THD Yellowjackets in the F50.

[wilsonmat]

Hi all.

There are many F50 players out there who are curious about using THD Yellowjackets in their amp. I've recently installed the Yellowjackets in my F50 1x12 widebody combo. So far, I've only fiddle-farted with them at home, but I will post my impressions (for what its worth) over the next couple of months as I abuse them on stage.

In case you don't know what Yellowjackets are, click here:
http://www.thdelectronics.com/products/yellow_jacket.htm

The cheapest I have found them is here:
http://www.proguitarshop.com/ProductInfo.aspx?id=163226
$64.95!! Great service. Arrived fast. Highly Recommened.

I use the F50 combo with a cool singer/songwriter (and fine guitarist) named Brian Deer. He likes guitar sounds with a lot of chime and grit; preferring to use a small 15W class A Gibson amp on stage. My F50 sounded cool stock, but I was blowing everyone off stage trying to get that pushed natural grit from the clean channel. I wanted to be able to get that same clear grit at a lower volume so I could blend better with Brian. A 20 watt Class A Mesa F50 seemed like a cool idea; so I thought I would give the Yellowjackets a try.

[FYI: my opinions are biased. I rarely use high gain sounds. I lean toward clean and low gain tones. I like old Fenders and have used the same Fender Bassman for the last 10 years. What drew me to the F50 was the wonderful sound of the clean channel. Take my opinions with lots and lots of salt.]

Anyhoo:
My first impression with them is very positive. With the Yellowjackets installed, the amp does not sound like an F30. It has more even-ordered harmonics and a looser vibe than its little brother.

Clean channel: The amp takes on a loose, sweet, and chimey tone similar (not exact) to a Vox AC 15. There is a wider range of grit available on the gain knob. This puppy is still loud, but the grit arrives sooner than expected. I had a blast dialing in Tom Petty/Mike Campbell tones. The big surprise was the blues tone I was able to pull from this amp. Sweet and clear with a little sting on the top. My half-assed, middle class Freddie King rip offs have never sounded so good. Very impressed.

Dirty channel: The F50 is much raunchier. The Yellowjackets zap the headroom you get from 6L6s. I think the tone is buzzier than stock, but I didn't fiddle with this channel much. However, I did crank the gain (1:00) with the contour engaged and got a cool Josh Homme-like (Queens of the Stone Age) tone from the neck pickup of my cheapie Epiphone Dot! Very cool! (They were in town last night. Great band!!)

Drawback: Out of the box, the F50 is noisy at idle. With the Yellowjackets installed, the noise is much worse. However, you won't notice it while you are playing.

In short:
This is a really cool mod! The low end is much looser, the mids more chimey, and the top end is sweeter. It's like having two amps in one. When I want the sound of the stock F50, I just put the 6l6s back in and go. Throw out your old settings because the amp feels completely different. IMO, the key to getting a great sound out of the F50 is learning how to have a steady hand with the eq controls. I will have to spend time relearning the feel of the amp with the Yellowjackets installed. I can't wait to put it on stage and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Brewski]

Hey Wilsonmat,

Thanks for the update. I have an F-50 as well, and this is good info. I ended up with a set of Eurotubes. I got their low gain option. The clean didn't suffer on channel one and I get a pleasing sound on channel 2, as well.

I tend to use both channels about equally. Like you, I liked it for the clean channel, and it's nice to know that you have the versatility to get into the gain side of it.

Are you gigging with the Dot? The reason I ask is because aside from my Strat, I also have an Epiphone Joe Pass, and I've got to be careful of feedback. Have an tricks to minimize feedback?

 

[Surfcaster]

Thanks for the update. I have an F-50 as well, and this is good info. I ended up with a set of Eurotubes. I got their low gain option. The clean didn't suffer on channel one and I get a pleasing sound on channel 2, as well.

Hey Brewski,

Can you go into more detail of what the lower gain Eurotube set did to your channel 2? I've been thinking about doing this. Does it change anything about the amp tonally, or is it just the same with slightly less gain?

My thinking is that there is considerably more gain on channel 2 than I normally use, so if a lower gain preamp tube would give a more vintage sound to the amp, it might suit me better, or be worth trying, anyway. But if it sounds the same, just with less gain, there'd be no real point in going there.

Also wondering if it affects the amps compression any? I feel the amp overcompresses as it is, so if these lower gain preamp tubes meant more compression fcor equivalent gain levels, again there'd be no point in my going there.

Anyway, any info you can offer is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[wilsonmat]

What is this Eurotubes low gain thing? It sounds interesting. I agree with Surfcaster that the second channel of the F50 compresses too much. At least for my taste. Please elaborate.

I've gigged the Dot extensively over the past 7 years. The Dot does feed back, but in a pleasant and harmonically pleasing way. I replaced the original Samsung pickups with Duncan '59s long a ago, as I was having trouble with them squealing at high volume. The '59s sound great in the Dot!

The Joe Pass is a slightly different beast. Full hollow electric guitars tend to howl when you crank the volume. I have little experience using them in a rock band--I owned a cool '64 Guild Starfire for a while, but got fed up with the howling and sold it. Big Mistake. I was young and dumb.

You could always try the old Alex Lifeson trick and stuff foam inside to reduce feedback. Apparently it works. Personally, I would feel weird doing this. The hollowbody sound is what makes it so cool. I would do it only if I had no other option. Otherwise, I'd grab an ES335-style guitar or a solidbody and save the hollowbody for fat cleans and raunchy honk.

 

[wilsonmat]

My evaluation of the yellowjackets has been cut short. My brand new F50 1x12 combo was ripped off after a show last night at Birdy's in Indianapolis, IN along with other musical gear. Apparently, it sounded so good that someone had to steal it from me.

Suffice it to say that the Yellowjackets performed exactly as described on THD's website. I used them in many different settings--from a small club playing experimental free jazz to a beer-soaked concert hall with 500 sweaty co-eds singig Brown-Eyed Girl. A great alternative to the stock amp.

I do, however, prefer the increased headroom of the 6L6s. The Yellowjackets are a nice change of pace from the ordinary. Money well spent. Beware: they are kind of flimsy during travel. Remove them before you move your amp, or else crazy s&*t will happen all night on stage.

If anyone runs across my F50, please return it to me.
Serial Number: F50 88 C0

Thanks!

 

[Brewski]

Hey Surfcaster. Sorry for the late response to your question. The kit that I had purchased from Bob was the following: Mesa F50 - ECC803S V1 Option retube kit

It was a nice compromise. Channel 2 sounds sweet. I really don't know how to compare it to a stock amp. I had to get a new set of tubes because I had a mismatched combination of Mesa tubes and Groove Tubes when I bought it used. Originally, it was very coarse, grainy, and rattled. (all the symptoms of a tube replacement) The replacements changed the entire way the amp sounded and the settings. The amp livened up, channel 2 became more predictable. It'll still get into a singing sustain, crunch, and a modern sounding overdrive, while retaining a real nice creamy clean sound on channel 1. I hope that helps. Sorry I missed your question at the time.