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

[Tweak88]

i mean... nickelback has a very tight sound (in my opinion)
i was looking for something close to that, that could give me a good tight sound without a boost/OD pedal

[lovED]

Yeah a good OD will do it.
I don't even think you need a good OD....
Some sort of compression would work great.
I have a MXR Dyna Comp....it makes the Contour channel sound super tight.
You just gotta find the right thing to put in front of it.
lovED

[lovED]

Come to think of it.
You could probably do those tones with the amp straight.
lovED

[Tweak88]

nice, i'm probably going to try one in the next week or so.

thank you very much for the comments

[Will Cyrier]

nice, i'm probably going to try one in the next week or so.

thank you very much for the comments

I bought mine used from Guitar Center. Just be sure that you crank the thing in store so you can hear it. Don't be shy like I was. It wasn't until later that I found I had a problem with my 2nd channel (fixed it for $50). I probably didn't notice it in the store because I didn't have it loud enough.

[lovED]

I think I'm getting rid of my Wylde OD and getting a Subdecay Blackstar.
Any OD suggestions with the F-100?
lovED

[Lamb]

Hi,

I'm debating on whether or not to bid on a F-50 head. All the places I have called don't stock them anymore so I've been relying on clips. So I'm hoping some of you guys could help me out. Ideally I'd like to be able to achieve tones similar to the ones in this clip:

http://spasm.cjb.net/common/Music/isis/isis%202006/07%20Holy%20Tears.mp3
(try to disregard the style of music if it's not your thing)

Would that be possible with the F-50? I've heard mixed reviews about it's abilities with high gain. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Joeytpg]

Hi,

I'm debating on whether or not to bid on a F-50 head. All the places I have called don't stock them anymore so I've been relying on clips. So I'm hoping some of you guys could help me out. Ideally I'd like to be able to achieve tones similar to the ones in this clip:

http://spasm.cjb.net/common/Music/isis/isis%202006/07%20Holy%20Tears.mp3
(try to disregard the style of music if it's not your thing)

Would that be possible with the F-50? I've heard mixed reviews about it's abilities with high gain. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks!


OF COURSE IT CAN dude.... hehe check out on the very first page on this forum, look for the Tommi Inkila clips, and you'll see if it can or not.

you ca also check out some of my clips in youtube, check my sig.

[mudbuddy11]

I dont know about the really high gain stuff. I only use the amp for the clean channel and the dirty channel driven to more of a blues sound. I'm personally not that happy with the really driven gain channel, but I'm going to get a tube screamer, and see what that does for a high gain sound. If you listen to some of the clips on the older messages on this thread, you can get a pretty good idea of what this amp can do. I have the f50 combo and I think its so sweet and versatile. I can go from crispy clean to jazzy to blues to rock and all the tones are great. The ONLY thing I dont know about is high gain stuff... marshall territory. I can do old school rock... acdc and that kind, then tried a cheap line6 amp in the music store the other day, and it shredded my amp in the heavy metal category. Other people around here that actually play that music could tell you a lot better than I could. I admit it takes some tweaking to get the right sound out of this amp, and if you dial it right, it could probably do it.

[Lamb]

Right on guys, thanks. I have checked out almost every clip on the first page but I just wanted to be as specific as possible you know. Paying for an amp you've never tried before is always sort of unnerving. And Joey I actually just watched that vid of yours about 5 minutes ago :D

So the bid is at $550 right now. Seems like a very reasonable price, no?

[Joeytpg]

cool dude. Yep...it's a very good price.

Like mudbuddy11 said, the only type of music that TO ME the F-50 is not SO good at by itself (with no boost) is the very fast high gain stuff (think Iced Earth) because, it's just a little bit loose. But that can be changed with a little boost.

Now, if you're going for some progressive metal, or plain old HARD ROCK (Godsmack, etc..) go for it.... it's GREAT

[Lamb]

So, something like this:

http://ftp.disenteria.ru/0-reviewed/ISIS%20-%202004%20-Panopticon-/1%20-%20So%20Did%20We.mp3

wouldn't be quite as feasible? Right now, I'm basically choosing between the F-50 or the V-twin pedal with a poweramp.

[mudbuddy11]

going by that clip, I think you would be ok with a f50.. the cleans would beat the cleans in that recording, and the dirty... if you get a nice chunky pedal up front, I think you'll be happy.

[mudbuddy11]

have you looked into the rectifiers?

[Lamb]

have you looked into the rectifiers?

A bit... But they don't seem to be as versatile as I'd like and also I'm trying to save as much money as possible.

[mudbuddy11]

I really dont think you'll be dissappointed with the f50. I found mine by accident. There is no mesa dealer around here, but the music shop I was buying my les paul from set it up for me to try out the double cut that I ended up buying. At first I thought I was going to try to find an old twin silverface, but I couldnt get that mesa out of my mind. The more I read and heard clips online, the more I wanted it. I've never been unhappy about the money I've spent, and for the money, I dont think I could find a better amp out there. I'm still looking at buying a fender, but a small one, like the 5w champ to play in the apartment. $200 new and it sounds so cool.
if you can really get that head for 550, then I would probably jump on it. Thats a good price, but there is a f100 combo up for 99... it will go for more of course, but it could turn out to be a good buy.

[Lamb]

I really dont think you'll be dissappointed with the f50. I found mine by accident. There is no mesa dealer around here, but the music shop I was buying my les paul from set it up for me to try out the double cut that I ended up buying. At first I thought I was going to try to find an old twin silverface, but I couldnt get that mesa out of my mind. The more I read and heard clips online, the more I wanted it. I've never been unhappy about the money I've spent, and for the money, I dont think I could find a better amp out there. I'm still looking at buying a fender, but a small one, like the 5w champ to play in the apartment. $200 new and it sounds so cool.
if you can really get that head for 550, then I would probably jump on it. Thats a good price, but there is a f100 combo up for 99... it will go for more of course, but it could turn out to be a good buy.

Is there anything substantially different between the F-50 and F-100?

EDIT: Seems that F100 is pick up only.

[mudbuddy11]

oops, sorry. I didnt see that it was pickup only. The only difference is the power selector. You can go from 60w to 100w, and the combo has 2x12 Other than that, its the same monster.

[Lamb]

Right on, thanks for all the help. I'll start bidding on the F-50 later tonight :D

[hal9000]

Right on guys, thanks. I have checked out almost every clip on the first page but I just wanted to be as specific as possible you know. Paying for an amp you've never tried before is always sort of unnerving. And Joey I actually just watched that vid of yours about 5 minutes ago :D

So the bid is at $550 right now. Seems like a very reasonable price, no?Here are some of my clips you might not have heard:

http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Reflective_F-100_20th.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_F-100_Tuesdays_Gone.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Afraid_Dave_Superman_solo.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/What_the_Hell_Does_hal9000_Have.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Will_Rock_You.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000F-100_Heavy_USB.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000COC_%20Infinite_War_F-100.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_COC_It_is_that_way_F-100_Xilisoft_%20Rev_%20B.mp3

[Lamb]

Here are some of my clips you might not have heard:

http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Reflective_F-100_20th.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_F-100_Tuesdays_Gone.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Afraid_Dave_Superman_solo.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/What_the_Hell_Does_hal9000_Have.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_Will_Rock_You.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000F-100_Heavy_USB.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000COC_%20Infinite_War_F-100.mp3
http://www.64graphics.com/clips/hal9000_COC_It_is_that_way_F-100_Xilisoft_%20Rev_%20B.mp3

Thanks, definitely some in there I hadn't heard. I specifically liked the rhythm on the last one. What else are you running on that one other than the F100?

[hal9000]

Thanks, definitely some in there I hadn't heard. I specifically liked the rhythm on the last one. What else are you running on that one other than the F100?You're welcome. The last two had an HBE Germania Treble Booster up front which is a clone of the Dallas Arbiter Range master that Brian May used a lot with Queen. I used the same pedal on the We Will Rock You clip.

[Torh]

All right.. I have complained about motorboat/helicopter sound of my DD-20 through my F-50 before.. However I found settings where I could avoid the problem. But however again, I find it limits me a lot, so now I'm going for the mod described by Hal, Dann, petesvilla, et. al. I.e. modding the loop from parallel to serial.

Nevertheless, I am a bit nervous as to how to go about this. What screws would I want to release to access the guts for the loop? Any precautions I should take regarding electrical safety?

I am not inexperienced with the solder pen, it's just that I've never used it in an amp before...

Thanks!





EDIT:

I have stumbled upon this picture from the guts of the F-30. From the pic, it looks like the one end of the cable would be difficult to access, am I right? From the parallel to serial mod schematic, we're supposed to remove one cable entirely, and from this pic it seems difficult to reach under that chipboard..

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i145/andershoeg/F30loop.jpg

[foggy]

this is one HUGE thread!!!!

[Joeytpg]

We are one huge family bro. :D

[pedrozepelim]

In your opinion who posted the clip with the best tone of the F Series?

[ShizzelDizzel]

All right.. I have complained about motorboat/helicopter sound of my DD-20 through my F-50 before.. However I found settings where I could avoid the problem. But however again, I find it limits me a lot, so now I'm going for the mod described by Hal, Dann, petesvilla, et. al. I.e. modding the loop from parallel to serial.

Nevertheless, I am a bit nervous as to how to go about this. What screws would I want to release to access the guts for the loop? Any precautions I should take regarding electrical safety?

I am not inexperienced with the solder pen, it's just that I've never used it in an amp before...

Thanks!





EDIT:

I have stumbled upon this picture from the guts of the F-30. From the pic, it looks like the one end of the cable would be difficult to access, am I right? From the parallel to serial mod schematic, we're supposed to remove one cable entirely, and from this pic it seems difficult to reach under that chipboard..



First off, I don't believe the mod will fix your issue. I don't know the details of your problem other than the motorboating. Did you try a different power supply for your DD20? Different cables? Different effect in the loop? You can try the mod, but again, I don't think it will help this problem. I'd exhaust all other troubleshooting possibilities before performing the mod.

The mod has you solder the lead leftmost on the pot to the center one and unsoldering the right one. Just tape that lead off. A soldering pen probably won't have enough heat to perform this mod. I'd suggest a 35 watt iron instead.

[lovED]

i haven't used my effects loop yet.
enlighten me.
I plan on getting a subdecay stupid box soon.
would that sound good straight or through the loop.
I don't even know how it works.
I don't have a manual for my amp.
Help.
lovED

[mikeyen]

i haven't used my effects loop yet.
enlighten me.
I plan on getting a subdecay stupid box soon.
would that sound good straight or through the loop.
I don't even know how it works.
I don't have a manual for my amp.
Help.
lovED

The loop would be good for any effects that you want AFTER distortion. You would run the FX send of the loop to the input of any effects you want in the loop, and send the output back to the FX Return.

The order of the effects and placement are really up to you - feel free to experiment. However, generally speaking, chorus, delay, volume, tremolo, and pitch-shift sounds better in the loop than before. YMMV.

Mike

[mudbuddy11]

you know, I have motorboating when I run both echo pedals at the same time, or when the gain(output) is too high inside the fx loop. That doesnt have anything to do with your issue does it? Sorry if you've already answered those kind of questions, I havent exactly been paying attention.

lovED... its pretty straightforward... loop out to your subdecay, then back into loop in. I have my mix up all the way,,,, does anyone not have their mix on 90%.

[mudbuddy11]

hmmm, I should have my tremelo in the loop?

[mikeyen]

hmmm, I should have my tremelo in the loop?

I usually do - distortion usually compresses your sound a bit, so having the tremolo in front will sound very different than in the loop with distortion. Though, again, if you happen to like the sound of tremolo in front, go for it!

Mike

[mudbuddy11]

it makes a pretty nifty effect with the otto-filter
wahawahawahawah...

[Lamb]

Hey guys,

So, I'm currently bidding on two amps right now, F-50 and F-100. I've been outbidded on the F-50 but I could easily go higher. I obviously don't want to win both so I'm wondering which one I should focus on? The F-100 is a at ridiculously low price right now but still has about 5 days left. Any suggestions?

[mudbuddy11]

I just ran across a forum on ts9's where someone said to be careful not to run buffered pedals behind the tube screamer. Something about not getting the full potential of the TUBES in the amp, and I can see what they might be talking about, but does anyone here have any real experience with that? What am I going to run into? Is it just when i'm driving the channel or clean too? does anyone know which pedals of mine are buffered? should I care? I'm going to guess that the alesis and line6 are buffered, so should I have them out of the chain when I use the ts9?

thanks all, this is a great thread. Its really helped me to figure this amp out.

[mudbuddy11]

theres a buy it now f50 combo for 599, the head for 550 hasnt been bid on, and has 17hours left, and theres a f50 head for 200 with 2 days left to bid... be patient, something will come through.

[Joeytpg]

Hey Neil, (or anyone) I just got my POD XTL and this is what I did:

Connected a dummy cable in the F-50 FX SEND and connected a cable from the XTL output (L/MONO), setting the AMP/LEVEL switch to LEVEL, this cable goes into the FX Receive.

I turned all the mac/amp sims off, but I don't know what's wrong... I'm still hearing the amp pre's (I can even switch the channel and contour) What am I doing wrong? do I need to change anything else in the POD itself?

[Joeytpg]

EDIT:

never mind guys, stupid me....the guitar was plugged to the AMP instead of the POD..... it's working now! :D

sounds good so far! I'll post clips later on.! :D

[Lamb]

theres a buy it now f50 combo for 599, the head for 550 hasnt been bid on, and has 17hours left, and theres a f50 head for 200 with 2 days left to bid... be patient, something will come through.

No, I know. But I'm curious which one I should focus on more. The F50 or the F100. I plan on playing live but I'd also like to be able to do some bedroom volumes. I'm leaning more towards the 50 because I'm thinking I'd be able to push the tubes a bit more at lower volumes. Basically I just want to make sure I'm not missing out on anything by buying the 50 rather than the 100.

[pedrozepelim]

Regarding the attenuation in the loop, and correct me if i'm wrong, being the loop after the pre and before the power amp, if you attenuate the pre amp so you can push the power amp, aren't you almost bypassing the pre, and doing this, bypassing one of the most important thing in an amp? Isn't the same as connecting your guitar jack to the fx loop return?

[Torh]

First off, I don't believe the mod will fix your issue. I don't know the details of your problem other than the motorboating. Did you try a different power supply for your DD20? Different cables? Different effect in the loop? You can try the mod, but again, I don't think it will help this problem. I'd exhaust all other troubleshooting possibilities before performing the mod.

The mod has you solder the lead leftmost on the pot to the center one and unsoldering the right one. Just tape that lead off. A soldering pen probably won't have enough heat to perform this mod. I'd suggest a 35 watt iron instead.

I use this post (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23166097#post23166097) as my main reference.. I have also read several posts from others that would support that idea.

I have changed power supply, altered the order of the Verbzilla and the DD-20, tried the DD-20 in line level mode, tried different cables..

Okay, so I will just use electrical insulation tape.. Yes, I did mean a 35W iron, I just thought a soldering pen was the same (sometimes English gets in the way ;)).

However, a last question regarding this.. How do I go about to access the area I want here? Any precautions other than not burning my fingers with the iron? I know one should be careful when being in an amp, but it might be different if one's just going to do something about the FX loop part?

[BillB1960]

No, I know. But I'm curious which one I should focus on more. The F50 or the F100. I plan on playing live but I'd also like to be able to do some bedroom volumes. I'm leaning more towards the 50 because I'm thinking I'd be able to push the tubes a bit more at lower volumes. Basically I just want to make sure I'm not missing out on anything by buying the 50 rather than the 100.

Wow. Your "bedroom" must be waaaay out in the sticks or you have some mighty tolerant neighbors if you can push the output tubes on a 50 watt amp and avoid :cop: My F-30 combo will rattle the windows with the single speaker and when I plug it into my 2x10 cab...:eek:

I finally went out and got a Weber Mini Mass so I could really enjoy the tone without incurring a visit from the local gendarmes.

[hal9000]

Regarding the attenuation in the loop, and correct me if i'm wrong, being the loop after the pre and before the power amp, if you attenuate the pre amp so you can push the power amp, aren't you almost bypassing the pre, and doing this, bypassing one of the most important thing in an amp? Isn't the same as connecting your guitar jack to the fx loop return?The loop attenuation is nothing more than an additional master volume. The F-series preamp just happens to benefit from running the 12AX7s a little hotter.

[ShizzelDizzel]

However, a last question regarding this.. How do I go about to access the area I want here? Any precautions other than not burning my fingers with the iron? I know one should be careful when being in an amp, but it might be different if one's just going to do something about the FX loop part?

Once you've removed the tubes and the amp from the shell, just keep your fingers out of the power supply area.

Also, did you try using batteries with your DD20 or just trying the DD20 alone without any other pedals?

