mail if you have to diagnose some problem, otherwise I'd volunteer to do that.

Here's how to tell for sure. I got the general plans from this site: http://www.singlecoil.com/tb-strip/tbstrip.html. I suggest you read thru it all. If you understand it and can follow the diagrams, then I definately think you can manage it. If the web site just leaves you greatly confused, its probably best not to tackle it. (Although I'd be happy to help if you're just slightly confused. ;) ) If the web page makes sense to you, I can give you the additional info you need to build the amp switching stuff, which is easier than the loop switching actually.

D7

[Torh]

I should have runned through the posts here, but I'm on a tight schedule so I try my luck now...

I have a hiss on the clean channel I don't recall ever having before. It is actually quieter on the gain channel at the same volume. Tried the controls for the clean channel, and no significant response, except when I turn the reverb all the way up, and switching the reverb off on the foot switch.... When I do that, the hiss reduces noticably, but still too hissy... Any suggestions to what might be the problem?

[Lt_Core]

Long story short: selling the Mini Mass 50W, new version. Not my cup of tea, but it might work for someone else.

$75 shipped, PayPal'd, CON USA

PM me if interested

[Rodimus Prime]

i think i got it down now. I knew the F50 had what i wanted and i just worked it to get me the meat and balance that i needed.
Strat and Tele -> Wylde OD (output and tone flat, gain at 9:00) -> F50 (all dials at 10:30 for the most part) -> MXR 10band eq in the fx loop (i have to keep these levels to myself plus i can't remember them)

Ok, lemme tell you. I have liek no fizz. Its huge and tight, a bit spongy with sag, bright but the highs don't take my head off anymore. Its loud and palettable and as aggressive as i need it to be. Sustain for days and liquid in leads but not a soft woman tone, its got cut when i dig into it. Not overly compressed and you can hear the character of my guitars shine through.

Man, this is my best tone ever. Every complaint i have ever had about a rig tone-wise is completely gone. I honestly shouldn't have to buy anymore gear. I like how it sounds with my other guitarists jcm2000 but his is all highs and really fizzy. I carry the meat and the mid-range. His bass is all over the place to...

Thanks.

[Santuzzo]

Hey guys !

I was thinking of getting a set of replacement tubes for my F-50 combo for just in case.

But I have a couple of questions:

I know the preamp tubes are 12ax7 and the powertubes are 6L6.
I have seen differen Mesa 12ax7 as well as different Mesa 6L6 tubes. How do I know which ones to get?

I thought I want to get exactly the same ones that came with the amp.

Can I replace tubes myself, or do I need to adjust anything? I know Mesa amps do not need biasing, but I have heard of power tubes that need to be matched???
Can someone explain this a bit to me?

Does that mean I can only replace both powertubes at the same time?

How about the preamp tubes? Do I use 4 times exactly the same kind or can I use different kinds ?


Thanks a lot in advance !

Lars

[hal9000]

Hey guys !

I was thinking of getting a set of replacement tubes for my F-50 combo for just in case.

But I have a couple of questions:

I know the preamp tubes are 12ax7 and the powertubes are 6L6.
I have seen differen Mesa 12ax7 as well as different Mesa 6L6 tubes. How do I know which ones to get?

I thought I want to get exactly the same ones that came with the amp.

Can I replace tubes myself, or do I need to adjust anything? I know Mesa amps do not need biasing, but I have heard of power tubes that need to be matched???
Can someone explain this a bit to me?

Does that mean I can only replace both powertubes at the same time?

How about the preamp tubes? Do I use 4 times exactly the same kind or can I use different kinds ?


Thanks a lot in advance !

LarsLars, the manual has a whole section about preamp tubes, power amp tubes and what not so you can educate yourself further. :)

For a quick reply, Randall Smith designs Mesa's with a non-adjustable fixed bias and they grade tubes to work 1) Within the acceptable range of Mesa's bias voltage, and 2) that the tubes draw the same natural plate current, i.e., "matched." So, you can use any matched pair of Mesa 6L6s in a Mesa 6L6 amp. The preamp tubes are self-biasing class A, so you can use anything you like in the 12AX7 variety.

I have a different preamp tube in every position tuned for what I want to hear because they each have their own personality. The general rule of thumb is to put the best sounding, lowest noise preamp tube in the first slot, V1, since its noise will be amplified by the rest of the preamp. Most of the tone of the amp comes from the first position (V1) in clean and the second position (V2) in overdrive. So, it you want to change the character of the amp most, experiment in those two slots. You may also want to consider a balanced tube for the V4 Phase inverter slot, but I don't personally think it's necessary. Right now I have a balanced EH 12AX7 and it does the job. Finally, you can change the tubes yourself as long as you take your time. Get the amp up where you can easily work on it with plenty of light. The V1 tube is a pain to get to because it's right behind the output transformer. Just be patient and don't twist the tubes. They go in/out straight with the socket. It helps to gently rock them back and forth to loosen them, but that's it for movement.

[Santuzzo]

Lars, the manual has a whole section about preamp tubes, power amp tubes and what not so you can educate yourself further. :)

For a quick reply, Randall Smith designs Mesa's with a non-adjustable fixed bias and they grade tubes to work 1) Within the acceptable range of Mesa's bias voltage, and 2) that the tubes draw the same natural plate current, i.e., "matched." So, you can use any matched pair of Mesa 6L6s in a Mesa 6L6 amp. The preamp tubes are self-biasing class A, so you can use anything you like in the 12AX7 variety.

I have a different preamp tube in every position tuned for what I want to hear because they each have their own personality. The general rule of thumb is to put the best sounding, lowest noise preamp tube in the first slot, V1, since its noise will be amplified by the rest of the preamp. Most of the tone of the amp comes from the first position (V1) in clean and the second position (V2) in overdrive. So, it you want to change the character of the amp most, experiment in those two slots. You may also want to consider a balanced tube for the V4 Phase inverter slot, but I don't personally think it's necessary. Right now I have a balanced EH 12AX7 and it does the job. Finally, you can change the tubes yourself as long as you take your time. Get the amp up where you can easily work on it with plenty of light. The V1 tube is a pain to get to because it's right behind the output transformer. Just be patient and don't twist the tubes. They go in/out straight with the socket. It helps to gently rock them back and forth to loosen them, but that's it for movement.

Thank you very much !

Yes, I noticed the chapters on tubes in the manual, and I have started rading it, too.

What is it with the color codes on power tubes, though?

And, so basically, for power tubes I should only use Mesa-tubes?
would it damage the amp to use one that is not within the Mesa-range?

[hal9000]

Thank you very much !

Yes, I noticed the chapters on tubes in the manual, and I have started rading it, too.

What is it with the color codes on power tubes, though?

And, so basically, for power tubes I should only use Mesa-tubes?
would it damage the amp to use one that is not within the Mesa-range?You're welcome. You don't have to use Mesa-branded tubes, but you do have to use tubes that are tested to meet Mesa's specification. For instance, I use Ruby 6L6GCMSTR which are the exact same tubes Mesa uses for the STR 430 and mine were hand tested by www.dougstubes.com to meet the Mesa spec. The color code has to do with the natural plate current. Each tube pair needs to be the same color code, but the color itself doesn't so much matter. There will be slight differences in each code's sonic properties.

[Santuzzo]

You're welcome. You don't have to use Mesa-branded tubes, but you do have to use tubes that are tested to meet Mesa's specification. For instance, I use Ruby 6L6GCMSTR which are the exact same tubes Mesa uses for the STR 430 and mine were hand tested by www.dougstubes.com to meet the Mesa spec. The color code has to do with the natural plate current. Each tube pair needs to be the same color code, but the color itself doesn't so much matter. There will be slight differences in each code's sonic properties.

Thanks again !

This is very interesting stuff, and I'm willing to learn about it.

