So I just bought at a guitar center a 50 caliber plus head in virtually mint condition for $400. The head is smaller and lighter than I expected it to be. So far I really like it. The cleans are really nice, but I think the cleans on my mark iii and mark v are better. The reverb is fantastic, better than the mark v or iii (especially the iii lol), and there's a shitload on tap. When I turn the gain on the first channel all the way up it gives me a very open, ballsy distortion. The lead channel is obviously great also. Compared to my mark amps I don't always feel like I need to engage the GEQ. The 50 cal is not as middy or honky. Compared to my other amps though, the 50 cal does not have as much bottom end and also the bottom end that's there is not as tight or defined as my other amps, but it's still tighter than something like a rectifier and tight enough for my needs. Also, this might sound crazy, but I think the 50 cal+ has a lot of similarities to the diezel vh4. It has that same dryness and cardboardy sound, but in a really good way and a similar type of articulation. The vh4 though has a lot more bottom end and it's tighter as well, but the 50 cal+ is more raw, aggressive, has better dynamics, way way way more open sounding, and is better for playing leads.