[Torh]

Once you've removed the tubes and the amp from the shell, just keep your fingers out of the power supply area.

Also, did you try using batteries with your DD20 or just trying the DD20 alone without any other pedals?

Yes, I've tried that too.. Thanks for your help..!

[Joeytpg]

guys, NGD!! :D go here for the details!

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1834596

[lovED]

thanks mike.
i've not gotten the subdecay yet.
still looking.
any suggestions?
lovED

[Lamb]

Wow. Your "bedroom" must be waaaay out in the sticks or you have some mighty tolerant neighbors if you can push the output tubes on a 50 watt amp and avoid :cop: My F-30 combo will rattle the windows with the single speaker and when I plug it into my 2x10 cab...:eek:

I finally went out and got a Weber Mini Mass so I could really enjoy the tone without incurring a visit from the local gendarmes.

Haha, well I don't mean I'll actually be pushing the tubes but I think I'd have an easier time pushing the 50 as opposed to the 100.

[eddie.perez]

Mesa f-series lounge rules!!!

[eddie.perez]

Hey brothers what's up, I have a problem.

The problem is with my F-100 head. I always run my Gt-8 effects processor in the fx loop of the amp 100% wet ( I never use the preamps on the Gt-8 by the way unless i'm away from my amp). Sometimes it makes this strange helipcopter noise. I know you guys probably talked about it before. It's just that I don't have time to go through every page on this tread. Is this a problem with the tubes? Please help me out. Thanks.:thu:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/speedie_01/th_Mesaboogie002.jpg (http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/speedie_01/Mesaboogie002.jpg)

[estring777]

Hey brothers what's up, I have a problem.

The problem is with my F-100 head. I always run my Gt-8 effects processor in the fx loop of the amp 100% wet ( I never use the preamps on the Gt-8 by the way unless i'm away from my amp). Sometimes it makes this strange helipcopter noise. I know you guys probably talked about it before. It's just that I don't have time to go through every page on this tread. Is this a problem with the tubes? Please help me out. Thanks.:thu:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/speedie_01/th_Mesaboogie002.jpg (http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/speedie_01/Mesaboogie002.jpg)

Most likely its your delay settings. Back off the trail and level until the problem resolves itself. I had the same prob with my DD20.

[estring777]

All right.. I have complained about motorboat/helicopter sound of my DD-20 through my F-50 before.. However I found settings where I could avoid the problem. But however again, I find it limits me a lot, so now I'm going for the mod described by Hal, Dann, petesvilla, et. al. I.e. modding the loop from parallel to serial.

Nevertheless, I am a bit nervous as to how to go about this. What screws would I want to release to access the guts for the loop? Any precautions I should take regarding electrical safety?

I am not inexperienced with the solder pen, it's just that I've never used it in an amp before...

Thanks!







I had the same problem with my DD20. I just back off the feedback and level a little bit and it was fine.

[eddie.perez]

I had the same problem with my DD20. I just back off the feedback and level a little bit and it was fine.


Ok, the only problem is that my band has some songs that have dub reggae guitars on them. And we tend to use the feedback a little higher then the normal to trip your mind out. I seen the tips already on how the mod the fx loop from parallel to serial but i'm not a techncian. I would need step by step details. Or does mesa boogie shops do this kind of work. will they mod your amp.

[hdhv]

Hi Guys,
I have an F-50 which sounds good to me, only a bit harsh sometimes.
I just reecived an MXR 10 band equalizer.
Do you have suggestions for settings with a stratocaster and the F50.
I play a coverband and we cover Gary moore, velvet revolver G&R, AC/DC, Satriani, SRV and many more.

i do not need the MXR as a booste, I have a TS9 in front which I use as a booster and to fatten the sound

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hi Guys,
I have an F-50 which sounds good to me, only a bit harsh sometimes.
I just reecived an MXR 10 band equalizer.
Do you have suggestions for settings with a stratocaster and the F50.
I play a coverband and we cover Gary moore, velvet revolver G&R, AC/DC, Satriani, SRV and many more.

i do not need the MXR as a booste, I have a TS9 in front which I use as a booster and to fatten the sound

Hi hdhv,

Welcome to HCAF and the F-series Lounge - thank you for making your first post to the brotherhood.

Regarding tips, if you're not already attenuating in the loop in any way, try setting the loop at maximum (90% wet) and turning up the Channel Masters to 10-1 o'clock on the amp's control panel. Now use the output control on your EQ to reduce the overall volume to something sane. With the Channel Masters up, the pre-amp will be working harder, and you should get fatter tone. If you wish to thicken things further with distorted tones, try adding +2dB around 700-900Hz. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Brothers!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! You make this thread such a great place to lounge! :)

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I'm currently in Japan on a long business trip. I've been here four weeks already (arrived Nov 24) and I head back to the UK on January 26. Guess who's missing their F-50?! :p

Thankfully, I'm not missing my family because I brought them with me. As you may remember, my wife is Japanese, so my kids are bi-lingual. We've put the oldest two into school and pre-school, and the baby - well her job is to look cute, and she does that very well. :D

As for my musical family, well all of my guitars are back in the UK, so I've been forced to resort to the 1/2 sized acoustic that I brought along so that my older two girls can keep practising. Whenever I get an opportunity, I head over to Tokyo's main music shop area, Ochanomizu, and have some fun.

I've been having so much fun, that I'm considering buying a particularly nice Eric Johnson Stratocaster - and the strong Pound Sterling is twisting my arm even more. The biggest inhibitor is working out how to lug 2 months worth of stuff back to the UK along with another guitar. Hey, it's not the worst problem in the world to have. :lol:

Hope you're blessed with good things over the Festive season, :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

So, something like this:

http://ftp.disenteria.ru/0-reviewed/ISIS%20-%202004%20-Panopticon-/1%20-%20So%20Did%20We.mp3

wouldn't be quite as feasible? Right now, I'm basically choosing between the F-50 or the V-twin pedal with a poweramp.

Hi Lamb,

I hope you're enjoying the choosing process. :) I own both a V-Twin pedal and the F-50. To my ears, the V-Twin pedal is darker and looser than the F-50. I personally much prefer the tone of the F-50, but I should say that I normally run the V-Twin into the front end of a Fender Princeton Chorus. In this set up, the brightness of the Fender helps compliment the darker V-Twin - I've used this rig for pretty big gigs - including the Royal Albert Hall, but the F-50 is altogether in a different league imho - and tighter too. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

No, I know. But I'm curious which one I should focus on more. The F50 or the F100. I plan on playing live but I'd also like to be able to do some bedroom volumes. I'm leaning more towards the 50 because I'm thinking I'd be able to push the tubes a bit more at lower volumes. Basically I just want to make sure I'm not missing out on anything by buying the 50 rather than the 100.

You won't be missing out imho. The F-series have tonnes of headroom, and I can't remember coming across anyone who felt they ran out of power with the F-50.

The F-100 sounds almost identical - even though the combo uses different speakers. When I A/Bed the two combos, I couldn't separate them on tone alone (slightly preferred the F-100's clean, and slightly preferred the F-50's lead), so it actually came down to weight - I could lift the F-50 combo with one hand. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[estring777]

Ok, the only problem is that my band has some songs that have dub reggae guitars on them. And we tend to use the feedback a little higher then the normal to trip your mind out. I seen the tips already on how the mod the fx loop from parallel to serial but i'm not a techncian. I would need step by step details. Or does mesa boogie shops do this kind of work. will they mod your amp.

OK....but you dont have to back off much. The change probably wont even be noticable, but you will get rid of that Helicopter oscillation. You dont need this mod to solve your particular problem. Well, at least I didnt. :cool:

[estring777]

Hi Guys,
I have an F-50 which sounds good to me, only a bit harsh sometimes.
I just reecived an MXR 10 band equalizer.
Do you have suggestions for settings with a stratocaster and the F50.
I play a coverband and we cover Gary moore, velvet revolver G&R, AC/DC, Satriani, SRV and many more.

i do not need the MXR as a booste, I have a TS9 in front which I use as a booster and to fatten the sound

I love the F-50...but I'm guessing your needs may call for a Marshall.
If you havent already, swap out your mesa tubes.

[hdhv]

yes I have swapped the tubes.

Now I have:
MP RUBY 6L6GCMSTR Powertubes
Tung-Sol 12AX7 V1
Penta Labs 12AX7C V2 alternativ I have high gain JJ ECC83S
Shuguang 12AX7C V3
Balanced Sovtek LPS V4

The earpiercing highs are gone, but still a lot of highs.
Think of adjusting with eq. Boost lower freq. and cut highs. Tha adjust middle to taste. hoe harschness is gone to
Some suggestions?

Mind that recording with the amp direct into PC is good, Maybe the speaker makes it harsh and piercing.
Tried with 2x12 V30 sounded much better.

[mrelusive]

here's an F-series question for ya:

i was thinkin about switching out the speakers in my 4x12. Right now there are 4 Vintage 30s in there, but i'm debating doing an x pattern with another speaker model to round out the tone. All my guitars are solid mahogany (yamaha sbg700s and a gibson faded natural sg, all stock pickups right now) and i play tuned down 1.5-2.5 steps a lot of times. Not super-thrashy metal or shred, more like straight-up heavy guitar rock. Akin to Queens of the Stone Age, Monster Magnet, the Cars, etc.

what speakers would sound good? what should i avoid? would switching these out really make a difference or sound better, or should i just get new pickups for one of my guitars and cure the GAS that way?

[lovED]

mrelusive has a good question that i wouldn't mind hearing some answers to as well.
mrelusive, I play a Mesa F-100 head. I play dropped C. I use an older Marshall 4x12. I don't think they are V-30s. I'm looking for a good solution in terms of speakers myself. I was thinking either a MESA cab or an Orange. Orange have v30s though.......so i was leaning more towards a nice mesa cab.
lovED

[Joeytpg]

Well I don't have much experience with Cabs, but the mesa cabs sound very big and have a lot of bottom end..... If you like a bright sound, I'd go for a Marshall cab, or an orange cab with V30s.... it would sound VERY NICE with a drop C tunning and the dark F-100...... :)

but again, what do I know heheheh

[opultaM]

Hey Andy, find any good deals in Japan? I went to Tokyo a few yearsw ago and came home with a mint used Maxon AF-9 AutoFilter which I got for about $130. Also, I was playing an Akai Deep Impact bass synth (on a guitar) and loved it. So I told the guy I wanted it and he just took $40 off hte price right there. I don't know why, as the entire transaction was wordless. he just showed me the price with a discount and I smiled and nodded.

I like to think it's because I was the first gringo who really tore it up in his store, but that's doubtful.


Edit: I should mention, I got the AF-9 in Akihabara (don't remember the store) and the Akai in Osaka at the Yamaha store. Also, there was a great collection of boutiques in a store in Shibuya (it was near the Friday's)

[mudbuddy11]

hdhv, I had issues with the amp sounding a little to harsh to my ears too, and the mxr in the fx chain solved my issue. I had to try several differnt patterns before I found the one that I really liked. It works great for my les paul, but I dont find I really need it with a strat, because it has really clear low output pickups. I use a v-shape pattern, with a boost on my lows and highs at +10db, and my mids around -6db, and the rest fall in line to make the v-pattern... I know you get it... anyway, that might not work for your set up, but you could try it, but not so drastic on the high and low,....

what people really recommend is, to start at a flatline, and adjust each control one at a time, until you have the sound youre looking for.

or try this,,, set level to 0 and gain to slight boost, then in order
-6,-6,+6,0,-3, 0,0,+6,+3,0.... this is in the mxr manual as 'sparkly clean'

level 0, gain0, -12,-12,-12,-12,-6,+6,+3,-12,-12,-12 ... is clalled 'am radio tone'

I still found my scooped mids v shape to be the best sound in my rig.

I would like to hear what you get worked out for your strat. good luck.

[estring777]

[QUOTE=hdhv;25516457]yes I have swapped the tubes.

Now I have:
MP RUBY 6L6GCMSTR Powertubes
Tung-Sol 12AX7 V1
Penta Labs 12AX7C V2 alternativ I have high gain JJ ECC83S
Shuguang 12AX7C V3
Balanced Sovtek LPS V4

The earpiercing highs are gone, but still a lot of highs.
Think of adjusting with eq. Boost lower freq. and cut highs. Tha adjust middle to taste. hoe harschness is gone to
Some suggestions?

Mind that recording with the amp direct into PC is good, Maybe the speaker makes it harsh and piercing.
Tried with 2x12 V30 sounded much better.[/QUOTE

We have a similar tube config.....

Well my "secret" to getting it smoother was a 2x12 avatar cab with a V30 and a G12. I put beam blockers on both and then, and this is what really did it, I set the cab vertically...instead of horizontally. It was like night and day.
I have a theory why this worked but it would be hard to put into words...at least for me.
V30's tend to be a little harsh...especially if they are new.

[Joeytpg]

Hey bros, made a new video. My new John Mayer Sig Strat, into the F-50, no pedals, or fx. Recorded with my Macbook isight and miced with a shure SM57 into a Metric Halo ULN-2 interface.

I'm loving this guitar! The amp came to life once more! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoGRUPzA-8

[Nexus555]

I have a Mesa Boogie F-50 amp head wanting to get a speaker cabinet. Any recommendations? I play a 72 Custom Gibson Les Paul w/ fretless wonder. I like having a good distinction between my highs/lows when I hit the switch on my guitar. Not extremely high high's and not extreme lows, but in the mid-high range and mid-low range, something like that. Would a Avatar 2 x 12 cabinet with Vintage 30's be alright? I was thinking that with the closed back. Any help would rock.

[Joeytpg]

Hey Neil, how could I get me one of those cool rig pictures design like you got and tommi/andy ?

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Andy, find any good deals in Japan? I went to Tokyo a few yearsw ago and came home with a mint used Maxon AF-9 AutoFilter which I got for about $130. Also, I was playing an Akai Deep Impact bass synth (on a guitar) and loved it. So I told the guy I wanted it and he just took $40 off hte price right there. I don't know why, as the entire transaction was wordless. he just showed me the price with a discount and I smiled and nodded.

I like to think it's because I was the first gringo who really tore it up in his store, but that's doubtful.


Edit: I should mention, I got the AF-9 in Akihabara (don't remember the store) and the Akai in Osaka at the Yamaha store. Also, there was a great collection of boutiques in a store in Shibuya (it was near the Friday's)

Hi opultaM,

Well everything is a good deal here compared to rip off Britain :p - in the past I've bought my Dynacomp, my PRS Custom 22 and my Tascam recording interface in Japan - as well of loads of sundry items.

This time I'm eyeing up a Fender Eric Johnson strat - to put it in perspective. The EJ Strat costs about $2200 - 2600. Here, I've found a new one for $1450. :love:

If I don't go for the strat, then I might indulge in a new wah-wah. If I could find a Voodoo Labs GCX or an Axess GRX4, I'd snap it up and make the two pedals I run in front of my F-50 MIDI controllable. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[mudbuddy11]

holy crap, I've been looking for an overdrive pedal. I was thinking ts9, then thinking that if I were to spend that kind of money, and since I've got a tube amp that can benefit from the best pedals on the market, I was thinking analogman or keeley modded ts9's.
I got a wild hare, and pulled the trigger on a lovepedal red cot. I CANT WAIT to get this thing and start playing. I just got my old 50's 5w(?) airline amp working again, and I'm thinking it will push that sweetly... oh, not to mention the 76 champ silverface thats on its way too.
For a broke dude, I sure seem to spend the dough.

[Joeytpg]

Hey guys...... another video for you... This is the POD XTL through the F-50 only as a power amp/cab.

:)

-dZG_hQzA-s

[mudbuddy11]

thats pretty friggin good, joey

[Joeytpg]

thanks a lot Mud! :)

[Lamb]

Hi Lamb,

I hope you're enjoying the choosing process. :) I own both a V-Twin pedal and the F-50. To my ears, the V-Twin pedal is darker and looser than the F-50. I personally much prefer the tone of the F-50, but I should say that I normally run the V-Twin into the front end of a Fender Princeton Chorus. In this set up, the brightness of the Fender helps compliment the darker V-Twin - I've used this rig for pretty big gigs - including the Royal Albert Hall, but the F-50 is altogether in a different league imho - and tighter too. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Haha, I sure am although I'd love to finally get my hands on a decent amp set up. Unfortunately, I was outbid on the F-50 I was going for and the F-100 auction was taken down :(

Oh well, gives me more time to save up for a cab while I keep my eyes open for another F-50.

[Tommi Inkila]

Joey, that John Mayer test clip is easily your best sounding clip. Great work!

...huh, about two weeks to SC recordings... eight songs for starters. Expect some material :)

[Si.]

Joey,

Loving that Metallica sound on the Video clip.. can you post your setup and settings?

