Mesa/Boogie F-100 Head

It has everything you need as far as tonal control is concerned. I like that the clean channel has a pull bright, and the reverb is solid. I also like being able to choose between 100 watts and 60 watts for different voicing. Basic, but effective. Each knob influences the sounds of the other, so tones are very diverse. Wish it had a third channel, but that is no big deal.

I use an Ibanez sz320 and a Carvin Tweed 2x12" cab and this amp sounds absolutely unbelievable. Power tubes are groove tubes, and they are perfect for this amp.

The clean channel with the pull bright is very punchy, and has a growl that is amazing, I truly have found the perfect clean sound for my playing style, it doesn't sound tiny at all, it is robust and has a great breakup.

the distortion channel is perfect. the gain available is everything you'll ever need, and if it isn't you can switch to the contour section and melt your face off. my only complaint is the volume difference between contour and non contour mode, but not a biggie, it can be compensated. I just love the harmonic voicing in this amp really can accomodate any music style, and since i play jazz to blues to hard rock to heavy stuff this amp achieves all the ranges in tone i need. i really can't be happier with the sound.

This...will...be...the...last...amp...i...will...ever...need. Not likely to be my last, but i can't see ever getting rid of it. Better tones than the rectifier on both sides of the dial.

It is fairly new to me, so i can't really offer perspective on this. I do know that I needed to have the electronics that control the reverb worked on, since it didn't work when i recieved the amp, but since i purchased it off ebay i cannot say how the user before me treated the amp, how hard it was pushed, if it was surge protected or not, only time will tell. all the other mesa products i have had in the past were solid and long lived, so i expect the same.

Mesa was helpful over the phone in helping diagnosing the reverb issue and steering me to have it repaired, even isolating the chip that controls it, but that was only a phone call.

Awesome amp, awesome tone, if you can find one in your price range you will not regret it in my opinion.

Made in 2004, bought new in 2005, I got in 2006 with four years left on the warranty. I waited till after the honeymoon to review it here, so I would be so enamoured with my new toy that the review wasn't useful.

It's a standard two-channel all-tube Boogie with Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb (seperate for each channel), and master Volume for each channel. Also has a pull-Bright pot on the clean channel. No Presence control, but I've not found that to be an issue. Switches from Clean, to Dirty, to Contour mode (specially-voiced 'boost' essentially), and the power can be set at 60 or 100 watts. I've never needed the 100 setting because it's hugely loud at 60 watts. Effects loop with level control in the rear and a line out. It has merely average features, but with the FX level, pull bright, and line out it gets a SIX. Good ... not great.

Here's where the rubber meets the road ...

The clean channel on the F-100 and F-50 is, as most people say, every bit as good as old Fender clean. It truly is that good. I have owned siverface Fender Twins and Dual Showman Reverbs and the clean on the F-100 hangs. It is sparkly and dynamic, deep and round. Simple gorgeous. And with a Bad Monkey or other TS-type pedal in the chain it does an excellent Stevie Ray with a Strat or G&L Legacy.

The 'crunch' channel is equally good. It's not a Marshall-type crunch, but a solid heavy American gain that can go from pushed blues to singing Santana and cover everything in between quite well. I have never ran the gain past noon, but at noon it is very overdriven and still articulate. You could do metal with it by maxing the gain, I'm sure. Very deep crunch with a lively touch with humbuckers or single coils. I live on the clean and 'crunch' channels because there is way more gain there than I'll ever use.

The contour channel is a mid-voiced boost that will yield a decent hot-rodded JCM800 tone if you roll the mids up to 3:00. Roll the mids all the way off and up the gain and it'll do a decent Dual Recto tone. Very surprising.

In all ... one of the most versatile two-channel tube amps I've ever owned. I'm in two bands playing a wide variety of music and the F-100 covers it all, and covers it very well. When I went amp shopping I felt I just HAD to have exceptional cleans, and I could use pedals for the rest. As it happens, I got it all in one amp. Simple awesome clean, crunch, and lead tones. Takes a backseat only to he VHT Pitbull and Bogner Shiva with respect to awesome clean and killer crunch in the same amp. It gets a NINE (no one gets a TEN :o).

