Mesa/Boogie F-100 212 Combo

Amp was built in 01'. I play metal and 80's rock so I switch from clean to high gain constantly and this combo does both very well.This is a two chan. amp.I like my amps simple,this amp is dead on in that respect.I use this amp in the studio and for gigs.

I've owned MarkIII's before and this combo is almost a clone of the markIII except it's easier to dial in.It is noisy up around halfway on the vol. but up that far and you've hit metal paydirt on the dirty chan. with contour.It is a bit dry though.I use a digitech 2101 artist for my band and plug straight in when we do 80's cover.You'd be hard pressed to find a more versatile and aggressive combo for the money.

Over a year and nothing but a tube change,you have to watch this baby,it seems very power hungry and will act up a little if it's sharing too much power at the same time on the same strip.I use it with no backup.

Mesa=Excellent help!

I would never hesitate to buy this amp again,I was very uneducated about this amp at first,I'm glad I listened to my gut.As far as metal goes,I'd put it up against just about any amp out there,and the cleans can rival fender.I wish it had dual front inputs and thats about it.

This amp is what you make it,it's a straight tone monster with very simple user friendly controls and features.2 chan. With all the power and the glory you'll need for small to big venues.Nuff' said!

Let me first start out with this statement "if you give this bad boy a bad review, then you bought it for the wrong reason"! I play metal and a little classic and 80's hair,and this amp is my grail.The clean is great if you use the right pickups,the clean channel,and the right axe,see how easy that is?The distortion is bar none here,I've owned rectifiers,markIII's,and JCM's and this baby shuts them out.

I've never had a problem with it,ever!

Mesa support is ranked with the best,I've dealt with them many times and have always been treated with respect.

Been playing close to 5 years,I don't even like to think of what I'd do if this thing came up missing.I love the simplicity and downright raw and aggressive stance this amp shows me,I've played all the big brands,most seem to have gimmicks and add ons to achieve different sounds,not with this one!It stands alone and gives exactly what it gets.Wouldn't change it for the world!

I bought this unit used, manufactured in August of 2003. 2 channels plus contour, a clean (you can get a good Fenderish shimmer if you take some time to find it) and a loud California crunch distortion channel with contour a scooped lead boost is added. 3 button foot control(chanel, contour, reverb)parallel effects loop, and a recording output. An awsome looking grey leather suede covering instead of the usual black tolex, heavy duty casters, and a cover included with the amp.
Not a complicated amp to operate. Plug and play, it may take some playing time to dial in the sound to your liking, but when you find the sweeeeet spot, you'll love it.
This amp has plenty of power (100 w)for the amature musician like me or a pro playing plenty of medium sized rooms. You can also cut it down to 60 watts for smaller venues. This allows for more tube saturation and the distortion channel gets a bit muddy at this setting, but turning down the bass control a bit corrects this issue.
The f-100 is a 100 watt tube drive amp using 4 x 6L6 power tubes and 4 x 12AX7 preamp tubes.
I use this amp in various bar/club settings on average between 100 and 1600 in capacity. Plenty of power to cover small to medium size gigs, mabey even larger gigs, although I have never played at larger sized venues.

Fenderish cleans (you have to spend some time to find this sound)to the dirtiest crunch distortion, using a '98 deluxe strat with lace sensors, and a '91 strat plus. The amp gets a bit noisy on the crunch/distortion channel when you crank up past 7is, but still sounds good. This amp will rock out the 70's - current rock with ease and do some metal as well.

I've had this for about a year, and no problems what so ever. I gig with it about every 3 weeks or so, trying to keep the leather suede in good shape (I am kinda picky about the coverings on my amps). I only bring extra tubes to my gigs just in case of a tube failure, no need to bring an extra amp. This amp has never let me down, not even having a tube issue. Just have it regularly maintained(check up)and you'll be using this for as long a you can play.

I emailed Mesa/Boogie about obtaining information on my specific amp, they replied with a sh*t load of info in less than 1 day! Amazing response.
Never needed any repairs, 5 year warrenty, can't complain. I bought it used, and Mesa factory says they will still cover anything for my amp for up to another year!!How awsome is this!!

I've been playing in cover bands for about 15 years (this is just a hobby for me)through various amp heads, cabs and combos. I mainly play the classic rock and '80s hair band stuff. Currently set up using '98 fender strat deluxe, '91 strat plus, line 6 pod xt live, mesa boogie bottle rocket tube distortion, mesa f-100 combo. I did not compare it to anything else, I've been there done that with many amps and set ups, I'll keep this for a while and pass it on to someone else, just like my other amps of the past.
The only other features I wish this amp had is the adjustable bias switch like the recto's have so you can choose to run the 6L6's or El34's, and a master volume over both of the channels.