[hal9000]

Hey Neil, how could I get me one of those cool rig pictures design like you got and tommi/andy ?I'd have to design it for you. You can see some of my other work here: www.64graphics.com/portfolio.html Unfortunately, I don't have any time right now with all of my graphic design work, but when I get a little bit less busy, I'll send you a PM.

Nice work on the two clips! I guess the XTL/F-50 rig is working for you then. :)

[lovED]

joey i LOOVVVVE your John Mayer sig.
I could do without that color but it sounds amazing.
That clip makes me glad. I feel great about having a strat.
lovED

[Joeytpg]

thanks a lot guys....

Neil: no prob. man, you let me know :)

Tommi, thanks a lot.....the thing is i miced the amp...and it's going through my Metri Halo......the other clips are made with the crappy computer build in mic.

loveD....thanks a lot man! I LOVE white guitars.......the only thing I'm not FEELING yet, is the green Pickguard.....I'll leave it on for a couple of months more, than I'm getting a white pickguard, :D :D

[Joeytpg]

Made another video yesterday....forgot to post it here



0X2EChBKlCk

[Joeytpg]

Joey,

Loving that Metallica sound on the Video clip.. can you post your setup and settings?

damn man.... I mess A LOT with the setting to get that sounds...even it STILL sounds weird through the mic (sounds very good in the room tho)

I'll post the EQ settings latter on :)

[Si.]

Thanks :)

[lovED]

I've never been a fan of white guitars. I've got a super dark blue/ purple 89 Fender American. I've played a few white guitars....they just arent very suiting. Maybe a nice natural guitar.
PS. Also into finding out about the settings for the Metallica sounds......(big fan).
lovED

[pedrozepelim]

Made another video yesterday....forgot to post it here



0X2EChBKlCk

I never been a fan of your tone, I must say, but this to me is the BEST clean tone I ever heard from a F-Series and probably the best clean I ever herad from a Les Paul. I don't know if this is because of the P'90's, or the combo Guitra+Amp, but that one, to me, is the best clean. Period!

Never liked your strat with the emg's tone, and I must confess that I never expected to tell you this, but I got to admit it.

Did you used the same setings that you used with the J.M. Strat?

And by the way, what seting did you use?

Congratulations, man!

[Joeytpg]

I never been a fan of your tone, I must say, but this to me is the BEST clean tone I ever heard from a F-Series and probably the best clean I ever herad from a Les Paul. I don't know if this is because of the P'90's, or the combo Guitra+Amp, but that one, to me, is the best clean. Period!

Never liked your strat with the emg's tone, and I must confess that I never expected to tell you this, but I got to admit it.

Did you used the same setings that you used with the J.M. Strat?

And by the way, what seting did you use?

Congratulations, man!


Sup bud, no problem man... I appreciate the honesty really.

The thing is, the search for tone is such a bitch because EVERY little thing can affect tone, pickups, pickups high, amp, room, recording equipment, own's sonar capabilities, etc.

In my past videos there were a lot of things that were not "great" regarding tone:

1) getting to know the amp (I've had this amp for a bit more than a year now, and you get to know the amp a bit more

2) Pickups (my blue strat has an eMG setup, which honestly to me sound pretty good, given the fact they're EMGs, which we know are better known for rock/metal style) I tried raising the single coils a little bit and that opened up the sound a bit more I guess. But EMGs are not for everyone really

3)Recording (this is a big one here....ALL my past videos were recorded with the crappy built in mic my computer has. only the John Mayer strat/hard rock f-50 new clip/POD XTL/Edwards videos are miced. And I believe there's a notable dif. in sound.
I'll make a few more vids, so stay tune.

anyways I really appreciate the honesty and all.... :)

[pedrozepelim]

Sup bud, no problem man... I appreciate the honesty really.

The thing is, the search for tone is such a bitch because EVERY little thing can affect tone, pickups, pickups high, amp, room, recording equipment, own's sonar capabilities, etc.

In my past videos there were a lot of things that were not "great" regarding tone:

1) getting to know the amp (I've had this amp for a bit more than a year now, and you get to know the amp a bit more

2) Pickups (my blue strat has an eMG setup, which honestly to me sound pretty good, given the fact they're EMGs, which we know are better known for rock/metal style) I tried raising the single coils a little bit and that opened up the sound a bit more I guess. But EMGs are not for everyone really

3)Recording (this is a big one here....ALL my past videos were recorded with the crappy built in mic my computer has. only the John Mayer strat/hard rock f-50 new clip/POD XTL/Edwards videos are miced. And I believe there's a notable dif. in sound.
I'll make a few more vids, so stay tune.

anyways I really appreciate the honesty and all.... :)

You didn't told us what settings you were using. Is it a secret? :)

[lenniepickit]

Hey guys -

I'm new here, but a long time player and I find it interesting that none of the senior members have jumped in here to mention the massive way that these pods color the tone of a tube amp.

In fact in my experience while I've found they are a great tool for recording and practicing at home at reasonable volumes, when you take a pod out live the digital artifacts make tube amps thin and harder to here at reasonable volumes w/o a ton of high end and a mess of digital artifacts that end up lost in a room the way a tube doesn't - in couple of words they kill the original tone of tubes....

I had originally tried gigging my F-30 this way and was coming to the conclusion that I was going to have to sell the amp as one of those that sounded good at home but couldn't hang live. But after learning about the hal9000 effects loop attenuator and ditching the pod I realized I had had no idea what this great little amp really sounded like.

Coming from a guy who's been down that road, I can appreciate getting a great tone through a pod with say, for instance, that Gold Les Paul with the sweet p-90's tone you mentioned, but in reality what you are hearing is not the tone of the amp or even the guitar to a large degree, but what the one's and zero's are doing to the guitar and amp.

Perhaps this all goes with out saying on a tube amp forum, but I thought it funny after recently weaning a friend (who couldn't figure out why his amp sounded so good at home but not at gigs) off his pod to find this thread discussing the tone - of a pod.......

Cheers gang!
Happy New Years

[Joeytpg]

I was playing today with my Edwards Goldtop, and messed with some new settings on my F-50 and MAN!....THAT'S how a GOOD ROCK sound is supposed to sound!

No post EQ, no boost, NOTHING........just some reverb. only ONE rythm guitar and the lead. No overdub, no double layer.

Recording chain:

Edwards Goldtop > Mesa F-50 > SM57 > Metric Halo > Macbook > Logic Express 8

Drums: EZdrummer (normal, no DFH)

It's the first song, the one with the Goldtop picture

http://soundclick.com/joeytpg

[Joeytpg]

Pedrozepelim:

I'll post the setting when I get back from xmass vacation (on the 3rd). Are you talking about the Metallica clip made with the POD? or the F-50 tones? (the goldtop video?)


lenniepickit:

The only video i'm using the POD XTL is the one with the blue strat (and I'm wearing a Red/black tshirt) The Goldtop Vid is the F-50 all the way baby! :D

[Will Cyrier]

Hey guys -

I'm new here, but a long time player and I find it interesting that none of the senior members have jumped in here to mention the massive way that these pods color the tone of a tube amp.

In fact in my experience while I've found they are a great tool for recording and practicing at home at reasonable volumes, when you take a pod out live the digital artifacts make tube amps thin and harder to here at reasonable volumes w/o a ton of high end and a mess of digital artifacts that end up lost in a room the way a tube doesn't - in couple of words they kill the original tone of tubes....

I had originally tried gigging my F-30 this way and was coming to the conclusion that I was going to have to sell the amp as one of those that sounded good at home but couldn't hang live. But after learning about the hal9000 effects loop attenuator and ditching the pod I realized I had had no idea what this great little amp really sounded like.

Coming from a guy who's been down that road, I can appreciate getting a great tone through a pod with say, for instance, that Gold Les Paul with the sweet p-90's tone you mentioned, but in reality what you are hearing is not the tone of the amp or even the guitar to a large degree, but what the one's and zero's are doing to the guitar and amp.

Perhaps this all goes with out saying on a tube amp forum, but I thought it funny after recently weaning a friend (who couldn't figure out why his amp sounded so good at home but not at gigs) off his pod to find this thread discussing the tone - of a pod.......

Cheers gang!
Happy New Years

I have recently come to the same conclusion, with my Tonelab SE. I recently took it to a jam session and put it through my F-30 loop (with the dummy plug in the amp FX send). Using only the F-30 as a power amp at a substantially higher volume than what I practice with, I was suprised at how bad my tones sounded. Granted I haven't taken the time to re-tweak my tones for these volumes, but nothing beats the sound of a couple of good pedals straight into my F-30. I have found that if I use it in the loop for mod., delay, and reverb effects, it sounds incredible. I wonder if a Pod could sound as good.

[FiveIron]

f-series is boring... period

[Joeytpg]

are you a Troll? hehehe saying that in the F-series lounge........hehe :P


Again, to each his own

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Brothers,

I hope you're all having a wonderful festive season. My festive season got a whole lot better at the top end of this week (Dec 24) when I decided to pull the trigger on a particularly sweet E.J. Strat. :p

As I touched on earlier, there are some pretty keenly priced E.J. Strats here in Japan, and I had pretty much made up my mind that I would have to pick one up. All the cheaper ones were in the Black colour, because they simply aren't as popular as the other colours. At first this put me off too, until I started thinking about changing the pickguard, and then I realised having a black body would actually be my favourite option - I'm a huge fan of how black bodies and white pick-up covers look with tortoiseshell or anodized gold pickguards. :)

I've named her Adwoa (pronounced Adjua - after a Ghanaian lass I once dated), and she covers the ground in my sonic arsenal where I want a bridge and bridge+middle single coil sounds. It's also a much more vintage voiced Strat and being Alder+Maple should compliment beautifully my Ash+Rosewood Charvel. Without further ado, here are some piccies of the new lass in my stable - looking perfectly at home on the tatami mats. :D

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2254/2141080844_afb537574a.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2025/2140316727_d264b1b8dd.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2313/2140295881_14c18bbd3a.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2152/2141080464_c6362aac94.jpg


I look forward to rockin' her with my F-50 in the New Year. Hope you all have a wonderfully musical New Year too! :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Made another video yesterday....forgot to post it here


...YouTube snip...


Hey Joey,

I agree with the other comments posted - Great Tone! Your JM Strat sounds gorgeous too! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Will Cyrier]

Hey Brothers,

I hope you're all having a wonderful festive season. My festive season got a whole lot better at the top end of this week (Dec 24) when I decided to pull the trigger on a particularly sweet E.J. Strat. :p

As I touched on earlier, there are some pretty keenly priced E.J. Strats here in Japan, and I had pretty much made up my mind that I would have to pick one up. All the cheaper ones were in the Black colour, because they simply aren't as popular as the other colours. At first this put me off too, until I started thinking about changing the pickguard, and then I realised having a black body would actually be my favourite option - I'm a huge fan of how black bodies and white pick-up covers look with tortoiseshell or anodized gold pickguards. :)

I've named her Adwoa (pronounced Adjua - after a Ghanaian lass I once dated), and she covers the ground in my sonic arsenal where I want a bridge and bridge+middle single coil sounds. It's also a much more vintage voiced Strat and being Alder+Maple should compliment beautifully my Ash+Rosewood Charvel. Without further ado, here are some piccies of the new lass in my stable - looking perfectly at home on the tatami mats. :D

I look forward to rockin' her with my F-50 in the New Year. Hope you all have a wonderfully musical New Year too! :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

Beautiful guitar Andy, I find myself coveting your Christmas Eve gift to yourself. EJ is one of my favorites and I have played his sig. guitar at Guitar Center. My goal is to own one someday...

I think the black body is cool. But, like you said, the tortoiseshell will make it *pop*. Congratulations, post some clips if you have any time, I'd love to hear it.

[eddie.perez]

Finally I got to control the channels on my F-100 head with my GT-8 processor. It took me a while to do this, but I finally have my custom made cable. Thanks to "dan's the mann" for this wonderful idea.

The only problem that I have now is that I could only control channel 1 and 2 and not the contour effect. I really don't care about the reverb since I make up for it with my Gt-8. I was thinking of actually using an eq to make up for the contour effect. Does anybody know the eq settings on the famous Mesa Boogie contour effect? Let me know if you guys have any tips on this.

Once again have a wonderful new year F-series brothers.:thu:

[Dann'sTheMan]

Beautiful guitar Andy, I find myself coveting your Christmas Eve gift to yourself. EJ is one of my favorites and I have played his sig. guitar at Guitar Center. My goal is to own one someday...

I think the black body is cool. But, like you said, the tortoiseshell will make it *pop*. Congratulations, post some clips if you have any time, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks Will,

She's certainly a photogenic guitar, and the tone - mmm. :love: I'm also pretty much persuaded about going for tortoiseshell, I think it looks SO funky on the custom shop models, and it would be a cool visual nod to my guitar hero's signature guitar (Dann Huff's Tyler).

I'm planning to visit a new (for me) guitar shop this afternoon in a town called Ebina. I'll be keeping an eye out for the pickguard. When I get back to the UK, I'll certainly try to get around to sharing some clips. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[nodachi]

dammit guys! where do you get a freakin' F100? i cant find one anywhere. or, someone trade me one for my Razorback! :cry:

[opultaM]

So here's a dumb question (that I may have already asked, but the Search didn't turn up anything):

Can you swap out the reverb tank in an F100 head and replace it with something else (like a different effect)? How is it connected?

Maybe this is a dumb idea...but if it actually works, there are some great possibilities here.

[pedrozepelim]

Pedrozepelim:

I'll post the setting when I get back from xmass vacation (on the 3rd). Are you talking about the Metallica clip made with the POD? or the F-50 tones? (the goldtop video?)


lenniepickit:

The only video i'm using the POD XTL is the one with the blue strat (and I'm wearing a Red/black tshirt) The Goldtop Vid is the F-50 all the way baby! :D

The Gold Top one!

[Curtis.Fagan]

I love my F100, but it's going to have to be another future purchase methinks. But i am still very interested to see if one could put in a different effect instead of the reverb tank...that'd be kinda neat....

Love,
Curtis

[opultaM]

...i am still very interested to see if one could put in a different effect instead of the reverb tank...that'd be kinda neat....

Love,
Curtis

Right?! The imagination reels at what we could do if this is possible!

Anyone?

[Sixtonoize]

You can...it certainly won't hurt anything. There will probably be an impedance mismatch, however, so you might get a fair amount of tone loss, and possibly, motorboating.

Give it a try...I'd like to hear what you find out.

[opultaM]

You can...it certainly won't hurt anything. There will probably be an impedance mismatch, however, so you might get a fair amount of tone loss, and possibly, motorboating.

Give it a try...I'd like to hear what you find out.

By motorboating, you mean choppy sounds? Like a helicopter almost? What if I use somethin glike the DD20, which can be set for line or instrument level? Or rack gear for that matter? Actually it would be perfect for a piece of rack gear, if it worked.

Hell this is all very hypothetical, as I don't even know what kind of connections the reverb tank uses (and my amp is at the studio right now)

[lovED]

Had a gig last night. I used my F-100 and a 1936 cab. I was getting a lot of highs and not getting the volume I wanted. It was sounding very thin with my strat. Im wondering if it's my strat because my LP on the bridge changed it a little bit. I'm having tons of guitar problems my Strat is crappin out and my LP's bridge pickup is too hot and microphonic. I'm so distressed :(
lovED

[lovED]

Happy new year.
lovED

[Joeytpg]

happy new years bros!

[forgottenking]

For Schnarf and anyone else having unwanted distortion on low notes: Just swap V1 with a new tube and you'll be golden. Sorry if this got answered already. I developed the same problem here recently and swapping the V1 did the trick.

I hope this helps.

[eddie.perez]

Happy New Year F-series brothers. Thanks for all your help.:thu:

[eddie.perez]

This year my goal is to buy another 2x12 recto cab and trade the v-30's for some other ones that have more defined mids and presence. I was thinking of the celestion G12T-75 watt speakers or the Mesa Boogie c-90's. Do you guys think these speakers are pretty much the same, or do they have some differences. If you guys find some clips of these two different speakers let me know. Thanks:thu:

[opultaM]

This year my goal is to buy another 2x12 recto cab and trade the v-30's for some other ones that have more defined mids and presence. I was thinking of the celestion G12T-75 watt speakers or the Mesa Boogie c-90's. Do you guys think these speakers are pretty much the same, or do they have some differences. If you guys find some clips of these two different speakers let me know. Thanks:thu:



I had a Marshall 412 JCM800 1960 Lead cab with G12T-75s for a while with my F100. Very harsh and cold. Really didn;t like it.

Now I have a Mesa RoadKing cab with openback C90s and closed back V30s.

Love it. i don't know how much of the sonic difference is the speaker change and how much is the open back aspect (and how much is the fact that the Marshall was very old and beat up), but the Mesa wins hands down, IMO.

[eddie.perez]

I had a Marshall 412 JCM800 1960 Lead cab with G12T-75s for a while with my F100. Very harsh and cold. Really didn;t like it.