It's great to have knowledgeable people like you here who are willing to share their knowledge !
I appreciate that much !

So, whenever I change power tubes I have to change both, right?

[hal9000]

Thanks again !

This is very interesting stuff, and I'm willing to learn about it.

It's great to have knowledgeable people like you here who are willing to share their knowledge !
I appreciate that much !

So, whenever I change power tubes I have to change both, right?Yup, it's a good idea to change both of them since a tube with high hours on it will draw different current than when it was new, so even if the color code is the same, it won't be matched anymore. If you have bad tubes, throw them out, but if the tubes have simply lost their luster, keep them as backups in a protected box in your gig bag in case you ever need them. Luckily, I've never had to replace tubes at a gig or use my backup rig, but it's there if need be.

[Santuzzo]

Yup, it's a good idea to change both of them since a tube with high hours on it will draw different current than when it was new, so even if the color code is the same, it won't be matched anymore. If you have bad tubes, throw them out, but if the tubes have simply lost their luster, keep them as backups in a protected box in your gig bag in case you ever need them. Luckily, I've never had to replace tubes at a gig or use my backup rig, but it's there if need be.

Cool ! :thu: :)

Man, I really love this amp ! I'm so glad I finally made this decision ....

Now I really need to get gigs !!! And get another band, first, too ..... at the moment I only play in one band, but I want to have more bands .....

[haleyes]

Easiest and most flexible thing to do is to use the F6 for the drum machine and the Mesa switch for your amp and just deal with two footswitches. Using the information at the beginning of this thread, you could make a cable that would allow you to use your F6 to switch, say, channels on your amp, but then you'd lose the ability to switch contour and reverb since the F6 doesn't have enough switches. I suppose you could add a switch to the Mesa footswitch box to start/stop your drum machine, but personally I don't think it really buys you much.D7

Could I disable the reverb switch on the Mesa pedal and use that to stop/start the DR-880 drum machine? How would I make the connection (pin vs 1/4)? The 880 has a MIDI out.

How could I make certain pedals go on and off with one switch? Example:
I'm using Chorus and Delay on the clean channel, then I switch to the lead channel which doesn't have the chorus and delay active. Can this be done without using a MIDI controller? Could the F6 be used for this purpose?

thanks

[guitardude900]

hey guys,

i am a bit tight on cash now and was wondering if i were to use the cheapest set of preamp tubes, would my tone automatically suck?

[pedrozepelim]

When you guys plug your PodXT Live in the FX Loop, what are your settings in the mix control of the loop and the output level in the PodXT Live?

Also, what good results you had with overdrive pedals? My crunch box dosen't seem to do that well with my F30, comparing to the results I got with my Caliber 50+, and I would like to know what are my options.

[hal9000]

hey guys,

i am a bit tight on cash now and was wondering i were to use the cheapest set of preamp tubes, would my tone automatically suck?No. Preamp tubes are a bit of a game trying to find ones that sound great. I happen to like the Mesa 12AX7 Russian 2 that came with my F-100. I've only had marginal increase in performance going to higher dollar tubes like Tung-sol, EH, JJ, etc. So, as long as the amp is working properly, I would keep the preamp tubes. Perhaps a simple height adjustment on the pickups or a change of strings could give you the tone you're seeking?

[hal9000]

When you guys plug your PodXT Live in the FX Loop, what are your settings in the mix control of the loop and the output level in the PodXT Live?

Also, what good results you had with overdrive pedals? My crunch box dosen't seem to do that well with my F30, comparing to the results I got with my Caliber 50+, and I would like to know what are my options.If you're using the PODxt Live only for FX, then I would set the mix control to max (90%) since you'll want to be able to control the mix from the XTL. I might like to use the active instrument pad on the XTL to better match the F-series line level loop as well. When you set the output level of the XTL, it's best to leave it at unity gain so with or without the XTL, the amp is still the same volume. You'll have to play around with the output level to fine tune it to unity. Then, you can change the total level per patch since a bit of attenuation in the loop is a good thing and will give you room for solo boosts and the like. With my G-major, I like run most patches at least 6 dB down from unity where clean solo boosts are 5 dB and dirty boosts are 3 dB. Then, I equalize the contour and channel 2 patches so I can use the F-series as a three channel beast. Contour patches should have about 2-3 dB less volume than the channel 2 patches.

[pedrozepelim]

If you're using the PODxt Live only for FX, then I would set the mix control to max (90%) since you'll want to be able to control the mix from the XTL. I might like to use the active instrument pad on the XTL to better match the F-series line level loop as well. When you set the output level of the XTL, it's best to leave it at unity gain so with or without the XTL, the amp is still the same volume. You'll have to play around with the output level to fine tune it to unity. Then, you can change the total level per patch since a bit of attenuation in the loop is a good thing and will give you room for solo boosts and the like. With my G-major, I like run most patches at least 6 dB down from unity where clean solo boosts are 5 dB and dirty boosts are 3 dB. Then, I equalize the contour and channel 2 patches so I can use the F-series as a three channel beast. Contour patches should have about 2-3 dB less volume than the channel 2 patches.

I only want to use it for modulation and delay fx.
I just need to know 4 things?

1. How do I set the unity gain, since it's impossible to bypass the PodXT Live?

2. Since it's another thing in the signal path, even if I create one patch with no fx what so ever, isn't it going to degrade the sound?

3. Since I'm used to work with single fx pedals, and they don't have a mix control, what should I do if: Imagine i'm using a patch that has only a flanger. In the edit menu- in the POD- I have the choice of "MIX", right? Should this setting be on 100%? And if I use the pod in front of the amp?

4. In the "output mode" of the POD what should I choose when it is connected to the amp's loop?

Sorry for being such a pain in the a$$.

[guitardude900]

any bass players here?

is it safe to play a bass through the mesa f30?

i just tried and it sounded like a bass amp. of course, i didn't do it for long, but just wanted to test out the new bass i got since i don't have a bass amp right now.

[pedrozepelim]

Hey Curtis,

Thanks for the advice. I actually went out at the weekend and tried a few different overdrives. Ended up buying a Zvex "Box-of-Rock" - honestly the best overdrive i've heard in a pedal - and it has a built in boost!

Apparently it was modelled on the JTM 45 and it really does sound fantastic! EXACTLY the tone i was after. If i set it right and pick the strings softly i can hear absolutely no change in tone at all! No break-up or distortion and no colouring of the sound or tone loss, just the exact same clean tone singing away. Then, as i dig in a bit and play with more attack, the tone crunches and breaks up beautifully. It's really responsive and has great harmonic complexity - couldn't be happier! I'd definately recommend trying one of these if you can get hold of one!

Thanks also to Pedrozepelim and Flannery for the advice on overdrives - much appreciated.

Massive congratulations to Santuzzo! and the same to ESL94 :)

(- $899 for a new F50??? Man, i paid £1295!! Yes, Pounds Sterling! Check the exchange rate and do the math!)

Peace

I saw this post you write:

"Thanks for the advice. I actually went out at the weekend and tried a few different overdrives. Ended up buying a Zvex "Box-of-Rock" - honestly the best overdrive i've heard in a pedal - and it has a built in boost!"

I I'm thinking of buying one, because I'm after that JTM45 sound for years. I've hear that this pedal is suposed to sound good only in Marshall type amps and on the clean channel. Can you share some of your experience with me using this pedal in the F-50?

Thanks!

[Curtis.Fagan]

So, lets say i want to retube my F100, can I retube with EL34's instead of 6L6's?? And if so, how does one go about this??

Love,
Curtis

[ashjn]

any bass players here?

is it safe to play a bass through the mesa f30?

i just tried and it sounded like a bass amp. of course, i didn't do it for long, but just wanted to test out the new bass i got since i don't have a bass amp right now.

