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

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hello everyone! I recently purchased an F30 and love the amp. Can someone explain the difference in having a parralel or series effects send/return mod, how does it affect the routing? I have been running an old SPX90 out of the efffects send/return jacks but every time I turn up the amp it wants to clip the SPX. Will doing the mod help eliminate this problem?

Bob

Hi Bob,

The Parallel to Series FX loop mod on the F-series won't help with a clipping problem. You should know that on the F-series, the Master Volume dials also function as FX Send level controls. This would explain why clipping may occur as you turn up the amp. Are you able to control the input level on your SPX?

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

speakin of cab impulses... i started a thread over here (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2002291) asking for tone criticism... the guitars tone is the F-50's direct out using some cab impulses. VERY useable... even more so than i originally thought. be sure to check it out and gimme some tone / vocal tips!

Hi mrelusive,

Impressed here too - I really have to give cab impulse recording a try. Very useable guitar tones indeed! Thumbs up! :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[metallidud]

I couldnt resist coming here and bragging... Yesterday I got a nice clean F-30 combo for $400 on craigslist. sssssssweet deal ! First impressions: AWESOME AWESOME lead tones when hooked with my pedal board. Nice cleans but not yet blown away by cleans (the tubes are 6 years old, maybe changing them may
help).

[fenderblues42]

Hey guys, well I am in the amp market now and This amp caught my eye, + I think it would be alot cheaper to buy a f-50 head than try to build a guitar rack.

Can some people explain the "mod" that people do with the eq, this thread is so huge its hard to find some info.

From what ive heard frm some metal clips I think I may be sold.


Thanks in advance guys.

[dtrax]

I couldnt resist coming here and bragging... Yesterday I got a nice clean F-30 combo for $400 on craigslist. sssssssweet deal ! First impressions: AWESOME AWESOME lead tones when hooked with my pedal board. Nice cleans but not yet blown away by cleans (the tubes are 6 years old, maybe changing them may
help).

Great price man! Congrats :thu:

[dtrax]

Hi dtrax,

Sounds great! :thu: I'm really impressed with these results from a cab sim! Great job! Please let me know if you're happy for me to include the link in the Clip Archive at the start of the thread

Certainly! I'd be honored! :thu:

[LaidBack95]

So has anyone else here cranked the clean channel for tube saturation? (Like I dont know the answer, pfft lol) Today was the first time I did since i bought it like 9 months ago. All I can say is wow. Now I'm a modern metal high-gain guy, but pushing those tubes just sounded like heaven. Gave a nice crunch.

Oh and for those of you that responded to my thread back about me getting the BBE Sonic Stomp, well I just went for it. And it makes a noticeable difference on the gain channel. I love it. I keep both settings on 12 o'clock and it processes the signal just enough to give it the clarity that it advertises. I also made my pedal board from an old briefcase that my dad had lying around (I'll post pics if you guys want to see it). The next thing I have on my list to buy/do is either an A/B switch or the Ernie Ball Volume Jr. Mostly because I have the planet waves tuner, and when used with a daisy chain i get an annoying "bzzzztt" sound when the note name comes up on display. It is a known issue, but I like the pedal, and I like volume swells, so I think i will just solve the problem with the VP Jr. After that, the TC Electronics Nova delay.....I am still up in the air about buying a compressor though. Sorry for the ramble, I just know some of this information would be valued here (to an extent lol)

[joel3000]

Hey would anybody out there in F-series land want to trade a combo for a head? I really want a head and I am willing to move to an F50 head from my F-100 combo. I need a head and a 2x12 so if anybody has anything, I'm up for a trade.

You can pull the amp section out of the combo and put it into a Mesa head shell.

Mesa can do it for you, I think, or at least sell you the shell. Call Mesa and ask them about it.

Let us know what you hear back if you do. I've been thinking about converting my F-50 to a head.

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi My Friend,

Can't wait! Let us know when we can order your new album! :)

Big smiles,

Andy.
Good to see you my friend :)

The promo will be online only I'm afraid... and the full album comes perhaps 2009. We are hoping that with new material (which sounds fresh and true SC to me) we get a label to support us.

I think your points of F-tone compliments with my view of it and I agree with you :)

Okay, I'm off to mix some drums :thu:

[red99frc]

Hey Dan thanks for the response, sorry it's taken awhile to get back. Yes the SPX has an input control, and I've adjust it accordingly. When I back it down i loose the volume. I would like to get more spl but It seems to be get to a certain point and thats all she'll do. I assume its pilot error on my part. Can you explain what the loop mod does and what changes it makes or how it's different from the factory default?
Bob

[cjo]

First time visiting the F-series lounge here!! Here's my recent acquisition:

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg266/chrisolson68/GuitarRig7-5-0802.jpg

Here's the thread where I have been commenting...

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=28905745#post28905745

[eddie.perez]

Hey everybody, Last nigth during practice I was picking up radio signals with my F-100 head. I tried moving it from place to place but that didn't work. The way I had it connected was from the Boss gt-8 output mono straigth into the return input on the head. Then I would use a patch cable on the send output and just live it hanging over the cab. This has happen a couple of times already. There just seems to be no solution for this, it comes and goes. What do you guys think is happening? :)

[Rodimus Prime]

I've left the fold. Sorry guys. Enjoy your F50's. I've enjoyed mine but i had the opp to get one of my dream amps: Marshall JMP 2203

[recipher]

Hey everybody, Last nigth during practice I was picking up radio signals with my F-100 head. I tried moving it from place to place but that didn't work. The way I had it connected was from the Boss gt-8 output mono straigth into the return input on the head. Then I would use a patch cable on the send output and just live it hanging over the cab. This has happen a couple of times already. There just seems to be no solution for this, it comes and goes. What do you guys think is happening? :)

Eddie, did you try different audio cables?

[eddie.perez]

Eddie, did you try different audio cables?

No I haven't tried using different cables. I don't think that would solve the problem though. Nice pic' by the way.:thu:

[Will Cyrier]

Hey everybody, Last nigth during practice I was picking up radio signals with my F-100 head. I tried moving it from place to place but that didn't work. The way I had it connected was from the Boss gt-8 output mono straigth into the return input on the head. Then I would use a patch cable on the send output and just live it hanging over the cab. This has happen a couple of times already. There just seems to be no solution for this, it comes and goes. What do you guys think is happening? :)

Possibly your guitar/pickups/shielding? I'm not an EE, but maybe having the patch cable dangling from the FX send acts like an antenna and lets RF sneak into your signal path. Is your loop still parallel? Maybe that 10% that doesn't travel through the loop sucks up RF from the FX send "antenna." I use just a 1/4 mono plug (like this: http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s82/willc_photo/092-350L.jpg ) with no cable attached to it and I haven't picked up any RF interference. Hope this maybe helps you! I HATE unwanted noise!

Will

--edit--
Oh, yeah quality shielded cables can make a huge difference!

[mynameistaken]

--edit--
Oh, yeah quality shielded cables can make a huge difference!

+1

[woodylong]

I was wondering is their any way I could change my FX loop from parrellel to a series loop? I know someone has already covered this, but theres allot of pages on this thread

[eddie.perez]

:)Possibly your guitar/pickups/shielding? I'm not an EE, but maybe having the patch cable dangling from the FX send acts like an antenna and lets RF sneak into your signal path. Is your loop still parallel? Maybe that 10% that doesn't travel through the loop sucks up RF from the FX send "antenna." I use just a 1/4 mono plug (like this: http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s82/willc_photo/092-350L.jpg ) with no cable attached to it and I haven't picked up any RF interference. Hope this maybe helps you! I HATE unwanted noise!

Will

--edit--
Oh, yeah quality shielded cables can make a huge difference!

Hey bro, thanks for the heads up. yesturday I did the conversion from parallel to series. I'll let you know how things went tommorow after rehearsing.
:)

[Will Cyrier]

:)

Hey bro, thanks for the heads up. yesturday I did the conversion from parallel to series. I'll let you know how things went tommorow after rehearsing.
:)

Cool, I hope it works. If it doesn't, try the other things I mentioned. Hopefully others here may have more/different ideas as well!

[Will Cyrier]

I was wondering is their any way I could change my FX loop from parrellel to a series loop? I know someone has already covered this, but theres allot of pages on this thread

You could try "searching this thread" for "parallel to series" for more info. I found this in less than a minute: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showpost.php?p=26215293&postcount=5865

Hope it helps,
Will

[LaidBack95]

Well I am nearing the end of my search for my current sound. But I am basically looking to smooth out my OD channel, would a OD stompbox do the trick? Bad Monkey perhaps acting as a clean boost?

[cjo]

I'm using a Boss SD-1 with the settings like this: Level - 3:00, Tone - 12:00, Gain - 10:00. Essentially it's a boost at this point.

I'd like to try the MXR Line Boost or maybe the BBE Boost - something a little cleaner, but it would slam the preamp nicely.

[LaidBack95]

Does the MXR boost add breakup onto the clean channel? I usually have the gain at noon on my clean channel, though i assume i could drop the clean gain when and if i add a boost/OD to my chain.....plus a very odd EQ setting...i.e., no mids, bass at 11:30 and treble at noon....but i like it, gives it the sparkle i want...and i am going to assume this will add a smoothness to my gain channel aswell?

[CharliePorter]

Hi,

I needed a "lead" boost and was recommended the Seymour Duncan pickup booster pedal. It works very well, and does not colour the tone at all.

Charlie.

[eddie.perez]

Hey guys was up, I have terrible news. I always pick up radio frequencies at my rehearsal studio, so one of our brothers recommended that I modify my loop and several others stuff too. They sounded like good ideas, so I tried it. I did the change from parallel to series. The first thing i recognized when I plugged in my amp was that, I still was picking up Rf signals. Minutes into my rehearsal I start smelling something burning, and all of a sudden my amp goes out. One of my tubes got so red that it blew out the fuse as well. Trust me, i put all the wires where they were suppose to go and solder it rigth. I don't think modifying your is a good idea. Mesa amps are well build amps. I don't think any alterations is necessary. They're perfect the way they are. :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :mad:

[estring777]

Hey guys was up, I have terrible news. I always pick up radio frequencies at my rehearsal studio, so one of our brothers recommended that I modify my loop and several others stuff too. They sounded like good ideas, so I tried it. I did the change from parallel to series. The first thing i recognized when I plugged in my amp was that, I still was picking up Rf signals. Minutes into my rehearsal I start smelling something burning, and all of a sudden my amp goes out. One of my tubes got so red that it blew out the fuse as well. Trust me, i put all the wires where they were suppose to go and solder it rigth. I don't think modifying your is a good idea. Mesa amps are well build amps. I don't think any alterations is necessary. They're perfect the way they are. :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :mad:

Sorry to hear about that!!!
But I can almost guarantee you that the RF interference was not caused by a parallel loop...so why you would change it to serial thinking it would make the interference go away is beyond me. I have change my loop to serial and so have many others and we have nothing but positive results.
Your interference is most likely a ground issue in your rooms electrical circuit. Yes it could be in the F-50, BUT, its not because of the loop.
As for the tube blowing, well it might have been its time. You also may have bumped it while making your mods and it wasnt seated properly.

Good luck, I hope you get it fixed.

[eddie.perez]

Sorry to hear about that!!!
But I can almost guarantee you that the RF interference was not caused by a parallel loop...so why you would change it to serial thinking it would make the interference go away is beyond me. I have change my loop to serial and so have many others and we have nothing but positive results.
Your interference is most likely a ground issue in your rooms electrical circuit. Yes it could be in the F-50, BUT, its not because of the loop.
As for the tube blowing, well it might have been its time. You also may have bumped it while making your mods and it wasnt seated properly.

Good luck, I hope you get it fixed.

It must have been a coincedence that my amp blew out right when I did the change. I changed it back to parallel, and i'm afraid to try it again.

Nice band you got going there. You guys should come to LA and gig.

[estring777]

It must have been a coincedence that my amp blew out right when I did the change. I changed it back to parallel, and i'm afraid to try it again.

Nice band you got going there. You guys should come to LA and gig.


Gigging's hard enough in Cleveland!!!!

Thanks for checking us out:wave:

[mynameistaken]

Hey guys was up, I have terrible news. I always pick up radio frequencies at my rehearsal studio, so one of our brothers recommended that I modify my loop and several others stuff too. They sounded like good ideas, so I tried it. I did the change from parallel to series. The first thing i recognized when I plugged in my amp was that, I still was picking up Rf signals. Minutes into my rehearsal I start smelling something burning, and all of a sudden my amp goes out. One of my tubes got so red that it blew out the fuse as well. Trust me, i put all the wires where they were suppose to go and solder it rigth. I don't think modifying your is a good idea. Mesa amps are well build amps. I don't think any alterations is necessary. They're perfect the way they are. :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :mad:

Thats my diagram and I have been running it that way for over six months. I just played an outdoor show that was 3 hours long with it cranked with no issues. It sounds like you have a bad tube.

RF signals.... I have always had a problem with these when I play at home and I use my pedalboard. If i plug my guitar straight into the amp they go away. My other tube amp gets them also. Its a shielding issue for me and I believe its either a patch cord or the pedals themselves.

[bluesman09]

Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new tube amp (my first) and am really looking at the Mesa F-30 and F-50. I'm also considering the Traynor YCS-50 combo though.

I have an $800 budget and play everything from Peter Green to Robin Trower and Cream to Chevelle, Flyleaf, Mastodon and Tool.

From what I've heard on Youtube, the F-50's clean channel sounds sweet and the high gain for hard rock and metal is impressive, but I'm wondering how well it does that classic rock and blues crunch? I love the JTM-45 sound and am wondering if the F-30 is more voiced for that with the EL84's. I don't really want to sacrifice the high gain sound of the 6L6's though.

Basically, I need versatility and enough volume to get over a drummer during jams and eventually play small gigs. I practice down in my basement though so I'm considering buying a voodooman volume box on ebay (basically hal's fx loop attenuator) to tame down the F-series amps.

Which F-series amp is right for me or is the Traynor better suited to my needs? Thanks in advance guys. This lounge has a lot of great info.

[eddie.perez]

Thats my diagram and I have been running it that way for over six months. I just played an outdoor show that was 3 hours long with it cranked with no issues. It sounds like you have a bad tube.

RF signals.... I have always had a problem with these when I play at home and I use my pedalboard. If i plug my guitar straight into the amp they go away. My other tube amp gets them also. Its a shielding issue for me and I believe its either a patch cord or the pedals themselves.

Hey seems like you and me have the same set up, I aslo use a gt-8 processor. I run mines through the return input for gigging/rehearsal purposes. So i guess i did have a bad tube. I'll try doing the mod again when I get new tubes. You know what may get rid of the rf signals, the isp decimator. That might be the solution. Do you have any recordings?

[mynameistaken]

Hey seems like you and me have the same set up, I aslo use a gt-8 processor. I run mines through the return input for gigging/rehearsal purposes. So i guess i did have a bad tube. I'll try doing the mod again when I get new tubes. You know what may get rid of the rf signals, the isp decimator. That might be the solution. Do you have any recordings?

I rarely use the GT8 anymore and use mostly pedals. It worked fine for a long time but I wanted to go all analog.

The only recording I have up with the F-50 is this one which is a MXR Carbon copy demo. Its all on the clean channel though.

clip (http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=26028)

[kool98769]

So, i've been thinking of getting an F-50 (or atleast trying one out). Before hand i would like to know a couple things though. How tight is the bass without a boost? I guess i could always use a boost to tighten the low end up, but the tighter the better, i guess.
Also, as far as with gain, could it handle, say, symphony X type gain? Also, could it pull of a descently convincing alter bridge-ish tone?
And, how is the stock speaker?
Also, how does it handle 7 string guitars. do the notes stay clear, or does it mud up?

