Disapointed with the 5:50

[Pageburst]

I auditioned for several hours the 5:50 next to a 5:25 and an LSC and the clean channel on the 5:50 sounded sterile by comparison. Even the lighter crunch tones sounded flat and one dimensional.

I really wanted to hook this amp up as an altrernated to my LSC. Plus I figured the addtional gain that is on tap with the 5:50 plus the low watt option would broaden my tonal palette. Unfortunately this amp reminds me a lot more of the F50 tone wise than the LSC.

I am going to check outthe 5:50 one more time with my two best custom shop axes. Hopefully the cleans and crunch tones will be better. IF not I am going the hook up the 5:25. While I expected the 5:25 to have a slightly more liquidy burn channel given the el84 tube compliment it also had fantastic bouncy cleans that were spanky but still sweet. I'm just not crazy about the 10 inch speaker size but I can't argue with what I heard.

 

[jamme61]

if you don't like the 5:50 I don't think you'll like the 5:25. If you like the LSS or LSC better, then buy them, or you'll regret it in the long run. That's happened to me in the past, don't settle for less IMHO.

 

[Resonator]

if you don't like the 5:50 I don't think you'll like the 5:25. If you like the LSS or LSC better, then buy them, or you'll regret it in the long run. That's happened to me in the past, don't settle for less IMHO.

I couldn't agree more. After years of settling for less than I really wanted in music gear because of price, I finally woke up and started buying what I really wanted. Sometimes it took longer to pull the money together, but in the long run, I actually saved money. You seldom recover anywhere near what you spent on gear when selling it used.

By the way, if you liked the sparkling clean tones you got from Express 5:25, you owe it to yourself to give the Lone Star Special a good audition.

Res

 

[jamme61]

I love my 5:50 but if I liked the 5:25 more, i would of went with the LSS, I like the 12" speaker a lot better, and is still light enought to carry. The LSS is a sweet amp IMHO.

 

[GeoBull]

I have an LSC and wanted to supplement it with something else, ideally ELx4 tubes. I tried the Stilletto (but not for long enough). I tried the 5:25 and the 5:50 and compared to the LSC didn't like them much. LSC is bigger, broader sound by far. Then tried LSS: loved it. I now have one; I end up using it a bit more than the LSC (I A/B them although I haven't taken both to a gig yet). I've used some of the settings people have posted on the Grailtone settings section and gotten some great sounds. It is not the clean machine that the LSC is but that's the beauty for me: ch 1, power on 15w, gain around 2:30, treble about 1-2, mid and bass around 10-11 and the things just rocks. Back down the gain, up the master, set to 30w, tweak the tone knobs and you'll get some great sounds. Very versatile, lovely amp.

 

[jamme61]

You got me wanting a LSS now, LOL. I always liked the LSS but went for the LSC, (big mistake for me). It's funny how many different opinions you get on the same amp, but that's life. It's very hard to hear some one doesn't like an amp that you love, but it just points out how important is to try out this stuff on your own. that's the one thing i love about GC, If they have what I want in stk (that's a big if) then i'll buy an amp and take it to band practice and even do a gig with it, then if I'm not happy, i take it back. It's the only way to find outif the amp works for you. It seems that we all agree the LSS sounds killer.

 

[Steve P]

I think the Express series of amps serve different needs than the larger Lone Stars, etc.

I bought the Express 5:25 a month ago and am very happy with it. I wanted a versatile EL84 amp with two wattage settings, so I could practice with 5 Watts and do friendly jams with 25 watts. I don't plan to gig in the near future, but I think the 25 watts would be good enough for the odd small venue in the future (especially with an extension cab).

Also, the 5:25 is very small, which is ideal for living in a small apartment in a large city. It fits easily in my trunk, and is very portable: I can easily carry the amp in one hand with my guitar in the other.

I preferred the tone of the 5:25 over the 5:50, but that is because I like the EL84 sounds. Also, the 5:50 is that much larger to lug around. The 5:25 does hum more than the 5:50 on the higher-gain settings.

No, the Express is not a rectifier or Lone Star -- I think the Lone Star is a superior amp, but it was too much amp for my tiny home, and a little too big to be conveniently portable.

If you have the room to play and gig, then the larger amp (Lone Star) would be a superior choice. If you are looking to downsize, don't play death metal, and have a very versatile, portable amp, then the Express 5:25 fits the bill quite nicely.

 

[NuSkoolTone]

I was very disappointed with the Express 5:50 and exchanged it for a Deuce II. I wonder how sales are with that amp?

I think the 5:50 was the only Mesa amp I've tried or owned that I really didn't like. Good clean and reverb and the rest of the modes sucked...

+1 Couldn't have said it better. Except I went for an F-50 and then a Mark IV.