So far so good ... dragging it in and out of trucks every weekend. I feel the F-50 and F-100 are the more simple Mesa models and so there is less to go wrong. Mesa Boogies are built for reliability but I have read of problems with other models. If this thing holds up as good as my Peaveys always did I will be deleriously happy with it. Gets a SEVEN cuz it hasn't been but a couple months.

Mesa seems really good at the CS game thus far. I can be a demanding customer and so far they get a NINE. I bug the hell out of them and they've always responded in a timely manner, and the guy on the other end of the phone always seems to be knowledgable and competent. Above average ... SEVEN.

Been playing for over 25 years (I started young). If this were stolen I would buy a Mesa F-50 head only because I don't really need a 100 watt amp and the F-50 would be lighter. :o) I tend to be pretty loyal to amps, having gigged Peavey Classics for ten years (the C50s and C30s are, with decent speakers, one of the best amps ever built for blues and classic rock). If this thing holds up as well as the Peaveys I will probably be a Mesa/Boogie convert for the rest of my life. The F-100 is one of the most ass-kickingly versatile amps I have ever played outside of the new solid state modeling amps. And the clean tone is among the best ever made, in my humble opinion. The fact that the dirty channel is equally impressive puts it on my all-time top three amp list. VHT Pitbull ... Bogner Shiva ... then the F-100/F-50. Simply awesome. It gets an overall EIGHT.

Do you know what year the amp was made in?

-My amp was made in 2004. It was purchased in December of 04.

Is the amp versatile enough for you and the styles of music you play? What are those styles?

-I enjoy playing a wide variety of styles. The F-Series can cover many styles very well. Everyday I am blown away by just how versatile this amp really is. The clean channel is very Fender-ish, and the distortion channel sounds like a good Mesa, but with a little hint of a Marshall tone. With the contour mode and the gain up, it can almost get into Rectifier territory.

How many channels? Does it have channel switching? Effects loops? Headphone jack?

-It is a 2 channel amp, but because of the footswitchable contour mode, it acts very much like a 3 channel amp. Channels 1, 2, 2+Contour, and Reverb are all footswitchable. It has a parallel effets loop, and a headphone jack with a speaker mute switch. It is also switchable between 60 and 100 watts.

What features do you wish it had? Why? Are there features you never use?

-The fact that this amp is lacking in the features department is what makes it so great. It is an all around, simple amp. No extra bells and whistles. There are only two things I wish it had; footswitchable effects loop and footswitchable speaker mute. The one thing I do not use on this amp, because I think it is lacking, is the reverb on the distortion channel.

Where do you use this amp? Does it have enough power for you?

-I use this amp whenever I am playing guitar. My house, band practices, and gigs. It is an all around great amp. It has plenty of power, even on the 60 watt setting.

What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with?

-I own a Gibson Les Paul and an Anderson Grand Am. I play mainly on the humbucker pickups, but the single coils on the Anderson sound great through the clean channel. This amp brings out the best of both guitars, and the Les Paul + F-100 combo is now my favorite sound.

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?

-It suits my music style very well because it is a very versatile amp as far as sound goes. Covers a whole lot.


Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?

-It is noisy, but not very. That is expected of any tube amp with distortion though.


What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?

-The variety of sounds this amp produces is what makes it so great.

Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? In what settings?How brutal is the distortion?

-Clean channel can distort at high volumes on the 60 watt setting, but it sounds pleasing. You have to really push it. The distortion can go from a very light crunch almost into a Rectifier heavey.

Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

-I depend on it ALOT. I have been gigging it for 2 years without a backup, and it has worked perfectly every time. I probably should have a back up, but after 2 years with no problems, I have put my faith into Mesa and this amp to pull through for me, and they have not proven me wrong.

Has the amp ever broken down? Because of neglect of
regular servicing (as in tubes), or just plain neglect?

-Neither. When I first got it, I accidently turned it on a couple times with no speakers plugged in. That is a big no-no, and can really damage an amp. But the F-100 is still going!

