Mesa F50??

Catthan

Hi gents,
today I came across these amps and apparently heads can be had for around £500 which ain't bad.
They seem to be good for cleans but most Mesa demos focus on heavy metal chuga chuga playing and that type of sound is not what I look for in an amp.
Therefore I ask for your experiences, those of you who have some..

So please chime in..

Thanks,
T

richardhomer

Cleans are not as 'Blackface Fender' as Mk series or Lonestars. Drive sounds are quite thick and middly - definitely lacking in 'air' - but great if you like that kind of tone.

They were the precursors to the Express series. Within their limitations they are good, dependable amps, if not the last word in 'boutique' tone.

They are getting on a bit now but £500 sounds ok-ish, provided it is good order.

ICBM

I agree with richardhomer, but I'd describe them as more of a downgraded Dual Caliber than a precursor to the Express. They have much more in common with the earlier models in that they don't have any of the low-volume features, channel modes etc that the Express does.

Bold, direct clean sound and dark aggressive overdrive, plus a contour mode which boosts bass and treble and possibly cuts mid slightly - not quite the classic 'Mesa deep V' graphic EQ shape, but in the same direction. Reverb is poor. (Solid state, unlike both the DC and the Express.) Not a 'sweet' sounding amp - and very loud for its rated power.

£500 sounds a bit too much to me, for the head. It's really quite a basic amp by Mesa standards.

grungebob

Had the combo and agree with everything said above, reliable and very very loud for what it is. Cleans are good but not special and the gain is mid heavy and not very dynamic gets a tad fizzy and mushy but thats at low volumes open it up and it sounds great but you need to be nearly at full tilt before it opens up. Its heavy too!

Catthan

Thanks all,

tbh I've only found 2 clean and 2 dirty demos I 've liked but it seems like a great VOF amp, not sure if £500 or even lower gets you much more-better, well, maybe a Traynor YBA-1 from the 60s but it would probably be wasted with me,, anyhow,,

I don't mind dark OD, quite prefer it for solos if I can make it work..

Well, I got an itch in my pocket, don't need another amp really,, Just thought that any Mesa for around £500 is a bargain..

ICBM

Not really for an F-50 head. You can get a DC-5 for that or less, which is a better amp - it has a graphic EQ instead of the fixed 'contour', and valve-driven reverb.

You might even get a DC-5 combo for the same… which is a great amp, I used one for many years and only got rid because I was offered a straight swap for my Trem-o-verb.

Catthan

Thanks for that @ICBM, I'll have a look.

Spotted a Nomad 55 head too, reading on those.. 

ICBM

Catthan said:

Spotted a Nomad 55 head too, reading on those.. 

Mostly bad things, I assume .

The Nomad 100 with the graphic EQ is the best of the bunch, the 55 is a bit bland and not many people seem to like it, and the 45 is a love/hate thing. (I hated it.) I actually went to buy a Nomad 55 when they first came out - the first Mesa with three properly independent channels - but came away with the DC-5 instead because it just flat-out sounded better. To my surprise I found that the two channels plus the switchable EQ was enough.

The Nomads also had some reported reliability issues, but that may be just 'by Mesa standards' - I've never come across a dead one yet.

Catthan

ICBM said:

Catthan said:

Spotted a Nomad 55 head too, reading on those.. 

Mostly bad things, I assume .

The Nomad 100 with the graphic EQ is the best of the bunch, the 55 is a bit bland and not many people seem to like it, and the 45 is a love/hate thing. (I hated it.) I actually went to buy a Nomad 55 when they first came out - the first Mesa with three properly independent channels - but came away with the DC-5 instead because it just flat-out sounded better. To my surprise I found that the two channels plus the switchable EQ was enough.

The Nomads also had some reported reliability issues, but that may be just 'by Mesa standards' - I've never come across a dead one yet.

Cheers man, yeah not many great things about it, not bad either but not the excitement you read about Lonestars or Mk4s for instance.

The interesting bit is that there is a list of mods for the Nomads which are the easiest I've come across

And I get the impression that Mesa peeps are an inconsistent bunch.. Many love them for high gains, others for Santana mushy leads and some love cleans from some models. But you always get the "too fat-muddy" comment from most 'cause apparently they compare against smth very "fundamental" like a Rec or a Mk. So I always leave room for doubt in what I read.. 

Unfortunately I can't find a DC-5 for sale atm.. I'd really like the graphic EQ,, We'll see

Catthan

I listened to the DC5 and is indeed very nice and should cut really well, not much mush although the gain tone might be on the aggressive side for my tastes. well, that's probably where the "cut" comes from.

Here's a clip I liked where the F50 is featured along with some really nice gtrs

http://youtu.be/auM3ImZIMKA

Around 3:00. for £500 or less I'm pretty happy with that and later on there's some gain playing which I prefer to the JMP in the beginning.... Not that I would one of those but it's too much amp for me..