Mesa/Boogie F-50 112 Combo

I've owned this amp for almost a year now and have since also bought a Dual Rectifier Roadster. I currently play in four projects (church band, cover band, experimental band and a hard rock band). I jam with many other musicians in many different styles. I've played and owned various other high and medium-quality amps too, so this review will be as fair and informed as I can make it.

This is a 2005 Mesa/Boogie F-50 1X12 Combo with a custom gold grille (which is really just a vintage looking dark brown). The custom grille is the reason it was $1700 and not $1400 (Canadian dollars remember), an expensive option but I feel it was worth it because now the amp looks sexy as hell. :) The amp excels for any style of music where you need a full sounding, Fendery clean channel and a fat, gainy lead channel. It's versatile, but certainly not the be-all-end-all of amps.

Features:
This is a very simple amp (for a Mesa). Two channels (gain, treble, mid, bass, reverb, master). The clean channel has a push/pull bright switch and the lead channel has an optional contour mode (which acts like a V-shaped active EQ). It has a parallel loop with a mix control and a record/headphones out with an optional speaker mute for silent recording. The footswitch has three buttons; channel 1/2, contour on/off and reverb on/off. You can use the internal MC-90 speaker or a 4 or 8 ohm external cab.

I wanted a simple, great looking, no-nonsense amp with great tone and that's exactly what I got. It's perfect for what I use it for. If you want more options in a similar package, get a Lone Star.

The Clean Channel (10/10):
This might be my favorite clean channel ever. By itself it was pretty much the reason I had to own this amp. It's really full and bouncy sounding. Single notes are big and fat, chords ring out clearly. You can dial in as much grit as you'll need or keep it pristine clean. The lack of a presence control isn't an issue, as I find the voicing is perfect regardless of the guitar I'm using and is very tweakable with the bright knob and treble control. The bass/mid/treble controls are very effective and regardless of where they're set, never sound bad - just different. It's the kind of clean tone you never want to stop playing. I a/b'd this amp against the Lone Star and felt the F-50 had a slightly nicer, cleaner, snappier tone. This channel goes from dark and fat to spanky and bright and everywhere inbetween without breaking a sweat. Sounds like whatever guitar you put through it. Single coils quack, humbuckers sound full.

The Lead Channel(s) (9/10):
With the gain low, it shimmers and crunches. Turn up the master for some overdrive and it gives a cool American version of AC/DCish tones. Turn up the gain and it sings and sustains for days. It's smooth and fat with more gain than you'll ever need. Perfect for gainy leads of any kind. With the contour mode on, it gets pretty angry (use a 4X12 extension cab and it'll get close to recto territory). This channel is very versatile and can sound great. The reason it doesn't get a 10 is because it tends to make guitars sound alike and can get muddy with lower tunings or overly bassy guitars. If you're playing smooth, gainy leads with 'the right' guitar, you'll love it.

Reverb (9/10):
It's not the best reverb I've ever heard, but it's very good and very usable. I find it sounds best when either very little is dialed in for a bit of a distant sound or when it's all the way up, for a drenched effect (think weird Radiohead guitar effects). In the middle, it can sound excessive without really 'helping' much, but if you're going for an overkill effect, it's great and very full sounding. There's lots on tap.

I've played a lot of amps and this is definitely one of the better sounding ones. All things considered (price, looks, features) I think it's a steal and I'm very happy I bought it.

I have yet to actually contact Mesa/Boogie. I own two of their amps and have friends who've owned Mesas for years. The only problem I've seen to date was with this amp and it's so minor that I'm not even going to bother trying to get it fixed.

Basically, the power cord comes loose sometimes where it plugs into the amp. It's a bit annoying when I'm on stage and all of a sudden my amp dies, but if it's going to happen it always happens right away (during sound check) and is easily fixed by just pushing it into place. After I do that, it always stops causing problems for the night. If this problem didn't exist, the amp would get a 10.

