F-30 vs. Nomad 45

[beyondthislife]

Hey, first post!

So, I'm thinking of jumping into the world of tube amps and I've heard nothing but good things about Mesa. I've decided that I want a small combo amp and have narrowed it down to the F-30 and the Nomad 45. I know that Nomad is discontinued and rumor has it that the F-30 is discontinued as well. I'm leaning towards the Nomad because it has 3 channels which I really like but I wouldn't think that Mesa would discontinue an amp to introduce something worse. So is the F-30 tonally different from the 45 or the same? I played an F-30 today and loved it but I would really like to have 3 channels. What should I do?

 

[Boogie Bill]

Hey, first post!

So, I'm thinking of jumping into the world of tube amps and I've heard nothing but good things about Mesa. I've decided that I want a small combo amp and have narrowed it down to the F-30 and the Nomad 45. I know that Nomad is discontinued and rumor has it that the F-30 is discontinued as well. I'm leaning towards the Nomad because it has 3 channels which I really like but I wouldn't think that Mesa would discontinue an amp to introduce something worse. So is the F-30 tonally different from the 45 or the same? I played an F-30 today and loved it but I would really like to have 3 channels. What should I do?

Don't forget the DC-3, with the 4xEL84 power section of the Nomad 45, and what I think is a better preamp section than either the F-30 or the Nomad. The DC-3 has a switchable Graphic EQ, and it really adds to the versatility of the amp. I LOVE my DC-3!

The Nomad Series was reviewed by Guitar Player Magazine, back when they were introduced--might be worth trying to find that review. The Nomad, with twice the power of the F-30, should have a little more clean headroom, if that is a consideration. They have a few more features.

The F-Series amps are renown for their simplicity, as well as producing some great tones. And with the Contour footswitch, your virtually have three channels. What the F-Series doesn't have in that regard, you can get from an overdrive pedal, anyway.

Good luck!

 

[beyondthislife]

Clean headroom and all that doesn't mean much to me yet because I really don't know anything about it. The 20 minutes I spent playing the F-30 was the first time I played a tube amp so I'm very new. I do need versatility though. I play in a bunch of bands at churches where a good clean is needed and than a mid-range overdrive is good for "heavier" songs and every once-in-a-while I get to really crank up the distortion. :twisted: That's why I'd like the 3 channels of a Nomad, so I could have all 3 settings ready on the fly.
With overdrive pedals, would I be able to say...put one on the clean channel to kick me into a mid-range gain stage and then have one in the dirty channel and use that as a boost for solos?