[dtrax]

So, i've been thinking of getting an F-50 (or atleast trying one out). Before hand i would like to know a couple things though. How tight is the bass without a boost? I guess i could always use a boost to tighten the low end up, but the tighter the better, i guess.
Also, as far as with gain, could it handle, say, symphony X type gain? Also, could it pull of a descently convincing alter bridge-ish tone?
And, how is the stock speaker?
Also, how does it handle 7 string guitars. do the notes stay clear, or does it mud up?

The trick, in my experience, for tight bass is to keep the bass knob at or below 9 oclock. The tone stack is pre-gain, so the knobs have less affect on the overall timbre and more on how the amp/guitar respond to one another. This is even more apparent as you increase the gain.

I don't listen to either of the groups you've mentioned, but I play metal/hardcore mostly and my F-30 has plenty of gain. The voicing is sorta a cross between a Mark IV and a Recto.

I play a 7 string and it sounds fantastic. I've found the F-series has plenty of mids in it's overall voicing which leads to clarity, especially in a band context. It's not nasally, but not uber-scooped, like say a Recto in Modern mode.

Hope this helps,
Cheers!

[mudbuddy11]

I was playing my f50 today, without ear protection, and damn, my ears are still ringing. do you guys use ear protection when you play this thing full blast? It seems like I get more volume and just a little bit more EVERYTHING when I play on the clean channel using a landy MOD clone(chupakabra). The dirty channel is nice, I usually have the gain down about 9 oclock, trying to get a bluesy sound, but the gain is usually just a bit too much for that. I'm in love with this clean channel, and can get most any sound I want using the pedals i've acquired over the last few years. I think I just need to play with the gain channel some more.

it so much fun playing that loud. I've had this amp in my apartment for the last 2 years, and never turned the volume past 9 oclock. I've got a beam blocker in it now, and I like it. I think it spreads the sound out nicely, but still a little ice-pickey. i think the bass stays nice and tight all throughout the volume range, even when I blast an octron through an overdrive. I have too much drive dialed into my overdrive pedals, and end up with LESS volume when I have it on with the gain channel... just too darn much gain, even with the amp gain down around 9.

I'm playing in my company's mostly empty warehouse, and I really think this amp would be too much for a hall even that big at full volume. To you guys who gig, do you keep the volume down all the time, or do you ever open her up?

ho.... ly.... she..... at.

[MEJA]

Hi folks,

I'm trying to find someone that wants to trade me their F-50 combo for my Fender deluxe reverb reissue. It's less than a year old but I have changed the speaker (govenor) and did the bright cap mod, both can be undone. Needs to be fairly close to Detroit area.

Had an F50 before, wish I still had it.

Thanks!

[wooten]

I used to use a GE-7 with my F-50. Now I use an MXR 10-band EQ. What an amazing difference! I love it. I think it's the best EQ stomp out there.

I have the GE-7. So is the MXR quite a bit better? A real noticable difference? Thanks

[hinrich]

Hey everyone

Some of the regulars might recognize me, with my struggles to get the right sounds out of my F30 combo. Barebones, I just couldn't get the right sounds out of it so I tried different guitars, the Highway 1 strat just didnt' cut it (not even in other amps) then I got a great Japanese Univox 1970 les paul and it was an improvement. Then I tried it through a Marshall transtube and I don't know what my band and I were smoking at the time but we seemed to think it was better than the boogie.

Then I got out my boogie again, still not giving up, and I got an MXR 10 band equalizer and ran it through the fx loop, turning the volume and the gain way down and MAN! That was it, I got the smooth distortion tones that I've been reading on the board. With a Peavey 2x12 with scorpion speakers, you get the full sound (this cab was used on the road by Frozen Ghost back in the 80's if you can remember them!) I also tubed it with EH's

But anyway, here's the update. I was at a silent auction and they had a Godin Solidac so because I support cancer research, I withdrew $525 and took the axe home. It's cool because you get 2 outs, one is from a piezo saddle pickup that goes to the pa, which nicely simulates an acoustic guitar. And the HSH configuration obviously connects to the other output jack. I took it to band practice and OMFG! I plugged it into the f30 and got the professional sounds I've been looking for, and man it's so versatile since we play classic and modern rock. I'm also using an MXR Zak for lighter distortions and in the mid postition you get nice Kinks "you really got me" sounds (in the bridge on Channel 2 of the boogie, you get Van Halen's version!)

Anyway, I was so happy I bought a 2nd F30 so I didn't have to lug it to practice every week and I have no regrets.

Hope this experience helps with anyone struggling to get the right sounds!

[dtrax]

Thanks for the post hinrich. I too have been thinking about adding an EQ pedal, not because I don't like the sound of my F-30 (I most certainly do) but only because the CH2 tonestack becomes less effective with high gain settings (I understand this is by design and not a fault) - I'd like to have more control over the tone.

Question: What had more impact on tone, the EQ pedal or a tube change? Also, did you replace the power tubes, or just preamp?

EDIT: Obviously an EQ pedal CAN affect the sound considerably, but using it as only a volume control is what I meant.

[janebush08]

I am a newbie... liked this post.. you people are very knowledgeable... hats off

[Tommi Inkila]

Hi bros!

Our 3-song promo is finally ready... see the thread here... http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?p=29460973#post29460973... sorry for not including F-series in the recording arsenal but Mark and Recto fitted better this time... I hope you like it and forgive me ;)

[Fauxpas]

Hi, I am new here too, having bought an F-50 combo recently. One reason I chose it over the other possible amps(Marshall Vintage Modern, Vox Ac 30 CC)is the fact that the effect loop actually works. :cop:
(On these others the tones were great, but the loop and reverb were basically unusable.)
Since then I have found the gain and tone controls really do what it says in the manual. So there is a lot to learn about finding tones on this amp. The clean channel run clean is great for pedals, but I am going to experiment with the Channel 2 options as well, after seeing the suggested settings here. I gig about 1/2 nights a week (Blues,Blues rock and soul) and find it is just right volume wise with a fairly loud drummer, before miking up.

[hinrich]

Thanks for the post hinrich. I too have been thinking about adding an EQ pedal, not because I don't like the sound of my F-30 (I most certainly do) but only because the CH2 tonestack becomes less effective with high gain settings (I understand this is by design and not a fault) - I'd like to have more control over the tone.

Question: What had more impact on tone, the EQ pedal or a tube change? Also, did you replace the power tubes, or just preamp?

EDIT: Obviously an EQ pedal CAN affect the sound considerably, but using it as only a volume control is what I meant.

dTrax

The tubes had some impact, it smoothened out the sound. I replaced all the tubes. I might give JJ's a try too.

The EQ had more impact, the volume just kept the levels down, but sounded better than turning down the volume on the channel. I used Mesa's recommended "Power Blues" settings (i think that's what they called it) and originally I used a Behringer 7 band eq because I just wanted to try it without forking out $100. Even that improved everything but once I got the MXR 10-band (don't get the 5 band, there's no volume), I set it in a symetrical "shallow rounded W" and that's my favourite tone. Similar to this (http://es.woodbrass.com/images/woodbrass/DUNLOP+EQ+10+BANDES.JPG) but the 31.25hz and 16khz are at zero and the 4khz is down so you get a smooth curve. (I like smooth curves!)

When I rehearse at home, I have the gain and volume almost all the way down, and during gigs, just below half way.

I heard the MXR is the best stomp eq you can get (unless others can correct me) before you get a higher end rack eq.

Hope this helps ;)

[NDRU]

Yesterday I pulled the bright switch on my F30 for the first time ever. I always thought the idea to be absurd, but I was playing with my band and A/B-ing the F30 with my Fender DRRI.

That's when I really heard the difference in brightness. The Mesa is voiced very dark. I pulled out the bright and it made a huge difference. I don't know if that will take hold (only did it for the last song we played) but I couldn't believe I never tried it before! I guess it always sounded like it would be too much.

Another lesson that what sounds good by itself doesn't always work in a loud band setting--and vice versa!

[Antti Loponen]

Hey everyone, long time no see. A lot has happened since my last post. The trusty F-30 has been through almost 100 gigs, two studio albums and all the necessary rehearsals, working fine. At some point I realized I don't need the clean channel anymore, since turning down gives me as clean tone as I need. I guess I've also cut down on the amount of gain lately. Also, my eq's on the boost channel are simply all at 12'o'clock. Easy to dial in, and sounds fine. Doesn't make really much of a change anyway.

Anyway, I'm getting new preamp tubes since the amp is making a lot of hiss and crackling sounds. I first replaced the power tubes, but it didn't make it all go away. Then I tried putting my friend's fresh preamp tubes in and it fixed the problem. Now I just want to figure out what brand is the best for me. Perhaps I could order different brands and try them in different positions. I'm only using the distortion channel these days, so that's all that matters. I'd like to get more headroom for the gain knob. Any suggestions? Is JJ ECC81 any good? Should I put it only in V1 and V2 slots and have ECC83's on the others?

[Will Cyrier]

Hey everyone, long time no see. A lot has happened since my last post. The trusty F-30 has been through almost 100 gigs, two studio albums and all the necessary rehearsals, working fine. At some point I realized I don't need the clean channel anymore, since turning down gives me as clean tone as I need. I guess I've also cut down on the amount of gain lately. Also, my eq's on the boost channel are simply all at 12'o'clock. Easy to dial in, and sounds fine. Doesn't make really much of a change anyway.

Anyway, I'm getting new preamp tubes since the amp is making a lot of hiss and crackling sounds. I first replaced the power tubes, but it didn't make it all go away. Then I tried putting my friend's fresh preamp tubes in and it fixed the problem. Now I just want to figure out what brand is the best for me. Perhaps I could order different brands and try them in different positions. I'm only using the distortion channel these days, so that's all that matters. I'd like to get more headroom for the gain knob. Any suggestions? Is JJ ECC81 any good? Should I put it only in V1 and V2 slots and have ECC83's on the others?

I've used the JJ ECC83's in all four pre-amp sockets along with JJ EL-84 in the power amp. They were still kind of "crackly" sounding. I was told to move V1 through V3 around because of the cascading signal chain in the F-series' preamp amplified a noise tube in V1 substantially. I thought the JJ's were a little bright for my taste and I went back to the Mesa stock tubes I had in it before.

I would recommend using a reputable company like GT, etc. and spend a little more for a quality tube to put in V1. I bought my JJ's from Eurotubes.com located in the U.S. As far as 81's vs. 83's in V1 and V2, I don't know. Let us know what you come up with.

I went to your website...is there an english version anywhere?

Will

[Antti Loponen]

I ended up ordering JJ tubes: 2xECC83S, 2xECC81 and one ECC803. I can hopefully get a good tone with them. It's a bit weird that you say the JJ's were too bright, since they usually are used to tame down too harsh high end in amps. I'll let you guys know how it turned out.

I changed the link to our band's site in my signature to go to the Myspace page, which is in English. :idea:

[petesvilla]

Hi guys, I think it's just worth a reminder that the input tube is V2 and not V1 in this amp!
I've tried various brands of preamp tubes in there, my favourite being original Mullard ECC83's. The trouble is that they are rare and expensive. I'm currently using the new production Mullards which are good but not as good as the originals. I also quite like the sound of the Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH (Russian)

Cheers,

Pete

[dtrax]

Hi guys, I think it's just worth a reminder that the input tube is V2 and not V1 in this amp!

Not according to the manual. V1A is the 1st input stage.

[Will Cyrier]

I ended up ordering JJ tubes: 2xECC83S, 2xECC81 and one ECC803. I can hopefully get a good tone with them. It's a bit weird that you say the JJ's were too bright, since they usually are used to tame down too harsh high end in amps. I'll let you guys know how it turned out.

I changed the link to our band's site in my signature to go to the Myspace page, which is in English. :idea:

I thought they sounded pretty good, but for my preferred sound, they we're a little bright sounding (hard to explain in words what I heard). I hope that they work well for you. Where did you end up ordering them from?

Will

[petesvilla]

Not according to the manual. V1A is the 1st input stage.

Tha manual may say V1 but the schematic says V2!

[mynameistaken]

Still have some small things left to do like a handle and some protection but here is my custom head. Made it this weekend because I was sick of dealing with tube rattle.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2771320689_49ab23397f_b.jpg

[Will Cyrier]

Still have some small things left to do like a handle and some protection but here is my custom head. Made it this weekend because I was sick of dealing with tube rattle.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2772167822_fb9ec783dc.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3049/2771320689_49ab23397f.jpg?v=0

Nice!

[Antti Loponen]

I thought they sounded pretty good, but for my preferred sound, they we're a little bright sounding (hard to explain in words what I heard). I hope that they work well for you. Where did you end up ordering them from?

Will

From Uraltone, a Finnish company that builds amps and sells all kinds of parts and tubes.

BTW I just decided that my next musical purchase will be a hard case for the F-30. It will be worth it, since we tour a lot these days.

[Heddenwest]

Are the F-50's a good amp? I know the cleans are supposed to be good but what about the overdrive? I'm thinking about getting one if I can get a good deal or should I save up for the Express 5:50? Any major differences in sound? Thanks.

[mudbuddy11]

I dont remember how long ago this was, but someone on this board tried an express and didnt like it as well as the f50. I think the F is a killer amp, but I mostly use dirt pedals instead of the gain channel...

I dont think you would be unhappy with a mesa F

[CABandRI]

Hey guys, I just picked up my first f-50 and am loving it. The amp was practically new being that is was still even tagged up from the store and the pedal zip tied to the handle.

The sound of this amp is amazing but I'm having an issue. There seems to be some kind of rattle sound that comes from the amp when I hit a c# on the low E string. The louder I turn the amp the louder the rattle sound and it is almost sounding like a speaker issue. Could it be a problem with the speaker itself even though the highs and mids still sing from the amp? or maybe a fuse or tube issue???

I am in the US and am not sure what size fuse this amp should have installed but it does have a 250v now.

[hal9000]

Hey guys, I just picked up my first f-50 and am loving it. The amp was practically new being that is was still even tagged up from the store and the pedal zip tied to the handle.

The sound of this amp is amazing but I'm having an issue. There seems to be some kind of rattle sound that comes from the amp when I hit a c# on the low E string. The louder I turn the amp the louder the rattle sound and it is almost sounding like a speaker issue. Could it be a problem with the speaker itself even though the highs and mids still sing from the amp? or maybe a fuse or tube issue???

I am in the US and am not sure what size fuse this amp should have installed but it does have a 250v now.Congrats on the new amp and welcome to the F-series Brotherhood! :)

First, I would try to isolate the F-50 from everything else around or possibly on top of it. That way you at least know it's the F-50 rattling. Then, you may want to check the bolts connecting the speaker to the cabinet and possibly tighten other bolts as well like the reverb tank and the chassis. Finally, you might want to re-seat the tubes and tube-retainers.

Good luck!

[CABandRI]

Thanks for mentioning to check the speaker screws. I had went through the amp checking the tubes and fuse and was baffled that I couldn't figure it out. Then I take the grill off the check the screws in the speaker and the last owner had failed to mention the tear in the cone of the speaker... well atleast I know what to fix now. Any recommendations on a speaker to pop in? or should I try to find another black shadow?

[hal9000]

Thanks for mentioning to check the speaker screws. I had went through the amp checking the tubes and fuse and was baffled that I couldn't figure it out. Then I take the grill off the check the screws in the speaker and the last owner had failed to mention the tear in the cone of the speaker... well atleast I know what to fix now. Any recommendations on a speaker to pop in? or should I try to find another black shadow?That's good you've found the problem, but troubling that the amp's condition was not fully disclosed. I would advise trying to get some of your money back; at least enough to buy a new speaker.

