How would you rate the clean on the Express 5:50

[mdortona]

UKBoogieboy,

Having owned (and gigged) with the 5:50, the Lonestar Classic and the Lonestar Special, I have to disagree with you about the Lonestar (and it's clean channel) being over-rated, especially if you're comparing the 5:50 clean with the Lonestar Classic. In all fairness, IF you're comparing the 5:50's clean with the Lonestar Special's clean, then I have to agree with you 100%; yes indeed, the 5:50 has a more "clean" clean. The Special with it's 30 watt output and EL84 power section definitely lends it to a "less pristine clean". It's my understanding too that the Express' clean channel was imported over from the Lonestar Classic (at least that's what Mesa is claiming). Also, if the Lonestar is so over-hyped, you have to wonder what would make Timmons and Petrucci associate themselves with such a product, (not that it actually proves anything of course)?

Nonetheless, I sincerely hope that you enjoy your 5:50. It is a well made amp that served me well when I had one. Take it easy!

Matt

 

[Don]

...
I use my 5:50 backwards. I use the Blues mode for my clean sound and the Crunch mode for a distorted sound. I actually have it set up so that the Blues mode is a tad dirty when my guitar's volume is set to 10. I back the guitar's volume off for a real clean sound and crank the guitar when I want a mildly dirty sound. That's we way us old guys play the amp!
...
Another high point of the 5:50 (and the 5:25) is the reverb. It's better than the reverb in my '66 Vibrolux Reverb and the '68 Princeton Reverb that my 5:50 replaced.

Also what I discovered when I got my 5:25. I just could not find any love with the Blues/Burn channel for OD tone. Just too stiff and strident for me, and nowhere near the smooth, liquidy-thick OD I get from my DC5 or MkIII. I tried tweaking and re-tweaking and just could not get the creamy OD that I feel is the signature boogie tone (that is so easy to get in Marks and DCs), nor the authoritative bottom without a shrill top end (that contour knb is just soooo limiting compared to a GEQ!!). But then it dawned on me: use the Blues with the Gain throttled back for my clean tone, and the Crunch with the Gain turned up. Bam! There was my solution. The cleans are absolutely lovely in the Blues mode, and still can be "clean" though I always dial some hair on it. But the OD in the Crunch channel is vastly better sounding to this old guy than the Burn channel (which to me is like a caracature of what overdrive sounds like). Just a touch of Contour in the Crunch and I am in Boogie-saturation heaven. IMHO, anyway

Edward

I don't do that anymore. It turned out that my amp's channel 2 mid control wasn't connected properly (cold solder joint at the pot) making the channel sound thinner than it was supposed to, lacking punch and gain.

I realized that the mid pot was the problem when I rotated it and didn't hear a difference. I then raised the mids all the way and lowered the treble and bass pots all the way down. The amp went silent.

I re-soldered the connection at the pot and fell in love with the amp all over again! Unlike most Boogie players I like a lot of mids in my higher gain sound to give the sound more punch. That's how I liked to set up the Crunch mode. The Blues mode has that covered now and I always like the Clean mode better for cleans.

 

[Newysurfer]

UKBoogieboy,

Having owned (and gigged) with the 5:50, the Lonestar Classic and the Lonestar Special, I have to disagree with you about the Lonestar (and it's clean channel) being over-rated, especially if you're comparing the 5:50 clean with the Lonestar Classic. In all fairness, IF you're comparing the 5:50's clean with the Lonestar Special's clean, then I have to agree with you 100%; yes indeed, the 5:50 has a more "clean" clean. The Special with it's 30 watt output and EL84 power section definitely lends it to a "less pristine clean". It's my understanding too that the Express' clean channel was imported over from the Lonestar Classic (at least that's what Mesa is claiming). Also, if the Lonestar is so over-hyped, you have to wonder what would make Timmons and Petrucci associate themselves with such a product, (not that it actually proves anything of course)?

Nonetheless, I sincerely hope that you enjoy your 5:50. It is a well made amp that served me well when I had one. Take it easy!

Matt

yeah +1 with ya totally - there's not many people who'd agreee with UKBoogie.
Lonestar cleans & reverb are just fabulous IMO. They get used by a huge number of big name country and rock players.
Both guitarists from the Foo Figters have been gigging with Classics recently too.
They run distortion pedals into the clean channel :mrgreen:

 

[UKBoogieboy]

Well I should say that its to do with what you're looking for, I read all about how great it is, but it didn't sound great to me, I really wanted it to be the amp that I need but it wasn't that great, and all the valves mean't half the sound was filiment rattle, just didn't sound good to me tone wise, but I play differently to everyone else and I like particular sounds.

I will make a youtube video sometime.