(btw F-50 is still available, I just haven't been in a "rush" to get "rid of it" 8) )

I too wonder what the stats are on Express sales? I guess we'll know if Mesa comes out with a new amp in two years.

 

[wilerty]

I can almost guarantee it will be phased out, slowly, torture style...

Time will tell ... but I really don't think so. The Express is extremely attractive to the Blackface clean crowd, and opens up Mesa to a market they haven't been in before. I replaced my Twin with it because of the cleans, dual wattage, two channels and good crunch and blues. I don't even turn the burn mode on.

The Express competes directly with the Super-Sonic, is about the same price, and absolutely eats it for lunch. If you filled a room with people who had Fender Twin, Super, Bassman, Hot Rod, or Super-Sonic amps and had them compare their amps to the Express, I think a large percentage would choose the Express.

I've followed your comments and links on several of these threads and I am absolutely convinced that the express is not the amp for you ... and thats' fine. I am equaly convinced that it is the amp for me and many others who have been looking for the feature set it has to offer.

Mesa Boogie has done the right thing to broaden their market to include the non-high gain users and I for one thank them for doing it. Not every guitar works for every player and the same is true of amps. I'm not new to this ... I started with a Bandmaster in 1962, and the Express 5:50 is the best amp I have owned, for the way I play.

I also think it is appropriate for all of us to think when we make our reviews. I don't like the Eric Clapton Strat because it has vintage frets, and I prefer MJ or larger. That doesn't mean the guitar "sucks", it just means it doesn't work for me.

 

[Resonator]

I can almost guarantee it will be phased out, slowly, torture style...

Time will tell ... but I really don't think so. The Express is extremely attractive to the Blackface clean crowd, and opens up Mesa to a market they haven't been in before. I replaced my Twin with it because of the cleans, dual wattage, two channels and good crunch and blues. I don't even turn the burn mode on.

The Express competes directly with the Super-Sonic, is about the same price, and absolutely eats it for lunch. If you filled a room with people who had Fender Twin, Super, Bassman, Hot Rod, or Super-Sonic amps and had them compare their amps to the Express, I think a large percentage would choose the Express.

I've followed your comments and links on several of these threads and I am absolutely convinced that the express is not the amp for you ... and thats' fine. I am equaly convinced that it is the amp for me and many others who have been looking for the feature set it has to offer.

Mesa Boogie has done the right thing to broaden their market to include the non-high gain users and I for one thank them for doing it. Not every guitar works for every player and the same is true of amps. I'm not new to this ... I started with a Bandmaster in 1962, and the Express 5:50 is the best amp I have owned, for the way I play.

I also think it is appropriate for all of us to think when we make our reviews. I don't like the Eric Clapton Strat because it has vintage frets, and I prefer MJ or larger. That doesn't mean the guitar "sucks", it just means it doesn't work for me.

This is another post I agree with whole heartedly. I owned or have used every Fender amp mentioned in this thread. The Express 5:50 competes with all these amps very favorably. In fact, with the way you're able to control the volume/tone on the Express, I think it beats a lot of the Fender amps with touchy volume controls. The Super-Sonic doesn't come close to what I was able to get out of the Express 5:50. The Express has a different clean than the LSC. It's a more articulate clean. the LSC has a richer clean tone. it's like the difference I find between a Deluxe Bassman and a DRRI or Twin.

I believe the Express amps are here to stay. Maybe newer models with upgrades will come, like the 10 watt setting on the LSC. The price is also more in line with what a lot of people are willing to pay.

Res

 

[Pageburst]

I like the tonal range available with the Express Amps and I think the 5:25 is a great little amp. I thought the cleans compared favorably with the LSS. heck it compared favorably to my LSC albeit with an el84 twist and a little less openess. Howver the gain that this amp has is slightly more agressive and imo more in line with what you might have on tap with the early Mark I & II amps.

I would have preferred the 12" speaker and the cab of the 5:50 for a few extra bucks it seems a lot more amp for the money than the :25 it's just the 5:50 didn't do it for me.

I do think these Express amps represent solid value from Mesa. Even the 5:50 imo has a slightly sweeter clean tone than the Fender DRRI TRRI and certainly the Super Sonic. I just dob't think it provides an as dimesnional nuanced clean tone as is on tap with the Lone Stars and to a certain extent with the 5:25.

I'll have to do some more auditioning but I think I may pickup a 5:25 to go along with my LSC. The LSS is ab awesome sounding amp as well with abigger cab and a 12" speaker but I like the higher gain options available with the :25.

While I know Mesa recast itself as more of a new metal amp provider with the venerable Recto series. The cleans of the production Lone Stars imo are second to none. It's too bad more folks don't think of Mesa for cleans the same way they consider Fender.

 

[jamme61]

I can almost guarantee it will be phased out, slowly, torture style...

