Mesa Boogie Fillmore 50 Guitar Amplifier Review

This is the Mesa Boogie Fillmore 50 Guitar amplifier. A huge thanks to my friend Dave for letting me borrow this beast for the review! Check it out here:
► Sweetwater (USA) - imp.i114863.net/MesaFillmore
► Thomann (Global) - bit.ly/3bfNSEn
► Amazon UK - amzn.to/2wIZ5OZ
► Amazon Canada - amzn.to/34EgG72
(affiliate links)
-
►Patreon: / intheblues
►My Socials - linktr.ee/intheblues
►My Sweetwater Gear Page - imp.i114863.net/intheblues
►intheblues Merch - bit.ly/2KLR5CV
(Links to Sweetwater, Thomann, Amazon, B&H, Artist Guitars, and Walmart are affiliate links.
-
#mesaboogie #fillmore50 #intheblues ‎
This KZbin channel participates in Affiliate programs. These programs are designed in a way for the channel to earn an income by using the links provided in the description or pinned comment section. Please note: Not all links on this KZbin channel are affiliate links.

[@intheblues]

Here's something a little bit different for a change! A huge thanks to my friend Dave for the loan of this thing! Let me know what you think. 😀 Check it out on the links below: ► Sweetwater (USA) - imp.i114863.net/MesaFillmore ► Thomann (Global) - bit.ly/3bfNSEn ► Amazon UK - amzn.to/2wIZ5OZ ► Amazon Canada - amzn.to/34EgG72 (affiliate links)

[@nobrain5895]

I own the head, thruogh an OX Box is all i need...:)

[@antma9028]

Good review, sounds nice as usual. By the way, as a fellow lefty i want all your guitars!!

[@dalton7145]

Unfortunately Mesa Boogie amps will never be in my price range, unless I hit the lottery!

[@DMSProduktions]

@@antma9028 All yorr gitahh are belong to us!

[@herbrubio4474]

I’ve yet to hear one less than satisfactory review from Shane! Way to go mate, thank you so much!!

[@joeykelly5642]

That thing barks with humbuckers! Nice to hear a more traditional rock sound coming out of a Mesa/Boogie.

[@ccmusic2249]

Hey Shane, your playing on the clean channel with your Strat was absolutely delightful. Tone was fantastic. Great review!

[@frankenstein4106]

I bought the 50 head first, and fell in love. As soon as they brought out the 25, had to have that one too. Great amps, and so versatile!

[@gregs8685]

I just bought the 25 watt version and it is truly awesome. Fender Tweed cleans to crunch to fantastic overdrive tones. It covers everything short of metal. Best small combo under $2k IMO.

[@Roomfulofgear]

thanks for reviewing this amp, which I also own. I will say this without any bias (because all my friends who played through the amp said the same), but this amp is worth its weight in gold!

[@jakesmith4506]

amen. i have one too.

[@gregs8685]

I third that assessment

[@frankkramer9064]

Just bought mine today

[@joshuataylor8228]

This has been the best review I've seen of this Amp. Really want one now!

[@brentduxbury5814]

Bought one of these with the matching ext cab just last week. Played first gig with it last Friday and it totally aced the 80s, 90s, 00s classic Aussie rock covers we’re playing. Not having much time with it before the gig, decided to keep things simple and just dialed in a nice clean sound and used pedals. Loves gain pedals!! Was previously running a 68 Deluxe Reissue for that band but wanted something I could put an ext cab on and get a little more headroom and spread. Like you say, it’s not the loudest 50 watts but it definitely sounds louder and fuller with the ext cab and looks great as a mini stack. Pretty happy with my purchase so far and the weight is only about 1.3kg (3lbs) more than the 68 Deluxe. Time will tell if there’s enough clean headroom but I think it’s a really good fit for my needs. If not, there’s always the Fillmore 100 :)

[@almightyguitarnerd]

Your leads sounds great with cleans decent at least. Thx for review - I'm eye balling this amp for a while and you took me one step closer to shuffle 2500 for head and the cab

[@jasong546]

Hey Shane! I remember that when this and the new tweed amp came out there was sooo much criticism of the demos! I think they are both incredible, I really like the Fillmore 25, and the tweed. I love the power options. Man, once again you sound great!

