proud new owner!

[skmanga]

hey guys i purchased an express 5:50 head about 3 days ago, i was looking for a halfstack that could handle a good range of sounds but primarily a halfstack with great tone and i think i found it !

The express head is a beast of an amp that handles anything from clean tones and gets very close to a high gain "metal" sound. I am primarily looking for a driven tone for a heavy rock/metal band that i play in.
(i say heavy rock and metal not for the style of music i play but more for the type of sound/tone im looking for in an amp)

In the end what got me to purchase this amp over something more suited for straight up high gain was my belief that even though the express cant reach those high gain tones on its own, it does comes very close (only thing lacking is the tightness you get when palm muting single notes on the low strings) and the tone produced by the amp is very rich and deep with alot of character(something my previous amp the peavey XXX lacked, it was a high gain amp but sounded very sterile, thin, and it didnt have that punch you get from the express or say a marshall jcm),the express isnt an amp that will get drowned out in a band situation.
I believe that with the proper overdrive ill have that extra small push that im looking for to take me into the realm of high gain!!!
the problem is there are about 9,482,011 overdrive pedals and i have no clue where to start other then checking out a tube screamer lol

Anyone here have any experience with the express and OD's for high gain tones, are there any specific OD's that i should check out.

Im currently using a boss OD-20 coming out of the front of the amp, ive got a preset saved
that sounds pretty good using the tube screamer model on the burn channel, and ive got the head coming out of
a 2x12 avatar cab with eminence red coat wizard speakers that ive borrowed from a friend
untill ive got the funds for a 4x12 with v30's
Are vintige 30's the way to go for the sound im after? does anyone have any other speaker
reccomendations?

Im also a bit confused on how the FX loop works and which pedals id wanna put back there
instead of the front of the amp. Ive got a noise suppresor that ive tried out of the front
along with the boss OD-20 and a deltalab DD1 delay
How does the fx loop work and how would i want to set up my pedals on it vs the front of the amp?
also would a compressor help me in my quest for a killer high gain tone?
i also plan on adding an eq pedal to my setup hoping it helps!(would the eq go in the loop or the front of the amp?)


EDIT: for reference im looking for a modern style of metal/high gain tone

 

[ifailedshapes]

You should try a Fulltone OCD. That might be the extra kick in the groin you need to get the tone you're seeking. I would take advantage of your local Guitar Center's 30-day policy to really give the pedal a fair chance, and then if you don't like, return it. In my opinion, that's the only thing Guitar Center is good for!

 

[skmanga]

i was lucky enough to purchase a 4x12 egnater cab with v30's and a visual sounds route 808 overdrive, tone wise im set!!!
i should be able to get any tone i want from now on 8)

Ive got 1 more question!! how would i go about hooking up the head to the cab??
the head has 3 jacks total: 2 4ohm jacks, and 1 8ohm jack
the cab has 3 jacks total: 1 16ohm jack mono, 2 4ohm jacks stereo, also the left of the 2 4ohm jacks is labeled 8ohm stereo underneath it.

what is the correct way to hook the head to the cab??
8ohm head--------->16 ohm cab?

 

[J.J]

You can use the 16 Ohm speaker connection to the 8 Ohm amplifier output, but you won't get full power.

Otherwise, is there a switch on the speaker cab to go from mono to Stereo like the Marshall 4x12 ? If so, I would bet that you can use the 4 Ohm outlet and plug it into the amplifiers 4 Ohm outlet which will give you the correct impedance match.

 

[Newysurfer]

i was lucky enough to purchase a 4x12 egnater cab with v30's and a visual sounds route 808 overdrive, tone wise im set!!!
i should be able to get any tone i want from now on 8)

Ive got 1 more question!! how would i go about hooking up the head to the cab??
the head has 3 jacks total: 2 4ohm jacks, and 1 8ohm jack
the cab has 3 jacks total: 1 16ohm jack mono, 2 4ohm jacks stereo, also the left of the 2 4ohm jacks is labeled 8ohm stereo underneath it.

what is the correct way to hook the head to the cab??
8ohm head--------->16 ohm cab?

It's in the manual Skmanga (page 19)
Is there any reason why you can't match ohm ratings on amp & cab.
Even if you can't there's no problem mis-matching ohms.
Manual talks about that too & encourages experimenting

 

[skmanga]

no switch, but one of the two stereo 8ohm jacks on the cab (which are left and right frrom eachother) is also labeled 4ohm mono.

im assuming if i plugged the speaker cable into the shared 4ohm mono jack on the cab into one of the 4ohm jacks on the head ill be correctly matched.

this might help:
Patent Pending Automatic Impedance Sensing
The ingenuity of this cabinet is its patent pending automatic impedance sensing terminal plate. Now you can plug and play without worrying about confusing impedance switches.

- 4 Ohm and 16 Ohm MONO
- 8 Ohms per side STEREO

auto sensing?! are they saying i cant possibly blow anything up regardless of how i hook connect the amp+cab.


here are pics of what im working with:
back of amp


back of cab

_______________________________________________________

on an unrelated note, what are the tonal differences for the 5 watt and 50 watt setting?
i understand that it switches the amp from operating in class A to class A/B.
For someone primarily looking for a modern sounding overdriven channel wth an overdrive running over it which of the 2 power options would work best for me?

