Differences between 5:50 and LSC?

[jaxonmills]

What genres does each excel in? What guitars work best with each? Which do you prefer? Is the LSC's greater price worth it?

 

[wmaye]

I have an Express 5:50, and it's the first mesa that I ever bought. Love the clean to absolute death, and the crunch mode on that channel is awesome as well. In fact if Mesa mad an amp that had that Express clean as a channel, the express crunch as a channel, and then a lead channel similar to a DR then it would be my perfect amp. I also love the contour setting on the express.

Haven't played the LSC's much, the one I did try wasn't working properly in GC.

I ended up getting the 5:50 amp, and then just bought a roadster head two days ago and it is everything that I've been looking for. I am still keeping the 5:50 because of the clean and crunch. It will be perfect for small gigs and practice.

 

[cb101]

I'll have to try our the Express.

 

[wilerty]

I may be the right person to answer this. I had a 5:50 2X12 for six months and now have an LSC head with 2X12 cabinet. They are very similar and yet different. They both have great cleans and reverb and a ton of headroom.

Express 5:50
Positives: Very easy to change modes ... clean and crunch were my favorite, contour is very nice
Negatives: Noisey, both channels have to be same watts, 5 watts is too little for tight punchy bass & 50 watts is too much for home use.

LSC
Positives: VERY quiet, different watts in each channel, 10 watts is great for home use, tighter and punchier than 5:50 (but not much), can change tube type, tweed mode is VERY nice,
Negatives: Takes much more time to dial in your sound. No contour,

I only play at home and I have become a believer that you need 10 to 25 watts to get a nice tight bass at low volume. Since I play at low volume, I want as little hiss as possible, and the LSC is definately quieter. Both are terrific though and I'm sure you would enjoy either. For a gigging musician who is putting out some volume, the 5:50 would work great and it is definately easier to change tone quickly. The LSC is what I would call a benchmark amp for blackface cleans.

If you are more into high gain and the Marshall tone then you should also look at the 5:25 and the LSS.

 

[Newysurfer]

I think Wilerty forgot a few things

The 5:50 has significantly more gain on tap than the LSC and is a lot cheaper $$. It's therefore a more versatile amp. I looked at both pretty hard before buying the 5:50.

I don't agree that the 5w setting lacks tight bass when gain is high on the burn channel - such things are entirely subjective I know. I use a separate MXR EQ pedal anyways so I can make the amp sound like almost anything.

The 5:50 is a little noisy but about average for a tube amp. I also cut it's noise by about 80% by changing tubes. Perhaps the LSC is particularly quiet but I don't count this as an important issue cause it's easily solved by changing tubes and using a Noise Gate pedal :lol:

 

[Don]

I haven't tried an LSC though I tried an LSS when I bought my 5:50. The 5:50 has a lot more gain available.

My 5:50 hisses, but not enough to be an issue. It can be heard a bit at basement playing levels (not while playing) and is not an issue at all with a band.

 

[djw]

There are some similarities, but they are completely different amps. Totally different beasts. Their gain structures are different, so they feel like different machines altogether.

They both have decent cleans, which is about where it stops. However, the LSC cleans are amazing and incredibly flexible. The Express cleans are pretty good, though I thought less tailorable.

The Express definitely gins up more gain, and the contour control is handy if you want to get those extreme scooped tones. It probably sounds more "modern" I guess, while serving up a decent bluesy grit without too much trouble. The different gain settings seem to be easier to get different sounds right out of the box. If I had tons of cash and space, it would be fun to have one to pull out once in a while. I liked it.

However in terms of pure tone, to my ears the LSC made the Express sound almost like a toy, which is why the LSC came home with me and the Express stayed at GC. As much of a challenge as it can be for some users to zero in on "your tone" on the LSC, it's basically impossible to dial in a bad or unusable tone. It's incredibly expressive and sensitive. Perfect for nuanced playing, and if you don't require enormous amounts of gain, the Classic can do just about anything you ask of it.

One more point in the LSC's favor: I hear complaints about lots of hiss coming from the Express; the LSC is vewy, vewy quiet.

 

[wilerty]

I think Wilerty forgot a few things

The 5:50 has significantly more gain on tap than the LSC and is a lot cheaper $$. It's therefore a more versatile amp. I looked at both pretty hard before buying the 5:50.

I don't agree that the 5w setting lacks tight bass when gain is high on the burn channel - such things are entirely subjective I know. I use a separate MXR EQ pedal anyways so I can make the amp sound like almost anything.

The 5:50 is a little noisy but about average for a tube amp. I also cut it's noise by about 80% by changing tubes. Perhaps the LSC is particularly quiet but I don't count this as an important issue cause it's easily solved by changing tubes and using a Noise Gate pedal :lol:

You are correct about the gain, I'm mostly a clean and sometimes a crunch player.