[@markrock7]

Fabulous review. You clearly laid out the positive and negative aspects of the amp. Thanks!

[@jamalabdul2009]

Wow!!!! I didn’t think I would like the tone of any Mesa Boogie but this Filmore 50 has a nice drive tone and cleans are surprisingly nice and delicate.A tad pricey but I feel this could be “That” amp which would be all you need. I’m surprised Dave had this amp buried between all of his Fender amps😆😆! Thanks for showing us something a little different but rocking!!! Cheers!!!🎸🎸🎸🤙🏾🏆

[@jt3483]

I really enjoy your reviews and videos. great job as usual.

[@JamesJohnson-hb1me]

I like mine! But I have the Fillmore 25 combo and I normally plug into a 4x12 instead of using the built in speaker. I really enjoyed the playing and I like that Vee!

[@Sep45]

Hey Shane it'd be awesome if you got your hands on Mesa Boogie California Tweed. Be a great demo with your playing style.

[@jakesmith4506]

Excellent demo. I love my Fillmore 50. I also have a TC-50. The TC-50 is a louder 50 watt amp. But, I still get sound techs telling me to turn the Fillmore down. ha. Well, I enjoy your channel and your reviews are very honest. thank you again. from DETROIT.....Jake.

[@dalehobbs8782]

Hey Jake- from Detroit area as well. Im considering the Fillmore 25. I don't gig too much, and either use my '68 Princeton RI or my Fender DR. Im looking at the Fillmore because of the available options. I tested the 25 and really liked the clean channel, with available gains to suit me. Wouldn't mind hearing your opinion after using your Fillmore 50. Thanks!

[@tdunster2011]

Spot on review Shane.I've played a Fillmore 50 quite a bit and for a do everything type amp that can get drive tones at low volumes for home and yet still be loud enough for live work it's hard to beat. In my opinion, it's a jack of all trades and expert at none type amp. The clean sound is adequate but lacks headroom - my Carr Rambler is 14w triode/28w Pentode and it sounds a lot bigger and with just a $60 Boss Sd-1 you can get all the benefits of the Fillmore 50's driven sounds in an amp that's both lighter and with an infinitely better clean tone. Don't get me wrong here - I think that the Fillmore 50 is a superb amp and for someone that can't quite settle on an amp it may be the one your looking for - because it has a very niche thing going on - it's more TA30 than in it is Rectifier or Mark V as well - so even if you don't like other Mesa amps you might like the Fillmore. For people that like Super Reverbs or Tweed Twins, or Plexis - look elsewhere cause this is not your amp.

[@dankelly7712]

Thank you that’s all good perspective and advice

[@chrisbenington7526]

Great demo Shane but I kinda miss the red stripe Bandit! You and Ric pulled some great tones out of that!

[@colinpadley1897]

Sounds fantastic, and of course, great playing.

[@PooNinja]

Always crank the master to get that sweet power amp sag 🤘🏽great review I wonder if a different driver would give ya the Bass bloom you’re looking for ?

[@stanislavmigra]

Sounds great and it is not crazy money for amp that carries MB label

[@stevenolsen3162]

Great phrasing on the solo Dude....

[@spyderlogan4992]

Regarding the 'loudness' of the amp...It could be that the speaker's efficiency isn't properly matched to the amp. Having said that, I would find that hard to believe since Mesa should know the best speaker combo: All the Fillmore combos use their "Celestion Custom 90".

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

Spyder Logan youre an internet genius 😂

[@climber7565]

I loved the tune you played at the intro, do you have that MP3 for sale?

[@jezmez68]

Also got the 25 watt version and it's the only amp I will ever need. Using OD and Distortion pedals, you can get pretty much any tone you want. I'm even getting "close-to" Vox tones off the clean channel.

