How has the fillmore been received? Flop or hit?

[diddlydan]

Hi,

I'm curious about the fillmore series, the 50 especially. There doesn't seem to be many threads on here about
the fillmore series in general. What's the general opinion of it? Is it considered to be popular or has it not been as well received as some of the big hitters like a mark, recto etc?

On paper it looks like the kind of amp I'd like but not sure. Most clips I hear of it tend to be with the stock C90 speaker, which I'm not a big fan of tbh.

How do the cleans compare to say a lonestar classic or special and what's the opinion of the higher gain modes.

Cheers

 

[Don]

I think they've sold a ton of them, but it's not the type of amp that's talked about much here. I just received a 25 combo in cocoa bronco today. It sounds great!

 

[diddlydan]

Ya, there doesn't seem to be much on here about it. I don't see any used either. In Europe anyway. Maybe everyone is too busy playing their one to be posting on here.

How are you rating the cleans and gain in comparison to other boogies? Presuming you have owned a few that is.

 

[Don]

There are several used ones on Reverb. They're asking close the the price of a new one- which is crazy- the warranty is not transferable. I bought mine last week and it was the cheapest I've seen. It's 5 months old and the seller could've almost called it mint!

This amp'sdirty sound is more roots rock than harder rock and may appeal to an older player (like me). Maybe that's why there's not a lot of talk about it here.
The clean isn't as great as a Lonestar, but is more balanced and less bassy. The amp requires very little tweaking to sound good. I spent several months with a MKV:25 trying to make it suit me like the wrong size shoes. This amp seems to be a much better fit for me. I'm using it like I'd use a small Fender tweed amp and I haven't used it with a band yet.

 

[Boogie Chillen]

There are several used ones on Reverb. They're asking close the the price of a new one- which is crazy- the warranty is not transferable. I bought mine last week and it was the cheapest I've seen. It's 5 months old and the seller could've almost called it mint!

This amp'sdirty sound is more roots rock than harder rock and may appeal to an older player (like me). Maybe that's why there's not a lot of talk about it here.
The clean isn't as great as a Lonestar, but is more balanced and less bassy. The amp requires very little tweaking to sound good. I spent several months with a MKV:25 trying to make it suit me like the wrong size shoes. This amp seems to be a much better fit for me. I'm using it like I'd use a small Fender tweed amp and I haven't used it with a band yet.

You have the 50 combo? When you say the cleans aren't as great as the Lone Star, are you referring to the Classic or Special and in what way do you mean?

 

[Don]

You have the 50 combo? When you say the cleans aren't as great as the Lone Star, are you referring to the Classic or Special and in what way do you mean?

I have the 25 combo in the pic above. I shouldn't say the cleans aren't as great as the LSC or the LSS. The cleans aren't as lush. Not as lush as the Fillmore 50, for that matter. It's a little more focused, more pure. Like comparing a larger more powerful Princeton Reverb to a Vibrolux Reverb. It's got a small tweed vibe that I like a lot.

 

[Boogie Chillen]

You have the 50 combo? When you say the cleans aren't as great as the Lone Star, are you referring to the Classic or Special and in what way do you mean?

I have the 25 combo in the pic above. I shouldn't say the cleans aren't as great as the LSC or the LSS. The cleans aren't as lush. Not as lush as the Fillmore 50, for that matter. It's a little more focused, more pure. Like comparing a larger more powerful Princeton Reverb to a Vibrolux Reverb. It's got a small tweed vibe that I like a lot.

Ah yes, of course, I didn't notice you were the same person that posted the pic of the 25 combo. The 6V6 vs 6L6 valves would make quite a difference I suppose when comparing the LSC, along with the bigger iron of the LSC or LSS. It's hard not to want one of each, the Fillmore 25 and the 50 or 100. A LSC could negate the need for both with its versatility. I would certainly prefer the Fillmore 25 to a Princeton in a 2 X 6v6. Nice little amp you have there.

 

[Don]

You have the 50 combo? When you say the cleans aren't as great as the Lone Star, are you referring to the Classic or Special and in what way do you mean?

I have the 25 combo in the pic above. I shouldn't say the cleans aren't as great as the LSC or the LSS. The cleans aren't as lush. Not as lush as the Fillmore 50, for that matter. It's a little more focused, more pure. Like comparing a larger more powerful Princeton Reverb to a Vibrolux Reverb. It's got a small tweed vibe that I like a lot.

Ah yes, of course, I didn't notice you were the same person that posted the pic of the 25 combo. The 6V6 vs 6L6 valves would make quite a difference I suppose when comparing the LSC, along with the bigger iron of the LSC or LSS. It's hard not to want one of each, the Fillmore 25 and the 50 or 100. A LSC could negate the need for both with its versatility. I would certainly prefer the Fillmore 25 to a Princeton in a 2 X 6v6. Nice little amp you have there.

One thing I noticed when looking closely at this amp is that it has small iron. The OT is similar in size to the one my Princeton Reverb. Still, the amp has a lot more kick than the Princeton Reverb, can sound good at lower volume levels than the PR and has great OD sounds.

I like the drive from the Fillmores better than the LSS and LSC- they can get crunchier. Plus, they weigh a lot less than the LSS and LSC.