Mesa is a great company. You can call them on the phone and get through to someone right away, no menus. I have also left messages and had ALL my calls returned in under 2 hours. I have not needed to get it repaired, but there are many authorized service centers. Mesa provides you with a list when you purchase the amp. A 5 year warrenty is hard to beat too.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

-Been playing for about 6 years. Own the F-100, 2 Mesa 2x12 3/4 Back Cabinets, a small (8U) rack, and my 2 guitars.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

-I would buy it again because I love how simple and versatile it is.


what do you love about it? What do you hate?


-Don't hate anything about it, love everything.


Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?

-I compared it to a Marshall DSL100, TSL100, Mesa F-50, and Dual Rectifier. This amp wins hands down. Much better clean than the Rectifiers and Marshalls, and way more versatile. I choose this over the F-50 because I like the extra headroom of 100 watts on the clean channel sometimes, and it is switchable to 60 watts.

Anything you wish it had?

-Just the footswitchable effects loop and speaker mute.


Anything else you'd like to share?

-I am giving this a 9 because for me, it is almost the perfect amp. But I do not think anyone will ever find the perfect amp, because peoples desires change frequently.

a 2002 F-100. 2 channels w/independent controls for each channel w/footswitch controlled by midi cable not in line with guitar (cool feature as i would say). footswitch engages 'countour' option for really ridiculous biting lead sound, but if you lose the switch, goodbye 'contour'. this amp has plenty of power, yes sire. one thing i love is that you can just throw new tubes in a mesa without getting the amp re-biased. it has been fun running different types of tubes in it and while some of the tubes i'm running have lower plate voltages than what the f-100 puts out (i think around 475), still, they seem to work and i think the end result is just a shortened life span for the tube. used 5881, 6L6GA, KT66, and yellowjackets with EL84s in them. in all different configurations. this is intyeresting but the amp sounds pretty frawking awesome with the stock mesa tubes in there as well.

guitars - SG special faded w/humbuckers and ibanez musician w/seymour duncan in bridge p/u. i use it for hard rock. it has a great sound. the amp IS pretty noisy at idle. i'm playing it through a closed back 2X12 'swathed in tolex'. the cabinet has one 16 ohm weber ceramic blue dog and one 16 ohm weber ceramic thames speaker, wired parallel for 8 ohms. the speaker combination can handle 130 watts, which is perfect. i wanted it to have an edgier sound. when you use this amp, pay attention to what the manual says, and then break the rules a little bit, but don't just crank everything and hope for the best.

the amp is reliable although i haven't used it very heavily yet.

mesa are awesome just call them up and ask away. even if you bought the amp used.

awesome amp. kinda mean stuff as i would say.

I had posted a review a bit earlier, and I am giving an update!

I had to contact Mesa/Boogie in regards to a question that wasn't covered by the owner's manual. When I was plugging in my Marshall 1960BV (4 ohms) and a JCM800 2x12 (8 ohms) at the same time, the volume to my 4x12 would drop right off the scope but the 2x12 would remain at the same volume. So I called Mesa/Boogie on that Friday afternoon. I got a message saying that they are closed on Fridays and weekends. At first, this kind of pissed me off. So I left a message explaining my problem, and forgot about it. Then, lone behold, the next monday, I get a phone call from a very helpful fellow from Mesa/Boogie. He told me that I can't run them both at the same time as this head was not designed for that. I asked about a thousand questions, and he answered them all patiently. I can run two 8 ohm loads, but not a 4 and an 8.

FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME, AS I'M ALWAYS DOWN WITH TALKING GEAR. :]

Same as everyone else's amp. I'm not sure when my amp was made, but oddly enough I purchased it used from Tyler (see a few posts previous down the list).

2 channels, with a contour mode on the gain channel. I was after a two channel amp.. clean and dirty. I wanted an amp with 6L6es and a solid state rectifier. (As a jazz guy, I'm all for headroom, solid midrange response and punch). I was also looking for something with as few tubes as possible... 4 12ax7 and 4 6L6 is a reasonable complement for a 100watt tube amp, so I couldn't resist trying her out. (the less tubes, the less things there are to go wrong, I figure)

This amp has a lot of power.. I rarely run it in 100watt mode, save for those occasions when I am in a very loud rehearsal space and I want a pristine clean tone (for jazz) at very high volumes.