I,m a plug it in and play it guy, I hate dragging along pedals and effects, so the simplicity of this amp is great. There's alot of reviews on this amp, so read alot. Can you believe I owned this amp for over two weeks before I relized the clean channel has a push pull gain knob!?? ( what an freakin Idiot!!) I jumped through the ceiling to go see if that made it the greatest amp ever But.........
anyway there aint much to fiddle with here

If you like a fender brightness and twang and reverb, then go get a fender! When I first got this amp the clean channel sounded bland Kinda dryish not much feeling, seemed pretty useless, doesn't get much bite, turn the master up and the gain down and its real clean so so reverb not bad though! Turn the gain up and master down and its real clean too, maybe a ever so slight crunch (when loud) acually sounds really cool..... But.....
The pull knob does give this amp a better trebley tone but its not to drastic ,,I just leave it out! like I said I don't use effects so maybe the clean channel is where effects sound best???
OK the gain channel is where it's at for me! With the gain all the way down the amp is clean. a way better sounding clean than the clean channel. Has balls, and warm fuzzy ones at that. No mater wich way all the knobs face I just cant find a bad tone ..(well I guess it can get to heavy)., So, with the gain and master knobs alone this thing is everything it is. And It's all good ...very good They should have had the clean channel have the Contour foot controll!!! it only works on the gain side. If they did that they could say it has 4 channels!!!WHOOOAA

Haven't had it long enough to really say!

?Huh? don't know

Me play long time!.. This is just a shut up and play amp! no bells and whistles doohikey or doodads and It will clear the house if ya crank it. The clean side is not me, maybe acustics? Or Jazz I dont own a hollowbody maybe that could be it! The gain side has about everything you need. clean to..... yep you know it! and it's so easy to find it.
I own, or owned fenders guitars amps vintage marshalls, les paul, sgjr, Vox and more...ALL GUITARS will sound good!,. If I had to wish for something this amp had, I guess I'd say, more brightness. It's ballsy. The best sounding amp I've owned It just doesn't have a bad tone in it, wish I had it 20 years ago

I've owned this beast for about 1 year, and I find it to be quite versatile. I play all sorts of stuff from Hard Rock to Country to Jaz and it covers the spectrum flawlessly. The 60/100 watt switch is ideal for various venu size. Although I choose to keep it on 100 watts for more "warmth", the 60 watt also sounds pretty good. The removable casters are also a great feature! This no frills design is perfect the way it is and I would change a thing about it.

Great sounding Clean and Dirt. The Lead is quite violent and allows on to shred like it's 1985. I feel like the Effects loop could be a little noisy but the problem is easily fixed with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2. (No noise or Hum) I have to main axes; a '97 Standard US Strat and a '71 Les Paul Deluxe. The Paul sounds like a raving animal through it with the lead on but doesn't show my more versitility. However, the Strat is my plug of choice with the F-100. For some reason, it sounds fat, angry, sensitive, and punchy as hell. In fact, the amp makes the strat sound better than it has ever sounded due to its sonic sensitivity. The main thing about this amp is that it will probably turn you into a "feel player" rather than a constant shredder. It hides no mistakes! I have a 69 Twin Reverb amp that with a Marshall Shred pedal (without contour and 70% gain) sounds deadly and allows mistakes to be washed out. The F-100 is a reality check for those who do not wish to "play" every note. It takes you back to basics and encourages finess rather than flash!

Two words; Sherman Tank!

I had a concern about my effects loop wich I later found was my problem. I called the company, it rang twice, I got hold of someone who directed my call and was immediately answered by the tech who walked me through the troubleshooting. The Leather handle on the amp was coming apart at the stitching. I called, same routine, and I recieved a new handle that same week, without question or scepticism. I have never in my life dealt with a company with such an outstanding reputation.

