Members dennis138 Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 How good is the master volume on the Mesa F50? Is it conceivable to dial in a good amount of gain at bedroom levels? Any differences between the F50 and the F30? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SLfreak Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I have a feeling the different power sections will give them different tone and dynamics. They're loud as f@ck, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guerrilla Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 no, you can't get peak f-50 gain quality at apt levels imo.... i like to have the master at around 10 to do that, and i just cant at my place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SuperStrat Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I've had both the F-30 and F-50 combos they have a completely different vibe from each other due to the power tubes. Neither would work well in an apartment, imo... that said, I've heard that some people have good luck with a volume pedal in the loop. I guess it all depends on what you consider acceptable tone. Check out the thread devoted to the f series... there's much info there to check out! Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dann'sTheMan Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I find that I need to have the F-50's Master Volume above 9 or 10 o'clock to get it singing. Without attenuation, this is ridiculously loud. However, I found early on, that by putting a line level device in the loop such as a volume pedal (I use a Multi-FX processor), the volume levels can be brought down to appartment levels, and the tone is still awesome. There's been a lot of discussion about this technique in the F-series Lounge (link in sig.), and I highly recommend it. I've used it for controlling stage volumes in all kinds of environments from TV studios to the bedroom. Big smiles, Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bikerdude2 Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 But it really sounds good when I run the master around 9'oclock. When I do that, my drummer who lives next to me, can hear me playing from inside his house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hal9000 Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by dennis138 How good is the master volume on the Mesa F50? Is it conceivable to dial in a good amount of gain at bedroom levels? Any differences between the F50 and the F30? As already mentioned, the volume-pedal-in-the-loop works wonders at low volume. I also have a Hot Plate that does well. Put them both together and I have awesome TV-volume tone. That said, most all tubes aren't suited to low volume playing. It's just a fact of life. IMO, the best super low volume rig is a modeler through a decent set of computer speakers (preferably with a sub). So, the difference in the F-30 and F-50 won't really matter if you're only considering bedroom volume. Where it matters is when you decide on the kind of tone, feel, and clean headroom you want at gig volume. A link to the F-series lounge is in my sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 An F-50 needs to be opened up to really sing. I use a Weber Minimass attenuator with mine which helps at low volumes a lot. I don't think there's much you can use at apartment levels and be really happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bikerdude2 Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by GCDEF An F-50 needs to be opened up to really sing. I use a Weber Minimass attenuator with mine which helps at low volumes a lot. I don't think there's much you can use at apartment levels and be really happy. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GTM Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 The F-50 to my ears gets a lot of it's signature tone from the power tubes. I agree, you need to have the master set at minimum 9:00 for a good tone. Unattenuated at that volume it will rattle the windows. I have and effects processor in the loop as well as use a Hotplate. IMO, I preffer the Hotplate instead of a volume pedal in the loop. That said, the F-50 is voiced to be played loud! You'd be better off with either a F-30 or something else if you don't intend to gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members markmann Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by bikerdude2 But it really sounds good when I run the master around 9'oclock. When I do that, my drummer who lives next to me, can hear me playing from inside his house. Haaaaa!!! I believe that, and the guy next to him can hear it when you get up around 12! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alchemist Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by GTM That said, the F-50 is voiced to be played loud! You'd be better off with either a F-30 or something else if you don't intend to gig. The F-30 is as loud as the F-50, but they both sound pretty good even at low volumes. I run my F-30 head through a close back 4*12 and its monstrously loud. I would not buy either of these amps if you are expecting to have something within reasonable appartment sound levels. Probably just buy a Dr Z mini Z or badcat minicat if you still want quality amp/tone in a tiny package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GTM Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by Alchemist The F-30 is as loud as the F-50, but they both sound pretty good even at low volumes. I run my F-30 head through a close back 4*12 and its monstrously loud. I would not buy either of these amps if you are expecting to have something within reasonable appartment sound levels. Probably just buy a Dr Z mini Z or badcat minicat if you still want quality amp/tone in a tiny package. I tried an F-30 when I was shopping for my F-50. I think everyone will agree they both sound different. I used to have a Nomad 45 (EL84's). The Nomad sounded pretty good at bedroom levels. I remeber the F-30 (combo) sounded pretty good played low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mangojeep66 Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I think the f30 is the best little amp I've ever heard and it's plenty loud to gig. I think it sound very good at low volumes. The f50 is a little too much for decent apartment tone. It rocks when you crank it and doesn't hiss at much as the 30 at high gain/volume. You're better off with the f30 for low and high volume. I think it's more dynamic and chimey than the F50. The F50 is VERY fizzy at TV volume moreso than the 30; I'm talking about saturation, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alchemist Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Originally posted by mangojeep66 I think the f30 is the best little amp I've ever heard and it's plenty loud to gig. I think it sound very good at low volumes. The f50 is a little too much for decent apartment tone. It rocks when you crank it and doesn't hiss at much as the 30 at high gain/volume.You're better off with the f30 for low and high volume. I think it's more dynamic and chimey than the F50.The F50 is VERY fizzy at TV volume moreso than the 30; I'm talking about saturation, though. I agree, its pretty much my favourite amp, hence why I use it. I also know that for the period of time I used it as just a head into a 1*12 while still very good it lacked the magic, now through the 4*12 its huge and articulate, but also very loud, too loud for an apartment. But even as a 1*12 at lower volumes its still one of the best sounding amps around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SuperStrat Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 Actually, imo, there are no tube amps that are suitable for an apartment. Even a 5 watt amp is way too loud when you get it cooking.... if I lived in an apartment, I would go with one of the modeling amps, ymmv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members musicdog400 Posted February 17, 2006 Members Share Posted February 17, 2006 I use mine with a Weber Mass and am quite happy. Without an attenuator, at really low volumes, it sounds really scooped (no mids) in a bad back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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