MESA F-100H .. new user!

[Noseybonk]

hello to all .. this is my first post on the board

i am on the lookout for a new rig at present, and my head has been turned by a guy i know who has offered to sell me his Mesa F100 head. i have never owned a Mesa before, but must admit that when hearing this amp being played clean and with a bit of compression etc it has impressed me hugely, a really chimey sound with unbelievable clarity and presence. the only trouble im finding is, finding any sort of reliable demos online showing what it is capable of with its dirty channel. i know what it is capable of gain wise generally, but most of the videos i've found so far are a bit grainy and they're few and far between. i cant try this before i buy it as he lives miles away from me at the moment. im aware this amp was more of an "affordable" range of Mesa when it was out and is now also discontinued ... what did these amps retail at around at the time?? i think i will be tempted to buy it in the end to be honest, i mostly use guitars fitted with P90s and EMGs and after hearing it clean i think it will respond to them brilliantly and do the job i need it for. just wondered if by coming on here people can give me more advice on what to expect from it.

in the past i have owned Hiwatts/Vox and never relied on that modern hi gain sound as much, but am looking for something in that sort of area now amp wise but something that can be versatile and give me a bit of everything! its nice to have something new!

 

[elvis]

The F series amps are great. They have quite a lot of gain if you want, or not so much if you want. They are kind of scratchy-sounding, with lots of transient thump, so they are a bit of a cross between a Mesa and a Marshall in my opinion. The dual controls are great, and they are simple to use. They are a bit touchy to dial in tone, and basically they sound the way they sound, plus or minus a small margin. Some people find them to be harsh, and there's no good way to cure that. I like the way they cut through.

HOWEVER, the F100 has an awful lot of power, so it will be difficult to drive the power stage. That will change the tone quite a bit. I prefer the F50 because I can cook the output stage a little, and it sounds good that way.

 

[fabien]

Be aware that the F serie amps are quite loud beasts due to the fact that the lead channel doesn't sound that good at bedroom level, it has to be cranked a bit. So at home or at rehearshal when in a small room and at moderate level (unless you practive with the band at unsane volume) the lead tone (clean channel sounds great at any level) wil allways sound somewhat grainy/scratchy with piercing highs but once you get onstage in a larger room the tone gets smoothen in the mix while you still wil be heard. That tone can get addictive.
Great tone on recording too. Check the mySpace link in my sig, that demo session is done with my F50 1x12 combo.

While 100 watts is technically only 'marginally' louder than 50 it is said though to sound differently because the output circuit is different. It seems to sound somewhat fuller. I personally have not played a 100 watts in decades so I wouldn't know.

Cheers
Fabien

 

[elvis]

In addition to my F50, I have an Electra Dyne. It can be switched to either 45W or 90W. As Fabien mentioned, it is not a HUGE difference between the two for volume, but it is enough of a difference that I, and pretty much everyone else, run at 45W always. But I prefer the 90W tone, because the power stage is really designed to run at 90W. That is why I think the F50 is a better choice for most people rather than an F100.

You could also check with Mesa to see if you can run the F100 with only 2 power tubes, making it a 50W amp. Some amps allow that. But ask first, as other do not allow it.

 

[jkornel]

the F-100 has a 60/100watt switch on the front. Switch to 60 and it runs the middle 2 power tubes. I have run mine like this since I got it in 2004. Sounds great, more drive on the power section and I always have 2 spare tubes right on the head

 

[peedenmark7]

I loved my F100 head with a stilleto cab, not so much with a rectifier cab... I loved the amp for the very things you just mentioned, but I sold it because I couldnt turn it up past 1 without shaking the house down !!
I ended up buying a Custom F50 head and 1x12 3/4 back cab and have been smiling ever since..