F-30 Hissing

[lcsegeng]

I just purchase an F-30 which has alot of hiss on both channels, even at low volume levels (gain and master at about 9:00) The salesman said all high gain amps have hiss. I find it annoying and wonder if anything could be done, such as replacing the 12AX7 preamp tubes with 12AU7 tubes which have about a third the amount of gain. If I can't get rid of the hiss I will take it back and get a Fender or something else. Any comments or suggestions out there.

 

[Surfcaster]

My F50 has some hiss. Interestingly enough there's more on the clean channel than the lead. But it's not bad and doesn't really bother me...in fact, I rarely even think about it anymore. I guess you could try swapping tubes, though I'm not sure that would make a significant difference. Another option, though not cheap, would be a noise gate of some kind in the effects loop. Anyway, hope you can figure it out.

 

[lcsegeng]

Thanks for the info. My F-30 hisses quite a bit on both the clean and dirty channels. Maybe it is defective. I will check out a F-30 at another music shop in town to see if there is a problem. Otherwise, it is a great little amp for what I need - just noodling around home.

 

[TheRazMeister]

Yes, take the amp back and tell them to give you one with no noise. The only thing that should be giving you hiss is the gain control maxed out on either channel. If you have hiss on the clean channel and you're not pumping the gain, something is wrong with that particular amp, not F-30's in general.
I can see the brochure now "A wondeful clean tone for those that don't mind a little hiss"
PS - get a different salesperson or the manager if they tell you otherwise.

I just purchase an F-30 which has alot of hiss on both channels, even at low volume levels (gain and master at about 9:00) The salesman said all high gain amps have hiss. I find it annoying and wonder if anything could be done, such as replacing the 12AX7 preamp tubes with 12AU7 tubes which have about a third the amount of gain. If I can't get rid of the hiss I will take it back and get a Fender or something else. Any comments or suggestions out there.

 

[EZBolt]

Bought the F-30 about a month ago. Had to return it ... the hiss was too much ... which is too bad because the tone of this amp is very good on the clean channel and pretty darn good on the dirty channel (minus the hiss). Mesa, you need to work on this .... $1,000 is too much for something that has this kind of a problem.

 

[lcsegeng]

Apparently the F-50 is quiet compared to the F-30. Don't know why since I believe the preamp section is the same. I tried the Mesa SP12AX7 tubes in V1 and V2 positions and it was somewhat quieter. These tubes are supposed to be hand picked quieter versions of the 12AX7, but the difference is barely audible. I also tried a 12AU7 in V1 and V2 and this did eliminate the hiss, but the amp lost some of it's magic on channel 2, and of course, a lot of gain. I tested out another F-30 at a competitor store and found the same amount of hiss present. That's about it for the F-30, live with the hiss or get another amp. I haven't decided what to do yet. Since I use the clean channel most often and don't need all the gain, I may just leave the 12AU7 tube in the V1 position.

 

[TheRazMeister]

I guess I have to re-tract what I said about the F-30.....other players have heard the hiss enough to have me think that maybe there is an issue there. I'll be honest though, the one I tried did not exhibit an unusual amount of noise but that may be because the shop I tried it at was small and went out of their way to correct the problem.

Apparently the F-50 is quiet compared to the F-30. Don't know why since I believe the preamp section is the same. I tried the Mesa SP12AX7 tubes in V1 and V2 positions and it was somewhat quieter. These tubes are supposed to be hand picked quieter versions of the 12AX7, but the difference is barely audible. I also tried a 12AU7 in V1 and V2 and this did eliminate the hiss, but the amp lost some of it's magic on channel 2, and of course, a lot of gain. I tested out another F-30 at a competitor store and found the same amount of hiss present. That's about it for the F-30, live with the hiss or get another amp. I haven't decided what to do yet. Since I use the clean channel most often and don't need all the gain, I may just leave the 12AU7 tube in the V1 position.

 

[Brewski]

My F-50 had some hiss and it quieted down considerably after putting different tubes in it. A call to Mesa for new tubes under warranty might have helped your dilema. It would've been nice to see if that was the issue. They would've sent out tubes as part of their warranty. What amp are you going to get to replace the F-30 that you had?

