Any new Express Plus owners care to share your opinions?

[jmontgomery]

How do they rank? I imagine they are able to dial in a good pushed blackface tones, among others. Am I right?

 

[jmontgomery]

 

[gadjet]

I just bought a 5:50 plus... I'd say there would probably be some good blackface tones in there... I have had mine long but I'm liking it...

 

[Heritage Softail]

Let us know.

Seems like an interesting amp.

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

After owning first an Express 5:50 (original) 112, and currently owning an Express 5:50 212 combo, I just purchased a 5:50+ and Rectifier 2x12 Vertical Slant cab. Normally, I hate V30's. But wow! The clean channel on the original Express series was really good, but in this amp it's phenomenal. Takes pedals very well. The Burn channel is far better than the original also. It's a big win for me. Bought the amp yesterday afternoon, rehearsed with it last night, gigging it tonight. It's that good.

Highly recommend the head over the 112 combo. The combo sounded small with it's built in speaker The Recto cab paired with the head sounds enormous. Also sounds fantastic going into my Marshall 1960A cab.

 

[Heritage Softail]

After owning first an Express 5:50 (original) 112, and currently owning an Express 5:50 212 combo, I just purchased a 5:50+ and Rectifier 2x12 Vertical Slant cab. Normally, I hate V30's. But wow! The clean channel on the original Express series was really good, but in this amp it's phenomenal. Takes pedals very well. The Burn channel is far better than the original also. It's a big win for me. Bought the amp yesterday afternoon, rehearsed with it last night, gigging it tonight. It's that good.

Highly recommend the head over the 112 combo. The combo sounded small with it's built in speaker The Recto cab paired with the head sounds enormous. Also sounds fantastic going into my Marshall 1960A cab.

Kinda what I was hoping to hear. I like the basic tone/vibe of the amp. The + items seem perfect additions.

 

[BoogieMan_SC]

I've owned my 5:25+ head for 2 months now (I've also owned an Express 5:50 2x12 combo, as well as a Road King II combo). I literally sold my Road King II after purchasing this 5:25. I like the EL84 compression of the 5:25, I think, better than the 5:50 I previously owned prior to the Road King II, as well as the RK too.

The 5:25 just sings and gives such pure tone and sustain where the Road King II, even if set up for rock (not metal)...the nature of the recto had that underlying sizzle to the tone. I hardly noticed it until comparing it back to back w/the 5:25....both at volume, and I ended up selling the RK ASAP.

The 5:25 is a LOUD amp, and has awesome note definition and sustain.

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

Kinda what I was hoping to hear. I like the basic tone/vibe of the amp. The + items seem perfect additions.

The channel assignable wattage is fantastic. For my classic rock band I've been using a 5:50 2x12 combo with overdrives from the GT-10 into the clean channel on 50 watts. I did the same thing last weekend using the 5:50+ head and it sounded amazing.

But for church playing, and we still play some rocking stuff, I found that switching to 25 watts on both channels but running channel 1 on crunch and 2 on blues for a clean-ish was the ticket, and just using my GT-100 in 4CM for effects and channel switching. Sounds amazing.

So it's a very versatile amp in that way. Still use my 5:50 212 combo. Kinda wish they'd come out with a plus version of that.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Just brought a new 5:25 + home today (layaway) and I am absolutely in love with it. The 5W sounds are amazing, just what I was looking for, and plenty of stuff to play along with. I played the 5:50 + too, sounds great but I prefer the 84s, and as I get older, 25W is more than enough amp for me and my back!

I never played appreciably long through one of the older Express models, but for my money, the new features are super useful and well-implemented. If it had a silent recording out (I do alot of my recording after the kids go to sleep) I might just call it perfect...as it stands, it's **** close for what I need and what I like to hear.

 

[BoogieMan_SC]

Just brought a new 5:25 + home today (layaway) and I am absolutely in love with it. The 5W sounds are amazing, just what I was looking for, and plenty of stuff to play along with. I played the 5:50 + too, sounds great but I prefer the 84s, and as I get older, 25W is more than enough amp for me and my back!