Now I have a Mesa RoadKing cab with openback C90s and closed back V30s.

Love it. i don't know how much of the sonic difference is the speaker change and how much is the open back aspect (and how much is the fact that the Marshall was very old and beat up), but the Mesa wins hands down, IMO.


Oh that's nice, do you get alot of clarity with the openback c-90's? i'm wondering if the c-90's would sound as good with a closedback. How much did you pay for your Roadking cab.:)

[opultaM]

Well my band has a Mesa endorsement thing going, so I got it at under $600. But yeah I love it.

It's hard to tell just in the band setting which speakers are bringing what to the table. It's definitely less shrill than the Marshall cab was, and it's also, I think a bit louder. Maybe that's just the presence. Again, the G12T-75's were quite old and probably could have used some reconing, but how could I NOT just buy roadking cab for the price I paid?

[gregv]

Hey all, happy new year!!

I had a question about my F-30. Its quite new (2 months since i got it) and I think I am noticing a difference in the tone since i got it. It seems to me like the tone is not as good as when i plugged it in a few months ago.

Mostly channel 2, and it seems to sound a little more "muddy" especially on the non countour channel. I am not the most knowledgable guy with the new amp but a few things i could note.......

1. the tubes at the back seem lit up orange and blue and equal in both.
2. on channel one i need to turn the master to 9 oclock before i get any volume out of the amp at all
3. on channel 2 the amp can be heard when master is at the lowest possible setting, but it doesnt really kick in until about 8-9 oclock

any thoughts or am i being a little paranoid.....thanks in advance!

[eddie.perez]

Hey all, happy new year!!

I had a question about my F-30. Its quite new (2 months since i got it) and I think I am noticing a difference in the tone since i got it. It seems to me like the tone is not as good as when i plugged it in a few months ago.

Mostly channel 2, and it seems to sound a little more "muddy" especially on the non countour channel. I am not the most knowledgable guy with the new amp but a few things i could note.......

1. the tubes at the back seem lit up orange and blue and equal in both.
2. on channel one i need to turn the master to 9 oclock before i get any volume out of the amp at all
3. on channel 2 the amp can be heard when master is at the lowest possible setting, but it doesnt really kick in until about 8-9 oclock

any thoughts or am i being a little paranoid.....thanks in advance!


It's probably the cable that your using or your guitar pickups that have gone bad. The only other thing is to check the power tubes. Did you by a used F-30?

[gregv]

It's probably the cable that your using or your guitar pickups that have gone bad. The only other thing is to check the power tubes. Did you by a used F-30?

thanks for the reply,

I bought the amp from music store so it only had a little wear from people trying it out but otherwise brand new.

Is there a way I can check the health of my pickups, I have a LTD M200FM with EMGHZ pickups, I believe they are the passive ones so i don't think there is anything to check with them, am I wrong?.

Tried other cable and sounded the same.

Tried other guitar, although it is acoustic electric one and it also seemed to sound similar.

Checked out 4 power tubes and two pre amp tubes and all glowed the same and seemed fine.

I am a little stumped on this one???

Thanks in advance!

[Will Cyrier]

So my amp farted out on me yesterday morning, right before I left civilization to return to college at Washington State University. I took it to a local music store and the engineer looked at it and was surprised to fine countless "solder balls" throughout the interior of the amp. He said it was from the manufacturing process and that I should contact Mesa. Problem is, this thing is out of warranty. I thought I had fixed this problem by taking it to a repair guy this past summer and was really happy with it, until now. What would you do? Do you think I should call Mesa and see if they can do anything for me? I'm over 5 hours from the nearest "authorized" repair facility. I love the tone of this thing but this just sucks...

[opultaM]

i'd say call/email them first and explain the situation and ask their advice. i've spoken with them before and they're very friendly and helpful.

goodluck and sorry to hear that

[recipher]

Hi, new to the forum! I was able to score a 3 year old F-50 on eBay. Really pleased with it so far. Thanks to all the awesome information in this thread, it definitely swayed my decision to seek out this amp. That and there is a Mesa Certified Tech in town.

I'm wondering if anyone can answer a couple of questions.

I put a Big Muff Pi in the FX Loop and it just doesn't sound right. It has a low, bassy rumble when set to 100% send with the "sustain" turned up on the Big Muff Pi. The changing the "tone" on the big muff pi seems to affect the pitch of this low frequency rumble. At 100%, shouldn't it sound exactly like running it before input (true 100%)? Am I missing something here? This is on the clean channel. Even if I mess with the "volume" levels on the Big Muff Pi, I can tell something doesn't sound right.

Also, when I turned my amp on for a second time yesterday, there was a noise I was getting through the amp on the clean channel. It sounded like changing through radio stations with small pops. After worrying some, I changed to the distortion channel and the same thing was happening. However, after I switched back to the clean channel, the noise went away. Is this normal?

Anyone have any advice? It would be greatly appreciated.

Pics and clips to come soon, I promise. If I can get the FX Loop to work correctly, I will be experimenting with running this through a Waldorf XT (http://www.bluedistortion.com/2007/07/22/more-waldorf-microwave-xt-sound-samples/). :thu:

[Lt_Core]

Hi, new to the forum! I was able to score a 3 year old F-50 on eBay. Really pleased with it so far. Thanks to all the awesome information in this thread, it definitely swayed my decision to seek out this amp. That and there is a Mesa Certified Tech in town.

I'm wondering if anyone can answer a couple of questions.

I put a Big Muff Pi in the FX Loop and it just doesn't sound right. It has a low, bassy rumble when set to 100% send with the "sustain" turned up on the Big Muff Pi. The changing the "tone" on the big muff pi seems to affect the pitch of this low frequency rumble. At 100%, shouldn't it sound exactly like running it before input (true 100%)? Am I missing something here? This is on the clean channel.

Also, when I turned my amp on for a second time yesterday, there was a noise I was getting through the amp on the clean channel. It sounded like changing through radio stations with small pops. After worrying some, I changed to the distortion channel and the same thing was happening. However, after I switched back to the clean channel, the noise went away. Is this normal?

Anyone have any advice? It would be greatly appreciated.

Pics and clips to come soon, I promise. If I can get the FX Loop to work correctly, I will be experimenting with running this through a Waldorf XT (http://www.bluedistortion.com/2007/07/22/more-waldorf-microwave-xt-sound-samples/). :thu:

Hi, welcome to the F-series Lounge! Congrats on your F-50. Mine is an absolute workhorse. I love it.

About the effects loop and the Big Muff. Most overdrive, distortion, fuzz, etc. pedals sound better in the regular input chain, not the effects loop. Most people typically run EQ's, volume pedals, delays, modulation pedals in the loop, while OD's, wah's, compressors are better out front. Give that a shot.

Only one time I picked up a radio station-type sound at a friend's house. Not sure what is up with that. Good luck!

[recipher]

Hi, welcome to the F-series Lounge! Congrats on your F-50. Mine is an absolute workhorse. I love it.

About the effects loop and the Big Muff. Most overdrive, distortion, fuzz, etc. pedals sound better in the regular input chain, not the effects loop. Most people typically run EQ's, volume pedals, delays, modulation pedals in the loop, while OD's, wah's, compressors are better out front. Give that a shot.

Only one time I picked up a radio station-type sound at a friend's house. Not sure what is up with that. Good luck!

Hi Lt_Core, thanks for the reply! I have tried it on the input chain as well and it sounds great. Just wondering if what I described is normal and what would cause that rumble. Thanks. :)

[eddie.perez]

thanks for the reply,

I bought the amp from music store so it only had a little wear from people trying it out but otherwise brand new.

Is there a way I can check the health of my pickups, I have a LTD M200FM with EMGHZ pickups, I believe they are the passive ones so i don't think there is anything to check with them, am I wrong?.

Tried other cable and sounded the same.

Tried other guitar, although it is acoustic electric one and it also seemed to sound similar.

Checked out 4 power tubes and two pre amp tubes and all glowed the same and seemed fine.

I am a little stumped on this one???

Thanks in advance!

check this out it might help. http://mesa.stores.yahoo.net/whattubtotub.html :thu:

[CharliePorter]

Hi,

I'm new to this Forum, so apologies if I've inserted this message in the wrong place!

I have been using an F50 for about 2 years and I love it. However, I think that my tone could be better!

How much gain and mid do members of the Forum use for Channel 2 (with/without Contour) to get a great rock tone (not Metal - sorry!). Do you use OD before the amp, equalization in the Effects Loop??

Best regards,

Charlie.

[mudbuddy11]

HO-----LY------CRAP.
I've been playing my clean channel through my new lovepedal, and damn... I think I'm giving up searching for the right sound in the drive channel. This damn pedal sounds like the tone I've always been looking for. It rips the ACDC tone way better than I've been able to dial channel 2, but now that I know what I like,,, I know what I'm chasing.

Wow is all I have to say. I also got a keeley modded ds-1, and thats nice, but this lovepedal cot50 is the bomb.

I've been looking at the keeley fuzz-face for that hendrix tone, any of you have any experience?

[Sixtonoize]

Hi,

I'm new to this Forum, so apologies if I've inserted this message in the wrong place!

I have been using an F50 for about 2 years and I love it. However, I think that my tone could be better!

How much gain and mid do members of the Forum use for Channel 2 (with/without Contour) to get a great rock tone (not Metal - sorry!). Do you use OD before the amp, equalization in the Effects Loop??

Best regards,

Charlie.


Personally, I go straight into the amp, crank up the mids (around 3 o'clock), and cut bass and treble (both around 9 o'clock). I use very little gain (9:00), and a parametric EQ in the FX loop (boost @ 100 hz and 3khz, and cut around 750 hz to counteract the mid-boost in the tone stack). I use this as my main rhythm tone, and the Contour as a boost for leads.

[willburford]

Recently, I can't get the gain channel on my amp to sound bright enough.

For example, I just picked up a danelectro FAB distortion (surprisingly good) and I'm using it instead of my f-30s gain channel (with contour on) because even if I crank the treble, it just doesn't have the bite that the danelectro has (because of the lack of treble). Could this mean the tubes are dying, or...? I remember the gain channel being really bright when I first got it, and now when I crank the treble it's not bright at all.

Thanks for the help in advance

[Torh]

So I decided to have a professional mod my FX loop from a parallel to a serial one. Took an hour for him to do. Result? I am happy, my DD-20 is happy, and so is my F-50. :) I cannot believe I haven't done this for months ago.. The motorboating/pulsating sound for certain delay settings are long gone.. I cannot recommend that mod enough. ;)

[Joeytpg]

So I decided to have a professional mod my FX loop from a parallel to a serial one. Took an hour for him to do. Result? I am happy, my DD-20 is happy, and so is my F-50. :) I cannot believe I haven't done this for months ago.. The motorboating/pulsating sound for certain delay settings are long gone.. I cannot recommend that mod enough. ;)



What's the difference between a parallel and serial ??? cons/pros?

[Torh]

A parallel loop means that you can adjust the balance between the signal going outside the FX loop and the signal going through the loop. So at 90% (full tilt on the adjustment knob on the F-50), 90% of the signal from the preamp goes through the loop. However this causes some problem with the DD-20; some of the signal returning, also feeds the signal going to the effects in the loop. So basically it's feedbacking the DD-20. Nasty.

The serial mod took care of that. An amp with a serial loop, means that 100% of the signal goes through the loop before entering the power amp. I am not exactly sure behind the science that the parallel loop causes a bleed-over from the return-signal to the send-signal, but nevertheless, the mod has been a blessing for my amp and my delay unit..

Pros with the parallel.. If you have tone-sucking pedals in the loop, the adjustment possibility will help the amp keeping the most of the natural signal intact, but depending on how present you want the effects in the loop to be for your sound, eventually.

[Dann'sTheMan]

So here's a dumb question (that I may have already asked, but the Search didn't turn up anything):

Can you swap out the reverb tank in an F100 head and replace it with something else (like a different effect)? How is it connected?

Maybe this is a dumb idea...but if it actually works, there are some great possibilities here.

Hey Brothers!

Happy New Year! My family and I have just gotten back to the in-law's place following a vacation around Japan: Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Nara. :cool: Rest assured I missed you guys, but I did visit some nice guitar shops on my travels, and thought of you! :p

opultaM,

Regarding your question? I may well be missing something here, but why would you replace the reverb tank when you can simply add effects in the FX loop? I guess you could also physically velcro them down next to the reverb tank if you wished, but there'd be some practical limitations to such a set up, such as switching the FX on and off, and tweaking settings. What advantage is there in replacing the reverb tank that I'm missing? :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Had a gig last night. I used my F-100 and a 1936 cab. I was getting a lot of highs and not getting the volume I wanted. It was sounding very thin with my strat. Im wondering if it's my strat because my LP on the bridge changed it a little bit. I'm having tons of guitar problems my Strat is crappin out and my LP's bridge pickup is too hot and microphonic. I'm so distressed :(
lovED

Hi lovED,

It's hard to say with your guitars also giving you grief, but it does sound as if you may need a tube change (or maybe the battery has gone in one of your pieces of equipment) - I can't even imagine the F-100 not being able to deliver the volume that's wanted. :eek: :p

BTW, if you're using loop attenuation (including the Mix Master volume mod that hal9000 describes), makes sure you're not turning down more than what you need for gig levels. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey all, happy new year!!

I had a question about my F-30. Its quite new (2 months since i got it) and I think I am noticing a difference in the tone since i got it. It seems to me like the tone is not as good as when i plugged it in a few months ago.

Mostly channel 2, and it seems to sound a little more "muddy" especially on the non countour channel. I am not the most knowledgable guy with the new amp but a few things i could note.......

1. the tubes at the back seem lit up orange and blue and equal in both.
2. on channel one i need to turn the master to 9 oclock before i get any volume out of the amp at all
3. on channel 2 the amp can be heard when master is at the lowest possible setting, but it doesnt really kick in until about 8-9 oclock

any thoughts or am i being a little paranoid.....thanks in advance!


Hi gregv,

You may well need a tube change. I know it's only been a couple of months, but tubes tend to either fail early, or last a long time. Furthermore, EL84s are perhaps the least consistent of the popular tube types, so you're more likely to find unreliable ones.

I'd suggest getting a spare set of tubes. If it is paranoia, then you can keep them as back ups anyway. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. If the volume taper on your amp has changed since you bought it, i.e. you used to get sound at below 9 o'clock on channel one, then this would appear to be a real issue.

[Dann'sTheMan]

So my amp farted out on me yesterday morning, right before I left civilization to return to college at Washington State University. I took it to a local music store and the engineer looked at it and was surprised to fine countless "solder balls" throughout the interior of the amp. He said it was from the manufacturing process and that I should contact Mesa. Problem is, this thing is out of warranty. I thought I had fixed this problem by taking it to a repair guy this past summer and was really happy with it, until now. What would you do? Do you think I should call Mesa and see if they can do anything for me? I'm over 5 hours from the nearest "authorized" repair facility. I love the tone of this thing but this just sucks...

Hi Will,

Sorry to hear about your ongoing issues. I agree with the posters that suggest calling Mesa. I'm sure they would be understanding of your situation, not least if the amp did indeed leave their factory with countless "solder balls" rolling around inside -> that's a recipe for unreliability. :(

Best wishes,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hi, new to the forum! I was able to score a 3 year old F-50 on eBay. Really pleased with it so far. Thanks to all the awesome information in this thread, it definitely swayed my decision to seek out this amp. That and there is a Mesa Certified Tech in town.

I'm wondering if anyone can answer a couple of questions.

I put a Big Muff Pi in the FX Loop and it just doesn't sound right. It has a low, bassy rumble when set to 100% send with the "sustain" turned up on the Big Muff Pi. The changing the "tone" on the big muff pi seems to affect the pitch of this low frequency rumble. At 100%, shouldn't it sound exactly like running it before input (true 100%)? Am I missing something here? This is on the clean channel. Even if I mess with the "volume" levels on the Big Muff Pi, I can tell something doesn't sound right.

Also, when I turned my amp on for a second time yesterday, there was a noise I was getting through the amp on the clean channel. It sounded like changing through radio stations with small pops. After worrying some, I changed to the distortion channel and the same thing was happening. However, after I switched back to the clean channel, the noise went away. Is this normal?

Anyone have any advice? It would be greatly appreciated.

Pics and clips to come soon, I promise. If I can get the FX Loop to work correctly, I will be experimenting with running this through a Waldorf XT (http://www.bluedistortion.com/2007/07/22/more-waldorf-microwave-xt-sound-samples/). :thu:

Hi recipher,

Welcome to the brotherhood, and congrats on your new F-50. :thu: I would suggest running your Big Muff in front of the amp too. :cool:

Regarding the noise situation, do you know when your amp was last retubed? The noises you mentioned may be signs of the tubes starting to wear.

