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

[Tommi Inkila]

Finally got the Axetrak working... I opened the port for more bass frequencies. I actually didn't want more bass and therefore delayed that option a bit (a week) but that was the only thing I haven't tried... and it did it. Now the overly boxy mid frequencies are gone. The minus side is that the volume level in the room raised a bit but it's still easily manageable.

Next step is to test different pedals for boosting and tightening up the signal since Axetrak element doesn't distort as nicely as V30 and it's also more dynamic and looser.

[MKCL]

There is basicly just one type, normally labeled as ECC83S. I've seen them under different coding as well, named as high-gain JJ's. Basicly those are tested and found to be more easily overdriven and then there's those gold-pinned versions which aren't that necessary in a guitar amp I think.

Okay, went to the shop and got a pair of preamp tubes instead of 4. Mesa tubes are pretty expensive.

I came home and started tapping the preamp tubes and the power tubes. There seemed to be a slight ring from one of my power tubes, but couldn't hear it that loud. I didn't hear much noise from any of the preamp tubes...

Regardless, I swapped the V1 preamp tube with the V4 preamp tube. Turned it back on and started playing again. Not much noise. I didn't even open the new pair preamp tubes and install them. Maybe I don't even need to swap them?

I do hear a hiss on the drive channel and a slight hiss on the clean channel. Is it supposed to be like that? Months ago when I bought the amp, the guy said slight preamp tube hiss is normal.

So is a tube change necessary?

[Tommi Inkila]

Okay, went to the shop and got a pair of preamp tubes instead of 4. Mesa tubes are pretty expensive.

I came home and started tapping the preamp tubes and the power tubes. There seemed to be a slight ring from one of my power tubes, but couldn't hear it that loud. I didn't hear much noise from any of the preamp tubes...

Regardless, I swapped the V1 preamp tube with the V4 preamp tube. Turned it back on and started playing again. Not much noise. I didn't even open the new pair preamp tubes and install them. Maybe I don't even need to swap them?

I do hear a hiss on the drive channel and a slight hiss on the clean channel. Is it supposed to be like that? Months ago when I bought the amp, the guy said slight preamp tube hiss is normal.

So is a tube change necessary?
Some hiss is normal and if it doesn't bother you then it's okay.

The V1 preamp tube is the most important tube and affects the tone the most. After that V4 comes in line IMO.

So that's maybe why the sound got better. If you're fine with the current situation then keep the tubes as spare parts... or perhaps experiment how the tone changes with the new tubes :thu:

[MKCL]

Some hiss is normal and if it doesn't bother you then it's okay.

The V1 preamp tube is the most important tube and affects the tone the most. After that V4 comes in line IMO.

So that's maybe why the sound got better. If you're fine with the current situation then keep the tubes as spare parts... or perhaps experiment how the tone changes with the new tubes :thu:

Okay. By the way, when I said "I didn't hear much noise from any of the preamp tubes...", I meant from tapping, I couldn't hear ring noises.

Maybe I'll let the amp be for now. So V1 is the most important, then comes V4?

[petesvilla]

Guys, the input valve for the F50 is V2 and not V1 as you would expect!
V1 is located after the Eq controls. (Half of the valve is used for each channel)
Try a different one in the V2 position and you will notice a difference more easily!

Cheers,

Pete

[Tommi Inkila]

Guys, the input valve for the F50 is V2 and not V1 as you would expect!
V1 is located after the Eq controls. (Half of the valve is used for each channel)
Try a different one in the V2 position and you will notice a difference more easily!

Cheers,

Pete
Are you sure? Even the manual says "V1 A= Input Stage both Channels"... :rolleyes:

V1 B= Clean Channel
V2 A= 2nd Input Stage bothChannels
V2 B=Channels 2 & 3 Boost Stage

... so perhaps the change in V2 is as easily hearable on F-series.

[Tommi Inkila]

Okay. By the way, when I said "I didn't hear much noise from any of the preamp tubes...", I meant from tapping, I couldn't hear ring noises.

Maybe I'll let the amp be for now. So V1 is the most important, then comes V4?
Generally I would say that V1 is the most important (although now it seems that F uses V2 a lot) and then comes V4 in my opinion. V3 is perhaps the least important since it drives the FX loop.

Anyway, good tubes in every slot is the optimum :cool:

[petesvilla]

This is the info I have, hope it is of some use!

(See attached files)

Pete

[Tommi Inkila]

This is the info I have, hope it is of some use!

(See attached files)

Pete
Interesting. Who volunteers for opening the amp? :)

[endrithius]

Anybody willing to part with an F-100 head?

[guitardude900]

i was thinking of mixing and matching when changing preamp tubes.

for example, use mesa branded 12ax7s for v1 and v2 and then use cheaper preamp tubes for v3 and v4.

has anyone done this?

[darklord0424]

I have an f-100 combo, I'd be willing to part w/. shoot me a pm.

[NDRU]

I just bought an F30, so I thought I'd join pledge week!

I replaced a Fender Hot Rod, which kept breaking down. The Mesa is built really well.

But while I like the sound i notice it's really lacking the full tone of the fender, particularly bass.

Is this EL84 vs 6L6, or are all the F series light on bass compared to Fenders (even crappy ones)?

This is kind of a non issue, since I don't really notice it with a full band, but it's not as pleasing in the living room.

[Tommi Inkila]

I just bought an F30, so I thought I'd join pledge week!

I replaced a Fender Hot Rod, which kept breaking down. The Mesa is built really well.

But while I like the sound i notice it's really lacking the full tone of the fender, particularly bass.

Is this EL84 vs 6L6, or are all the F series light on bass compared to Fenders (even crappy ones)?

This is kind of a non issue, since I don't really notice it with a full band, but it's not as pleasing in the living room.
Hello and welcome aboard!

There's a noticeable difference in bass response between EL84 and 6L6's... I'd say that F50 is even bassier if necessary than Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

Maybe there's one solution on my next post...

[Tommi Inkila]

Marshall ED-1 Edward the Compressor

I've mentioned this piece of equipment about 200 pages ago and now it's time to bring it up again.

I've been trying tons of pedals with my F50 and Axetrak setup and this little box is on the top of my list at the moment. With it I can get more defined sound. I'm using the emphasis control set at maximum hi so that it compresses mainly the low-end and lets the treble ring out. I'm using fast attack and low compression.

It's not noisy (well, high compression gets noisy like other pedals), seems sturdy and is reasonably priced. To me it sounds natural and it doesn't suck the tone noticeably. Passive bypass by Marshall :)

The emphasis knob is the coolest part. You can use it to shift your tone from low to high without sounding EQ-hyped.

Give it a try if you're looking for a compressor or some extra toys :)

[NDRU]

Marshall ED-1 Edward the Compressor

I've mentioned this piece of equipment about 200 pages ago and now it's time to bring it up again.

...

Give it a try if you're looking for a compressor or some extra toys :)

Hey thanks, I'm always looking for a new pedal, and don't have a compressor at the moment. And this thread is damn long!

I would have gotten the F50, but for the extra weight. Seems to be the most popular by far. I'll just need to give the F30 more time to know if it will work. But I think I got a good deal at $525, and the Fender was becoming a money pit.

I was looking for a different sound than the Hot Rod, anyway, so like I say it may be a non-issue. The Hot Rod didn't really seem to cut through with the band & with my strat.

[Tommi Inkila]

Hey thanks, I'm always looking for a new pedal, and don't have a compressor at the moment. And this thread is damn long!

I would have gotten the F50, but for the extra weight. Seems to be the most popular by far. I'll just need to give the F30 more time to know if it will work. But I think I got a good deal at $525, and the Fender was becoming a money pit.

I was looking for a different sound than the Hot Rod, anyway, so like I say it may be a non-issue. The Hot Rod didn't really seem to cut through with the band & with my strat.
No prob!

With the EL84 I think you should aim for lower treble and higher bass amounts (pretty obvious:))than many settings provided here if you want counteract the EL84 properties... to get some of the low end back.

I think that F30 is as beast as the F50, only with a little different "roar".

Have fun with it :thu:

[NDRU]

I think something else I'm adjusting to is the versatility of these amps.

fender, to both their credit & detriment, is an amp that you basically plug & play, and it sounds good or sounds bad, depending on your opinion

Mesa seems to require some knowledge & knob turning to find the right tone.

[NDRU]

I was listening to recordings I made with the f30 and my band, and found that the bass notes were actually coming through better than they did on my Fender.

The Fender rumbles with bass, which is pleasing with the guitar by itself in the living room, but it's not as clearly defined as the F30, particularly at with the band.

With the F30 the bass notes are just that--notes. They don't thump as much, but then that's why I have a bassist & drummer, right?

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Brothers,

I hope you're all well! :)

Tommi, thanks for the heads up about the compressor. As the brotherhood probably knows, I'm a huge fan of my old Dynacomp (a '78 model apparently), and I use it a great deal for clean sounds. A compressor that works well for dirtier sounds certainly sounds interesting. :cool:

But as we're talking about pedals, what I wanted to share, is how I've recently been blown away with the Fulltone OCD. I bought it whilst I was in the US a few months back. I don't normally like pedals adding front end overdrive, as I tend to find they sound "small" compared to a real amp. The OCD has a huge dynamic range, and it's the first pedal I've come across that feels that it's not interfering with my pick dynamics.

What blows me away however is how it integrates into my rig in front of the F-50. The pedal is voiced more on the British side, but what I love is how, in combination with my Boogie, I now get a more blooming mid-range ala Vox/Marshall, but with the fast response and low end girth of 6L6 American tube goodness. It feels like a 6L6 amp (which I personally prefer), but with added British mid-range flavour. :love:

Running my G-Major in the loop just seals the deal. I run my Dynacomp hot on the clean channel for pristine cleans. I switch off the Dynacomp and turn on the OCD for crunch that cleans up amazingly from my Charvel's volume knob, for some of the most inspirational pushed cleans ever from my rig. I then switch to the Lead and Contour channels (with the gain low) for some singing lead tones, that take me back to the 80s and 90s. Basically all of the tones that I tend to use for my gigs, I can find without even touching my F-50's control panel (and we all know how many more sounds are in there when we start dialling). I played along with Dann Huff and Michael Thompson on the Faith Hill "When the Lights Go Down" DVD last night, and I could nail all the tones I wanted just with the controls on my guitar and on my Behringer foot controller. :p

Anyway, enough gushing, except to say that I'm playing rig more than ever at the moment, because I can't keep away from those inspirational tones. The Fulltone OCD comes with my Charvel Strat's highest recommendation. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. The other thing that I'm doing at the moment is waiting for the birth of my third child - due any day now. Wish me luck! :D

[jry 1949]

hi guys does anyone know a good amp switching pedal they would recomend thanks jry 1949

[Tommi Inkila]

hi guys does anyone know a good amp switching pedal they would recomend thanks jry 1949
I'd say Radial... http://www.tonebone.com/

Bigshot ABY will do nicely.... Switchbone if we get really really really serious :)

[Goldwing]

Hi. Its always good for me to hear about overdrive pedals that works with the F50, I'm a freak of overdrives. But lately I just went back in the opposite direction: I eliminate all the pedals in front of the amp and went just with my strat to the F50 and the Gt8 in the loop (3 cables method eh! jeje) for delays, chorus, other modulation effects and mostly after preamp EQ!! great!!) and I just love the tone I'm getting. I can nail almost any overdrive sound just placing the Gain knob on the contour mode at 1 o'clock and just lower the strat's volume without loosing presence in the mix... amazing..I know I know: you guys already knew it but for me its a hole new discovery.

I'm now selling my Big Muff, Sd-1, Main squeeze compressor and focus in having a great tone. it's great to have an amp that actually can cure the G.A.S for pedals.

cheers!!

[Progdude]

Hello again guys :wave:
Just about an hour ago, I played my F50 directly into my guitar and since my parents weren't home, I cranked it to about 1 - 2 o' clock and it went good for about 5 minutes until my amp started to do noises really loud like if it was feedback but even when I played and with the volume knob of my guitar all the way down it still sounded until I had to turn the volume down to 9 o clock or so.. and it also started to smell like if something was burning.. what could it possibly be?

[mynameistaken]

[QUOTE=Goldwing;23473055I eliminate all the pedals in front of the amp and went just with my strat to the F50 and the Gt8 in the loop (3 cables method eh! jeje) for delays, chorus, other modulation effects and mostly after preamp EQ!! great!!)

cheers!![/QUOTE]

Thats exactly what I do:thu:

[Torh]

Hey Brothers,

I hope you're all well! :)

Tommi, thanks for the heads up about the compressor. As the brotherhood probably knows, I'm a huge fan of my old Dynacomp (a '78 model apparently), and I use it a great deal for clean sounds. A compressor that works well for dirtier sounds certainly sounds interesting. :cool:

But as we're talking about pedals, what I wanted to share, is how I've recently been blown away with the Fulltone OCD. I bought it whilst I was in the US a few months back. I don't normally like pedals adding front end overdrive, as I tend to find they sound "small" compared to a real amp. The OCD has a huge dynamic range, and it's the first pedal I've come across that feels that it's not interfering with my pick dynamics.

What blows me away however is how it integrates into my rig in front of the F-50. The pedal is voiced more on the British side, but what I love is how, in combination with my Boogie, I now get a more blooming mid-range ala Vox/Marshall, but with the fast response and low end girth of 6L6 American tube goodness. It feels like a 6L6 amp (which I personally prefer), but with added British mid-range flavour. :love:

Running my G-Major in the loop just seals the deal. I run my Dynacomp hot on the clean channel for pristine cleans. I switch off the Dynacomp and turn on the OCD for crunch that cleans up amazingly from my Charvel's volume knob, for some of the most inspirational pushed cleans ever from my rig. I then switch to the Lead and Contour channels (with the gain low) for some singing lead tones, that take me back to the 80s and 90s. Basically all of the tones that I tend to use for my gigs, I can find without even touching my F-50's control panel (and we all know how many more sounds are in there when we start dialling). I played along with Dann Huff and Michael Thompson on the Faith Hill "When the Lights Go Down" DVD last night, and I could nail all the tones I wanted just with the controls on my guitar and on my Behringer foot controller. :p

Anyway, enough gushing, except to say that I'm playing rig more than ever at the moment, because I can't keep away from those inspirational tones. The Fulltone OCD comes with my Charvel Strat's highest recommendation. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. The other thing that I'm doing at the moment is waiting for the birth of my third child - due any day now. Wish me luck! :D

Thanks for the rave review about the Fulltone! Currently I have no boost/overdrive/distortion in front of my F-50, but sometimes I wish there was a pedal that could give it a bit British flavor when called for. I have heard good things about the HAO Rust Driver for that purpose, but apparently the OCD does the trick too! Nice to know.

And congratulations with your new child! Awesome news. :)
I'm really looking forward to being a father myself, but that will have to wait for some more years. ;) Getting a child at 20 is a bit early, at least in my book!

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Brothers,

I'm also a big fan of plugging straight into the amp - if you've ever checked out my beautifully drawn rig (courtesy of hal9000 - see my sig), then you'll see how I usually just run a compressor and occasionally a wah-wah in front of the amp - dependant on the set-list. To be honest, I've never been much of a fan of pedal distortion sounds, preferring rather the sound of a cooking tube amp. That's why I've surprised myself a little, but then to my ears the OCD reacts and sounds more like an amp than a pedal.

When I tried it out in the shop: plugged into an F-50 and using an Eric Johnson Strat, it didn't blow me away, but I did find one or two usable sounds, and as the exchange rate was so favourable, I thought I'd take a chance.

Getting it home, and trying it with my guitars and my F-50/G-Major set up, it has really come into its element. It sounds great in the bedroom, and sounds even better at gig volumes. I still use all three voicings from my F-50, both with the OCD on and off. I've always raved about how versatile the F-series is, but with the OCD, the versatility of my rig at the moment really blows my mind. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. BTW, still waiting for the arrival of our new sprog. I'll keep you posted! :D

[jry 1949]

hi guys im thinking of picking up a gibson LP studio what do you guys think of this guitar? and how do you think it would sound through the F50? im thinking great i tried it in the store but they only had the mesa express and it was awsome through that . thanks guys

[Lt_Core]

hi guys im thinking of picking up a gibson LP studio what do you guys think of this guitar? and how do you think it would sound through the F50? im thinking great i tried it in the store but they only had the mesa express and it was awsome through that . thanks guys

I love my LP Studio w/ Burstbuckers through my F-50 and Avatar cab! It's my number 1 guitar now. I have the Cherry Mahogany LP Studio:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Les-Paul-Vintage-Mahogany-Electric-Guitar?sku=517536

I say go for it. I love it!

[ashjn]

hi guys im thinking of picking up a gibson LP studio what do you guys think of this guitar? and how do you think it would sound through the F50? im thinking great i tried it in the store but they only had the mesa express and it was awsome through that . thanks guys

I own an Ebony Les Paul Studio that has been great. The only things I do not like about it are:
1) The G String tends to go out of tune more than the other strings and
2) It is a heavy bitch!

