MojoFly
Member
I just got a set from Doug's. Seems the Express's four modes is a common challenge for most of us to tame. Hopefully, these observations can help others.
First, I do think it's worthwhile to review the Tube Task Chart to get an appreciation of each positions purpose. The goal being to capitalize on Mesa's engineering for the Express design. I keep with the basic strategy of V1 - V3 = the gain escalation tubes and V4 - V5 = the output tubes.
Disclaimers:
(1) Tubes: By engineering will vary by brand, design and voltage. So even if we installed the same tube on paper, our results could certainly differ.
(2) Speakers: Probably should be a thread of its own, but needs to be stated: Your results will vary between your speaker choices. Having a combo, I kept my observations constrained to just the C90. **Soundchaser59 would be the best forum resource in this arena**
(3) Player Preferences: **Includes guitar choices ** Obviously we each have our styles of playing and dial preferences. Makes the musical world go round. :wink:
(4) Dial positions: Each tubes change will affect the results in our dial zones (G – T – M – B – R - Mstr – Contour)
Background: Coming from some limited Mesa experience (20/20, Heartbreaker, Triaxis, F50) to the Express 5 50, I think most would agree the Express can be difficult to drill in on tones with its stock complement of tubes.
With my other Mesa's, I’ve always had great success using JJ's throughout as with my other amps. This is not the case for the Express. Using this formula (ECC83S's throughout) in the Express, I gotta agree the results here were less than expected. (For my initial tests, the only 6L6's I had on hand were a matched pair of JJ's and the Mesa's)
I’ll spare you all the incremental experiments and share my best results to date as compared to Doug’s basic list.
Doug's List
- V1 Tung sol 12AX7
- V2 High Gain JJECC83
- V3 Penta 12AX7
- V4 Shuguang 12AX7 9th gen
- V5 Sovtek LP/LPS
- SED 6L6GC Matched
Ordered/Installed
- V1 Ruby 12AX7ACZ HG
- V2 Tung sol Gold Pin
- V3 Penta 12AX7
- V4 Penta 12AX7 Balanced
- V5 Sovtek LP/LPS
- SED 6L6GC Matched (Average Distortion)
Granted everything list above is not “apples to apples” notably:
(1) I received Ruby 12Ax7ACZ HG instead of the JJ 83 HG’s I ordered. (Upgraded replacement :?: )
(2) I chose a balanced Penta 12AX7 for V4, because:
a. Shuguang’s weren’t available individually (I already had a Tung Sol (Gold) so didn’t need the re-tube set)
b. For a few dollars more , I wanted a balanced tube to be used in the phase splitter/driver position
In essence, I would say the most notable change anyone could do for the Express is to switch the V1 & V2 as installed. In fact, when I ran the Tung Sol in V1, I found it too “chimey” i.e. high strings had this “after note” echo thing going on.
Installation results appear to take full advantage of the V1 – V3 cascading positions.
Yeah… Perhaps the balanced V4 may be a “placebo”, but I figure if I’m spending $$ on a re-tube, getting a balanced tube in V4 wouldn’t break the bank.
Can’t say whether the Sovtek LPS were really necessary being the Reverb output tube, but it works well anyway.
Installing the preamp tubes as described (at least for me) really delivered the resurrection of soul I was seeking in all four modes. In fact, I finally got the coveted Chl 2 “growl” back I missed so much from my F 50. I was beginning to think I made a mistake changing over. I gotta believe the SED 6L6’s contributed here as well.
Suffice to say all four modes now offer the tonal palettes I was always hoping for in this amp.
The Express is truly a hybrid product with it’s four character modes leveraging Mesa’s quality engineering.
It’s hard to describe, but having this tube compliment in place, makes each mode selection more logical.
i.e. Think… Clean = Clean, Crunch = Crunch, Blues = Blues, Burn = Burn.
Having always favored the Chl 1 modes, I now find that having a useable Chl 2 on tap offering “soulful” Blues and the growling gain in Burn clearly has increased the tonal real estate housed in this amp.
