Mesa Express vs Nomad vs Electradyne

[DWAKO]

Ok, here is my situation... I currently own a Mesa Nomad, I love the tones I'm getting from the amp and I'm about to perform the cap and effects loop mod on it. But I have a friend who used to play guitar for my old band who is wanting to sell his Bogner Uberschall to me for only a $1000. Which is obviously a sweet deal. I like the Uberschall, it deserves every bit of hype that it receives because it is a top of the line amplifier. But... It's not my kind of amp. It's more geared for Metal and I like more a traditional, straight up rock tone with not much saturation; the less gain I can get away with while still maintaining an punch and edge the better. Plus the cleans are not as strong as I would like... I prefer a tube amp with an amazing foundation clean tone to work with than a modern high gain amplifier. (I had a triple Recto and liked it, but it was not for me).

So here is my thought process, since I'm getting a great deal on the Bogner I'm looking to sell my Nomad use the money from that plus a little of my own to by the Bogner then turn around and sell the Bogner to make a little profit (cause I could use the money) and buy a Mesa amp (at a lesser price) that I would be a little more happy with. Now I have to make up my mind on which head to purchase. I love my Nomad, but I haven't A/Bed it against other Mesas. I've played the Express 5:50 head and was blown away by all it's options, it's tones were very impressive to my ears. I know i would be bumping myself down to 2 channels from 3 with the Nomad... but the 2 and 3 channel aren't that different on the Nomad so I don't even know if i would care. I would rely on my Line 6 M9 for any alternate tones. Then I saw the Electradyne demo video and based on what I heard it was pretty unbelievable for such a simple set up. The tone was articulate and clear just like I like it. My only worry is my control of the eq when switching from channel to channel, which I would have with the Express or Nomad. I haven't had chance to try it (The Electradyne) myself, I haven't found a store that carries it near me.

So is there an advice/recommendations between the 3 amplifiers or even others? I like the mark series as well and have had extensive playing time on the Mark IV, but again I'm not sure if it's what I'm looking for, it's almost too liquid sounding for me. The Lonestar is another option but I have had little to no experience with it.

Thanks!

 

[BoogiePete]

I like the mark series as well and have had extensive playing time on the Mark IV, but again I'm not sure if it's what I'm looking for, it's almost too liquid sounding for me. The Lonestar is another option but I have had little to no experience with it.

I've owned a Mk3 and 4, currently own an Express 5:50, and have had about an hour and a half trying out the Mk5 and Electra Dyne.

All of the Mk amps I've owned have had that 'liquid' sound so maybe they're not for you. I love my Express and am thinking of running two in an A,B,Y setup to give me 4 independant channels. I'd say that the Express has lots of similarities to the Mk series though. The Mk5 has the liquid sound also, but it can do an awful lot of other stuff as well, versatility is its strong point. From what you've described the Electra Dyne could be for you. Limited EQ across the 3 modes I agree, but during my 20 minutes with it I loved it for its simplicity and huge tone along with being a little different as well. Try one if you get the chance, could be what you're looking for! The clean tone on the Dyne is the best I've come across, the sort of sound that makes people sit up and take notice! The driven tones are great also. Some people are describing the drive sounds as 'Marshallesque' but I'd say that overall the amp is much darker and fatter than most Marshalls I've tried/heard, more Vox with a healthy dash of Boogie thrown in. Nicely touch sensitive I found as well, but there may not be enough gain available for some.

If you're thinking of a change from the Nomad I'd go for something else, especially if its not going to cost you mega-bucks. I find that a change of gear occasionally inspires me to play differently and improve the way I play, and in my case has never been a disasterous decision.


Whatever you end up with, Enjoy!

 

[DWAKO]

Yeah, the Electradyne has been very appealing. I feel it would obtain the sound in my head better than any other amplifier... I just need to try one out, I guess if it sounds great naturally then a whole lot of EQing isn't needed. Don't fix what's not broken, right?