I could be wrong, but I don't think you would want to turn it up because the bass frequencies could damage the guitar speaker..

[ashjn]

So, lets say i want to retube my F100, can I retube with EL34's instead of 6L6's?? And if so, how does one go about this??

Love,
Curtis

If it's possible, I don't think you could do it yourself...

[ashjn]

I saw this post you write:

"Thanks for the advice. I actually went out at the weekend and tried a few different overdrives. Ended up buying a Zvex "Box-of-Rock" - honestly the best overdrive i've heard in a pedal - and it has a built in boost!"

I I'm thinking of buying one, because I'm after that JTM45 sound for years. I've hear that this pedal is suposed to sound good only in Marshall type amps and on the clean channel. Can you share some of your experience with me using this pedal in the F-50?

Thanks!

+1. Clips would be appreciated

[Curtis.Fagan]

If it's possible, I don't think you could do it yourself...


Well DOI thurr guy!!

I figured that much out. I'm just looking to be educated before I go and ask some tech to do this for me, and have an idea of what is going to happen, what it'll cost, and then get the biasing pot put in too, so i can do this "tube exchange" stuff by myself.

So, ya'll dudes that are in teh knowzzZZzzzz help me out, I'm vibing the EL34 sound way more than 6L6, kinda tired of sounding dry and lifeless.

Love,
Curtis

[Alligator]

+1. Clips would be appreciated

Hey Pedrozepelim / Ashjn

Firstly, sorry but i can't post clips - i generally check this page while at work and my home computer isn't online yet...

As for the Box of Rock - All i can say is it sounds awsome and behaves just like an amp. It has great harmonic complexity and is highly responsive, cleaning up really nicely when you play softer. I generally use it for low gain crunch and it really sings.

I've never (knowingly) heard a JTM45 but i was told it's basically a Fender Bassman clone. I can definately hear Bassman tones and Fender crunch in the Box of Rock's sound. It's great man, a real vintage feel and sooo much gorgeous tone!

It's got real character and adds loads of versatility to my rig - i'm really pleased with it (in case you hadn't guessed!)

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask me if you want more detail :thu:

Cheers

[hal9000]

Well DOI thurr guy!!

I figured that much out. I'm just looking to be educated before I go and ask some tech to do this for me, and have an idea of what is going to happen, what it'll cost, and then get the biasing pot put in too, so i can do this "tube exchange" stuff by myself.

So, ya'll dudes that are in teh knowzzZZzzzz help me out, I'm vibing the EL34 sound way more than 6L6, kinda tired of sounding dry and lifeless.

Love,
CurtisDry and Lifeless? Are you talking about the F-series? :) It's possible that your tubes have gone south and all the life is gone from them, but new tubes should certainly not sound dry and lifeless in an F-series amp. You can run EL-34s, but the amp will have to be modded to be able to support the heater current and different bias supply compared to the 6L6s it came with. Even then, there isn't that big of a change. Most of the tone of modern amps comes from the preamp, so if it sounds dry and lifeless with good tubes, you should think about getting another amp. If you're happy with how the amp sounds, but simply want a change of tone, I highly recommend an MXR 6 or 10-band EQ in the FX loop. You can make drastic changes to the tone that way since it's after distortion.

[dumeril7]

Well DOI thurr guy!!
So, ya'll dudes that are in teh knowzzZZzzzz help me out, I'm vibing the EL34 sound way more than 6L6, kinda tired of sounding dry and lifeless.


I could disagree more. There are so many factors that contribute to an amp's sound other than tubes, that such a broad sweeping statement just doesn't jive. Fender Twin Reverb, Mesa Dual Rectifier, Marshall JTM45 RI -- 3 amps that sound about as different as one could imagine, and yet they all have 6L6s (or close variants anyway). I wouldn't call any of those amps dry and lifeless either.

An amp is a system and and everything in the signal path, and many things that aren't, contribute to its sound and feel.

D7

[Joeytpg]

brothers could you share with me your Blues settings? on both clean and dirty channels :)

[guitardude900]

my mesa is sounding very loose and flabby. it seemed pretty difficult to cut through during band practice. i just had to increase the volume. i did change the power tubes a month ago, but i did not change the preamp tubes. could it be the preamp tubes? it didn't sound that good yesterday.

is there a small test i can do without going out to the shop?

perhaps switch the preamp tubes around? like put the '4th preamp tube' and exchange it with v1?

[Flannery]

I bought a F-30 a couple of months ago ago and have been gigging with it. I've been noticing as the night progresses that the sound deteriorates.

In the first set it sounds amazing (as all you F-30 owners know...) but by the 3rd set it is kind of dead sounding. It has less sustain, and last weekend in the 3rd set it would feed back in between songs unless I had my forearm resting on the strings (this didn't happen earlier in the night).

There is definitely something going on, I just haven't quite figured it out yet.

I was wondering if this means I need to do a retube?

That would seem to be the obvious choice, but I wanted to get some input before I start to try and rectify the problem....

[haleyes]

Easiest and most flexible thing to do is to use the F6 for the drum machine and the Mesa switch for your amp and just deal with two footswitches. Using the information at the beginning of this thread, you could make a cable that would allow you to use your F6 to switch, say, channels on your amp, but then you'd lose the ability to switch contour and reverb since the F6 doesn't have enough switches. I suppose you could add a switch to the Mesa footswitch box to start/stop your drum machine, but personally I don't think it really buys you much.D7

Could I disable the reverb switch on the Mesa pedal and use that to stop/start the DR-880 drum machine? How would I make the connection (pin vs 1/4)? The 880 has a MIDI out.

How could I make certain pedals go on and off with one switch? Example:
I'm using Chorus and Delay on the clean channel, then I switch to the lead channel which doesn't have the chorus and delay active. Can this be done without using a MIDI controller? Could the F6 be used for this purpose?

thanks

[guitardude900]

is switching v1 preamp tube with the '4th preamp tube' okay?

[Adam Poland]

my mesa is sounding very loose and flabby. it seemed pretty difficult to cut through during band practice. i just had to increase the volume. i did change the power tubes a month ago, but i did not change the preamp tubes. could it be the preamp tubes? it didn't sound that good yesterday.

is there a small test i can do without going out to the shop?

perhaps switch the preamp tubes around? like put the '4th preamp tube' and exchange it with v1?

My suggestion is just to turn your mids ALL THE WAY up on that Mesa. It was the only thing that helped me cut through when I had my F-50. It helps take out a tiny bit of that flubby and loose bottom end, too without boosting your front end. That was what killed me with my F-50 and made me decide on getting my 6505+. I'm really happy I made the switch. Not saying the F-50 was bad, but in a band situation with what my band played, it got slaughtered.

[Rodimus Prime]

lately, my trick has been using a boost and having an eq in the fx-loop. I have the eq on my amp flat. not using those, its good to know that the treble affects the bass greatly. maybe you're flubbing out because you have too much of a few things. Mesa makes it so that you can have too much or not enough of things. Too much volume is bad, too much gain is bad, too much bass without enough treble is bad.
I would suggest to start with turning your volume to 10:00 and put everything else flat at 12:00 with the exception of mids at 2:00 and bass at 10:00 and see how that works for you. It could just be an eq thing.

[aloha]

I bought a F-30 a couple of months ago ago and have been gigging with it. I've been noticing as the night progresses that the sound deteriorates.

In the first set it sounds amazing (as all you F-30 owners know...) but by the 3rd set it is kind of dead sounding. It has less sustain, and last weekend in the 3rd set it would feed back in between songs unless I had my forearm resting on the strings (this didn't happen earlier in the night).

There is definitely something going on, I just haven't quite figured it out yet.

I was wondering if this means I need to do a retube?

That would seem to be the obvious choice, but I wanted to get some input before I start to try and rectify the problem....