 

[EZBolt]

There is a part of me that wished I did all the tube switching that have been suggested here. However, I looked at quite a few Harmony Central views, talked to the guys at Mesa Boogie, etc. and felt that I didn't want to change the tone and I was running out of time on my 30-day trail.

And to be a little more expansive, when I went to the shop to look at amps, I was really after the Lonestar Special as I have played one in NY and it sounded great ... but the shop didn't have any and told me it might be months before they could get one. And the saleman, a great guy, suggested the F-30 as something "differnt" for my "collection" of amps.

When I played in the shop is was great but I record in a small studio where the amp is mic'ed and the hiss was just too much. The studio engineer certainly could have reduced or eliminated it, I know ... but I go back to the reason I bought it ... to record ... not to gig. I think it would have fine for a gig but not in a quiet studio and certainly not in my home studio.

So I am not complaining ... but if others have had the same hiss and changing the tubes helped some, then maybe Mesa Boogie should look into the situation a little. Afterall, this is 2005 and if we can put people in space, we should be able to build a quiet amps right out of the box!

And to answer a question ... I'm having a small wattage amp built for me to handle the studio stuff and I will add the Lonestar to my colection because that amp is awesome ... my only delema ... Classic or Special model.

 

[TheRazMeister]

Do yourself a favor and forget the "pros" and "cons" of the LSS vs the Classic. Just go and play them and decide for yourself. We've had ad-nauseum debates about the merits of each and truthfully, it comes down to a matter of preference, which is exactly why Mesa created the LSS in the 1st place. Some guys like Class A and others don't...simple as that. Now if you like both, you've got about a $3400 problem on your hands, albeit a good problem if you've got the money. 8)

and I will add the Lonestar to my colection because that amp is awesome ... my only delema ... Classic or Special model.

8)

 

[EZBolt]

I agree ... play 'em and decide ... which I will do if the darn shops around here would get in a LS Special. They seem to have plenety of LS classics but not one LS Special ... and I've been waiting for months for a chance to really play it.

Any thoughts about the sopund comparisons between the two? And although I understand Class A, I don't really know what the "sound" of Class A is shooting for? Any enlightenment for a old guy?

Thanks in advance for previous and future comments

 

[TheRazMeister]

I haven't played the LSS but I owned a Crate Palomino V32 which is a very sweet sounding 30 watter for about $550-600. What I gathered about the LSS is that the clean headroom isn't there compared to the classic but it has a vintage vibe to it. Kind of a bouncy elastic overtone to the sound. The classic seems to be more versatile but once again, personal taste is everything. I will say this, originally I went shopping for an F-50 and came home with the Crate V32 because I liked the overdrive tone better. I've since traded in the V32 for a recto combo, but I'd buy another class A in a heartbeat. Where I found the Crate lacking was that in an open space (300-400 seat area) the sound died but I'm sure the LSS is more sophisticted and designed better.

I agree ... play 'em and decide ... which I will do if the darn shops around here would get in a LS Special. They seem to have plenety of LS classics but not one LS Special ... and I've been waiting for months for a chance to really play it.

Any thoughts about the sopund comparisons between the two? And although I understand Class A, I don't really know what the "sound" of Class A is shooting for? Any enlightenment for a old guy?

Thanks in advance for previous and future comments

 

[Brewski]

Wow, you're stepping up! I almost bought the LSS, but I just couldn't pass up the price of a lightly used F-50. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Either the LSS Classic or Special are very nice amps. If you liked the tone, minus the hiss, of the F-30 with the EL84's, then maybe you'll be more drawn to the LSS. Good luck with your search.

 

[TheRazMeister]

Careful about the F-30 El84's....these still run in class A/B.

Wow, you're stepping up! I almost bought the LSS, but I just couldn't pass up the price of a lightly used F-50. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Either the LSS Classic or Special are very nice amps. If you liked the tone, minus the hiss, of the F-30 with the EL84's, then maybe you'll be more drawn to the LSS. Good luck with your search.

 

[Brewski]

Careful about the F-30 El84's....these still run in class A/B.

Wow, you're stepping up! I almost bought the LSS, but I just couldn't pass up the price of a lightly used F-50. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Either the LSS Classic or Special are very nice amps. If you liked the tone, minus the hiss, of the F-30 with the EL84's, then maybe you'll be more drawn to the LSS. Good luck with your search.

Oops, good point. Sorry about that.