F-30?

[WD40]

Looking for some advice. I was thinking of purchasing a f-30 combo, and was wondering how you guys rate it? I have heard mixed reviews (especially concerning noise) and have no opportunity to get to a shop to try one out.

So, how versatile is this amp? I need a good clean tone, distorted rhythm and lead sounds and getting good lighter overdriven sounds would be good too. I mainly play modern rock and metal, with a lot of solo stuff along the lines of Satch or Andy Timmons. I also play some blues and jazz, so versatility is very important to me.

If you could recommend any other amps I am open to suggestions, however my budget is about £800 ($1600) max.

Cheers, Dave.

 

[srf399]

Try a Stiletto Ace

 

[WD40]

Try a Stiletto Ace

Unfortunately that's over twice my budget . Had I the choice I would probably opt for a road king, but with it being Christmas and all money is quite tight.

 

[MusicManJP6]

I'd like to hear an F-30 myself...

 

[srf399]

Oh you're in Britain? sorry.

 

[boogiemon]

i used to have an F-30.

the clean channel is great: very chimey & musical. The gain channel is great too if you like recto's. It's kinda harsh to my ears, but is pretty impressive for a 30 watt 1x12...

Looking for some advice. I was thinking of purchasing a f-30 combo, and was wondering how you guys rate it? I have heard mixed reviews (especially concerning noise) and have no opportunity to get to a shop to try one out.

So, how versatile is this amp? I need a good clean tone, distorted rhythm and lead sounds and getting good lighter overdriven sounds would be good too. I mainly play modern rock and metal, with a lot of solo stuff along the lines of Satch or Andy Timmons. I also play some blues and jazz, so versatility is very important to me.

If you could recommend any other amps I am open to suggestions, however my budget is about £800 ($1600) max.

Cheers, Dave.

 

[fishyfishfish]

I love my F-30. It did take me a while to get used to the gain channel, but man, now I just love it. I use a Mesa 1x12 cab with it, and it has enough power for small clubs. Snag it while you can.

 

[Alivefor5]

I love mine too. Here's a link to the F-Series Lounge. Hundreds of happy users with lots of advise, clips, etc.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=885856&perpage=100&pagenumber=1

 

[otter5555]

i own several marshalls ,a rectoverb, stiletto ace and an f-30. i like them all, but my "go to" amp is always the f-30.

i run single coil strats, fat strats, a prs ce 24, a number of gibsons and ibanez guitars through the f-30 and have never heard a bad sound.

i find that the f-30 clean channel will handle clean, slight bluesy breakup and a nice crunch rythm.

the lead channel takes over with a heavier bluesy lead, really crunchy rythms and at higher gain settings, a nice fluid lead tone.


the contour channel adds a bit more gain and a bunch more bite and is somewhat similar to my rectos in character.

otter

 

[Artmusic]

I have had my F-30 for just over a year. For it's size, it screams. The clean channel sounds great for purring rhythm and the lead channel is very much in your face to my ears. I like it a lot. I have a Lonestar which has a much bigger, rounder sound, but the F-30 is a growling little monster. When I use it at practice, loud practice, it's got pleanty of volume and most definately pleanty of balls. Add a 1x12 ext. cab and you are good to go for any mid-sized venue.
Art

 

[MusicManJP6]

****, i'm saving up for an Ernie Ball guitar I ordered, but the F-30 just sounds like a cool little amp! I'd hate to have to blow my savings on one of these guys! A grab and go amp made by Mesa is VERY tempting...

 

[edward]

Personal bias alert: If you're looking at an F30, I'd go for the DC30 instead. It's the predecessor to the F, has 4 EL84s (instead of the F's pair) for more clean headroom should you need it, and most significantly has a G-EQ assignable to clean, lead, both channels, or is footswitchable. This alone gives it FAR more versatility over the F, especially since I personally find Mesa's "Contour" switch a really bad joke.

As far as cleans, the DC30's are very nice and EL84-ish in all the right ways, but the real strength in the DCs is the Lead channel's wide tonal palatte. It can cover lots of tonal ground, honestly: from country clean to mild bluesy clip, to classic rock, up to shred metal. Check one out if you can ...superb amps IMHO. And should you find you hate it, their resale is superb and doubt you will lose a penny.

Edward

 

[WD40]

So can a F-30 get a decent metal tone on its own? Or will I need to use a distortion or overdrive pedal to get it there? If so, can you recommend any?

I would go for a DC 30, but like I say I am on a tight budget and they are very hard to come by over here.

 

[edward]

Hi Dave,

I re-read your original post and realized that you're over the pond
But with $1600 USD as a budget, that's plenty more than you need for a DC3, even shipped to you. The only hindrance, of course, is waiting for one to pop up, which they do on occasion on ebay.

As for versatility, yes, it is my personal opinion that the DC3 can more or less get you the tones you mentioned in your orig post ...certainly closer than the F30 can (again, IMO), and the cleans really are beautiful and sparkly.

As for metal, it is the G-EQ of the DC (and its core voice of course) that will get you there. No shortage of gain on these amps so no worries there. And the ability to finely sculpt the tone to get "your" metal sound is just one of the many wonderful things these DCs can do. Also, since you had mentioned it, big/round jazz tones are also easy to dial in, as is thick/bluesy crunch ...can you tell I like these things

Again, all IMHO, and everyone has their own idea of "great tone" to be sure, but if you're considering an F amp, I'd really take a closer look at a DC. Don't get me wrong, I DO like the F's voice, but the DC line gets the nod for its greater versatility.

Edward

 

[Hobo]

I bought an F-30 about 9 months ago with the intention for reselling it for a liitle profit.
After I played it I decided that there is no way I'm selling this thing.

The clean channel is incredible. Very sparkley & chimey. Turn it up and it gets a nice bluesy overdrive.

The gain channel is goes from crunch to liquid sustain. I like classic rock type music and I only turn the gain up to about 9:00. Anything after that is too much gain for me but I'm sure metalheads would love it.

When I bought it it did have some hiss but I have since swapped the original MESA tubes for a set of JJs. No more hiss. Very quiet.

I actually prefer this amp over my Marshall JCM800.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Good to know the JJ's take care of hiss. The F-30 I snagged comes with a set of JJ's. Monday should be a good day - the F-30 comes in then... 8)