Traded my F-50 for a .50+ caliber!

[Mrmot]

I had a studio.22+ and i loved that amp, altho it was without the graphic, but i used a boss ge-7 in loop. Unfortunatelly i had to sell it and got a F-50 traded in for a guitar. I've had that amp for 8 months or so and while I really like it, I guess i'm more mark-tone type guy (altho never played a MK) and I'm really leaning towards a caliber (marks are just too expensive and extremely rare overhere in croatia), i want that metallica_MoP sound how most people describe the calibers to sound. It's a "+" combo, 6L6 version with the graphic, and the guy would give me some cheapo guitar too for my f-50 combo. Reading these forums and reviews where everyone raves about the .50cal doesn't help it too.
To be honest, i'm not quite sure why i started this thread :lol:

 

[fishyfishfish]

I got to jam on a .50 Cal two nights ago, and I could see where you could get closer to the MOP tone than the F50. You should figure in the fact that the amp is a little on the old side, and will need to be serviced in a couple of years ( Not that big of a deal). The thing that I loved with the .50Cal is the graphic EQ, something sorely missed on the F50. Just use your best judgment and have fun!

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Hey Mrmot,

:lol: I sold my .22+ as well.

I just got a .50+ and it is really a sweet amp. I'm not sure that the sound is tight enough for MOP, but if you got it with your .22, it is probably in there. I can nail the Santana tone with ease though.

I really like this amp. It immediately made it to the keeper section.

I haven't played any of the F series. I know lots of guys who like them though.


Is it possible for you to A/B them in your own settings so that you can crank them both and see which one you like better?

 

[Mrmot]

Thanks for your replies, fishyfishfish and Monsta-Tone!
Yeah, I too miss the graphic on the F-50, i know, i could buy a graphic eq to be used in the loop of it, but i'm really attracted by the simplicity of plugging the guitar in the amp and using the caliber's graphic, no additional pedals, cables and what not. I haven't ever tried a .50cal but i had studio.22 and i was really really satisfied with the sound i got from it (why did you sell it then, dumbass?), especially when played with a cab. What attracts me to .50cal+ is that it has the onboard EQ and 6L6, two things i wished my studio.22+ had. Also, Mesas are really really rare here, and this is a local one, so... I dunno, I'll probably go and try them side by side in the following few days, I'll keep you posted which one i liked better!

I dunno if i ever shared this story with you but i have a friend who's a bit of a gear snob/freak and he for some reason hates all Mesa's with a passion. He hates Rectos, F-series, Triaxis, Nomads, Mark's and pretty much any Mesa he ever tried. So, I got the studio.22 and was passing by his garage and decide to stop and show him my new amp. He looked at it and was like "goddamn, why did you buy a Mesa, I f***ing hate them", but he decided to try it. So we plugged it into his 2*12 V30 loaded box, and he started playing on the clean channel and actually said "wow, this sounds really good", and when I switched on to the lead channel he was amazed and he still to this day claims that studio.22+ is the best Mesa ever made :lol:

 

[Monsta-Tone]

:lol: Should have sold it to him! :lol:


I've noticed that I use the Graphic EQ all the time on the Lead channel of the .50, but I only use it for lead boosts on the DC-5.

Other than that, I really like the Cleans better on the .50, they are very warm and articulate. I'll keep trying to get those tones out of the DC-5. I bet they are in there somewhere.

 

[Mrmot]

:lol: Should have sold it to him! :lol:

nah, while he liked it he's still to proud to buy a Mesa. He has his own custom made preamp and poweramp :lol:

I've noticed that I use the Graphic EQ all the time on the Lead channel of the .50, but I only use it for lead boosts on the DC-5.

Other than that, I really like the Cleans better on the .50, they are very warm and articulate. I'll keep trying to get those tones out of the DC-5. I bet they are in there somewhere.

I remember that the cleans on the studio.22 were amazing! Even liked them better than on the f-50

 

[rgx612a]

Go for it. The .50 cal + is a great amp, and is definitely capable of getting into that metallica territory.

 

[Mrmot]

Go for it. The .50 cal + is a great amp, and is definitely capable of getting into that metallica territory.

I went for it!
Yesterday I went to that guy and we tried F-50 and .50cal+ side by side. Let me make it clear - both these amps are amazing, but *I* prefer the sound of the caliber.
A little comparison, everything IMHO:

Cleans on both these amps are great but slightly different - what i love about the caliber cleans is that the string definition is unbelievable. I tried a strat, tele, superstrat, LP and various other (custom made and mass-production) guitars and the cleans on the caliber just left me speechless, really glassy, sparkly, warm and fat tones. I love how it sounds with my Edwards LP custom with a SD '59 on the neck.
I know that a lot of people buy the F-50 for it's clean channel, but compared to the caliber, it kinda left me cold. Don't get me wrong, the cleans on the f-50 are exceptional, better than 90% of amps i've played on (and especially for a hi-gainer), but they're just more bland and dull compared to the caliber. I guess that a lot of people will find this statement to be a heresy, but that's how i felt. Let me put it this way: The f-50 cleans are excellent, and the caliber cleans are also excellent but with a really distinguishable character.

Now, on to the dirty channels.
You probably know how these two amps sound, but here's how i felt.
F-50 has some of that aggresive recto low-mid growl, but the top is really smooth, not sharp enough for my tastes, it is also somewhat versatile, but not too much (IMHO), i percieve it to be more suited for playing leads than tight palm-muted rhythms.. I know, a simple 40$ eq pedal in the loop of it would do wonders, but...
The caliber lead channel is just what I wanted. Really similar to the metallica sound from MoP and AJFA but it can do a lot more. REALLY sensitive to your playing and to the volume control on your guitar (which i love using). As everyone said it - the graphic is the key, you can do SO much by just fiddling with it. I also love how the really dirty sound became an exceptional bluesy tone when i lowered the volume on my guitar.

I also think .50cal+ does a lot better blues tone than the F-50, on both channels. I like that it's lighter and smaller in dimensions than the f-50 cause i live on the 5th floor in a building without an elevator :evil: So that's it, i prefer the .50caliber+ in every category! :lol: :wink:

 

[giorikas81]

The f-50 did have the graphic eq function integrated into the amp...It is part of the contour function. It is set to a V curve but not as extreme V as you can get with the caliber I guess. I've seen your vids on youtube I liked them both. I would prefer the f-50 overall because it is smoother but I liked the caliber video equally. I even liked the behringer! (I have and absolutely love tech21 stuff).

I also have a studio preamp which is even closer to the mark sound than many. The graphic eq is great for messing around but only for this. On your own you can get close enough to any metallica sound. In a band thing I see that xtreme settings tend to not sound really good. What I love about the f-series is that they respond to the playing and are very full soundwise. They are more "modern dream theater smooth rythm" than "blackened-one AJFA cutting rythm" but that contour function (a way to save money by mesa in the GEC in my oppinion) is so well judged for these amps that actually it has made me kinda lazy. Studio Preamp? Always have to tweek(which I love). f-series? It is all there and then you're left with the guitar and your fingers. By the way I chose the el-84 f-30 instead of the f-50. The preamp in the f-series is the same with the dc by the way. Same patent and all...

Have fun