Hi There,

I have an F30 and gig a lot as well.
Do you switch to standby during your breaks? This will help. Your tubes are just getting super hot and the headroom is going bye bye.

If you're already doing this, then a retube is probably in order. The more high volume playing that you're doing, the more tubes you'll be using.

Also, I know that I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the DI to the PA. It lets me run the amp a little bit cooler and still have great volume. I haven't noticed much negative affect on the sound either (but our PA is usually top notch). Also, a mic will always work to get you louder to the audience and run the amp a little cooler...

Good luck
Z

[Si.]

Hi guys..

I'm just discovering the F-Series and I'm looking into getting an F-30.. 1 silly question.. am I correct in asusming that i can use the switch at the back to mute the speaker and just use headphones in the socket at the back? This would be ideal for late night practice..

[hal9000]

my mesa is sounding very loose and flabby. it seemed pretty difficult to cut through during band practice. i just had to increase the volume. i did change the power tubes a month ago, but i did not change the preamp tubes. could it be the preamp tubes? it didn't sound that good yesterday.

is there a small test i can do without going out to the shop?

perhaps switch the preamp tubes around? like put the '4th preamp tube' and exchange it with v1?Settings on the amp, your guitar, the volume you're running, the speaker(s), and condition of the tubes will all affect the feel of the amp. I would suggest Treble & Bass @ 9:00, Mids @ 3:00. For my guitars and F-100, that setting is tight enough for all my metal needs. When you get the bass much over 12:00 the amp gets looser since the tonestack is before distortion. You can also tighten the amp by adding a boost with a bass-starved EQ out front. The Bad Monkey is good at that since it has a 2-band active EQ as are plenty of other pedals. Yes, you could switch the V4 tube with the V1 tube.

[hal9000]

Hi guys..

I'm just discovering the F-Series and I'm looking into getting an F-30.. 1 silly question.. am I correct in asusming that i can use the switch at the back to mute the speaker and just use headphones in the socket at the back? This would be ideal for late night practice..Welcome to the Forum! :) Yes, you can mute the speakers and use headphones for late night practice. Now, I'm not particularly fond of the recording output, but it's usable. Just make sure you have realistic expectations for the tone. Personally, I use either an elaborate silent rig or a modeler for late night practice because it sounds a whole lot better to me. What kind of music do you play?

[Si.]

Cool.. I'm not expecting loads out of it in that situation.. just enough to not wake the street up :)

I've got a Vox AVT15 I usually use with headphones, but will have to sell that to help finance the Boogie so just wanted to make sure I could still practice at all hours (although I could always use my Boss recorder instead)..

I'm really just learning still, I've got a long way to go.. as for music, i like a bit of 80s rock mixxed in wiht some Metallica stuff, but would also like to tip my toes into a bit fo blues stuff.. It's currently a toss up between a DSL 401 and the F-30, just weighing up my options.. but to be honest the mesa is winning :)

[Santuzzo]

Cool.. I'm not expecting loads out of it in that situation.. just enough to not wake the street up :)

I've got a Vox AVT15 I usually use with headphones, but will have to sell that to help finance the Boogie so just wanted to make sure I could still practice at all hours (although I could always use my Boss recorder instead)..

I'm really just learning still, I've got a long way to go.. as for music, i like a bit of 80s rock mixxed in wiht some Metallica stuff, but would also like to tip my toes into a bit fo blues stuff.. It's currently a toss up between a DSL 401 and the F-30, just weighing up my options.. but to be honest the mesa is winning :)

I think a Mesa F-series amp would be perfect for the styles you are interested in. Those amps are very versatile. :thu:

[Si.]

Excellent :)

[Santuzzo]

I have a question for you F-series owners:

I have an F-50 combo, and I read the manual and in the part on tubes it said you should always put pre amp tubes back into their original socket and never swap thme around.
But aren't the preamp tubes all the same?:confused:
Why would it matter then if I swapped them around?

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Lars

[hal9000]

I have a question for you F-series owners:

I have an F-50 combo, and I read the manual and in the part on tubes it said you should always put pre amp tubes back into their original socket and never swap thme around.
But aren't the preamp tubes all the same?:confused:
Why would it matter then if I swapped them around?

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

LarsExcept for the Phase Inverter tube (V4), the other tubes are the same in theory, however Mesa is supposed to put the least noisy, lowest microphonic tube in the V1 slot since it will most affect the amp. The Phase Inverter tube is supposed to have balanced triodes so it drives each 6L6 the same, but in practice the PI tube doesn't have to be balanced because natural wear on the tube will unbalance it anyway. Ultimately, it's best to swap the V1-V3 tubes until the amp sounds best to you. If you're going to spend money on tubes, put the best one in V1 since that's roughly 80% of the amp's sound. Does that make more sense?

[mynameistaken]

I want to remove my reverb tank. I never use the amp's reverb and I figure it will make it a little lighter and I will have more room for my cords in the back.

Will I have any problems with just unhooking it?

Thanks

[Samoan tiikeri]

Hello!

I think one of my mesa´s power amb tubes gone broken today. Suddenly my f-50 was making this very strange noise. I checked the power amp tubes, and the left one was flashing all the time.

Is this flashing familiar feeling, if the power amp tube is broken? And what power amp tube would i change to f-50?

[Santuzzo]

Hello!

I think one of my mesa´s power amb tubes gone broken today. Suddenly my f-50 was making this very strange noise. I checked the power amp tubes, and the left one was flashing all the time.

Is this flashing familiar feeling, if the power amp tube is broken? And what power amp tube would i change to f-50?

Terve tiikeri !

Minä puhun pikkasen sumoea, mutta vaan tosi pikkasen ..... :)

Ok, I gotta continue in English, 'cos my Finnish is not good enough ....

I had a similar problem with a power tube, except, the tube was not broken, but I had noise, too.

Put the amp on standby, then pull out the power tube you suspect to be broken, and for just a second switch the amp back on from standby and see if the nosie is gone. If it is, you have the answer.

I did exactly that, but then put the tube back into the socket, and the noise was still gone ....:confused:
So, I still don't really know what the problem was, but maybe there was some oxidation on the tube pins so the contact was bad .....

[Santuzzo]

Except for the Phase Inverter tube (V4), the other tubes are the same in theory, however Mesa is supposed to put the least noisy, lowest microphonic tube in the V1 slot since it will most affect the amp. The Phase Inverter tube is supposed to have balanced triodes so it drives each 6L6 the same, but in practice the PI tube doesn't have to be balanced because natural wear on the tube will unbalance it anyway. Ultimately, it's best to swap the V1-V3 tubes until the amp sounds best to you. If you're going to spend money on tubes, put the best one in V1 since that's roughly 80% of the amp's sound. Does that make more sense?

Thanks !

So, if I were to replace preamp tubes, how do I know which one to put where? How do I know which one is least noisy? Just by trying?
Or are there also different types 12ax7 preamp tubes (like there are different color codes on 6L6 power tubes...) ?

[Joeytpg]

come on guys, hehe share some blues setting with me please on both clean and OD channels.

:)

[Flannery]

Hi There,

I have an F30 and gig a lot as well.

Do you switch to standby during your breaks? This will help. Your tubes are just getting super hot and the headroom is going bye bye.

If you're already doing this, then a retube is probably in order. The more high volume playing that you're doing, the more tubes you'll be using.

Also, I know that I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the DI to the PA. It lets me run the amp a little bit cooler and still have great volume. I haven't noticed much negative affect on the sound either (but our PA is usually top notch). Also, a mic will always work to get you louder to the audience and run the amp a little cooler...

Good luck
Z

I swapped out the tubes yesterday, and there was a noticable improvement in tone.