On that note, however, I am not sure how the half power bit functions. (Whether switching to 60 watts simply cuts out two of the tubes, or whether all 4 power tubes are run on triode mode) Mesa should really add that to the documentation.

One thing to note is that this is actually a pretty BIG head for the amount of electronics inside. This is far from mesa's most complex piece of work to date, and yet it is about the largest amp head in their entire lineup. (about the same size as a knucklehead reverb, if I am not mistaken!) It generates a fair bit of heat, so having a bit more volume is probably not a bad thing, but I wouldn't mind seeing it decrease in size, perhaps at teh cost of having a fan installed in the chassis.

One feature I am fond of from my VHT and Seymour Duncan amps is a 'variable damping' potentiometer... seemingly not popular on boogie stuff, but it can be kind of handy in dealing with different cabs.

I'm using this amp with a variety of guitars - solidbodies and a couple of semi-hollows. Humbuckers on all. (not a single coil guy) I tend to play either ultra-clean (jazz), slightly dirty, or all out hi-gain.

The clean channel is quite good. Darker than the F50, as the product literature indicates. I never use the 'pull bright' switch myself, opting instead for a dark tone that has solid mids and lo-mids. I can get a passable jazz tone with the amp head alone, but I tend to run a KFK-1 graphic equalizer pedal in front to knock out some of the highs. The clean channel is quite resistant to breakup in non-bright mode, which is a good thing from a jazz guy's perspective. The reverb is not super lush (see my comments below), so don't expect to get that fender twin 'drowning in reverb' vibe.

Like all mesa gear, this amp is not the sort of piece of gear that you can figure out in one sitting.. each of the filters (treble, mid, bass, gain) has suble effects on the others.

The lead channel on non-contour mode is definitely crunchy. I'm not a huge crunch fanatic, but I do have the chance to A/B this amp against more common heads (marshall DSL100s, randalls..) at our rehearsal space. From what I can see, this amp has a good tight bottom end that doesn't sag or fart out. I think part of the problem with non-mesa owners reviewing mesa gear is that you have to cut the level of the bass filter when you are doing high gain work. (as the mesa manuals themselves recommend). If you don't, the low-end becomes a bit flubby.

The contour mode is just downright NASTY. I love it. My jazz band is doing some megadeth and metallica tunes as warm-ups, and with my jackson USA SLS soloist (dimarzio pickups), this amp gives a wicked metal tone through the various stock 4x12s that I end up using at our rehearsal space. I simply can't agree with the people who reviewed the F100 combo and asserted that it did not have tight-sounding distortion. This amp has a really wicked sound in contour mode. So much so that I don't even bother to scoop the mids any further with my graphic eq pedal.

As for my jazz musician colleague Gary below, it is fairly obvious this amp wasn't to his taste. I personally avoid playing complex and dissonant intervals in high-gain mode, so I haven't noticed some of the issues that might have concerned him. I must, however, protest slightly by stating that the clean channel on this amp is more than a 6/10. It's actually a good, solid clean that bests a lot of other boogie amps, as well as a good 80-90% of those offered by other manufacturers. Of course, the clean channel doesn't sound like a fender twin or evans jazz amp, but it does give a pretty straight-ahead clean tone that can be tweaked nicely to give everything from a lightly clipped blues sound to a dark jazz tone. The crunch channel is less versatile, but there are a few sounds to be obtained there too.

The recording output works pretty nicely, although I have a mesa formula preamp for that purpose.

I think that the weak link on this amp is the reverb. It's a fairly sterile sounding reverb which offers fairly lukewarm support on the clean channel, and almost nothing on the lead channel. I think if i were to gig with this amp often I would run my G-Major through the effects loop and cut the internal reverb out entirely.

As for noise, I actually haven't a huge issue since I swapped around tubes. When the amp arrived from the US, I found that three of the preamp tubes were performingly fairly poorly.. the amp was sputtering a bit. After swapping around with a bunch of spare tubes, all was well. The clean channel has a bit of hiss, but no more so than any other high-powered amp. The distortion channel is actually really quiet.. moreso than the clean.