As to what speaker to buy, there are many, many choices that can drastically change the sound of your amplifier. I personally think the C90 is a good match for the F-50 as is a Vintage 30 like my F-100 2x12 combo came with stock. If you happen to like the V30 sound, but wanted to save your back a bit, the Celestion Century Vintage is a cool speaker that should save you ~7 lbs. I put two in my F-100 combo and saved 13 lbs. If a stock V30 is more your bag, I would suggest grabbing a Hellatone 60 or 60L from Avatar Speakers
(http://www.avatarspeakers.com/hellatone.htm) which are broken-in re-branded V30s. If Celestion isn't doing it for you, Weber (https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/) can build anything you can think up at a very reasonable price.

[LaidBack95]

Speaker Swap: debating about doing it.

It isnt like I hate the Black Shadow, if anything I like it because it is (from what I hear) about as "transparent" as speakers come. Now I have virtally no experience with other higher end speakers, since the F-50 was my first tube amp, and had a behringer modeler before this :facepalm:.

Anyway, I'd like to hear some opinoins, or maybe clips if I'm lucky, of the F series (preferably the 50) to see what tonal abilities it can achieve with a speaker swap. My EQ settings are (I think I stole em from you hal when I was looking for a Tool-esqe sound...sorry man) G: 11:30, T: noon, M: bout 2:30, B: 10:30. No reverb and master is wherever depending on the time of day, who else is home and whether I'm at band practice or not.

I was checking out the obvious V30 and the Eminance Swamp Thang, but would love to hear what other combinations others from the Brotherhood have tried. ALSO, one last thing, think I should shoot for a 2x12 cab? (I gots the combo.)

[musicdog400]

I ran my F50 1x12 also into a 2x12 Legacy cab (V30, more mid) and a 1x12 with Weber c12N (I think fender jensen clone, chimy-er). But I preferred the black shadow.

[CABandRI]

Well the v30 isnt sounding too bad in my f 50, it's definitely different though. It seems like you guys have heard the difference between the two speakers more often then I do, if I'm playing mostly clean with a bit of blues rock od at times which speaker would I benefit from the most?

Btw I am pretty upset that I wasn't told about the speaker but its tough when picking things up off of craigslist and I did pick the combo up for only $500 which I'm pretty sure is still a good deal even with the speaker issue?

[mynameistaken]

Well the v30 isnt sounding too bad in my f 50, it's definitely different though. It seems like you guys have heard the difference between the two speakers more often then I do, if I'm playing mostly clean with a bit of blues rock od at times which speaker would I benefit from the most?

Btw I am pretty upset that I wasn't told about the speaker but its tough when picking things up off of craigslist and I did pick the combo up for only $500 which I'm pretty sure is still a good deal even with the speaker issue?

Yes $500 is still a very good price, even with a blown speaker. I would check into the Eminence Swamp Thang if you play mostly clean. I have one in a cab and it sounds really good. They are also pretty cheap compared to a C90.

[LaidBack95]

I actually play a lot of prog-rock/metal like Opeth, Tool, Porcupine Tree and alternative like the Foo, Nirvana and Modest Mouse. So i switch between the OD channel and clean channel a lot. Especially for my band's songs, ours are like 50/50 distorted/clean. So how does the Swamp Thang handle the higher gain end of the spectrum?

[mynameistaken]

I actually play a lot of prog-rock/metal like Opeth, Tool, Porcupine Tree and alternative like the Foo, Nirvana and Modest Mouse. So i switch between the OD channel and clean channel a lot. Especially for my band's songs, ours are like 50/50 distorted/clean. So how does the Swamp Thang handle the higher gain end of the spectrum?

Here are some sound clips of the Swamp thang. I personally like the C90 better for overdriven sounds. But the Swamp thang is still pretty good.

http://www.eminence.com/soundclips.asp

[Dann'sTheMan]

Speaker Swap: debating about doing it.

It isnt like I hate the Black Shadow, if anything I like it because it is (from what I hear) about as "transparent" as speakers come. Now I have virtally no experience with other higher end speakers, since the F-50 was my first tube amp, and had a behringer modeler before this :facepalm:.

Anyway, I'd like to hear some opinoins, or maybe clips if I'm lucky, of the F series (preferably the 50) to see what tonal abilities it can achieve with a speaker swap. My EQ settings are (I think I stole em from you hal when I was looking for a Tool-esqe sound...sorry man) G: 11:30, T: noon, M: bout 2:30, B: 10:30. No reverb and master is wherever depending on the time of day, who else is home and whether I'm at band practice or not.

I was checking out the obvious V30 and the Eminance Swamp Thang, but would love to hear what other combinations others from the Brotherhood have tried. ALSO, one last thing, think I should shoot for a 2x12 cab? (I gots the combo.)

Hey LaidBack95,

FWIW, I like the BlackShadow in the semi-open back F-50 combo - works great for cleaner sounds. However, I got to try (finally) the F-50 combo sitting on top of the Mesa vertical 2x12 Recto closed back cab recently, whilst I was visiting NYC. I think that cab compliments the combo beautifully, delivering some low end chunk thanks to its closed back V30s - without overly swamping the more open combo sound (which was an issue I had with the 4x12 cabs). Oh and imho it also looks great! :p

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Guitar%20Cabinets/RECTOcabs/NEWpics-2006/2x12RectoVfnt-LG.jpg

Brothers, if you ever get a chance to try this match up with an F-50 combo - highly recommended. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[LaidBack95]

answered my question before i could ask Dann. i wouldnt get a 4x12 for myself anyway, a 2x12 is probably what i would get if i got a separate cab.

**EDIT**: I also just picked up a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive yesterday for lower gain/jangly/indy distortion/OD. lemme tell you, wow. awesome lil OD. yet, it is also a clean boost. i dont have a good way of recording right now...and i'm leaving for school on monday, so no F-50 in a dorm room. but before that i swear i WILL get my TC Electronics Nova Delay.

[anthony]

So I saw Masterofnones post sellin his F-50 and totally fell in love with the looks of it. Did some research and sounded to be right up my alley. So I went to the bank then his house and played it, wow, very responsive. Gave him the cash and took it home played it, then the next day took it to band practice and played some more. I think this amp is the sexiest thing ever. My drummer says it looks like something an old beatles cover band would use. My bassist says the wicker grill reminds him of his mother's dining room chairs growing up. So I guess they were not as impressed by it's looks as me. But they were impressed by the sound and that's really the important thing.

[Will Cyrier]

So I saw Masterofnones post sellin his F-50 and totally fell in love with the looks of it. Did some research and sounded to be right up my alley. So I went to the bank then his house and played it, wow, very responsive. Gave him the cash and took it home played it, then the next day took it to band practice and played some more. I think this amp is the sexiest thing ever. My drummer says it looks like something an old beatles cover band would use. My bassist says the wicker grill reminds him of his mother's dining room chairs growing up. So I guess they were not as impressed by it's looks as me. But they were impressed by the sound and that's really the important thing.

I think it's great. Almost a sleeper with its looks, then you turn it up and blow 'em away with tone. Nice score!

[LaidBack95]

Hey everyone! Well with my birthday just passed (september 1st) and me getting some extra cash, i finally got my TC Electronics Nova Delay. now my rigg looks something like this:

Dean Evo special>Planet Wave Pedal Tuner>Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive>Mesa F-50 widebody combo.
In the loop we have:EHX Small Clone>T.C. Electronics Nova Delay>BBE Sonic Maximizer.

Now I am totally happy with my sound but with all these pedals now, I am getting this constant buzz/hum. I am assuming it is just because of a 5 pedal chain. Yet before the Nova Delay was there, there was no hum. Now I have the tuner on its own plug, the Sparkle Drive and sonic stomp are on daisy chain, the clone is on the battery and the Nova Delay is on its own 12v as well. these are all plugged into a power strip...just; just a regular power strip.

With the little time i had to mess around it before leaving for school, i assumed that the Nova Delay is making the noise. What would the Brotherhood call for as a remedy to my noise problem? ISP Decimator or maybe some sort of power brick. I need one with both 9v and at least the one 12v socket.

**EDIT** Just saw the BBE Supa Charger on musiciansfriend.com. looks like its what i need. opinoins?

[Will Cyrier]

Hey everyone! Well with my birthday just passed (september 1st) and me getting some extra cash, i finally got my TC Electronics Nova Delay. now my rigg looks something like this:

Dean Evo special>Planet Wave Pedal Tuner>Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive>Mesa F-50 widebody combo.
In the loop we have:EHX Small Clone>T.C. Electronics Nova Delay>BBE Sonic Maximizer.

Now I am totally happy with my sound but with all these pedals now, I am getting this constant buzz/hum. I am assuming it is just because of a 5 pedal chain. Yet before the Nova Delay was there, there was no hum. Now I have the tuner on its own plug, the Sparkle Drive and sonic stomp are on daisy chain, the clone is on the battery and the Nova Delay is on its own 12v as well. these are all plugged into a power strip...just; just a regular power strip.

With the little time i had to mess around it before leaving for school, i assumed that the Nova Delay is making the noise. What would the Brotherhood call for as a remedy to my noise problem? ISP Decimator or maybe some sort of power brick. I need one with both 9v and at least the one 12v socket.

**EDIT** Just saw the BBE Supa Charger on musiciansfriend.com. looks like its what i need. opinoins?

Any power conditioner will probably do the trick for you. I ran into this issue using the 1-spot power supply to juice all my pedals. I'd make sure that whatever you look at, make sure it conditions the power! Reviews for the 1-spot said it was absolutely quiet--not so!

Your find looks like it would work. Check out the voodoo labs pedal power units too. An SKB powered pedal board (conditioned) fixed my noise issue. I know Furman makes these as well.

Oh yeah...happy birthday too!

Will

[LaidBack95]

thanks for the happy birthday man.

anyway, right now, i have zero funds to spend on the gear since i just spend $380 on the sparkle drive and the nova delay. I need the rest for books, food, beer...you know, the usual college stuff lol. i did see the http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Furman-M8X-Power-Conditioner?sku=181045 which doesnt look bad for the price.

as for the one spot, it is actually just a Boss power supply with the one-spot daisy chain attached.

one last thing, does the voodoo labs have a 12v outlet?

[RMH]

thanks for the happy birthday man.

anyway, right now, i have zero funds to spend on the gear since i just spend $380 on the sparkle drive and the nova delay. I need the rest for books, food, beer...you know, the usual college stuff lol. i did see the http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Furman-M8X-Power-Conditioner?sku=181045 which doesnt look bad for the price.

as for the one spot, it is actually just a Boss power supply with the one-spot daisy chain attached.

one last thing, does the voodoo labs have a 12v outlet?

Yes, the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus gives you four connections that will allow you to change voltage between 9v and 12v. It also offers two high current 9v connections for pedals like the boss twin stompers and also line 6 modelers. You can also get 18v and 24v if needed. It also allows you to actually plug in a power cord if you need that. I hope this helps!!!!!!

[Will Cyrier]

thanks for the happy birthday man.

anyway, right now, i have zero funds to spend on the gear since i just spend $380 on the sparkle drive and the nova delay. I need the rest for books, food, beer...you know, the usual college stuff lol. i did see the http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Furman-M8X-Power-Conditioner?sku=181045 which doesnt look bad for the price.

as for the one spot, it is actually just a Boss power supply with the one-spot daisy chain attached.

one last thing, does the voodoo labs have a 12v outlet?



~($20 a weekend for a case of Rainier Beer or Schmidt) X (9 weekends) = (Voodoo Labs Pedal Power)

Hmmmmm.....hard decision! Anyway, I found this for your research:
http://www.voodoolab.com/pedalpower_2.htm

I want one but I'm in the same boat, but instead of beer, I'm buying organic whole milk for my little boy to the tune of $6.50 a gallon...

[ShizzelDizzel]

Even though the hum started with the delay, it may not be the pedal actually causing the problem. The best way to remedy any pedalboard nosie issue is to get a quality power source with isolated outputs. You either have a ground loop or a difference of potential with your current power sources.
i.e. The Nova delay reference to ground might be half a volt higher or lower than another pedal creating the difference in potential thus causing noise.
Voodoo Pedal Power.... suck it up because you have a nice rig and you might as well finish it off right!
Hey everyone! Well with my birthday just passed (september 1st) and me getting some extra cash, i finally got my TC Electronics Nova Delay. now my rigg looks something like this:

Dean Evo special>Planet Wave Pedal Tuner>Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive>Mesa F-50 widebody combo.
In the loop we have:EHX Small Clone>T.C. Electronics Nova Delay>BBE Sonic Maximizer.

Now I am totally happy with my sound but with all these pedals now, I am getting this constant buzz/hum. I am assuming it is just because of a 5 pedal chain. Yet before the Nova Delay was there, there was no hum. Now I have the tuner on its own plug, the Sparkle Drive and sonic stomp are on daisy chain, the clone is on the battery and the Nova Delay is on its own 12v as well. these are all plugged into a power strip...just; just a regular power strip.

With the little time i had to mess around it before leaving for school, i assumed that the Nova Delay is making the noise. What would the Brotherhood call for as a remedy to my noise problem? ISP Decimator or maybe some sort of power brick. I need one with both 9v and at least the one 12v socket.

**EDIT** Just saw the BBE Supa Charger on musiciansfriend.com. looks like its what i need. opinoins?

[LaidBack95]

Ahhhh man...this is why I love this thread, tough love lol. Anyway, considering I just got kinda hammered 3 nights out of the 4 I've been back to school, I am definitely going to cut back on the beer. But considering after books, I am down to like $90...sooo...I'm gonna save for the pedal power.

Thanks guys.

**EDIT**Wow, I just made myself sound like an alcoholic. I'm not...but I'm sure you guys know how college life is...right..right? lol And Will, that kinda stinks about the organic milk costs. But hey, I dont blame you with all the preservatives and crap they throw into milk nowadays.

[Kevin Saale]

Hey everybody, what's going on? I just joined this forum pretty much to post in this thread.

I've had an F-30 for about 6 months now and I'm very pleased with it. I've been using JJ powertubes up until they burned out >.>. Anyone know of something better for around the same price?

I'd also like to share my experiences experimenting with preamp tubes. I did all the experimenting with V1 and V2 and I've used different combinations of a Mesa 12AX7, a Mullard 12AT7, a Phillips 5751, and Groove Tubes 12AU7. Here are my findings:

For me and my classic rock orientatedness the F-30 has too much gain and just a bit too raw sounding. I've fixed that now though :P

I tried the AU7 in v1 with a AX7 in v2 and I didn't like it, cut a fair amout of gain, but it didn't sound all that great, ditto for the au7 in v2. I liked both the at7 and 5751 in v1 with an ax7, sounded good, but didn't cut enough gain for me. They both smoothed the gain out fairly well, but it was still pretty raw. I personally preferred the AT7 in this situation.

Recently I tried the at7 in v1 and the au7 in v2. Wow, very nice, cut a lot of gain and I think it sounds better than any combination with ax7s, really helped to smooth it out and give it a more classic rock kind of sound. It also took the touchiness out of getting lower gain sounds. I wasn't digging the clean sounds though, just not enough pop and didn't sound good with my tubescreamer kicked on. It was like the amp had just gotten sterilized. I then tried the 5751 and the au7 and this seems to be money to me. Slightly more gain, but still sounded as good. The clean channel got its lease on life back, and sounded great with a TS.