I didn't have the LSC after the 5:50 ... I had both of them in my basement sitting next to each other going back and forth for two weeks. The LSC (to my ears) definately has a tighter and more punchy bottom end AT LOW VOLUME ... and middle volume ... playing clean. Playing with high gain won't matter.

However, what made me change was not the bass sound ... it was the hiss. It may have average hiss, but the LSC has almost none. Since 90% of my playing is at lower volume and hiss from the amp is more apparent. It wouldn't bother a gigging artist, but a basement player or in the studio would not be as good.

Going back to your original question ... is the price difference worth it. If I were making my living playing music, I would definately get the LSC. If I were a casual player who gigged out in small clubs and jams, the 5:50 would be fine and maybe preferrable. If you play at home or in the studio, I prefer the LSC, and it must be the 10/50/100 version.

 

[madryan]

I think Wilerty forgot a few things

The 5:50 has significantly more gain on tap than the LSC and is a lot cheaper $$. It's therefore a more versatile amp. I looked at both pretty hard before buying the 5:50.

I don't agree that the 5w setting lacks tight bass when gain is high on the burn channel - such things are entirely subjective I know. I use a separate MXR EQ pedal anyways so I can make the amp sound like almost anything.

The 5:50 is a little noisy but about average for a tube amp. I also cut it's noise by about 80% by changing tubes. Perhaps the LSC is particularly quiet but I don't count this as an important issue cause it's easily solved by changing tubes and using a Noise Gate pedal :lol:

IMO, the LSC has more gain available than anyone really needs. If you feel that there's not enough gain then you're not playing it at gigging levels. I get mine all set up for practice/gigs and always end up turning down the gain on channel 2. I'm running both gain knobs at around 1:30 to 2:00 and have plenty of gain on tap. But then I'm playing the thing fairly loud with the cab mic'd up. I never sit around my living room and play.

Also, pulling all the bass out and running your treble high are key if you want the killer classic rock crunch/silky smooth lead sounds.

 

[Newysurfer]

I think Wilerty forgot a few things

The 5:50 has significantly more gain on tap than the LSC and is a lot cheaper $$. It's therefore a more versatile amp. I looked at both pretty hard before buying the 5:50.

I don't agree that the 5w setting lacks tight bass when gain is high on the burn channel - such things are entirely subjective I know. I use a separate MXR EQ pedal anyways so I can make the amp sound like almost anything.

The 5:50 is a little noisy but about average for a tube amp. I also cut it's noise by about 80% by changing tubes. Perhaps the LSC is particularly quiet but I don't count this as an important issue cause it's easily solved by changing tubes and using a Noise Gate pedal :lol:

IMO, the LSC has more gain available than anyone really needs. If you feel that there's not enough gain then you're not playing it at gigging levels.

Also, pulling all the bass out and running your treble high are key if you want the killer classic rock crunch/silky smooth lead sounds.

You're obviously not a hard rock or metal player. There's been a lot of disappointment on this forum that the 5:50 is lacking in high gain - let alone the LSC. The 5:50 is not a metal amp and edges into the hard rock area such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana and ACDC. I gig with it regularly with a closed cab. The LSC does low distortion and great overdrive when maxed out but you'll need pedals to get into the hard rock area.

 

[madryan]

I used to be a metal player. I now play a variety of rock/blues/soul. I find that the Lonestar (properly eq'd) has plenty of gain for everything up to and including 80's rock. You're right, metal is another ballgame, but I don't do that anymore, thus I no longer own my Dual Rec, nor the DC-5. (I really want another one of those!)

I can cop a mad VH brown sound with the LSC... It rocks.

 

[ur86d]

You're obviously not a hard rock or metal player. There's been a lot of disappointment on this forum that the 5:50 is lacking in high gain - let alone the LSC. The 5:50 is not a metal amp and edges into the hard rock area such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana and ACDC. I gig with it regularly with a closed cab. The LSC does low distortion and great overdrive when maxed out but you'll need pedals to get into the hard rock area.

If you couldn't/can't get hard rock tones out of the LSC without pedals, you didn't have the amp dialed in correctly. Or there was something wrong with the LSC you used. Or there is something wrong with my LSC, because with my LSC i can approach 80's metal tones. Only thing that's lacking there is the palm muted bass pedal riffs. With a bad monkey in front the 80's palm muted tone is only a hair away. But Pearl Jam, Nirvana, AC/DC.. no problem at all getting that sound without an OD, for me anyway.

 

[Mullenski]

FWIW -- I retubed preamp V1, V2, and V3 with NOS plus TAD EL84s in my Express (5:25) and it got a bunch quieter.