When I got this amp, two of the preamp tubes quickly became microphonic. They were fine at first but quickly went south and caused feedback problems at high gain levels. I'm not going to blame Mesa, since they don't make their own tubes, despite the fact that they relabel them. A quick visit to my Mesa dealer fixed the problem, they gave me free replacement tubes (which sound slightly better anyways) and the problem has not come back.

These two things have been minor and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from Mesa again (and I have). Their amps are built like tanks as far as I'm concerned.

In all honesty, this amp can take a lot more abuse than I expected from any amp. I've accidentally ran the amp without a speaker load plugged in before a couple times (I'm a dumbass, I know) but it hasn't had any effect on the amp. I've done this with my Roadster too. The one time I did that with my Marshall JCM800 (an amp that should be rock-solid), it blew the fuse and a power tube right away.

Like I said, I've never dealt with them personally. But I only hear good things about their customer service from others.

I'm a bit of a gear nut. I go to stores often and try their equipment out in hopes of finding better stuff. This amp is the result of me doing a lot of researching and trying every piece of gear I saw. It fits my needs perfectly and I'm very happy with it, even a year later.

As stated, I also own a Dual Rectifier Roadster (2006) and a JCM800 2204 (1989). Before these I owned a Peavey 5150 (modded) and a Laney TF200 Combo before that. The amps I owned before those were beginner amps that aren't worth mentioning. I currently play a Gibson Les Paul (with Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz pickups), a Carvin DC-127T (with a Seymour Duncan Full Shred that I don't like very much) and a modded Squier Bullet (which will get a lot of work done to it in the coming months). I'm looking for 'the right' PRS at the moment too.

I've been playing for about 6 years now and have been obsessed with guitar equipment the whole time, only buying the best I could afford after a lot of research. So hopefully anyone reading this review understands that I know what I'm talking about and am not just praising the amp for the simple fact that I own it. It really is that good...maybe not for everyone, but near perfect for me.

Feel free to contact me with questions.

Features have been earlier noted, so I wont waste time.

Tone controls are VERY versatile, so any kind of tone can be achieved.

Best clean by FAR outside of a Fender. I think it has to do with the 6l6's that are in this. Very warm and resonsive. Reverb is nice when used in moderation.

Gain channel with its contour switch really allows for just about any kind of mile OD to all out Metallica. I'm getting pretty close with my strat, so I imagine Buckers will get even heavier.

Amp is not noisy at all, and I'm using single coil custom '54's, so they're about as noisy as Fender makes 'em. Still no problem.

Neat thing aboutt he gain control: When you crank it up, it doesn't just get Fuzzier, so to speak. You can actually hear it get more defined and clear. Its really the best sounding amp I've ever played.

With the fact that it weighs a ton and comes with a 5 year warranty, I'd say Mesa is pretty confident that it will last.

If warranty is the criteria, they get a ten.

Been playing 10 years, owned a Blues Jr, own a silver face Champ, had a ton of SS amps, pod xt, gnx3.......
Nothing comes close. I wouldn't reccomend it for anyone that doesn't wish to know how bad they really are...The amp is very articulate. Even on its highest gain settings, you can arpeggiate a chord and still hear every note. Truely amazing. Its alot of cash, so I spent hours upon hours trying every amp I could get my hands on up to around 1800.00. This was the OVERWHELMING choice for me.

Mine was made 2004 and much said about this amp. What I can say is that it has a great versatility as it is reasonably future proofed. In addition to this it has pretty much everything you would expect from a higher end Amp at this kind of price.
Seperate eQ for each channel is essential and obviously here with a perfectly able Reverb. A prescence for the "contour" stage would have been a healthy addition just to sculpt the lead sound slightly if required.