Sounds great through my F-100 though. I highly recommend it.

[Nemesys]

Same sort of question -- I've been GASing for an EBMM Silhouette lately, and I think I seem to remember that one or two of the folks in here use them -- can anyone tell me how well they match up with the F-Series amps?

[Lt_Core]

My F-50's reverb is not working. I have it totally cranked and it sounds very similar to no reverb, is that a bad thing? ;)

A couple of weeks ago there was a weird crackling noise but then it disappeared. I reseeded the tubes and all has been good. I have also notice a significant pop when I turn it off. Never did that before.

Also, the clean channel headroom/volume seems a bit low compared to the past. Are my tubes dying? Bought a new set last September from Eurotubes. I put a lot of hours on the amp. Other ideas?

[musicdog400]

to my ears the OCD reacts and sounds more like an amp than a pedal.


Thanks for the OCD review. That pedal sounds good in clips I have heard. I am usually averse to solid state distortion, I mean if I really couldn't tell the difference between SS and tube, it would be silly of me to spend thousands on tube amps. But I might check this one out.

Like you, I generally only put a compressor in front of the F-50. By itself, the F-50 gain channel doesn't quite get there for me. But with a compressor in front and maybe an EQ in the loop, the amp works for me very well.

[MEJA]

Hi everyone,

I just traded for a used F 100. I am working my way through this thread (lots of information!) and thought I would post a picture of my new amp.

I'm sure I'll have some questions and comments as I go along.

Thanks and hello! :thu:

Mike.

[Nemesys]

My F-50's reverb is not working. I have it totally cranked and it sounds very similar to no reverb, is that a bad thing? ;)


The F-50's reverb is fairly subtle, as it doesn't have a dedicated driver tube (reverb tanks tend to lose a lot of signal). Still, you should hear it cranked, it isn't quite that subtle. ;) Did you check the connections to the tank? Look for two RCA-type connectors near the speaker jacks and output transformer. If that isn't the problem, the reverb tank itself may have gone bad. It's not unheard of, they're fairly fragile.


A couple of weeks ago there was a weird crackling noise but then it disappeared. I reseeded the tubes and all has been good. I have also notice a significant pop when I turn it off. Never did that before.


Mine crackles a bit sometimes right after I turn it on, if the air is particularly humid that day (it's condensation in the windings of the OT, and is actually a somewhat common thing with tube amps). I hit a couple of chords, and it stops. I don't know if that was what yours did, but unless it comes back, it's probably no big deal. Mine also pops when I turn it off, I narrowed it down to something in the effects-loop circuitry, though I haven't bothered to change the V3 tube yet to see if that's the problem -- it's not a loud pop. Popping noises are also something that tube amps often exhibit, unless it's loud enough to damage your speaker, it's probably nothing to worry about. You may want to have a tech give the amp a once-over, though, if for no other reason than your own peace of mind.


Also, the clean channel headroom/volume seems a bit low compared to the past. Are my tubes dying? Bought a new set last September from Eurotubes. I put a lot of hours on the amp. Other ideas?

That sure sounds like worn-out tubes. Power tubes tend to wear out after 500 hours or so, which you could put on in eleven months without trying too hard.

[jry 1949]

hi i lost the reverb on my F50, its since been repaired, but i had to take it to the warrenty guy twice. the first time he replaced the field transmiter it worked great for about a day and then it went out again, it was the same problem.he called theguy at mesa who suggested he installe somea diode to protect the field transmitter from the foot switch so far,and its been several months, ive had no problem tons of reverb anyway good lluck sorry to hear about your problem. later jry

[estring777]

I put the DD20 in the loop. It seems to raise the "shrill factor." I guess you could say the highs are alot more pronounced. Bottom line...its better without the DD20.

But I love the DD and I need a delay.
When I put it in line, the gain channel is pretty hissy..not good.
Any suggestions?

FYI....
The FX tube in the F50 is stock.
I am not using "quality" cables for my Fx loop run.(Does that even matter?)

Thanks

[Lt_Core]

I put the DD20 in the loop. It seems to raise the "shrill factor." I guess you could say the highs are alot more pronounced. Bottom line...its better without the DD20.

But I love the DD and I need a delay.
When I put it in line, the gain channel is pretty hissy..not good.
Any suggestions?

FYI....
The FX tube in the F50 is stock.
I am not using "quality" cables for my Fx loop run.(Does that even matter?)

Thanks

Wow....I love my DD-20 in the loop. Maybe change the output level. You can use -4db or +12db I think. The DD-20 in the input stage with regular pedals added gain, which I didn't like. Good luck!

[Torh]

Lt_Core, do you use it in +12db mode? I have tried it, and things got really noisy....
estring777, there's a new delay unit on the market, TC Electronic Nova Delay. It looks very sweet, if I didn't have the DD-20 and were content with it, I would acquire me a Nova Delay..

[estring777]

Thanks for the replies.
Core...I have tried all the output modes.Still sounds better with the DD unpluggged. Might try switching out the FX tube.
Torh...It dosent look like the Nova does anything different than my DD. Plus the problem I have may not even be the DD.

Thanks again guys!!

[Goldwing]

Thats exactly what I do:thu:

Hi!! do you set the input level of the Gt8 in -10db? I do and I use the output level as atenuator.

cheers!!

[Tommi Inkila]

Yo fellow forumites! Lend me your ears... on my already two months long quest for our next album tone (and unmixed drums tone)... the next contender is

http://www.scenerychannel.com/vortexriff.mp3 - original

http://www.scenerychannel.com/vortexriff2.mp3 - less low, more high

[url]http://www.scenerychannel.com/vortexriff2ext.mp3[url] - extended edition, new day, tone somewhere between 1-2

Truth, please :)

The tone problem would not exist if I would be able (or willing to) use the old recording setup method.

[Lt_Core]

Yo fellow forumites! Lend me your ears... on my already two months long quest for our next album tone (and unmixed drums tone)... the next contender is

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

Truth, please :)

The tone problem would not exist if I would be able (or willing to) use the old recording setup method.

Nice work, as always. Settings?

Do you use your G-Major to attenuate the volume and as an amp switcher?

[Tommi Inkila]

Nice work, as always. Settings?

Do you use your G-Major to attenuate the volume and as an amp switcher?
Thanks!

To be honest... that's not completely F50 sound... it starts to seem that the voicing of F-series doesn't work very well with Axetrak. It has driven me to desperate measures... I shall reveal the chain later if somebody wants to guess :rolleyes:

Live I use the G-major for effects and changing the channels on the F... I guess it attenuates a bit when both input and output is at 12 o'clock. I've not used it in studio if I remember correctly.

[Santuzzo]

Yo fellow forumites! Lend me your ears... on my already two months long quest for our next album tone (and unmixed drums tone)... the next contender is

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

Truth, please :)

The tone problem would not exist if I would be able (or willing to) use the old recording setup method.

AWESOME !!!! As always, Tommi !:thu::)

The riff sounds really great !I love it !

[Rodimus Prime]

Sounds really great. quite bass heavy and some of the high's aren't there. I'd take out some bass and boost the highs for some sizzle. It feels kinda "soft". I can't explain it but i think its a high thing.
Awesome riff and your drummers tone is fantastic

[Surfcaster]

hi guys im thinking of picking up a gibson LP studio what do you guys think of this guitar? and how do you think it would sound through the F50? im thinking great i tried it in the store but they only had the mesa express and it was awsome through that . thanks guys

I've got a Fireburst 2003 LP Studio and feel it works nicely with the F50. I replaced the bridge bucker with a Dimarzio Virtual PAF and plan to put the neck version of that pickup in one of these days, but still got stock Gibby in at this point. But my LP is pretty bright, it's actually brighter than my MIM Strat and my Charvel Surfcaster, so if I'm looking for a darker tone I usually use one of the other guitars.

[Tommi Inkila]

Thanks guys for the feedback... here's another take...

http://www.scenerychannel.com/vortexriff2.mp3

Less lows more highs.

I've been actually diggin' Metallica's Load lately, both musically and sonically so perhaps that's were this sound is coming from.

Thanks for the drums as well... there's also quite a story behind them :)

[Rodimus Prime]

personally, i like that one better. but you, of course, are the bottom line. I hate imposing opinion. but yeah, sounds really good

[Tommi Inkila]

personally, i like that one better. but you, of course, are the bottom line. I hate imposing opinion. but yeah, sounds really good
Well, after 8 hours of listening that tone and its slight variations I don't have a solid opinion :)

Number 2 is probably better in terms of translating to different systems. But then again, it's true that I don't like todays extra spikey tones that are on most new rock/metal albums. That's actually partly fault of the mastering, but that's another story :)

Now that I'm quite comfortably with that sound I'll think I'll try some superstereo techniques... two different sounds on both sides... perhaps, panned slightly away from each other. Hello phase problems :D

[Tommi Inkila]

Here's extended version... and newly created tone based on fresh ears and feedback.

http://www.scenerychannel.com/vortexriff2ext.mp3

[Santuzzo]

Here's extended version... and newly created tone based on fresh ears and feedback.

http://www.scenerychannel.com/vortexriff2ext.mp3

Great ! I love those two parts together ! As someone mentioned before, awesome drums, too !

Your band rocks, man ! VITUN HYVÄ !!!:thu::rawk:

[Will Cyrier]

Here's extended version... and newly created tone based on fresh ears and feedback.

http://www.scenerychannel.com/vortexriff2ext.mp3

I like it Tommi. Can't wait to hear what you're using.

[Tommi Inkila]

Thanks brothers!

After so much positive feedback I went public with it http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1717288

[Lt_Core]

Does anyone use a G-Major with their F-50? I'm looking at replacing a bunch of my stompboxes and have some questions. I have never used rack processors before, just a huge pedalboard.

1. The G-Major supposedly can handle channel switching. I'm guessing it does not remember the settings, like Master volume, Gain, etc. How about switching to Contour mode and Reverb on/off?

2. How well does it work with the F-50's Parallel loop? Any weird issues to work around?

3. The G-Sharp seems to have more modulation effects to choose from but no channel switching, compressor, EQ and Noise Gate. Any other major differences?

4. Can attenuation be achieved through the G-Major, so the F-50's masters can be cranked? Any signal loss with the G-Major in the loop?

5. I only play live so I'm looking at the Behringer FCB1010 controller, at a decent HC forumite price :) Are there any other controllers I should look into?

Thanks for your help!

[hal9000]

Does anyone use a G-Major with their F-50? I'm looking at replacing a bunch of my stompboxes and have some questions. I have never used rack processors before, just a huge pedalboard.

1. The G-Major supposedly can handle channel switching. I'm guessing it does not remember the settings, like Master volume, Gain, etc. How about switching to Contour mode and Reverb on/off?

2. How well does it work with the F-50's Parallel loop? Any weird issues to work around?

3. The G-Sharp seems to have more modulation effects to choose from but no channel switching, compressor, EQ and Noise Gate. Any other major differences?

4. Can attenuation be achieved through the G-Major, so the F-50's masters can be cranked? Any signal loss with the G-Major in the loop?

5. I only play live so I'm looking at the Behringer FCB1010 controller, at a decent HC forumite price :) Are there any other controllers I should look into?

Thanks for your help!Jeff, how's it going? In short, the G-major can do all you're asking. I haven't had any problems with my F-100's parallel loop and I simply turn the mix up full to 90%. The G-Major is very transparent and because of its excellent loop attenuation and EQ, the amp sounds better with the G-Major in the loop. I generally leave the In and Out level knobs on the G-Major set to 12:00. For channel switching you have to choose two functions. I use CH1/CH2 for one relay and Contour ON/OFF for the other, and that's all programmed per patch. Since reverb is returned before the FX loop, I don't use it with the G-Major and I don't miss being able to switch it on and off. Plus, the G-major's reverb is better IMO anyway.

To take advantage of the two relays available on the G-Major for channel switching, you'll need to make or buy a custom cable. Both Andy and I have detailed how the cables are to be built and a few pages back I also gave the part numbers and cost for what I used.

I'm sure the G-Sharp is fine if you simply want a few FX, but the lack of channel switching is a deal-breaker for me. You could add a MIDI switching box like the Axess CFX4, but that's a lot of expense to add. Ultimately, the G-Major is the brain of my rig by switching channels, acting as the overall master volume, applying Noise Gate and EQ, etc. In fact, EQ and patch level are very important because you can equalize the volume of Contour and CH2 so the amp can be used as if it were three channels. I generally use CH1 + my pedals for all clean and low gain textures, CH2 for mid-gain and solos (boosted) and Contour for all high gain and heavy rhythms.

There are lots of MIDI foot controllers, but few are as capable as the Behringer FCB 1010 for one simple reason. Each switch can be programmed for program changes, control changes or both. It's a bit steep on the learning curve, but the big thread started by Andy will have multiple solutions for programming and I can always help you as well. As an example of programming, I have my solo patch setup with EQ, CH2, and a bit of reverb. If I want, a second press of the same button turns on Delay with the tap tempo already dialed in. Also, if you get a controller without CC capability, you'll be missing out on Volume control, Tap tempo, turning FX blocks on/off independent of the patch programming, etc., so it's very useful and IMO necessary. I even have one patch that allows me to control the pitch of the signal so I can go from guitar to -1 Octave (a.k.a. bass) by sweeping my second control pedal. I freaked my drummer out when I was the only one playing in the room and he was taking a break. Then, he thought he heard bass guitar being played, but it was the G-Major dropping the pitch one octave. :)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000GigRig8_23_06.jpg

[Lt_Core]

Thanks, Neil! Does the channel switching through the G-Major control if the clean channel's bright switch has been pulled and the amp's treble, mids, bass, masters? I'm guessing it does because you mentioned that it can do everything I mentioned in my earlier post.

If I'm at a gig and want to increase my overall volume without screwing around with the patches, do I just turn up the G-Major's Input/Output knobs?

[hal9000]

Thanks, Neil! Does the channel switching through the G-Major control if the clean channel's bright switch has been pulled and the amp's treble, mids, bass, masters? I'm guessing it does because you mentioned that it can do everything I mentioned in my earlier post.

If I'm at a gig and want to increase my overall volume without screwing around with the patches, do I just turn up the G-Major's Input/Output knobs?Jeff, I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. No, the G-Major has no knowledge of the amplifier settings. The relays simply take the place of the F-series footswitch. However, since you have a three band parametric EQ available for any patch, you can setup your core tone with the amp's knobs and drastically alter them to your liking. For instance, I have a low volume super scoop EQ for Contour that sounds just like Master of Puppets. If I turn off the EQ, the sound goes back to normal Contour. I've even used the EQ to boost the mids on Contour mode so it's perfect for solos.

To increase your overall volume you can simply adjust the G-Major's output knob. Normally, I leave the input at 12:00 and adjust the output from 8:30 to 1:00 depending on how loud I want to play. The output knob at 8:30 is conversation level, where my F-100 is set to about 10:30 on the CH2 master which you know is crazy loud.

Just think, you could setup a single patch per song and go right on through the list in order. Or, you could setup standard configurations (Clean, Solo, Rhythm, Heavy Rhythm, etc.) like I do, then pick and choose what to use per each song's section. If you really want to get fancy, you could get a MIDI signal router like the Axess GRX4 and put your pedals in a rack drawer so they can be MIDI switched as well. That's good quality fun right there my friend. :)

[Will Cyrier]

Does anyone use a G-Major with their F-50? I'm looking at replacing a bunch of my stompboxes and have some questions. I have never used rack processors before, just a huge pedalboard.

1. The G-Major supposedly can handle channel switching. I'm guessing it does not remember the settings, like Master volume, Gain, etc. How about switching to Contour mode and Reverb on/off?

2. How well does it work with the F-50's Parallel loop? Any weird issues to work around?

3. The G-Sharp seems to have more modulation effects to choose from but no channel switching, compressor, EQ and Noise Gate. Any other major differences?

4. Can attenuation be achieved through the G-Major, so the F-50's masters can be cranked? Any signal loss with the G-Major in the loop?

5. I only play live so I'm looking at the Behringer FCB1010 controller, at a decent HC forumite price :) Are there any other controllers I should look into?

Thanks for your help!

I used a Behringer FCB1010 with my Peavy Transfex Pro 212's and was happy with the results. I didn't know anything about MIDI at the time and, once I got the pedal programed, it worked fine for two years until I sold that rig. I didn't gig very much with it, so your situation may be different. I'm sure as long as you get at gig bag for it and don't spill beer on it, it should do fine. But the value to me was outstanding compared to Peavy's MIDI board at the time. You guys are making me want to look at G-majors :D

[Lo0SeSkReWz]

Hey Hal, this is probably a noob question but I havn't been posting here that long so, where do you get those graphic diagrams of your set up? Is there a prog that you use to make them yourself or what?

