brucesinger
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2005
- Messages
- 128
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I'm a long time Mesa user. I bought a MkIIC+ in the mid-eighties and gigged with it for 20 years without fail.
In 2004, I decided to retire the MkII, and went with a F50 head and 2x12 cab. This was a good, but not great set-up.
That all changed last week when I took delivery of an Express 5:50 head and a 2x12 vertical slant cab.
Wow!
What an inspiring amp! Yes, there is a hiss, but I will try a tube swap to lessen the noise. In a live application, though it is totally acceptable.
All hissing aside, this is a great sounding rig. Right out of the box, I was able to dial in cool tones on all channels. So much so, that I gigged with it a few days later without so much as a tweak during the set!
The crunch and burn channels with the Contour on, are my faves. Very dynamic and "live" sounding.
The Clean channel is full, crystal clear and is very pedal-friendly. Classic Mesa clean.
The Crunch channel (with the Contour on) is like my F50 clean channel boosted with a Klon. Very dynamic, edgy and crisp. Can easily get into AC/DC rhythm guitar sounds.
I don't use the Blues channel much, but it sounded pretty smooth when I was playing around with it.
The Burn channel is perfect for classic rock. IMHO, it sounds very British when cranked. Not a modern-sounding gain, but absolutely perfect for my style and needs.
In the end, this amp knocked two pedals off of my board: the Klon, (clean boost), and the MI Audio Crunch Box, (Marshall in a box). Great pedals, but the Express gets there without them.
Again, I am a classic rock player—Springsteen, Seger, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Mellencamp, Bad Co., Stones, Collective Soul, etc.—and these channels cover all of it, (with only a stock 52RI Tele!), perfectly. Add a light OD here and there, and the tonal possibilities are endless.
This is a great choice for those who need a little more than a standard two-channel amp, and a little less than a Lone Star.
In 2004, I decided to retire the MkII, and went with a F50 head and 2x12 cab. This was a good, but not great set-up.
That all changed last week when I took delivery of an Express 5:50 head and a 2x12 vertical slant cab.
Wow!
What an inspiring amp! Yes, there is a hiss, but I will try a tube swap to lessen the noise. In a live application, though it is totally acceptable.
All hissing aside, this is a great sounding rig. Right out of the box, I was able to dial in cool tones on all channels. So much so, that I gigged with it a few days later without so much as a tweak during the set!
The crunch and burn channels with the Contour on, are my faves. Very dynamic and "live" sounding.
The Clean channel is full, crystal clear and is very pedal-friendly. Classic Mesa clean.
The Crunch channel (with the Contour on) is like my F50 clean channel boosted with a Klon. Very dynamic, edgy and crisp. Can easily get into AC/DC rhythm guitar sounds.
I don't use the Blues channel much, but it sounded pretty smooth when I was playing around with it.
The Burn channel is perfect for classic rock. IMHO, it sounds very British when cranked. Not a modern-sounding gain, but absolutely perfect for my style and needs.
In the end, this amp knocked two pedals off of my board: the Klon, (clean boost), and the MI Audio Crunch Box, (Marshall in a box). Great pedals, but the Express gets there without them.
Again, I am a classic rock player—Springsteen, Seger, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Mellencamp, Bad Co., Stones, Collective Soul, etc.—and these channels cover all of it, (with only a stock 52RI Tele!), perfectly. Add a light OD here and there, and the tonal possibilities are endless.
This is a great choice for those who need a little more than a standard two-channel amp, and a little less than a Lone Star.