The main reason I am posting is because of the sound. First things first everything good you have heard about the clean channel is true. It is hugely versatile and will allow you to pick get funky bluesy jazzy, ballady - whatever, pump the gain slightly and you are moving -towards another animal altogether. Still this is really limited (in my opinion) by the 1x12 configuration. I bought the 1x12 as I thought the Mesa would get it on the button. However I can only state that I was slightly disappointed with the sounds when you pumped it up to gig levels. No doubt the amp still outclasses anything else for the money BUT it is only when you plug this into a decent 4 x 12 cab that this baby starts to really sing. At this point the whole amp becomes a breathing object of desire and fulfillment. Through a decent cab the sounds are so much richer and wider in soundstage (as you would ecpect). I can honestly say that My band are blown away by how sweet this can sound - it screams with my Les Paul and is beautifully glassy clean with my Strats. The contour I underuse as I am happy with the ist stage and kick in a tubsescreamer to solo, but all in all the Amp is great WHEN plugged thru a decent cab. Stick it at home to practise on its own at low vol and its fine, crank it up without a cab I think it struggles.. Got to say though that at volume the amp is noisy as hell, and this amp would be impossible without a noise gate at gig vols..

Had a problem with it shorting went back to the states (I AM UK) and came back to me within 3 weeks. Xcellent service leant me an F-50 in the interim too.. No probs since touchy wood

I have asked a question ref matching the amp to various cabs and I got a same day response, though a little short in response.

I have had a number of amps over the last 20 years, mostly combos but a few heads too including H&K, Laney, fender etc.
I wish it had a little more drive, past 1pm the dial doesn't seem to do too much on the drive channel, though I've got to say that as we play heavy rock and not death metal we tend to get away with it. Would have liked a presence knob for the "contour" stage as sometimes it can be harsh..

I would keep this amp as a backup and am looking at the H&K Triamp mk2 as my main amp, this will always be a favourite and I will always use it studio and smaller gig.. It would be replaced

2005 model that I got used. I am the second owner. It is a two channel, three "mode" amp, all tube. Channel one clean, channel two dirt, and channel two with contour for high gain. Footswitch included, for channel switching and reverb on/off. Effects loop, headphone/silent record out, which I never use. The front panel is very simple and looks almost bare bones, but you can dial up a great range of sounds from this simple layout. I play it in my apartment, and let me just say that I can't turn it up at all unless no one else in the building is home, and I have earplugs handy. It's ^%$#@!& LOUD. Louder than a lot of 100 watt halfstacks I've heard.

I play an early nineties deluxe strat plus with lace sensor pickups (neck blue 50's gibson sound, middle silver hot single coil sound, bridge red humbucker sound). This is probably the most versatile amp I've ever played on...I play a variety of styles, and it does them all quite well. The clean is amazing - very fat, rich and full, with very well defined top end. Plenty of headroom before the clean breaks up. My clean channel is a bit noisy, but I think I just need to replace one of the preamp tubes and it should be golden. Even with this minor problem, it still sounds awesome. Mid gain bluesy/overdrive sounds are great too. I can sound like B.B. King in a second using the neck pickup. It NAILS an AC/DC vintage high gain sound in the channel two contour mode with the gain set at 9 o'clock (of course you need a humbucker for this). Very Marshally, but almost sounds better than a Marshall in my opinion. High gain sounds are great too, in ch 2 contour with gain around 2 o'clock to 2:30. You can get a great hard rock/borderline metal sound - think Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness era Smashing Pumpkins. I play a lot of that because I'm in love with Billy Corgan in a non-sexual way. The distortion in this mode is pretty wicked, but it won't do death metal (not that I want it to anyway).

No problems with it so far - like I said, it needs a preamp tube replacement, and the power tubes could stand to be replaced every once in a while, but this is just par for the course with a tube amp. It's built like a freakin Sherman Tank - the thing weighs probably close to 55-60 pounds. Very impressed with Mesa build quality. Even so, the dip$%^&s at UPS (they suck! It was packed to survive nuclear holocaust, and they still damaged it. they also left it sitting outside my apartment when I specifically asked them not to. so ^%$# you, UPS!) managed to damage it during shipping - not a big deal though - just a small split in the vinyl at the top corner.