[Lo0SeSkReWz]

ooops....n/m. just saw the info at the bottom of your last post.:thu:

[hal9000]

ooops....n/m. just saw the info at the bottom of your last post.:thu:I run a small (me :)) graphic design business, www.64graphics.com so if you want to see more of my work, check out the portfolio link there. I used Adobe Illustrator primarily, but the rigs you've seen were done in MS PowerPoint.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hi Brothers,

I'm thrilled to introduce my third sprog, "Sara Caron". Born on August 14 here in the UK. Mum, her two big sisters, and me, are all doing great! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[VoodooChild24]

Hi Brothers,

I'm thrilled to introduce my third sprog, "Sara Caron". Born on August 14 here in the UK. Mum, her two big sisters, and me, are all doing great! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Congrats to the new bouncing baby girl Andy. I hope you post clips of her singing soon!! :thu:

[PowerDude]

Hi Brothers,

I'm thrilled to introduce my third sprog, "Sara Caron". Born on August 14 here in the UK. Mum, her two big sisters, and me, are all doing great! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Congratulations!!!

I've got three rug rats also, and my life wouldn't be the same without them.:thu:

[Lo0SeSkReWz]

Congrats and God bless the new edition

[Iced Tea]

Hi guys. Looking for some help here. I know that several of you have TC Electronics systems like the G Major and G Sharp etc. I have an F30 and an F50, and a G System which I love. It comes with relays for amp channel switching which are accessed via 2 stereo 1/4" inputs. I believe some of you have homemade cables for your TC Electronics stuff for your F Series amps. I am wondering if the cables you have for your TC Electronics rigs and your F series amps would also work with the G System. Keep in mind I am a complete idiot when it comes to this kind of stuff so the easiest way I could find to get a cable that at least allow me to switch between the Clean, Crunch and Contour modes would suffice (reverb is unnecessary as the G System comes with a multitude of reverb options). Here are some more details from the manual if this helps:

The G-System has two stereo jack connectors which give you access to four relays. Use them to switch channels on your amp or pre-amp.
Relay Switching Menu
• Press EDIT and turn PAGE to select RELAYS.
• Press ENTER.
A and B Settings
For each preset, you can define two relay configurations can be set up .
Having two positions allows you to alternate between two amp channels using an assigned switch while staying in the same preset.
Relay
The options are A and B. This parameter sets whether
the preset should select relay combination A or
combination B at preset change.
The options on each connector are:
– Open
– Tip to Ground
– Ring to Ground
– Tip and Ring to Ground
The following options are available:
1 OOOO 9 COOC
2 COOO 10 OCOO
3 OCOO 11 OCCO
4 CCOO 12 OCCC
5 CCCO 13 OCOC
6 CCCC 14 OOCO
7 COCO 15 OOCC
8 COCC 16 OOOC
O = Open
C = Closed

As we cannot list schematics of all amps here, we suggest that you simply try which of these options results in the desired channel selection. For your amp this could be:
OOOO = Clean channel
OCOO = Crunch
CCOO = Drive channel

Would any of your exisitng 1/4" stereo to DIN 5 connectors appear to work with the G System? How can I go about possible making a cable that would work?

Thanks for your indulgence and any possible help anyone might be able to provide

[Santuzzo]

Hi Brothers,

I'm thrilled to introduce my third sprog, "Sara Caron". Born on August 14 here in the UK. Mum, her two big sisters, and me, are all doing great! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Congratulations , Andy !

Those pictures are so cute !!! :)

[Goldwing]

Congratulations!!!

[Dann'sTheMan]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. One of my biggest concerns is how many bathrooms I'm gonna need in the house in a few short years. Wish me luck! :p Here's one more piccie including big sisters Hana and Mari for a full compliment of "rug rats",

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hi guys. Looking for some help here. I know that several of you have TC Electronics systems like the G Major and G Sharp etc. I have an F30 and an F50, and a G System which I love. It comes with relays for amp channel switching which are accessed via 2 stereo 1/4" inputs. I believe some of you have homemade cables for your TC Electronics stuff for your F Series amps. I am wondering if the cables you have for your TC Electronics rigs and your F series amps would also work with the G System. Keep in mind I am a complete idiot when it comes to this kind of stuff so the easiest way I could find to get a cable that at least allow me to switch between the Clean, Crunch and Contour modes would suffice (reverb is unnecessary as the G System comes with a multitude of reverb options). Here are some more details from the manual if this helps:

The G-System has two stereo jack connectors which give you access to four relays. Use them to switch channels on your amp or pre-amp.
Relay Switching Menu
• Press EDIT and turn PAGE to select RELAYS.
• Press ENTER.
A and B Settings
For each preset, you can define two relay configurations can be set up .
Having two positions allows you to alternate between two amp channels using an assigned switch while staying in the same preset.
Relay
The options are A and B. This parameter sets whether
the preset should select relay combination A or
combination B at preset change.
The options on each connector are:
– Open
– Tip to Ground
– Ring to Ground
– Tip and Ring to Ground
The following options are available:
1 OOOO 9 COOC
2 COOO 10 OCOO
3 OCOO 11 OCCO
4 CCOO 12 OCCC
5 CCCO 13 OCOC
6 CCCC 14 OOCO
7 COCO 15 OOCC
8 COCC 16 OOOC
O = Open
C = Closed

As we cannot list schematics of all amps here, we suggest that you simply try which of these options results in the desired channel selection. For your amp this could be:
OOOO = Clean channel
OCOO = Crunch
CCOO = Drive channel

Would any of your exisitng 1/4" stereo to DIN 5 connectors appear to work with the G System? How can I go about possible making a cable that would work?

Thanks for your indulgence and any possible help anyone might be able to provide


Hi Iced Tea,

Yep, the G-System works in the same way as the G-Major, the only difference being the G-System has two sockets at the back for external switching, whereas the G-Major only has one. As you don't need to use the amp's reverb, you only need to use one of your G-system's sockets, and indeed you could use an identical cable to the ones that have been described in this thread for the G-Major.

In terms of actually making the cable, then post #2 of this thread has the pin out information that you, or your tech would need. If you're based in the US, hal9000 also posted a parts list IIRC, so you have all the info needed if you'd like to make up the cable yourself. You'll need to do a small amount of soldering, but if you start with a standard fully wired MIDI (5-pin DIN) cable, then you could simply chop off one end, and rewire/solder in a stereo jack.

Making it yourself is obviously the cheapest approach (~5-10 bucks in parts), but you could pay a tech, or anyone comfortable with a soldering iron, to do it. Alternatively, smaller companies like Axess electronics (http://www.axess-electronics.com/tmprices.html) ($30) and FJA Mods will make them up for you. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Santuzzo]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. One of my biggest concerns is how many bathrooms I'm gonna need in the house in a few short years. Wish me luck! :p Here's one more piccie including big sisters Hana and Mari for a full compliment of "rug rats",

Big smiles,

Andy.

wow !

Andy, you have cute kids ! :)


PS good luck with the bathrooms ;)

[Torh]

Hi Brothers,

I'm thrilled to introduce my third sprog, "Sara Caron". Born on August 14 here in the UK. Mum, her two big sisters, and me, are all doing great! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Congratulations! :) I'm glad all is well for you and your family.

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi Brothers,

I'm thrilled to introduce my third sprog, "Sara Caron". Born on August 14 here in the UK. Mum, her two big sisters, and me, are all doing great! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.
Congratulations! :)

... and good to see you here my friend!

[Iced Tea]

Thanks so much Andy for the info. Sounds like even I might be able to handle that soldering. I will get myself a 5 pin DIN cable and chop off the end and have at it. If I fail I'll see about the other options. Again thanks SO MUCH and especially amidst having to tend to your new birth! Let me also pass along my congratulations and once again thanks!

Blayne


Hi Iced Tea,

Yep, the G-System works in the same way as the G-Major, the only difference being the G-System has two sockets at the back for external switching, whereas the G-Major only has one. As you don't need to use the amp's reverb, you only need to use one of your G-system's sockets, and indeed you could use an identical cable to the ones that have been described in this thread for the G-Major.

In terms of actually making the cable, then post #2 of this thread has the pin out information that you, or your tech would need. If you're based in the US, hal9000 also posted a parts list IIRC, so you have all the info needed if you'd like to make up the cable yourself. You'll need to do a small amount of soldering, but if you start with a standard fully wired MIDI (5-pin DIN) cable, then you could simply chop off one end, and rewire/solder in a stereo jack.

Making it yourself is obviously the cheapest approach (~5-10 bucks in parts), but you could pay a tech, or anyone comfortable with a soldering iron, to do it. Alternatively, smaller companies like Axess electronics (http://www.axess-electronics.com/tmprices.html) ($30) and FJA Mods will make them up for you. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Ogi-wan]

Congratulations, Andy!

And, yes, good luck as well. Women and bathrooms...

[Iced Tea]

Hi Iced Tea,

Yep, the G-System works in the same way as the G-Major, the only difference being the G-System has two sockets at the back for external switching, whereas the G-Major only has one. As you don't need to use the amp's reverb, you only need to use one of your G-system's sockets, and indeed you could use an identical cable to the ones that have been described in this thread for the G-Major.

In terms of actually making the cable, then post #2 of this thread has the pin out information that you, or your tech would need. If you're based in the US, hal9000 also posted a parts list IIRC, so you have all the info needed if you'd like to make up the cable yourself. You'll need to do a small amount of soldering, but if you start with a standard fully wired MIDI (5-pin DIN) cable, then you could simply chop off one end, and rewire/solder in a stereo jack.

Making it yourself is obviously the cheapest approach (~5-10 bucks in parts), but you could pay a tech, or anyone comfortable with a soldering iron, to do it. Alternatively, smaller companies like Axess electronics (http://www.axess-electronics.com/tmprices.html) ($30) and FJA Mods will make them up for you. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Andy - just to verify, I found from an earlier post:

You're already familiar with the details at the amp end:


Pin 1 - Ground
Pin 4 - Channel 1/2 toggling
Pin 2 - Contour On/Off
Pin 5 - Reverb On/Off
Pin 3 - Not Used

So bringing all of this information together, we see:
Pin 1 (Ground) from the F-series needs to connect to the Sleeve.

The "function pins" (Pins 4, 2 and 5) connect to the appropriate tags that are available, e.g.:
* on a G-Major, I connected pins 4 and 2 to the Tip and the Ring respectively.

So I will wire Pin 4 (Channel 1/2 toggling) to the Tip (in the middle pointing horizontally towards 9 o'clock) and Pin 2 (Contour On/Off) to the Ring (at the top pointing diagonally towards 10 o'clock) of the stereo 1/4" jack. Pin 5 I will leave unconnected so the reverb is on all the time, and turn it down completely at the amp and use the G System's reverb. Pin 1 will go to sleeve (at the bottom - Ground).

Just want to be sure before I make an attempt at my own soldering. I guess all I am wondering at this point is how I will know which wire in the DIN cable I will chop off goes to Pins 1, 2 & 4. I'm assuming I will figure that out when I get a DIN cable and cut it (told you I was pretty much an idiot at these things)! :freak:

Also still trying to find the IIRC parts list Hal9000 posted.

Blayne

[Dann'sTheMan]

Thanks once again brothers. :) The girls certainly do have an interesting look. My wife is Japanese, and me, I'm a mongrel (half black, half Indian via Caribbean). :p

I wanted to check in and add a small comment to my previous OCD ravings. Last week, I decided to take the OCD to rehearsal to use with my POD rig, and to see if it could add some magic to some digital models (it did a pretty good job). Unsurprisingly however, the knobs got moved, and when I plugged it back into my F-50, the sweet spot was long gone. Numpty that I am, I hadn't made a detailed record of the settings. :o I've been trying all week to get it back, and it's been frustrating trying to balance the drive and output levels of the pedal with the amp's gain control. With the sweet spot I had before, it sounded fantastic on all "three" F-series channels, and harmonics pretty much flew off the neck with sustain for days. It also cut beautifully in the mix with a complex amp-like midrange and totally controllable from the guitar's volume. Out of the sweet spot, it sounded... well, pedestrian.

Well the good news is that I was finally able to get it back into the sweet spot this evening. All frustrations are gone, and I'm back to revelling in the tone. If any of you get a chance to try out an OCD with your F-series, you may be interested in trying the settings that have worked so well for me in my rig (see attachments) - I'm certainly not going to let those settings go undetailed any more. :thu:

I've got some big gigs coming up in September, including another week-long convention in Holland. If the tones and the flexibility of the set up work as well as I'm expecting, then I may well finally loop and rack mount my pedals and just run my Behringer (and occasional wah-wah) on the floor. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Andy - just to verify, I found from an earlier post:

You're already familiar with the details at the amp end:


Pin 1 - Ground
Pin 4 - Channel 1/2 toggling
Pin 2 - Contour On/Off
Pin 5 - Reverb On/Off
Pin 3 - Not Used

So bringing all of this information together, we see:
Pin 1 (Ground) from the F-series needs to connect to the Sleeve.

The "function pins" (Pins 4, 2 and 5) connect to the appropriate tags that are available, e.g.:
* on a G-Major, I connected pins 4 and 2 to the Tip and the Ring respectively.

So I will wire Pin 4 (Channel 1/2 toggling) to the Tip (in the middle pointing horizontally towards 9 o'clock) and Pin 2 (Contour On/Off) to the Ring (at the top pointing diagonally towards 10 o'clock) of the stereo 1/4" jack. Pin 5 I will leave unconnected so the reverb is on all the time, and turn it down completely at the amp and use the G System's reverb. Pin 1 will go to sleeve (at the bottom - Ground).

Just want to be sure before I make an attempt at my own soldering. I guess all I am wondering at this point is how I will know which wire in the DIN cable I will chop off goes to Pins 1, 2 & 4. I'm assuming I will figure that out when I get a DIN cable and cut it (told you I was pretty much an idiot at these things)! :freak:

Also still trying to find the IIRC parts list Hal9000 posted.

Blayne

Hi Blayne,

You'll pulled all of the info together correctly, and your description seems spot on to me. :thu:

Regarding how to tell what wire goes to what, once you cut the MIDI/5-pin DIN cable, I recommend using an Ohmeter (I use a digital multi-meter on the appropriate setting) to check for a continuous electrical circuit between a given pin on the DIN end, and the end of a given wire at the cut end - when the resistance reads 0 Ohms, then you know the two are connected. You can then also use the Ohmeter to check that all the pins and wires are connected to where you think they should be, once the cable is made. :cool:

Regarding hal9000's parts list, check out post #4333 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21265640#post21265640). In my cable, I decided to go with a DIN socket (rather than a jack) - this allows me to make use of the original Mesa footswitch cable, which is robust and a good length. Consequently my custom cable can be kept short (only 1 metre), and I can make do with cheaper parts, because it never goes on the floor. Let me know how you get on! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Iced Tea]

Hi Blayne,

You'll pulled all of the info together correctly, and your description seems spot on to me. :thu:

Regarding how to tell what wire goes to what, once you cut the MIDI/5-pin DIN cable, I recommend using an Ohmeter (I use a digital multi-meter on the appropriate setting) to check for a continuous electrical circuit between a given pin on the DIN end, and the end of a given wire at the cut end - when the resistance reads 0 Ohms, then you know the two are connected. You can then also use the Ohmeter to check that all the pins and wires are connected to where you think they should be, once the cable is made. :cool:

Regarding hal9000's parts list, check out post #4333 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21265640#post21265640). In my cable, I decided to go with a DIN socket (rather than a jack) - this allows me to make use of the original Mesa footswitch cable, which is robust and a good length. Consequently my custom cable can be kept short (only 1 metre), and I can make do with cheaper parts, because it never goes on the floor. Let me know how you get on! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Thanks so much Andy! You're assistance is much appreciated. I think I'm all set. :thu: I'll definitely use your approach and take advantage of the extra cable length the existing F30/50 cable will provide. I'll let you know how it all comes out when I'm done (may be a week or 2 before I get all the parts together and tackle this).

Blayne

[Killing Nevada]

Just got my F-50 yesterday. Used. Unfortunatly the Reverb isn't working ATM, but the shop agreed to fix it. So yay. Here a few pics? Anyone else rocking the hardwood? I do plan on changing the knobs to the cream ones as well.
F-50 w/matching 1x12 cab w/Black Shadow speaker.
Also, my main guitar is a PRS McCarty, but it seems like the low E string gets really flubby with this amp, any suggestions?
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0277.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0281.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0280.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0279.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0278.jpg

[Miqueas92]

I have a chance to pick up a f100 in good shape for 750 shipped. What do you think¿ I don´t know that I need so much amp, 100 watts, wow!!!

Are they reliable¿¿¿ eat tubes¿¿¿

Mick

[Santuzzo]

Just got my F-50 yesterday. Used. Unfortunatly the Reverb isn't working ATM, but the shop agreed to fix it. So yay. Here a few pics? Anyone else rocking the hardwood? I do plan on changing the knobs to the cream ones as well.
F-50 w/matching 1x12 cab w/Black Shadow speaker.
Also, my main guitar is a PRS McCarty, but it seems like the low E string gets really flubby with this amp, any suggestions?
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0277.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0281.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0280.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0279.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0278.jpg

Congrats !