One thing I might add as a cautionary note to blues guitar players (and other guys who like power tube saturation) is that this amp has to be pushed pretty hard before you get power tube breakup. it is really quite a loud amp, and perfect for my style because I favour high volume levels with maybe just a hint of breakup. However, for blues, you actually want to be pushing the amp a lot. Just be aware that the volume levels required to push this amp hard are significant. (You aren't going to be able to get away with doing that in a small room or apartment) As a former twin owner, I can vouch for this thing's ability to produce a spanky blues sound. a twin will sound better at lower volumes, however.

If you want earlier breakup, the F-50 is probably a better choice. (And it is undoubtedly lighter too!)

I would depend on this guy without a backup. It's a fairly simple amp that is well engineered. I peered inside the chassis at one point, only to come away impressed with the build quality. (Although I still think VHT is probably the best manufacturer of high quality PCB amps, Mesa is also right up there)

The only cautionary note I might sound is that I have not played this amp extensively due to having a couple of rack systems and a combo.

I've never had the need to contact them.

I've been playing on and off for over 10 years, one of which was spent as a working jazz guitarist. (happily, I no longer have to play gigs for a living!). Current electric gear includes 3 Jackson USA models (SLS, Swee-tone Archtop, Swee-tone Jazzr), a hofner verythin, and a cheapo godin SDxt. I've owned other guitars in the past, and other amplifiers (including a fender twin, a marshall tube head, and a host of other combo amps). Right now I have a couple of rack setups, including an Evans custom jazz preamp, a mesa formula preamp, a mesa stereo 2:50 and a VHT 2:50:2. My cabinets are all ear-candy.. a couple of Ethans and a couple of Buzzbombs.

If this amp were stolen i would dither between buying it again as a replacement, or upgrading to a rivera knucklehead reverb. (I had the chance to briefly fart around with the latter recently, and I was much impressed) However, the rivera is significantly more money, and weighs far far too much. For now, I'm happy to stick with the F100.

This is a great amp for the price. It offers a lot of power, high build quality, and quite a few decent tones. The clean channel does a variety of things from spanking clean to slightly pushed to darker jazz tones. The dirty channel ranges from pushed blues tones through to really nasty metal (contour mode). Unlike some reviewers of this model, I have not noticed either excessive noise, or flubby distortion. (and this after having the amp shipped air from florida to BC..lots of opportunity for damage)

The only weak spots for me are the reverb on the distortion channel, and the size of the chassis. It might also be nice to have an EL34/6L6 switch so you can try out different types of tubes.

One last anecdote... i took this amp head to my rehearsal space the last time we practiced. The bassist, drummer and I started going through a few metal riffs with the F100 in contour mode. When we were done farting around, the owner of the rehearsal space opened the door and asked what I was playing through in order to get such a wicked hi-gain sound. (Jackson USA SLS, and a stock yamaha 4x10, if you must know). The owner of that space hears a lot of amps...day in and day out... obviously he thought the F100 was doing something right.

This amp was made in 2005, and I purchased it 3 days after Long & McQuade got it. All I really need is a clean channel and a dirty channel. I was using a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 for my dirty and a Line6 Flextone III XL for my clean (a Morley ABY switch to change from one amp to the other). I tried this head out in the shop through a Marshall 1960 Lead cabinet, a Mesa/Boogie Rectifier oversized cab, and standard cab, and through all of these I couldn't really find a sound that I liked. A friend of mine who works at Long and McQuade convinced me to take it home and try it out for the weekend. So when I got to the jamspot, I plugged it into my Marshall 1960 Vintage cabinet and I was blown away. Utterly blown away. The dirty channel was just MEAN sounding. So much tone. It made my Marshall look gutless. On my Line6, I had primarily used the Vox AC30 model for my clean sound, but with the F-100, I dont need to use a model anymore to get a great clean sound. Wow. The clean channel is just amazing. So bright.