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Sixtonoize]

OK...so I have this crazy idea.

I NEVER use the Reverb button on my footswitch, because each channel has its own reverb knob.

I do, however, wish that I could be able to switch the FX loop on and off at will.

So, is there a way to mod my F-100 so that the reverb isn't footswitchable, but the FX loop is?

[opultaM]

Hey Brothers!


opultaM,

Regarding your question? I may well be missing something here, but why would you replace the reverb tank when you can simply add effects in the FX loop? I guess you could also physically velcro them down next to the reverb tank if you wished, but there'd be some practical limitations to such a set up, such as switching the FX on and off, and tweaking settings. What advantage is there in replacing the reverb tank that I'm missing? :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

Welcome back! It was quiet here without you!

The idea of replacing the reverb is really just to cut down on board space for some other effect. I don't really use the verb that much, so maybe putting a different effect in would be convenient.

The advantage is that I can turn it on/off the effect via the F's Reverb Footswitch. Also, I could set the levels differently on the effect for different channels via the F's Reverb Level (which you can't do with a stompbox without tweaking)

As you said though, the downside is that you can't tweak all the pedal's settings, so it would have to be a setitandforgetit effect (maybe a Comp or a Phaser). But that's how I am with most my effects anyway.

When I think about it, this would be GREAT for comp, as I usually want different levels for comp on clean and dirt. And I don't use it often enough that I want to devote the board space to it.

So yeah, just an idea that I WILL try eventually (as long as no one tells me that i will break something in the process).

So any gear scores in Japan? I would love to get back there some day.

[eddie.perez]

So I decided to have a professional mod my FX loop from a parallel to a serial one. Took an hour for him to do. Result? I am happy, my DD-20 is happy, and so is my F-50. :) I cannot believe I haven't done this for months ago.. The motorboating/pulsating sound for certain delay settings are long gone.. I cannot recommend that mod enough. ;)


Hey man I which I could have some one do that for my amp too. I live in Los Angeles. Do you know of anyone who does this kind of work here?

[Torh]

Considering I live in Norway, I gotta admit I have no clue.. ;) But any amp tech at a guitar store would be able to help you out. Do a search on this exact thread to find the schematic needed, and supply the amp tech with that when delivering your F-50. :)

[recipher]

Here's some pictures guys of my brand new (used) f-50. :rawk:

http://media.bluedistortion.com/f50/mesa-boogie-f-50-01.jpg

http://media.bluedistortion.com/f50/mesa-boogie-f-50-02.jpg

http://media.bluedistortion.com/f50/mesa-boogie-f-50-03.jpg

http://media.bluedistortion.com/f50/mesa-boogie-f-50-04.jpg

http://media.bluedistortion.com/f50/mesa-boogie-f-50-05.jpg

http://media.bluedistortion.com/f50/mesa-boogie-f-50-06.jpg

http://media.bluedistortion.com/f50/mesa-boogie-f-50-07.jpg

[recipher]

Hi recipher,

Welcome to the brotherhood, and congrats on your new F-50. :thu: I would suggest running your Big Muff in front of the amp too. :cool:

Regarding the noise situation, do you know when your amp was last retubed? The noises you mentioned may be signs of the tubes starting to wear.

Big smiles,

Andy.

Hi Andy, thanks for the reply! I will probably switch out the tubes shortly, they are occasionally starting to make a tapping glass sound as well. Amp still sounds great though otherwise.

I have attached a sound sample of the fx loop issue. It surely does sound great running the Big Muff before input. However, when running the distortion in the FX loop this is what it sounds like.

http://www.bluedistortion.com/audio/guitar/fxloop-wtf.mp3 (caution, loud low frequencies)

This is set to 100% mix on the FX Loop. I am turning the sustain and tone knobs of the Big Muff Pi. Is this normal? You can hear me bang out a couple chords towards the end (which sounds kind of cool but not right. :) )

Unfortunately, I don't have any other non distortion pedals to test with, but, I seemed to have the same issue trying to run through a synthesizer. Just want to make sure my fx loop isn't bunk. Running a patch cable from send to return doesn't create this low frequency feedback issue. Does everyone else have the same sound when running distortion through the fx loop?

[eddie.perez]

Hey brothers,

I hoping you guys can help me again. I'm trying to change my fx loop from parallel to serial beacause I get feedback with certain effects such as phaser and delays. I know theres some type of shcematic some where in this thread on how to do that. If you guys point me in the right the direction I'll very much appreciated. :)

[Tommi Inkila]

Hey bros!

I made a new tone clip while I was tweaking the tone for our next album... here's the link for the thread http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=25761586#post25761586

I hope you like it :)

[miikku]

hi!

I just registered into the forum
I have played several gigs with mesa F-50 + 2x12 rectifier standard. I use
tc's g-major at the fx loop. I haven't found great high gain sounds for metal rhytm and solo. The livesound is quite sharp and doesn't work at all (gain about 10-11 o'clock).
Can anyone help me with this problem?

[opultaM]

Hi Andy, thanks for the reply! I will probably switch out the tubes shortly, they are occasionally starting to make a tapping glass sound as well. Amp still sounds great though otherwise.

I have attached a sound sample of the fx loop issue. It surely does sound great running the Big Muff before input. However, when running the distortion in the FX loop this is what it sounds like.

http://www.bluedistortion.com/audio/guitar/fxloop-wtf.mp3 (caution, loud low frequencies)

This is set to 100% mix on the FX Loop. I am turning the sustain and tone knobs of the Big Muff Pi. Is this normal? You can hear me bang out a couple chords towards the end (which sounds kind of cool but not right. :) )

Unfortunately, I don't have any other non distortion pedals to test with, but, I seemed to have the same issue trying to run through a synthesizer. Just want to make sure my fx loop isn't bunk. Running a patch cable from send to return doesn't create this low frequency feedback issue. Does everyone else have the same sound when running distortion through the fx loop?


haha...that sounds like my tummy earlier before I filled it with some Quesadillas.

Sorry, I guess that doesn't help you...but I AM FULL! :eek:

[Dann'sTheMan]

OK...so I have this crazy idea.

I NEVER use the Reverb button on my footswitch, because each channel has its own reverb knob.

I do, however, wish that I could be able to switch the FX loop on and off at will.

So, is there a way to mod my F-100 so that the reverb isn't footswitchable, but the FX loop is?

Welcome back! It was quiet here without you!

The idea of replacing the reverb is really just to cut down on board space for some other effect. I don't really use the verb that much, so maybe putting a different effect in would be convenient.

The advantage is that I can turn it on/off the effect via the F's Reverb Footswitch. Also, I could set the levels differently on the effect for different channels via the F's Reverb Level (which you can't do with a stompbox without tweaking)

As you said though, the downside is that you can't tweak all the pedal's settings, so it would have to be a setitandforgetit effect (maybe a Comp or a Phaser). But that's how I am with most my effects anyway.

When I think about it, this would be GREAT for comp, as I usually want different levels for comp on clean and dirt. And I don't use it often enough that I want to devote the board space to it.

So yeah, just an idea that I WILL try eventually (as long as no one tells me that i will break something in the process).

So any gear scores in Japan? I would love to get back there some day.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't mod the amp so that the signal received from the Reverb footswitch triggered some different circuitry to switch the FX loop in and out.

You'll have to design the circuitry to switch the FX loop between bypass and on, but that should be a cool little project. You'd have to mod the amp so that the footswitch socket sends the Reverb footswitch signal to your new circuit rather than to the amp's Reverb circuitry. All very doable. :cool:

If it were me, I'd be tempted to build a small project box with connections to the Amp's Send and Return sockets, plus it's own bypassable Send and Return sockets, and a trigger input that could be connected to the Reverb footswitch. At the moment I'd have no use for this (I trigger my setup via MIDI), but hopefully this could give you some ideas to start with? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[recipher]

Hey brothers,

I hoping you guys can help me again. I'm trying to change my fx loop from parallel to serial beacause I get feedback with certain effects such as phaser and delays. I know theres some type of shcematic some where in this thread on how to do that. If you guys point me in the right the direction I'll very much appreciated. :)

This the one?

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20857131&postcount=4092

[red99frc]

Hey everyone! Just caught this listing on the Kansas City craigslist page. $750 including the road case in case anyone is interested. Good luck !

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/msg/530866570.html

[lovED]

recipher, sweet F-50 bro. I have the F-100 head. It looks so sharp and sounds amazing.
Andy, thank you for the information. I think a tube change may be in order.
What type of tubes do you recommend. I'm thinking about handpicking some tubes and replacing them myself. This is my first tube amp though. I have no idea about tube amp replacing procedures. Would I have to rebias anything if I used the same brand tubes. Plus the preamp tubes in the F-100 are a pain in the ass. I dunno.
lovED

[Goldwing]

Hi!

When the Loop is modified to work as a serial loop, what is the function of the MIX Pot? Does it work in a different way?

[recipher]

recipher, sweet F-50 bro. I have the F-100 head. It looks so sharp and sounds amazing.
Andy, thank you for the information. I think a tube change may be in order.
What type of tubes do you recommend. I'm thinking about handpicking some tubes and replacing them myself. This is my first tube amp though. I have no idea about tube amp replacing procedures. Would I have to rebias anything if I used the same brand tubes. Plus the preamp tubes in the F-100 are a pain in the ass. I dunno.
lovED

lovED, glad you like the pics! The F-100 has a fixed bias so you don't have to (or can't) rebias it. Check out this older post from Hal9000.

Progdude, along with Eurotubes, I would suggest looking at www.dougstubes.com. I got my last set from him and the entire F-100 re-tube cost about the same as 4x6L6 from Mesa. Plus, Doug is very good about knowing the right tubes for Mesa amps. Send him an email and you should get a quick response.

[lovED]

Thanks bro. Looks like a killer site.
lovED

[Torh]

Hi!

When the Loop is modified to work as a serial loop, what is the function of the MIX Pot? Does it work in a different way?

The mix pot doesn't affect anything after the mod.. Actually, I haven't deliberately tested for that, but since a serial loop implies that all the signal is sent through, I'd guess the mix pot has absolutely no effect, whatsoever.

[willburford]

Dann'sTheMann,
when you say to change the tubes do you mean the power tubes or the preamp tubes, or both...?

If you mean power tubes, what's the advantage of changing preamp tubes and when do they need to be changed?

Oh and Tommi, those clips sound great! I didn't know the f series could get that heavy :rawk:

[hinrich]

Hi everyone

I have a chance to get an F50 head to replace my F30 combo. The only concern is, the F30 combo's overdrive channel can't go past 9:00, even with an eq pedal's volume in the loop. I know they suck below 9:00, does anyone know if the F50 combo will be louder at that setting?

thanks everyone
hinrich

[gregv]

Hi gregv,

You may well need a tube change. I know it's only been a couple of months, but tubes tend to either fail early, or last a long time. Furthermore, EL84s are perhaps the least consistent of the popular tube types, so you're more likely to find unreliable ones.

I'd suggest getting a spare set of tubes. If it is paranoia, then you can keep them as back ups anyway. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. If the volume taper on your amp has changed since you bought it, i.e. you used to get sound at below 9 o'clock on channel one, then this would appear to be a real issue.


so i bought some new EL 84's today and put them in. I think the tone has improved but there is the same issue with the clean channel. There is no volume on this channel until 9 oclock even with these new tubes. I can't say I am 100% sure that this was the case when i got it. Does anyone else have this problem or do you get volume below 9 oclock.

On channel 2 there isnt this issue and it is fine. Any ideas, is this normal, should I call up Mesa??

[Dann'sTheMan]

This the one?

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20857131&postcount=4092

You may also find the circuit diagram in this post useful: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22595393&postcount=4748

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

hi!

I just registered into the forum
I have played several gigs with mesa F-50 + 2x12 rectifier standard. I use
tc's g-major at the fx loop. I haven't found great high gain sounds for metal rhytm and solo. The livesound is quite sharp and doesn't work at all (gain about 10-11 o'clock).
Can anyone help me with this problem?

Hi miikku,

and welcome to HCAF and the F-series Lounge. What's your idea of a great metal rhythm or solo sound? I'm sure there are brothers here who can suggest some EQ settings. What guitar do you use, and where do you have the Master Volume set to when you play live? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Here's some pictures guys of my brand new (used) f-50. :rawk:

<snip\>



Lovely pictures recipher! What camera did you use? :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[eddie.perez]

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

You have good taste in gear! I have a similar rig and my American Deluxe Fat Strat has been my #1 for 4.5 years now. I would not recommend your method of reducing amplifier volume for a number of reasons. 1) Reducing the guitar's volume going into the amp will affect the amount of gain the amp will produce. It's basically the same as using a volume pedal out front. So, if you needed a lot of gain, reducing the input signal runs counter to that goal. 2) The American Deluxe Strat does not have treble compensation on the volume control AFAIK so when you turn down, the tone gets muddy since the highs get attenuated disproportionately to the lows. You can solder a capacitor to the volume control to fix the problem so that your guitar's tone will remain the same as it's turned down. So, what to do? If you're not going to be using the loop, check my signature for the "FX Loop Master Volume." In this simple configuration, the FX mix pot becomes your master volume and greatly helps to wrangle the output level. It will allow you to get your channel masters up to the sweet spot, and then turn down the whole amp by the loop. If you intend to use the loop (I'd at least but the Delay there), then I recommend an MXR 10-band EQ as the preferred method of volume reduction. It will also give you fantastic control over the tone as well. Lt_Core uses the MXR 10-band and has had great results. Other devices that will help with the loop volume are FX processors, volume pedals, etc. Basically, anything that will work in the loop and that has a volume control will do the trick.

Hey Jeff, I hope everything is going well?

The FX loop volume trick is referring simply to using a device in the loop such as an FX processor, Volume pedal or EQ (e.g., your rig) to reduce the overall output level. So, in that case, the FX loop is used as normal. Conversely, my FX loop master using the mix pot does disconnect the FX loop by design, so is really for people who put their boxes out front.



In this thread you mentioned this "You can solder a capacitor to the volume control to fix the problem so that your guitar's tone will remain the same as it's turned down. " I use a shecter classic with my F-100 and when I turn down the volume on my guitar my whole tone gets muddy especially in channel 2. If I add a capacitor to the volume control will it work for me and what type of capacitor do I need and how do I solder it to the volume control. Thanks for your help Hal9000:thu:

[Dann'sTheMan]

recipher, sweet F-50 bro. I have the F-100 head. It looks so sharp and sounds amazing.
Andy, thank you for the information. I think a tube change may be in order.
What type of tubes do you recommend. I'm thinking about handpicking some tubes and replacing them myself. This is my first tube amp though. I have no idea about tube amp replacing procedures. Would I have to rebias anything if I used the same brand tubes. Plus the preamp tubes in the F-100 are a pain in the ass. I dunno.
lovED

Hi lovED,

As some other brothers have recommended Doug's Tubes, I'd suggest going with them - they seem to have a good reputation. Being based in Europe, I buy from Watford Valves (www.watfordvalves.com (http://www.watfordvalves.com)). I'm currently running JJs in V1 and V2, stock Mesas in V3 and V4 and TADs in the Power Section. I'm due a tube change, so I may well experiment again. :p

The good thing about Mesa amps is that as long as you tell your reputable Tube supplier to send tubes within Mesa's range for current drawer, you don't need to do any re-biasing of the Power Tubes (Pre-amp tubes i.e. V1, V2 etc don't ever need to be biased). So you can experiemnt to your heart's content! :)

The actual tube change is pretty straightforward - a bit like changing a light bulb. The only complication with the combos is that you will likely have to unbolt the chassis and slide it out a little way to get convenient access to all of the tubes (you shouldn't need to slide it out entirely and expose the electrical components). and see that your lining up the pins correctly when pushing the new tubes back in. Pre-amp tubes wiggle straight out (twist off the metal protective sleeve first - a bit like a bayonet light bulb). Power-amp tubes (the tall and fat ones) have a retaining clip, as well as requiring a twist before they slide out - note there is a groove on 6L6 tubes to make sure they are inserted the right way. Hope that helps, :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Dann'sTheMann,
when you say to change the tubes do you mean the power tubes or the preamp tubes, or both...?

If you mean power tubes, what's the advantage of changing preamp tubes and when do they need to be changed?

Oh and Tommi, those clips sound great! I didn't know the f series could get that heavy :rawk:

Hi tolling_bells,

It depends on the type of problem being heard.

Failing power amp tubes tend to be crackly, and you get unexpected noises from time to time, volume variations etc etc (the site (http://mesa.stores.yahoo.net/whattubtotub.html) that eddie.perez linked to has a good summary of symptoms). I always recommend changing the Power Tubes regularly, say every year to two years depending on usage - you really want to change the Power Tubes before they fail because when they do, they can take out screen resistors etc.