I tip my hatt to Mesa/Boogie and the F-100. I was looking for an amp with a great clean and it was between this one and a Rivera. Both were outstanding but the company's reputation is what ultimately influenced my purchase. Bottom, I am now a Bona Fide Boogieman untuil death do us part. Cheers and enjoy!

basic run-down:

100 Watts, Class A/B Power / 4x 6L6, 4x 12AX7
Fixed Bias for Consistent, Maintenance Free Performance
Half Power Switch (100/60 Watt Power Switch)
2 Fully Independent Channels, 3 Footswitchable Sounds (Channel 1, 2 & 2 w/Contour)
Independent Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Reverb & Master Controls per Channel
Pull Bright (Channel 1)
Contour Switch (Channel 2)
Long Tank Spring Reverb
Parallel FX Loop w/Mix Control
Record / Headphone Output
Silent Record Mute Switch
3 Button Footswitch (Channel 1/2, Reverb & Contour)
Slip Cover



This amp has very simple features. I think mesa is trying to maintain a certain level of sound purity with this design. The EQ's are really cool. When you adjust one tone knob (the bass for instance) the others (mid and treble) adjust to compliment it. The reverb has a nice beefy classic sound on the clean side; it is a little limited on the dirty channel, I'm guessing to reduce feedback.
I use the headphone at home and it's OK. You don't get the true sound through the headphones (no emulation); I think the 6L6 tubes and V30 speakers add alot to the sound, especially when playing dirty.
The effects loop is adjustable and works great. The effects get put in after the pre-amp section and then gets mixed back in. Very nice.

The only thing missing is a button for the effects loop on the footswitch. I guess you can use the footswitches on the effect pedals themselves, depending on home much stuff you're trying to hook in. The footswitch is pretty good otherwise, it has channel 1/2, contour (channel 2 only), and reverb; there's no pauses, clicks, or pops when you switch. If it had an effects loop button and a little more reverb on channel 2, I'd give it a 10 on features.

Let me start by saying this amp has a unique sound. It is very robust and rich. You can defininetly here the tube harmonics and they sound beautiful. The dirty channel is great - very gritty and alive sounding, the word powerfull comes to mind but falls short of describing the way it can cut through anything. It's a very full, live sound and fills the room without creating much (if any) deadspots.

One guitarist (Dave) tried my rig and took issue with some things (of course this guy criticizes everything). I think the problem he had was just the brutal honesty of the F-100. He likes to shred and apparently he likes a setup with more compression (cheater!). If you don't nail every note on this rig it shows. If someone did have a problem with this, a compression/sustain pedal would fix it easily. Also, if you want a really crunchy, modern, saturated distortion, a good pedal will work nicely with this amp.

My rhythm guitarist (Garland) is a Marshall man. He's got a DSL JCM2000 100W half stack. Its distorted channel sounds a little creamier, smoother and more compressed than mine. It may be better for some things, but i'm sorry, it just can't do what the Mesa does. Mine's got alot more BALLS!!!

My Les Paul has stock 498r/500t pickups. They seem to compliment the amp quite well. It's great for jazz, blues, classic rock, and metal. But like I said, if you like to shred while barely hitting some of the notes, you might want to add a compressor and/or a distortion box (so what, big deal!).

I've only had this for 3 months and so far so good. It's been on one long road trip, several local gigs and back and forth from practice many times. I try to be careful with it (tubes are fragile). I did notice that something came loose in one of the 6L6 tubes. It's a little donut shaped thingy on a stem. I asked an electrical engineer what it was and he said it's a noise filter that catches stray electromagnetic interference. It's not critical as far as function goes and I haven't noticed any extra noise so I'm not going to mess with it. If a tube does have any problems I won't hold it against the amp, tubes do go out from time to time.

I haven't used much customer support. I didn't get my warranty documents with the amp and contacted customer support about it. They sent me my warranty forms right away. I couldn't get through on the phone but they answered my E-mail pretty quick (I didn't leave a message on there answering machine because I was at work when I called so I don't know how they are about phone messages). I think E-mail is the way to go when dealing with Mesa service. You can find the address on their website.

I've been playing for 23 years (since I was 9) and gone through alot of equipment, mostly cheap junk. I finally found my dream guitar rig. I'm playing a Gibson Les Paul Classic through this F-100 and it's a match made in heaven. I think this Amp is worth every penny. One of the bands I'm in plays 60's punk rock (psychedelic garage). I let my lead singer/guitarist use it at a show. He plays a Fender Jaguar and was using a Behringer distortion pedal through the clean side of the Mesa. His leads sounded unbelievable - with the sweetest overtones and harmonics that seemed to stretch out to infinity. It was spine tingling.
The other band I'm in does hard rock 70's - 90's. We practice at DLP rehearsals in Dallas and visitors stop in the jam room pretty frequently. Everyone is totally impressed with my rig (except for that Dave guy, who was only partly impressed).