I have a gig tonight so I will know by the end of the night if the amp stays sounding good all evening. I'm betting it will, the improvement in tone was substantial enough to tell me the tubes were on their last legs....

[willburford]

Hey everyone, I've pretty much decided on getting one of these f-series amps. What I'm wondering is how does the f-30 compare to the f-50? Reason I'm saying this is because I can get an f-30 + flight case off ebay for about $900, but there is an f-50 on craigslist in my area for $775. Thing is, I simply don't need 50 watts, and I figure if I need a bigger sound with my f-30 I can run it into an extension cab. Would it be worth it just to get the f-50 and maybe an attenuator, or should I just get the f-30? Thanks, hope I made sense. :P

[v_c]

The F50 has more clean headroom, but volume-wise they're BOTH very loud.

I genuinely wouldn't make a decision based on volume, but on which tone you prefer, because the two sound very different.

Hey everyone, I've pretty much decided on getting one of these f-series amps. What I'm wondering is how does the f-30 compare to the f-50? Reason I'm saying this is because I can get an f-30 + flight case off ebay for about $900, but there is an f-50 on craigslist in my area for $775. Thing is, I simply don't need 50 watts, and I figure if I need a bigger sound with my f-30 I can run it into an extension cab. Would it be worth it just to get the f-50 and maybe an attenuator, or should I just get the f-30? Thanks, hope I made sense. :P

[willburford]

Thanks for the reply.

In which ways do they sound different? The reason I'm asking and not trying them out is because I have no way of trying them out... going solely on clips + reviews here. :)

[Joeytpg]

guys i'm going to change my f-50's tubes.....where could i order them ? (i'm in Europe.) I'd also like to replace the tubes with the original Mesa tubes, should i just order them like that? The ORIGINAL MESA TUBES? or they have a special serial name or code?

[andershoeg]

Thanks for the reply.

In which ways do they sound different? The reason I'm asking and not trying them out is because I have no way of trying them out... going solely on clips + reviews here. :)

Hi Tolling Bells. As you probably have figured out, reading this thread, I have the f30 combo. There is a lot to say about it....but it is probably already written somewhere in this thread :) Well, a little help can't hurt; here is some clips i have done with my f30:
http://www.soundvenue.com/band.asp?id=1032
B.r. andershoeg

[willburford]

Thanks andershoeg.
Yeah, I've already listened to all your clips at least twice :thu: Good stuff! Really influenced me on deciding whether or not to get it.

Only thing I'm wondering is how to the 6l6s(correct?) in the f-50 sound different than the el84s in the f-30. Thanks for the help.

[pedrozepelim]

When you mess with the gain on the clean channel what diferences do you notice? (I'm talking about only in the gain range where there is no distortion. in my amp it goes 'till 2:00h without a hint of breakup with humbuckers)

Since I'm a bedroom player, I don't notice that much diference, beshides the tone geting a bit fatter and fuller.

What's your experience? How do you use this control as a tone tool?

[ashjn]

When you mess with the gain on the clean channel what diferences do you notice? (I'm talking about only in the gain range where there is no distortion. in my amp it goes 'till 2:00h without a hint of breakup with humbuckers)

Since I'm a bedroom player, I don't notice that much diference, beshides the tone geting a bit fatter and fuller.

What's your experience? How do you use this control as a tone tool?

Same. With my Anderson, it starts to get distorted at 2 o clock as well. The Anderson has a built in gain boost, and when I turn it up all the way and turn the gain all the way up on the clean channel, I can get a nice crunch sound. If you have some kind of boost pedal, you may want to try this...

[v_c]

Thanks for the reply.

In which ways do they sound different? The reason I'm asking and not trying them out is because I have no way of trying them out... going solely on clips + reviews here. :)
The simplest explanation is probably that the F-50 sounds more 'American' while the F-30 is closer to 'British'.

If you don't have an opportunity to try both amps, I would just check as many reviews and sounclips as possible. Most people who play both will have a preference as to which one they prefer, as the two amps really are very different tone-wise.

[Flannery]

Thanks andershoeg.
Yeah, I've already listened to all your clips at least twice :thu: Good stuff! Really influenced me on deciding whether or not to get it.

Only thing I'm wondering is how to the 6l6s(correct?) in the f-50 sound different than the el84s in the f-30. Thanks for the help.

I have a F-30 and an F-50, and to me there is very little difference in volume. But the F-30 definitely has less clean headroom.

The difference in tone is noticeable in that the F-30 is a little grittier to me. I like the tone of both (alot!) but the F-30 has a bit more of a modern sound , whereas the F-50 by virtue of the 6L6's seems to be a little more refined.

[pedrozepelim]

Same. With my Anderson, it starts to get distorted at 2 o clock as well. The Anderson has a built in gain boost, and when I turn it up all the way and turn the gain all the way up on the clean channel, I can get a nice crunch sound. If you have some kind of boost pedal, you may want to try this...

Dosen't compress more your tone?

[willburford]

Hmm. For this I'm thinkin' I'm gonna want the f-50, only because I like a lot of clean headroom. However, I do like the british sound more than the american..

To clarify, clean headroom just means that you can crank it farther without it breaking up... correct? Couldn't I just create breakup anyway on the f-50 as well since there is a gain knob on the clean channel?

Confusing! :p

[Joeytpg]

The F-30 has enough clean headroom buddy, so if you prefer the british sound, go with the 30.

[willburford]

Alright. I can get a pretty good deal on the f-30 anyway. Thanks. I'll soon own my first actual tube amp. (I've got an atomic reactor + pod 2.0 that I'm using at the moment... pod 2.0 = blech)

[Si.]

Just picked up my first Mesa :

http://www.autys.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/OCUK/mesa1.jpg

[Joeytpg]

Just picked up my first Mesa :

http://www.autys.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/OCUK/mesa1.jpg


damn bro, that's one beautiful amp! :D

[Santuzzo]

Just picked up my first Mesa :

http://www.autys.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/OCUK/mesa1.jpg

Congrats !

Beautiful amp !

I also need one of those flight-cases ! :thu:

[Alligator]

Oh man, that's gorgeous!

[Foorever]

*Is still trying to get an F-100*

Nice one btw Si. I like it!

[Si.]

Thanks all.. I'm still getting to grips with it.. got a nice clean out of it but still messing to get a nice crunch tone. Can anyone reccomend any good Recto like settings that might work with my Tele?

I've got an Orange 1x12 cab I'm going to hook up at the weekend to see how that sounds :)

[hal9000]

Thanks all.. I'm still getting to grips with it.. got a nice clean out of it but still messing to get a nice crunch tone. Can anyone reccomend any good Recto like settings that might work with my Tele?

I've got an Orange 1x12 cab I'm going to hook up at the weekend to see how that sounds :)Congrats on the new amp and welcome to the F-series brotherhood! :) That's quite a looker you have there.

I've been favoring Treble & Bass @ 9:00 and Mids on 3:00 for crunch through metal tones on my F-100, with gain to taste. I also have other settings in my sig.

[Si.]

I've tried a few of your setitngs and like them a lot.. i'l probably spend a day at the weekend trying to get it all dialed in.

Next on the shopping list I think is a Volume pedal so I can get it nicely down to bedroom levels :)

[hal9000]

I've tried a few of your setitngs and like them a lot.. i'l probably spend a day at the weekend trying to get it all dialed in.

Next on the shopping list I think is a Volume pedal so I can get it nicely down to bedroom levels :)I'm glad I could help out. You can do that for free (probably) if you have a couple extra cables lying around. See FX LOOP MASTER VOLUME in my sig.

[DRock372]

What's up Brothers! I recently got my hands on an F-50 and have been browsing the thread for tips and whatnot...Thanks to all for the info! It's been very helpful. I would like to extend special "props" to Hal9000 for the FX Loop Volume trick; It works wonders at bringing the overall level under control if you have whiney band mates that can't stand the sheer power the the F brings (or you just don't want to go deaf).