 

[babow2]

I've had a Nomad 55 and an Express 5:50. I also had a Lonestar Classic, which you mentioned in passing. I currently play a Mark IV (again, after playing one for 10 years until about 6 years ago) and a modded Heartbreaker. While I haven't played an ED, my close friend is a producer in LA and a Mesa artist and I've heard his ED live and on recordings, and it is a gorgeous sounding amp.

So, I have touched all the amps you mentioned, and here is my personal $.01 (what's left in the recession). Your results may vary......

I found the Nomad to feel generic and ambiguous compared to all other amps. It just didn't have a particularly lovely clean tone and the driven tones were good but somewhat lacking character in my opinion, at least with my rigs. Not bad, but just not noteworthy. The Lonestar has gorgeous cleans, by comparison, but given how you described your playing, it probably doesn't have enough gain for you, which it didn't for me. Without pedals, the gain channel doesn't stretch to classic or modern rock gain levels. The Express has very nice cleans, much better than the Nomad in my opinion; its lead tones are very nice and have a wonderful unique character to them. I find it sort of a balance between the Mark and Recto tones, but with a wide palette. There is a lot of tone and quality in that amp. No doubt the ED is a killer amp, and probably has the best combination of clean and gain tones of the bunch. For pure tones, it probably is your best choice. However, the lack of separate tone controls for the channels is a problem for me, as primarily a live player. In the studio, it would be a no-brainer decision- the ED is the best choice. For me, though, live, I have become so accustomed to having separate tone controls, I would sacrifice a little tone for flexibility and go with the Express.

I think you will find the Express' tones are a vast improvement over the Nomad's. Certainly, Mesa has improved all their circuitry during the years in between those models. You can't go wrong with any of those choices and have to trust your ears.
Good luck!

 

[nogalian]

Dude, get the Mark V. No question about it. Skinny clean, fat clean all the way thru Extreme mode. Footswitchable EQ on any channel. 10/45/90 watt power settings with a variac switch. Great fx loop. Hard to imagine there are tones in this amp you can't find!! All in one sweet package! You will love it!

 

[babow2]

Yeah, I agree that the MkV is ALL THAT! No doubt. But, it wasn't on his list and is more expensive than an Express by a lot, and the ED by a little. The man seemed to want to not spend too much, and pocket his profit from the Bogner. if that is his plan, the Mk V barely works.

Hey, I have avoided crossing paths with a Mk V because i know I will have to have one. I am avoiding the inevitable as long as I can. Oh, that and the used price may come down a little. Also, Mesa has a way of ironing out the bugs in a first gen amp pretty quickly. So, after a year or so, there might be a "red stripe" Mk V with slight improvements.

 

[nogalian]

So is there an advice/recommendations between the 3 amplifiers or even others? I like the mark series as well and have had extensive playing time on the Mark IV, but again I'm not sure if it's what I'm looking for, it's almost too liquid sounding for me. The Lonestar is another option but I have had little to no experience with it.

He's not sure what he wants!! :lol: Besides, saving money isn't really a good enough reason to not explore all your options!! Plus playing live with the Mark V is a breeze with essentially "the controls at your feet." No need for pedals in front of the amp, like your excellent review of the Lonestar pointed out out about that amp, Awesome cleans but not quite enough bite. No harm exploring all your options first, then making your choice based upon you findings. If, however, he has limited the competition to ONLY the ED or the Express so as to pocket a few bucks, then I defer and you're right!!

 

[Dolebludger]

I don't know what exact model of Nomad you have, but here is just a passing comment. If your Nomad does not have a graphic EQ, it needs on badly (IMO) -- especially to get the kind of clean tones you want. I like the same kind of tones as you. My Nomad 55 (no graphic) was a "whole different animal" after I put a 10 band in the FX loop. Now, for "clean sustain" that I like, you'd have to pull that Nomad from my cold dead hands.