 

[Nerd]

I own 50w head and 2x12 for over a year and the love is still there. Cleans are to die for, very sweet reverb, crunches reacting well to pick attack. I don't use high gain amp settings but rather slam the front with EP booster and some other enhancers to high gain which is thick and solid. This amp can do it all and it does it great. I have it with stock C90's which are great when you break them in a little. From new they are a bit stiff and suck a little. I have two 90's Mesa V30's and looking to buy another 2x12 as I'm not entirely happy to give up these speakers. With a little care, time and SPL you will love them.

And yeah, I'm in Europe... not EU any more, though

 

[uhiroto]

I've had a Fillmore 25 head with a Barefaced 1x10/Celestion G10 Gold for about half a year now. I've been very happy with it so far, though I'm still working on finding a speaker/amp combination that fits the band I play in now. I tend to do more clean playing than I used to, so I think I'm going to look for a more American-voiced speaker than the Gold. The idea is to turn my rig into a modern Princeton-type setup.

That said, this combination definitely holds its own against some really nice amps that I get to play with a couple times a month. There's a Bad Cat, a Benson, a nice AC30... I still prefer my Fillmore. And people notice and compliment it.

 

[Boogie-with-steve]

There are several used ones on Reverb. They're asking close the the price of a new one- which is crazy- the warranty is not transferable. I bought mine last week and it was the cheapest I've seen. It's 5 months old and the seller could've almost called it mint!

This amp'sdirty sound is more roots rock than harder rock and may appeal to an older player (like me). Maybe that's why there's not a lot of talk about it here.
The clean isn't as great as a Lonestar, but is more balanced and less bassy. The amp requires very little tweaking to sound good. I spent several months with a MKV:25 trying to make it suit me like the wrong size shoes. This amp seems to be a much better fit for me. I'm using it like I'd use a small Fender tweed amp and I haven't used it with a band yet.

Right on - I bought mine used from GC for 1100, all the others I have seen were 14-1700 used. Test driving right now, have 30 days to take it back, but I think it sounds pretty great if you rtfm.

 

[brungio]

I've played a few and loved them. I'm waiting to find a combo that's a good deal and then I'll likely pull the trigger. But I don't NEED one, I just want one

 

[KoskineN]

I bought a Fillmore 50 combo when they first came out here in Canada, and I still love it to this day. I play in a cover band, and I can do a lot
with its two channels(Clean and Hi), plus some pedals. Like someone mentioned above, it's easy to get a great sound out of it. Coming from owning a Roadster combo for more than 10 years, the Fillmore is so simple. I swaped the C90 for a Celestion Alnico Cream some time ago, and although it's kinda sounds cliché, it really sounds more "3D". Along the way I bought a 1x12 cab, and the Cream and C90 sound great together. I might try another speaker in the cab, but I'm happy with it at the moment.

I don't know if this amp is a Hit or Flop, but they seem to sell well, and you can see a lot of them in the Gibson/Mesa promo videos, for what it might worth.

 

[Billy Hiwatt]

Over on The Gear Page, the Fillmores get a lot of love.
I have a 50 combo, and a 100 head & 2x12 cab. They are both here to stay. In the combo, I swapped out the C-90 for a Mesa Fillmore speaker. That added a couple of lbs, but I like the tones. In the Fillmore 2x12 cab, I swapped out the C-90s for a pair of Emi Tonkerlites with the neo magnets. Saved a bunch of weight, and after some breakin hours, it sounds terrific. On both amps I only use the clean channel, and get lead tones with the Mesa Grid Slammer overdrive pedal. I will add that the claimed wattage is exaggerated. The 50 seems like about 35 watts, and the 100 more like 70. As mentioned earlier, the iron is smaller than in most Boogie amps. Great amps they are!

 

[Inthenoise]

I posted a separate thread on why I like it. I agree it leans towards classic sounds, not modern tightness. I have an LSS and, while the cleans of the Filmore aren't quite as honey-soaked, they are really great and much more useful for a broad spectrum of styles. It's more versatile than a DRRI and an outstanding classic rock+ cover band amp. Comparatively lightweight and super easy to balance volumes and clean vs. gain tones. It's an amazing amp.

 

[Earthlight]

I’m a fan of 6V6’s, and that’s one of the reasons I love my 25w head. The cleans are lovely and sparkly (something that my MkV:25 head resolutely refused to do) and the overdrive is far more classic rock than metal, which is also my preference. I’ve owned many, many Boogies and, other than the Electra Dyne (which I sold simply due to it being too heavy to lug around), this is the one that hits the spot for me in terms of sound, volume, simplicity, and portability.

 

[Goldtop57]

All I can say is that I purchased my Fillmore 50 in November and love this amp. I thought that at one time my Blackstar HT40 ,was the amp to end all amps for me ,but I was dead wrong . My Fillmore 50 is now my all time favorite amplifier and I truly believe that we are getting a deal right now at the current price , I foresee the price shooting up in the near future when word gets out and it spreads about the tone , the clear clean tone ,and the crunch tone modes of this amplifier . This is a highly versatile amp that i use for my classic Rock band and my R/B orchestra . You wont go wrong owning this amp.

 

[TaoInMotion]

I've got the 50 watt Fillmore Head and absolutely love it. Beautiful Blackface type cleans and plenty of overdrive, at least for me ... Lush reverb as well.

Extremely versatile amp and brilliant layout essentially giving you two versions of the exact same amp in one box. Very clever.