I have noticed that most folks on this thread are using the F series for Metal and other forms of "heavy" music. That is on the horizon for me, but for now I have been gigging with a Funk/Blues band and have had a blast dialing in some low gain sounds on the red channel. I have found a great Blues lead tone using the contour, but keeping the gain low (around 9 o'clock). I believe that my tone settings (the amp is at home resting) are pretty close to 12 o'clock on all (with a bit of a Mid-cut). I am mostly using a Strat with 52 RI pups and it's BLISS. Yeah!

[Si.]

I'm glad I could help out. You can do that for free (probably) if you have a couple extra cables lying around. See FX LOOP MASTER VOLUME in my sig.

I'll give that a try at the weekend..

[SuperStrat]

I'm glad I could help out. You can do that for free (probably) if you have a couple extra cables lying around. See FX LOOP MASTER VOLUME in my sig.


Hi Neil, how’s it going?

How does using the two plug in the loop method effect tone? I’m using a hotplate on my F-50 now, but if it sounds good it would cut down on the crap I need to carry. Can you still use the loop in some way?

[hal9000]

Hi Neil, how’s it going?

How does using the two plug in the loop method effect tone? I’m using a hotplate on my F-50 now, but if it sounds good it would cut down on the crap I need to carry. Can you still use the loop in some way?I'm good John, thanks for asking. I'm in the process of moving to the DC area, so I won't be as active around here for a while, but I'll try to check in every now and then.

After using and designing a bunch of different ways to get the F-series to sound excellent at low volumes (G-Major, EQ, a Hot Plate, Stealth Boost, etc.) I've found that the simplest FX loop master mod sounds as good as any of them. The main function is to cut the sensitivity of the Channel 2 master and provide an overall control. The secondary function is that the amp opens up with the channel 2 master above 9:00 and is purely a function of how the preamp works, obviously having nothing to do with the power section. IMO, unless you're using the power tubes for a real kick to the sound (Master over 1-2:00), then the FX loop master works as well as anything and should only cost $3 with quality Switchcraft or Neutrick jacks which I highly recommend. Since the FX Mix pot will be used for a master volume, the loop is technically disconnected from the preamp meaning that it can't be used for anything else. If you want to use the FX loop, I would suggest a volume pedal, FX processor, MXR 10-band EQ and the like to control overall volume as the last element in the loop.

[ashjn]

Does the line out take the signal after or before the effects loop?

[hal9000]

Does the line out take the signal after or before the effects loop?The line out is after the FX loop and before the Phase Inverter. It also has its own speaker simulation so the signal isn't full range.

[ashjn]

The line out is after the FX loop and before the Phase Inverter. It also has its own speaker simulation so the signal isn't full range.

Perfect. I was curious for headphone practicing if it would pick up effects from the loop or not, but now i know!

[Tommi Inkila]

Hello guys... haven't been here a while. So much to do and only 24 hours a day :mad: :rolleyes: :)

I managed to acquire the Toneport UX2 so hopefully I'll have something for evaluation this weekend.

[haleyes]

I'm looking for some information. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each unit? I'm thinking about using one with a G-Major effects processor and I'd want it to control channel selection on my amp (Mesa F-50 combo) as well as start/stop a Dr-880 drum machine.

thx

[hal9000]

I'm looking for some information. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each unit? I'm thinking about using one with a G-Major effects processor and I'd want it to control channel selection on my amp (Mesa F-50 combo) as well as start/stop a Dr-880 drum machine.

thxI've used my FCB 1010 for a while now with my G-major/F-100 rig and it's done very well. There isn't anything I want it to do that it can't. Yes, it's a little steep on the learning curve for programming, but it's ridiculously powerful and gig worthy. In my rig, the G-Major's relays are used for channel switch via a custom cable I built.

[haleyes]

I've used my FCB 1010 for a while now with my G-major/F-100 rig and it's done very well. There isn't anything I want it to do that it can't. Yes, it's a little steep on the learning curve for programming, but it's ridiculously powerful and gig worthy. In my rig, the G-Major's relays are used for channel switch via a custom cable I built.

yes, I've been reading your replies with interest for some time. :)

I don't think I would need the expression pedals, as I have a Vox wah, and I was wondering if I could "swap" one out to save some space.

Also, can I connect a pedal to the MIDI controller and turn the pedal on/off?

[hal9000]

yes, I've been reading your replies with interest for some time. :)

I don't think I would need the expression pedals, as I have a Vox wah, and I was wondering if I could "swap" one out to save some space.

Also, can I connect a pedal to the MIDI controller and turn the pedal on/off?You couldn't really use the expression pedals with a G-Major to get Wah sounds anyway since Wah really ought to be before the amp as opposed to in the FX loop. You may be surprised how useful the expression pedals are, especially for simple volume control. I have one patch that shifts my entire pitch down wherever I want with a pedal. All the way down is 1 octave so my guitar sounds like a bass, which is pretty wicked. Also, not many MIDI devices have toggling CC capability which the FCB has. I use toggling CC to turn FX on/off, tap tempo, tuner mute, etc. and it's invaluable. Some of the Nobels pedals have an external switching jack that would allow you to remotely control them, but most all other FX would require that you use some sort of MIDI looper like the Axess GRX4.

[Lt_Core]

Big fan of the MXR 10-band EQ in the loop. Allows me to use my FX loop for modulation pedals AND help control volume/sculpt tone.

[haleyes]

You couldn't really use the expression pedals with a G-Major to get Wah sounds anyway since Wah really ought to be before the amp as opposed to in the FX loop. You may be surprised how useful the expression pedals are, especially for simple volume control. I have one patch that shifts my entire pitch down wherever I want with a pedal. All the way down is 1 octave so my guitar sounds like a bass, which is pretty wicked. Also, not many MIDI devices have toggling CC capability which the FCB has. I use toggling CC to turn FX on/off, tap tempo, tuner mute, etc. and it's invaluable. Some of the Nobels pedals have an external switching jack that would allow you to remotely control them, but most all other FX would require that you use some sort of MIDI looper like the Axess GRX4.

Could I use the power from the amp or the G-Major to power the FCB1010 as well, or would I have to plug the 1010 into the wall? Could the power from the amp power the G-major?
Do you have any opinions about the Roland midi controllers?
I am a complete novice when it comes to MIDI.

larry

[Dann'sTheMan]

I'm good John, thanks for asking. I'm in the process of moving to the DC area, so I won't be as active around here for a while, but I'll try to check in every now and then.


Hi Neil,

How are you my friend. Good luck with the move to DC. I was in Arlington and Washington at the beginning of last week (and Chicago for the tail end of the week). Hopefully we'll get a chance to cross paths one day. :thu:

Indeed, it would be cool to meet up with the other brothers one day. I've been enjoying the video clips posted on YouTube recently. Rock on my friends! :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[petesvilla]

Hi guys!
Just found this place today and it looks really great:)

Have owned an F50 for a couple of years now and couldn't be happier.
I have done a few mods to the amp since I bought it, Iv'e made the effects loop switchable between series and parallel, made the bias adjustable and fitted a pair of KT66's in the output and changed a disc capacitor in the rhythm tone stack to a mica one to try to sweeten things a bit:)
Nearly all my playing is clean and so I have it in mind to mod the gain channel into another clean one but voiced differently. On paper it's quite easy to do.

Are there any other pages on here with mods for this amp that you can point me to without having to spend hours searching?

Cheers,

Pete

[ashjn]

Hi guys!
Just found this place today and it looks really great:)

Have owned an F50 for a couple of years now and couldn't be happier.
I have done a few mods to the amp since I bought it, Iv'e made the effects loop switchable between series and parallel, made the bias adjustable and fitted a pair of KT66's in the output and changed a disc capacitor in the rhythm tone stack to a mica one to try to sweeten things a bit:)
Nearly all my playing is clean and so I have it in mind to mod the gain channel into another clean one but voiced differently. On paper it's quite easy to do.