 

[DWAKO]

My Nomad does have the graphic eq, and yes if it didn't have it I know I wouldn't have kept it for this long. The Mark V has always been in the back of my mind... A little more money and I'm sure it's worth it. But I'll have to play it along with the Electra Dyne. Based on demos I've seen, the Electra Dyne is more appealing but as I learned with Mark IV (and with most Mesas for that matter). The Mark series is notorious for tweeking and I know the Mark V is no different. So honestly It just comes down to trying them out. I believe I like the natural sound of the ED over the Mark V, but I'm sure the Mark V can be manipulated.

 

[babow2]

Bottom line- everyone is right!
You just need to go find them, play them all and pick the one that you love. You can't go wrong with any of them, on that we all agree, if you follow your gut and your ears, maybe not in that exact order.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Check the stiletto out!
From what you're describing you are in the same situation i was. I loved the tones I got from all the Mesas I've owned, but I'm a fan of the more in your face rock sound than the over saturated sounds from most high gain amps. With the treble and presence fairly low on my ACE 2x12 and my bass pegged and mids up about 2 O'Clock and gain about the same I get the tone and response I never could from any of the amps i've owned (check the list, I've been through a few). The only other amp on my list right now is the lonestar, but between the 2 I prefer the stiletto. The ED is sweet as well, but I'm crazy about the stiletto.

 

[DWAKO]

Yeah, I've tried out the Stiletto Ace. I liked it but I felt it was almost too bright and harsh when I turned it up. I probably just really needed to cut the highs and presence more. The Stiletto is a possibility as well, I just hadn't thought about it. I'll put it on the list to give a test run. Which is the best model? Ace, Deuce, or Trident? I believe I preferred the Ace if I remember correctly. The more reviews of the Mark V I watch, the more I like it... but the Electradyne is just so distinct. It's like a modded Marshall. The closest comparison I can think of is a Splawn Quickrod tone wise.

 

[primal]

Yeah, I've tried out the Stiletto Ace. I liked it but I felt it was almost too bright and harsh when I turned it up. I probably just really needed to cut the highs and presence more. The Stiletto is a possibility as well, I just hadn't thought about it. I'll put it on the list to give a test run. Which is the best model? Ace, Deuce, or Trident? I believe I preferred the Ace if I remember correctly. The more reviews of the Mark V I watch, the more I like it... but the Electradyne is just so distinct. It's like a modded Marshall. The closest comparison I can think of is a Splawn Quickrod tone wise.

I can assure you the Electra Dyne will not disappoint. Sounds amazing both clean and overdrive. Even with the huge bottom end it still remains tight on the high gain settings.

There is some compromise when it comes to the shared controls. I would say that my favorite overdriven tone and my favorite clean tone do have slightly different EQ settings. However, I do fine just going ahead and setting it for the optimal overdrive setting and when I switch to clean it still sounds great.

The only thing that can be annoying is that when ever you change the Master Volume or the gain (labeled volume) you then need to readjust the clean level trim in the back to equalize the volume between the clean and drive channel. You don't have to do this for EQ changes.

But think of it this way, some of the most famous amps of all time only had one mode (JCM 800, Plexi).

Pure tone wise, the ED is a beast.

Not an alll out metal amp, though if you wanted to use it for that a boost on the high gain channel will get you there. More gain then say a JCM 800 stock though.

Huge bottom end. One of the thickest sounding Mesa's I have heard.

At the time I picked it up money was not a big obstical. I could have picked up any mesa (I may have had to wait an extra month).

But hey, you can't go wrong with any Mesa IMHO

 

[DWAKO]

Today I was able to run by my local guitar center just to see what they had. And there was an express, lonestar, and electradyne in stock so tried them all out and the verdict is the following.

The Express: a great head all around, I was very impressed with the burn channel, but like it was previously mentioned, it was some-what reminscent of a mark series. It was a little too liquid for my taste but still sounded great. I liked the cleans as well.

Lonestar: Wow, the cleans were very impressive... Now I know why everyone refers to "lonestar like cleans". I liked the clean tone over most fenders I have tried honestly. Now the drive channel surprised me. I was able to crank out more gain than I thought. Great clarity, not as naturally bright as I would like but still sounded great. I thought it could be a strong possiblity if I didn't care for the Electradyne.