For a reference on the gain, with the AT7 and the AU7 when the gain knob was at 1 o clock on CH2 it would be about the same at having two 12ax7s and having the gain at 9 o clock. For the 5751 and the AU7 12 o clock was about equal to 9 o clock. With either the AT7 or the 5751 paired with a 12AX7 the difference was like going from 12 o clock to 11 o clock.

Just for note, to my ears using a 12AX7 in v1 and with eh 5751 or the AT7 in V2 had very little effect, if any at all.

For all the tests I used my Jimmie Vaughan strat with GFS overwound neovin pickups (great pups for 100 dollars) with a general guitar gadgets TS808 clone with a few minor mods. In the loop I have an MXR 10 band eq. I use a weber minimass attenuator with the treble to +6. The master on Ch1 is at about 11 o clock or near that usually, the master on CH2 is usually around 2 o clock. You have to adjust the master a bit when switching to lower gain tubes. My EQ is fairly flat on the clean channel, on CH2 I keep treble near 2 or 3 o clock, Mids at about noon and bass at 8 - 10 o clock. The MXR is cutting low bass freqs, slightly boosting some low mids and boosting treble. I'm using a 25 greenback from celestion.

Sorry for the wall, but I just felt like sharing what I've learned about my F-30 and how it responds to preamp tubes.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey everybody, what's going on? I just joined this forum pretty much to post in this thread.

<snip\>

Hi Kevin Saale,

Fantastic first post - thank you for all the excellent tips, and welcome to the brotherhood, great bunch here! Hope you have an excellent time here. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hi Brothers,

On the subject of tube swaps, I've recently retubed my F-50. I went for the standard gain F-series Cryogenic kit from Watford Valves (http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1839) for the front end, and Cryogenic versions of the TAD 6L6WGC-STR tubes (http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1519) that I've been using previously.

I've now used them for a number of gigs, and I'm loving them. They are slightly brighter than before, bringing a little more sparkle to the clean sounds. Distortion is also a little brighter, but it's not harsh at all. There's more envelope to the tones, and I would say that the amp sounds more Mark like in its lead tones (as you may remember, I tend to think of the F-series as sounding somewhere between a Recto and a Mark series in its dirty sounds).

The other major change in my rig, is that I've incorporated an Axess GRX4 to MIDI switch my OCD and Dynacomp pedals in and out of the chain. My rig continues to inspire, and my F-50 just brings a smile to my face every time I play. Isn't that the way it should be? :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Kevin Saale]

Hi Kevin Saale,

Fantastic first post - thank you for all the excellent tips, and welcome to the brotherhood, great bunch here! Hope you have an excellent time here. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Thanks for the kind words, seems to be a good bunch. Anyone have some recommendations for powertubes? I'm probably going JJ again, but opinion would be awesome.

[mynameistaken]

Thanks for the preamp tube info Kevin. I will probably go with JJs when I retube. Here is a link to a comparison test.

http://thetubestore.com/6l6costello.html

[LaidBack95]

hey kevin, you didnt by chance get here from my sig on the Ug forums did you?

[Kevin Saale]

It was from someones sig on the UG forum, probably yours.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Thanks for the kind words, seems to be a good bunch. Anyone have some recommendations for powertubes? I'm probably going JJ again, but opinion would be awesome.

Hi Kevin,

Do check out the T.A.D. range: in particular the 6L6WGC-STR BLACK PLATE: http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1314 - which is what I used to run. I now use the cryogenic version of this tube (http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1519). This tube has been getting critical acclaim everywhere - check out the reviews. I certainly think it sounds awesome. :thu:

Also check out the T.A.D. long bottle 6L6GC-S.T.R C: http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1315 - Tommi Inkila has been running these in his F-50. Furthermore Watford Valves claim that recently Mesa have been badging them as STR440s, :cool:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Kevin Saale]

I have an F-30, they run on EL84s, thanks anyways though.

[Joeytpg]

bros, it's been a while since I've posted here. I've been playing my Diezel mostly :cop: but tHe F-50 love is still here.

my last F-50 video, here it is:

1yQNjI1Sirk

[Dann'sTheMan]

I have an F-30, they run on EL84s, thanks anyways though.

Doh! :o :p

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

bros, it's been a while since I've posted here. I've been playing my Diezel mostly :cop: but tHe F-50 love is still here.

my last F-50 video, here it is:

1yQNjI1Sirk

Strat + F-50 is a thing of beauty - you've got some sweet tones going there my friend. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Joeytpg]

thanks andy! how's life treating ya my friend?

[bowen71]

Anybody know any good tricks to changing pre amp tubes on an F-50 head?

I just replaced all my tubes and had a real hard time with the pre amp tubes. The head is so small I can hardly get my hands in there and there is a big metal block in the way of the first 2 tubes. To change the first one (I think it would be V1) I had to loosen the reverb tank (which is no easy task with no room for even a stubby screw driver) then I was able to reach my hand up from below with the tank pushed aside. I thought I could take the front panel off under the knobs and get to them real easily from there but when I took that off there is another solid piece of wood there that is either glued or screwed from the inside of the cabinet. I also had to blindly plug the new tubes in since I couldn't see the sockets.

I did get the tubes all in with a lot of work but now the amp seems to be humming a little louder then it was on the dirty channels so I would like to do some switching around with them to find the quietest combination. Like the owners manual says I want the quietest ones in the first couple positions.

I am pretty happy with the sound of the new ones. I still had the stock ones in and the amp is about 5 years old so they were sounding spongy. I tried a set of the Ruby 6L6 tubes in the power section which tightened the amp up, then I installed a full set of Electro-Harmonix 12ax7 in the preamp which gave the amp more sparkle or brightness.

[NDRU]

Hi Kevin Saale,

Fantastic first post - thank you for all the excellent tips, and welcome to the brotherhood, great bunch here! Hope you have an excellent time here. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

Hey Dann...
Didn't you post that Robben Ford setting? It seems to be gone. Would you mind sharing if you can remember?

[Dann'sTheMan]

thanks andy! how's life treating ya my friend?

Hey Joey,

I see you've been travelling back and forth between Europe and the Caribbean? I've been all over the place recently - New York/Jersey in August, Amsterdam and Munich so far in September, and Paris and San Francisco in the coming weeks. I'm still gigging out regularly though, so I get to work hard and play hard - loving it. :)

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Anybody know any good tricks to changing pre amp tubes on an F-50 head?

I just replaced all my tubes and had a real hard time with the pre amp tubes. The head is so small I can hardly get my hands in there and there is a big metal block in the way of the first 2 tubes. To change the first one (I think it would be V1) I had to loosen the reverb tank (which is no easy task with no room for even a stubby screw driver) then I was able to reach my hand up from below with the tank pushed aside. I thought I could take the front panel off under the knobs and get to them real easily from there but when I took that off there is another solid piece of wood there that is either glued or screwed from the inside of the cabinet. I also had to blindly plug the new tubes in since I couldn't see the sockets.

I did get the tubes all in with a lot of work but now the amp seems to be humming a little louder then it was on the dirty channels so I would like to do some switching around with them to find the quietest combination. Like the owners manual says I want the quietest ones in the first couple positions.

I am pretty happy with the sound of the new ones. I still had the stock ones in and the amp is about 5 years old so they were sounding spongy. I tried a set of the Ruby 6L6 tubes in the power section which tightened the amp up, then I installed a full set of Electro-Harmonix 12ax7 in the preamp which gave the amp more sparkle or brightness.

Hi bowen71,

I believe the approach for the F-50 head is similar to the combo. Simply disconnect the wires attached to the head chassis: power, footswitch, speaker cables and reverb tank. Next, unscrew the four bolts that are on the top of the head to release the chassis - which should then fall down onto some cleats. Finally, gently push the chassis backwards (i.e. push the front control panel inwards) out of the head casing - sliding along the cleats, and you should now have easy access to all of the tubes. :thu:

Big smiles,

Andy.

[Dann'sTheMan]

Hey Dann...
Didn't you post that Robben Ford setting? It seems to be gone. Would you mind sharing if you can remember?

Hey NDRU,

This is the setting I used for the last Robben clip that I uploaded: :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2169/2875338582_bf6ef531d2_m.jpg

Big smiles,

Andy.

[NDRU]

thanks, Andy, I forgot about the compressor!

[mrelusive]

yo dudes,

just posted a new F-50 clip in another thread... Some Judas Priest epicness, check it out!

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2105722

[Joeytpg]

Nice one bro..... liked it a lot!

[Will Cyrier]

yo dudes,

just posted a new F-50 clip in another thread... Some Judas Priest epicness, check it out!

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2105722

Great tones! :thu:

[NDRU]

Today I did something that I had fairly given up on. I got a decent tone with Humbuckers through my OCD into my F-30.

For some reason it had always sounded fizzy and metal, totally unnatural, when it sounded crunchy on my fender deluxe reverb.

I was A/B-ing them today, and came up with these settings

OCD on 10:00 for all three dials (as I use on the Fender)

Clean Channel
Gain 12:00
Treble 9:30-10:00
Mid 12:00
Bass 1:00

Not really a setting I had ever used, but it worked, and sounded decent clean, as well. Until tomorrow, at least!

[wrathchild1]

Just bought a F-50,


Tomorrow I will be selling my VooDoo modded Marshall DSL100, my DSL 401, and my mesa rect0... and my marshall cabs.

Hands down the best amp Ive owned. :thu:

[wrathchild1]

Before I but the F-30


Would it be loud enough to play shows with? We have a loud, really loud drummer, also we play heavier rock.

I think I'll get the combo, since I have the F50 in a head, but I will it thru a 4x12 for shows....

I know this has been asked, but I cant find it in this thread.

[Will Cyrier]

Before I but the F-30


Would it be loud enough to play shows with? We have a loud, really loud drummer, also we play heavier rock.

I think I'll get the combo, since I have the F50 in a head, but I will it thru a 4x12 for shows....

I know this has been asked, but I cant find it in this thread.

I've used my F-30 for shows and haven't had to max it out yet. Our drummer is tastefully loud when he needs to be. I usually mic it for the FOH mix anyways. I guess it depends on how loud your drummer really is and how big of a room you're trying to fill.

Will

[NDRU]

Before I but the F-30


Would it be loud enough to play shows with? We have a loud, really loud drummer, also we play heavier rock.

I think I'll get the combo, since I have the F50 in a head, but I will it thru a 4x12 for shows....

I know this has been asked, but I cant find it in this thread.

yeah I've used my F-30 in all situations from one person crowds to 1000 people (mic'd through the PA). And never turned it up past halfway. That's not to say that it's as full sounding as a half stack, but it's loud enough.

[dtrax]

Before I but the F-30


Would it be loud enough to play shows with? We have a loud, really loud drummer, also we play heavier rock.

I think I'll get the combo, since I have the F50 in a head, but I will it thru a 4x12 for shows....

I know this has been asked, but I cant find it in this thread.

I haven't gigged with my F-30 but have jammed a bit with a drummer. I play hardcore/metal and have the gain up around 2-3 oclock, so there's plenty of preamp saturation going on. I've found that once I get the master up past, say 10-11 oclock, you're getting a lot of powertube saturation and it starts to get a bit 'farty'. Not cool for high gain metal stuff. That said, I haven't had to put the master past 9 oclock to be heard over a reasonably loud drummer. All this being said, I haven't played with a full band or used an extention cabinet so I can only imagine an F-30 running through a 4x12 cab will sound fuller in a live situation.

[Joeytpg]

well for the first time yesterday I played my F-50 combo through my Framus closed back 2x12 with V30s........ HOLY S...... it sounds WAY tighter and heavier...likedi t A LOT!

try it with a closed back and v30s

[hahavishnu]

i have a F100 and a 2x12 3/4 back boogie cab...if i decide to run the head on 60 watts what changes do i need to make on the amp and cab outputs.
thanks guys.john.

[dtrax]

What's up fellers... I'm working on a new song, and decided to post another clip showing off the F-30's heavy side. The clip isn't the whole song; just one riff w/ some variation on the drums. It was recorded direct, but this time using the FX send out (rather then the Record Out)into my mBox. For cab sim, I used an impulse of a Mesa 4x12 cab w/ V30's. Unforunately, I can't remember where I D/Led them, but they're pretty nice impulses and seem to really capture the tone of my F-30. Here where my settings:

Ibanez RG7321 w/ EVO7 pickup
CH2 Contour
Gain: 2:00
Treble: 3:00
Mid: 12:00
Bass: 9:00
Reverb: off
Master: 11:00 (just to control the volume going into the 'puter)

And who said the F series couldn't do metal (http://www.netmusicians.org/index.php?section=id&value=2240).....

[Joeytpg]

oh guys...........this belongs here!

my F-50 through my 2x12 cab (mannnnnn I LOVEEEE IT! it's tighter and just sounds better!)

the guitar is an Edwards explorer.

k7uiliMXn9Y

[hal9000]

What's up fellers... I'm working on a new song, and decided to post another clip showing off the F-30's heavy side. The clip isn't the whole song; just one riff w/ some variation on the drums. It was recorded direct, but this time using the FX send out (rather then the Record Out)into my mBox. For cab sim, I used an impulse of a Mesa 4x12 cab w/ V30's. Unforunately, I can't remember where I D/Led them, but they're pretty nice impulses and seem to really capture the tone of my F-30. Here where my settings:

Ibanez RG7321 w/ EVO7 pickup
CH2 Contour
Gain: 2:00
Treble: 3:00
Mid: 12:00
Bass: 9:00
Reverb: off
Master: 11:00 (just to control the volume going into the 'puter)

And who said the F series couldn't do metal (http://www.netmusicians.org/index.php?section=id&value=2240).....NICE! Man, that is some seriously slugdey tone you've got going on there. The cab must have been close-miced to get that amount of bass in the impulse. Perhaps for my taste I'd like a little more high end in the 5 kHz range, but I'm quite sure most posters around here would deny that is an F-30. :)

[Goldwing]

Hi guys.

Lately I've been wondering if the F-50 is lacking or not from a Presence knob. In other forums seems to provide to this EQ setting a lot of the 3d sound provided by an amp.

I know that I can put an EQ in the loop and boost some FREQ to fix this, but lately I'm trying to use my Loop in 50% with just my nova-delay, so the EQ in the loop it wouldn't work..

Why do you think??

cheers!!

[Sixtonoize]

Personally, I'd like to have a presence knob to be able to turn DOWN the presence. IMO, my F-100 can be overly bright a lot of the time, and I think that modding the amp to have a presence control would make it a LOT more versatile.

[mynameistaken]

Personally, I'd like to have a presence knob to be able to turn DOWN the presence. IMO, my F-100 can be overly bright a lot of the time, and I think that modding the amp to have a presence control would make it a LOT more versatile.

Have you tried a beam blocker? or blockers in your case.

[Goldwing]

Have you tried a beam blocker? or blockers in your case.

I have a beam blocker and works very good.

Other option is to change the speaker. I'm thinking in a weber Thames, I think the cleans will gain but I'm uncertain about the distorted channel..:confused:

[Kevin Saale]

Uber cheap, uber simple fix. Put a few layers of duct tape on the grill over the centers of the cones of the speakers. Like this:

http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/profile_mojo_data/5/0/1/9/501948/pics/_c421586_image_0.JPG

This is pretty much what those beam blockers do.

[fabien1959]

Hi everybody,

As you can see by my number of posts I'm all new to the board!
I have an eye (actually both well focused) on an F50 at a local store but I've not fully decided yet so I'll need some of your help.
I haven't read all of this massive thread yet, probably need a full week for that:freak:, so pardon me if I'm asking questions on already discussed issues.