 

[djw]

If you couldn't/can't get hard rock tones out of the LSC without pedals, you didn't have the amp dialed in correctly. Or there was something wrong with the LSC you used. Or there is something wrong with my LSC, because with my LSC i can approach 80's metal tones. Only thing that's lacking there is the palm muted bass pedal riffs. With a bad monkey in front the 80's palm muted tone is only a hair away. But Pearl Jam, Nirvana, AC/DC.. no problem at all getting that sound without an OD, for me anyway.

Hilarious, and correct. As an unabashed Lone Star Snob, I have to rise to the defense of the LSC as a hard rock amp. Its strengths are definitely in the blues/jazz/classic rock arena, without a doubt. But getting a good ragged hard rock tone, sans pedals, just takes a little patience and a good understanding of how the thing works (and in some cases a bit of volume). With a pedal in front, most of the rest of the spectrum is readily available.

There's certainly something to be said for an amp that gives you exactly what you want right out of the box, and something like the Express does that... if what it actually does happens to be what you actually want. That's the rub.

It's really all in your approach. Neither amp is going to satisfy everybody.

If you want something that essentially serves up a selection of decently-rendered tones with little fuss, and a serious hi-fi experience is not really a requirement, the Express is a nice choice. Interestingly, in a way that was exactly what I was after back when I was shopping: a grab-n-go amp that could kick *** without a lot of tweaking, with a reasonable amount of flexibility and some goodies. The Express does this.

Problem was, there was an LSC in the store too, and I fell in love with the tone. Where the Express has something almost like presets (which are very usable), the Lone Star has more like an endlessly-variable transmission, it's so sensitive and responsive. It can take some tweaking to find precisely what you're looking for. But that really doesn't matter, if you're like me and you get off on that sweet, sweet sound coming back at you. It's so much fun to play through, it's really hard to stop.

If you think you're a tone snob, think seriously about the Lone Star. If that scooped crunky gain thing is important to you, the Express might be better. Heck, maybe even if you are a tone snob the Express will work for you. My take: the trade off is with the Express you sacrifice flexibility and nuance for a bit more available gain and possibly less fuss.

 

[ur86d]

Thanks for verifying that the LSC can indeed pull off hard rock djw. I was starting to get a little worried.

I love the way my LSC sounds, and if there was something wrong with mine which added gain, i would have played it till it blew up. Then been pissed when it came back unable to get hard rock tone. I'd probly end up telling em...hey! you guys sent the amp back only slightly less broken then it was when i sent it too ya. Gimmie my dirt back! heh heh heh

 

[boogie shoes]

yeah the LSC can truely rock, where people have a hard time is turning the bass knob wayyyyyy down and the treble wayyyy up. for those of us that grew up with independant tone arrays as opposed to the stacked interactive tone arrays of the more expensive boogies, we are used to cranking the bass cutting the mid and chunking out pantleg blowing riffs but most boogies dont work like that. turn that flubby bass off, thats right OFF and crank the treble, go on dont be afraid to experiment. just quit looking at the tone knobs and start listening. this baby rocks!! I put an eq pedal in the loop and she kicks seriouse butt. I am im a band and we are playing Aerosmith, Van Halen, GnR, Metalica, stones, Bad co.............and my LSC has no problems keeping up with out the use of distortion or OD pedal.

 

[madryan]

The other thing about the LSC is that it sounds great cranked up. I'm running both channels at 100w and am playing it fairly loud with it mic'd and it sounds incredible. I run my treble all the way up, my mid's at half way and my bass all the way down. Presence fairly low to taste and it absolutely kills. I've even got the gain knobs both running at 12:00 and it's still got tons of gain.

 

[srf399]

I absolutely love the LSC cleans.... I had one for awhile. Ended up getting a MKIV because the LSC doesn't track as well IMO, Very loose Fender style bottom end (which I want in my cleans but not in my high gain). I regretted getting the MKIV after awhile.

I played a 65 Deluxe Reverb through a Marshall 4-12 with greenbacks for years in a professional setting, and, that thing rocked with everything set full on. I never tried the LSC with the bass dialed out and maybe that was the difference. I got the MKIV and it was a very flat/dead sounding amp IMO. The LSC has life... and as another poster stated it is touch sensitive....

I ended up getting the Stiletto because it had the tight bottom end but had the life & touch sensitivity of the LSC... plus the added high end haze that the 6L6 tube can't get. (as a side note... when I heard the hazey top end on this thing when I first soloed with it live...I almost wet myself) I never got that at reasonable volume levels with my old Marshall and NEVER could get that with a 6L6 or 6V6 platform.

I think the way to go is this.... 1 of two options.

Option 1: Go A/B with a LSC & and Stiletto... or

Option 2: Get a Bogner Ecstasy 101B

Either way it'll cost about the same.