It looks AWESOME !!! :love::thu:

[Jemthrash7]

I'm sure they are here somewhere but does anyone have clips of F-30 doing heavier stuff like screaming leads or rhythm work. I liked the ones on the very first post here. What cab and speakers do most people use for them. I have a Mesa 3/4 back with custom 90's, will that work well?

[Killing Nevada]

Congrats !

It looks AWESOME !!! :love::thu:

Thanks
:wave:

[MEJA]

So I was watching a tutorial on how to bias a hot rod deluxe (eurotubes website) and the guy in the tutorial says that "fender recomends about 70 mv, but we consider that very cold" so he procedes to crank the bias voltage up to 90 mv! So it got me thinking, has anyone here bothered to add a bias pot to their F50, F100, or F30 if its even possible?
I don't have any plans of changing my F100, I'm really just curious if it did anything positive or negative to the tone?

Thanks,

Mike.

[Miqueas92]

Well...

I ended up winning an F100 for $600.00 + shipping. WoW!!!!!

Still have not told my Wife :p my be a little trouble in paradise.

So... MEJA how do you like yours¿¿ Anyone else that wants to comment on their F100, likes, dislikes.

Mick

[MEJA]

Well...

I ended up winning an F100 for $600.00 + shipping. WoW!!!!!

Still have not told my Wife :p my be a little trouble in paradise.

So... MEJA how do you like yours¿¿ Anyone else that wants to comment on their F100, likes, dislikes.

Mick

Hi Mick,

To be honest I haven't had a chance to use it much yet. Last few weekends i've been out of town. $600, wow I got mine for $700 so you have me beat. Mines a little beat up as well, nothing functional wrong with it just some small nicks and such. I did score some new JJ 6L6s for it and put those in Friday. Haven't even had a chance to play it yet. I tend to like JJ powertubes so i'm assuming they will sound good. I plan on using it with my Boss GT-8.

Mike.

[Miqueas92]

Hey Mike,
I also will be putting in new tubes. There seems to be some debate wether to use Mesa or some other tubes. Does anyone have an opinion as to which tubes might be best¿¿¿ I have a Tonelab that I´ll use in the loop for effects and such.

Mick

[MEJA]

Hey Mike,
I also will be putting in new tubes. There seems to be some debate wether to use Mesa or some other tubes. Does anyone have an opinion as to which tubes might be best¿¿¿ I have a Tonelab that I´ll use in the loop for effects and such.

Mick

Hi Mick,

I'm no tube expert but I know that there are many online stores for tubes that can provide matched quads that will be within Mesa's requirements. I have used Eurotubes.com a couple of times with good results but they only sell JJ tubes which I happen to like.

I only have first hand knowledge of Mesa, JJ, and Groove tubes for 6L6 GC tubes with JJ being my favorite historicaly. I guess I'll see how I like them in the F100.
I'm sure some of the folks here will chime in on tube recomendations.

Mike.

[Nemesys]

Also, my main guitar is a PRS McCarty, but it seems like the low E string gets really flubby with this amp, any suggestions?


Something that might work well for you is to run an EQ pedal in front with the low frequencies rolled off, then adjust the bass controls on the amp up to compensate, which should tighten the low frequencies nicely. Alternatively (and more expensive), a closed-back cabinet would probably work nicely too.

Beautiful amp, btw! :D

[Surfcaster]

Killing Nevada -

The F50 does not have the tightest bottom end. I've kind of gotten used to it, but I recently noticed my Charvel Surfcaster produces a lot more low end than my Strat or Les Paul, but it's not too bad. You can use an EQ in front of the amp to cut bass and then put another in the loop to boost them again, giving a nice tight low end, but you do lose something in the process. You might also try a Vintage 30 in place of the C90, it has a little less bottom end and a much more focused mid range. I actually like both together, running the C90 in the combo and the V30 in a 1x12 external cab.

Miqueas92 -

There IS a lot of debate on tubes. If you order from Eurotubes, he will send you tubes that run hotter in your Mesa, for this very reason. Many people who have ordered tubes from him have been very pleased with the results. I've also heard good things about Dougs Tubes. I actually ordered a set of TADs from Doug's Tubes, but my amp started acting funny with these tubes...the volume would sort of fade in and out. I'm not sure if it was a tube issue or not, but it did NOT do it with my stock tubes, so I put them back in, as they still have a fair amount of life left in them. I'm not sure what I'll do when it comes time to replace them.

[plumptone]

Just got my F-50 yesterday. Used. Unfortunatly the Reverb isn't working ATM, but the shop agreed to fix it. So yay. Here a few pics? Anyone else rocking the hardwood? I do plan on changing the knobs to the cream ones as well.
F-50 w/matching 1x12 cab w/Black Shadow speaker.
Also, my main guitar is a PRS McCarty, but it seems like the low E string gets really flubby with this amp, any suggestions?

Hey Killing Nevada. Great looking set-up you've got there. I have one in bubinga, but it's the combo. Is that speaker a stock design? I've never seen one with the back angle on the baffle like that. Must sound hot. I've been able to get an awesome all-around sound out of mine - it's a tad underfocussed if it sits on the floor, so I leave it in the bottom of my road case so it's elevated a little, but not so much that the coupling effect is gone altogether. Enjoy it!

Here's mine:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/plumpton1/Boogie3.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/plumpton1/Boogie2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/plumpton1/Boogie1.jpg

[Lt_Core]

I use an MXR 10-band EQ in the loop to help attenuate volume. Would a volume pedal do the same thing? I'm noticing that the clean channel is getting robbed of it's power more than the OD channel. Wondering if an Ernie Ball volume pedal would reduce the volume in a different way than the EQ pedal.

[Will Cyrier]

I use an MXR 10-band EQ in the loop to help attenuate volume. Would a volume pedal do the same thing? I'm noticing that the clean channel is getting robbed of it's power more than the OD channel. Wondering if an Ernie Ball volume pedal would reduce the volume in a different way than the EQ pedal.


I've used the EB VP in my loop and I can tell you that it works. Whether it will sound good to you is another subject. I haven't noticed the power being robbed with the VP method. :thu:

Will

[Killing Nevada]

Hey Killing Nevada. Great looking set-up you've got there. I have one in bubinga, but it's the combo. Is that speaker a stock design? I've never seen one with the back angle on the baffle like that. Must sound hot. I've been able to get an awesome all-around sound out of mine - it's a tad underfocussed if it sits on the floor, so I leave it in the bottom of my road case so it's elevated a little, but not so much that the coupling effect is gone altogether. Enjoy it!

Here's mine:

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/plumpton1/Boogie3.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/plumpton1/Boogie2.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k18/plumpton1/Boogie1.jpg

Nice!
Yes as far as I know it is all stock. It is a Mesa cab for sure tho.

[jry 1949]

hi guys what kind of inst. cables do you use im in the maket for some good chords im getting some noise from mine thanks jry

[Killing Nevada]

Mogami and George L

[Lt_Core]

I've used the EB VP in my loop and I can tell you that it works. Whether it will sound good to you is another subject. I haven't noticed the power being robbed with the VP method. :thu:

Will

Do you put it before or after any pedals in the loop? I have my EQ after but I might try it before some modulation pedals.

[Haden Olmsted]

i have a f30, iv heard the clips of those nice high gain sounds, how do i get that out of my f30 combo?

[bowen71]

hi guys what kind of inst. cables do you use im in the maket for some good chords im getting some noise from mine thanks jry


I use high quality ProCo cables and love them. But I have a buddy that's a sales rep for ProCo so I get a deal direct from him. They are also the same company that makes Rat distortion boxes.

www.procosound.com

[Will Cyrier]

Do you put it before or after any pedals in the loop? I have my EQ after but I might try it before some modulation pedals.


I have it before my flanger and delay effects. I haven't had much time since getting my amp back from the shop to experiment. My thinking behind this was a simple studio/recoding-like setup: Guitar-->Pre-amp Pedals-->Amp-->Time-based/mod effects. It sounds good to me, so I haven't had a reason to try and mix it up yet. I'm actually messing around with my Tonelab in the loop with the dummy cable in the send and it sounds killer, so I haven't event touched my pedal board for a month or so.

[Tommi Inkila]

I use high quality ProCo cables and love them. But I have a buddy that's a sales rep for ProCo so I get a deal direct from him. They are also the same company that makes Rat distortion boxes.

www.procosound.com
Yeah, the Lifelines cables are also very durable. I still have one from '95 I think.

Nowadays I'm using Planet Waves... sounds good, no problems yet, I like the tension springs and stiffer than most of the cables.

[SG+F50=Smiles]

This is great. I have been reading this thread on and off for the last couple of days. Fantastic! Thanks go out to everyone who has submitted tips and tricks and also submitted troubles and issues. What I have learned about my amp this weekend in this thread just paid me back for buying this amp. I have been fighting with this little bugger for two years now, never completely satisfied with my tones... until now. Can't stop smiling. Can't stop playing... Man I'm glad I didn't ditch this amp before I got to know it. Fookin amazing when you find the zone. Lovin' it. Thanks to all.

[Lt_Core]

This is great. I have been reading this thread on and off for the last couple of days. Fantastic! Thanks go out to everyone who has submitted tips and tricks and also submitted troubles and issues. What I have learned about my amp this weekend in this thread just paid me back for buying this amp. I have been fighting with this little bugger for two years now, never completely satisfied with my tones... until now. Can't stop smiling. Can't stop playing... Man I'm glad I didn't ditch this amp before I got to know it. Fookin amazing when you find the zone. Lovin' it. Thanks to all.

Glad you're a happy camper :)

Welcome to the F-series Lounge! What made the difference in finding your sound? Always fun to hear what works for different people. I'm off to a gig. Later!

[SG+F50=Smiles]

I needed a better understanding of how all the tone controls worked on this amp and this thread has done that for me.

[jry 1949]

hi has anyone checked out the express 5 50 or the 5 25 and if so what did you think

[ashjn]

hi has anyone checked out the express 5 50 or the 5 25 and if so what did you think

I checked out the 5:25 and it just didn't do it for me like the F-100 does...

[Will Cyrier]

How do I kill the buzz? I'm using my Tonelab SE in the effects loop of my F-30 with a dummy cable in the amp's send. I've tried turning off my computer monitor and increased the built-in noise reduction on the TLSE, but that just sucks the life out of my tone. It's worse on higher gain settings, but I don't want to have to turn the gain down for certain sounds.

[hal9000]

How do I kill the buzz? I'm using my Tonelab SE in the effects loop of my F-30 with a dummy cable in the amp's send. I've tried turning off my computer monitor and increased the built-in noise reduction on the TLSE, but that just sucks the life out of my tone. It's worse on higher gain settings, but I don't want to have to turn the gain down for certain sounds.If possible, run the TL and F-30 on the same outlet. Hopefully, that will avoid obvious ground loops. If the noise continues, you can use a cable to connect the TL to the FX return that has one side of the shield disconnected from the outer jacket of the connector.

[Will Cyrier]

If possible, run the TL and F-30 on the same outlet. Hopefully, that will avoid obvious ground loops. If the noise continues, you can use a cable to connect the TL to the FX return that has one side of the shield disconnected from the outer jacket of the connector.

I realized that my wall wart power supply was next to the cable between the TL and the F. I haven't had a chance to see if that was the culprit. I also have both of them (TL and F) plugged into a surge protector. Could that be an issue? Does the shield in the cable act as an antenna for RF?

[Dann'sTheMan]

Just got my F-50 yesterday. Used. Unfortunatly the Reverb isn't working ATM, but the shop agreed to fix it. So yay. Here a few pics? Anyone else rocking the hardwood? I do plan on changing the knobs to the cream ones as well.
F-50 w/matching 1x12 cab w/Black Shadow speaker.
Also, my main guitar is a PRS McCarty, but it seems like the low E string gets really flubby with this amp, any suggestions?
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0277.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0281.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0280.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0279.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/xSisterxFisterx/IMG_0278.jpg

Beautiful rig, Killing Nevada!

We don't see as many custom hardwood Boogies here in Europe - and ones like yours (and plumptone's) make me drool!

Furthermore, welcome to the F-series brotherhood, and a warm welcome to those who have joined whilst I've been AWOL. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

hi guys what kind of inst. cables do you use im in the maket for some good chords im getting some noise from mine thanks jry


I use Whirlwind Leader cables. Been using them for over 15 years, and I only had to use the lifetime guarantee facility once. Recommended! :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. I've got a TRS Planet Waves cable that I use with my Variax. I'm on my second, the first one died (broken jack) after a couple of years...

[Dann'sTheMan]

This is great. I have been reading this thread on and off for the last couple of days. Fantastic! Thanks go out to everyone who has submitted tips and tricks and also submitted troubles and issues. What I have learned about my amp this weekend in this thread just paid me back for buying this amp. I have been fighting with this little bugger for two years now, never completely satisfied with my tones... until now. Can't stop smiling. Can't stop playing... Man I'm glad I didn't ditch this amp before I got to know it. Fookin amazing when you find the zone. Lovin' it. Thanks to all.


Totally cool! Helping out fellow musicians to get the most out of their rigs is what HCAF et al should be about. The F-series Lounge is how it should be done! :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

hi has anyone checked out the express 5 50 or the 5 25 and if so what did you think

I've tried them both, and thought they were awesome amps. I had a huge amount of fun with a 2x12 5:50 recently, revelling in the tone and slowly increasing the gain a notch at a time, as I explored those nuances. Things were going amazingly well, until I went to turn up the gain knob yet another notch and found that it had run out of gain. :mad:

My thoughts are that it's another sweet Boogie - Randall is having quite a streak of awesome designs hey?! I think they'd excel for Clean, Blues-Rock and Rock tones, but they can't touch the type of aggression and heaviness of the F-series. I also haven't been able to find anything I like in the 5 watt mode on either the 6L6 or EL84 designs. :freak:

I personally like the Expresses more than the Lonestar (which is a lot). I'm going to take a friend amp shopping next week, and the Express 5:50 is top of the list. It'll be interesting to hear how my friend's rig shapes up next to my F-50 rig, but I'm so happy with mine, I can't see it troubling the waters. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi bros!

Update on my tone search... I sold the Axetrak. While it was good, it wasn't good enough for recording our next album. The biggest problem was that it seems that Axetrak doesn't compliment F-series well. Ie. its resonance peak was around 4.4kHz which is quite far from v30 equipped cab (2.7kHz)... and it seemed that F-series' natural resonant peak collided with the Axetrak. Well, this may be too analytical but that's how it felt. It was like there was always that annoying frequency problem beneath the tone. Still I recommend to try it if you have need for insulation cabinet, or you need it for different amp. It's truly nearly silent.

So I decided to go back to the "natural" setup... miced up cabinet with SM57 and Beyerdynamic M201. I'll have to practise to be in top shape since I'll have to do all the guitars in few days, probably divided into 2 different sessions, January 2008 and June 2008.

If I need to, I'll bring in some extra spice from my Vox AD15VT... which btw sounds phenomenal on our preproductioned songs.

[opultaM]

Anyone, by any chance, running an F through a Marshall 1960 JCM 800 cab? I run my F100 throught that 4X12 and lately it's been sounding a bit harsh to me. Anyone?

[hal9000]

Anyone, by any chance, running an F through a Marshall 1960 JCM 800 cab? I run my F100 throught that 4X12 and lately it's been sounding a bit harsh to me. Anyone?I've run my F-100 through my singer's 1960A with G12T-75s and I'm not a big fan. The 75s are a little too scooped in the mids and the treble is fatiguing to me. Perhaps a small investment in the Warehouse Vintage 30 clones to mix with your 75s would be a worthwhile expense? You'd then have the Bogner Ubercab setup.

[Rodimus Prime]

yeah, i run my F through a marshall jcm800. It really depends on the speakers that it has. I do not like 75's live but they really worked recorded. Mine came stock with G12m70's which i thought were nice live. Loads of bass, big mids and settled highs. i took out a pair and put in some warehouse CL80 copies and i really like those as well.
I have the pair of 70's that i took out for sale if you're interested

[schnarf]

I just got my F-30. It sounds great, but I've got some unwanted distortion on the clean channel, particularly when I play lower notes a little loud. My controls are all set very moderately (bedroom levels, but I've tried it louder), with the gain around 9 or 10 o'clock, and no matter what I do, I can't get it to go away. Any ideas?

[opultaM]

I've run my F-100 through my singer's 1960A with G12T-75s and I'm not a big fan. The 75s are a little too scooped in the mids and the treble is fatiguing to me. Perhaps a small investment in the Warehouse Vintage 30 clones to mix with your 75s would be a worthwhile expense? You'd then have the Bogner Ubercab setup.