I currently have a Mesa Nomad 45 1x12 combo which as you know is the direct ancester of the F-serie and I have been very happy with it for about 5 years now, but as you also probably know the 45 version is an EL84 powered amp.
Now although I really like the tone of my amp, every time I plug into a 6L6 amp I just tend to like it a bit more: the full warm round bass, chimey highs and fuller tone in general. Last week again a friend of mine received his new Ceriatone Overtone Special and once again here was I thinking how I miss this 6L6 tone.

When I bought my Nomad, I tried it next to an F50 and chose the Nomad actually for the 3 channel, 2 modes per channel versatility but the warmer F50 with 6L6 and larger cab (not unimportant) was on par and well at one moment you have to decide!:evil:
Nowadays I never use the Nomad's 3rd channel that I find too muddy, compressed to my taste and not cutting through. I like the clean very much but would like the fullness and chime of the 6L6 and I love the lead of the channel 2 with gain at about 1 o'clock (so not overdone) and would hate to compromise on that one.
So is there anybody knowing the Nomad serie and the F-serie that could comment on that subject?

One other point of concern for me is that the F-serie doesn't have an end-master or output volume that comes after the loop like most other Mesa have (except the Express) and I have a G-Major in the loop. What sort of problem do you guys encounter when you use the same configuration? I think mostly about the sensibility of the auto-wah as well as overloading the input of the G-Major. Can the output control of the G-Major then act as a usefull and convincing sort of master?

Sorry for the long post but I'm sure all the knowledge I need is to be found here so I tried to be precise.

Cheers,
Fabien

[mynameistaken]

Uber cheap, uber simple fix. Put a few layers of duct tape on the grill over the centers of the cones of the speakers. Like this:

http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/profile_mojo_data/5/0/1/9/501948/pics/_c421586_image_0.JPG

This is pretty much what those beam blockers do.

um... kevin...

I have done the tape trick and yes it does block the treble beam but the weber beam blockers also redirect the treble beam and disperses the sound better. suck it up and pay the 18 bucks and take the duct tape off the amp...:poke:

[wrathchild1]

oh guys...........this belongs here!

my F-50 through my 2x12 cab (mannnnnn I LOVEEEE IT! it's tighter and just sounds better!)

the guitar is an Edwards explorer.

k7uiliMXn9Y

sounds good!:thu:

[Kevin Saale]

um... kevin...

I have done the tape trick and yes it does block the treble beam but the weber beam blockers also redirect the treble beam and disperses the sound better. suck it up and pay the 18 bucks and take the duct tape off the amp...:poke:

Agreed, but I don't need to disperse the sound. To me, if you're needing to disperse the sound more, then an extension cab would be a much more effective tool.

[fabien1959]

You indeed don't need to disperse the sound but to disperse the highs the same way the lows naturally disperse: widespread, as opposed to very direct beaming of the highs. Your duct tape blocks some of the highs and send them back toward the speaker. A beam blocker has a spheric device that divert and spreads the highs around in the same way as the lows creating a balanced tone. Though the difference could be marginal there is one.
I concur that a beam blocker is a very valuable investment.

Beside, your duct tape solution, as simple ingenious and efficient as it is, is rather ugly on an otherwise very fancy looking amp if I may say :facepalm:. I really like this grill colour.

Cheers
Fabien

[NDRU]

Beside, your duct tape solution, as simple ingenious and efficient as it is, is rather ugly on an otherwise very fancy looking amp if I may say :facepalm:. I really like this grill colour.

Cheers
Fabien

you could at the very least put the tape on the inside of the grill!

[NDRU]

I'd like to see more low gain & clean settings that people are using.

Nothing against metal, but when I look for youtube videos on the F-30 everyone's shredding!

[moops]

hey finished customizing my f-50, thought Id post a pic , love this thing too!!


http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg70/moops155/DSCN0421.jpg

[Goldwing]

I'd like to see more low gain & clean settings that people are using.

Nothing against metal, but when I look for youtube videos on the F-30 everyone's shredding!

Well. I changed my settings recently in the clean channel of my F-50. Drive in little more than 10 and master at 1.

In that way the tubes that are working are the power tubes or at least a little more. THe sound is much more clean and not so dark (you could adjust the gain a little if you have a strat to give more body to the sound). It works very good with pedals.

I'll post some clips soon..

[twolfe278]

GOldwing,

I have a Danelectro Fish 'n Chips first in my loop, makes a HUUUUUGE difference on overall sound and the delay, chorus, etc in my loop. Only $30!! Makes a great prescence knob.

[twolfe278]

OK fellas,

I'm bummed out here. I've been practicing with my band for about 4 months without my 1x12 F-50, been using a cheapo Marshall 100w solid-state head and matching 4x12 cabinet that my friend keeps at our practice spot.

I brought the F-50 the other day to prepare for our first ever gig coming in 3 weeks, (yeah Im a bit nervous.)

Dilemma - that marshall stack made my boogie sound weak and ballless! Is it just the 4x12 cabinet? OR, does that amp just have that much more headroom? The F-50 is operating fine (tubes etc), could it maybe be voltage regulation? Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks!!

T-Wolfe :facepalm:

[AXEL276]

Uber ugly:poke:

Uber cheap, uber simple fix. Put a few layers of duct tape on the grill over the centers of the cones of the speakers. Like this:

http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/profile_mojo_data/5/0/1/9/501948/pics/_c421586_image_0.JPG

This is pretty much what those beam blockers do.

[AXEL276]

Hi everybody,
I currently have a Mesa Nomad 45 1x12 combo which as you know is the direct ancester of the F-serie and I have been very happy with it for about 5 years now, but as you also probably know the 45 version is an EL84 powered amp.

Cheers,
Fabien

Fabien,
Like you, I had a Nomad 45 (1 x 12) which I was pretty happy with for most of the 4 or 5 yrs I owned it. Something happened to the tone of that amp. Each time I retubbed instead of sounding better it got further away from the original tone I loved. Speculation, I don't think fixed bias is a good idea. It's ok if you buy tubes from Mesa and pay top dollar but if you buy on-line you have no way to be sure the tubes are biased for your amp. I can tell you bias makes a BIG difference in tone. I sold the Nomad and bought an F-50 (1 x 12). Like the Nomad, I was pretty happy until I retubbed. Again, the tone seemed to lack. Another thing, the F-50 is voiced to be played LOUD. You really need to turn this amp up. You will also read that it has a bit of the "ice pick" in the ear problem. I sold it. No regrets. I bought a 50 watt Marshall DSL and could not be happier:love::wave:

[bowen71]

OK fellas,

I'm bummed out here. I've been practicing with my band for about 4 months without my 1x12 F-50, been using a cheapo Marshall 100w solid-state head and matching 4x12 cabinet that my friend keeps at our practice spot.

I brought the F-50 the other day to prepare for our first ever gig coming in 3 weeks, (yeah Im a bit nervous.)

Dilemma - that marshall stack made my boogie sound weak and ballless! Is it just the 4x12 cabinet? OR, does that amp just have that much more headroom? The F-50 is operating fine (tubes etc), could it maybe be voltage regulation? Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks!!

T-Wolfe :facepalm:

Could be you are used to hearing the roar of a 4x12 cabinet and now you are hearing a 112 open back combo. I play through an F-50 head and Mesa straight 4x12 and it is anything but weak and ball less. How about plugging your F-50 into that 4x12 and see what it sounds like?

[fabien1959]

Fabien,
Like you, I had a Nomad 45 (1 x 12) which I was pretty happy with for most of the 4 or 5 yrs I owned it. Something happened to the tone of that amp. Each time I retubbed instead of sounding better it got further away from the original tone I loved. Speculation, I don't think fixed bias is a good idea. It's ok if you buy tubes from Mesa and pay top dollar but if you buy on-line you have no way to be sure the tubes are biased for your amp. I can tell you bias makes a BIG difference in tone. I sold the Nomad and bought an F-50 (1 x 12). Like the Nomad, I was pretty happy until I retubbed. Again, the tone seemed to lack. Another thing, the F-50 is voiced to be played LOUD. You really need to turn this amp up. You will also read that it has a bit of the "ice pick" in the ear problem. I sold it. No regrets. I bought a 50 watt Marshall DSL and could not be happier:love::wave:

Hi Axel, thanks for your reply.
I've never had that problem of yours with tone after retube. I used GT tubes to start with then JJs and it always sounded good. But biasing the amp could be a good idea anyway.

I actually still like the Nomad very much. Though I experimented with various speakers, the MC90 is now back in the combo and I have an external 1x12" cab with an Eminence RWB in it, very balanced tone like that.
I'm just GASsing for that 6L6 tone.:rolleyes:

The amp I was interested in was only a ghost (actually a leftover) on the shop's website as I learned today when I called to check that the amp was still available before showing up there damn! :mad: Good that I called up ahead!
Same thing happened with another local shop I had found with Google. But a third one also not too far away does finally have one on the floor so first thing tomorrow morning, I'm heading there to try it. Good thing is that they have an Express 5:50 as well so I could compare.

As far as I can remember I did like the tone of the F50 very much the first time but bought the Nomad for the versatility of the 3 channels and 3 modes but actually only uses the channel 1 on clean mode and the channel 2 on vintage mode for lead with a Fulldrive 2 upfront for low gain.
Well since the proof is in the pudding, we'll see tomorrow. I might come back home with a new amp, quite an exciting perspective actually...:cool:

Cheers
Fabien

[Joeytpg]

guys......... recently I've been a bit sad........my ears are starting to "not like" the F-50 that much....... it's a bit bright sounding and lacks "low end tightness"


How can I improve this so that I don't have to part with it.? A boost pedal? how can I boost my F-50 ?

[Sixtonoize]

An EQ in the loop. The F-series doesn't really boost well because the tone stack is pre-gain, so it acts as a boost itself.

To tighten up the low end, cut the bass out of the tone stack and boost it in the FX loop.

[Joeytpg]

mind sharing a few good EQ settings for me to try?

I'm basically a TIGHT low end type of guy.....F-50 is NOT a tight amp, BUT I love it's growl......so I guess with an EQ I can get some nice/tight low end and cut some higher freq. too.

[Joeytpg]

hey finished customizing my f-50, thought Id post a pic , love this thing too!!


http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg70/moops155/DSCN0421.jpg


DUUUDE, THAT'S KILLER!! I want those knobs!! are those regular recto knobs? where did you ordered them? I'll definitely do this to my F-50

[moops]

DUUUDE, THAT'S KILLER!! I want those knobs!! are those regular recto knobs? where did you ordered them? I'll definitely do this to my F-50

yo thanks ! yep standard recto knobs, make sure you have the spacers on the back of your stock knobs they are like little plastic washers and you need them to space the knob out from the amp cost me like 75 bucks but worth it if you ask me. ordered from mesa

[moops]

did this too and worth it
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=29376

[Joeytpg]

yo thanks ! yep standard recto knobs, make sure you have the spacers on the back of your stock knobs they are like little plastic washers and you need them to space the knob out from the amp cost me like 75 bucks but worth it if you ask me.

hell yeah it's worth it......the amp looks 1,305 times better! to me the look of the amp is also important....makes me want to play it! :cop:


by the way......post more pics of it please.


mind showing me where you got the knobs from? (know a place in Europe?)

About the Spacers.......should I buy those separately or those are already in my F-50 with the factory knobs?

[moops]

I got the knobs from mesa just call customer service and the spacers should be on your stock knobs just check before you order so you make sure.
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg70/moops155/DSCN0420.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg70/moops155/DSCN0423.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg70/moops155/DSCN0419.jpg

[Joeytpg]

by the way moops, mind giving me a VIP code ? I want to register in the boogie boards but I don't know where to find a VIP code

[moops]

its bb12vip have fun!

[diaz]

Beating a dead horse, but how would you describe the gain as in Mark or Recto?

Thanks

-D

[Joeytpg]

it's definitely in between.

Marks are tighter and Dryer, rectos are angrier, but the F's are "tighter" and more in your face that the rectos, but less "huge". As Tommi Inkila said once in a post around here........ "the Fs are the "work-right-away" amps...you don't have to tweak them much and they do what they do EASILY.

[twolfe278]

I hooked it up to the marshall cab, but it just doesn't match up. Just zaps that sweet full tone away. Guess I'll drive this weekend up to the Mesa shop and plug in to a 4x12 mesa cab. I just hate to spend that money...thanks for the reply bowen. Dang cheap Marshall... :cop:

[rummy]

Here's my boogie!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l118/rummy78/Guitars/mesarig.jpg

[Joeytpg]

Here's my boogie!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l118/rummy78/Guitars/mesarig.jpg

sweet rummy!

that's an Avatar cab right? (V30s?)

by the way, what type of music do you play? I see a 335 and a Strat...... NICE! :love: I just threw an EQ in the loop of my F-50 and I must say it's a keeper for metal......but in my heart I feel the F-50 is a pop/blues/jazz/rock/hard rock amp...... that cleannnn channel man!!! :love:

[Goldwing]

GOldwing,

I have a Danelectro Fish 'n Chips first in my loop, makes a HUUUUUGE difference on overall sound and the delay, chorus, etc in my loop. Only $30!! Makes a great prescence knob.

Thnks!! but I'm trying not to use the loop at 90%. I think that the EQ wouldn't work at 30%.

:wave:

[NDRU]

mind sharing a few good EQ settings for me to try?

I'm basically a TIGHT low end type of guy.....F-50 is NOT a tight amp, BUT I love it's growl......so I guess with an EQ I can get some nice/tight low end and cut some higher freq. too.

On the clean or dirty channel?

[Joeytpg]

dirty

[mynameistaken]

looks good moops:thu:

[fabien1959]

...But a third store also not too far away does finally have one on the floor so first thing tomorrow morning, I'm heading there to try it. Good thing is that they have an Express 5:50 as well so I could compare.
Well since the proof is in the pudding, we'll see tomorrow. I might come back home with a new amp, quite an exciting perspective actually...:cool:

So I did try the pudding and I liked it so much that I bought it. The F50 seems to be quite what I was looking for. Played it in the store for about an hour and I'm impressed.
Briefly tried the Express 5:50 to compare: two very different animals! The Express sounded to me as a very nice Fender with much more gain and a good singing lead tone, but quite tame, a sort of good boy. The F50 is ... well... a Boogie with the typical bark, in your face tone, a sort of bad boy! And what a dynamic on the clean channel! My nomad seems bland in comparison.

And Holly Pumpkin is that beast loud on channel two!!! Or at least it seems. It might be as with the Nomad, most volume difference in the first half of the pot then it's already full. We'll see.
Tomorrow is band rehearshal so another pudding to proof.

Cheers
Fabien

[rummy]

sweet rummy!

that's an Avatar cab right? (V30s?)

by the way, what type of music do you play? I see a 335 and a Strat...... NICE! :love: I just threw an EQ in the loop of my F-50 and I must say it's a keeper for metal......but in my heart I feel the F-50 is a pop/blues/jazz/rock/hard rock amp...... that cleannnn channel man!!! :love:

Yes, sir it's an avatar. :thu: I have the V30 and the G12 mix in there. I play rock & pop, and mostly stay on the clean channel, often with a tube screamer.
I do enjoy playing metal when I'm not with the band, and the amp does metal so well. I heard people putting an EQ in the loop for presense control, and whatnot... Definitely want to try it.

[dtrax]

mind sharing a few good EQ settings for me to try?

I'm basically a TIGHT low end type of guy.....F-50 is NOT a tight amp, BUT I love it's growl......so I guess with an EQ I can get some nice/tight low end and cut some higher freq. too.