I've talked to Mesa a couple times, because I was looking for an authorized repair place to repair the damage UPS did, and also asking them about preamp tube problems. They've always been very prompt and courteous. Good company.

This thing is awesome - I love it. If it were lost or stolen I would cry like a little girl, then save up for a new one. As versatile as amps get - sounds great in a variety of situations.

The features on this amp are amazing, the clean and dirty channels and the contour option make this an amp I can use on everything from clean jazz to slightly dirty blues, right up to heavy metal. the back side of the amp offers more options too. the two 8ohms outputs mean if for some reason the 12 inch speaker doesn't do enough I can run two extension cabs from it and add more power even though I don't think I'll need to the headphone jack also puts a grin to my face since I can play late at night and not worry about hearing "Turn that down it's 3 AM!"

I play in a rock band that has everything from clean acoustics, to thrashy sounding songs. on the acoustic stuff I mostly use the clean channel with an ebow produces great clean tone. when we play the harder stuff it's just a tap of the footswitch into to the dirty channel and I'm good to go. as I said above you can use this amp on all different styles of music. I play it with my PRS Custom 24 and each pickup setting I havn't come across a sound I didn't like or if I wasn't 100% happy I would just do some quick tweaking of the nobs and then it's back to perfection.

this amp has been through a bit it's been rented out from where I work, and I know some people don't take care of gear and care even less about gear that isn't theirs, this amp still sounds crisp and not a single problem has come thus far

Havn't had to do this yet

I loaned this amp out from my work a little under a week ago and it's not going back when I brought it to band practice the singer, and rhythem guitar player and I sat down and played with it for a bit to make sure the sound would fit our bands style. after about 3 min we decided it's staying.

I just purchased the 1x12 F-50 Wide Body Combo from Guitar Center for $1099. I would like to say that my initial thought is that it is worth every penny. I needed a very versatile amp and was also considering the Mesa Lone Star special (which has HORRIBLE distorted sounds, so I tried this after and was AMAZED at house great it was). Its basically a 2 channel with a gain boost (contour) switch which can be activated via the footswich which adds a lot of flexibility to this amp. I wish it had 3 full channels but I can't complain because the contour switch does add a lot to the sound so it is almost a 3 channel amp. I was orginally looking for something in the 30 watt range. But this sounded much better than the f-30 and I couldn't pass it up.

For my playing style...I need something that can play alternative, country, rock, oldies, pretty much anything BUT metal. I like Weezer, and Blink 182 as my favorite modern bands and play alot of their stuff. But like I said I need versatility to play just about anything and this amp provides it. I use a Fender American Deluxe Telecaster plugged in direct (no pedals) and get AMAZING tones out of this amp. The cleans are absolutely beautiful with good reverb sound on the amp. I am very impressed by the cleans. The 2 channel had all the options I needed in a good combo amp. The distortion is very crisp and has a good deep tone to it. It sounds very good and has lots of sustain. The contour switch kicks in some more gain/sustain and seems to give it a little more dynamics in the separation of the lows and highs. I was somewhat concerned up front that I wouldn't have good low end sound from a 1x12 but this amp quickly changed my mind. It sounds great. This amp is loud and I couldn't imagine playing with anything more. This will be perfect for me. It has very little noise but you can hear that its on. The reverb sounds very good! Overall, a very versatile great sounding amp all in a small but loud package.

I can't see having much of a problem with it other than the tubes needing replacing and maybe some nicks in the tolex. I will probably use this without a backup when I start playing out but will bring some spare tubes just in case. This amp is built pretty solid. Also comes with a nice cover to keep it nice looking.

Comes with a 5 year warranty on the amp that is transferrable. I haven't dealt with them on this amp but I have called there and emailed several times about other products and questions and they were extremely helpful.