 

[ifailedshapes]

I'm pretty sure they mean auto-sensing as in it can tell if it's mono or stereo. I think it's pretty obvious what to do: 4 Ohm out from amp to 4 Ohm in on cab.

 

[skmanga]

i was lucky enough to purchase a 4x12 egnater cab with v30's and a visual sounds route 808 overdrive, tone wise im set!!!
i should be able to get any tone i want from now on 8)

Ive got 1 more question!! how would i go about hooking up the head to the cab??
the head has 3 jacks total: 2 4ohm jacks, and 1 8ohm jack
the cab has 3 jacks total: 1 16ohm jack mono, 2 4ohm jacks stereo, also the left of the 2 4ohm jacks is labeled 8ohm stereo underneath it.

what is the correct way to hook the head to the cab??
8ohm head--------->16 ohm cab?

It's in the manual Skmanga (page 19)
Is there any reason why you can't match ohm ratings on amp & cab.
Even if you can't there's no problem mis-matching ohms.
Manual talks about that too & encourages experimenting

Ive looked through the manual its def. a great manual but the cab thing is a bit confusing, and im under the impression that an incorrect mismatch will fry the amp and/or head.


The manual has 3 wiring schemes depicted that apply to my head (two 4ohm jacks and one 8ohm jack) but they dont match my cab situation.
They have an 8ohm cab hoked up to the 8ohm jack on the amp, a 4ohm cab hooked up to the 4ohm amp jack.
They also have 2 setups labeled "safe mismatch" that seem to semi-apply to my situation, the first is an 8ohm cab hooked up to a 4ohm jack on an amp with one 8ohm jack and two 4ohm jacks.
The last shows an amp unlike mine with one 4ohm, one 8ohm and one 16ohm jack, they have a 16ohm cab hooked up to the single 8ohm jack on the amp.
That last wiring scheme is the closest one that applys, ive tried hooking up my half stack from the amps only 8ohm jack to the cabs single mono 16ohm jack.
It works but like someone mentioned already its not perfectly attched that way.

Is it possible with my situation to perfectly match the cab and head?
also what side effects do you get from running a halfstack not perfectly matched?

 

[floaty83]

Use one of the 4ohm outputs on your amp, to the "Left" 4ohm Mono input on the cab. That's a correct match.

 

[J.J]

Use one of the 4ohm outputs on your amp, to the "Left" 4ohm Mono input on the cab. That's a correct match.

Yep, that is it.

If you did manage to get something wrong, don't worry, these amps can take impedance mismatch and will not get hurt. The power tubes life can be a bit shorter, but really won't make that much difference.

 

[ifailedshapes]

Dude, no offense, but you need to calm down, focus on your breathing, and look at what's in front of you. Your head has a 4 Ohm output. Your cab has a 4 Ohm mono input. Problem solved.

Mesa states in all of their manuals that their amps are not sensitive to impedance mismatches, so even if you didn't have a perfect solution (which you do), it wouldn't really matter much.

Plug it in and be soothed by some rock and roll, my friend.

 

[skmanga]

Dude, no offense, but you need to calm down, focus on your breathing, and look at what's in front of you. Your head has a 4 Ohm output. Your cab has a 4 Ohm mono input. Problem solved.

Mesa states in all of their manuals that their amps are not sensitive to impedance mismatches, so even if you didn't have a perfect solution (which you do), it wouldn't really matter much.

Plug it in and be soothed by some rock and roll, my friend.

u riteee doe!!!

 

[Newysurfer]

Dude, no offense, but you need to calm down, focus on your breathing, and look at what's in front of you. Your head has a 4 Ohm output. Your cab has a 4 Ohm mono input. Problem solved.

Mesa states in all of their manuals that their amps are not sensitive to impedance mismatches, so even if you didn't have a perfect solution (which you do), it wouldn't really matter much.

Plug it in and be soothed by some rock and roll, my friend.

+1
I cannot see myself how the Manual could be any clearer than it is.
All very simple to me
So Skmanga - read it again and better still - understand it :mrgreen:

 

[skmanga]

def, ill have to read the manual a couple more times! but i do appreciate all the help!
My rig has been set up at my practice spot, got the mesa express running in 50watt mode to the egnater 4x12 (4ohm to 4 ohm), to my schecter tempest through a visual sound route 808 OD.

not sure on this but it seems that when playing alone at band practice/live volumes i can dial a tone that sounds good to my ears, but as soon as we start playing together (bass/2 guitars/drums) the tone coming from my amp dosent sound good anymore in the mix which makes the entire mix and each members individual tones sound crap.
maybe theres just too much of everything?!

