F-30 vs F-50 vs ROV

[TheRazMeister]

Okay guys, with all the talk about how great the F-50 is, I had to make a direct comparison. The test was done with an Ibanez AR2000VV (PRS style guitar) with super 58 Hums. The results are not conclusive and once again, sound is subjective, but I came away with some concrete opinions. The styles I used for the test were Van Halen era hard rock licks and Methany-ish minor chords for the cleans.

1. The F-30 ROCKS in the overdrive channel but lacks something in the cleans, at least compared to the F-50. Absolutely wonderful 2nd channel however and I would gig with it.
2. The F-50 clean is immaculate and has a good variety of dirty sounds. One poster claimed to get almost Marshall like sounds...well guess what, so did I. A great amp, just not as rich in the distortion as the F-30
3. The Rectoverb, while not the best clean (F-50 hands down) had a deeper more resonant sound and a richer distortion that the F Series. I own an ROV but am now considering an F series for portability.

As a side note, after I was done checking out the F-30, employee #2 comes over while we're talking, looks down and asked if that was what I was just playing because it sounded awesome, even from across the room. He was totally surprised and commented that he had only tried the F50's and couldn't get it to sound that good.

Hope this helps...

 

[Surfcaster]

Thanks for posting...makes me want to try an F-30 again...when I tried it next to an F-50 I found the F-50 preferable for both clean and dirty...but then it could easily be personal preference more than anything. But it would be interesting to try it again after spending a couple years getting to know my F-50. (I've also heard rumblings that there were some minor re-designs on the F-50 when they went to the widebody cab, and mine is NOT a widebody, but then I don't know if there's any truth to those rumblings or not...other than the widebody amps have LED channel indicators on the faceplate and mine does not).

 

[TheRazMeister]

Surf, the one thing that caught me the most about the F-30 was the ease of which notes ripped off the guitar. I play a very machine-gun like style, picking most notes and it's critical for the note decay to be just right, sort of like putting a Zakk Wylde overdrive in front of the amp. The F-50 has a very nice rythym sound but the notes seemed to die sooner when playing leads, although the sound was great. BTW, that may not be a bad idea, get the F-50 and put my ZW-44 in front of it, because honestly I thought the Cleans were better on the F-50 than the F-30. I'm actually toying with using the ZW with my Rectoverb so I don't have to max the gain yet get a more aggressive sound when needed.

Thanks for posting...makes me want to try an F-30 again...when I tried it next to an F-50 I found the F-50 preferable for both clean and dirty...but then it could easily be personal preference more than anything. But it would be interesting to try it again after spending a couple years getting to know my F-50. (I've also heard rumblings that there were some minor re-designs on the F-50 when they went to the widebody cab, and mine is NOT a widebody, but then I don't know if there's any truth to those rumblings or not...other than the widebody amps have LED channel indicators on the faceplate and mine does not).

 

[pau_leader]

The F-30 is an awsome amp. that was my preffered model at the time. The F-50 has more low bottom end that the F-30 doesnt have.

I think they are both great amps. I probably will get the F-30 later. About the Marshall comment. It was me that posted that topic. I couldent believe my ears that it was possible to get "some kind" of Marshall sound.

The amp is very versitile. I am glad that someone else dialed in "some kind" of Marshall tone. I was begining to feel stupid.

 

[Valtyr]

Thanks for posting the comparison. I've seen a lot of praise directed toward the F-50. I purchased an F-30 a few months ago and have wondered what the tone differences were between it and the F-50.

I had brought my own guitar into the store to try it out so I could hear it with my own gear. I was so happy with the sound that I didn't bother trying any other amps. :lol:

 

[cliff hetfield]

The F-30 is an awsome amp. that was my preffered model at the time. The F-50 has more low bottom end that the F-30 doesnt have.

if thats true, im glad i have the f-50 and not the f-30. the f-50 has a weighty punch to it that im enjoying.

 

[Surfcaster]

Thanks for posting the comparison. I've seen a lot of praise directed toward the F-50. I purchased an F-30 a few months ago and have wondered what the tone differences were between it and the F-50.

I had brought my own guitar into the store to try it out so I could hear it with my own gear. I was so happy with the sound that I didn't bother trying any other amps. :lol:

You know it's good when you don't even want to try anything else before you buy and leave!!

 

[cliff hetfield]

i tried the rov and the f-50 side by side at guitar center before i made up my mind. the rov's 'modern' sound blew me away...unfortunately that was the only thing i really liked about the rov. the rov's cleans arent even close to the f-50s. and the f-50's overdrive sound is fucking awesome too. it is a different sound though. if i was looking for a metallica justice era scooped crunch or something, i might have bought the rov, but as much as i appreciate that sound, i want my own sound. a warmer and more versatile tone. to me the f-50 was warmer sounding at every setting.

an idea of what sound i want is a clutch, metallica, sabbath, zeppelin, soundgarden... :twisted:

 

[Valtyr]

Thanks for posting the comparison. I've seen a lot of praise directed toward the F-50. I purchased an F-30 a few months ago and have wondered what the tone differences were between it and the F-50.

I had brought my own guitar into the store to try it out so I could hear it with my own gear. I was so happy with the sound that I didn't bother trying any other amps. :lol:

You know it's good when you don't even want to try anything else before you buy and leave!!

:lol:

I had a specific tone in mind, I found it pretty quickly in the F-30. There was no need to try anything else. 8)

 

[TheRazMeister]

One thing about comparing the F-30 to the F-50, keep in mind we've got El-84's going thru a V30 speaker versus 6L6's going thru a V90. There is no way they will sound the same...so if you're looking for a smaller version of the same amp, this isn't it.

I had a specific tone in mind, I found it pretty quickly in the F-30. There was no need to try anything else. 8)

 

[no soul]

One thing about comparing the F-30 to the F-50, keep in mind we've got El-84's going thru a V30 speaker versus 6L6's going thru a V90. There is no way they will sound the same...so if you're looking for a smaller version of the same amp, this isn't it.

I had a specific tone in mind, I found it pretty quickly in the F-30. There was no need to try anything else. 8)

well yes and no, they do sound considerably different considering the differences you mentioned, but they are still within the same realm.

 

[TheRazMeister]

I disagree about the ROV....what I find it does particularly well is react to the guitar's volume and tone controls. I can get a very warm sound from the channel 2 vintage setting by using my neck PU and setting the guitar volume to about 2. When I use the tone control it changes the sound dramatically and gives me almost a single coil like "popping" tone. The comment made by one of the Mesa tech guys (Michael..I think) was that the ROV was much "throatier" sounding than the F-series....that's about the best description I think I've heard when trying to distinguish the 2 amps. (I had posed the question as to what "F" amp would be better as a smaller alternative to the ROV.)

i tried the rov and the f-50 side by side at guitar center before i made up my mind. the rov's 'modern' sound blew me away...unfortunately that was the only thing i really liked about the rov. the rov's cleans arent even close to the f-50s. and the f-50's overdrive sound is f%&# awesome too. it is a different sound though. if i was looking for a metallica justice era scooped crunch or something, i might have bought the rov, but as much as i appreciate that sound, i want my own sound. a warmer and more versatile tone. to me the f-50 was warmer sounding at every setting.

an idea of what sound i want is a clutch, metallica, sabbath, zeppelin, soundgarden... :twisted: