F Series/F30 Lacking Bass?

[NDRU]

I just bought an F30 to replace my Fender Hot Rod, which kept needing repairs. Mesa's are obviously built to be used!

While the F30 sounds nice, I notice that it is seriously lacking an bass tones compared to the Fender. This is more noticeable in my living room, and less noticeable with a band. Still I can't help wondering why I miss the Fender tone, even that of a somewhat crappy Fender?

They're both 1x12. But even adjusting the bass, there's no comparison. Is this a function of the EL84 vs 6L6? Or are all the F Series Amps a little light on bass compared to Fenders?

 

[plumptone]

Sorry if any of this is obvious, but here's where I would start.

1. Make sure the amp is on the floor and not raised up on an amp stand - you get a ton more bass when it's coupled to the floor.

2. The tone controls are super sensitive and very interactive. Use as little treble as you can get away with, then start dialling in the bass, then the midrange. If you use too much treble it will actually reduce the effectiveness and impact of the other controls.

3. I have an F-50 not an F-30, so Im not sure if yours has one, but mine has a pull bright function. Make sure it's not pulled in yours if you have it. Engaged, this thing will rip your ears off.

4. On low volumes you're not going to get a super tight sound the way you will when it's cranked up, so you may have to totally adjust your eq settings for in-home use.

Good luck.

 

[Rocky]

an El84 amp wont have the low end of a 6L6 amp....but still the F30 that I tried had nice low end.

 

[NDRU]

Plumptone--thanks, I usually have treble at about 12:00, as the manual described. I'll try messing with that first.

What I'm noticing is that while the bass doesn't rumble like the Fender (and yes I have them both on the floor), it's actually very clearly defined. The Fender has a tendency to muddy up a bit.

I was listening to band recordings last night, and the bass notes were actually coming through better than they did on the fender.

I think I'm just getting used to the sound. And the real test is not the living room but the band situation, where it seems to be better than the Fender.

 

[Hobo]

I have an F-30 and mine definately is not lacking in bass.
HUGE sound from such a small amp.

 

[NDRU]

I'd been using this amp with my strat, but when I played through my Epiphone the difference was huge.

No surprise, generally, given that they are completely different guitars, but the bass was very full & it sounded great.

 

[Alivefor5]

Echo Hobo.

Mine has full, articulate bass with Strat and Tele.
I usually run treble about 11 o'clock, mids about 9 and bass about 1.

 

[bobbyswamp]

Echo Alivefor5.
I've had my F30 for 'bout a month, but no probs with gettin' all the bass I want with my humbuckin' SG and LP. I run the knobs almost the same as Alivefor5, but my bass is at noon...