Mesa F-50 combo vs. Marshall MF-350 Mode 4 head

xPrestigeRGAx · #1 09-02-2007, 05:53 PM

Hi. What would be better for me? Mesa F50 combo or Marshall Mode 4 head with a Vintage 30 equipped cab?? The marshall head is 575 US with shipping and is mint. The Mesa is used and is 650 US+ shipping. I play modern rock and Modern "Nu" Metal. I use an Ibanez RGA 121 Prestige. Can someone please help me out??

P.S. I really like the band Linkin Park and their sound. Does anyone know what kind of gear their using? I know they got PRS guitars but I dont know which amps.

I got 1100 to spend.

Thanks

Phishphood42 · #2 09-02-2007, 06:00 PM

Oh god I can't believe this is even a question, get the mesa. The mode 4 is total piece of crap, avoid at all costs. Total guess here, but the linkin park guy probably uses a mesa recto, since everyone else in that genre does. A recto is pretty much the stereotypical nu metal sound. The f 50 is very good, but different. Fenderish cleans and a more mark series like lead channel

Which recto you get is up to your taste. If cleans are important to you try a tremoverb, most rectos have pretty lame cleans. The highest regarded ones are the old two channel dual rectos but you have to pay more because of this

xPrestigeRGAx · #3 09-02-2007, 07:33 PM

REALLY?!! wow..I read reviews on harmony-sentral and people say its AMAZING on par if not better with Mesa recto heads. Just I dont want to pay close to 400 dollars to change the tubes. you gotta change them every 6 months and good tubes are liek 170 to change all. Just too much maintaince. The F 50 has liek 6 tubes so its gonna be over 100$. Whats so bad about a Mode 4? Peopel say its good for meta and modern rock. Cleans dont have to be Fender-like but they cant be crappy. Something good. I was thinking a Peavey 6505 but the tube changes..

xPrestigeRGAx · #4 09-02-2007, 07:40 PM

I want a Linkin Park sound..so get Mesa Dual Rec then? How bout SIngle Rec? Wats the difference between those 2? I have money but Im not good at choosing amps..if someone can help that'd be great

sirbrandon101 · #5 09-02-2007, 07:48 PM

so is this the 99th or 100th thread you've made about what amp to get?

Phishphood42 · #6 09-02-2007, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xPrestigeRGAx

REALLY?!! wow..I read reviews on harmony-sentral and people say its AMAZING on par if not better with Mesa recto heads. Just I dont want to pay close to 400 dollars to change the tubes. you gotta change them every 6 months and good tubes are liek 170 to change all. Just too much maintaince. The F 50 has liek 6 tubes so its gonna be over 100$. Whats so bad about a Mode 4? Peopel say its good for meta and modern rock. Cleans dont have to be Fender-like but they cant be crappy. Something good. I was thinking a Peavey 6505 but the tube changes..

Whoever told you that about tubes is full of ****, you don't change them nearly that often and that price is way off unless you're changing all your power tubes everytime you swap stuff. If something goes its most like the V1 preamp tube which costs like $8

Also, those reviews are bull****. The mode four sounds like crap, look up some threads on the harmony central about it. The 5150 is also a good choice for metal, but it doesn't have the recto voicing, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your taste. Look around harmony-central for clips to compare, and I think in flames uses 5150s

Quote:

Originally Posted by xPrestigeRGAx

I want a Linkin Park sound..so get Mesa Dual Rec then? How bout SIngle Rec? Wats the difference between those 2? I have money but Im not good at choosing amps..if someone can help that'd be great

The single rec is like a dual rec but it doesn't have the option of a tube rectifier. The silicon diode rectifer is tighter sounding and probably what you would be using most often, so a single rec might be a good choice

xPrestigeRGAx · #7 09-02-2007, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirbrandon101

so is this the 99th or 100th thread you've made about what amp to get?

Ok man...Im trying to help me find an amp. Its like the 5th thread. if you are not going to help then dont say anything

Wild_Child · #8 09-02-2007, 07:58 PM

Just go out there with your guitar and try them.

Folks here can give you their opinion till the cows come home but in the end its up to YOU to choose what it is you like, nobody here is going to do that for you.

xPrestigeRGAx · #9 09-02-2007, 08:05 PM

I did try a Dual Rec. I love it. I didnt try a 6505. yea In Flames uses 6505. I want that Modern Nu Metal (Linkin Park sorta) sound. I can buy a dual rec but how much would it cost to replace the tubes? how often do you change each tube? like i know there is a V1 position and some other ones. But im not good at that..

Phishphood42 · #10 09-02-2007, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xPrestigeRGAx

I did try a Dual Rec. I love it. I didnt try a 6505. yea In Flames uses 6505. I want that Modern Nu Metal (Linkin Park sorta) sound. I can buy a dual rec but how much would it cost to replace the tubes? how often do you change each tube? like i know there is a V1 position and some other ones. But im not good at that..

Why do you care? That is not a significant factor in the purchase at all. If you absolutely have to know I guess like $40 for the preamp tubes and $75 for a matched quad of 6L6 (thats a little on the high side) so I guess around $100. This is not something you will have to often at all, I really don't see why its important

Anyway I'm not even sure if you could do a recto on your budget without getting extremely lucky on e bay (like the roadster that just sold for $700 because of some hiss, how did I not catch that

). A recto head will probably be like $1000-1200 with two channels going for more sometimes, and you would still have no cab. You could try for a combo though

Phishphood42 · #11 09-02-2007, 08:20 PM

Otay WTF is with these sick mesa deals? I just watched a 2 ch recto go for $900 with a genz benz g-flex cab. If I was sure I had the funds I would have jumped on that. I could probably sell the recto for a few hundred more and get a free g-flex, doesn't get any better than that

David McCarroll · #12 09-02-2007, 08:41 PM

Unless you are gigging several times a week, or have a habit of using your amp as a room heater, you will get an absolute minimum of three years life out of your tubes - more if you are doing less gigging.

The Mode Four is not a great sounding amp, at least not to me - it is both unpleasantly trebly and tubby sounding at the same time - must be a horrible amp to get sitting nicely in a mix - yuk.

xPrestigeRGAx · #13 09-02-2007, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phishphood42

Otay WTF is with these sick mesa deals? I just watched a 2 ch recto go for $900 with a genz benz g-flex cab. If I was sure I had the funds I would have jumped on that. I could probably sell the recto for a few hundred more and get a free g-flex, doesn't get any better than that

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I BID ON THAT DUAL REC AND G-FLEX CAB. But i didnt win.

%# &^#^*&%^

and i dont gig. Just play in my living room.

xPrestigeRGAx · #14 09-02-2007, 08:55 PM

I needed to know how much tubes cost cuz I will have to change them sooner or later...so I needed to know if it was alot..but my Dumbsh*t friend told me tube chaging was liek every 6 months and it was 170 for new tubes. Thanks to David McCarroll..if i play at bedroom level, they should last me about 3 years minimum.