I've been playing about 12 years and own my Amer Deluxe Tele (2005) and this amp along with a Taylor 30th Anniv 814 Acoustic. I just sold my American Deluxe Fat Strat to get the tele which sounds much better through this amp. When looking for an amp I was very concerned about the tone. I first bought a Mesa Triaxis/2:90 rack setup with TC G-Major and Rack Tuner and Mesa 2x12 cabinet. It sounded great but it was WAY too much to carry around and pretty complex for my needs right now. I sold that and bought an Orange Rockerverb 50 Head and 2x12 cabinet which I sent back. It wasn't the sound I was looking for (it was more of that classic midrange Brittish type sound). Then I went to Guitar Center and played a few combos like the F-30 and F-50, Mesa Lone Star Special, Fender Twin Amp, and a few more. This was the most versatile and complete sounding amp with the best overall tones out of any I tried and it was a great price (well...compared to the $3200 i spent on the rack setup and the $2300 on the orange amp). The best thing about this amp is it is very portable but has lots of good features, awesome tones, and is a good price. TRY ONE! You will want to buy it...guaranteed! (I use a Fender Amer Deluxe telecaster to get these tones....another great buy!) THIS AMP IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Amp was made in 2005. Features 2 channels ( clean/dirty) with a Contour feature on the footswitch that really adds some clarity to each channel when engaged. There is a headphone jack which is ok for clean sounds but awful ( as all are) for distorted tones. I am not sure I have much use for this function. The amp also allows for a recording function which disables the external speaker and allows to you to plug straight in for recording. Have been able to get some nice tones using Live 4 on my MAC.

I wish this amp had a "solo" function/boost like my Dual Rectifier has.

This amp is 50watts. Plenty loud for club playing. Not a great pick for a bedroom amp even though I do use it as such. This amp is proof that 100 watt heads are overkill unless you are playing Madison Sqaure Garden. More than enough power to handle any gig on my local circuit.

I primarily use an Ernie Ball Musicman and an EVH Wolfgang. I also have a Les Paul black beauty, Les Paul 1960's Neck, PRS Singlecut, Mike Mushok Sig baritone guitar, a Neil Zaza cort NZ-1 and an old Jackson soloist. I play modern covers ( Nickelback, Incubus, Disturbed,etc) , original instrumental music and dabble in jazz.

The clean channel on this amp is excellent. I wish my Dual Rec had this good of a channel. Sounds great for jazz and blues. The distorted channel is not as aggressive as a dual rectifier. However, I run a Zakk Wylde Overdrive pedal in front of this and get all the tone I can stand for modern rock and shredding. Without a pedal in front I am not so keen on the channel. Of course I feel the same about my dual rectifier. Put a TS-9 or Zakk Wylde overdrive in front of this amp and you will not be disappointed.

No troubles yet. My dual rectifier died on stage a few weeks ago( turned out to be routine pre amp tube issues ) so I picked this up as a backup. I run this amp thro a Mesa Boogie 2x 12 cabinet or a 4x12 cabinet. I may use this instead of my dual rec for portability and better clean channels.

Most Mesa reliability issues come down to routine maintenance and tube changing. I have had no issues with this amp yet but I know from using a dual rec for 5 years that these amp are easy to maintain.

5 year warranty on this amp. I have had to have my dual rec serviced and Mesa was great about getting me to an authorized repair shop. In the end it was blown preamp tubes( I had only been changing rectifier and power tubes and was too ignorant too realize the 5 preamp tubes that I never changed in 5 years.). Mesa was very helpfull despite my stupidity.

I have been playing for 22 years. I have an extensive pedal collection and use : Vox Clyde Mccoy wah> Digitech wammy> Zakk Wylde Overdrive > Analogman Comprossor> Boss Tu-2 Tuner> Boss Noise Suppresor> Analogman modified Boss TR-2 Tremolo> Analogman Mini-chorus pedal. I always have delay on ( boss DD-20) in the FX loop.