Failing pre-amp tubes tend to have a higher noise floor, can become microphonic, and may cause signal problems in particular channels. The problem that you described in your amp may be a pre-amp tube issue (but I have come across F-series amps that have very little volume early in their knob's travel). If it is a pre-amp tube issue, then it might have been a while since the power-amp tubes were changed, so that might be in order too. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

In this thread you mentioned this "You can solder a capacitor to the volume control to fix the problem so that your guitar's tone will remain the same as it's turned down. " I use a shecter classic with my F-100 and when I turn down the volume on my guitar my whole tone gets muddy especially in channel 2. If I add a capacitor to the volume control will it work for me and what type of capacitor do I need and how do I solder it to the volume control. Thanks for your help Hal9000:thu:

Hi eddie.perez,

I hope you don't mind me stepping in. :p What Neil/hal9000 was describing is called a "treble bleed capacitor". A quick Google search will swamp you with info. Here's a useful start: http://dominocs.com/AshBassGuitar/modtreble.html

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

so i bought some new EL 84's today and put them in. I think the tone has improved but there is the same issue with the clean channel. There is no volume on this channel until 9 oclock even with these new tubes. I can't say I am 100% sure that this was the case when i got it. Does anyone else have this problem or do you get volume below 9 oclock.

On channel 2 there isnt this issue and it is fine. Any ideas, is this normal, should I call up Mesa??

Hi gregv,

It won't hurt to give Mesa a call - I'm certainly interested to hear what they say - most of the F-series that I have tried have behaved slightly differently here, and although I'm pretty confident it's not usually a problem, I'm interested to know why! :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

Big smiles,

Andy.

[willburford]

I actually just moved my pedals around and took a couple pedals out of the chain, and my tone is back like it was a few months ago. :thu: Imagine that.

Thanks for the reply, though :)

Anyone know of any good cases for the f-30?

[Dann'sTheMan]

I actually just moved my pedals around and took a couple pedals out of the chain, and my tone is back like it was a few months ago. :thu: Imagine that.

Thanks for the reply, though :)

Anyone know of any good cases for the f-30?

There's a lesson to be learnt in there somewhere! :p Glad you've got it sorted. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[eddie.perez]

Hi eddie.perez,

I hope you don't mind me stepping in. :p What Neil/hal9000 was describing is called a "treble bleed capacitor". A quick Google search will swamp you with info. Here's a useful start: http://dominocs.com/AshBassGuitar/modtreble.html

Big smiles,

Andy.

Hey Andy,

I'm really going to have to try that out. I hope my soldering skills are good. Thanks again for your help.

Other than have you ever tried using a Decimator Pro Rack G with your amp. I'm planning on getting soon. The only problem is that Buck Waller from Isp Tech. told me that these Decimators work best with series fx loops. This leaves no choice but to convert my F-100 to series. I also hope this gets rid of that annoying helipcopter noise that most brothers complain about. In your honest opinion, Do you think converting the amp to series fx will have an impact in tonality do to some impendence mismatch that effects could have.

:thu:
EDDIE

[eddie.perez]

This the one?

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20857131&postcount=4092


Hello recipher,

Thanks for the heads up. BTW your new amp looks great with that guitar.:thu:

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Andy,

I'm really going to have to try that out. I hope my soldering skills are good. Thanks again for your help.

Other than have you ever tried using a Decimator Pro Rack G with your amp. I'm planning on getting soon. The only problem is that Buck Waller from Isp Tech. told me that these Decimators work best with series fx loops. This leaves no choice but to convert my F-100 to series. I also hope this gets rid of that annoying helipcopter noise that most brothers complain about. In your honest opinion, Do you think converting the amp to series fx will have an impact in tonality do to some impendence mismatch that effects could have.

:thu:
EDDIE

Hi Eddie,

There's no tonality worries to be concerned about with the series mod. The circuit diagram that I linked to earlier shows that when there is nothing plugged into the FX send and return jacks, then there is effectively a series connection in use internally by the amp. Basically, if you have no impedance worries with an Effect with the parallel loop, then you shouldn't have any impedance worries when you convert the loop to series. Both mods should be well within the reach of anyone with basic soldering experience. :thu:

Regarding the ISP unit, no, I've never tried one. I've never really got on with Noise Gates, although I've heard nothing but good things about the ISP products. Up until now, I've owned pretty well-behaved guitars, so I don't even use the gate in my G-Major, but that may have to change with my recent EJ strat purchase. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[miikku]

Hi miikku,

and welcome to HCAF and the F-series Lounge. What's your idea of a great metal rhythm or solo sound? I'm sure there are brothers here who can suggest some EQ settings. What guitar do you use, and where do you have the Master Volume set to when you play live? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Hi Andy,

thanks for your answer.

I play esp ltd mh-1000 with EMGs, my master volume is set about to 12 o'clock when playing live. I have been playing in small places and sometimes it feels that it's too loud and all the other bandmembers has to rise up levels.

Here is some samples about the music I play, i hope someone could help me to found a livesound which is close to these.

Miikku

[eddie.perez]

Hi Eddie,

There's no tonality worries to be concerned about with the series mod. The circuit diagram that I linked to earlier shows that when there is nothing plugged into the FX send and return jacks, then there is effectively a series connection in use internally by the amp. Basically, if you have no impedance worries with an Effect with the parallel loop, then you shouldn't have any impedance worries when you convert the loop to series. Both mods should be well within the reach of anyone with basic soldering experience. :thu:

Regarding the ISP unit, no, I've never tried one. I've never really got on with Noise Gates, although I've heard nothing but good things about the ISP products. Up until now, I've owned pretty well-behaved guitars, so I don't even use the gate in my G-Major, but that may have to change with my recent EJ strat purchase. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.


yeah I seen your EJ it looks simple but I bet it sounds like magic. I trip out on the fact that Eric likes to keep his tremolo springs open. He has this believe that covering up the tremolo springs will affect the tone. You got to let them breath in other words.

EDDIE.

[eddie.perez]

Hey bros!

I made a new tone clip while I was tweaking the tone for our next album... here's the link for the thread http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=25761586#post25761586

I hope you like it :)

Hello Tommi Inkila,

I know that probably been asked this question so many times, but I got to ask you again. What kind of tubes do you use. I really like the tone of your clips. They all sound good.

:thu:
EDDIE.

[hinrich]

I just bought a Tube Cube off ebay. It's green, 80 watts and can attenuate 4, 8, 16 ohms. It is only $94!!!!! Plugged it in, and was very satisfied. Now, i haven't heard the thd or marshall, but for price difference, i don't think i went wrong at all. Sounds great to my ears. look it up...the guy is great with communication.

T-Wolfe

Hey T-Wolfe - how is the Tube Cube working? Still happy?

[Joeytpg]

Hey bros, just recorded a clip trying the f-50 with an EQ in the loop.

This is the result. (The first clip in the list)

http://www.soundclick.com/joeytpg

For reference, it's a BOSS EQ pedal, my fender strat with EMGs, recorded with my metric halo uln-2 unit, sm57 in logic 8.

By the way, no overdubs, no paning, no post EQ.

Drums with EZdrummer.

cheers.

[gregv]

Hi gregv,

It won't hurt to give Mesa a call - I'm certainly interested to hear what they say - most of the F-series that I have tried have behaved slightly differently here, and although I'm pretty confident it's not usually a problem, I'm interested to know why! :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

Big smiles,

Andy.

Hey guys,

so i called mesa today to ask them about it. They said it is pretty normal and that all amps will have varying degrees of volume taper. If it is a problem he said to send it in but very likely they will find nothing wrong with it. Of course the amp is meant to be played at higher levels and it does that just fine.

On a side note a cam across this attenuator on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260200770289&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Its a THD hotplate, the 2 ohm variety. I noticed on the THD website they had 2,4,8 ohm etc. I am thinking about bidding on this item. It is an older version but the seller says it works great. I am not sur ethe difference b/w the different ohms in the hotplates. Any thoughts on this and would it do the job for getting the high volume tones for playing at home??

Thanks!

[Lawton]

Hey guys! I just today won an F-30 head on Ebay, so I'll be reading & participating with the thread (hopefully). This is my third Mesa. The other two have been Studio 22+ combos. From what I've read so far I'm going to love the F-30.

My other amps, btw:
'63 Epiphone (Crestline) EA-35T
'64 Gibson (Crestline) GA-19RVT
'66 Vox AC50
'74 Fender Bandmaster Reverb (in a Weber repro 2x12 cab)
Late 70s MusicMan RP100 Head
Vox AC30CC2X

[Joeytpg]

welcome to the brotherwood Lawton.

What kind of music are you into? From your gear I asume you're into classic rock/blues stuff right?

you'll love your F-30 then.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey guys,

so i called mesa today to ask them about it. They said it is pretty normal and that all amps will have varying degrees of volume taper. If it is a problem he said to send it in but very likely they will find nothing wrong with it. Of course the amp is meant to be played at higher levels and it does that just fine.

On a side note a cam across this attenuator on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260200770289&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Its a THD hotplate, the 2 ohm variety. I noticed on the THD website they had 2,4,8 ohm etc. I am thinking about bidding on this item. It is an older version but the seller says it works great. I am not sur ethe difference b/w the different ohms in the hotplates. Any thoughts on this and would it do the job for getting the high volume tones for playing at home??

Thanks!

Hi gregv,

Good news. :) As I mentioned, I had noticed that all of the F-series that I have tried behaved differently with the way the volume tapers, but if it's just down to the pot, then no worries. :cool:

Regarding the Hotplate. I wouldn't suggest going for the 2 Ohm model. The F-series amps expect an 8 Ohm load, and so you should really keep an eye out for the 8 Ohm Hotplates (or similar) - they are usually painted purple IIRC. In addition, if you've not tried loop attenuation for getting good tones at low volume levels, then try that out first as you may decide you don't need an attenuator (the Mix/Master mod in hal9000's signature is a great place to start). :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Lawton]

welcome to the brotherwood Lawton.

What kind of music are you into? From your gear I asume you're into classic rock/blues stuff right?

you'll love your F-30 then.

Hey. The guitars will tip off my "into" music more than the amps...

Rickenbacker 325v63
Epiphone Elitist '65 Casino (sunburst)
Gretsch 6119-1962HT Tennessean
Gibson '61 RI SG
Gibson J-160E
Heritage H-150CM Classic Custom (Almond Burst, Duncan Seth Lovers)
Larrivee L-03E

...so yeah, Classic Rock, 60s British Invasion, a bit of Psychedelic thrown in for fun (I love my Hartman Germanium Fuzz pedal for that...).

Woo hoo!!!! Yeah, the F-30 is gonna add a nice amp-based gain feature to what I've already got going on...

:D

[gregv]

Hi gregv,

Good news. :) As I mentioned, I had noticed that all of the F-series that I have tried behaved differently with the way the volume tapers, but if it's just down to the pot, then no worries. :cool:

Regarding the Hotplate. I wouldn't suggest going for the 2 Ohm model. The F-series amps expect an 8 Ohm load, and so you should really keep an eye out for the 8 Ohm Hotplates (or similar) - they are usually painted purple IIRC. In addition, if you've not tried loop attenuation for getting good tones at low volume levels, then try that out first as you may decide you don't need an attenuator (the Mix/Master mod in hal9000's signature is a great place to start). :thu:

Big smiles,



Andy.

Hey Andy,

Thanks for the reply about the hotplate, I was thinking the 2 ohm wouldnt cut it. When you are talking about Hall's signature do you mean the soldering of the guitar cable.? If not could you point me in the right direction...

Is it as simple as doing the soldering in the diagram and that is it you are off! Because it seems a little complicated to me...... sorry about the questions a little new to this amp modifying and such. Much appreciated!

Greg

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey. The guitars will tip off my "into" music more than the amps...

Rickenbacker 325v63
Epiphone Elitist '65 Casino (sunburst)
Gretsch 6119-1962HT Tennessean
Gibson '61 RI SG
Gibson J-160E
Heritage H-150CM Classic Custom (Almond Burst, Duncan Seth Lovers)
Larrivee L-03E

...so yeah, Classic Rock, 60s British Invasion, a bit of Psychedelic thrown in for fun (I love my Hartman Germanium Fuzz pedal for that...).

Woo hoo!!!! Yeah, the F-30 is gonna add a nice amp-based gain feature to what I've already got going on...

:D

Welcome to the brotherhood, Lawton,

I like your style! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Andy,

Thanks for the reply about the hotplate, I was thinking the 2 ohm wouldnt cut it. When you are talking about Hall's signature do you mean the soldering of the guitar cable.? If not could you point me in the right direction...

Is it as simple as doing the soldering in the diagram and that is it you are off! Because it seems a little complicated to me...... sorry about the questions a little new to this amp modifying and such. Much appreciated!

Greg

Hi Greg,

Yes I was talking about doing the soldering in that diagram - very straightforward, heh? That's more of a permanent solution though...

...If you want to just quickly try the approach and see if it works for you: just take two guitar leads, some conductive tin foil, and an elastic band. Plug the first guitar lead into the Send socket. Wrap the tin foil around the jack of the second guitar lead, so that the tip and the sleeve are electrically connected, and use the elastic band to secure it; plug the unwrapped end into the Return socked. Turn the Mix pot to maximum, and then turn up the amp's channel volumes to 10 o'clock or more, and judge the tone for yourself. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[recipher]

Eddie and Andy,

Glad you liked the pics!

Andy, I used a Canon 20D for the pictures. :cool:

[Tommi Inkila]

Hello Tommi Inkila,

I know that probably been asked this question so many times, but I got to ask you again. What kind of tubes do you use. I really like the tone of your clips. They all sound good.

:thu:
EDDIE.
Hi Eddie,

I use tubes from www.tubeampdoctor.com ... I have their TAD 6L6GC-STR RCA-Style power tubes and TAD ECC83-Cz preamp tubes.

If you someday order from them you can ask them to match the power tubes for your Mesa. I normally ask to match them with Mesa green rating tubes.

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi everybody and all the new brothers!

My tone search continues here... http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1855759 ... oh, why o' why, I have to test everything :rolleyes: It seems my tone search newer ends.

[gregv]

Hi Greg,

Yes I was talking about doing the soldering in that diagram - very straightforward, heh? That's more of a permanent solution though...

...If you want to just quickly try the approach and see if it works for you: just take two guitar leads, some conductive tin foil, and an elastic band. Plug the first guitar lead into the Send socket. Wrap the tin foil around the jack of the second guitar lead, so that the tip and the sleeve are electrically connected, and use the elastic band to secure it; plug the unwrapped end into the Return socked. Turn the Mix pot to maximum, and then turn up the amp's channel volumes to 10 o'clock or more, and judge the tone for yourself. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

thanks again Andy! I am away from home for the weekend but I am going to give it a try on monday. Ill let you know how it worked!

Greg

[eddie.perez]

Hi Eddie,

I use tubes from www.tubeampdoctor.com ... I have their TAD 6L6GC-STR RCA-Style power tubes and TAD ECC83-Cz preamp tubes.

If you someday order from them you can ask them to match the power tubes for your Mesa. I normally ask to match them with Mesa green rating tubes.

Hello Tommi Inkila,

If I oder some preamp tubes. Do they also have to be within the Mesa's bias range.:thu:

[Tommi Inkila]

Hello Tommi Inkila,

If I oder some preamp tubes. Do they also have to be within the Mesa's bias range.:thu:
No. Just the power tubes need to be matched to Mesa's bias range.

[bobbyswamp]

Greetings all. Looks like I'm the newest member. I think I've read most of the 285 pages here since buying my F-30 last year, so I finally joined up.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3833/dscn4541afn3.jpg

[eddie.perez]

Greetings all. Looks like I'm the newest member. I think I've read most of the 285 pages here since buying my F-30 last year, so I finally joined up.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3833/dscn4541afn3.jpg


Hello Bobby Swamp,

Hey, welcome to the F-series brotherhood. That's a nice piece of equipment you got there. By the way, do you play in a band?:)

[Dann'sTheMan]

Greetings all. Looks like I'm the newest member. I think I've read most of the 285 pages here since buying my F-30 last year, so I finally joined up.
<snip\>

Hi bobbyswamp,

Welcome indeed. I agree with eddie.perez - your rig looks mean and purposeful! :cool: Tell us more about the music you play! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[bobbyswamp]

Thanks for the welcome in, gang! I have been scouring this thread for months getting fantastic advice and tips from all you guys. Thanks for settin' up the lounge! Anyway, as for the gear in the pic, I tossed some BurstBuckers in the Epi. She roars thru that F-30. I play Fenders, too, but feel more at home on humbuckers. My band plays mostly power-pop. A friend and I went amp shopping a couple years ago and we tried, I don't know, 12 dozen different amps? It was crazy. We wandered into the Hollywood Mesa/Boogie store as our last stop. We tried out an F-50 in the window and from the first note we knew we were done. It was frickin tone-heaven. Within a week, my buddy had bought a used F-50 combo. It took me awhile, but I nabbed mine off eBay for a great price.