Thanks I will look into that...how do I look into that :D:confused:

[hal9000]

Thanks I will look into that...how do I look into that :D:confused:Here you go: http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Veteran-30-Guitar-Speaker-made-by-WGS-16-ohm_W0QQitemZ200148050604QQihZ010QQcategoryZ121165 QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Most 1960A cabs have four 16 Ohm speakers wired in series/parallel for 16 Ohms, so these speakers will drop right in. My singer's cab also had a choice of 8 Ohms stereo (2 speakers per side) and 4 Ohms mono (all four 16 Ohm speakers in parallel) via the back panel switches.

[opultaM]

Here you go: http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Veteran-30-Guitar-Speaker-made-by-WGS-16-ohm_W0QQitemZ200148050604QQihZ010QQcategoryZ121165 QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Most 1960A cabs have four 16 Ohm speakers wired in series/parallel for 16 Ohms, so these speakers will drop right in. My singer's cab also had a choice of 8 Ohms stereo (2 speakers per side) and 4 Ohms mono (all four 16 Ohm speakers in parallel) via the back panel switches.

Thanks! Before I check those out I'm gonna bring my Recto 2X12 (Celestion 30's) up to the studio and run the two cabs together. I'll see how that sounds.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hi Brothers,

Ever been plagued by unreliable gear? My G-Major died on me on Saturday, just before a church gig. As it's the centre of my rig in terms of both switching and volume control, I was really hung out to dry. I wasn't too far away from home, so I ducked out of the rehearsals, and went to pick up my old Zoom 9030. Now I had retired this unit because it was starting to get old and temperamental, but I hoped I would get enough time to try and get it working in my rig again.

No such luck, and five minutes before the start of the program, I made the decision to go with my POD, and use my F-50 as a power amp (the speaker was already miked up). I got through the gig OK, but I did miss the tone... :p

The next day, I was back at the same church for a full day of rehearsals prior to a week long convention in Holland (leaving next Sunday). I'd left my gear overnight, and had decided to try again to get the Zoom working - I actually had to re-read some of my earlier posts in this thread to remind myself how I used to integrate it. I worked out that the old input level knob that was already flaky when I retired the unit a few years back, had finally given up the ghost, and so I had to fall back to the POD.

The good news is that my G-Major is still covered by the 3 year warranty offered by Thomann, and they are arranging for UPS to pick the unit up. I'm already impressed with this level of customer service, and I hope to be fully rocking again soon.

Anyone else got any gear/gig mishap stories to share? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[opultaM]

This was a one in a million gear incident: I usually bring a backup guitar because I tend to break strings. On this particular night, by the time we got to our last song, I had already gone through my main guitar, my backup, and was now on my other guitarist's backup. With about a minute left in the song, I broke a string on THAT guitar to. So without any backup left, i just winged it for the rest of the song.

In the final seconds, I was getting all into it and swungn down low to my pedal board. In a freak occurrence, the broken string, hanging down off the headstock, went STRAIGHT INTO an open outlet on my pedal board. Within an instant that string lit up like a firework and basically sparked its way out of existence. I jumped back in amazement, unelectrocuted, and received a roar of applause for my unintentional pyrotechnics.

Afterwards, I apologized to the venue owner, as this was only a few weeks after that Great White incident, and I wanted him to know that it was unintentional. Apparently though, he hadn't noticed my blazing guitar.

[Dann'sTheMan]

This was a one in a million gear incident: I usually bring a backup guitar because I tend to break strings. On this particular night, by the time we got to our last song, I had already gone through my main guitar, my backup, and was now on my other guitarist's backup. With about a minute left in the song, I broke a string on THAT guitar to. So without any backup left, i just winged it for the rest of the song.

In the final seconds, I was getting all into it and swungn down low to my pedal board. In a freak occurrence, the broken string, hanging down off the headstock, went STRAIGHT INTO an open outlet on my pedal board. Within an instant that string lit up like a firework and basically sparked its way out of existence. I jumped back in amazement, unelectrocuted, and received a roar of applause for my unintentional pyrotechnics.

Afterwards, I apologized to the venue owner, as this was only a few weeks after that Great White incident, and I wanted him to know that it was unintentional. Apparently though, he hadn't noticed my blazing guitar.

:eek: :cool:

Wow, opultaM - that's pretty mind-blowing! ...thankfully not literally!

:eek: :D

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Progdude]

haha Opulta, I guess the pyrotechnics were worth the missing string :thu:
that thing was REAL lucky, out of the ordinary.. any damage in your gear?

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi Brothers,
Anyone else got any gear/gig mishap stories to share? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.
Aargh... that's so annoying!

My G-Major have survived 2-3 drops already so I'd consider it pretty reliable... but who knows if it blows soon... knockin' the wood (that's an expression in English as well, right?)

The most annoying thing ever happened was when my new midi controller died on me on first song of the gig on our biggest gig yet... so I played the gig with lead sound on whole time :D :rolleyes: :cool:

[opultaM]

Luckily no damage at all, except that my other guitarist told me next time i'd have to bring my own backup-backup guitar because he didn't want me "powering his up" anymore.

:D

[opultaM]

So I brought my Mesa 2X12 with the 30's up to the studio to combine with my JCM800 4X12. Not an improvement on Channel 2 (I have no problems at all with the clean tone-gorgeous). I spent alot of time with the tone controls and the best I got it (on channel 2, no contour), was when I had the treble and mid down pretty far. It seemed to be the mid that was delivering the harshness that I don't like. However, I'm not interested in the really scooped mid sound, so I would prefer not to drop the mid so much.

A couple of things though:
-I had to have the 2X12 on top of the 4X12. This means it was almost at ear level, so I was probably naturally getting more of the sound, which may have contributed to the problem? I don't know, but I can't fit the 4X12 on top. There was no room on the sides but I will try and make some tomorrow and see what happens if they're both on the floor.

-I had them both wired from the 4 ohm jacks, which may not be optimal. Tomorrow I will try 8 ohms into the 16 ohm Marshall and 4 ohms into the 8 ohm Mesa cab.

-There are 2 other bands we share our studio with, so a plethora of marshall and mesa cabs are available to try out. I will give them all ashot if I have time tomorrow and see what I like. (I know, pretty lucky)

-I didn't start noticing this harshness until we moved out of our old guitarist's basement (small, carpetted, room with plenty of furniture) into our rehearsal space (large, high ceiling, no furniture to dampen sound). Maybe this is contributing to the harshness?

-The ex-guitarist was also playing an F100, so our sounds meshed really well. The new guy is playing a Lonestar. So maybe this is all just a bit of gear envy on my part. It does sound really nice.

Idunno, I'm really not looking to spend more money on speakers or trading cabs at the moment, so I hope I can resolve this with the tone controls or the cab combinations I have available to me. But right now I'm just not as happy with my overdrive tone as I was a few months ago. We shall see.

[Kalebmation]

Hey guys, could someone that has a copy of the F series FX loop mod PDF (parallel to series) post it up on here? I'm ready to do it, but I can't seem to find the file on my computer. Much appreciated...

[musicdog400]

It seemed to be the mid that was delivering the harshness that I don't like.
You might want to try an EQ in the loop, with the loop mix dialed all the way up. Definitely works for me.

Hey guys, could someone that has a copy of the F series FX loop mod PDF
http://www.think600.com/Nomad%20Loop%20Series%20Mod.pdf

[opultaM]

You might want to try an EQ in the loop, with the loop mix dialed all the way up. Definitely works for me.




A possibility. I actually play with the FX Loop at 100%, with my delays and Noise Suppressor in the loop. I may see what happens if I reduce the Mix and raise my Delay levels. Only problem with that is when I Loop it will not be at regular volume.

I also have an eq pedal in front of the amp (as just a buffer right now), but maybe I'll mess with that.

So yeah, I have plenty of experimenting to do tonight :)

[estring777]

I've noticed that the higher the loop level the harsher the sound. I keep my level about 50% and dial in more delay level on the DD20. I read somewhere in the F series manual about the the mix knob. It said The more you dial in the more your tone will suffer.

[jisham]

Well, just grabbed a custom tolex F50 112 combo on ebay last night...may have overpaid a little, but I'm cool with it as I love the emerald green and wheat cloth.

http://i12.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/b2/89/da37_1.JPG

Anyway, I found this thread via TGP, and I don't have time right now to read it all the way through so I'm wondering if most owners swap out the tubes and if so, what do you guys recommend? I've always been a big believer in SEDs and ran those in the power section of my old Triple Recto, along with various chinese and reissue preamp tubes. Thanks in advance and I look forward to getting up to speed on these amps ASAP. Rock on . . .

Here's a link to the amp I won:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190145938837&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=009

[opultaM]

So my little saga continues.

Estring, I tried last night with the FX Loop mix at various levels. You're right, it did make a difference, but not the type of difference I was looking for. Even killing the loop entirely didn't really affect the raspiness.

I played with the tone controls a bunch, the gain, my eq pedal, and the resistance of the 2 cabs. the only thing I found was that plugging into a 1960A Marshall (I think...there was no plate on front and it was tough to read in back) improved the tone a bit. Still harsh, but not as much, and the clean sound was even fuller.

So next up I'm gonn atry the Mesa cab with Greenbacks (I think it's a half open back) that another guitarist has there. And also...change my strings. Maybe they're a bit dead and I'm trying to compensate with the tone controls, or something.

Idunno, trying to think of everything. :)

[Dann'sTheMan]

Aargh... that's so annoying!

My G-Major have survived 2-3 drops already so I'd consider it pretty reliable... but who knows if it blows soon... knockin' the wood (that's an expression in English as well, right?)

The most annoying thing ever happened was when my new midi controller died on me on first song of the gig on our biggest gig yet... so I played the gig with lead sound on whole time :D :rolleyes: :cool:


Hey Tommi,

Was that your ADA MIDI controller that died? That sounds like a real pain! Getting through some of my gigs with no foot control would be a nightmare! :eek:

Regarding my G-Major, UPS collected it yesterday, and Thomann had pre-paid everything. :cool: I think you were the one who originally highlighted this company to me, so I have you to thank Tommi that my experience with their customer service, and their long, LONG guarantee is so smooth! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Well, just grabbed a custom tolex F50 112 combo on ebay last night...may have overpaid a little, but I'm cool with it as I love the emerald green and wheat cloth.

http://i12.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/b2/89/da37_1.JPG

Anyway, I found this thread via TGP, and I don't have time right now to read it all the way through so I'm wondering if most owners swap out the tubes and if so, what do you guys recommend? I've always been a big believer in SEDs and ran those in the power section of my old Triple Recto, along with various chinese and reissue preamp tubes. Thanks in advance and I look forward to getting up to speed on these amps ASAP. Rock on . . .

Here's a link to the amp I won:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190145938837&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=009

Sweet amp - I think the colour combination looks great toO! Regarding tubes, many here have experimented with different brands and I've heard good things about the SEDs. I've currently got TADs in my power section, and I've been very pleased with them, nevertheless I'm pretty much due for a tube change... :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

So my little saga continues.

Estring, I tried last night with the FX Loop mix at various levels. You're right, it did make a difference, but not the type of difference I was looking for. Even killing the loop entirely didn't really affect the raspiness.

I played with the tone controls a bunch, the gain, my eq pedal, and the resistance of the 2 cabs. the only thing I found was that plugging into a 1960A Marshall (I think...there was no plate on front and it was tough to read in back) improved the tone a bit. Still harsh, but not as much, and the clean sound was even fuller.

So next up I'm gonn atry the Mesa cab with Greenbacks (I think it's a half open back) that another guitarist has there. And also...change my strings. Maybe they're a bit dead and I'm trying to compensate with the tone controls, or something.

Idunno, trying to think of everything. :)

Hi opultaM,

Sorry to hear about your ongoing issues. Out of interest, when was the last time the amp was re-tubed?

Big smiles,

Andy.

[jisham]

Sweet amp - I think the colour combination looks great toO! Regarding tubes, many here have experimented with different brands and I've heard good things about the SEDs. I've currently got TADs in my power section, and I've been very pleased with them, nevertheless I'm pretty much due for a tube change... :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

What preamp tubes are you running?

[opultaM]

Hi opultaM,

Sorry to hear about your ongoing issues. Out of interest, when was the last time the amp was re-tubed?

Big smiles,

Andy.

I bought the amp in January this year and actually changed one pair of power tubes in...May I think. Are you thinking it's the preamp tubes? I'm fairly convinced that it's not tubes but the cab and dead strings. I restrung last night and am gonna try it out again with the fresh strings. Then I'll try switching it to a RoadKing cab that's in the rehearsal studio (closed back C90's & open back V30's). Then if that doesn't sound good I will bang my face against the wall until it bursts :eek:

But in the meantime, my SF Vibro Champ arrived last night, so when I get home today I have some fun to be had :)

[Tommi Inkila]

Hey Tommi,

Was that your ADA MIDI controller that died? That sounds like a real pain! Getting through some of my gigs with no foot control would be a nightmare! :eek:

Regarding my G-Major, UPS collected it yesterday, and Thomann had pre-paid everything. :cool: I think you were the one who originally highlighted this company to me, so I have you to thank Tommi that my experience with their customer service, and their long, LONG guarantee is so smooth! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.
No problem Andy, I don't remember if it was me but it's possible :) ... it was possibly the SPL Goldmike version one special deal I mentioned that introduced you to them.

It was a Tech21 Midi Moose which died... it was quite a surprise especially since normally Tech21's are extremely durable. My old faithful ADA works still like a charm :)

[Lt_Core]

Somebody buy my F-50 combo so I can get a Rivera Fandango :)

[Dann'sTheMan]

What preamp tubes are you running?


JJs in V1 & 2; Stock Mesas in V3 & 4. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Ogi-wan]

Hi Tommi,

I recently downloaded Caged By The Dark, and I am sooooo into that song! It's been a long, long time since I listened to a piece of music so much. It reminds me of when I listened to Close To The Edge for the first time. :thu:

Anyways, I was wondering if you might share--if you can remember--your F-50 settings for your solo that starts at around 7:11. (Is it the neck pickup of your JP through the F-50? I'm making that assumption, but I could be wrong.)

Keep it up! I'm going to have to get myself a copy of Premiere now.

Cheers,
Jim

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi Tommi,

I recently downloaded Caged By The Dark, and I am sooooo into that song! It's been a long, long time since I listened to a piece of music so much. It reminds me of when I listened to Close To The Edge for the first time. :thu:

Anyways, I was wondering if you might share--if you can remember--your F-50 settings for your solo that starts at around 7:11. (Is it the neck pickup of your JP through the F-50? I'm making that assumption, but I could be wrong.)

Keep it up! I'm going to have to get myself a copy of Premiere now.

Cheers,
Jim
Thanks, great to hear you like that song! :)

It was actually recorded with Hughes&Kettner zenAmp with California Hot emulation, which is MarkIIC+ or similar I believe... and it was on neck pickup.

I hope that "Premiere" will be as good as "Caged" if not better... thanks once again :thu:

[Dann'sTheMan]

I bought the amp in January this year and actually changed one pair of power tubes in...May I think. Are you thinking it's the preamp tubes? I'm fairly convinced that it's not tubes but the cab and dead strings. I restrung last night and am gonna try it out again with the fresh strings. Then I'll try switching it to a RoadKing cab that's in the rehearsal studio (closed back C90's & open back V30's). Then if that doesn't sound good I will bang my face against the wall until it bursts :eek:

But in the meantime, my SF Vibro Champ arrived last night, so when I get home today I have some fun to be had :)


There are lots of reasons why a tube amp can become a little temperamental, and yep pre-amp tubes can be one of them (you might want to consider a darker voiced pre-amp tube like JJs); other factors include fluctuation in the line voltage out of the mains; the way the amp and speakers couple and react to the room and furnishings etc., etc.

I think the F-series, and more particularly the C90s in the F-50 combo, can be a little harsh when listening from within the speaker throw - many tube amps are. Some people deal with this with products like Weber Beam Blockers. It could be that the soft furnishings in your old rehearsal room were absorbing the offending high frequencies (or similarly furnishings in your new rehearsal room are absorbing frequencies that would normally blend away the offending high frequencies), and now they are more prominent. You could try firing your amp at a wall or a corner, and listening to the reflected sound - this is also an old trick for getting a combo to sound wider - in spite of it looking a bit strange... :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[millerd]

Has anyone tried a new Celestion Gold in a F-50 combo yet?

[opultaM]

There are lots of reasons why a tube amp can become a little temperamental, and yep pre-amp tubes can be one of them (you might want to consider a darker voiced pre-amp tube like JJs); other factors include fluctuation in the line voltage out of the mains; the way the amp and speakers couple and react to the room and furnishings etc., etc.