For a high gain metal tone as long as I keep the bass at or below 9:00 on CH2+Contour the low end is quite tight. Bare in mind I play an F-30 combo, so YMMV. No boost either.

[Joeytpg]

guys..... would it be a sin to exchange an F-50 combo for an F-30

I've read some REALLY nice things on the F-30 (awesome cleans and the OD channel is better and tighter than the F-50s) what do you say? should I do it????

[NDRU]

guys..... would it be a sin to exchange an F-50 combo for an F-30

I've read some REALLY nice things on the F-30 (awesome cleans and the OD channel is better and tighter than the F-50s) what do you say? should I do it????

I think "better & tighter" is a matter of opinion. I have an F-30 and have thought about the F-50, but there's so much tweaking to be done, I say give it a while. Some folks have suggested there's not that much difference between them, either. Try an F-50 and see if it really is different. Maybe you should try other amps out while you're at it.

All I know is the F-30 isn't just a plug & play device, it takes a while to get to know it and I guess the same is true of an F-50. My fender deluxe reverb is a plug & play amp, but it has no dirty channel, so there's less to worry about. The F-30 is a knob twiddler.

There's one good reason to get an F-30, though, it's lighter!

[NDRU]

Hey NDRU,

This is the setting I used for the last Robben clip that I uploaded: :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2169/2875338582_bf6ef531d2_m.jpg

Big smiles,

Andy.

I was messing with this tonight. I was definitely able to get a little Help The Poor out of it. But I found with the right technique, radically different settings also sounded a little Robben. Could it be that the fingers play a part, too? :lol: :facepalm: Still I haven't found quite the right setting for my liking. I have just tweaked the damn thing so much lately, I feel like I have OCD.

But I could see what you were getting at with the mid setting. That definitely hinted at Robben, and I didn't have a compressor to complete the attempt

[Will Cyrier]

guys..... would it be a sin to exchange an F-50 combo for an F-30

I've read some REALLY nice things on the F-30 (awesome cleans and the OD channel is better and tighter than the F-50s) what do you say? should I do it????

Have you thought about trying a set of THD Yellow Jackets in that F-50? What do the rest of you say?

Will

[Joeytpg]

Guys, F-50 clip....

a song of mine, don't mind the playing much is a VERY ROUGH demo of one of my song (my album project)

F-50/John Mayer Strat no pedals.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6977153

[Will Cyrier]

Guys, F-50 clip....

a song of mine, don't mind the playing much is a VERY ROUGH demo of one of my song (my album project)

F-50/John Mayer Strat no pedals.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6977153

Nice tone Joey. :thu:

[Joeytpg]

thank you will!

I forgot to mention, the song's not complete, it's just a little bit of it to show the feel of the song + tone (F-50 rocks!)

[mynameistaken]

Here is an updated pic of my bastardized combo:p The rattles are gone! (and yes it is 100% reversible)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/2948632700_c788575dde_o.jpg

[Joeytpg]

hmm interesting! by the way... do you have a pics on the whole process? I'd love to turn my combo into a head.....

[fabien1959]

A question for Hal9000 and/or Dan's the Man: what are your level settings in the G-Major (input and output, knobs as well as globals) for the best atenuation. I'm still fiddling with that.

Cheers
Fabien

[hal9000]

A question for Hal9000 and/or Dan's the Man: what are your level settings in the G-Major (input and output, knobs as well as globals) for the best atenuation. I'm still fiddling with that.

Cheers
FabienFabien,
I run my G-Major at professional levels with the input knob at 12:00. The Output I have set for 8 dB, also set at 12:00. When I was gigging, I set the output level to 20 dB IIRC.

[fabien1959]

Fabien,
I run my G-Major at professional levels with the input knob at 12:00. The Output I have set for 8 dB, also set at 12:00. When I was gigging, I set the output level to 20 dB IIRC.

Thanks for your reply Hal. Do I read you correctly: both knobs are at 12:00 and the global output level ('Global outlv' under the levels button) is set to -8dB, right (that is 8dB attenuation)?
Do you use then the output knob of the G-major to fine tune your master or do you set the Global outlv? What are your masters settings on both F50 channels?

[hal9000]

Thanks for your reply Hal. Do I read you correctly: both knobs are at 12:00 and the global output level ('Global outlv' under the levels button) is set to -8dB, right (that is 8dB attenuation)?
Do you use then the output knob of the G-major to fine tune your master or do you set the Global outlv? What are your masters settings on both F50 channels?Fabien, I use my midi floor board to control the Global out level so it will sweep from 0-100%. The 8 dBu signal I'm talking about is the "Output Range" under the I/O menu (G-Major manual page 15). The Output Range level sets the maximum voltage the G-Major will produce into the FX Return of your amplifier. Everything else is relative to this level, e.g. global out level is a percentage of 8 dBu.

My F-100 masters are CH1 @ 11:00, CH2 @ 10:00, and that's using my Strat set for a clean tone (Gain @ 12:00) and CH2 set for a heavy sound (Gain @ 12:00) with my Fernandes Ravelle. The channels match well at those settings, then I change my entire volume with the G-Major's output knob which is normally centered at 12:00.

[fabien1959]

Fabien, I use my midi floor board to control the Global out level so it will sweep from 0-100%. The 8 dBu signal I'm talking about is the "Output Range" under the I/O menu (G-Major manual page 15). The Output Range level sets the maximum voltage the G-Major will produce into the FX Return of your amplifier. Everything else is relative to this level, e.g. global out level is a percentage of 8 dBu.

My F-100 masters are CH1 @ 11:00, CH2 @ 10:00, and that's using my Strat set for a clean tone (Gain @ 12:00) and CH2 set for a heavy sound (Gain @ 12:00) with my Fernandes Ravelle. The channels match well at those settings, then I change my entire volume with the G-Major's output knob which is normally centered at 12:00.

Now I get it. I'll try it to see if it works better than tweaking the output level.
My master settings are a bit higher (12:00 and 10:30) but they give the optimal input signal level in the G-major.
I think I'm still gonna build an external volume box to have a real sort of master output control.

Thanks for the tips
Cheers
Fabien

[Ben.s]

I seem to be the only guy who owns a F-100 head! Does anybody else?

Btw.... love it :P


Oh and joey... i didn't recognise you there... your youtube videos convinced me to buy the F-seires, thanks!!!

[finboy]

anyone know a nice dirt setting that will get close to this?

pZy19QzqUKk

[twolfe278]

I'm going gray, hairs falling out. Devastation!!

I cannot get my F-50 to sound better than this solid state 1/2 stack Marshall! I have a combo F-50 and bought a Mesa 4x12 at GC (30 day return) yesterday to have a knock down, drag out duel. My bandmate keeps laughing at me cause the Marshall is still killing my boogie in tone and volume. :facepalm:

Question is: Would that 100w solid state really have that much more headroom than a 50 watt tube Mesa? The attack and dynamics are incredible on this Marshall.

My thoughts: using a early Korean Epi LP --> Mesa make it sound like junk? or

the 50 tube watts just aren't enough to keep up?

Any input would be much, much, greatly, incredibly appreciated. I've loved this amp for 2 years and I'm afraid it's about time for remarriage to a cheap British gal...:cry:

[hal9000]

anyone know a nice dirt setting that will get close to this?

pZy19QzqUKkThere are two methods IMO to get that sound. 1) CH1, gain at max, treble and mids 12-3:00, bass around 9 using a humbucker. 2) CH2 no contour, gain at 8:30, master up around 10:00, treble 9, mids 3, bass 9, using a humbucker. You may also get away with a P90 or Single coil as well, but the gain will have to be adjusted accordingly.

CH1 with gain up will be looser and more vintage sounding with more control over the EQ. CH2 will sound more modern with less control of EQ.

[hal9000]

I'm going gray, hairs falling out. Devastation!!

I cannot get my F-50 to sound better than this solid state 1/2 stack Marshall! I have a combo F-50 and bought a Mesa 4x12 at GC (30 day return) yesterday to have a knock down, drag out duel. My bandmate keeps laughing at me cause the Marshall is still killing my boogie in tone and volume. :facepalm:

Question is: Would that 100w solid state really have that much more headroom than a 50 watt tube Mesa? The attack and dynamics are incredible on this Marshall.

My thoughts: using a early Korean Epi LP --> Mesa make it sound like junk? or

the 50 tube watts just aren't enough to keep up?

Any input would be much, much, greatly, incredibly appreciated. I've loved this amp for 2 years and I'm afraid it's about time for remarriage to a cheap British gal...:cry:When is the last time you changed your pre/power tubes?

[Ben.s]

hi, im new to HC, and only just found this thread...
But last night i plugged my friends strat through my F100 and was amazed at the clean! Id never really noticed the clean sound before because my (metal) guitar has EMG's :S.... but now im addicted to it, shame the halfstack is at the bands studio and i get to play it only once a week *cries*.
I managed to achieve the clean sound on peral jam's Yellow Ledbetter which id always wanted to, and with a les paul, i got a beautifully warm and rich clean tone.
So with the right guitar, this amps cleans really are amazing...

Ben.s

[hal9000]

hi, im new to HC, and only just found this thread...
But last night i plugged my friends strat through my F100 and was amazed at the clean! Id never really noticed the clean sound before because my (metal) guitar has EMG's :S.... but now im addicted to it, shame the halfstack is at the bands studio and i get to play it only once a week *cries*.
I managed to achieve the clean sound on peral jam's Yellow Ledbetter which id always wanted to, and with a les paul, i got a beautifully warm and rich clean tone.
So with the right guitar, this amps cleans really are amazing...

Ben.sWelcome to the F-series Brotherhood and the forum Ben! :) Tell us more about the music you play and the rest of your gear if you please.

I agree that the F-series has sweet cleans. :thu:

[Joeytpg]

I seem to be the only guy who owns a F-100 head! Does anybody else?

Btw.... love it :P


Oh and joey... i didn't recognise you there... your youtube videos convinced me to buy the F-seires, thanks!!!

hey man! thanks, it's great to have you in the family! start posting clips and videos ASAP! :lol:

[Ben.s]

Ill try to get some clips as soon as all the new studio gear is up and running. (should be getting some real nice results soon :))
But in answer to your question, i play metal with my band Esotor, its kinda metallica guitar playing with some more modern stuff thrown in. But in my own time i also love just to jam along playing blues and old rock'n'roll stuff on guitar, as well as experiment with some clean stuff.
I play my f-100 head through a marshall 1960a cab (with the G75T's).
I use my washburn x50 and ibanez RG350 too, and use a BOSS DS-1 to tighten up my sound a little bit.
I am currently looking for a strat for my self at the moment actully (not for metal :P).
As i said, ill get some clips!

[jdkornel]

4x12 for an F100.

I have ben playing and gigging with my F100 head and 3/4 back 212 for about 5 years now and still LOVE this amp! But I am thinking of picking up a 412 for the head to use on bigger stages.

Any sugestions? Should I stick with a Mesa or look at something in the used market (Marshall 1960A, Peavey 5150, other) Anyone running their F series head through a non mesa cab? Any sugestions?

thanks guys.

[Ben.s]

^ I run my F-100 (wehey another F-100'er! :P) through a Marshall 1960a and i think it sounds great. I've heard the f-100 through a mesa 2x12 also, and i actually preferred the sound of the Marshall, just a bit more... epic sounding XD.
The best way is to really try the head through as many cabs as you can, ie speakers and combinations, open/closed back, 412 or 212, types of wood. Difficult i know, especially as the F100 is pretty damn heavy to take to a shop!
Good luck and enjoy ;-)

[jdkornel]

NOISE !!! ARRRGHHH.

driving me crazy! I recently put my DL-4 in the loop of my Boogie F-100 head and the noise on the lead channel is crazy. With the pedal off and not playing there is a steady buzz that is crazy loud. Sure when I am playing it is not noticable, and I can switch to the clean channel between songs to keep it clean on stage. But is there a fix?

Will a noise gate pedal of some sort work? If so what should I try, and where does it go in the chain.

Here is my loop

send--Boss TR-2 Tremelo--DL4 Delay--Boss EQ7 (solo boost)--return.

THANKS.

Oh and I have a gig this Saturday...so please give me some answers soon!!!
J

[Joeytpg]

dude, 95% of the problems in amps are tube related. I'm pretty sure you have some bad tubes...... I'd re-tube the whole amp

[jdkornel]

dude, 95% of the problems in amps are tube related. I'm pretty sure you have some bad tubes...... I'd re-tube the whole amp


were you replying to my noise question? if so I can tell you that with out the DL-4 in the loop there is NO noise at all. Oh and I did a full 100% re-tube in July and have only had one gig since then so the tubes are good.

DL-4's are know for being noisy from what I have read online...so it is just a matter of figuring out how to deal with that noise.

[mynameistaken]

NOISE !!! ARRRGHHH.

driving me crazy! I recently put my DL-4 in the loop of my Boogie F-100 head and the noise on the lead channel is crazy. With the pedal off and not playing there is a steady buzz that is crazy loud.
J

Are you using a line 6 power supply? I had a EHX SMMH that would buzz like crazy unless I used the original power supply.

BTW I use a MXR carbon copy now and it sounds awesome with the F-series. and dead quiet with a one spot.

[Will Cyrier]

I have a DL-4 and don't have noise issues.

Check your cables and make sure they're all quality, shielded instrument cables and as short as possible.

Check your power supply, and where you have it placed in relation to your cables. Keep it as far away from your preamp signal chain as possible. If that doesn't do the trick, try batteries for the short term.

Don't use a 1-spot, mine was noisy with my TS-9. If you can, get a regulated power supply source like a Voodoo Labs PP2+ or a BBE SupaCharger (I just did and the noise from my TS-9/1-spot combo is gone).

If these don't work, maybe the unit is defective or has poor shielding and is time to repair/replace...

Good luck. Let us know what works for you! :thu:

Will



NOISE !!! ARRRGHHH.

driving me crazy! I recently put my DL-4 in the loop of my Boogie F-100 head and the noise on the lead channel is crazy. With the pedal off and not playing there is a steady buzz that is crazy loud. Sure when I am playing it is not noticable, and I can switch to the clean channel between songs to keep it clean on stage. But is there a fix?

Will a noise gate pedal of some sort work? If so what should I try, and where does it go in the chain.

Here is my loop

send--Boss TR-2 Tremelo--DL4 Delay--Boss EQ7 (solo boost)--return.

THANKS.

Oh and I have a gig this Saturday...so please give me some answers soon!!!
J

[jdkornel]

Thanks for the help. I do use the Line 6 power supply. So right now I have the line 6 powere supply and a Boss PS120 plugged into one extension cord and running to the wall...should those be seperated better maybe?

Oh and I do have a couple of crappy little patch cords in there, the cheep colored ones. Maybe I will switch those out and see if it helps.

[Will Cyrier]

You should be fine with the power supplies, but I would definitely try different patch cables. Like I said above, as short as possible and of quality craftsmanship (Live Wire, Monster, George L., etc.), and keep your power supplies away from your signal cables and stomps.

Will

[millerd]

Has anyone replaced their reverb tank in the F-50? The 9 series tank in there now just doesn't cut it at higher reverb levels.....

[MrVisual]

4x12 for an F100.

I have ben playing and gigging with my F100 head and 3/4 back 212 for about 5 years now and still LOVE this amp! But I am thinking of picking up a 412 for the head to use on bigger stages.

Any sugestions? Should I stick with a Mesa or look at something in the used market (Marshall 1960A, Peavey 5150, other) Anyone running their F series head through a non mesa cab? Any sugestions?

thanks guys.

