Long time owner (40 years) of a 1967 Fender BF Dual Showman and as basement player not needing something as loud as a Showman (85w), was looking for something more versatile. I got a decent price from GC on a trade-in for it and was originally looking at a 68 Custom DR or a 68 PRRI, but stumbled across a used Express 5:25+ on their website. The online demos sounded great and online reviews all sounded positive, even some calling it a sleeper of an amp. GC had a 10% off sale on used equipment recently, so I pulled the trigger and it showed up 2 weeks ago.
To top it off, the GC site said it came with a cover, but no cover was included when it was shipped to me. I called them up to ask about it, and they offered to refund me $80 for the cost of buying a new one from Mesa. I was pretty impressed at that!
The clean channel gets me really nice, Fender-like cleans. Maybe not quite as full sounding as my Showman was, but the Showman's speaker and cab probably has more to do with that. Otherwise, the Express is light-years ahead in versatility! The cleans are still great, and the overdrive I can dial in provides loads of options. So far, I'm having a blast with it! According to Mesa CS, this is Vintage Bordeaux Bronco with a Wicker grill and was shipped to Sweetwater in Nov 2015. I purchased it from GC in Jacksonville, FL, so if the original owner is on this board, let me know.
And thanks to all who have posted their thoughts and experiences about the Express, your experience and knowledge has helped immensely.
To top it off, the GC site said it came with a cover, but no cover was included when it was shipped to me. I called them up to ask about it, and they offered to refund me $80 for the cost of buying a new one from Mesa. I was pretty impressed at that!
The clean channel gets me really nice, Fender-like cleans. Maybe not quite as full sounding as my Showman was, but the Showman's speaker and cab probably has more to do with that. Otherwise, the Express is light-years ahead in versatility! The cleans are still great, and the overdrive I can dial in provides loads of options. So far, I'm having a blast with it! According to Mesa CS, this is Vintage Bordeaux Bronco with a Wicker grill and was shipped to Sweetwater in Nov 2015. I purchased it from GC in Jacksonville, FL, so if the original owner is on this board, let me know.
And thanks to all who have posted their thoughts and experiences about the Express, your experience and knowledge has helped immensely.