I think the F-series, and more particularly the C90s in the F-50 combo, can be a little harsh when listening from within the speaker throw - many tube amps are. Some people deal with this with products like Weber Beam Blockers. It could be that the soft furnishings in your old rehearsal room were absorbing the offending high frequencies (or similarly furnishings in your new rehearsal room are absorbing frequencies that would normally blend away the offending high frequencies), and now they are more prominent. You could try firing your amp at a wall or a corner, and listening to the reflected sound - this is also an old trick for getting a combo to sound wider - in spite of it looking a bit strange... :p

Big smiles,

Andy.


Thanks! On the way to the studio in a few, gonna try a whole bunch of things and see what happens. I thought about those beam blockers too.

[opultaM]

Problem solved!

Did some AB'ing through the Marshall and the Mesa Roadking Cab. The roadking is more full and even gives me more volume at lower volume settings. It cuts more without the searing high end.

And he wants to sell it! My lucky day!

[Dann'sTheMan]

Problem solved!

Did some AB'ing through the Marshall and the Mesa Roadking Cab. The roadking is more full and even gives me more volume at lower volume settings. It cuts more without the searing high end.

And he wants to sell it! My lucky day!

:thu: Cool! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Miqueas92]

I have it before my flanger and delay effects. I haven't had much time since getting my amp back from the shop to experiment. My thinking behind this was a simple studio/recoding-like setup: Guitar-->Pre-amp Pedals-->Amp-->Time-based/mod effects. It sounds good to me, so I haven't had a reason to try and mix it up yet. I'm actually messing around with my Tonelab in the loop with the dummy cable in the send and it sounds killer, so I haven't event touched my pedal board for a month or so.

So Will, your liking your F30 with the TL¿¿¿¿

I thought I was going to get an F100 but the deal went bad so... there is a brand new F30, in the box for 700 on the Bay, I am thinking real hard on it.


Mick

[Goldwing]

I've made a couple of videos with my Strat and F50.

I've also used a GT8 in the loop (EQ and delay) and another GT8 (a friend lend it to me, to test several overdrives and find one that I like) with TubeScreamer in front

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXEZjZ4T-kM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CimIpukWdb8&mode=related&search=

I'm not the best of the players but let me know what you think guys!! :)

cheers!!

[estring777]

Pretty good....
Next time turn down the backing track so we can hear you better.
Work on your phrasing by improving your finger vibrato. Dont be afraid to "attack" those strings...play with conviction!!!!!

Nice Job

[ashjn]

Random question, but does anyone have a F-30 rackmounted?

[millerd]

Hello? Has anyone tried a new Celestion Gold in a F-50 combo yet?

[willburford]

Hello,
I've had my mesa boogie f-30 now for a couple months and I'm very pleased with it. However,
I've found that when I crank the feedback knob on my delay, if I play anything then my speaker starts making this low rumbling sound (not the same as the repeats... there's the repeats and on top of that is the rumbling). It gets progressively louder until my speaker itself is pumping back and forth and only stops when I turn the feedback knob down. Anyone else have this happen to them? Know what the problem is, etc.? Thanks

[petesvilla]

No doubt you mean when using the effects loop?
The core reason is because the mix control is only 25k ohms.
Do a search for my previous postings and it will be explained to you why it happens and how it can be cured by making the loop serial instead of parallel.
the usual caveat applies: Don't go in there if you don't know what you are doing. I take no responsibility for damage or injusies sustained.:thu:

[willburford]

No doubt you mean when using the effects loop?
The core reason is because the mix control is only 25k ohms.
Do a search for my previous postings and it will be explained to you why it happens and how it can be cured by making the loop serial instead of parallel.
the usual caveat applies: Don't go in there if you don't know what you are doing. I take no responsibility for damage or injusies sustained

Yes, yes I do. :)
Brilliant, I'll look 'em up. I'm DEFINITELY going to take it into someone. Thanks!

[willburford]

Well I just read them and it sounds like it will be perfect for what I want. However, I didn't even understand most of the terms (I'm 16), and so I'll search around for some tech who can do this.

Since you seem like a knowledgable guy, I'll ask another question if you don't mind. This is probably a question everyone knows, but oh well.

I have no clue why anyone would want to bias their tubes. Could you give me the what, how, and why? That'd be excellent. Thanks

[petesvilla]

To be honest, one could write pages about biasing amps, different methods ect. but I don't want to do that:) Let's just say that correct biasing is important from both tone and tube life points of view.
There are lots of informative articles on the WEB about biasing, try a Google search. I believe there is information about it on Mesa's site and also printed in your amp manual. Also have a look at the Aiken amps site for tech information, not just biasing but allsorts of design info as well. That guy really knows his stuff.

Cheers

Pete

[MEJA]

Hi Folks,

I recently purchased a used F 100. Cool amp :love:

Question: It has a 60/100 power switch, so how does that work? Does it only use two of the four power tubes? Can I pull two of them if I want to run it only in 60 watt mode? Just curious and I didn't see anything in the manual about it.

Thanks,

Mike.

[hal9000]

Hi Folks,

I recently purchased a used F 100. Cool amp :love:

Question: It has a 60/100 power switch, so how does that work? Does it only use two of the four power tubes? Can I pull two of them if I want to run it only in 60 watt mode? Just curious and I didn't see anything in the manual about it.

Thanks,

Mike.Congrats on the new amp and welcome to the forum+F-series brotherhood!

The 100/60W switch turns off the outer pair of tubes IIRC when in the 60 W position. If you have Mesa tubes, you'll notice that only the middle pair has the blue glow under high voltage. The other tubes' heaters are still on and glow orange, but no high voltage is applied. Also, you should switch the speaker(s) down one jack (8 => 4) under 60 W because the impedance is different. So, for my F-100 combo I move the 8 Ohm speaker plug from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms and everything is matched up. If you're using a 4 Ohm cab, you can leave it attached to the 4 Ohm jack, just know that the impedance isn't matched and the power tubes will wear faster.

[bowen71]

I have an F-50 head and a standard mesa 4x12. Is there any difference between running from the 8ohm out on the head into the 8ohm input on the cabinet, or with 2 cables running out of the 2 4ohm outs on the head into the 2 4ohm stereo inputs on the cabinet?

[hal9000]

I have an F-50 head and a standard mesa 4x12. Is there any difference between running from the 8ohm out on the head into the 8ohm input on the cabinet, or with 2 cables running out of the 2 4ohm outs on the head into the 2 4ohm stereo inputs on the cabinet?There is no difference. You're either putting the speakers in parallel on the amp (4 Ohm jacks) or inside the cabinet (8 Ohms mono).

[opultaM]

Congrats on the new amp and welcome to the forum+F-series brotherhood!

The 100/60W switch turns off the outer pair of tubes IIRC when in the 60 W position. If you have Mesa tubes, you'll notice that only the middle pair has the blue glow under high voltage. The other tubes' heaters are still on and glow orange, but no high voltage is applied. Also, you should switch the speaker(s) down one jack (8 => 4) under 60 W because the impedance is different. So, for my F-100 combo I move the 8 Ohm speaker plug from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms and everything is matched up. If you're using a 4 Ohm cab, you can leave it attached to the 4 Ohm jack, just know that the impedance isn't matched and the power tubes will wear faster.


I don't remember seeing this in Manual. would be nice if they let us know that :cry:

[MEJA]

Congrats on the new amp and welcome to the forum+F-series brotherhood!

The 100/60W switch turns off the outer pair of tubes IIRC when in the 60 W position. If you have Mesa tubes, you'll notice that only the middle pair has the blue glow under high voltage. The other tubes' heaters are still on and glow orange, but no high voltage is applied. Also, you should switch the speaker(s) down one jack (8 => 4) under 60 W because the impedance is different. So, for my F-100 combo I move the 8 Ohm speaker plug from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms and everything is matched up. If you're using a 4 Ohm cab, you can leave it attached to the 4 Ohm jack, just know that the impedance isn't matched and the power tubes will wear faster.

Thanks for the heads up on the ohm's. I had no idea.

Mike.

[breakingstring]

I'm sure this has been covered before, but I cannot find it.

I love my F50 combo aside from its tendency to output some ice pick highs no matter what pickup position I use on my guitar or whether I cut the treble or not. I've tried using the tone controls on my guitar and an eq in the loop, but to no avail. I've heard some mention of using a beam blocker so I may do that.

My question is: has anyone had any luck using different preamp tubes to improve the sound of the highs and make them not quite so painful?

[Lt_Core]

I'm sure this has been covered before, but I cannot find it.

I love my F50 combo aside from its tendency to output some ice pick highs no matter what pickup position I use on my guitar or whether I cut the treble or not. I've tried using the tone controls on my guitar and an eq in the loop, but to no avail. I've heard some mention of using a beam blocker so I may do that.

My question is: has anyone had any luck using different preamp tubes to improve the sound of the highs and make them not quite so painful?

I had the same issues. I went with a full retube kit from Eurotubes (JJ tubes) and a Jensen NEO 100 speaker. Made all the difference in the world. JJ tubes are a bit darker so it tames the brightness.

[opultaM]

I have an F-50 head and a standard mesa 4x12. Is there any difference between running from the 8ohm out on the head into the 8ohm input on the cabinet, or with 2 cables running out of the 2 4ohm outs on the head into the 2 4ohm stereo inputs on the cabinet?



Interesting...but why do you want to do this? Is there something to gain from practicality or sound?

Just curious, as I use a RoadKing Cab, which has the same inputs.

[willburford]

Alright thanks pete.

I had the same issues. I went with a full retube kit from Eurotubes (JJ tubes) and a Jensen NEO 100 speaker. Made all the difference in the world. JJ tubes are a bit darker so it tames the brightness.


Hmm.. I might have to try that. I'm getting the icepick problem too.
However, I've heard JJs make the gain even smoother than it already is... which is not what I want. Is there some brand of tube someones tried that makes it darker + less smooth (for lack of a better word)? Thanks

[willburford]

Oh, and any of you guys try the 'island cases' on ebay? If so, how did that work out? Any other places to get good hardshell cases for an f-30? Thanks

[MEJA]

Congrats on the new amp and welcome to the forum+F-series brotherhood!

The 100/60W switch turns off the outer pair of tubes IIRC when in the 60 W position. If you have Mesa tubes, you'll notice that only the middle pair has the blue glow under high voltage. The other tubes' heaters are still on and glow orange, but no high voltage is applied. Also, you should switch the speaker(s) down one jack (8 => 4) under 60 W because the impedance is different. So, for my F-100 combo I move the 8 Ohm speaker plug from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms and everything is matched up. If you're using a 4 Ohm cab, you can leave it attached to the 4 Ohm jack, just know that the impedance isn't matched and the power tubes will wear faster.

Hi Hal9000,

Thanks again for the answers. Do you pull the outer two tubes when running in 60 watt mode? I'm thinking I'm going to run in this mode all the time so if it will save wear on the unused tubes heaters would I be smarter to remove them?

Thanks,

Mike.

[hal9000]

Hi Hal9000,

Thanks again for the answers. Do you pull the outer two tubes when running in 60 watt mode? I'm thinking I'm going to run in this mode all the time so if it will save wear on the unused tubes heaters would I be smarter to remove them?

Thanks,

Mike.You're welcome.

Yes, pulling the tubes is better for their lifespan. I run my F-100 on the 60 W setting most of the time as well since I don't need to burn four tubes at once.

[MEJA]

You're welcome.

Yes, pulling the tubes is better for their lifespan. I run my F-100 on the 60 W setting most of the time as well since I don't need to burn four tubes at once.

Cool, thanks.

Amazing how loud this sucker is. Can't imagine a situation that would require more volume than this thing can put out.

Thanks,

Mike.

[bowen71]

Interesting...but why do you want to do this? Is there something to gain from practicality or sound?

Just curious, as I use a RoadKing Cab, which has the same inputs.


It's just something I thought of one day while looking at my amp and I wondered if it would do anything different since I have a couple speaker cables. :idea:

[hal9000]

Cool, thanks.

Amazing how loud this sucker is. Can't imagine a situation that would require more volume than this thing can put out.

Thanks,

Mike.Yup, loud. Check out my FX loop master volume mod (sig) for an easy way to tame the volume if you're not already using the loop. If you are using the FX loop, any number of devices like a passive volume pedal, EQ, FX processor (I use my G-Major),etc. will tame the output down to TV volumes quite well.

[triumph7]

Another new F100 owner here. Bought mine at the Guitar Center Labor Day Sale (for a too good to believe price) knowing there was an issue with the reverb tank.

Warranty covered the repair to the reverb as well as tube problems found by the shop. Turns out GC had this as a demo model since '02... serial number 70.

I've already implemented the master volume/FX loop deal and love the tone I can get with this thing.

[Lt_Core]

Anyone ever try the Morley Little Alligator volume pedal in the F-50's loop? Thanks!

[hal9000]

Another new F100 owner here. Bought mine at the Guitar Center Labor Day Sale (for a too good to believe price) knowing there was an issue with the reverb tank.

Warranty covered the repair to the reverb as well as tube problems found by the shop. Turns out GC had this as a demo model since '02... serial number 70.

I've already implemented the master volume/FX loop deal and love the tone I can get with this thing.triumph7, welcome to the forum and the F-series brotherhood! :)

I'm glad the FX loop master is working for you.

[Will Cyrier]

Alright thanks pete.



Hmm.. I might have to try that. I'm getting the icepick problem too.
However, I've heard JJs make the gain even smoother than it already is... which is not what I want. Is there some brand of tube someones tried that makes it darker + less smooth (for lack of a better word)? Thanks

I did a retube with JJ's and I think it sounds great, however, I think it does give a smoother more "precise" gain sound along with more definition in the high and low end. When I compare them to the stock Mesas, they are definitely more "trebley" but I don't think it's bad per se. I've also tried Electro Harmonics in the preamp and they sounded pretty good too. I haven't heard an icepick sound out of my amp. I've always been curious to try Groove Tubes.

[BillB1960]

I just got a killer deal on a beautiful 3 month old Mesa F-30 on eBay 2 weeks ago and I've been having a blast with it. This is my first Mesa and I have to say that I don't know why I waited so long.

Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone so I immediately started messing around with the tubes. I replaced the OEM output tubes with NOS Mullard EL84s, put a NOS Telefunken in V1, a JJ gold pin in V2 and a balanced JJ gold pin in V4. I left the stock tube in V3. I play it through a custom built 2X10 cab with 1 Celestion and 1 Jensen but the Vintage 30 sounds good too. I'm not a huge effects fan so I haven't tried any pedals through it. For that matter I've never had an amp with an effects loop before. The other tube amps I have are very basic.

It sounds great with either HBs or SC pickups and boy is this 1 loud amp. I've been perusing this thread for awhile and look forward to getting more info from it.

[Rodimus Prime]

hey, i've got some new clips of my band on our myspace page that feature the F50. Feel free to take a listen. (http://www.myspace.com/tripmeter)
Drive to the Sun (with guitar solos) and Everytime are new examples.
I used a Telecaster and a boost for each. I used the combo as a head and ran it through a marshall 2x12 with G12T-75's mic'd with an SM57.

[Dann'sTheMan]

I just got a killer deal on a beautiful 3 month old Mesa F-30 on eBay 2 weeks ago and I've been having a blast with it. This is my first Mesa and I have to say that I don't know why I waited so long.

Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone so I immediately started messing around with the tubes. I replaced the OEM output tubes with NOS Mullard EL84s, put a NOS Telefunken in V1, a JJ gold pin in V2 and a balanced JJ gold pin in V4. I left the stock tube in V3. I play it through a custom built 2X10 cab with 1 Celestion and 1 Jensen but the Vintage 30 sounds good too. I'm not a huge effects fan so I haven't tried any pedals through it. For that matter I've never had an amp with an effects loop before. The other tube amps I have are very basic.

It sounds great with either HBs or SC pickups and boy is this 1 loud amp. I've been perusing this thread for awhile and look forward to getting more info from it.

Welcome to the brotherhood, BillB1960! :)

...and MEJA and triumph7 too! Tell us more about what kind of music you play! :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Brothers!

I finally got my G-Major back from repair a couple of nights ago - and guess what I've been doing! It's great to hear my F-50 singing again at home. Man I love my rig! :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. The German repairers did a good job, and even replaced the broken Pot shaft, so my Parameter control knob doesn't fall off any more - good as new, hopefully! :cool:

[BillB1960]

Welcome to the brotherhood, BillB1960! :)

...and MEJA and triumph7 too! Tell us more about what kind of music you play! :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

Classic rock and dirty blues for the most part CCR, SRV, Lynrd Skynrd some Eagles and AC/DC. Been messing with a little rockabilly lately as well. I play a Lonestar strat with the SD Pearly Gates+ in the bridge and a Gibson Les Paul with the 57 Classics. I also have an Ibanez AM73 Artcore with the stock HBs in it.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Classic rock and dirty blues for the most part CCR, SRV, Lynrd Skynrd some Eagles and AC/DC. Been messing with a little rockabilly lately as well. I play a Lonestar strat with the SD Pearly Gates+ in the bridge and a Gibson Les Paul with the 57 Classics. I also have an Ibanez AM73 Artcore with the stock HBs in it.