[@GeoZero]

Will the clean allow better transparency for pedals like a Vox AC30? I do like the crunch/distortion you got out of it, but also want something I can dial in with my pedals.

[@lancefry9279]

I’ve been giging one of these since they came out. Took a bit to get it where I like it. I’m a deluxe reverb guy, but now I (we’ll soon as we can start giging again) I grab this. I bounce between setting a good clean and using pedals and channel switching. Both ways works great. I always like running my delay through the loop on this. Shane is right, it doesn’t bloom like a fender, but it holds its tightness and ability to take pedals cranking the volume up. My deluxe’s only like drive pedals to a certain point and then flubs out or just sounds like crap. This amp I can crank up and still sounds great. So most of the time I’m using the Fillmore. Further more, it seems the Fillmore is more dynamic and reacts to your playing better than my deluxe’s.

[@yessitsme6884]

Wondering if the lack of "bloom" is due to the lack of a tube rectifier. If any MB amp deserves a tube recto it's this one, but I understand the limited feature set considering it's one of their cheapest offerings at a given wattage. Either way, I do love mine

[@DMSProduktions]

I TOLD you it was a good amp hey? It might not be as LOUD as you expected possibly due to the speaker. It maybe have been deliberate, in that the 50W would deliver the headroom, but hold back the volume a bit. Either way all of it sounded great! GOOD demo mate!

[@derrickfoote1961]

Nice to see a fellow lefty, nice playing

[@ravenslaves]

The Fillmore 50 is sort of a throwback to the early Mark series. That's why it's cleaner and far more articulate. If you think of it as a heavily modified Blackface Fender, which is where Mesa started with (at Prune Music) it makes more sense. Need to have a little chat with Mesa about their tube layout, though. Placing tubes right behind the speaker is always bad idea.

[@edgeofeternity101]

I'd like to hear some maybe fat 50's single coils, and some vintage tele pickups. The V sounded amazing, the strat was a big let down in comparison. Something sounded off with the strat. There was too much of a volume drop with the strat.

[@jimmyjimmy951]

Nice sound at my end. Still pick the Artist TT 20 for my needs and budget..👍🇦🇺🐨

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Some boogie woogie! Amp sounds mega !

[@zeppelinfan82]

Did you record the guitar with clean and slight dirty sounds separately? First riff you can hear clean sound and distortion ever so slightly. Or is that low crunch setting? Sounds great to me. Big Mesa fan here.

[@moustachio334]

I love this amp but that Flying V is sweet. I hope this is as close to an original Boogie as it was. The one Santana loved so much

[@abradfordajb]

Another nice video .... thanks. Just for the record, your use of the word "channel" should be "Voice". This amp has two "Channels", and three "Voices" per channel. Nit-picky to be sure, but could be confusing to some viewers. Rgds.

[@sgmarshall3]

Did you profile it with your Kemper?

[@terrylstarks]

Thanks Shane, finally you see what I’ve been saying.. These are just great amps. Mesa doesn’t put anything out but quality. Thanks sounded fantastic!!!!!!

[@robertburkarthiii168]

Maybe it would be a little louder and more responsive if you opened up the volume and tones past 5 on the Strat. Just sayin... Just ordered a Fillmore 100 combo in White with a wicker grille. And the matching extension cab. No volume probs there.

[@iuchilton]

I was thinking the same thing when he said that and I check out his knobs on the strat 😀

[@MetalHeadHippie]

Sounds Groovy.

[@codygoins8832]

Ok so I'm stuck... fender super reverb reissue or Mesa fillmore 50. I use pedals. Klon and the duelist mainly

[@moustachio334]

I can't think of many amps better than Super Reverbs. Unless you need a channel switcher and high gain then go with the Super. The Jensen alnicos are way better than the Black Widow speaker.

[@checkpointcovid8021]

We need Dr. Ric to see if he can blow it up.