Electradyne: my experience turning this beast on and hearing it in person for the first time was almost supernatural. WOW that sucker sounds great! It was the feeling of "this is my amp" for sure. Amazing clarity, probably one if the most "musical" Mesa amps I've played. The cleans seemed on par with the lonestar and the reverb is stellar! I had no trouble switch through the modes and getting great tones. I basically turned it on and instantly loved it's natural sound. I actually like the limited gain, it keeps me from getting too gain happy. It packed so much punch and brightness, but the brightness was musical, not harsh. I think I found my amp. I still want to give the stilleto and Mark V a test run for kicks... But I'm almost positive I'll come back to the Electradyne.

 

[Tommy_G]

The platform of the Nomad makes a lot of sense to me, and so I've invested a lot of time in trying to make the most of it.

Note that it is Mesa's only amp that runs V1 a & b in parallel for the input stage, which is a boutique approach to a clean channel, Rivera, for example.

I've spent an considerable amount of time auditioning tubes and optimizing my tone. Channel 1 has blossomed into my go-to channel for all my country, blues and classic and hard rock rhythm tones. Crank all your tone knobs to full open (takes the tonestack out of the circuit) and set the gain to 2:00 o'clock and see if you like it the tone, dynamics, responsiveness of the amp on your different guitars and pickup selections. If you don't, you need a different tube lineup eg Its not your amp, its your tubes.

The Ch1 tone control circuit is the same as 90% of other Mesa models. The Mesa's that differ often use the Fender Deluxe R & C values.

I've found that the tube lineup makes a huge difference in tone and feel, and picking up another Mesa amp will never change that fact.

I prefer my Nomad to my Heartbreaker (Deluxe tone circuit in Ch1), and overall to my Formula preamp - however the Formula has some real nice clean tones, but the lead channels aren't so good. I've auditioned all the new models in Music stores and remain satisfied with my Nomad. I admit that a Fender Blues Deluxe always gets my attention..

 

[mrboogie]

Could you share your tube set up on your Nomad since you have spent so much time working with it? I just got a 45 2x12 and love the first channel as well. I have had a ton of amps that had great distortion but had terrible clean channels (no character). This amp had character on channel 1 especially.

 

[DWAKO]

I have JJ 6L6 tubes, with Mesa 12ax7a's in my Nomad 100, which I like fairly well. The issue isn't with the cleans in channel 1 at all. I am perfectly satisfied with the clean tone... it's honestly better than most of the clean tones I've played around with on various amps, both Mesa and non-mesa. It's just the character of the 2nd and 3rd channels that I can't seem to be 100% happy with. I play in a Hard Rock/Alternative band and I use a more aggressive tone pretty consistently (but not overly saturated), so this is where my focus lies. I performed the cap mod which helped take some muddiness out, but still I can't seem to obtain the clarity I want to achieve with the Nomad even when switching from guitar to guitar with various pickup configurations. Where as I basically turned the Electradyne on and was satisfied with it's higher gain tones. I like a tighter sounding distortion with punch, the Nomad I find to be rather "liquidy" to my ears. (even with the gain rolled back in vintage mode.) I haven't experimented with channel 1 as much as channels 2 and 3. Maybe with some tweaking I can get a more aggressive sound like I'm looking for out of the pushed mode in channel 1. It's definitely worth a shot.

 

[Tommy_G]

From my experience, this amp needs a top quartile newpro Tungsol in V1 (I found highly notable differences among 5 samples) and a Chinese in V3 to make the most of the lead channels. Mesa Russian A's just don't cut it in these positions. Of course, there are a few other tubes that work best in the other slots, I'll have to pull my tubes to see where I landed a few years ago with the lineup.

I think that when you hear the difference in both clean and lead channels with these tube changes you'll keep it around for a while longer, and your decision to trade out will become increasingly difficult.