Cool! Classy taste in guitars. :p I had to google CCR - and it eventually clicked it stands for Creedence Clearwater Revival? They've never been a big hit over here, I've only heard the name - any albums or songs you'd recommend? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[mikelovesstrat]

Hey, I Want to join the club!!!!!

I've been an F-30 head owner/heavy user for over two years. I play it through a carvin vintage series open back 2x12 with vintage 30's. Sounds awesome for all styles I play (Hard rock down to softer arty-radiohead style stuff).

I use a strat with A JB Junior and 2 lace sensors and a gibson SG with stock pups. I have a Boss DS-1 (no longer used with the great overdrive of the mesa at my feet), a vox wah which is used lots and a de7 delay which is almost always turned on in the effects loop sitting on top of the head.

I haven't modded this amp and only re-tubed it once with mesa tubes as to not worry about bias and such.

Good to be part of the club!

[mudbuddy11]

I've been messing with pedals, and my effects never sound as good as running just the mesa... I need better pedals, but this is a question about order. I have a morley wah/volume, into a line6 ottowah, into the amp, and the effects loop runs a mxr 10band with scooped mids, into a tremelo, into a digitech echo, into a marshal echo.
Do I have the tremelo in the right spot, or should that usually be in front of the amp? right after the volume pedal?

I love this amp. the clean is awesome, and I'm starting to get the gain channel dialed in. I just want a little break up...

I'm also looking to retube soon,,, anyone recommend the mullard sensor reissue 12ax7? I'm looking for a more vintage sound... warmer... just as clean, maybe smoother.

Thanks for the great thread

[hal9000]

Cool! Classy taste in guitars. :p I had to google CCR - and it eventually clicked it stands for Creedence Clearwater Revival? They've never been a big hit over here, I've only heard the name - any albums or songs you'd recommend? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.Andy,
No CCR? You've been deprived my friend. :)

Here are a few of my favorites from CCR. I'd have to say that almost all of the modern southern/stoner metal bands have been influenced by John Fogerty's vocals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBfjU3_XOaA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeZm7KQJT1o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5NjU0_n-5Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksGi7B5BdM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltFd35xEXWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMJXYWOC68E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAVhKjsImeI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZe9OtFNt_8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40XYOaMS9D4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqZhM75aGMg

[Rodimus Prime]

Is there a tube that corresponds to the fx loop? I sometimes have this really annoying hum coming from my amp when the fx loop is engaged. I just bought some new tubes and i don't think that i'm happy with them. I've had to move v2 to v4 because it buzzed too much in v2 and not so much in v4. however if v4 relates to the fx loop i'll just replace that one.
Thanks for your help.
(one more plug) My myspace page has great F50 clips :thu:

[hal9000]

Is there a tube that corresponds to the fx loop? I sometimes have this really annoying hum coming from my amp when the fx loop is engaged. I just bought some new tubes and i don't think that i'm happy with them. I've had to move v2 to v4 because it buzzed too much in v2 and not so much in v4. however if v4 relates to the fx loop i'll just replace that one.
Thanks for your help.
(one more plug) My myspace page has great F50 clips :thu:V3 is the driver/recovery FX loop tube. V4 is the phase inverter.

[Rodimus Prime]

ok, thanks. i'll replace that tube and giver'er a go.

[Rodimus Prime]

another quick question, does the V3 affect tone at all? I have a spare new JJ and i hate its tone but at least it doesn't hum like the tube i want to replace. If i were to use that would it affect the tone of the amp?
I'd then have the following setup:
V1- tung sol
V2- EH
V3- JJ
V4 -EH

[BillB1960]

Cool! Classy taste in guitars. :p I had to google CCR - and it eventually clicked it stands for Creedence Clearwater Revival? They've never been a big hit over here, I've only heard the name - any albums or songs you'd recommend? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

I think Hal's list pretty much covers the CCR front. Thanks Hal! I'd agree with that assessment of their influence on modern R&R as well but the best thing about them is that their songs are just damn fun to play!

[triumph7]

Welcome to the brotherhood, BillB1960! :)

...and MEJA and triumph7 too! Tell us more about what kind of music you play! :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

Well, don't know if I'd call it "playing" yet but I lean toward jazz, fusion, blues and classic rock. (I'm still learning, alot!)

I'm still getting used to the F100, the clean channel is great but channel two is either clean or too dirty, there doesn't seem to be a sweet spot on the gain control for a slight crunch.

For guitars, I've got an '06 Gibson Les Paul vintage mahogany in worn brown, an '06 Epiphone Dot Studio in worn brown (beautiful grain), an Ovation CC-57, a Jay Turser Serpant (Les Paul copy) and an old strat copy.

[BillB1960]

So...after doing some research on the whole "fixed bias" issue and exchanging a couple of emails with my local tube guru I got a little nervous and replaced the Mullard EL84s tubes with some JJ EL84s I had laying around that were in the correct range for the Mesa.

The good news: the F-30 sounds great with these tubes so I'm still happy.

The bad news: I still have several sets of NOS/used EL84s laying around that I'd like to try.

My other 2 amps are both Class A cathode followers so I can plug in any EL84 tubes I want without worrying. I don't want to cause problems with my Mesa so I'm really hesitant to just start swapping tubes even though the Mullards seemed to work just fine I only had a few hours of playing time on them before I swapped them.

Anyone found a good way to check their stock of output tubes to determine what will and won't work with their Mesa? Besides "smoke testing" in the amp of course!

[Will Cyrier]

Hey Dann, who is this? I can't remember for the life of me...

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/dannstheman/music2/Revelation_F_50BoostedTest.mp3

[Will Cyrier]

Robin Ford, "Talk to Your Daughter" album.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Robin Ford, "Talk to Your Daughter" album.

Spot on - it's a dodgy cover of "Revelation" from Robben's masterpiece album. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Will Cyrier]

Did you make the backing track yourself or purchase it from somewhere?

[Miqueas92]

So Will,

How are you doing with the TL and the F30??

How do you connect the TL to the amp?

What aspects of the TL have you been able to use or not use with the TL ¿¿

Thanks, Mick

[Will Cyrier]

Hi Mick,

I love my TL. I've been using the Mesa's power stage with the TL going into the loop of the Mesa and placing a dummy plug in the FX send of the amp. However, just yesterday I switched it up a little because I hate to waste my amp's pre. So I plugged the TL into the amp's loop utilizing both the send and return, and I used it strickly for effects with all amp and cab sims off. I've found that when I do the first method, I need to turn the cab sims off for some tones, but it's all a matter of taste really. Either way, I'm still learning and love both elements.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Did you make the backing track yourself or purchase it from somewhere?

Hi Will,

I have two covers of the tune in my sig. The MIDI one was given to me by a keyboardist friend (I think it was on an old keyboard he owned), and I did the MIDI-to-audio conversion (picking instruments etc.).

The other one was sent to me by a friend on this forum (blackstratblues, if you recognise names) after I posted the first cover. It's a proper backing track, played by Robben's band (Roscoe Beck etc.) and was available on Line6's GuitarPort website. Let me know if you'd like me to send it to you (PM me your e-mail address), and I'll try and dig it out. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[EvilMeow]

Good god! This is a fuck ton of information!!! I had no idea the F-Series had such a huge/dedicated following!

I love my new F-30! I've had it for one day and I'm so fucking impressed!

[mpdan]

It's amazing that this thread is 5000+ posts and still related to the original topic.

Wow.

[Will Cyrier]

Welcome to the brotherhood evilmeow. Where/how did you get the F-30?

[EvilMeow]

Welcome to the brotherhood evilmeow. Where/how did you get the F-30?


Returned the X3 Live I bought last week, found this thing discounted down to $699 new, since it's discontinued now. Bought it with the sweet one year same as cash deal that GC has going on right now.


I'll make a recording of the Bach Toccata BWV 565 (From the Toccata and Fugue in d-minor) this week or next, since that's what I'm working on right now. It's always nice to have new clips, after all.

[Will Cyrier]

Pod didn't do it for you eh? I had an XTL once but had to return it to its rightfull owner because it was stolen goods. I ended up getting the Vox TLSE in my avitar. I'm happy with it, but I'm also happy with my Mesa by itself. Tube tone is the best.

[pedrozepelim]

Do you guys also find your F's to be fluby in the low end, and lacking of note defenition in the 2nd channel?
Just for reference I have a F30 and my 2nd channel settings are:

Drive- 1h
Treble- 1h
Mids- 10:30h
Bass- 9h
Master- 9h (I know, it is suposed to be higher but I'm a bedroom player)

[opultaM]

Hey Hal,
Would something like this work in the same way as your mod?

http://cgi.ebay.com/TUBE-AMP-VOLUME-BOX-for-FENDER-Hot-Rod-Deville-Deluxe_W0QQitemZ130162985216QQihZ003QQcategoryZ433 75QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[DarthSquirrel]

I'm thinking about buying an F50 combo that is used at a music store. I see that it has one external output to its 8ohm speaker. It also has 2 4 ohm jacks. I have a speaker cab 2x12 (8ohm speakers) which is wired in series-parallel so it is 4ohm. Can I unplug the 8ohm output to the mesa speaker and plug the cab into only one of the 4ohm speaker outputs? Or do both of the 4ohm outputs need to be used?

Thanks guys!

[opultaM]

Page 24 should help you out:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/F-Series.pdf

[pedrozepelim]

Hey Hal,
Would something like this work in the same way as your mod?

http://cgi.ebay.com/TUBE-AMP-VOLUME-BOX-for-FENDER-Hot-Rod-Deville-Deluxe_W0QQitemZ130162985216QQihZ003QQcategoryZ433 75QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Isn't that the same as having a volume pedal in the loop?

[DarthSquirrel]

Ya I got confused when I read the following...

"When using two 8 Ohm speakers, connect each of them to the 4 Ohm
speaker jacks that are provided, this will equal a 4 Ohm load which is the proper impedance
required when using this particular speaker configuration."

Not sure if they are meaning wire the 8 ohm speakers in parallel and connect to one of the 4 ohm jacks or if they mean independantly connect each 8 ohm speaker to each of the 4 ohm speaker jacks. Maybe I'm not reading it properly. haha

Thanks for the response!

[opultaM]

It's the latter; Connect one 4ohm jack into one 8ohm speaker, and then the other 4ohm jack to the other 8ohm speaker.

The diagrams are helpful and i consult them often, as i know nothing about impedence and that stuff.

[DarthSquirrel]

Thanks again for the response, the diagrams are awesome.

It does look like I can connect my 4ohm speaker cab to one of the 4ohm speaker jacks and leave nothing connected to the 8ohm and the other 4ohm and it is a safe configuration.

That would be speaker configuration number 2 in the manual?

[woodylong]

I was thinking about putting new tubes in my F-50. I play classic rock some 80's metal country and a lot of blues. The amp it about 1 1/2 years old. so the originals tubes are still in her. If i get some new tubes does she need to be re bias? Thanks also what tube would you recommend and where are you guys buy you tubes local store or on line
Thanks again

[Mrmot]

Well guys, I'm extremely proud to say that I now own a F-50 combo!!!! :thu::thu::thu:

I traded my Gibson LP Studio for it. The amp is MINT, 11 months old and i've still got one month of warranty, came with footswitch, cover, manual

It's amazing!!!!!! BEAUTIFUL clean, it sounded great with my LP when i used the bright switch, very responsive, dynamic..
And the lead channel, holy god :eek::eek: I simply can't understand how someone can possibly say that it can't do metal, i was riffing like crazy with the gain on 09:00 (o'clock) on the contour mode, amazing tight crunch, of course you got to have nice pickups/axe and a strong hand but don't blame the amp if you can't do it, raising the gain at around 12:00 was pretty enough for me to play leads. I thought that it actually sounded pretty good with the volume set at around "loud tv volume", meaning, i find the master volumes to be really good ... of course, it sounded better when the volume was at 09:00 :D

The only problem is that i currently don't have a guitar :cry: So i have to look at two mesa/boogies (other is the Studio.22+) in my room but can't play them :rolleyes::cry::cry:

EDIT: I don't mean that you guys think it doesn't have enough gain, but on the reviews page a lot of guys said that it doesn't have enough gain

[hal9000]

Do you guys also find your F's to be fluby in the low end, and lacking of note defenition in the 2nd channel?
Just for reference I have a F30 and my 2nd channel settings are:

Drive- 1h
Treble- 1h
Mids- 10:30h
Bass- 9h
Master- 9h (I know, it is suposed to be higher but I'm a bedroom player)I don't find my F-100 to be flubby at all. It's not as tight as my Soldano Avenger or former VHT 50CL, but it's plenty tight for thrash IMO.

I generally run these settings:
Gain - 1:00
Treble - 9:00
Mid - 3:00
Bass - 9:00
Master - 10:30
Loop attenuated with either my G-Major or FX loop master mod. If I use the FX Mix pot to attenuate using the method in my sig, I generally set it for 2:00 and then adjust the front panel to my liking.

Guitars can also be the source of loose low end and so can technique.

Here are some clips with these settings and various guitars:
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Reflective_F-100_20th.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/What_the_Hell_Does_hal9000_Have.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Will_Rock_You.mp3 - Boosted with a Germania Treble Booster
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000F-100_Heavy_USB.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000COC_%20Infinite_War_F-100.mp3 - Boosted with a Germania Treble Booster
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_COC_It_is_that_way_F-100.mp3

[hal9000]

Hey Hal,
Would something like this work in the same way as your mod?

http://cgi.ebay.com/TUBE-AMP-VOLUME-BOX-for-FENDER-Hot-Rod-Deville-Deluxe_W0QQitemZ130162985216QQihZ003QQcategoryZ433 75QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemIt's basically like a volume pedal, but I can't vouch for it's build or quality of parts since I don't know what's inside. If you aren't using the loop, you can the FX Mix pot to do the same thing, but I know that works. Most guitarists have enough cables lying around to at least test the principle of the FX loop master.

[hal9000]

Thanks again for the response, the diagrams are awesome.

It does look like I can connect my 4ohm speaker cab to one of the 4ohm speaker jacks and leave nothing connected to the 8ohm and the other 4ohm and it is a safe configuration.

That would be speaker configuration number 2 in the manual?You are correct. A single 4 Ohm speaker can go in either 4 Ohm jack.

Also:
1) A single 8 Ohm speaker should go in the 8 Ohm jack.
2) Two 8 Ohm speakers should each go into a 4 Ohm jack since 8 in parallel with 8 = 4 Ohms = the total impedance of the jacks.

Resistance in parallel = 1/(1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/Rn) or (R1*R2)/(R1+R2) if there are only two speakers. So, 1/(1/8 + 1/8) = 4 = (8*8)/(8+8)

[hal9000]

Well guys, I'm extremely proud to say that I now own a F-50 combo!!!! :thu::thu::thu:<snipp>MrMot, welcome to the F-series Brotherhood! :)

Check out some of the tricks/settings in my sig for my thoughts on the F-series.

My F-100 has as much gain as my Soldano Avenger and Mesa Tremoverb, so that's where the discussion ends. People will complain about anything, so take the reviews with a grain of salt. If it makes you feel any better, I've heard people complain that a 5150 doesn't have enough gain and that an AC-30 is too dark. I've even heard people say that the clean on the F-50 is passable at best (and most people know that's bologna).

[hal9000]

I was thinking about putting new tubes in my F-50. I play classic rock some 80's metal country and a lot of blues. The amp it about 1 1/2 years old. so the originals tubes are still in her. If i get some new tubes does she need to be re bias? Thanks also what tube would you recommend and where are you guys buy you tubes local store or on line
Thanks againYou can either buy Mesa tubes (STR-430) for the 6L6s or get them from a reputable dealer that matches tubes for Mesa's power tube bias range. All Mesa's have a non-adjustable power tube bias from the factory, so they need to use tubes that work with Mesa's specified range. I've had good results with Mesa's stock tubes, but I switched over last time around to www.dougstubes.com. Doug is a good guy and outfitted me with an entire set pre and power tubes in Mesa's range for the cost of 4 6L6s from Mesa. Preamp tubes don't have to be biased, so you can use whatever you like.

[opultaM]

Hal, you are THE man! :thu:

(assuming of course that you are male. If not, sorry! :eek:)

[Will Cyrier]

What should I get--MXR Dynacomp or Supercomp?