[@intheblues]

He tried it at my place and it survived 😁

[@davidthomas3725]

TY 14:41..."cranked it doesn't have the throw of sound I'm used too"....I've been looking for this answer in a million reviews. Nobody that reviews amps talks real world gigging volumes...I need cleans at volume that fill the room....Like you , maybe I'm just used to playing through a Blues Deluxe Reissue....I'm looking for a 40-50 watt amp with great full cleans at volume other then a Blues Deluxe Reissue that takes pedals well....HELP!....Great review!

[@chetmanley610]

Seems like there's better options especially for the $ but it's still a rocking amp!

[@shaunw9270]

If I had the cash to buy one , I'd probably end up buying something else but I can't deny it sounds great and looks fab . I also find it refreshing in an era of "pedal platform" amps that Mesa are stressing the old fashioned notion of plugging straight into an amp and getting great tone , ready to play.

[@Roomfulofgear]

I own the Fillmore 50, and while I definitely fit within that demographic of 'plug straight into the amp', I also own a significant number of pedals that I use through the amp. The tone stack is powerful enough to suit almost any playing style bar the heaviest of metal styles.

[@Goldie_Hawn_Solo]

I dont think you really understand the whole pedal platform thing. This amp is the quintessential pedal platform with the added bonus of a great distortion via second channel. This amp is the pedal platform enthusiasts wet dream.

[@shaunw9270]

@@Goldie_Hawn_Solo No ,I understand it. Personally I own many pedals , most of which I never use because I find fiddling around with pedals takes up time that could be spent actually playing. I've found three relatively oddball valve amps that give me what I need ,either without or with only one or two pedals.

[@heythere6983]

Did the Fillmore come with a amp cover and cable for the pedal? I was at GC and they said it doesn’t so I want to make sure . I also think they swapped the power cable to a skinny little cable

[@shaunw9270]

@@heythere6983 In the UK it wouldn't have been supplied with a power cable. Possibly would have had a dust cover supplied, not sure ...

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I don’t understand Shane talking about volume and gig volumes? Is Australia stuck in the 70s when it comes to stage volumes? You can’t crank a 15 watt amp anywhere in the USA

[@misterknightowlandco]

Your lucky if you can use amp stateside anymore. Idk why they even make amps anymore.

[@voxpathfinder15r]

Mister Knight Owl & Co. nostalgia? I bought a 100 watt combo built by Carvin in 1981 out of nostalgia. I never ever use it.

[@intheblues]

Most places we play at we don't mic up the amps. Some of the rooms are pretty big.

[@voxpathfinder15r]

intheblues holy crap! Don’t ever come to the USA, you will never be able to even crank a 5 watt amp, unless you’re a big name - then they kiss your ass. Big amps are for high school bands that have practice rooms. Once you get onto stage - you can piss off a sound guy with as little as 12 watts. So you’re stuck lugging around a dinosaur set at master volume 1.5. Or you buy a VHT special 6 watt tube amp and close mic

[@tdunster2011]

@@voxpathfinder15r What's a master volume ? [I'm Australian lol].

[@stanesposito2664]

FYI-Mesa says this is a 40 watt clean/60 watt max full power, and 20 watt clean/28 watt max at half power.

[@MRxr400]

I've had mesa's for a while, I don't like the black widow usually, though it sounded ok in this amp. I prefer heads and trying different speakers. Rec's love v30's, be nice to hear this amp through greenbacks. It's probably what let the amp down for you.

[@tomfoolery2082]

The speaker is a black widow i tk u said , is that rt ? And i thot all this time a black widow was a peavy speaker .

[@intheblues]

Blue Marvel is the Peavey Speaker. Yep, this is a Black Widow made by Celestion.

[@stanesposito2664]

Mesa calls it a Celestion Custom 90 speaker. 😉

[@misterknightowlandco]

In the 80s peavey used the name black widow. Then they switched to scorpion and then blue marvel which they've used since the early 90s.

[@brads9385]

@@intheblues Peavey did use the "Black Widow" speaker. The Fillmore 50 uses the "Black Shadow" speaker.