I never played appreciably long through one of the older Express models, but for my money, the new features are super useful and well-implemented. If it had a silent recording out (I do alot of my recording after the kids go to sleep) I might just call it perfect...as it stands, it's **** close for what I need and what I like to hear.

...couldn't have put it better myself. 5:25+ is a fantastic amp. I like it a little better than the 5:50 2x12 combo and Road King II I used to own. Come to think of it, I liked the 5:50 better than the Road King II to be honest...

 

[HaggertysMusic]

Although I don't officially own one, after playing them extensively I'm very impressed. The cleans are improved, and the 5 band graphic makes the amp. It should have been there from the start IMHO. I told a lot of guys when they bought the original Express, "You're going to want a graphic in the loop."

After playing the various iterations, my favorite has been the 5:50+ with a Rectifier 4x12. The crunch mode with the 5 band has an insane amount of bottom end. I was very surprised.

Frankly, I like the amp set at 50 watts and cranked up. Not as big of a fan of the lower watt modes or the combo versions.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

FYI folks, after a week or two of honeymoon, if you see some of my other posts, I was falling out of love with the 5:25+ combo. Had some flabbiness that I could not dial out for the life of me, significant popping when channel switching, and amp started buzzing from inside yesterday (very UN-Mesa for a Mesa).

So, swapped it for a 5:50+ today and so far I think it was a great decision. Yes, it's a bit bigger and heaver, and I probably don't need the wattage, but for the extra $100 or so bucks I think it was well worth it. Maybe there was something wrong with the 25, or maybe I just thought I was an EL84 fan and I'm not, but this amp just sounds better to me:

- Gain "sounds better" with minimal flab when using neck humbuckers
- Minimal popping when channel switching
- Less noise
- Bigger sound (larger cabinet + Black Shadow speaker???)
- BIG RED POWER LAMP

So another honeymoon, hopefully a lasting marriage on this one...IMO combo-wise I think the 50 is the way to go.

 

[dml13]

Just traded the TA-15 for the 5:25 plus. WOW!!!!!!!! What a difference!!!!!! I'm gonna miss the blue light - but def made the right decision!! Still have to decide to keep the combo or go head and cab. Anyone here using the 525 head with a cab?

 

[Krek13]

head + cab sounds better...depends if you prefer sound or portability...

 

[twally]

I've got an original 5:25 Combo that I stack on a compact Mesa 1/12 with the C-90. You might want to try that before going to head/cab. The C-90 adds a little bottom end and you can leave it at home for small gigs. You can pick one up ~ $300 or less.

JMHO,

TW

 

[dml13]

I'm thinking the head+cab is more portable than the combo - two trips but lighter loads! LOL!! I've noticed with this amp a lot of people are going combo and adding a cab under. Interesting. I'm unsure of what the tonal, if any, difference would be going head+cab vs combo. Regardless, they dont sell the Express cabs anymore so I can't seem to find a 1x12 for this head to save my life!! ??????? From what I've read looks like the lonestar 19 or 23. ???

 

[twally]

If you want a 19" wide 1/12 then your options are: Lonestar or TransAtlantic with C-90 open back or MiniRecto with V-30 closed back.

If I was considering the head/combo route I would sure look at the compact Thiele or wide body closed back. I've had the Thiele (wish I had kept it) and it has a little more bottom end.

JMHO,

TW

 

[dml13]

THink I'll take your advice and stick with the combo while adding a 1x12 underneath. Is that the compact theil your referring to? Not sure if the plus will fit or not but a great option

 

[twally]

The 5:25+ is 19" so it will fit on the Compact Thiele. I would be real surprised if you don't like that cabinet.

TW

 

[dml13]

The mesa site has the compact listed at 18 7/8. ??? Close enough for rocknroll i guess