Can anyone provide me with tips on eqing in a band practice situation for a band with bass/2gtrs/drums.
Im looking to get high-ish gain sound out of the express, ive got the VS route808 OD for some extra gain.
the other guitarist is using a single rect 50w head into a avatar 2x12 with red coat wizard speakers.
Our process for eqing ourselves goes like this-
Each of us including the bassist individually eq our amps and find tones we like, we then 1 by 1 try to match our volume to the drummer, I usually go first and match the drummer volume wise.
Then the second guitarist comes in the mix, he sets his volume to match mine then we both play to the drums and match our volumes accordingly.
Finally the bass comes in and he matches the guitars volume and then the 3 of us play to the drums and make any volume/eq tweaks necessary.
In the end ("it dosent even matter...I") its hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing our poor combined sound, we all have good gear and can get sounds we like while playing individually but once it all comes together its just not a pleasing mix. When we practice one of us usually dosent consistently cut through the mix even tho were all loud as fek, i assume its got less to do with volume more to do with proper eqing.
I am used to playing alone with a bassist and drummer, its been tough incorporating a second guitarist into the mix.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[lerxst88]

no switch, but one of the two stereo 8ohm jacks on the cab (which are left and right frrom eachother) is also labeled 4ohm mono.

im assuming if i plugged the speaker cable into the shared 4ohm mono jack on the cab into one of the 4ohm jacks on the head ill be correctly matched.

this might help:
Patent Pending Automatic Impedance Sensing
The ingenuity of this cabinet is its patent pending automatic impedance sensing terminal plate. Now you can plug and play without worrying about confusing impedance switches.

- 4 Ohm and 16 Ohm MONO
- 8 Ohms per side STEREO

auto sensing?! are they saying i cant possibly blow anything up regardless of how i hook connect the amp+cab.

_______________________________________________________

on an unrelated note, what are the tonal differences for the 5 watt and 50 watt setting?
i understand that it switches the amp from operating in class A to class A/B.
For someone primarily looking for a modern sounding overdriven channel wth an overdrive running over it which of the 2 power options would work best for me?

I have one of those Egnater cabs! From what I have read, that seems to be how they're set up! If it were me, I would just go from one of the 4 ohm taps to the 4 ohm mono in.

For metal tones, you will probably get more saturation and compression from the 5 watt setting but I've found that 100 and 150 watters always have the best metal tones because of their high headroom. Try both and see which one you like better!

 

[Newysurfer]

def, ill have to read the manual a couple more times! but i do appreciate all the help!
My rig has been set up at my practice spot, got the mesa express running in 50watt mode to the egnater 4x12 (4ohm to 4 ohm), to my schecter tempest through a visual sound route 808 OD.

not sure on this but it seems that when playing alone at band practice/live volumes i can dial a tone that sounds good to my ears, but as soon as we start playing together (bass/2 guitars/drums) the tone coming from my amp dosent sound good anymore in the mix which makes the entire mix and each members individual tones sound crap.
maybe theres just too much of everything?!

Can anyone provide me with tips on eqing in a band practice situation for a band with bass/2gtrs/drums.
Im looking to get high-ish gain sound out of the express, ive got the VS route808 OD for some extra gain.
the other guitarist is using a single rect 50w head into a avatar 2x12 with red coat wizard speakers.
Our process for eqing ourselves goes like this-
Each of us including the bassist individually eq our amps and find tones we like, we then 1 by 1 try to match our volume to the drummer, I usually go first and match the drummer volume wise.
Then the second guitarist comes in the mix, he sets his volume to match mine then we both play to the drums and match our volumes accordingly.
Finally the bass comes in and he matches the guitars volume and then the 3 of us play to the drums and make any volume/eq tweaks necessary.
In the end ("it dosent even matter...I") its hard to pinpoint exactly what is causing our poor combined sound, we all have good gear and can get sounds we like while playing individually but once it all comes together its just not a pleasing mix. When we practice one of us usually dosent consistently cut through the mix even tho were all loud as fek, i assume its got less to do with volume more to do with proper eqing.
I am used to playing alone with a bassist and drummer, its been tough incorporating a second guitarist into the mix.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Every band is different as is every amp & guitar.
So every time you change any of these things you have to experiement and find your niche in the total band mixx.
You'll find it with the Express no prob's.
Just needs some EQ experimentation is all.
It also helps if the other guitarist is using different gear.
Spend some time together and see what works.
The Express is super versatile and has a very wide tonal range :mrgreen:

 

[Bob Womack]

Quite often sounds that are fine when we are playing alone don't cut through when we play with a group. We get used to these killer, wide band sounds during the intro on record but those sounds don't continue when the band enters. In order to cut, it is necessary to loose some of the bass and lower mids and allow the mids and upper mids the headroom to cut through. Think of the band as a group of sounds that must occupy different frequency bands. The kick drum owns the low lows. The bass owns the lows and low-mids. The guitars live in the mids and upper mids. The snare owns the upper mids and the cymbals occupy the highs. If you invade another instrument's frequency band, you get mush.

Hope that helps,

Bob

 

[skmanga]

im starting to understand, makes total sense!
When you eq alone you wouldnt remove frequencies, i see that with a band we cant all occupy the same ranges!
That advice alone will help tremendously.