[hal9000]

Hal, you are THE man! :thu:

(assuming of course that you are male. If not, sorry! :eek:)Thanks; and yes, I'm a dude. :)

Did you get a chance to try out the FX loop master? If you want to see what it will do for you, get two unused cables, some aluminum foil and a rubber band, or a spring loaded clip like those used to hold ID badges to a lanyard. Make sure the amp is off. Plug one cable into the FX send jack and nothing else (also called a dummy cable). Plug the other cable into the FX return jack and nothing else. On the unused end of the cable, we need to short the plug's tip and sleeve. So, wrap the aluminum foil around the plug such that the tip and sleeve are connected. Secure the foil with a rubber band. If you happen to have a spring clip, attach it so it contacts both the tip and sleeve of the plug just like the foil. Now the circuit is ready for prime time. I personally like the FX mix pot around 2:00-3:00, so that's where I would start. That should allow you to get loud TV volumes with the F-50's master up around 10:30 or so Good luck!

[hal9000]

What should I get--MXR Dynacomp or Supercomp?I've read Andy say a couple of times that the vintage dynacomp sounds better to him than the current versions. That said, I'm a fan of Homebrew Electronics products from which I have a Germania treble booster that is great. HBE makes a retro compressor that's hand made using very durable Hammond enclosures similar to MXR and they get rave reviews. It's a little more spendy in the new market, but used it should be about the same as a new MXR pedal or thereabouts.

http://www.homebrewelectronics.com/images/productsBoost1.jpg

Keeley also makes a highly acclaimed compressor called the Keeley Compressor (http://www.robertkeeley.com/product.php?id=8) which is even more expensive, but should be more reasonable used.

Both of them have very good build quality and I like to build pedals the same way. This is my Stealth Boost pedal:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/Stealth%20Boost/StealthBoost4sideassembled.jpg

[Dann'sTheMan]

Good god! This is a fuck ton of information!!! I had no idea the F-Series had such a huge/dedicated following!

I love my new F-30! I've had it for one day and I'm so fucking impressed!


Congrats EvilMeow, and welcome to the brotherhood! Tell us more about the music you play! Did/do you sometimes post under the username CatsGoMoo?! :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Well guys, I'm extremely proud to say that I now own a F-50 combo!!!! :thu::thu:

I traded my Gibson LP Studio for it. The amp is MINT, 11 months old and i've still got one month of warranty, came with footswitch, cover, manual

It's amazing!!!!!! BEAUTIFUL clean, it sounded great with my LP when i used the bright switch, very responsive, dynamic..
And the lead channel, holy god :eek::eek: I simply can't understand how someone can possibly say that it can't do metal, i was riffing like crazy with the gain on 09:00 (o'clock) on the contour mode, amazing tight crunch, of course you got to have nice pickups/axe and a strong hand but don't blame the amp if you can't do it, raising the gain at around 12:00 was pretty enough for me to play leads. I thought that it actually sounded pretty good with the volume set at around "loud tv volume", meaning, i find the master volumes to be really good ... of course, it sounded better when the volume was at 09:00 :D

The only problem is that i currently don't have a guitar :cry: So i have to look at two mesa/boogies (other is the Studio.22+) in my room but can't play them :rolleyes::cry::cry:

EDIT: I don't mean that you guys think it doesn't have enough gain, but on the reviews page a lot of guys said that it doesn't have enough gain



Hi Mrmot,

Welcome to the brotherhood, and congrats with your new F-50. It should compliment your Studio .22 beautifully. The Studio .22 was the first Boogie I played - back in the early nineties; back then, many people thought it was Mesa's best sounding amp in spite of it being the cheapest. You may be interested in reading this interview with Randall Smith himself, where he describes the link between the F-50 and the Studio .22 (http://www.mesaboogie.com/Reviews/guitarist-F-50/Designing_f-50.htm).

BTW, I've always enjoyed the clips you've posted with your Studio. I look forward to hearing what flavours your new F-50 will bring to your recordings. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

I was thinking about putting new tubes in my F-50. I play classic rock some 80's metal country and a lot of blues. The amp it about 1 1/2 years old. so the originals tubes are still in her. If i get some new tubes does she need to be re bias? Thanks also what tube would you recommend and where are you guys buy you tubes local store or on line
Thanks again

Hi woodylong,

I buy mine over the phone from www.watfordvalves.com. I tell them that it's to go into a Boogie, and they then make sure the tubes chosen fall within Mesa's range - I can then choose tubes from any manufacturer I wish. Just pop them straight in - no need for any biasing. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Mrmot]

pics!!!! they're a bit dark, sorry

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1816/pa170187xb0.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/5240/pa170191hx8.jpg


and the whole stack :D :D
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/8987/pa170178px5.jpg

[Mrmot]

Hi Mrmot,

Welcome to the brotherhood, and congrats with your new F-50. It should compliment your Studio .22 beautifully. The Studio .22 was the first Boogie I played - back in the early nineties; back then, many people thought it was Mesa's best sounding amp in spite of it being the cheapest. You may be interested in reading this interview with Randall Smith himself, where he describes the link between the F-50 and the Studio .22 (http://www.mesaboogie.com/Reviews/guitarist-F-50/Designing_f-50.htm).


hey Andy, thanks for the warm welcome :thu::) I've read that article and i find it very interesting.. but, i will unfortunatelly have to sell my Studio22 so i can buy a guitar, I'm currently guitarless, i traded my only guitar for the F-50... and i sure as hell don't regret it! :love:



BTW, I've always enjoyed the clips you've posted with your Studio. I look forward to hearing what flavours your new F-50 will bring to your recordings. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

oh, so I have fans? :wave::love: j/k.. thanks for the kind words, i can't wait to record this beast... i also hope to buy a condenser mic like the AT3035, if not, i will record it with my sm57 that i have now...

[Dann'sTheMan]

What should I get--MXR Dynacomp or Supercomp?


Hi Will Cyrier,

As hal9000 has touched on, I have found compression heaven in my vintage Dynacomp (1978 according to the pots). I had tried the modern reissues, as well as more boutique ones from Keeley etc, and they all left me charmed but no more. I had read some pedal guys talking about the nuances between the Script logo and Block logo Dynacomps, and that their output levels were much hotter than modern reissues. Also, I knew that my guitar hero, Dann Huff, often would get through a session with just an old Dynacomp and his fingers.

I came across my pedal in a 2nd hand guitar shop in Tokyo. I plugged and I wasn't just charmed, I was blown away. I could instantly hear the Dann Huff tone connection, and the pedal turned the rather flat clean channel of the Marshall I was plugged into, into a thing of beauty. They were asking similar money to a new MXR reissue, and for me it was a no brainer. I later discovered that the price charged was pretty much the going rate for block logo vintage Dynacomps (the script logo ones go for much more, simply because they are more collectable), so if you're looking at the new reissues, keep an eye out for the old ones, as they may be similar money. Unlike modern more transparent compressors, the old Dynacomps do indeed colour and effect the sound, but if you like what they do, they're a viable and realistic option (check out the Woody Clean sound clip in my sig for some compressed tones out of my rig), :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[EvilMeow]

Congrats EvilMeow, and welcome to the brotherhood! Tell us more about the music you play! Did/do you sometimes post under the username CatsGoMoo?! :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

Yeah, I'm the same person. I lost the email to CatsGoMoo (which bugs me. I had 4k posts on that screen name and 14k on this one before things got cleared).

I use this amp in an electric guitar ensemble, mainly. We transcribe and arrange pieces of classical music (well, classical art music. That's everything from the classical era to 20th century even) for eight electric guitars. This season our concert consists of a bunch of halloween music, and I'll be doing an arrangement of BWV 565 (the toccata in d-minor).

Previous years we've done everything from Fanfare to the Common Man to pieces composed by members of the group to George Crumb, Phillip Glass, Bach, Night on Bald Mountain. All kinds of stuff.

I'm sure it'll work really well in there. Today's my first rehearsal with that amp, so we'll see. Our concert is next week. I'm sure I'll have video/audio of it.


Aside from that ensemble, I play a lot of composed electric guitar music. There's not a lot out there, and I feel it's kind of necessary. I want to make the electric guitar more legitimate as a "real instrument" and seen less in a popular music vein (as it's always been seen). Here's an example of a piece I played last semester, composed by my composition teacher, John Kiefer, called Asterism. I'm into very modern stuff. It's got this wicked string skipping pattern at the end that is pretty damned difficult, but really fun to play once you get it under your fingers. The sound effect at the end is achieved by fiddling with an analog delay pedal.

http://www.box.net/shared/lx5ugxa6y7

[opultaM]

Hal, I haven't tried the loop master yet as I do use my Loop. But next time i end up brining my F home I will definitely try it out for the bedroom playing. It seems like a great idea.

I do have an interesting question though about the loop. I have the preamp of the F100 in the Loop of my Boss Noise Suppressor. I have it wired in the following way:

Guitar & Effects > NS2 INPUT
NS2 SEND > F100 Input
F100 FX SEND > NS2 RETURN
NS2 OUT > Delay > F100 FX RETURN

I run the FX Loop at 100%. So basically my NS2 is taking care of noise from the F's gain stage. I've been running it this way for a while and I think it's great. But it occurred to me that I should make sure there is nothing technically wrong with the way I have it. Can you think of any reason I should not do this?

The only thing I can think of is that it ends up muting my reverb (which I guess is somewhere between the input and the FX send). But that's an acceptable loss for me. I really only use the Reverb on clean, in which case I can always turn off the NS-2.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

[pedrozepelim]

Explain me how to use the PODXT in the best possible way.
I want to use it in the loop so my modulation can be placed after the gain, and I also want to use it as an attenuator. How do I do that, brothers?

How do I set the knob of the F30 fx loop? and how about the POD, line level in the output and pad in the input?

Please help me out!

[joel3000]

How is the f-50 at low volumes?

I'm thinking about getting an f-50 combo.

[hal9000]

How is the f-50 at low volumes?

I'm thinking about getting an f-50 combo.Welcome to the forum Joel! :) I suppose your definition of "Low volume" is going to drive my response since that phrase can have a broad meaning. If you're talking about loud TV volumes, I'd say the F-50 does nicely since the master can probably get to about 9:00 which IMO is required for good tone. If you look at the FX Loop Master Volume link in my signature, you'll see that I've worked out a way for the F-series to use the FX mix pot as a final master which greatly improves the low volume capabilities for little cost if any. If you plan to use the loop an EQ, FX processor, or volume pedal will all give you the same capability.

[hal9000]

Explain me how to use the PODXT in the best possible way.
I want to use it in the loop so my modulation can be placed after the gain, and I also want to use it as an attenuator. How do I do that, brothers?

How do I set the knob of the F30 fx loop? and how about the POD, line level in the output and pad in the input?

Please help me out!I would set the FX Mix knob of the F-30 to the maximum mix (90%) to let the PODxt have the most control over the signal level. You probably don't need to engage the pad, but if you are clipping the POD's input, by all means turn it on, and the POD output should be set to line level. When set correctly, you shouldn't be adding any signal to the loop with the POD and for the case of attenuation, you're actually cutting signal going into the power amp. As far as loop attenuation, the output knob should suffice for turning down the overall level of the amp, and I would encourage you to also play with the 4-band parametric in the PODxt. Try boosting at 150-250 Hz, cutting at 750 Hz and boosting at 3-5 k all with a 1 octave width. You'll notice right away that you can achieve Mark III/IV style mid scooped sound for Master of Puppets tone. I do the same thing with my G-Major and it's amazing the impact EQ has on the overall feel and sound of an amp.

[pedrozepelim]

I would set the FX Mix knob of the F-30 to the maximum mix (90%) to let the PODxt have the most control over the signal level. You probably don't need to engage the pad, but if you are clipping the POD's input, by all means turn it on, and the POD output should be set to line level. When set correctly, you shouldn't be adding any signal to the loop with the POD and for the case of attenuation, you're actually cutting signal going into the power amp. As far as loop attenuation, the output knob should suffice for turning down the overall level of the amp, and I would encourage you to also play with the 4-band parametric in the PODxt. Try boosting at 150-250 Hz, cutting at 750 Hz and boosting at 3-5 k all with a 1 octave width. You'll notice right away that you can achieve Mark III/IV style mid scooped sound for Master of Puppets tone. I do the same thing with my G-Major and it's amazing the impact EQ has on the overall feel and sound of an amp.

Thank you hal9000! I knew I could count on the guy that can get the best tone out of the F series! :)

[joel3000]

Welcome to the forum Joel! :) I suppose your definition of "Low volume" is going to drive my response since that phrase can have a broad meaning. If you're talking about loud TV volumes, I'd say the F-50 does nicely since the master can probably get to about 9:00 which IMO is required for good tone. If you look at the FX Loop Master Volume link in my signature, you'll see that I've worked out a way for the F-series to use the FX mix pot as a final master which greatly improves the low volume capabilities for little cost if any. If you plan to use the loop an EQ, FX processor, or volume pedal will all give you the same capability.

Thanks!

[hktk]

I'm going in to look at a second hand f-30 head unit on the weekend. The other guitarist in my band is using a marshall JCM 900 50w and i'm just wondering if the f-30 is going to have trouble with volume and cutting through the mix. i'm planning on running it through a 1960a cab. Has anyone used these two amps side by side?

Thanks for your help in advance.

[Haden Olmsted]

hey i got a f10 and im lookin to upgrade to a f100 combo or head either is fine, were can i get one? and does mesa still make them for custom option stuff?

[pedrozepelim]

I would set the FX Mix knob of the F-30 to the maximum mix (90%) to let the PODxt have the most control over the signal level. You probably don't need to engage the pad, but if you are clipping the POD's input, by all means turn it on, and the POD output should be set to line level. When set correctly, you shouldn't be adding any signal to the loop with the POD and for the case of attenuation, you're actually cutting signal going into the power amp. As far as loop attenuation, the output knob should suffice for turning down the overall level of the amp, and I would encourage you to also play with the 4-band parametric in the PODxt. Try boosting at 150-250 Hz, cutting at 750 Hz and boosting at 3-5 k all with a 1 octave width. You'll notice right away that you can achieve Mark III/IV style mid scooped sound for Master of Puppets tone. I do the same thing with my G-Major and it's amazing the impact EQ has on the overall feel and sound of an amp.

Well, hal9000, I tried... The result was very disapointing. The tone became "honky" like there was a wah in the on mode in the chain. And this was with no effects what so ever in the POD. It realy changed the tone, and not in a good way.

[Lt_Core]

Anybody ever try EMG 60/81/85 pickups with their F-50? I have Duncan Jazz/JB and Burstbucker's. Curious what difference EMG active pickups would have through the F-50.

[hal9000]

Anybody ever try EMG 60/81/85 pickups with their F-50? I have Duncan Jazz/JB and Burstbucker's. Curious what difference EMG active pickups would have through the F-50.Jeff,
I tried a Schecter guitar loaded with an EMG 81 in the bridge with an F-100 in a GC in Richmond, VA about two years ago. I played for about 10 minutes and realized I'm a passive pickup kind of guy. I really like the SD JB/Custom for a bridge 'bucker and the SD '59 for the neck.

[hal9000]

Well, hal9000, I tried... The result was very disapointing. The tone became "honky" like there was a wah in the on mode in the chain. And this was with no effects what so ever in the POD. It realy changed the tone, and not in a good way.Hmm... that shouldn't happen with the PODxt as long as the amplifier models are turned off. You did turn off the amp models, right? Doh! I never told you to turn them off. :idea:

Let's start over: Make a new patch in manual mode with nothing selected for the amplifier, cab, or mic (Model 0 IIRC). The output should be set to "Direct Studio" or whatever it's called in the current firmware. The EQ should be off. So, all you really have are the output level and the no amplifier selected level/patch volume. With the input/output levels matched, you shouldn't have any noticeable loss in volume or tone when running the FX mix pot up full, compared to turning it down all the way. Once you've got that working, then you can bust out all the FX and EQ you like. Just as an example, my former PODxt Live took the line level 30 kOhm output from my Hot Plate without a problem, and since the PODxt has the same preamp and the F-100's loop is roughly the same voltage/impedance as the Hot Plate, it's logical to assume your setup should work if properly configured.

Good Luck!

[hal9000]

hey i got a f10 and im lookin to upgrade to a f100 combo or head either is fine, were can i get one? and does mesa still make them for custom option stuff?Mesa discontinued the F-series to make way for the Express series, so no, you can't get custom options for F-series amps anymore. You can, however, get a used F-series in custom colors on eBay if you're lucky, or buy a standard stealth black model and have it converted to whatever you like. If you're handy, you might like to do it yourself as there are lots of tutorials about tolexing, changing grill cloth, running piping, etc. just use the search here and at www.thegearpage.net.

Here's my F-100 personalized for my taste:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/F-100%20Century%20Vintage%20Install/hal9000_F-100_Fat-Strat.jpg

[hal9000]

I'm going in to look at a second hand f-30 head unit on the weekend. The other guitarist in my band is using a marshall JCM 900 50w and i'm just wondering if the f-30 is going to have trouble with volume and cutting through the mix. i'm planning on running it through a 1960a cab. Has anyone used these two amps side by side?

Thanks for your help in advance.Welcome to the forum! :)

The F-30 may have some trouble with clean headroom depending on how loud your band plays, but I'm quite sure it will be able to hold its own for distorted tones.