5:25 or 5:50 dilemma

[bridger]

I have the 5:25 plus vs. 5:50 plus dilemma.
I gig about twice per month (Bars, clubs, etc.). Also practice at home (with neighbors), so I like the Watt cut on both amps. I do not venture into metal territory, mostly blues, covers, some originals, progressive rock, etc. I also have a Fender Princeton a dig the chmey clean tones & use a full drive Mosfet for dirt, but it doesn't cut it i live gigs.
Considering the Express for the versatility. We mike the amps at clubs so I don't believe I'll ever need the 50W setting on the 5:50, but I like the idea of 6v6 tubes to replicate fender cleans. For the difference of $100.00 dollars I'm thinking of going with the 5:50, but then I wonder if it's overkill for my situation and should just go with the 5:25? There is no place close to me to a/b these amps, so I wonder........
Why did you decide to buy the 5:50 over the 5: 25, or visa versa?

Thanks

 

[amrose57]

I have the 5:25 plus vs. 5:50 plus dilemma.
I gig about twice per month (Bars, clubs, etc.). Also practice at home (with neighbors), so I like the Watt cut on both amps. I do not venture into metal territory, mostly blues, covers, some originals, progressive rock, etc. I also have a Fender Princeton a dig the chmey clean tones & use a full drive Mosfet for dirt, but it doesn't cut it i live gigs.
Considering the Express for the versatility. We mike the amps at clubs so I don't believe I'll ever need the 50W setting on the 5:50, but I like the idea of 6v6 tubes to replicate fender cleans. For the difference of $100.00 dollars I'm thinking of going with the 5:50, but then I wonder if it's overkill for my situation and should just go with the 5:25? There is no place close to me to a/b these amps, so I wonder........
Why did you decide to buy the 5:50 over the 5: 25, or visa versa?

Thanks

I gig with a 5:25+ head, and volume has never been an issue, even playing outdoors. The 5:50+ has 6L6 tubes, which will have more of a "Fender clean" than the 5:25's EL84's. I can get a nice spanky clean, but it's definitely not a Fender clean. It's a Boogie. Feature set is the same on both amps. FWIW, I no longer use the 5/15/25 watt feature, and always play on the 25 watt setting and use the MV, as it just sounds better to my ears that way.

I bought the 5:25+ because it's smaller and lighter. (I'm 57 with a bad back, so lighter is always better for me) In retrospect, there are times when I wish I had bought the 5:50+ because of the 6L6's, but for the most part the 5:25+ kicks butt.....great little amp.

Al

 

[Mullenski]

I have both amps and play in similar situations. FWIW, my opinion only; hands down 5:50. The 50 watt setting does provide some additional head room, but it's a different power section configuration and affects tone as well.

 

[jmontgomery]

I also prefer the 5:50+. I just prefer the 6L6 sound. To my ears the 5:50 breakup is a bit smoother than the 5:25.

 

[Newysurfer]

I also prefer the 5:50+. I just prefer the 6L6 sound. To my ears the 5:50 breakup is a bit smoother than the 5:25.

+1
Plus - the bigger cabinet size & 12 " speaker in the 5:50 combo delivers a bigger, fuller tone imo.
5:25 sounds a touch boxy by comparison.
5:50 also has less amp humm (in old versions) - not sure about the Plus series :mrgreen:

 

[amrose57]

I also prefer the 5:50+. I just prefer the 6L6 sound. To my ears the 5:50 breakup is a bit smoother than the 5:25.

+1
Plus - the bigger cabinet size & 12 " speaker in the 5:50 combo delivers a bigger, fuller tone imo.
5:25 sounds a touch boxy by comparison.
5:50 also has less amp humm (in old versions) - not sure about the Plus series :mrgreen:

Try the 5:25+ with a Forte' 3D cabinet. That sounds huge. I've got it loaded with an MC90, and get complements all the time. Doesn't sound like a single 12".

 

[Mullenski]

Good news = you really can't goof it up. Both are great amps.

 

[rapaul76]

I had the same dilemma but decided on the 5:50+ because of the amazing clean tones. I can always add pedals to get a great crunch/lead tone, but you can't add a pedal for a great clean. The 5:50+ is an amazing amp.

 

[Old BF Shred]

While I never owned an Express, I do see some significant differences between a 20 something watt amp vs. 50w.
I can only compare my Studio 22+ and my Ace and while these are 2 totally different amps, I have noticed, at least in general:
50 watts does have more clean headroom...22 watts breaks up awfully quick on cleans, in comparison.
50 watts=more low end.
Tubes in the 50 watter do seem to last longer, at least before I notice a degradation in tone. When I gigged with the 22+, it seems like I went through many more output tubes. Of course, for a given volume, the EL84's work harder than the bigger tubes.

You may find the cost of tube replacements will well exceed the $100 diff.
Of course, YMMV!

But yes, 25 watts would be plenty loud, overall. :shock:
Still, if one amp sounds significantly better to your ears, that's the one you should buy! :wink:

 

[midifail]

I traded my 5:25 (non Plus) a while ago for a 5:50+.
The 5:50 has a much better Cleans to my Ears: More Headroom, more open sounding, more Bass...