[lovED]

Yeah sweet setup. Looks like you've got something to say.
lovED

[Jack Dotson]

I've narrowed my amp choices to the F-30 or 50. Also played the replacement Xpresses, but like the F's better. Anyhow, I'm torn between the two. I'd like to hear from those of you who have extensive experience with both, which you like better.

It's hard to do a decent comparison at GC so I'm hoping to get some insight. I also hope this hasn't been discussed before, but this is a huge thread (and I will read the entire thing when time permits).

I hate a hard and harsh sounding amp and will like the one with the smoother presentation. Also, I only play at home so the extra power is not a concern.

It will be used with a Strat, Tele and Schecter Tempest (their LP style guitar) and I play chords/rhythm 90% of the time with a few rifts here and there just for fun. ;)

Thanks

[Will Cyrier]

I've narrowed my amp choices to the F-30 or 50. Also played the replacement Xpresses, but like the F's better. Anyhow, I'm torn between the two. I'd like to hear from those of you who have extensive experience with both, which you like better.

It's hard to do a decent comparison at GC so I'm hoping to get some insight. I also hope this hasn't been discussed before, but this is a huge thread (and I will read the entire thing when time permits).

I hate a hard and harsh sounding amp and will like the one with the smoother presentation. Also, I only play at home so the extra power is not a concern.

It will be used with a Strat, Tele and Schecter Tempest (their LP style guitar) and I play chords/rhythm 90% of the time with a few rifts here and there just for fun. ;)

Thanks

My F-30 gets plenty loud for small to medium rooms and sounds great IMHO. Whether you go with the 30 or 50, you can crank the master to get the tube saturation and then attenuate the volume with one of many methods listed within this thread. I guess it comes down to EL-84 or 6L6 power tubes and the sound difference between the two. Which ever you buy, don't be a noob like me...send in your warranty card within 10 days of purchase. Make sure they give you one along with the literature and cover that comes with the amp. I didn't get that stuff until a couple of weeks after I purchased my used F-30 when the called me up and said they had it. All of these amps have a 5 year transferrable warranty with hoops to jump through to activate it. But the tone is worth it....:thu:

[eddie.perez]

I've noticed that alot of amps out there have a presence knob. So I thought it would be nice to add some presence to my F-100 since it doesn't have it.The presence range is between 4kHz and 6kHz and is responsible for the clarity and definition of many instruments. Boosting this range can make chords and solos seem closer to the listener. For electric guitar I recommend that you use frequencies between 1.5 to 2.5 khz. I personally use the parametric eq in my Gt-8 and boost up the 2.5khz up to 4db's for clean melodies and bring it down 1db for solo's. The sound that I got was amazing. The way these frequencies work is like magic. My guitar parts are now more detailed,and more pleasant to the ear. by the way I use a rect. cab with two v-30's, if you have a 4x12 cab i recommend that you lower the frequency, just don't go lower than 1.5 khz. I hope this can work for you. My F-100 sounds even better now. I can't wait to get my new preamp tubes. Then my amp will sound even sweeter he he he. :):thu:

[Zachallard]

I just joined harmony-central, 20 minutes ago, especially for this lounge. I don't know the ins and outs of blogging at all haha, but this is a pretty inspiring place, regardless of its lack of physical space! I already have a question that needs awnsering however, and please correct me if this isnt proper "etiquette". I have an f50 head running into a 412 framus cobra, and I seem to have a faulty effects loop. It hisses and produces very trebly tone. Is this my mistake or the amps? And how do I fix it?!
Thanks for accepting me (so far haha)
Zach

[dulcetpine]

I just purchased an F-100 head off of ebay (at a rediculous deal) and am curious, as i would have prefered a Nomad head/combo, can I switch directly from the clean channel to the contour, or do i need to have the channel two active first?

[Sixtonoize]

Yes. The Crunch/contour switch is independent of the Clean/Distortion setting.

I actually do just the opposite in a song with my band. I go from a Contour lead tone straight into clean, and switch the contour off after my clean sound is engaged.

[robwl]

I just purchased an F-100 head off of ebay (at a rediculous deal) and am curious, as i would have prefered a Nomad head/combo, can I switch directly from the clean channel to the contour, or do i need to have the channel two active first?

If you have the contour active and switch to your clean, when you swtich back the contour will be still active... so I guess the answer is yes.

[Joeytpg]

I just joined harmony-central, 20 minutes ago, especially for this lounge. I don't know the ins and outs of blogging at all haha, but this is a pretty inspiring place, regardless of its lack of physical space! I already have a question that needs awnsering however, and please correct me if this isnt proper "etiquette". I have an f50 head running into a 412 framus cobra, and I seem to have a faulty effects loop. It hisses and produces very trebly tone. Is this my mistake or the amps? And how do I fix it?!
Thanks for accepting me (so far haha)
Zach


welcome aboard buddy!

You'll love your F-50! have no xperience wiht Fx loops, but one of the guys will help you out in no time.
:wave:

[dulcetpine]

Yes. The Crunch/contour switch is independent of the Clean/Distortion setting.

I actually do just the opposite in a song with my band. I go from a Contour lead tone straight into clean, and switch the contour off after my clean sound is engaged.

what does the contour setting do to the clean sound, if you can sum it up in words...

[Joeytpg]

what does the contour setting do to the clean sound, if you can sum it up in words...

nothing. Contour is for ch. 2

[dulcetpine]

nothing. Contour is for ch. 2

ahhh, got it. can't wait to get this thing! I got an f-100 head for $400 on ebay (i usually bid on things thinking that there is no way in hell that they would sell that low, but for once, it did. i am shocked, but excited. goodbye line6 flextone II!!!

[Joeytpg]

hey man.... how does that flextone sound? I've heard good things about them.

[dulcetpine]

question #2: the ebay listing says that the reverb tank is gone, and the F-series manual says that it uses a 3 spring long tank reverb. does anyone have an idea where to get one? i found this website: http://www.tubesandmore.com/cemirror/AES05-010.pdf that sells them for under $25.

Since reverb is my favorite effect, i want to get a quality one not just a bargain one. please help.

[dulcetpine]

hey man.... how does that flextone sound? I've heard good things about them.

I like it a lot, and its an older model (flextone II plus). Personally, I have two or three go to tones which also have effects--that is nice, but i always loved the tube driven boogie tone, which the line6 just doesn't get. it has a lot of mediocre tones that i just don't use, so its time to move on.

[gregv]

Hi Greg,

Yes I was talking about doing the soldering in that diagram - very straightforward, heh? That's more of a permanent solution though...

...If you want to just quickly try the approach and see if it works for you: just take two guitar leads, some conductive tin foil, and an elastic band. Plug the first guitar lead into the Send socket. Wrap the tin foil around the jack of the second guitar lead, so that the tip and the sleeve are electrically connected, and use the elastic band to secure it; plug the unwrapped end into the Return socked. Turn the Mix pot to maximum, and then turn up the amp's channel volumes to 10 o'clock or more, and judge the tone for yourself. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

Hey Andy,

So i went to the music store and they gave me some old demo cables and I tried to rig up the plugs according to your instructions with the tin foil at first. I think i got it! It certainly sounded much better and the tone was great! A few things I noticed that maybe you could comment on.......

1. When the mix pot is at 100% the sound is all muffled and bad. It seems like as I turn it from 100% towards 0% that is when the tone comes on.

2. With the channels volume around 10-11 oclock I can put the mix pot at about 70% (2 oclock) but anything more towards 0% is too loud for home playing.

Does that sound backwards or like something is off?? Is there any precautions to be aware of when doing this or is it pretty safe for the amp?? Thanks for the help again I am pretty happy with it right now!

Greg

[Zachallard]

I just purchased an F-100 head off of ebay (at a rediculous deal) and am curious, as i would have prefered a Nomad head/combo, can I switch directly from the clean channel to the contour, or do i need to have the channel two active first?

Hey this may seem really obvious, but I think we have the same footswitches ( I have an f50) and although contour doesnt have an LED, you can click it before stepping on the channel stomp, and clicking it while in clean does not produce any pops are fluxtuation. This seems really stupid, but just in case you havent tried that yet haha.

[Zachallard]

Why are you selling your F50 just wondering? I can't find anything wrong with this amp unless... you need more headroom? haha! Anyways, do you think you could share your setting for those brit marshall sounds? thanks alot!

[Dann'sTheMan]

I've narrowed my amp choices to the F-30 or 50. Also played the replacement Xpresses, but like the F's better. Anyhow, I'm torn between the two. I'd like to hear from those of you who have extensive experience with both, which you like better.

It's hard to do a decent comparison at GC so I'm hoping to get some insight. I also hope this hasn't been discussed before, but this is a huge thread (and I will read the entire thing when time permits).

I hate a hard and harsh sounding amp and will like the one with the smoother presentation. Also, I only play at home so the extra power is not a concern.

It will be used with a Strat, Tele and Schecter Tempest (their LP style guitar) and I play chords/rhythm 90% of the time with a few rifts here and there just for fun. ;)

Thanks

I think you could be happy with either the F-50 or the F-30. Both are gigging amps, but can be tamed to sound great at home levels. The F-50 is unashamedly American in its voicing - think Fender spank on the clean channel, and defined and sustaining dirty tones. The F-30 definitely comes from the same tonal family, but there is more of a British influence to the tone, especially on the dirty channel - it has more upper mids than the low-mid F-50 voicing. You really need to try them for yourself, because they both deservedly have lots of fans. Of course that's easier said than done now that the F-series has been discontinued. Good luck coming to a decision, :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

I've noticed that alot of amps out there have a presence knob. So I thought it would be nice to add some presence to my F-100 since it doesn't have it.The presence range is between 4kHz and 6kHz and is responsible for the clarity and definition of many instruments. Boosting this range can make chords and solos seem closer to the listener. For electric guitar I recommend that you use frequencies between 1.5 to 2.5 khz. I personally use the parametric eq in my Gt-8 and boost up the 2.5khz up to 4db's for clean melodies and bring it down 1db for solo's. The sound that I got was amazing. The way these frequencies work is like magic. My guitar parts are now more detailed,and more pleasant to the ear. by the way I use a rect. cab with two v-30's, if you have a 4x12 cab i recommend that you lower the frequency, just don't go lower than 1.5 khz. I hope this can work for you. My F-100 sounds even better now. I can't wait to get my new preamp tubes. Then my amp will sound even sweeter he he he. :):thu:

Cool tip. I look forward to trying that out. Of course Presence controls are part of the negative feedback circuitry, but their contribution is typically to brighten the sound. Thanks for sharing the results of your experiments. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

I just joined harmony-central, 20 minutes ago, especially for this lounge. I don't know the ins and outs of blogging at all haha, but this is a pretty inspiring place, regardless of its lack of physical space! I already have a question that needs awnsering however, and please correct me if this isnt proper "etiquette". I have an f50 head running into a 412 framus cobra, and I seem to have a faulty effects loop. It hisses and produces very trebly tone. Is this my mistake or the amps? And how do I fix it?!
Thanks for accepting me (so far haha)
Zach

Welcome to the F-series Lounge and brotherhood, Zach,

I hope you also enjoy HCAF - it has its moments, but its generally a fun place to hang out. :p

Regarding your dodgy effects loop, I'd suggest replacing the V3 pre-amp tube. Your F-50 has a valve driven loop, so a dodgy pre-amp tube may explain your problems. Do you know when the amp was last retubed? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

I just purchased an F-100 head off of ebay (at a rediculous deal) and am curious, as i would have prefered a Nomad head/combo, can I switch directly from the clean channel to the contour, or do i need to have the channel two active first?

Hi dulcetpine,

I hope you don't feel too disappointed with your F-100. :p If it makes you feel any better, I much prefer the F-series' tones to the Nomads' (I could have picked up a new Nomad 55 for less money than my F-50, but I decided to put my money where my mouth was and buy the amp that sounded best to me).

As the other brothers have already confirmed, yes, you can switch between clean and contour - I know some brothers who never touch the Lead mode, and spend all their dirty time in the Contour mode. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

question #2: the ebay listing says that the reverb tank is gone, and the F-series manual says that it uses a 3 spring long tank reverb. does anyone have an idea where to get one? i found this website: http://www.tubesandmore.com/cemirror/AES05-010.pdf that sells them for under $25.

Since reverb is my favorite effect, i want to get a quality one not just a bargain one. please help.

Hi dulcetpine,

You got your F-100 for a steal. I hope it puts as big a smile on your face as my F-series does mine.

Regarding your reverb tank, hal9000 did some research on it earlier in this thread and confirmed that it should be an Accutronics 9BB3A1B. See post #1025 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14602243&#post14602243) for more. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. You may be interested to read hal9000's comments in post #4333 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21265916&#post21265916) also. :cool:

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Andy,

So i went to the music store and they gave me some old demo cables and I tried to rig up the plugs according to your instructions with the tin foil at first. I think i got it! It certainly sounded much better and the tone was great! A few things I noticed that maybe you could comment on.......

1. When the mix pot is at 100% the sound is all muffled and bad. It seems like as I turn it from 100% towards 0% that is when the tone comes on.

2. With the channels volume around 10-11 oclock I can put the mix pot at about 70% (2 oclock) but anything more towards 0% is too loud for home playing.

Does that sound backwards or like something is off?? Is there any precautions to be aware of when doing this or is it pretty safe for the amp?? Thanks for the help again I am pretty happy with it right now!

Greg

Hi Greg,

Glad that loop attentuation is working for you too! Don't be worried that you end up with lower volumes when Mix control is up, and higher volumes as the Mix control is turned down. This is normal.

If you're happy with the results, then the only precaution that I would recommend is try to make a soldered cable. This would avoid the potential problem of the tin foil slipping off, and your volume jumping massively! There's nothing to worry about with regards the amp, it was designed to run at loud levels, so the components can handle being set to loud, and then having the volume curbed in the loop. :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[dulcetpine]

Hi dulcetpine,

You got your F-100 for a steal. I hope it puts as big a smile on your face as my F-series does mine.

Regarding your reverb tank, hal9000 did some research on it earlier in this thread and confirmed that it should be an Accutronics 9BB3A1B. See post #1025 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14602243&#post14602243) for more. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. You may be interested to read hal9000's comments in post #4333 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21265916&#post21265916) also. :cool:

thanks a lot man, you guys rock in here!!! Can't wait to start practicing with this...

[triumph7]

question #2: the ebay listing says that the reverb tank is gone, and the F-series manual says that it uses a 3 spring long tank reverb. does anyone have an idea where to get one? i found this website: http://www.tubesandmore.com/cemirror/AES05-010.pdf that sells them for under $25.

Since reverb is my favorite effect, i want to get a quality one not just a bargain one. please help.

Don't rush to conclusions on the tank until you get it in your hands, when I got my F100 the reverb tank barely worked and rattled. The shop just had to hook 2 of the 3 springs back up. Could be a DIY project, after all you can't break it any more than it is!

$400 is what I paid for mine... Guitar Center, Labor Day sale, demo model, great sales rep and missing the nameplate. Full warranty though.

[Zachallard]

Welcome to the F-series Lounge and brotherhood, Zach,

I hope you also enjoy HCAF - it has its moments, but its generally a fun place to hang out. :p

Regarding your dodgy effects loop, I'd suggest replacing the V3 pre-amp tube. Your F-50 has a valve driven loop, so a dodgy pre-amp tube may explain your problems. Do you know when the amp was last retubed? :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

I honestly dont know. But I bought it at a relatively good deal for a music store purchase (915$, plus they hacked off 10% off my cab :)) and a guy was waiting to buy it so i had to nab it before he could come back to the store! But I had to replace the two switches (on, standby) and the guy who did it checked out everything and said the tubes where stock but biased right, and still working fine. So when I have the cash Ill buy a new preamp tube, thanks for the post!
PS does anyone know if its a big hassle to take off the front grill on my head?

[dulcetpine]

Don't rush to conclusions on the tank until you get it in your hands, when I got my F100 the reverb tank barely worked and rattled. The shop just had to hook 2 of the 3 springs back up. Could be a DIY project, after all you can't break it any more than it is!

$400 is what I paid for mine... Guitar Center, Labor Day sale, demo model, great sales rep and missing the nameplate. Full warranty though.

i am quite sure in the auction that it said that the reverb tank is gone, which means i need to buy a new one. they don't break the bank either way...

[eddie.perez]

Cool tip. I look forward to trying that out. Of course Presence controls are part of the negative feedback circuitry, but their contribution is typically to brighten the sound. Thanks for sharing the results of your experiments. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.


Hey andy,

I really didn't understand what you meant by saying that the presence part of the negative feedback circuitry. I don't get any feedback at all. I just tend to boost up this frequency just a little. Almost sounds the same as the presence in the Mesa Rectifiers.