I would consider buying another one if mine was stolen. I wish I could take the clean channel out of this and put it in my dual rectifier. The distorted channel is good but not as aggressive as a dual rectifier. I wish it had a solo boost.

Bought new 11/05. You know the features by now and it's plenty amp for me. The only feature I wish it had was a volume control for when the contour is kicked in.

First off, the last poster must have been playing a defective amp. The clean channel on this thing is pretty amazing to me. I play with a guy who has an old fender twin. The sound is so similiar its scary. I hate when peaple review their amp and say it has Fender cleans. My last tube amp had pretty nice cleans but I could easily hear the difference. This is a bit tougher. It's been very quiet with my humbucker guitars on both channels.

The lead channel also suits me well. I'm a classic rock guy that ocassionally likes to get a little heavy. I've yet to turn the gain past 10 o'clock. This is a good pure rock sound and just hitting the contour from here makes it scream. It'll sustain for hours.

Two months. So far so good. I'd bring fuses and tubes to a gig.

Other than being slightly overpriced, I'm totally happy with it so far. I've said enough.

F- 50 made in 02/03, with the black shadow 12 inch celestion

I play in a part time clubbing blues r and b band- was thinking I would get rid of my peavey classic 50 and relace it with the f-50- use a strat mainly. Tried one at rehearsal. sounds like shit, could not get a decent clean tone out this amp no matter how hard I tried. I play a range of swing, jump, and chicago blues with some rock material thrown in. The only thing this amp was good for was highly distorted lead. I was amazed at how bad this amp is. I am so glad I didnt spend the dough and rented it first. The store wanted $800 for the amp.

maybe mesa is only for thrashers that want muddy sounding distortion.

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this was a terrible soundng amp, all the low end notes were just mush and sound just rumbled- not tight at all.

Features already reviewed. If your looking at this then you know what the features are. Pretty simple layout, 2 channels, contour mode and reverb.

Oh my god. When I got this amp in the mail (widebody) I let it fire up for about 10 minutes and let it rip. Soo good.
It's not overly bright, it's fat, full, and round. The slightest movement in the gain knob can make a whole world of difference. The amp is very versatile, it also takes to pedals well.
There is a bit of noise, but all tube amps are a bit noisy. I expected it. It is very managable noise anyway.
The clean channel is one of the best I have heard. So is the contour mode. This amp compliments my playing style soo well (Alternative rock).
It can get muddy when I need it, it can shimmer when I need it, so NOT a one trick pony.
The Speaker, or th esound that comes from the speaker is very dimensional. Very Big. Loads of depth. 3D. It blows the shit out of my AVT150H and AVT412. More rich sounding, and it brings out the sustain in my Gibson SG Standard. Makes my Fender Stratocaster sound like the guitar it is.
I was thinking about replacing all the tubes, or maybe just th epower tubes with electro harmonix. I heard it makes it a tad more clear, not that it is unclear, but it could use a little bit of rounding out. Nothing a change of tubes can't handle. I can wait though.
It's an amazing thing. Playing this amp actually makes me feel like a better musician.

This thing looks like it will last a long time. Regular upkeep is needed, as it is for every tube amp. Kinda like an oil change in a car.
I will be using this live, and have no worries.

Havn't dealt with em.

I am soo glad I bought this amp. It gave me motivation and a deep breath of fresh air. I wanted a stripped back amp with very little components. That is what I got. Two channels of bliss. The reverb is ok, not the best, but it IS analog so that's good. I love the recording output. I love the simple layout. I was soo sick of the billion knob setup of my AVT150H. This mesa boogie makes the marshall AVT series sound like a transister radio. Even though it's 50 watts it is more than enough to blow the eardrums right out of any crowds skull. I plan on adding a Marshall 1960AX cabinet soon. That will complete my setup for a while. Maybe later I will get the Soldano Hot Rod 50. But those days are far ahead. I am totally happy with this combo, and will be satiated for a long while.