newbie question

[nknyc]

Hello, I have been playing guitar for many years, but not on tube amps, I have been using 2 different randalls one from the mid 90's and a current model.

I am interested in getting a mesa express since I live in an apartment and i dont gig, just jam with friends.

I just have a few questions if you dont mind answering them

whats the difference between the el-84 and the 6l6's? I am looking for a recto type crunch and i play funk and classical as well.

also what does the 5-50 class switch do, is it just for raising and lowering power when needed?

what exactly does the countour switch do?

how often do tubes need to be changed and do you have to change them all at once?

sorry if these questions are absurd, but i'm really interested in tube amps.

thanks in advance.

when will the express combos be in stores?

 

[hal9000]

Hello, I have been playing guitar for many years, but not on tube amps, I have been using 2 different randalls one from the mid 90's and a current model.

I am interested in getting a mesa express since I live in an apartment and i dont gig, just jam with friends.

I just have a few questions if you dont mind answering them

whats the difference between the el-84 and the 6l6's? I am looking for a recto type crunch and i play funk and classical as well.

also what does the 5-50 class switch do, is it just for raising and lowering power when needed?

what exactly does the countour switch do?

how often do tubes need to be changed and do you have to change them all at once?

sorry if these questions are absurd, but i'm really interested in tube amps.

thanks in advance.

when will the express combos be in stores?

EL-84s are less powerful, crunchier, and have a chimey top end compared to 6L6. Generally, EL-84s are rated for about 7-12 W per tube, where 6L6s are rated for 25 W per tube. In comparison, the EL-84 sounds more British than the 6L6, which is more American. Lots of Fenders used the 6L6 (Twin) for the stunning clean sounds because of the deep bottom end and smooth top end. All the Rectos are based on the 6L6. The EL-84 is best known for its use in the Vox AC-30 and also the Marshall 18-watter.

Both the 5:25 and 5:50 have a high/low power switch that converts the high power output section (Class A/B 5:25 = 25 W, 5:50 = 50 W) down to 5 W class A on a single tube. Basically, that's half volume maxed out and you still have the master volume of course. 5 W is still very loud through a good cab, but is a lot more manageable in low volume settings like an apartment.

Contour on the F-series is a fixed version of the Mark IV's graphic EQ. On the Express, contour sweeps the mid frequencies so you can scoop them out or push the mids depending on what you're looking for. I'm going on the wording on Mesa's site of course, so I can't say for sure until I play one.

Preamp tubes last a long time unless they go bad, but you can normally expect a few years out of decent 12AX7s. Power tubes can last a few years, but that all depends on ho much you use them at gig volumes, and how careful you are with the standby/power-up procedure.

 

[nknyc]

thanks for taking time to help me out.

which size do you think would be more suitable to a room about

30' x 15'

during the day I can play really loud without complaints but after 9 pm I have to tone it down but i can still play at a resonable volume.

what is the correct standby / power up procedure.

thanks.

 

[Schmoog]

a 25-30 watt tube amp should suit that room nicely.

as far as power/standby procedure goes, its a little something like this,
when you turn on the main power switch, the amp powers up, and the heaters on the tubes turn on, but no high voltage goes to the tubes, and when you flip the standby switch to on the high voltage goes to the tubes. to reduce shock on the tubes, you should flip on the main power switch, wait awhile (30 second at least, I usually give like 5 minutes for everything to warm up) then flip the standby.

 

[Marc99]

I have the LSS with 5-15-30 and TBH it is perfect for low volume, i am sure the express will be also.

There is a definate volume difference between the three settings but even still you can use all 4 power tubes at low volumes, also if you use a good od pedal or processor to shape and adjust the drive\volume you would be surprised how good it will sound while playing low.

The main difference between adjusting volume with a processor or amp alone is more control because the drive on the Mesa alone is better than the od pedal i have but like i said you can make small changes to the volume. I can actually play at TV volumes (after midnight) and get nice overdrive. In this way it is great for modern blues and hard rock practicing etc. but when i play clean it is best to crank it.

I am comparing this amp to a low end all tube amp i tried that sounded like a moaning cow at low volumes. The Mesa is a completely different animal, it growls, it crunches etc. :lol:

 

[hal9000]

thanks for taking time to help me out.

which size do you think would be more suitable to a room about

30' x 15'

during the day I can play really loud without complaints but after 9 pm I have to tone it down but i can still play at a resonable volume.

what is the correct standby / power up procedure.

thanks.

IMO, the choice of amp is almost solely due to the voicing and has very little to do with power. I use 100 W, 50 W, and 7 W amps at my home for low and high volume without a problem. I think you'll find that you will clearly prefer one type of output tube over the other (EL-84s vs. 6L6), and that will be the deciding factor, rather than the power level. The only caveat with the 5:25 is that it may not have enough clean headroom for a loud drummer.

Since the Express doesn't have an overall master volume, if it's anything like the F-series, it will sound better with the channel 2 master above 9:00 which will be pretty loud on the high power setting of both amps. So, you can use a volume pedal, EQ, FX processor, etc. to get the loop volume lower and act as an overall master. I've also made a few pedals for people that act as a master volume and solo boost: www.64graphics.com/stealthboost.html