The 5:25 is great for not so clean Tones and it is sure loud enough for a lot of Situations.
But it was not clean enough for me.

If you want your amp to be able to be really clean, go with the 5:50.
Its much more versatile.

Maybe this Review is useful:
http://www.thomann.de/de/prod_pdfreview_30808-git364rev_mesa.pdf

But: As someone already said - both are great amps!

 

[bridger]

I traded my 5:25 (non Plus) a while ago for a 5:50+.
The 5:50 has a much better Cleans to my Ears: More Headroom, more open sounding, more Bass...

The 5:25 is great for not so clean Tones and it is sure loud enough for a lot of Situations.
But it was not clean enough for me.

If you want your amp to be able to be really clean, go with the 5:50.
Its much more versatile.

Maybe this Review is useful:
http://www.thomann.de/de/prod_pdfreview_30808-git364rev_mesa.pdf

But: As someone already said - both are great amps!

Yes , They are both great amps, However I wound up with the 5:50 because the cleans rival my Fender Princeton and with more headroom. I spent three hours tonight reading the manual and playing with all the settings in both channels. I managed to dial in some amazing tones . Especially a "pushed, creamy, clean. I have a lot to learn and a long way to go before I'm sufficient in getting all the tone settings I want . The problem is that I can't seem to dial in a good saturated lead tone that's not overly distorted, but I know it's there somewhere because I've heard amazing lead tones with this amp on YouTube. What i'm getting is kind of flabby, "solid-state" sounding chords and single note sounds that are real "tinny" using my strat?
Anybody have any suggestions for settings when going from a bluesy slight overdrive rhythm to a single note lead tone...(think Santana)[/b] Also, so far the Burn channel is my least favorite as it sounds too metal. Do I have to go to "burn" for good saturated lead tone?
Thanks

 

[mintzmeat85]

I agree with the fact that you really could not go wrong with either of the Express amps, but I'd also throw in that I'd try out the new Recto-Verb 25 combo if you haven't. Its very versatile, sounds killer, and to me the Fillmore 75 speaker steps up the tone a little. Black Shadows are great but I love the sound the Fillmore gives the little amp. Big sounding 112. Just my two cents, they all rock!

 

[Mullenski]

Also, so far the Burn channel is my least favorite as it sounds too metal. Do I have to go to "burn" for good saturated lead tone?

If you haven't - try Burn channel on 5 watt setting. Very saturated. Don't be afraid to turn the treble waaaaaay down. Somebody put it; "EQ with your ears, not your eyes".

 

[bridger]

Also, so far the Burn channel is my least favorite as it sounds too metal. Do I have to go to "burn" for good saturated lead tone?

If you haven't - try Burn channel on 5 watt setting. Very saturated. Don't be afraid to turn the treble waaaaaay down. Somebody put it; "EQ with your ears, not your eyes".

I think you nailed it with that quote. I'm a bit overwhelmed with the options on the Express , especially in contrast to my simple Fender Amp. I want to use this amp to gig with in less than a month & would like to know all the ways to get from sparkly clean to "pushed" clean to Bluesy overdriven chording to clipped "screaming" lead tone all in one set.
Oh well, it's a happy problem that I don't mind working on! :wink:

 

[midifail]

The Express comes to life, when the Volume-Pot passes 9 o'clock.
Switch it to lower wattage and increase the Volume.

Dial in your most saturated tone to taste (remember "gain up-> bass down").
With the guitar plugged directly into the amp, you can clean this up a little with guitar volume for a third in-between-sound.

 

[David Garner]

5:25 is plenty. I prefer the tone of the 5:50 personally, but the extra power has never been an issue.

I have one of each because the 5:50 is too heavy to lug to rehearsals and so forth. So that is a downside to the bigger amp. If you get the 5:50, I'd get the head/cab configuration.

 

[SteveB]

I think you nailed it with that quote. I'm a bit overwhelmed with the options on the Express , especially in contrast to my simple Fender Amp. I want to use this amp to gig with in less than a month & would like to know all the ways to get from sparkly clean to "pushed" clean to Bluesy overdriven chording to clipped "screaming" lead tone all in one set.
Oh well, it's a happy problem that I don't mind working on! :wink:

The Express comes to life, when the Volume-Pot passes 9 o'clock.
Switch it to lower wattage and increase the Volume.
Dial in your most saturated tone to taste (remember "gain up-> bass down").
With the guitar plugged directly into the amp, you can clean this up a little with guitar volume for a third in-between-sound.

This may be a little off topic, but one thing I really like about the Express is that it always rewards a little tonal exploration / experimentation. One example: I've mainly used the clean and blues voicings for the past 18 months but more recently started experimenting with burn. At first I found it to be either too fizzy or overpowering, but then I tried using the 5 watt setting, turning up the amp volume and turning the guitar volume way down, similar to what I think Midifail is describing. I immediately stumbled upon a great lead tone that suits me really well. You may take a totally different approach. The point is that there are great tones lurking in each of these voicings that can suit a wide range of playing styles if you take a some time to explore. It's a great amp! (in my case a 5:25+)