Before I start I need give you all a disclaimer. I'm not one of these guys who sits around in my basement analyzing every type of bolt and screw this thing is made of. So if I don't seem anal-retentivly technicaly exact and I make a few mistake, you can Bite Me. This is just my observation and OPINION of this product.

I bought this amp combo in late 2004. The features are pretty much the same as the previous submitted reviews. This was the first mesa amp I had ever purchased.
Features I wish it had was a third channel, and an effects on and off switch.
It was loud enough for me for the type of music I like to play, which is blues, hard rock, and heavy metal.

Soung quality at first was great.
The clean channel or green channel or first channel or any other ways some people want to put it, sounded crisp and warm depending on how I wanted to EQ it.
I liked the low end distortion this thing put out on the 2nd channel or red channel or the distorted channel, however you want to put it. Once again depending on how you EQ it, you could either get a warm or crisp type of distorion.
However as I played it more, I starting noticing a popping noise when I would switch between the two channels. It wasn't a problem at first until the popping sound started to increase in volume, even with the master volumes turned all the way down. After more playing I noticed a humming noise that wasn't there before. I thought maybe it was my pickups, my guitar cable, my wall outlet or the tubes non of these were the case. Not only did I notice the hum, but my guitar teacher, and two reputable repair technicians in the Seattle area noticed it too.
Now this is were the Sounds and Reliability review areas blend together.
After a year of playing through this amp at the recomended factory settings a horrible crackling sound could be heard on either channels. The more I played the louder it got. I had to keep turning down the volume and the gain to alleviate the problem. Eventually the sound was turned all the way down.

The first F100 I purchased was the floor display model and lasted less than 30 days. It was the horrible crackling sound. So I returned it to Guitar Center and they replaced it with a brand new F100 right out of the box. The 2nd F100 lasted just barely a year before it gave me the problems as I observed in the Sounds section.

When my wife ordered a beenie from these guys she said they were extremely kind and helpful. She was right. When I called I left a message and the rep called me back in about 24 hrs. He told me to take into an authorized repair shop. Unfortunatley it stayed in the repair shop for 4 months before it was sent to Mesa for additional repair. A month later it was back at the repair shop ready for me to take it home. I tested it out at the repair shop. The crackling noise was gone, but now the hum was louder. Also there was pinging sound when I would switch channels. As I continued to play the loud popping noise was back.

I don't recommend this amp. I highly recommend other Mesa products not only for their tone but also for their customer support. I will always be fan of Mesa just not this amp.
Again I just want to say that I'm not a numbers spects kind of person. This was my personal experience with this specific amp. So if I left out a specific name, title or definition, I don't care I have better things to do than count how many threads are on a screw.

the one i have is a 2005 model. two channels plus the contour on the lead channel. it is SUPER clean. the only bad thing i can think of about it is that the BRIGHT function isn't footswitchable.

i don't know why this amp is getting the bad reviews it has been getting. all you have to do is read the manual to understand how the EQ works, because it really isn't the same as other amps. this beast was designed for tone, and it definitely sounds best at louder volumes. i actually tested this amp twice before i bought it; once before i read the manual and once after. it made all the difference in the world.

the half power switch is pretty handy too. you can push channel two a little harder at 60 watts and get a nice, fat overdriven sound without people hearing you down the block (although neighbors still may complain).

i have a greg bennett avion with duncan designed pickups and an esp MH 1000 with an emg 81 in the bridge and an 85 in the neck. on the esp, if i wish to use the neck pickup, i have to roll back on the bass just a hair. this thing will do blues all the way up to metal, regardless of what ANYONE will tell you. the clean channel rivals the jazz chorus 120 in my opinion, especially on the bright setting. the only thing i'm going to do to improve the tone and take it over the top is buy a BBE sonic stomp. greg bennett himself taught me that little trick at a clinic we held. thanks, greg!

i haven't had any problems. boogie makes some good stuff, so i'm not worried. if you're chewing through tubes, you are doing something wrong. i really stress that it is important to read the prodcut manual before you operate this amplifier. while i awaited mine, i took time to download one and read it cover to cover several times.

like i said, they make good stuff. they'll take care of me if i need it. ESPECIALLY since i work for a boogie dealer, which never hurts anything ;-)

after nine years of playing, i've finally found 'the one.' i've owned five other amps, and while all good in their own way, this one is going to hang out for a long time. i'd replace it as soon as i could put up the dough if i had to. expensive but worth it. the only reason i give it a 9 is because of the forementioned footswitching desire i have. with the cocoa bronco finish and tan grille, this thing really stands out. do yourself a favor and save a little cash to get something from boogie. they have something for everyone; i tried mavericks (right as they discontinued them), recto-verbs, dual and triple recs, nomads, marks, and every f series amp and head. from jazz to metal, boogie can cover you.