[@Stashmanfpv]

Clean headroom??? ✌🏼

[@lueysixty-six7300]

Honestly...watching you play Blues on a Vee through a Mesa Boogie is kinda Twighlight Zone.. By brain is expecting to hear Metal, looking at that! P.S. I was further surprised to learn that this Mesa packs 6L6'es! Who knew?! (IDK about other Mesa's, but I would've expected EL 34 type of thing.)

[@johnsee7269]

Sweet riffs! Who cares about the damn amp or guitar... Sweet riffs! Did I mention sweet riffs? Man o man!

[@davehenry9110]

$1,700 U.S. - Mesa never ceases to surprise it's market.

[@jdl2180]

Are you saying that this is a good deal?🤔

[@mrbigg7255]

@@jdl2180 yes.

[@inspirationx1]

He says it foesnt feel like 50watts then when he pans the video he has it on 25W

[@guitarocd9984]

Something I frequently think about. Does my less expensive amp sound as good as some expensive amps. Do I have to spend $2,000 to $4,000 to get that professional tone. Some people can't afford it so are they getting screwed. I do realize that's what you do a lot of the time. Giving us examples of a less expensive amps. Even with that I'm still not sure. An in depth side by side with a Mesa Boogie or a Friedman that would help.

[@jdl2180]

You can easily find an amp that sounds better for 800 dollar less.

[@guitarocd9984]

What amp sounds better than a Mesa Boogie under $800. That's a real question. Not a rhetorical one.

[@jdl2180]

@@guitarocd9984 I meant 800 dollars less then the price of the Fillmore. Amps that cost around 1,000. The fender Prinston reverb and tone king gremlin and falcon. I don't like amps with master volumes. I prefer to use an atenuator to control the breakup and the volume. I think it sounds alot better that way.

[@guitarocd9984]

I didn't see your answer before I typed. I've been looking at the gremlin very closely. A very cool little amp. But I'm cheap so 1200 bucks for 5 a watt amp I'm not sure.

[@guitarocd9984]

I guess I'm talking about us poor people. The $600 range.

[@VicVanity]

Oh my that sounds sexy

[@vk3fbab]

Reading the comments on here and other channels Mesa have a reputation for nu metal and possibly Metallica sounds. They are much more versatile than what most people expect. Even a dual rectifier doesn't have to sound metal. Just the checker plate doesn't look that blues or country.

[@brainstain2904]

Great amp a little bit to spendy for me I probably would buy a Katana for the money but loved the tone!

[@gregs8685]

Brainstain Katana is a nice little budget Chinese solid state modeling amp, this is a made in US tube amp with spring reverb that cost 10x more, and worth it.

[@brainstain2904]

@@gregs8685 I know I have a Marshall and a Fuch can't afford another expensive amp I would love to have one but not in my budget!

[@carlos11234ify]

Carlos Santana lengend

[@mtrask3970]

Let me help. Its MAY-SUH, not Mess-UH.

[@incognito2246]

Gibson flying V : this is a joke ; what an awful guitar design ! But nice video as always on this Chanel :-)

[@nickf9392]

OK, so why did it take 70 years to come up with this??

[@ezdj]

…Mesa Boogie Gillette…

[@dragan4658]

This amp is out of my price range, it's below my power expectation, and from the sound of it, falls short compared to other amps on the market. My Marshall mg101cfx will do just fine for the time being.

[@allgunsblazed9106]

Tbf you could get a much better tube Marshall fairly cheap

[@misterknightowlandco]

This has to be a joke right?

[@dragan4658]

Keep things in perspective guys, and don't just read my comment, understand it. Try re reading it, and if you still don't get it, ask me and I will explain it in more detail. Hope this helps.

[@gregs8685]

I played through a Marshall DSL 40 and it sounded like garbage. I wound up spending more and buying a used Fillmore 25. Maybe a Marshall 1974x would be better but those are $$ used.

[@jarcidiacono1]

@@gregs8685 Hey dude how you like the Fillmore 25 compared to the DSL40? I've got the DSL not too happy w it got my eye on the Fillmore, likely the 50.

[@apophispnw5717]

Your guitar is backwards.