Is this amp supposed to make this sound?

[GreatOz]

I have a Mesa Fillmore 25 that the gain just sounds..... fizzy and perhaps a bit flubby, at least to me. That's the best way I can describe it.
Turning down the bass doesn't help with the flubbyness that much and the presence is already low, like 8 o clock. Is this just the way the gain channel is? I'm not running much gain, perhaps 2 o clock, but it's noticeable all way at 9 o clock.
For those of you who have this amp, is it supposed to do this? It happens on both the hi and drive channels, but is more noticeable on the hi.

No matter what I do, I can't dial it out.

Attached is a sound sample which was recorded with my phone...

Do y'all notice any weird issues?

Thanks,
GreatOz

[beaubrummels]

I don't own a Mesa Filmore, but that sounds like a really great Fender-type 6V6 amp. Is the cabinet open-back? If so, you could try running it into a closed-back cabinet to tighten it up a bit.

[formula73]

Sounds Fender-y to me. That’s why I’m a Marshall guy.

[Securb]

As others have said it sounds like an open back Fender with gain. You could try setting it neutral and adding a Marshall in a box type of stomp. However, in my experience Fenders have always sounded like Fenders* no matter what you do to them. Not that it is a bad thing, it is just a different thing.

*There are some Fenders designed to sound like Marshalls

[NegativeEase]

Add some mids... a lot of them.

[GreatOz]

I guess I'm more used to the Marshall sound than I thought.

[NegativeEase]

I guess I'm more used to the Marshall sound than I thought.

Whats creating that sort of octave ghosting sound? a pedal? am I imagining it?

[GreatOz]

That's what I'm trying to figure out. To me it sounds fizzy, and I don't like it. I turned up the gain at the start to make it more noticeable, but it's still present even at lower gain. No pedals were used.

[NegativeEase]

That's what I'm trying to figure out. To me it sounds fizzy, and I don't like it. I turned up the gain at the start to make it more noticeable, but it's still present even at lower gain. No pedals were used.

Ok, I was thrown off by your "fizzy" description I understand now --what I hear (octave ghosting sound to me) is probably power Tubes going bad -are they EL84s? How many hours on them? just buy a matched set -they are cheap -and you'll need them eventually anyways.

[GreatOz]

Tubes are 6v6, I already got another full set of both pre amp and power amp tubes coming in. Supposedly the tubes are brand now, not many hours on them.

It also doesn't really occur on the clean channel.

Regardless, I was thinking of just replacing them all.

[beaubrummels]

I don't think different tubes will change it materially. The fizzy sound is the circuit not the specific tubes, and the flabby is the open back cab and the tone stack in the circuit not the tubes. That amp is a good sound, it's just not a sound you like, apparently. You know Mesa (Boogie) got their start modding Fender Princetons, right?

[GreatOz]

Unfortunate, I might have ordered the wrong amp then. Not too worried about it though; I'll either make it work or replace it.

I guess I'm looking for more Marshall-y overdrive, but the blackface-ish clean. Mark V: 25?

[GreatOz]

Turns out, no, it's not supposed to have that somewhat delayed fizzy, almost fuzz-like sound. I replaced the preamp tubes and it went away on the hi mode (although the drive mode still has it for some reason, I'll deal with it eventually). Regardless, I like the hi mode for my gain sounds now a lot more.