Are there any other pages on here with mods for this amp that you can point me to without having to spend hours searching?

Cheers,

Pete

What do you do to mod the effects loop to switch between series and parallel?

[hal9000]

What do you do to mod the effects loop to switch between series and parallel?You can replace the FX mix pot with a push/pull pot of the same value (25 kOhm Linear taper with either SPST or DPDT switch).

[willburford]

Well, I just ordered my new (floor model) mesa boogie f-30 for $875 (includes shipping). I'm TOTALLY excited as, stated before, this will be the first %100 pure tube amp that I'll own (moving on from atomic reactor + pod 2.0). Just wanted to say thanks for the huge amount of sound clips + settings + general info that everyone on this board has given. :thu: very excited, should be here by Wednesday - Thursday.

[ashjn]

Well, I just ordered my new (floor model) mesa boogie f-30 for $875 (includes shipping). I'm TOTALLY excited as, stated before, this will be the first %100 pure tube amp that I'll own (moving on from atomic reactor + pod 2.0). Just wanted to say thanks for the huge amount of sound clips + settings + general info that everyone on this board has given. :thu: very excited, should be here by Wednesday - Thursday.

Should be nice. That is a good step up and a good deal

[Curtis.Fagan]

Hi guys!
Just found this place today and it looks really great:)

Have owned an F50 for a couple of years now and couldn't be happier.
I have done a few mods to the amp since I bought it, Iv'e made the effects loop switchable between series and parallel, made the bias adjustable and fitted a pair of KT66's in the output and changed a disc capacitor in the rhythm tone stack to a mica one to try to sweeten things a bit:)
Nearly all my playing is clean and so I have it in mind to mod the gain channel into another clean one but voiced differently. On paper it's quite easy to do.

Are there any other pages on here with mods for this amp that you can point me to without having to spend hours searching?

Cheers,

Pete


I run an F100, and the adjustable bias would be somthing I'd be very interested in hearing about. Could you post it here or PM it to me. I'm looking to alter my output tubes a bit, and go for EL34's or KT77's, just to juice it up a bit.

Also, what is the mica capacitor, and whereabouts is it.

I'm not going to try any of this on my own, I'll go to a qualified tech, but knowledge means I can keep an eye on him. Not that I don't believe in his skills, but I would like an expedient turn over and I don't exactly know the guys really well, and I toom him my PA power amp thre months ago, and he only just called me that it was ready a week ago.....

Anyhow, any other suggestions. I'd basically like to swap out any tube I want in this thing and be able to bias it appropriately. I understand the voltage issues inherent, and that not all tubes are compatible with one socket...so any suggestions would be great.

If this doesn't work out, I might be interested in a SLO100.

Love,
Curtis

[petesvilla]

Before I explain anything I have to say that I do hold a modest qualification in electronics and know how to stay safe. I take no responsibility at all for any damage to persons or gear that might occur from anyone attempting mods after reading this!
As hal said, you can change the fx mix pot for one with a push pull switch on it. You then need to disconnect the wire from the pot that goes to the junction of the 1u cap, 22k resistor and the "send" jack. Connect that wire to one side of the push/pull switch. Take another wire from the other side of the switch to the tag on the pot that you removed the original wire from.
With the switch open, the signal has no choice but to go totally through the effect loop. This means you'll have to set the wet/dry mix in whatever effects unit you are using. Also note that the amps own mix control will have a slight effect on the volume when used in this way.

As for the bias, you need to remove the resistor that's in parallel with the 150u cap in the supply and replace it with a smaller value PLUS a trimmer of about 25K. (I use a 20 turn trimmer to make life a bit easier) Any good tech should quickly sort out the exact values to get the bias range correct.

You need to be aware also that 6L6's and their variants have heaters that take 0.9 amps. KT66's, EL34's etc take 1.3 amps. Therefore you need to know that your transformer can supply the extra current. You may need to contact Mesa for this info. My F50 seems to have no bother with the extra current as their is no voltage drop on the heaters when changing to higher current tube heaters.

The mica capacitor is the 250pf one in the tone stack. The difference is very subtle.

Don't forget: If you don't know what you are doing, keep out of there:)

BTW I forgot to mention on the first thread that I have a Mullard ECC83 in th V2 position (This is the first pre amp tube for both channels not V1 as you might expect) I also have a Webber beam blocker fixed to the speaker to diffuse the highs a little and it works very well.

Cheers,

Pete

[flip333]

Some people don't believe in the beam blockers, but I do. Here is why:

1) If you cover up the speaker with a solid object completely, you will lose most of the sound. Sound can be stopped with solid objects
2) If you use a plex-glass shield and shunt the sound say 45 degrees to the left side, you will hear much less on the right side.
3) Guitar amps are directional laser beams. If someone sits right in front of a regular amp they will be blasted. If you are very far to the left or right, it will become more muffled with less highs. If you are standing close to your cabinet on the floor shooting at your knees, and you think you have the perfect tone, then you have found one of the tones that fits your position in the room.
4) Therefore you can use a beam blocker to minimize the laser beam and spread out the sound more evenly.

I'm not saying it works magically and completely, I'm just saying a beam blocker helps.

[Curtis.Fagan]

Sweet man! Thanks, I really appreciate it.

Love,
Curtis

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi bros!

So I've been sitting here about 6 hours playing the same two riffs and tweaking the sound back and forth... so basicly my ears are numb and I don't know what is which and which is what anymore.

I think this is probably the best I've come up with http://www.scenerychannel.com/broadcast/silenttest3.mp3

Let me know what you think... I'll eat something, watch a movie and get some sleep... and erase the sound patch tomorrow morning :D

[Tommi Inkila]

With fresher ears...

http://www.scenerychannel.com/broadcast/silenttest3_sm57v30_12912.mp3

:rolleyes:

[hal9000]

With fresher ears...

http://www.scenerychannel.com/broadcast/silenttest3_sm57v30_12912.mp3

:rolleyes:Smokin'! Tommi, that sounds really good and the riff is sweet too. The tone surprised me because it sounds a bit like my Tremoverb with the deep and somewhat loose low end. Is this recording with the Toneport UX-2 fed from the FX send? If so, that's the closest I've heard an FX send signal sound to a real amp. :)

[hal9000]

Hi guys!
Just found this place today and it looks really great:)

Have owned an F50 for a couple of years now and couldn't be happier.
I have done a few mods to the amp since I bought it, Iv'e made the effects loop switchable between series and parallel, made the bias adjustable and fitted a pair of KT66's in the output and changed a disc capacitor in the rhythm tone stack to a mica one to try to sweeten things a bit:)
Nearly all my playing is clean and so I have it in mind to mod the gain channel into another clean one but voiced differently. On paper it's quite easy to do.

Are there any other pages on here with mods for this amp that you can point me to without having to spend hours searching?

Cheers,

PetePete, welcome to the forum and the F-series brotherhood! :)

It's good to have another electrical thinker on board here and your list of mods sounds like a nice upgrade. I've been thinking for a while about updating the loop to be switchable from parallel to series and I was considering using a DPDT pot to take the FX mix completely out of the circuit. If I understand correctly, since your mod has a subtle affect, you must have used a SPST switch? I also noticed on my schematics that input for both channels is V2 as noted and thought Randall may have made a typo since the manual says otherwise. :) I'd have to open up the beast and trace the circuit to make sure.