Time will tell ... but I really don't think so. The Express is extremely
I also think it is appropriate for all of us to think when we make our reviews. I don't like the Eric Clapton Strat because it has vintage frets, and I prefer MJ or larger. That doesn't mean the guitar "sucks", it just means it doesn't work for me.

+1, why sucks? what get's everyone so mad about an amp when they don't like it? i love the express seies and the Lonestar too then I dig the Mark series too. I don't like the recto side but i still think they're great amps, just not for me, they don't suck. You guys get so angry you want mesa to get rid of the whole Express line LOL. I'm glad mesa came out with the express line, so I can afford to buy Mesa.

 

[Steve P]

It's too bad more folks don't think of Mesa for cleans the same way they consider Fender.

Given the quality of the cleans on the Express & Lone Stars, this may change ...

I wasn't initially shopping for a Mesa when I purchased my Express. But once I plugged my guitar into it, the other amps I was considering just didn't sound as nice to my ears.

I think this would be a positive development for Mesa -- I can understand that, since many people think Mesa = Recto, they might be disappointed with the Express line. But if you expect Mesa offer more than the Recto/really high gain amps, then there is really no reason to get so upset & disappointed.

 

[CudBucket]

Well you know what they say about opinions. I loved the 5:50 2x12 combo I played. If I could, I'd buy one today.

 

[Resonator]

It's too bad more folks don't think of Mesa for cleans the same way they consider Fender.

Given the quality of the cleans on the Express & Lone Stars, this may change ...

I wasn't initially shopping for a Mesa when I purchased my Express. But once I plugged my guitar into it, the other amps I was considering just didn't sound as nice to my ears.

I think this would be a positive development for Mesa -- I can understand that, since many people think Mesa = Recto, they might be disappointed with the Express line. But if you expect Mesa offer more than the Recto/really high gain amps, then there is really no reason to get so upset & disappointed.

Steve, just curious, what were the other amps you were considering?

 

[Steve P]

I've only been playing guitar for a year (so take my review with a grain of salt, although I have played other instruments as a hobby for ~30 yrs), and since this was my first tube amp I didn't feel comfortable going used (although I would likely go used for future amps).

I tried a whole range of amps in the ~C$1000 range (although in retrospect I overlooked Orange amps). I loved the LSS, but it was beyond what I was willing to pay right now, and it was a little "too much amp" for my needs since I don't need a full-on gigging amp.

I wanted good cleans (spring reverb would be a bonus), but more gain than a Fender. I also wanted enough gain to play up to Iron Maiden/Judas Priest/Black Sabbathy music. I don't have much interest in playing harsh downtuned "modern" metal, so I didn't need a recto, for e.g.

I decided I could get more amp for the cash with a tube combo, rather than a head + cab system. After spending a few months irritating guitar shop owners by noodling on as many amps as possible (Peaveys, Fenders, Marshalls, Mesas, Vox, etc.), I narrowed my short list to include:

- Traynor YCV40 (great amp, just not as versatile or rich-sounding as the 5:25.)
- Vox AC30CC combo (awesome amp, but way too big for my apartment or to be truly portable. The Vox AC30 also really needs to be cranked to sound good, and I wanted to avoid using an attenuator. I also would have needed a tubescreamer or something for higher-gain sounds)

I resisted the Express 5:25 purchase for several weeks, since it was about 25% beyond my initial budget. But I kept going back to it after trying the alternatives and loving the sound. I liked the amp because:

- the ability to switch between 5 watts in class A and 25 watts a/b is great for my needs (apartment play & friendly jams)
- it is a really loud, great-sounding amp, considering how small it is (although I'm sure the larger Mesa amps, for e.g. have more to offer)
- awesome EL84 chime on the cleans & tube reverb. Unlike most people who have reviewed this amp, I preferred the sound in the 5:25 more than the 6L6's in the 5:50, and the EL84s begin to break up at lower volumes (I don't need a lot of clean head room)
- good crunch
- two channels
- the contour control makes a huge difference in tone -- it is a good alternative to an eq in the effects loop for scooped mids
- the blues channel sounded rich
- more than enough gain to get me to Iron Maiden. Could use a clean boost to get harsher metal sounds, should I want to play with that in the future
- it brought out the best qualities from my budget fat strat clone, or whatever guitar in the shop I plugged into it
- it is really small, almost the same size as the Vox DA15 it replaced, which meant I could bring it home without provoking wifely disapproval -- after she heard it in comparison to the Vox, the wife said that it sounded way better than my digital modeller (surprise!), even with my craptacular playing

So, this amp isn't for everybody, but it sure is a great choice for my needs! I'm sure for twice the price Mesa could have provided other amps that were even better.

PS A month after I bought the amp, a used Mark IV combo showed up at a guitar shop in town. But my 30 days return period was up with Long & McQuade, so I decided to just be happy with what I have.