Wrong choice?

[alpepiman]

Hey everybody,

I bought a Mesa F-50 about 5 months ago and I like it but it's not that great. I have been hearing awesome soundclips all over the internet of the Mark series amp and I wonder if I should sell my F-50 to get one of these, like a Mark III or Mark IV.

What do you guys think? The only thing I am worried about is the controls on it and if I will be able to tweak it well enough. How versatile are the Mark amps?

Thanks a lot,

Alan

 

[drunkdolphin]

Alan,

I have a reissue Mark 1 with 6 knobs on the front and Im still finding new tones every time i turn the amp on.
What are you not digging about the 50?

Steve

 

[alpepiman]

I'm not sure. I LOVE the clean channel. My rhythms on the drive aren't really as defined as I'd like to be. My lead is good but not amazing. I bought a 50 watt minimass, and I lost so much treble frequencies. I have heard sound clips of teh Mark I, III, and IV amps and they were amazing.

I'm not really sure, I'm just not completely satisfied. Maybe I need a sound-enhancing pedal like a comprssor or a sonic stomp or something. Or maybe some good settings.

 

[Brewski]

Does it sound muddy to you? If so, have you tried backing off on your bass settings? You might need a pedal to push your F-50 over the edge, for the tone that you're looking for. I have an F-50 and really do like that amp, although, I use the clean side of it more than the dirty channel. I have heard some recordings with very good tones come out of it. Have you tried looking at the F-50 Lounge? http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=885856&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

Take a look at the site and give your F-50 another chance, before you write the amp off.

 

[alpepiman]

I tweaked for a while and got a pretty good rock setting with my Les Paul. I had fun jamming, I backed off the bass and it helped. My Ibanez and Gibson sound great with the humbuckers, but the Strat is lacking a bit. I am going to add a Dynacomp, digidelay, tubescreamer, and wah to my pedalboard and I should be good to go, ehh?

It seems like some days I won't be happy with the sounds and other days I am just in love. I wont sell it anytime soon if I ever, I haven't even got to gig with it yet. (Haven't had a gig in 6 months!)

Thanks alot.

-Alan

 

[zeppman]

If it sounds muddy, you may want to back off on the bass like brewski said. On my mark iv I can never really dial it past 3. Besides all the other suggestions made, new tubes could make a difference...

 

[macaddict]

also, what kind of volume levels are you playing at? I know for the most part tube amps (mesa's especially) tend to thrive at higher colume levels. You may not be hearing what you want, cause you're not hearing it loud enough! I could be wrong, but just thought I would throw it out there.

 

[fatboy135]

I think that you must first a couple of hours a mark amp before take any decision. These amps are so great, but they have a special tone. If you don´t feel good with the first hours, don´t take any decision, maybe the mark will not your amp.

 

[twally]

Ditto on taking time to learn your amp. I have a Mark IV and am constantly finding "new" sounds that I like. As far as being versatile, Mark IV's are very much so, but they take some time to learn how to get good sounds out of them. The main thing is to read your manual.

TW

 

[jukesgtr]

Check other amps too, not all guitar players use or like Mesas. Power tube type has a lots to do with the sound, I don't like EL34 (Marshall) that much but I do like EL84 (Vox) and 6L6 (Fender)...

 

[axwielding1]

I've played the F30 and F50.. They are sweet sounding amps.. I agree, you should spend some time with it, and play at higher volumes so it will sing more....
However, the mark series amps are extremely versatile, and therefore you need to tweek alot for tones...I know the mark IV is more versatile than my mark III, but I still find cool tones in it that I've not discovered before....I've had it for quite a few years now... And yes, there is a huge learning curve on these mark series amps....
Just remember, with Mesa, the controls are way, way more sensitive than a Marshall. So the bass should be set very low, under 3, and the treble interacts with the gain, so as you turn it up, it will add bite and gain. The mid may sound weak, but at louder volumes, it really comes into play....
Keep tweeking that F50, before you dump her...
ax. 8)

 

[srf399]

I've heard good things about the F Series... but you will not go wrong with a MKIV. They are awesome amps. And they are easy to tweek after you've played on them awhile.