I think the main thing, feature wise, that sets this head apart from the Marshall DSL 100 is that both channels have a seperate EQ, which is huge. To get the sound I wanted out of my Marshall, I had to turn the bass up quite a bit, and thus, the clean channel would be too bassy, and from my Line6, I couldn't get the warm tube sound out of it. It sounded too stale, not to mention lugging another amp around (ugh). The 100/60 watt option is great. I rarely have to switch it to 100 watts, plus on the 60 watt setting, it's alot easier to find the "sweet spot".

As far as features I wish it had, I was kind of hoping the footswitch would be able to control the FX loop. If it did, I could then run my Line6 DL4, MM4 and my ISP Decimator through it. But whatever. Right now, I'm just running my Decimator through the FX loop.

I use a number of different guitars, but really only 2 mainly. I use a Gibson SG Special Faded and a Godin SDxt. Both of these guitars just sound incredible through this amp, both distorted and clean. I play in a screamo band (www.myspace.com/chapelhill) and an experimental indie/post-hardcore band, and this amp works amazingly for both. The clean channel gets kind of crunchy when I open it right up and crank the hell out of it, but it's to be expected, and I rarely play that loud. The distortion is surprisingly ver very tight. Like I said above, it's MEAN. You can feel it in your chest. But it's not all fuzzy like other amps' distortion. There's a bit of a hiss when not playing and the distortion channel chosen, but that's to be expected.

I haven't had this amp for too long, but many friends of mine own Mesa's and they've never had any problems with them. I would definitely bring it to a show without a backup. The warranty shows how reliable it is.

Haven't dealt with the company, but I've heard nothing but great things.

I've been playing for a while, and I've gone through a Marshall DSL 100, JCM900, Line6 Flextone III XL, and a short, foolish stint with a Peavey 5150 (down with Peavey, lol). If this amp were stolen or lost, I'd sell a kidney to get another one, if I had to. This amp, in my opinion, blows away all of the amps listed above. I put it up against a Dual Rectifier (I liked the clean channel on the F-100 more), a Marshall JCM900 (didn't have any balls to it at all), a Line6 Vetta head (solid state = bad. I tested it out just out of curiosity) and a couple other amps (both heads, and combo's) Like I said, I just wish it had an FX loop button on the footswitch, but it really doesn't matter that much.

GREAT AMP!!!

Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments. :] I always enjoy talking about gear.

2003 Used Import from Brooklyn USA with original USA voltage.
(Subsequently converted to UK Voltage)
All the features previously mentioned in other reviews.
Came with all documentation, and spare sets of matched boogie power and preamp valves from the supplier, who threw in some Planet guitar leads as a bonus.

Use a variety of guitars, PRS Singlecut, Fender USA with roland GK2A through VG8 into power amp socket, direct guitar into preamp.
This amp has a very high gain section, and mains hum through a stepdown transformer was very high, when gain channels used. See Conversion details below. I managed to acquire a wide boogie cab in pristine condition and replaced the Black Shadow 90w with a 200w EVH.
Everything now matches.

No, this is my third boogie, I have a Studio 22+, very old Satellite 60, and V twin all solid as a rock.

I contacted the UK rep for Boogie in Scotland, they were very helpful,
and corresponded with me via E mail, Boogie USA, and a friendly UK amp tech who eventually did the conversion, which involved a new mains transformer and smoothing resistor as per UK spec which is required, originally they sent a Dual Recto transformer which was exchanged at no extra cost for the correct one. The amp is now almost perfect, no mains hum, gain gives a slight hiss on the rhythm channel, which all my boogies do,the lead/contour channels are quieter, but deliver all the punch /tone/drive as and when required.It is very loud even at 60 watts, and upsets our drummer which is a good point,I haven't had to use the 100 watt setting yet, as most of the venues I play at object to having the punters flattened against the wall.

This amp is incredible,despite all the bad reviews, it is a no frills
tone machine, you have to tweak your sounds and keep them, or make a note of the settings.It was fantastic value for me as it was only three months old, and was sold as a tour spare from New York.
With the conversion just under 200 pounds, and customised and checked
out by the amp tech, still better value than a UK music shop import. I have owned this amp just over 9 months, gigged it regularly on a weekly basis, and have had no problems. It will probably see me out.