First, I do think it's worthwhile to review the Tube Task Chart to get an appreciation of each positions purpose. The goal being to capitalize on Mesa's engineering for the Express design. I keep with the basic strategy of V1 - V3 = the gain escalation tubes and V4 - V5 = the output tubes.
Disclaimers:
(1) Tubes: By engineering will vary by brand, design and voltage. So even if we installed the same tube on paper, our results could certainly differ.
(2) Speakers: Probably should be a thread of its own, but needs to be stated: Your results will vary between your speaker choices. Having a combo, I kept my observations constrained to just the C90. **Soundchaser59 would be the best forum resource in this arena**
(3) Player Preferences: **Includes guitar choices ** Obviously we each have our styles of playing and dial preferences. Makes the musical world go round. :wink:
(4) Dial positions: Each tubes change will affect the results in our dial zones (G – T – M – B – R - Mstr – Contour)
Background: Coming from some limited Mesa experience (20/20, Heartbreaker, Triaxis, F50) to the Express 5 50, I think most would agree the Express can be difficult to drill in on tones with its stock complement of tubes.
With my other Mesa's, I’ve always had great success using JJ's throughout as with my other amps. This is not the case for the Express. Using this formula (ECC83S's throughout) in the Express, I gotta agree the results here were less than expected. (For my initial tests, the only 6L6's I had on hand were a matched pair of JJ's and the Mesa's)
I’ll spare you all the incremental experiments and share my best results to date as compared to Doug’s basic list.
Doug's List
- V1 Tung sol 12AX7
- V2 High Gain JJECC83
- V3 Penta 12AX7
- V4 Shuguang 12AX7 9th gen
- V5 Sovtek LP/LPS
- SED 6L6GC Matched
Ordered/Installed
- V1 Ruby 12AX7ACZ HG
- V2 Tung sol Gold Pin
- V3 Penta 12AX7
- V4 Penta 12AX7 Balanced
- V5 Sovtek LP/LPS
- SED 6L6GC Matched (Average Distortion)
Granted everything list above is not “apples to apples” notably:
(1) I received Ruby 12Ax7ACZ HG instead of the JJ 83 HG’s I ordered. (Upgraded replacement :?: )
(2) I chose a balanced Penta 12AX7 for V4, because:
a. Shuguang’s weren’t available individually (I already had a Tung Sol (Gold) so didn’t need the re-tube set)
b. For a few dollars more , I wanted a balanced tube to be used in the phase splitter/driver position
In essence, I would say the most notable change anyone could do for the Express is to switch the V1 & V2 as installed. In fact, when I ran the Tung Sol in V1, I found it too “chimey” i.e. high strings had this “after note” echo thing going on.
Installation results appear to take full advantage of the V1 – V3 cascading positions.
Yeah… Perhaps the balanced V4 may be a “placebo”, but I figure if I’m spending $$ on a re-tube, getting a balanced tube in V4 wouldn’t break the bank.
Can’t say whether the Sovtek LPS were really necessary being the Reverb output tube, but it works well anyway.
Installing the preamp tubes as described (at least for me) really delivered the resurrection of soul I was seeking in all four modes. In fact, I finally got the coveted Chl 2 “growl” back I missed so much from my F 50. I was beginning to think I made a mistake changing over. I gotta believe the SED 6L6’s contributed here as well.
Suffice to say all four modes now offer the tonal palettes I was always hoping for in this amp.
The Express is truly a hybrid product with it’s four character modes leveraging Mesa’s quality engineering.
It’s hard to describe, but having this tube compliment in place, makes each mode selection more logical.
i.e. Think… Clean = Clean, Crunch = Crunch, Blues = Blues, Burn = Burn.
Having always favored the Chl 1 modes, I now find that having a useable Chl 2 on tap offering “soulful” Blues and the growling gain in Burn clearly has increased the tonal real estate housed in this amp.