[metareal]

Hey andy,

I really didn't understand what you meant by saying that the presence part of the negative feedback circuitry. I don't get any feedback at all. I just tend to boost up this frequency just a little. Almost sounds the same as the presence in the Mesa Rectifiers.

The negative feedback circuit he is talking about is a section of an amp's circuit which takes part of the signal from the power section back to the preamp.
It has nothing to do with generating "guitar feedback". The presence control in guitar amps is usually placed there.

Ed.

[whathappened]

ok guys, here's the deal...
at the moment i'm recording with my band and it seems like my one and a half year old f50 leaves me alone in the wrong situation.
yesterday during recording the amp suddenly died. we checked that it was a blown fuse. ok, it's not a big thing to change the fuse, but: what if it will happen again? we just started recording gain sounds with the f50...
i was wondering if there could be a problem with the power tubes? another sign for that: one week ago, not during a recording situation, the amp suddenly started to make some uncontrolled loud noise for a few seconds... this didn't happen again!

is it possible to change the power tubes by myself? since i really don't want mesa tubes this time (i'm looking for something warmer sounding...) do i have to change the bias? i'm not really familiar with things like that i think.

by the way, do you have some advice for getting a warmer sound with tube changing? do i need to change a 6l6 with 6l6?
i'm wondering too, if i'll buy a 12ay7 (or another tube??) instead of 12ax7 to reduce the all in all volume of the amp, because i think the amp is a bit too overpowered... beside that my f50 is quite noisy (not only when it's loud). i really don't like the hiss!

ok, i think this was a lot... ;)
have a good time!!

simon

[bobbyswamp]

Hey, Dan, what about tube-swapping in my F-30 combo? I'm looking for a little later break-up for channel one. More headroom, I guess, to keep clean tones to stay clean at higher dB's, if that makes sense. I see eurotubes.com has full replacement sets, but I was wunderin' if anyone else here has experimented with those or other brands...

[Tommi Inkila]

Hey guys! This will probably be the last tone test for now http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1858620... I actually recorded three songs with tone 3 today, so I hope it doesn't blow :D

[Tommi Inkila]

ok guys, here's the deal...
Hi Simon!

It sounds like the symptoms of dying power tubes. I personally like buy new ones for important recording sessions.

You can change the power tubes if your new power tubes are matched for Mesa's bias range and generally you have change 6L6 to 6L6 amp. Any professional tube seller should be able to do this for you. I order mine from www.tubeampdoctor.com ... I recommend their ecc83-cz for a bit warmer and darker tone, it's most likely a tested JJ. It's hard to say which power tubes are warmer unless you mean earlier distortion with warm. Changing the 12ax7 to something like 12ay7 or 12at7 will mostly affect the amount of gain and then the rest of the effects are pretty hard to guess. Only experimenting will give you answers.

The noise comes lower with quality tubes but there will be always some hiss. If that bothers too much maybe somekind of Noise Gate is in order.

[Lt_Core]

I've been using a Morley Little Alligator pedal in the loop for the past month during gigs to tame my F-50 and it's been working great except for some clean channel issues here and there.

Just for fun, I did not attenuate any volume this past Saturday and had the Channel 2 master around 8 o'clock....still pretty darn loud. With the volume pedal I would crank the Channel 2 master to 10 o'clock or so. I noticed the bottom end wasn't as tight sounded/focused, if that makes sense.

I like the clean channel without attenuation as that suffers the most when pulling back the volume. Just my 2 cents since I haven't posted here in awhile :)

[Zachallard]

Hi Simon!

Changing the 12ax7 to something like 12ay7 or 12at7 will mostly affect the amount of gain and then the rest of the effects are pretty hard to guess. Only experimenting will give you answers.

The noise comes lower with quality tubes but there will be always some hiss. If that bothers too much maybe somekind of Noise Gate is in order.

I was wondering what are some gain mods for an f50 that dont require any real tooling around in the guts of my beloved f50. I would not be comfortable altering anything, but could anyone give me a quick run through of what types of tubes would deliver what? I mean that a little more speciffically like, are there different types of 6L6? or preamp tubes?
Thanks alot
Zach

[eddie.perez]

ok guys, here's the deal...
at the moment i'm recording with my band and it seems like my one and a half year old f50 leaves me alone in the wrong situation.
yesterday during recording the amp suddenly died. we checked that it was a blown fuse. ok, it's not a big thing to change the fuse, but: what if it will happen again? we just started recording gain sounds with the f50...
i was wondering if there could be a problem with the power tubes? another sign for that: one week ago, not during a recording situation, the amp suddenly started to make some uncontrolled loud noise for a few seconds... this didn't happen again!

is it possible to change the power tubes by myself? since i really don't want mesa tubes this time (i'm looking for something warmer sounding...) do i have to change the bias? i'm not really familiar with things like that i think.

by the way, do you have some advice for getting a warmer sound with tube changing? do i need to change a 6l6 with 6l6?
i'm wondering too, if i'll buy a 12ay7 (or another tube??) instead of 12ax7 to reduce the all in all volume of the amp, because i think the amp is a bit too overpowered... beside that my f50 is quite noisy (not only when it's loud). i really don't like the hiss!

ok, i think this was a lot... ;)
have a good time!!

simon

Hey man what's up,

I recommend taht you get your self a power conditioner. I recommend the Monster 2500 Power Center.
;)

[Will Cyrier]

ok guys, here's the deal...
at the moment i'm recording with my band and it seems like my one and a half year old f50 leaves me alone in the wrong situation.
yesterday during recording the amp suddenly died. we checked that it was a blown fuse. ok, it's not a big thing to change the fuse, but: what if it will happen again? we just started recording gain sounds with the f50...
i was wondering if there could be a problem with the power tubes? another sign for that: one week ago, not during a recording situation, the amp suddenly started to make some uncontrolled loud noise for a few seconds... this didn't happen again!

is it possible to change the power tubes by myself? since i really don't want mesa tubes this time (i'm looking for something warmer sounding...) do i have to change the bias? i'm not really familiar with things like that i think.

by the way, do you have some advice for getting a warmer sound with tube changing? do i need to change a 6l6 with 6l6?
i'm wondering too, if i'll buy a 12ay7 (or another tube??) instead of 12ax7 to reduce the all in all volume of the amp, because i think the amp is a bit too overpowered... beside that my f50 is quite noisy (not only when it's loud). i really don't like the hiss!

ok, i think this was a lot... ;)
have a good time!!

simon

Just a note, non-Mesa tubes void the warranty if it's still applicable. Also, I don't know how much hiss you're experiencing, but that could be caused by the cascading pre-amp tubes. How is the hiss in your clean channel?

[Dann'sTheMan]

Just a note, non-Mesa tubes void the warranty if it's still applicable. <snip\>

Just a comment on this, as this is often floated around the web. My reading of Mesa's wording on this is that if a non-Mesa tube causes a failure, and damages the amp, then the damage is not covered by Mesa's warranty.

This is of course very different to a blanket ban on other manufacturer's tubes. If you use decent tubes (i.e. purchased from a reputable source), then they are no more likely to damage your amp than Mesa's own tubes. If you use dodgy tubes, and your amp get's damaged as a result, then Mesa quite fairly imho are saying that you're on your own. Mesa actually seem to encourage tube experimentation - just make sure you can trust the tubes that you are using. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[whathappened]

thank you alot for the quick and informative answers!

@eddie.perez: is the idea of the power conditioner to safe my amp against a bad outlet?

@tommy: thank you for the link!
is there a rule like "the 12at7 produces 2/3 of the 12ax7's gain"?

[Pretend For Now]

Hey guys, I'm new here and have been reading a lot of this thread and it's a great resource for F-Series users. Thanks for the wealth of information! I bought a F-100 2X12 Combo last April for $600 and it has been amazing. I'll be sure to stop here if I have any questions or if I can contribute in any way to the thread. -Ken

[Will Cyrier]

Just a comment on this, as this is often floated around the web. My reading of Mesa's wording on this is that if a non-Mesa tube causes a failure, and damages the amp, then the damage is not covered by Mesa's warranty.

This is of course very different to a blanket ban on other manufacturer's tubes. If you use decent tubes (i.e. purchased from a reputable source), then they are no more likely to damage your amp than Mesa's own tubes. If you use dodgy tubes, and your amp get's damaged as a result, then Mesa quite fairly imho are saying that you're on your own. Mesa actually seem to encourage tube experimentation - just make sure you can trust the tubes that you are using. :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

Thanks Andy. I might have an old notice, but it's from 01/01/2002 and says, "Damage to the amplifier caused by out-of-warranty tubes, while rare, may not be covered under this Warranty. This Warranty becomes void if any tubes other than genuine Mesa tubes are used. Abuse, misuse or failure to properly maintain your Mesa product may, at Mesa's sole discretion, invalidate this Warranty." :cop:

I agree with experimentation for the best tone and using quality products. I guess it might come down to the individual case and, like you said, if a dodgy tube causes failure, then Mesa can choose to fix the improper maintenance of your amp. I've heard good things about their customer service, but haven't experienced it firsthand, yet... I may call them after I get my diagnosis from the amp repair tech I took it to last week.

[Zachallard]

Would anyone know right off the top of their heads if the front panel of an f50 head (not combo) is easily removable and/or replaceable? Is there anything special about it? From what I could gather, it serves no use other than protecting the insides of the amp and providing a nice clean look! I would potentially get my friend who is big into wood working to make a sweet richly stained rosewood front panel. Is this achievable just by removing the 4 front screws? Anyways, if anyone could give me a quick heads up that would be super!

[mrelusive]

has anyone put kt66s or kt88s in an f-series head before? would they fit?

[Sixtonoize]

They will fit, because they use the same bases as most power tubes. However, the screen, grid, and bias voltages will all be out-of-whack, so you'll have to replace the resistors in the amp with the correct value for the tubes.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Thanks Andy. I might have an old notice, but it's from 01/01/2002 and says, "Damage to the amplifier caused by out-of-warranty tubes, while rare, may not be covered under this Warranty. This Warranty becomes void if any tubes other than genuine Mesa tubes are used. Abuse, misuse or failure to properly maintain your Mesa product may, at Mesa's sole discretion, invalidate this Warranty." :cop:

I agree with experimentation for the best tone and using quality products. I guess it might come down to the individual case and, like you said, if a dodgy tube causes failure, then Mesa can choose to fix the improper maintenance of your amp. I've heard good things about their customer service, but haven't experienced it firsthand, yet... I may call them after I get my diagnosis from the amp repair tech I took it to last week.

Hi Will,

I stand corrected. :p I can't remember where I got the wording I referred to from. Maybe the European warranty wording is different (currently in Japan so I can't check). Nevertheless, it seems as if Mesa-Boogie are quite severe in their home market at least. :eek:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Will Cyrier]

Hi Will,

I stand corrected. :p I can't remember where I got the wording I referred to from. Maybe the European warranty wording is different (currently in Japan so I can't check). Nevertheless, it seems as if Mesa-Boogie are quite severe in their home market at least. :eek:

Big smiles,

Andy.

You know, you may be right because I see in a later paragraph this statement, "This Limited Warranty applies only to Mesa Products sold by Authorized Mesa/Boogie Pro Center dealers in the US and Canada, and is...:blah:"

I think it's pretty bogus. Most of us who use these tone-machines either know something about tubes, or know where to find the info needed about tubes. I didn't know about this clause until I had ordered and installed a full JJ re-tube kit from Eurotubes. Unfortunately, that didn't solve the issue I was having, so I wasted $50 and voided my warranty (I shouldn't say I completely wasted my $). And since I'm a honest fellow, I can't muster the ________ to tell Mesa, "No, I've used genuine Mesa tubes all along." Anyway, how's Japan? You eyein' any sweet guitar related paraphernalia? :thu:

[Dann'sTheMan]

You know, you may be right because I see in a later paragraph this statement, "This Limited Warranty applies only to Mesa Products sold by Authorized Mesa/Boogie Pro Center dealers in the US and Canada, and is...:blah:"

I think it's pretty bogus. Most of us who use these tone-machines either know something about tubes, or know where to find the info needed about tubes. I didn't know about this clause until I had ordered and installed a full JJ re-tube kit from Eurotubes. Unfortunately, that didn't solve the issue I was having, so I wasted $50 and voided my warranty (I shouldn't say I completely wasted my $). And since I'm a honest fellow, I can't muster the ________ to tell Mesa, "No, I've used genuine Mesa tubes all along." Anyway, how's Japan? You eyein' any sweet guitar related paraphernalia? :thu:

Hi Will,

Yeah, I agree that's pretty harsh. I think it would be great if Mesa relaxed their policy along the lines of what I was describing. However if there were any ambiguity, Mesa would probably get sued silly.

Regarding your Eurotubes adventure, I'd suggest being honest with Mesa and say that you tried a set of JJ's hoping that it would solve your problem, it didn't, and when you realised about the warranty clause, you switched back. They would probably be within their "rights" to turn you away, but I would hope, and maybe even expect, that they would do the decent thing. Gotta be worth a try? :cool:

Japan has been intense, and hard work. However, I've got a little guitar-related memento to sweeten the memories. Check out post #5596 (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showpost.php?p=25633571&postcount=5596), :D

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Joeytpg]

Hey andy, what do you do for a living? if you don't mind me asking :D

I also have Japanese family, my uncle has married two Japanese women, and two half Japanese half Dominican kids with one of them. So two Jap. cuz for me :D

[Grinder72]

Swifty,

Congrat's on the new amp... enjoy.

In answer to your questions I think that all distortion pedal are inherantly noisy to some degree, at least the ones that I've had and I've owned all the popular ones at some point. The more distortion you crank in the more noise is introduced. I can't say that any one was more noisy than another but maybe someone else has more experience. At the moment I think that the F-50 produces better OD than any of the pedals I've used lately so I use the red channel for my main OD. For a more outragious high gain dist tone I use an old Arion pedal I've had since the mid 80's. I've never heard any other pedal do what this one can

I just bought a THD Hotplate off flea-Bay but I haven't had a chance to test it yet so I'll let you know how that goes. I've read a few reviews and many posts about attenuators and it seems that the hotplate is most recommended... we'll see if it lives up to the hype.

Hello all, long time no see.

I'm looking for a power soak for my F-50 and did a quick search on the thread and came up with the quoted post. I'm going to get the hot plate, but my question is: which one is suitable for the F-50? Excuse my technical ignorance.

Regards, Steve.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey andy, what do you do for a living? if you don't mind me asking :D

I also have Japanese family, my uncle has married two Japanese women, and two half Japanese half Dominican kids with one of them. So two Jap. cuz for me :D

PM'd. :D

Big smiles,

Andy.

P.S. With both our family connections - maybe we're related: my brother from another mother. :p

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hello all, long time no see.

I'm looking for a power soak for my F-50 and did a quick search on the thread and came up with the quoted post. I'm going to get the hot plate, but my question is: which one is suitable for the F-50? Excuse my technical ignorance.

Regards, Steve.

Hi Steve,

You'll need an 8 Ohm Hotplate - the purple one iirc. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Grinder72]

Hi Steve,

You'll need an 8 Ohm Hotplate - the purple one iirc. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Cheers, Andy.

[Butts]

Hi.

I just picked up a Mesa Subway Blues for my office at work.

Will this work with th' Blues?

I need cranked amp tone at work!

Best regards,

Brian





F-series Miscellaneous Tips

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/afraiddave/hal9000F-SeriesMixPotMasterRevB.jpg[/QUOTE]

[RonniePentatonic]

Yo homies! Ive been neglecting the F-30 for a bit in favor of the Rivera half stack but spent some time with it last night and realized why its one of the most under rated amps ever.

Heres a couple of quick, raw, un"produced" clips.

Singing lead over backing:
http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=25599

Amp by itself, high gain contour on, metal to blues with volume knob:
http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=25598

I'll try to pop in here more often for some tricks, great thread.

[mrelusive]

Yo homies! Ive been neglecting the F-30 for a bit in favor of the Rivera half stack but spent some time with it last night and realized why its one of the most under rated amps ever.

Heres a couple of quick, raw, un"produced" clips.

Singing lead over backing:
http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=25599

Amp by itself, high gain contour on, metal to blues with volume knob:
http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=25598

I'll try to pop in here more often for some tricks, great thread.

listen to this man.

[Will Cyrier]

Yo homies! Ive been neglecting the F-30 for a bit in favor of the Rivera half stack but spent some time with it last night and realized why its one of the most under rated amps ever.

Heres a couple of quick, raw, un"produced" clips.

Singing lead over backing:
http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=25599

Amp by itself, high gain contour on, metal to blues with volume knob:
http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=25598

I'll try to pop in here more often for some tricks, great thread.

How do you feel about posting your settings? They sound pretty sweet.:thu: What type of axe and pickups are you using?