Expree 5:50= best clean tone I have played

[MACDUFF]

The clean tone on this amp is in my opinion the best sounding clean tone of any amp i have played. I have owned the amp for about 3 weeks and can say that any clean tone that I hear in my mind can be obtained with this amp. The best way to describe it is a fender twin, which I almost purchased, with a fuller, smooth tone, that sustains better, and it does not have the brittleness or thin sound that the twin has. The clean setting can do jazz, fender spank, texas blues, and chicago blues. The reverb is also first rate and a complete improvement over the f50. Contour can make the clean channel sparkle, and adds depth. The crunch and blues settings, are nice, and the burn channel is good, but not as aggressive or as tight as a stilleto ace. One issue however, is a considerable amount of background hiss, when compared to most other amps, which may be a tube, but it is similar to what would be heard from a twin or a bassman. The other issue is the volume taper, this amp goes from off to loud real quick. If you want an incredible clean channel that can get as bright and twangy or offer smooth tone with as much bass as you will ever need that takes pedals well then this might be the amp for you. Metal, with pedal. and as a side note at band practice this amp held up and filled up the room next to a drummer and an old 1970s or 80s ampeg w/ 412 that is very loud. Hear is my take on other Mesa's I have played

Stilleto Ace- incredible amp, equall in my opinion to the express but in a different way, good clean, very touch sensitive, incredible distortion channel w/ excellent harmonics, can dial in early VH sound easily, and Randy roads tone but distortion channel needs a touch more bass. I see a stage 2 possibly?

30 watt lonestar- not impressed, I just could not dial in my tone on either the clean or distortion channels.

100 watt lonestar- better then the 30, but I preferred the clean of the express.

REctoverb- good overall amp- good clean channel, and good distortion channel, but not great at either.

f50- least favorite- passable clean channel, poor reverb, distortion channel a little buzzy. I just never felt like I had enough control over the EQ.

Remeber these are just my opinions

If you are looking for a complement to your high gain amp, for clean tones, or just want an incredible clean channel that takes pedals well, with average distortion then the express 5:50 would be a good amp.

 

[trustee]

macduff good to hear...im currently waiting on a little 5:25 head so we shall see how well the express series hangs amongst the rest. but in my opinion, as good as the clean is on my rect-o-verb head, the f30 combo I had while waiting for it had one of the best cleans i've ever heard...especially with the bright switch pulled.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

macduff good to hear...im currently waiting on a little 5:25 head so we shall see how well the express series hangs amongst the rest. but in my opinion, as good as the clean is on my rect-o-verb head, the f30 combo I had while waiting for it had one of the best cleans i've ever heard...especially with the bright switch pulled.

The cleans on the 5:25 are no where near as good as the 5:50. However, this could be due to the cab size, 1x10, and the El84 vs 6L6. Nevertheless, the cleans are quite good as is the drive channel.


Only say this as to not raise your expectations too much if you're going on the reports of the 5:50. Note from my sig that I have both.

Edit: I just noticed you're getting the head....and this is good as when I plugged my 5:25 through a 2x12, the clean sound really opened up and sounded great...although a couple of notches below that of the 5:50.

The 5:25 is a great little amp. Best you can buy for the $$ and feature set.

 

[Sling Blade]

JazzGear,

How does the 550 Express compare to the Mark lV? Mainly the Crunch and Burn Channels?

 

[JAZZGEAR]

JazzGear,

How does the 550 Express compare to the Mark lV? Mainly the Crunch and Burn Channels?

The cleans on the Express are better, the lead is not as tight as the Mark IV. Although the lead on the Express is very good as well, Mark Like.


The cleans on the Express to me sound LSC inspired as is the reverb, just lush

If you don't need the power and complexity of the Mark IV, the Express 5:50 is a much lower priced alternative.

I think the Express is more in the vein of the Mark/LSC amps than the Rectos.

Better cleans on the Express, better lead on the Mark.....

 

[Sling Blade]

Cool thanks for letting me know.

 

[spikormikor13]

How does the gain channel on the two amps compare? (Mark IV v. Express) I can assume the Mark's is better, but is the Express able to have close to the same amount of saturation as the Mark IV? Could it do, say, Metallica or Iron Maiden, or is it more of a hard rock/bluesy amp?

 

[Sling Blade]

How does the gain channel on the two amps compare? (Mark IV v. Express) I can assume the Mark's is better, but is the Express able to have close to the same amount of saturation as the Mark IV? Could it do, say, Metallica or Iron Maiden, or is it more of a hard rock/bluesy amp?

To my ear the 550 Express handles Metallica perfectly. I am a huge Metallica fan boy and Metallica is my flavor of choice when it comes to playing the guitar. I play along with their albums a lot of the time and my tone and the album tones are a perfect match. The Crunch channel handles their earlier stuff; Kill Em All, Ride the Lightning. And the Burn channel covers the Black album on up. ...And Justice for All, is either the Burn channel or the crunch channel I cannot decide myself. Either way it is all good. That is why it does not surprise me much to hear that the Mark4 and Express are like brothers. Keep in mind though I am playing a ESP with EMGs.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

How does the gain channel on the two amps compare? (Mark IV v. Express) I can assume the Mark's is better, but is the Express able to have close to the same amount of saturation as the Mark IV? Could it do, say, Metallica or Iron Maiden, or is it more of a hard rock/bluesy amp?

Put it this way, you get to the sweet spot of saturation much faster and easier with the Express than I do with the Mark IV. I play primarily single coils -- so that definitely has alot to do with it.

Tonight I played my 5:50 at a gig ..and got alot of compliments on my tone...some even thought from a distance that I was playing a wide body Mark IV combo. They were suprised when up close that it was a 5:50.

This has got to be the best amp purchase I've made -- put's a smile on my face every time I strum a chord or play a lead riff.