New (to me) Fillmore 25 - Question & possible PSA

[mojodelic]

Just got a nice Fillmore 25, sounds amazing; love the reverb & features. Almost sent it back though, no sound on chan 2 clean mode. Everything else was fine, including Drive & Hi on chan 2. Checked all the tubes for tightness, even subbed V1 but nothing worked until I noticed the Treble, Middle & Bass were all down on chan 2. Immediate fix, sound came on & full volume everwhere. I guess this makes sense, in a way, but I've never had this on any other amp that I know of.

I had already downloaded the manual & revisited for any info, as far as I know it doesn't say anything about this. Can someone with a Fillmore 25 please turn the T/M/B all the way down & verify that this is normal? The sender did say that it also happened to him.

FWIW this is my first Boogie & I love it!
Thanks,
mojo

 

[bandit2013]

I do not have the filmore but I do have many other Mesa amps. If you dial back all of the tone controls you will get no sound. I am not sure about the Bass TT800 but I believe it will do the same thing. With most amps, it is the treble pot that feeds the next stage, in some cases that would be the gain control. If that is dialed back to zero, and leaving the mid and bass anywhere but zero you will get sound. Dial those controls to zero and you basically get 0V or close to it as they are connected in series to each other. This will result in the signal level to be at ground potential. It is an effective mute. Sometimes you may get some very low signal and that is due to the pot not totally shorting out the resistive element when set fully counterclockwise. Nothing wrong with the amp, it is normal.

I do not believe the Marshall Silver Jubilee will cut out the signal as it has a 1.8k resistance in series with the bass pot, the midrange is more of a parallel circuit.

 

[mojodelic]

Thanks, I really appreciate the response. I assumed it was normal but was a little nervous since I bought the amp used & had nothing to campare it with. My Marshall and all of my Fenders don't do this but it's fine now that I know it's correct.

I was on the fence between the Fillmore & a California Tweed but the Fillmore seems to be the Cali Tweed with a lot more drive options. Now I can relax & enjoy it. Thanks again.

 

[bandit2013]

No problem. At least you know it is ok. Nothing to worry about. All good.

Here is some TMI. You made a good choice if you like the amp.

Filmore is very different from the California tweed. They are not the same. The California Tweed is based off of a 1950's tweed amp but it was never defined which one as a reference. 1955 Bassman? Tweed was more of a description of the covering and that covered several amps in that era made by Fender. If the tone controls on the Filmore are post gain then it would hold true to be based off of the tweed era amps of the 50's. To be honest, I am not sure where the tone stack sits on the California tweed amp.

I did not get the same vibe from Filmore as the California tweed. I had already bought the CT but when I was out in California before Covid-19, I went to the Mesa Hollywood store. There they had a wall of Filmore amps. That was around the time they released the 100W version of the Filmore. I tried it for a little bit. After that, I was happy I bought the California Tweed for what it provides. Characteristic and tone were on different levels. Not saying one is better than the other, just different.

I opted for the California tweed as I have plenty of amps with gain characteristics that cover the Filmore. I wanted something different for that time you just want to play the blues or similar. Nice amp but not happy with other speaker cabinets except for those equipped with the Jenson Jet Blackbird speaker. I got lucky as I jumped on it after it was released, and Mesa was using the 100W version of the Blackbird with the bell cover removed. Also got an extension cab a month later so I can get the speakers broken in at the same time. Break in period on that 100W blackbird will take a few months before the treble begins to bloom. Also I can use the extension cab with my other amps due to is power rating. TC50 is ideal with the Blackbird. I think a few people make the mistake of buying the head believing it can be run with other cabinets. Why is it so bright? may be the common question. I tried running the TC into a Vertica 212 cab, yeah bright is just a fair way to describe it. It just works with the Blackbird speaker.

 

[mojodelic]

I really appreciate the comments! Still on the fence between the two.

 

[mojodelic]

Since there's no California Tweed sub heading I'll just keep this here- LSS I returned the Fillmore & got a CT2:20 today & have no regrets. Not just the comments above but the Fillmore just never did blow up my skirt the way the CT does.

I now have an amp with a 5 year warranty less tubes which I can do myself; also some here claimed that their Fillmores were "dead quiet" but mine made a fair amount of noise at idle (even with no lead plugged in) but again, totally subjective so it could be a perfectly normal noise floor, however the CT 20 is absolutely dead quiet at idle. I was lured into the Fillmore camp thinking I needed a higher gain amp but if I want that I've got a Marshall. I also agree that the
blackbird is a great speaker and haven't even broken it in yet.

I appreciate your candid observations & though other factors helped make my decision you affirmed what my heart was telling me the whole time. This is my first Boogie & most likely my last, at my age I just don't have time to figure out say a Mark VII, although I applaud those that do.

Thanks again.