Mesa Stiletto 4x12. THE perfect choice for F series amps. I haven't found a better one for it :thu:

[jdkornel]

You should be fine with the power supplies, but I would definitely try different patch cables. Like I said above, as short as possible and of quality craftsmanship (Live Wire, Monster, George L., etc.), and keep your power supplies away from your signal cables and stomps.

Will

Seemed to help at the gig Saturday. I replaced my patch cords with decent ones, and pulled my power supplies and the transformer as far from the board as they would reach (used to be right on the board). Anyway I had much less hum for sure.

THANKS for the help !!!

[Will Cyrier]

Seemed to help at the gig Saturday. I replaced my patch cords with decent ones, and pulled my power supplies and the transformer as far from the board as they would reach (used to be right on the board). Anyway I had much less hum for sure.

THANKS for the help !!!

Great! Thanks for the update!

[mudbuddy11]

I blew my F50 speaker today. I was hitting the clean channel HARD, I was driving it with a chupakabra od pedal(rat clone), and all of a sudden.... nothing. I tested my fuse.. its good.. thats bad, i started to get a sinking feeling I really screwed up my amp... test the speaker.. nothing... nothing at all.

What do you guys recommend for a replacement? I'm kinda thinking of trying another vintage 30. I like the looks of a Warehouse Veteran 30. any ideas? are vintage 30's fragile? Is it wierd I blew it? I was hitting it pretty hard.

also gonna retube this thing at the same time. What tubes would you guys spend the money on? preamp tubes seem to effect the overall tone the most right? is it v1 or v2 that comes first?

[mountfords]

I'm going gray, hairs falling out. Devastation!!

I cannot get my F-50 to sound better than this solid state 1/2 stack Marshall! I have a combo F-50 and bought a Mesa 4x12 at GC (30 day return) yesterday to have a knock down, drag out duel. My bandmate keeps laughing at me cause the Marshall is still killing my boogie in tone and volume. :facepalm:

Question is: Would that 100w solid state really have that much more headroom than a 50 watt tube Mesa? The attack and dynamics are incredible on this Marshall.

My thoughts: using a early Korean Epi LP --> Mesa make it sound like junk? or

the 50 tube watts just aren't enough to keep up?

Any input would be much, much, greatly, incredibly appreciated. I've loved this amp for 2 years and I'm afraid it's about time for remarriage to a cheap British gal...:cry:

Wow, that sounds strange - something wrong there!

I play an F50 1x12 regularly with a 6 piece band and always have to watch the volume. Most of the time I'm not taking it passed about 2 or 3 (if there were numbers!) on the master volume and it is LOUD! Last gig we did I had the volume down at what would be 1.

My F50 comes to rehearsals and is infinitely better in loudness and quality than the marshall POS' that they have around.

Get someone to check it out...

[LaidBack95]

twolfe, what are your EQ settings? I am assuming the Marshall in question here is an MG, and for no reason should it be sounding "better". Don't forget, tone is subjective, what sounds good to this other guitarist isn't necessarily the right sound for you.

Keep faith in your Mesa man lol

[Mr Pricky]

Firstly hello every one, Im new here and this is my first post!

I am sure in the hundreds of pages that have been posted people must have discussed tube combinations, but forgive me as i dont have the time to scan them all looking for the info. I wanted peoples opinions about tube combinations for the F-50, pirticularly powertubes.

[mudbuddy11]

Welcome Mr. Pricky,
welcome to the brotherhood.

lately I've seen Dann'sTheMan post some good recommendations here http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=885856&highlight=tubes&page=317... and I've heard JJ powertubes are reviewed well.

[mudbuddy11]

I'm feeling a little confused. I thought the black shadow was just a mesa branded vintage 30, but I must be wrong.

[millerd]

Has anyone replaced their reverb tank or speakers? I have a f-50 combo and the reverb, as we all know is pretty intense.

[fabien1959]

I'm feeling a little confused. I thought the black shadow was just a mesa branded vintage 30, but I must be wrong.

Black Shadows can be different models. Currently it's mostly MC90 (look for the model name on the right side of the speaker's label) wich is made by Celestion and is supposed to be based on a Classic Lead. The CL I have is somewhat brighter and less fat than MC90s.

Mesa uses V30s too and most of them are Celestion labeled V30s but there seem to be some Black Shadow Vintage that are I believe just relabeled V30s

In the past Mesa also used Black Shadow 150W that were made by Eminence.

For my part, after trying V30s, G12H30, Classic Lead, Emi Texas Heat and Emi RWB, both in a Nomad 45 and currently my F50, the MC90 is back in there to stay along with an extra 1x12 closed back also loaded with an MC90.

Even a pair of G15-65 though great speakers didn't convince me, it didn't sound like a Mesa anymore.

Cheers
Fabien

[Raxef]

Hey! I'm considering getting an F-50 soon, due to the bang-for-your-buck kind of thing. I play Alternative, Punk, Pop/Punk, and Indie music. What settings could you prescribe for me? Thanks! Oh. And my other two choices of amp, in case you were wondering, were a Traynor YCS50 and a Traynor YCV50 Blue.

[Will Cyrier]

Hey! I'm considering getting an F-50 soon, due to the bang-for-your-buck kind of thing. I play Alternative, Punk, Pop/Punk, and Indie music. What settings could you prescribe for me? Thanks! Oh. And my other two choices of amp, in case you were wondering, were a Traynor YCS50 and a Traynor YCV50 Blue.

I really think it's relative to what sound you desire! I've been able to play alt., pop/punk, blues, and classic rock out of my F-30---they are very versatile amps! I think you'd be happy with an F-series.

[mudbuddy11]

Thanks fabian. That helps alot. I was thinking of getting a Warehouse Veteran 30 or the Retro 30 speaker, because its about half the price. I'm pretty sure my black shadow says vintage, but I'll have to look again. Whether it really was an MC90 or not, I'll be getting one eventually to try in there. It sounds like its a great speaker.

[mikeyen]

dude, 95% of the problems in amps are tube related. I'm pretty sure you have some bad tubes...... I'd re-tube the whole amp

Ditto. Had my F-30 serviced shortly after I got it used, and turns out the tubes were bad. The difference is night and day.

Mike

[ESPImperium]

Theres a shop near me selling a F30, the last one theyll get new, should i get it??? Or get a newer Express 5:25 combo???

[fabien1959]

Hi,

Last saturday my band recorded a demo in a studio so I thought I'd share it with some F50 minded freaks.

Lune Fauve on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/lunefauve)

All 4 tunes are F50 1x12 combo (MC90) -> SM57 -> console. Solos are F50 ch2 (no contour, never use it). Crunch tone in Panda's Dream is Fulldrive 2 Mosfet in ch1. Chorus, delay and reverb were added when mixing. There's a bit of CryBaby comping in The Chicken.

The Chicken and Panda's dream are played with a Suhr ProSerie1.
James and Little Shoes are with a custom made axe by a Dutch luthier, solid body cedar with maple carved top, set neck, HSH, my main axe.

No more than 2 takes per tune, all live recorded, no overdub except for one horn riff. The Chicken is even the first take of the session.

We're quite satisfied with the result even if some clams are still in there (forgot to correct) and the reverb is a bit overdone on the horns. I wish we had had 4 more hours (session was 13 hours)
Keep in mind it's an amateur band and the horn section had never even been in a studio.

Enjoy! (I hope)

Cheers
Fabien

[gregv]

Hey guys,

Just looking for a little help with setting my MXR 10 band eq. I have been fumbling around with it to get some different tones. Wondering if any one has some settings they like for rock/metal?? Thanks!

[Ben.s]

Hi,

Last saturday my band recorded a demo in a studio so I thought I'd share it with some F50 minded freaks.

Lune Fauve on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/lunefauve)

All 4 tunes are F50 1x12 combo (MC90) -> SM57 -> console. Solos are F50 ch2 (no contour, never use it). Crunch tone in Panda's Dream is Fulldrive 2 Mosfet in ch1. Chorus, delay and reverb were added when mixing. There's a bit of CryBaby comping in The Chicken.

The Chicken and Panda's dream are played with a Suhr ProSerie1.
James and Little Shoes are with a custom made axe by a Dutch luthier, solid body cedar with maple carved top, set neck, HSH, my main axe.

No more than 2 takes per tune, all live recorded, no overdub except for one horn riff. The Chicken is even the first take of the session.

We're quite satisfied with the result even if some clams are still in there (forgot to correct) and the reverb is a bit overdone on the horns. I wish we had had 4 more hours (session was 13 hours)
Keep in mind it's an amateur band and the horn section had never even been in a studio.

Enjoy! (I hope)

Cheers
Fabien

Sounds cool! I like the clean sound you got, especially for such a short amount of time you had. The clean on 'little shoes' is a little dry for my liking, i think a different reverb would help, and it sounded like some more mids & hi-mids were in order for a bit more presence and sparkle, but that's just me.

The lead is nice, although if it were me id get a bit more low-end bite in just to stop it washing around with the chords behind it. But nevertheless, nice, just the right amount of gain and verb. Perhaps try some slow-decay/tempo delay too, usually helps leads sing a bit more :thu:

Hope this has given some ideas, cheers for posting!

Ben

[mudbuddy11]

I personally use a scooped v shape for everything. I have my treble and bass all the way up to +6db and the mid cut to -6db. Its a straightline v... and the volume and gain are just slightly under unity to compensate for the +6db on the ends. Sometimes I go more severe and bring the ends up to +12... but give it a try and see what you think. The only other thing I could suggest is looping a couple phrases, and messing with each slider until you get what you like.

[mudbuddy11]

fabian, it sounds like you guys know what your doing. You can always go back and tweek and tweak on the knobs till your crazy, but what you have there sounds really good. How much volume do you use on the f50 when you record. It sounds great... the cleans on little shoes are nice, and the solos sound good. You got the mix down pretty well. The fulldrive on panda sounds good too.

[fabien1959]

Guys, thanks for the good words!

@Ben: the clean on little shoes is both humbuckers, I actually like this tone, very clear but like you I'd have liked a different reverb. I actually would have liked to try some detune and delay, what Mike Stern uses but in lack of time I went for the same chorus and reverb as in James. And yes for more sparkle, better next time.
Lead tone would have needed more attention before recording. The engineer and I used the moving mike technique to find a good tone on the chicken and never changed after. We both found the lead tone a bit tubey and he EQed it some on the takes to fatten it. But at least it sings very nicely and it was inspiring while playing. Again better next time.
Good tips anyway, thanks
I did learn a LOT during those hours.

@mudbuddy11: I've tried the V shape EQ though not at the session but it doesn't work for me, never use the contour either.
Looping some phrases and tweaking is actually what we did but lack of time was an issue.
Volume wise I had the clean master at about 11:00, lead at 10:00 and the special cable in the loop with the loop mix at 11:00 (so more than half) and I just realized the speaker was still on the 4ohm :confused: (I use an external cab at home and in the heat of the battle I forgot to replug :mad:) so all in all it was not madly loud, certainly less than at rehearsal, but still loud enough to have a good tone.
Yes the Fulldrive is awesome. The lick at the end of each form in the Chicken, I play it with the horns and just kick in the Fulldrive for it, if you listen carefully you hear that great warm organic neck SC tone. I have a BYOC Overdrive with a few classic mods that sound pretty close, great pedal too.

Best of all I had a great time recording and working on the tunes. And the studio gets subsidy from the city so it's pretty cheap, so we might do it again soon. Can't wait!

Thanks for the tips and kind words

Cheers
Fabien

[fabien1959]

Here's my rig:


http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x268/fabien1959/Guitars/Collection/F50rig1small.jpg

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x268/fabien1959/Guitars/Collection/SuhrDeGiersmall.jpg

[mynameistaken]

Nice rig Fabien. Like the new tracks too.

[guitaruboy]

wow! i just played a f50 head today at guitar center and was blown away!!
the clean was great, and the distortion was too (could be a little more though) and i even got to crank it pretty good.
i've got 700 bucks, i think i'm going to get one of these

few questions though
1. how heavey is the head?
2. think this could do muse styled stuff? i have an overdrive
3. versitile much?



thanks

[rummy]

My F50 head weighs a little under 35lbs.
Very versatile.

[de_loused]

Hey there everyone. I purchased a F-100 used about 6 months ago, and this thing is definitely a nice amp(for about $900.) I was wondering what you guys might recommend in terms of preamp tubes? I play relatively heavy stuff (Tool, Opeth) so any comments on what I should get would be greatly appreciated. I'm extremely new in the world of tube amps, and any information about some good settings for a solid distortion sound for the kind of stuff I play would be great.
Thanks

[de_loused]

wow I just realized I'm probably not one of the first hundred people to ask this question, haha.

[fabien1959]

Nice rig Fabien. Like the new tracks too.

Thanks

[Mr Pricky]

Hi guys I've been messing around with power tubes in my f-50 combo, and I thought i would share my experiences: (take with a grain of salt as i am no expert, and sorry for spellings im dyslexic)

Power tubes:

Sovtek 5881 - cheapest ones i tryed, compared to the others sounded a little harsher (like cats clawing at your ears), not quite as rich on the clean, but had a agressive sounding distortion.

JJ 6l6 - sightly more costly than the sovetek, cleans were warmer/richer, distortion was fatter (more lows i think) not as harsh (big plus for me) but slightly less defined.

Mesa Str440 - at 2x the price of the sovtek, these are the most expensive tubes i have tryed to date. To be honest theres little seperateing these from those above, if pushed I would say it sounds like a mix of the 2 above, but sounded very close to the sovtek; richer cleans than the sovetek but not as good as the JJ's imo and agressive distortion sound that could be quite harsh.

Svetlana 6L6GC - This was the only one that sounded obviously diffrent from the others, and for all involved in the blinded test was the clear winner. Cleans were rich and defined, with more "space" between the notes (if you know what i mean), and this carryed on into the distortion fat defined and agressive without the harshness of the others, and the only ones that really "growled".

I tested the tubes with my band mates, and no one knew which brand was being tested. We also made recordings, useing good gear, and the small/tiny diffrences which we forced ourselfs to find in the diffrent tubes, were completly indeciferable, and no one, was able to tell the diffrence between the diffrent recordings even with the Svetlana which were unaminosly the winners.
My conclusions were that the diffrences at least in sound are so small between these tubes that no one except you will notice the diffrence, so any major discrpancy in price is unjustified, though maby a more rigorous test would have proved otherwise. personal order of preferance for me: svetlana, JJ, because they didnt have the harsh scraping/clawing sound, then the Mesa and finally sovetek, though i must reiterate that all produced good useable sound and very very little sets them apart. I may try out some Tung Sol 6L6-STR and various KT66 just for the hell of it later on when i got time to myself again over christmas. I also hope to do some experimenting with preamp tubes.

One thing that I wanted to ask other F-50 owners is, how long do your power tubes last on average? my F-50 chews through tubes, about every 6 months. I am a failry heay user and my amp does get quite alot of abuse.

I should also say my setup:

Parker Fly deluxe (98)
PRS custom HB
(Ibanez RG something or other, fender Jaguar, LP knockoff)

-Crybaby-small stone-MXR 10 band-T-rex mudhoney-F-50

[fabien1959]

Hey Mr.Pricky,

Good post, nice test, and I agree with you, the difference are so small that not much else than you will hear them, especially in a smoky club full with loudly arguing patrons in various state of intoxication, playing with a drummer trying to compete with a loud bassist. :freak:
But just knowing that your tone is actually better than before the tube swap can make you play better, power of the mind. :D

About tube life since I only have my F50 for 2 months I can't really say but when I had a MusicMan long ago my 6L6 could last for a couple of years.
With my Mesa Nomad 45, the EL84s lasted about a year but not much more and those get *very* hot!

