50/50 or 2:Fifty?

[OneLouder]

Howdy I'm new to the board and I have a question.

I'm currently Boogie-less. Just sold my single rec.

I'm in need of a power amp. I've had the 50/50 in the past and leaning towards one again but I was wondering if its worth it to get the new 2:fifty instead.

what are the differences between the 50/50 and the 2:Fifty?

Thanks, Mike.

 

[PC Biz]

Definitely go with the new one. It has the EL34/6L6 switch. Very cool.

 

[ned]

I'm thinking of one as well. Documentation on MB.com indicated the new one doesn't have the half power switch, true?

 

[t0aj15]

I'm thinking of one as well. Documentation on MB.com indicated the new one doesn't have the half power switch, true?

That's correct, that's why I went with the old version. BTW it's not a 1/2 power switch, it's 15/50 watt's per side. One year ago I was lucky enough to find one of the last 50/50's brand new in a factory sealed carton even though Mesa stopped making them more then two years prior to that. I jumped at the chance to get it because of that Hi/Lo power switch, and I'm glad I did. I seldom find the need to run it at full power (especially at home) so that Hi/Lo power switch comes in real handy. I've got other EL-34 power amps so the fact that it only uses 6L6's is not a problem for me.

 

[ned]

I ended up getting a smoking deal on a 20/20 Under $400.

 

[joey_truelove]

I hear they are voiced differently. Strangely enough the fifty/fifty has recieved better independent reviews than the 2:50 so the consensus is the fifty/fifty is a better piece of gear.

 

[ytse_jam]

I hear they are voiced differently. Strangely enough the fifty/fifty has recieved better independent reviews than the 2:50 so the consensus is the fifty/fifty is a better piece of gear.

you're right, the old 50/50 seems to be more apprecitated, specially by people who like that mark style sound. They say the new 2:50 seems to be voiced more for recto tones and not so versatile. I'm planning to get a 50/50 too for my Studio Pre.

 

[joey_truelove]

I hear they are voiced differently. Strangely enough the fifty/fifty has recieved better independent reviews than the 2:50 so the consensus is the fifty/fifty is a better piece of gear.

you're right, the old 50/50 seems to be more apprecitated, specially by people who like that mark style sound. They say the new 2:50 seems to be voiced more for recto tones and not so versatile. I'm planning to get a 50/50 too for my Studio Pre.

Cheers, man! Having said what I said I was afraid people would knock me about quite briskly. Yes, the 2:50 is voiced differently but that can't be all that makes the amps what they are. I remember a reviewer of the 50/50 at Harmony Central who had it with those whom filed reviews as the 50/50 meant for the 2:50 and he disagreed with all the bad and erroneous reviews it recieved. Different beasts in-deed.

 

[4Draw]

I got a '99 50/50. I love it. Definite +1 on the voicing being more akin to mark-style sounds, eventhough it IS quite transparant.

One more biggie that made me go with the 50 was the LO/HI PWR switch, which obviously got replaced by the BIAS 6l6/el34 switch on the 2:50. The biasswitch is a nice feature, but not nearly as important as the PWR switch, to me, and I'm a 6l6 man anyways.

 

[ashjn]

I own the Stereo 2:50. Although I haven't got to try different tubes in it yet, it seems like a cool feature

 

[ytse_jam]

I remember a reviewer of the 50/50 at Harmony Central who had it with those whom filed reviews as the 50/50 meant for the 2:50 and he disagreed with all the bad and erroneous reviews it recieved.

ha ha, I read it too!

 

[JayInJar]

you all need to remember that you can also run only one channel with the 2:50 to get the same 'half' power. you just need to remember to not send a signal to the 'dead' channel to avoid damaging the amp. i have the old 50/50 and i'm thinking about changing the power transformer for 34 so i can get the boogie pre/marshall 34 hetfield sound.

 

[t0aj15]

you all need to remember that you can also run only one channel with the 2:50 to get the same 'half' power. you just need to remember to not send a signal to the 'dead' channel to avoid damaging the amp.

Not true if you want to run stereo, after all that's the whole point of using a stereo amp in the first place.

 

[Russ]

Why not just buy a Marshall EL34 50/50 then, if you want the Marshall EL34 sound in a 50 watt power amp? You could even get the older 9005. I used to run both at different times and I actually liked the 9005 better though it weighed more and took up one more space in th rack than the EL34 50/50. Just do not go with the 9100 if you are looking for EL34 sound because it is 5881s. There is no way to run EL34s in a 9100 unless you take off the top and allow one more space in your rack and have it modded to accept them. The other 2 choices are better anyway.

I know that this is a Mesa board but if you are looking for a particular sound that requires a certain voicing then you really need to get that gear. I found this out after trying for years to make certain gear sound like something else. This holds true for not only amps but also for speakers, guitars, and effects. Just a thought....

 

[Caike]

Well.. kinda has to do with the 2:50 subject..

Can anyone tell me its average weight ? :roll:

 

[rdomain]

I started a post regarding amp weights a while back. Should be in this forum section somewhere 8)