The other reviewers pretty much have the specs covered. i think the features are great, the price is good too. could have more options, none more needed though.

I went to the local guitar shop to give this amp a serious test. that meant over an hour in the ioslation room with my custom tele, through a recto 4x12, 2x12, 3/4 2x12 and 4x10 cab.
I've searching for a loud, professional, versitle head. i play jazz, both solo with an archtop, and in trios and quartets. clean sound is very important.
the clean sound on this amp was decent, however, there was some strange buzz. my tele has kinman humbuckers, copper shielding EVERYWHERE, shielded wire, and shielding paint. the room had no computers or neon lights. the noise wasn't very loud, but annoying.
The clean sound rates a 6 for sounding fairly bland, and having the noise issue.
Hving read the reviews here, i thought the overdrive/distortion channel would be perfect for me. i'm a very technical player,lot's of cluster chords, harmonics, and fast runs. i need good definition in an overdrive channel. the music i play isn't metal, and i rarely use much gain, (my previous set up was a 60's bandmaster with a eq peal for overdrive.)
the sounds of this channel were highly disapointing. they were grainy, undefined, mid-heavy, and one dimensional. i'm a professional guitarist, and have spent a lot of time in studios, so i know how to eq amps. i spent an hour running through settings, even the ones suggested in the manual. i tried out the amp with ales paul custom, to just see if regular humbuckers would help. they did not. there was plenty of distortion availble, lot's of sustain, but i couldn't bring myself to like the amp. i was very let down.
the distortion rating-4

don't own it, wouldn't own it, but i've had plenty of boogie in the past, it's very well made stuff.

mesa is a great company to deal with.

This amp promises a lot, and fails to deliver. It's 100 watt setting my have something to do with that. the f-50 was incomparably better. however, the amp i fell in love with was the rectover head. far better tones all around, better looks, higher stand of construction.
i never thought i would like the rectifier sound, thought it was for young rich kids who covered sloppy playing with sloppy distortion. but the sparkling cleans, girty overdrive, harmonically rich crunch and violin sustain were all there... so much for presuppositions.
BTW, i tested TWO f-100's to make certain it wasn't a bad tube, or floor model. they sounded identical-identically disappointing.

To start this off, nothing is perfect(10) so 9 is my best score. It has 2 channels with separate eq and reverb which is good enough for me. The knobs don't change the tone as much as I'd like but the tone is good enough as it is so that's ok.

I use an Ibanez RG3120 with emg81/85 and i play everything from heavy metal to hard rock to crazy solo stuff (a lot of stuff) and it suits all of them very well. I played through so many amps before i made this decision. The dual rectifier was nice, but it is $400 more and this tone just has a better overall tone. This can't get the crunch like the dual rec can, but it still sounds awesome. It's nice and warm and not harsh like the rectos. The clean is quite amazing as well. I'm more of a distortion buff, but the clean is still awesome. I actually owned a Peavey Triple XXX for like a week and no matter what i did to it i just couldn't get a satisfactory sound out of it. All the Peavey heads I've tried (5150, 5150II, Triple XXX) seem to have this background fuzz in the distortion that just won't go away. Mesa and Marshall win the distortion award for me. I read about other good rock amps like Bogner and Rivera, but they're expensive, and they don't sell in very many places so I've never had the chance to try them. It would be cool if they'd add another channel to this and make it a duplicate of the recto lead channel, then this might be a 9.5. But like I said I tried every major Marshal, Peavey, Mesa head and this came out on top for me.

Mesa Engineering aka brick builders

haven't dealt with them, i'm sure they're great

The price is pretty reasonable. I'm a college kid so it was a bit pricey and also the $800 cab. I don't know why their cabs are so expensive, but yea this set me back a few bucks. If it was stolen I'd get a job and buy another and beat the guy who stole it with the one he stole and shove a hot tube up his...anyway...Yea the tone is nice and smooth out of this amp and it's nice and simple. I don't know if replacing the tubes would help because i don't know what kind of tubes Mesa uses, but e-mail me if anyone has any suggestions, thanks.