New Borrowed Mesa Fillmore 50 Day!!!!

Robert Herndon said:
So today, I met with @Don O at his Mountain Chalet. It's really difficult to describe how he has found a way to use unused spaces in this amazing villa. The views - inside and out - are simply breathtaking.

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There are hidden storage areas, dramatic staircases, a crafting room, a wine cellar/wine tasting area that looks like it was imported from a Tuscan chalet, a wet bar and a fabulous studio.

It's just one of the most amazingly innovative custom homes I have ever seen. Don's skill as a craftsman and organizer rivals anything I've seen by pro builders.

Down the stairs and into the studio, the collection of guitars is eclectic and incredulously varied. From vintage pieces to his own hand-built 'DOC' models, the museum-quality display is simply stunning.

We started out demoing several of his Mesa amps. These amps can be really intimidating. Don was kind enough to work the controls while I jammed away, and the array of tones was incredibly varied.

Oddly enough, one of the best sounding amps in his stable was a mid-1990's Marshall Valvestate 8220 - S80, 2x12 chorus. That was the surprise of the night. Those old British-made Valvestates are simply remarkable. However, while this amp sounded great on its own, that's no indication of how it might sound in a full band setting.

After going over guitars, eating lunch and chatting in general, we broke the seal on the new Fillmore 50.

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The packaging was really substantial. Even the area inside the cabinet - including the speaker and tubes - was packed with bubble wrap. The build quality of the amp was immediately evident. The build tag had over 10 initials from different stations. The pots have a very viscous feel.

The tolex was applied in absolutely flawless fashion...better than Friedmans and Dumbles that I've seen firsthand. There was not one blemish or flaw found, even under intense OCD scrutiny.

Once fired up, we found the Fillmore very quiet. Immediately, you realize that none of the controls work like a Marshall. We tried some settings from the owner's manual and they sounded amazingly good.

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The two channels are identical in their layout and operation. Each channel has Clean, Drive and Hi settings and each has its own master volume and separate reverb controls.

The cleans are really remarkable, but figuring how to get them requires a learning curve. The treble and gain controls are uber-sensitive and the bass, mid and presence controls are less precise in terms of how they affect the tone.

When the gain is cranked on the "HI" setting, the tones are very Malcolm Young and the tone is incredibly good. However, gain beyond an early AC/DC tone requires the Tube Screamer be kicked on.

The TS-9 really increases the gain, but it also tightens the structure and adds emphasis on the bottom end. The TS-9 instantly elevates you into the rhythm tones of Early George Lynch and Robbin Crosby.

The Fillmore responds well to pedals and the FX loop is very quiet. Reverb is a bag-encased, long spring unit that is infinitely adjustable.

We jammed around on it for quite a while, trying all kinds of different settings, and while all of the settings sounded good, I feel like the only way to really figure this amp out is to spend some time dialing this in during a live souncheck with a full band.

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I can honestly say that I have never been so bewildered by trying to dial in tones on any amplifier. The tone controls really are different than anything I've ever worked with. In some ways, dialing in less mids seems to boost the bass and dialing in more treble actually boosts the gain!!!

I'm studying the manual in hopes of getting a more complete understanding of how this amp works and how best to control it.

Don has been kind enough to let me road test it at the music academy and use it for our live performance at Rockstars' Christmas Party on December 18th.

I'll post updates, thoughts and observations to this thread as I become more familiar with the Fillmore.

A really great day of music today!!!!

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My fellow gearheads, it is exactly events like this and so many other MOTM type events are the heart and soul of TTR. Pictures are great! Video clips are great! Hanging out and jamming with your gearhead family... Priceless!!!
 
WavMixer said:
My fellow gearheads, it is exactly events like this and so many other MOTM type events are the heart and soul of TTR. Pictures are great! Video clips are great! Hanging out and jamming with your gearhead family... Priceless!!!
Click to expand...
We’ll need to work on a larger So Cal TTR MOTM come spring time. Certainly yourself, Mitch, Robert, Chris, and any other local (Gball and Syscokid are “close” too) would be welcome. Something like an all day Saturday jam, could use a drummer too !
 
Continued:

The Mesa Fillmore really does shine in a live mix. The other guitarist today was running a Boss Katana, and even when turning down the Fillmore, it kept steamrolling the Katana.

The Mesa has a super powerful mid range edge that cuts through everything, so you really gotta stay on top of it to make it sit in the mix.

The Marshall has more low end/resonance and speaker movement, so it sounds huge, but it also requires higher volumes to fit into the mix when compared directly to the Mesa.

Both sound good and I shared videos with my TTR friends on Facebook Messenger, so I think more evaluation is needed before I can call a winner.

Having said that, the Mesa seriously impressed live where I felt it was "just OK" played by itself in Don's studio.
 
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