I also use Weber Beam Blockers and they are highly recommended:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/F-100BeamBlockers.jpg

[XiXora]

You've modded that F100 to the max I see :)

[hal9000]

You've modded that F100 to the max I see :)LOL, yeah eventually everything I own gets mod'ed in one way or another. Here are the current pics:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/F-100%20Cosmetic%20Mod/F-100Finishedobliqueright.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/F-100%20Century%20Vintage%20Install/F-100_CVI_Century_Vintage_Closeup.jpg

If you're curious about the cosmetic mod, I wrote a tutorial back in the day: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1182222

So far, my F-100 2x12 combo has:
1) Celestion Century Vintage speakers which lightened the amp by 13 lbs and still sound great.
2) Weber Beam Blockers for that "Not so laser beam treble."
3) New grill cloth, piping, vintage white knobs, and a blue jewel light for kickin' good looks. I knew it would look cool when I did the prototype, but people go crazy over how it looks so I'm flattered I made such an improvement with my own hands.

I may eventually open her up and voice a few things differently to taste, but nothing drastic.

[Tommi Inkila]

Smokin'! Tommi, that sounds really good and the riff is sweet too. The tone surprised me because it sounds a bit like my Tremoverb with the deep and somewhat loose low end. Is this recording with the Toneport UX-2 fed from the FX send? If so, that's the closest I've heard an FX send signal sound to a real amp. :)
Thanks Neil!

We have to thank DT for the riff :) ... yes, it's FX send to UX2.

F50: contour on Gain and Treble 12:00 Mid 9:00 Bass 12:00
UX2: 1996 V30 cab - SM57 on axis 0%

My next idea is to try to route signal through SPL Goldmike mk2.

Other option is routing it through something like THD to get the power amp tubes on the chain... do you think it would benefit the sound noticeably?

[Progdude]

Hi, i'm new to the forums and I've read through many pages of this thread, and I can tell you that it's quite big..


I have been searching for an amp that suits my needs, that has some real nice tones and for it to be my "final" amp..
Then I found out about the F50 and I made some arrangements with my dad since he owed me money, besides it's close to my birthday like 2 months or so and I suggested an amp.. told him about the price and he wasn't really that ok with it but he accepted. :)

I play in my house 95% of the time (The other 5% on a friend's house) and from what I've heard.. the f50 is REALLY LOUD.. and I just can't play with that.. since I live with my parents and that would piss them off.. not to mention the neighbors..

I am a REALLY average player, not even close to the guys who posted their demos, like hal9000 and tommy's if I remember correctly but it's a one-time opportunity with my dad :P

I would like to get a petrucci's distortion, metallica etc.. sound and i've read that the f50 almost nails it completely, that's why it's my best choice but I've got a few questions, I'm not experienced at all with tube-amps, effects and that kind of stuff, but hey.. it's never too late to learn right? :wave:

So.. here are the questions..

1. The most important of all, is the F50 the right choice for me? (NOTE: the 1,000 bucks don't matter) is it worth it, or is it just too loud for me to really have a go at it? (Most of the time I play metal, like metallica, maiden, dt)

2. I've read that I can "attenuate" the tone or something like that.. how can I attenuate the tone, what do I have to buy, and what do you recommend? (I would prefer a good cost/effective pedal?)

3. I don't know anything about "FX LOOP, OHMS" and that kind of stuff, could you guys enlighten me with any basic info? and IF I get an attenuator, do you need to plug it in through the FX LOOP or something like that?

And I forgot the other doubts I had about it.. heh.. I'll post them later if I remember them..

I would really appreciate if any of you guys could help a newbie! :D
PS: I have a gibson les paul special with humbuckers.

[Santuzzo]

LOL, yeah eventually everything I own gets mod'ed in one way or another. Here are the current pics:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/F-100%20Cosmetic%20Mod/F-100Finishedobliqueright.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/F-100%20Century%20Vintage%20Install/F-100_CVI_Century_Vintage_Closeup.jpg

If you're curious about the cosmetic mod, I wrote a tutorial back in the day: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1182222

So far, my F-100 2x12 combo has:
1) Celestion Century Vintage speakers which lightened the amp by 13 lbs and still sound great.
2) Weber Beam Blockers for that "Not so laser beam treble."
3) New grill cloth, piping, vintage white knobs, and a blue jewel light for kickin' good looks. I knew it would look cool when I did the prototype, but people go crazy over how it looks so I'm flattered I made such an improvement with my own hands.

I may eventually open her up and voice a few things differently to taste, but nothing drastic.

Wow ! That amp looks awesome !!!!:thu: :love:

[Lt_Core]

With fresher ears...

http://www.scenerychannel.com/broadcast/silenttest3_sm57v30_12912.mp3

:rolleyes:

Sounds awesome! What settings did you use and/or effects?

[Tommi Inkila]

Sounds awesome! What settings did you use and/or effects?
Thanks!

There's no effects on the chain... the setting on F50: contour on Gain and Treble 12:00 Mid 9:00 Bass 12:00

I used compressor on the mix to balance things out. Also the delay is added on the mix to the lead track.

[AXEL276]

Hey Progdude,
IMO skip the F-50. I have both an F-50 and a Tech21 Trademark60 (solidstate). The F-50 is a great sounding amo but it's voiced to be played LOUD. I tried attenuating as well as using stuff in the loop to limit the volume but found all attemps uninspiring at low volume. I use the Trademark60 all the time now when I'm practicing at home. It's also a great gig amp. Compared to the F-50 it's half the weight and 1/2 the price, no tubes=low maintenance. Plus it can get pretty close to Marshall, Fender and Boogie tones. Think about it.

[petesvilla]

Thanks for the welcome Hal!
The subtle effect I mentioned was the change of capacitor in the tonestack to the mica type. I understand that some people do the same mod to their Fender twins to tame some of the brightness of that amp. They also change the values and type of cap in the rest of the tone stack too.


I'm not quite sure what you mean about the fx loop but the easiest way to do the job is justbreak the connection at the mix pot as shown by the red arrow , take it through a spst switch and return it back to the pot.
When the switch is open, all the signal has to go through the fx unit. The amps own mix control will still make a slight difference to the overall output depending on it's position.
Hope this makes sense:)

I've attached an image of that bit of the circuit. For some reason I can't seem to insert the picture into the text field. Perhaps someone could tell me how to do this!

Pete

[hal9000]

Thanks for the welcome Hal!
The subtle effect I mentioned was the change of capacitor in the tonestack to the mica type. I understand that some people do the same mod to their Fender twins to tame some of the brightness of that amp. They also change the values and type of cap in the rest of the tone stack too.


I'm not quite sure what you mean about the fx loop but the easiest way to do the job is justbreak the connection at the mix pot as shown by the red arrow , take it through a spst switch and return it back to the pot.
When the switch is open, all the signal has to go through the fx unit. The amps own mix control will still make a slight difference to the overall output depending on it's position.
Hope this makes sense:)

I've attached an image of that bit of the circuit. For some reason I can't seem to insert the picture into the text field. Perhaps someone could tell me how to do this!

PeteYou're welcome Pete. Yeah, I have the schematics and it's good to see experimental confirmation of my planned mod. What I mean about a DPDT switch is that it could take the pot completely out of the circuit by running the FX Return signal to the other side of the pot's wiper. In doing so, you can then leave the Mix pot wherever you like without it affecting the signal. Still, I don't imagine there is much of a difference with bottom side of the pot still in line.

If you want to attach pictures, you have the add the image tags "X" where "X" is a url. That of course implies that your pic has to be hosted somewhere and I've be pleased with www.photobucket.com which is free up to a certain bandwidth.

[Progdude]

Thanks for the suggestion Axel, but is it REALLY that different when you play it at low volumes?
What happens when you play it low, is there a buzzing sound? or what is it?

[Si.]

I play mine at room volumes (thanks to the FX loop volume mod) and don't have any problems.. It may not sound at it's best in this situation but it still sounds good to me.