Cheers
Fabien

[Ben.s]

This will seem a bit nooby, but if i run my f100 at the 60 watt setting, will the tubes last longer than if it is running at 100watts?

BTW, i dont drive it that hard (its a LOUD amp) and only get to play it 2-3 hours a week *sobs to self*

Thanks, Ben

[hal9000]

This will seem a bit nooby, but if i run my f100 at the 60 watt setting, will the tubes last longer than if it is running at 100watts?

BTW, i dont drive it that hard (its a LOUD amp) and only get to play it 2-3 hours a week *sobs to self*

Thanks, BenYou're only running the outside pair of tubes when in the 60W mode, so the inside pair will definitely last longer since they aren't being used. As long as you're moving the connection to one lower impedance (8>4) on the F-100's output, the outside pair being used will age as if the amp was running at full power. Make sense?

[Ben.s]

Oh ok, and when the tubes sound like they need replacing, is it just the outside 2 that need replacing, or should i just do the whole lot?

Cheers

[hal9000]

Oh ok, and when the tubes sound like they need replacing, is it just the outside 2 that need replacing, or should i just do the whole lot?

CheersIf you only ever use the outside pair and they're worn, swap the inside pair in their spot. You can put the old pair in the inside slots, or leave them open.

[Ben.s]

That makes sense, thanks :)

Although eventually id like to swap them all for some JJ's, anyone done that with this amp before, how does it sound?

[LaidBack95]

So I really have no money, space or and TRUE need for any more amps than my F-50, so this is more out of curiosity....

But does anyone run their F series in stereo with another amp? More specifically a more British voiced amp. Somewhere down the line I think I'd like to pick up an old Sovtek Mig 50 to run along with the Mesa....

[de_loused]

Those of you that own the f-100 combo, do you have an added 2x12 cab? Or are you running right from the combo? Would it be a good idea to buy a 2x12 to in theory, distribute the sound more evenly through 4 speakers than 2? I'm a little novice at this, so some tips would be great.

[Ben.s]

So I really have no money, space or and TRUE need for any more amps than my F-50, so this is more out of curiosity....

But does anyone run their F series in stereo with another amp? More specifically a more British voiced amp. Somewhere down the line I think I'd like to pick up an old Sovtek Mig 50 to run along with the Mesa....

I havnt done that my self but that kind of set up usually give good results i hear. Foofighters (who have awsome rock tones) get it by running their Mesa's along with a Hiwatt amp, so i dont think you can go wrong there ^. It would certainly sound good to run them together in the studio :thu:

[LaidBack95]

When we get into a real studio eventually there is no doubt that I'm doing that.

Oh and on a side note, I love the Foo, I didn't know they ran HiWatts with the Road Kings. Cool.

[Sixtonoize]

But does anyone run their F series in stereo with another amp? More specifically a more British voiced amp. Somewhere down the line I think I'd like to pick up an old Sovtek Mig 50 to run along with the Mesa....

I ran my F-100 in stereo with my RectoVerb for a while.

Don't do it. Trust me.

You won't ever be the same.

[Joeytpg]

So I really have no money, space or and TRUE need for any more amps than my F-50, so this is more out of curiosity....

But does anyone run their F series in stereo with another amp? More specifically a more British voiced amp. Somewhere down the line I think I'd like to pick up an old Sovtek Mig 50 to run along with the Mesa....

I have run my f-50 with my Diezel Einstein

here are two examples:

iQ94OFSOJyM

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6925855

[LaidBack95]

I ran my F-100 in stereo with my RectoVerb for a while.

Don't do it. Trust me.

You won't ever be the same.

That's what I'm afraid of....



I have run my f-50 with my Diezel Einstein

That was freaking sweet man, thanks for sharing.

[MrVisual]

I ran my F-100 in stereo with my RectoVerb for a while.

Don't do it. Trust me.

You won't ever be the same.

:lol:

For me it was Schecter C-1 Classic + Bad Monkey + F-50 head + Stiletto 4x12, drop C tuning. My life changed.

[Mr Pricky]

hi again eveyone

I've been messing around with preamp tubes in V1 and V2 of my F-50 this week and thought I'd give a quick summery.

Tung Sol 12AX7 - Ive only ever heard good things about them, and I will say that most of the hype seems justified. The ones i got were absolutly dead quiet, no noise of any kind. A little on the bright side, bass is not as tight, but very 3d sounding, the distortion sound in V2 was a bit on the grainy side. I think these tubes would be very good in a vox, it made my little laney practice amp sound very vox like (it uses EL84). Overall it sounded great in V1, but the sound in V2 was not to my personal taste.

12AX7EH (electro harmonix)- Hi gain tube, sounded quite dull and flat in V1, and produced some backgound noise. Sound was much better in V2 with a tung sol in V1, seemed to have a smoother (more american sounding) distortion than the tung sol. With this combo the gain is insane.

TAD12AX7 - I think this was a rebranded shundeng?. Supposadly specially selected, yet all 3 tubes that were deliverd were too noisey to use i have a suspition they got broken somewhere along the line. through the noise they did sound quite good, but its hard to say.

Sovetek 12AX7WB - sounded pretty much the same as the stock mesa tubes, pretty standard sound (I wouldn't be suprised to find out they are the same tube).

GT 12AX7C - I think this is a chinese tube. I have nothing good to say about this tube except that it was pretty quiet. It was the only one that actually made the amp sound bad, in my laney it was even worse! Very thin, flat and brittle sounding, with a tung sol in V1 it was Ok in V2, but this one stood out as it was clearly the worst.

Overall out of these ones the Tung sol were the clear winners in V1, and i would expect for many they would have preferd it in the V2 also, but I lean more towards the EH, for its smoother distrtion. personal best out of all the combos was Tungsol in V1 and and EH in V2, but as i said this makes the gain insane (a bit too much for me) so I will proabbly try find something to tone it down a bit. Its actually pretty hard to compare memorised sounds, but I do think that the Tung sol has made a noticable diffrence over the stock tubes, my basist noticed the diffrence immediatly, despite the fact he didnt know I had changed the tubes.

Some one asked about cabinets for combos:
Im guessing the F100 is an open back combo, and as my F-50 is insainly loud, i would expect that volume is not an issue for you. For me it really comes down to the diffrence between open and closed back cabs and which you prefer.
I am useing an Orange 4x12 loaded with Celestion V30 (for those of us that live in the UK Orange cabs are the poor mans Mesa) the sound is phanominal, and for me is a very large improvement over the open back configeration of the combo more than any tube tweaking can produce. The bass responce of the closed back cabnet is much better and tighter, produceing a sound that is fuller and less pearcing. I guess it all comes down to preferance, the open back combos have their own sound and less bass, but better room filling capability cos you got sound comming out of both ends, the closed back cabs can be quite directional which has been a problem for me in larger venues. If you are into heavy rock/metal then i would expect you would prefer the closed back sound, the only way to know is to try some out. But in reality if you are happy with the sound then i wouldnt bother as its just another large (expensive) bit of gear to lug around if you are gigging. Dont know if that has been any help.

[fabien1959]

hi again eveyone

I've been messing around with preamp tubes in V1 and V2 of my F-50 this week and thought I'd give a quick summery.

...<snip>

Thanks for the review. I too have installed TungSols in V1 & 2 as well as a balanced one in V4.
I'm very pleased with the tone and quietness but you got me interessed in the EH again. I've got a couple (v1 selected) sleeping in a drawer that I didn't care for in V1 (of my Nomad) so I might try one in V2 and I still got to try some of my JJs in this amp. A good activity for a rainy day at home tomorrow:thu:.

Cheers
Fabien

[Lawton]

Hey guys,

I have an F-30 head (with footswitch), brown grillcloth, in excellent condition no issues, etc., that I'm looking to sell. I got it off the classifieds here not too long ago for $500 shipped (lower 48, US), and I'll let it go for the same. Shoot me a PM if you're interested. I'll post this same thing (and post some pics later today) in the FS forum.

[Goldwing]

Hi Guys.

Does anybody have tried a rotary pedal in the loop of your F-series?

I'm currently running mine at 35% of wet signal and only my novadelay in the loop (delay level at 100%) and I think is the best sound I've ever get of my F50.

Now I want to try a rotary effect pedal (like the Line 6 RotoMachine, Boss RT20, or some univibe clone maybe -altougth many people say that a univibe pedal "must" go before the preamp-).

Any experience whit some of this kind of pedals?

I just want to add a little touch of the effect, so expending a lot of money in a H&K Rotosphere is not in my plans...

cheers!!

[fabien1959]

FWIW I'm on par with Mr.Pricky.

I tried a 12AX7 EH in V2 yesterday and I too liked the tone I got in the lead channel. More creamy than the TungSol which tends to be a bit grainy indeed, not worse but different. Perhaps more Recto aggressive?

Anyway for now I left the EH in.

Cheers
Fabien

[gdwill2u]

The clean channel on my F50 just died. Dirty channel works and so does contour. I think the trouble is a blown tube but if it is, does anyone know which one it is and if something else could cause the trouble what?

[gdwill2u]

The clean channel on my F50 just died. Dirty channel works and so does contour. I think the trouble is a blown tube but if it is, does anyone know which one it is and if something else could cause the trouble what?

self bump - help please

[Will Cyrier]

The clean channel on my F50 just died. Dirty channel works and so does contour. I think the trouble is a blown tube but if it is, does anyone know which one it is and if something else could cause the trouble what?

V1 (closest to input jack)

If that doesn't fix it, I would call Mesa.

[Heddenwest]

Question you guys. If you have a Mesa F-30 and you put a different brand of EL84's in, do you have to have the amp biased? Could you put in any brand of EL84's and not have it biased or do the tubes have to Mesa Tubes for it not to have to be biased? Thanks.

[Lawton]

I think it's cathode biased, i.e., you can install any matched pair of EL84s.

[Will Cyrier]

Question you guys. If you have a Mesa F-30 and you put a different brand of EL84's in, do you have to have the amp biased? Could you put in any brand of EL84's and not have it biased or do the tubes have to Mesa Tubes for it not to have to be biased? Thanks.

The amp is fixed biased and can't be adjusted. When I bought my JJ's, Bob at Eurotubes.com knew which tubes my amp (F-30) needed to account for the unadjustable bias. There is a certain range you want/need and unfortunately, I don't know the values of that range.

[Heddenwest]

The amp is fixed biased and can't be adjusted. When I bought my JJ's, Bob at Eurotubes.com knew which tubes my amp (F-30) needed to account for the unadjustable bias. There is a certain range you want/need and unfortunately, I don't know the values of that range.

Do you know how to find the values? I don't know much about tubes. I know there are tubes with different break-up ranges. Is that what your talking about? Do you know if Groove tubes would be ok? Thanks.

[Will Cyrier]

Do you know how to find the values? I don't know much about tubes. I know there are tubes with different break-up ranges. Is that what your talking about? Do you know if Groove tubes would be ok? Thanks.

I don't know anything about the groove tubes, and I know there are other guys on this forum who have way more knowledge about this stuff than I do(I think there's a couple of EE's around here). All I can say is that when I bought a retube kit from eurotubes.com, Bob asked what kind of "breakup" I wanted for my power tubes-i.e. early, standard, or late (for jazz). However, I really don't push the power section enough to warrant a preference. I like the sound of both the stock Mesa tubes, and the JJ's and haven't really ventured beyond that. Hopefully someone else will chime in an help you out a little more. Also, I'm sure Bob at eurotubes.com would answer any questions you might have regarding this (I sound like a spokeman, sorry).

[fabien1959]

Do you know how to find the values? I don't know much about tubes. I know there are tubes with different break-up ranges. Is that what your talking about? Do you know if Groove tubes would be ok? Thanks.
Groove Tubes do have a scale for tubes:
blue/1-3: early distortion
white/4-7: normal distortion
red/8-10: late distortion, max clean headroom

When I used Groove Tubes (for my Nomad 45) I bought 'red 8' codes and it worked perfectly
And when I bought from Eurotube, I asked Bob for max headroom too and he picked up accordingly.

[Lawton]

Hey. Mesa usually marks their power tubes with a value, somewhere on the tube & usually its NOT the screen printing/logo type marking. Check the tubes themselves.

[Mr Pricky]

Regarding EL84 tubes, as has kind of been said any good tube vendor that matches their own tubes (eurotubes/hotrox/watfordvalves) can supply you with ANY brand of tubes you want that will go in the power section (be it 6L6 or EL84), many can offer good advice about which tubes to try also if you ask. For specific questions about tube amps you can look in the FAQ section of tube vendors such as the tubestore (http://thetubestore.com/powertubeinfo.html) which are informitive, or e-mail the people themselves, they often respond quickly (and so far have never been wrong) and dont mind answering trivial questions (i have asked some stupid questions in my time). For some technical info (http://texatone.com/pages/Technical_Amps/Technical_Info.html) gives a good description without getting too technical and dull.

Also i have heard that most (but not all) groove tubes are just rebranded tubes bought off another manufactuer, so you are paying extra for the lable in some cases (its second hand info but ive heard it so much i think its true!).

[Ben.s]

Today at practice, i noticed my sound was deteriating, for example i was loosing gain and the sound just got very muddy and didn't have the thick gain saturation it normally does. Does this sound like i need to change my tubes? I have a gig on friday and i dont think i can get replacements.
But shall i try and gets some?

[Mr Pricky]

Today at practice, i noticed my sound was deteriating, for example i was loosing gain and the sound just got very muddy and didn't have the thick gain saturation it normally does. Does this sound like i need to change my tubes? I have a gig on friday and i dont think i can get replacements.
But shall i try and gets some?

Im no expert so i cant help you make a spcific diagnosis but... preamp tubes is a good place to start (V1,V2 and possibly V4). If I were you I would also check the power tubes just to make sure (especially if ur gonna be turning it off and on testing new preamp tubes), cos if they go it can be bad (I speak from exprience with that one, so now im very cautious). Tho as far as i know power tube problems usually manifest as loss of headroom and volume.

As a general rule you should try keep some spare tubes around for these kinda situations especially if you are gigging (I've had a few myself). Most of the online tube stores can do next day delivery, (I often use Hotrox, order before 4pm to get it next day), so you should be able to get some in time but you'll have to pay for it! if the preamp/power tube change dosnt work then find an amptech and start begging!

[estring777]

self bump - help please

Did you check your footswitch? Maybe its not switching

[Iced Tea]

Begging your indulgence from you all to let you know I am selling my very excellent 2006 F30. I HATE to, but my personal economic situation forces me to. Not only is it in excellent shape, but I am including the 18' 5 PIN DIN to TRS cable I had custom made by Best-tronics for my TC Electronics G System ($32 value). As MANY of you know, this will enable you to switch F series amps w/ most TC Electronics systems like the G System, G Force, etc.. (or probably any similar system that uses a 5 PIN DIN to TRS). Also included is the normal F series foot switch, cover, amp candy, AND a full set of JJ high-gain tubes. I can also make necessary arrangments to transfer the warranty as I am the original owner possessing the original sales receipt (I assume Mesa will still warrant these amps even though they are discontinued). I am posting this b4 I put this amp on eBay giving any F Series lover here a chance to get a great F30. Check my eBay feedback (my user ID is "blayneb") and you will see I am a very trustworthy seller and do not misrepresent what I sell. So if anyone here is interested please contact me ASAP - RIGHT AWAY! SEE MY WEB SITE FOR MORE PICS: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeysoa7/
I feel the amp is worth $600 + shipping. Thanks for your consideration.