I have a late 2003 model. I play mostly rock, I like emo and punk when Im at home but my live stuff is mostly rock. The F-100 has been able to adapt to all of these styles with ease. The amp has two channels but the lead channel has a contour switch that scoops the mids and gives a more compressed sound. I like all of the features, this is my first tube amp so I wanted something simple and that is exactly why the F-100 was designed. The only thing I would have liked to have seen on this amp would be a bias selector that allowed for the use of EL34's as well as the standard 6L6's, I also would like to have seen the powere amp section be assignable to the differnet channels(I like to run the clean at full power and the lead at 1/2 power) however too many extra features would have changed the nature of this amp. The 1/2 power switch is excellent and although it really doesn't majorly affect tht output levels it does great things for the headroom. My rating of 8 is only because the amp has fewer features than most Mesas but then again that was the idea behind it in the first place.

I love the clean. Most people prefer Mesas because of their lead sound but in my opinion the clean tone of this amp is its strength. I use a big apple strat with two humbuckers and the clean sounds are exactly what I ahve wanted for some time. The lead channel however sound great but I would have preferred a more compressed sound it sound gravelly and throaty - dont get me worng it is a unique sound and definitely all "mesa" but dont get this amp confused with the dual rectifier which has a much tighter sound. This amp is capable of many sounds and would work well for a cover band - I think the contour switch is great for switching between a more modern sound and a more loose vintage sound. I however was looking for a signature sound; in a way I got it with its clean channel but I still just cant quite find what I want from the lead. That is not to say the lead is bad, on the contrary, it is unique and bold and will cut through the mix like a knife, I just wanted something slightly different with my lead and I dont think there is a single amp that can meet both my clean tone needs and lead needs in one package - my solution will be to run two amps as A/B the F-100 for lead and either a Framus Cobra or the trusty Dual Rectifier for my lead.

This thing is a tank. Mesas never break down. I have replaced tubes and fuses but that is to be expected. However, just like any boutique tube amp it should be taken care of and not just tossed around bya n idiot roady - although I bet it would hold up if it was.

Never needed them.

I have been playing for 10 years. I have used many amps (line6, peavy, crate, marshall) they are all trash compared to Mesas. I would be sad if it were stolen but it is insured and I would go out and buy a new one that very same day. I love this amp because of the clean, I remind you that this is my opinion, but I had a sound in my head that I never found until I heard the clean on this amp because I play clean about half of the time this piece of gear is indespensable to me. I will continue my search for the holy grail of lead sounds and I know mesa is a great place to look for it.

Mine is a Mesa F100 2003 model. This amp is so versatile and suits my different syles. From Blues > Rock > Classic rock > Heavy metal. It has 2 chanels, Clean and Dity. It also has a contour channel which contours on how you attack the strings. This amp is pure POWER. From 60W to 100W, you can select whether what power you would like to unleash.

You guys know the other features, go to the Mesa website.

I mainly use a Gibson Les Paul with 490R/498T pickups. I was blown away by the clean channel of this amp. It really holds its own. Also, you have the "bright switch" for that fender cleans.

Man, the distortion channel of this amp is awesome. It is wicked! Sometimes i don't even have to use my effets pedal to get the evil distortion that it has. Must be the 2 V30 Black shadows.

It is really not noisy at all.

BREWTALITY!!!!!

This amp is a tank!!! if the marines go to war using an amp...this would be their arsenal for annihilation.

Maybe this will take forever to break down. Have it for a few years now and no problem at all. Nada!

You can't break this thing. It will break you first before it does.

If there's anything that can beat Mesa Boogie's customer service, then i will start going to church.

5 year transferable warranty...can't get any better than that.

I've been playing with this monster for over a year now and this thing is wicked!! One of the best combo amps that Mesa made. I really don't know why some people who gave review ahead of me (never even owned) gave disappointing reviews.

You just can't go to GC or your local music store, try it out and give your judgement. You have to own it and use it a lot to be able to critique this amp.

Also, you must learn how to dial in different tones that would suit you best. If you don't have the patience to do this, then just get a solid state amp which is Plug and Play.

Warning: this amp is not good for novice musicians. But great for well seasoned ones.

This amp rules!!!