Stiletto Stage 2 vs. Express 5:50

[Charlie]

Unfortunately, both amps' footswitches lack the FX button...

I hear ya - that's such a great feature I wish they had included it on the Stiletto.

 

[richt]

I can speak to this because when I went shopping I ended up putting the ACE and the Express 5:50 head-to-head. I have to say that for me, the Express outshone the ACE because of the clean channel, the reverb (footswitchable!), the 5-watt mode, the contour controls (footswitchable!), the lack of fan (for recording) and the size/weight.

I am not a hard rocker or a metal player, so I didn't need brutal gain. I can say though, that the Burn mode is very inspiring for leads. The Clean mode is just so toneful and the Crunch and Blues modes allow you to dial in all but the most hellacious gain. Finally, the reverb just makes everything so lovely...I really can't get enough of it! The Express is a great piece, and I am more pleased with it every time I play through it!
I still want the ACE though, it is also wonderful and very inspiring, just a different voice.

I can elaborate more if asked, so let me know.

Cheers,

Richt

 

[Heavyzandt]

Rabies, I read that HC review too. I have the 2 x 12 and the ft/sw is not hardwired. It looks like it might be but it's not. The 212 also come with casters. Very nice casters that come on and off in less than 30 sec if you want it on the floor. Very cool, very MESA. I also thought it sounded a little fuller than the 112. Hope this helps.

 

[wilerty]

Rabies: I have an Express 5:50 2X12 ... and love it. However, It is a 6L6 amp and I play mostly clean, crunch, and blues. I use the 5 watt mode 95% of the time.

Others have posted that if you are looking for a British/Marshall tone, or heavy metal sound that the 5:25 is a better bet. If you need more power the Stilleto Ace has 50 watts. Better yet would be a Lonestar Special with EL84s with 5/15/30 watts.

Demo, demo, demo

 

[Newysurfer]

From a HC review:

"I'm giving it a 6 because of the hard wired midi cable for the footswitch. I really don't understand why they hardwired used this type of cable. But I am especially disappointed that the cable is hard wired to the amp. That seems very un-Boogie to me."

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/...duct/Mesa/Boogie/Express+5:50+1x12+Combo/10/1

Is this true???

Yeah - I read that too- sooooo - what's the problem with that ??? The cable is hardwired at the back - not the footswitch - if you don't wanna use the footswitch you unplug it and the cable folds nicely into a special bag in the back - a total non-issue. That same guy also complained about the 1x12" combo having no casters - it only weighs 50 pounds :roll:

The 5:50 has a lot more gain than the Lonestars and sounds just as good clean/crunch. It's therefore much more versatile and a better amp for that reason alone. It also has a series FX Loop PLUS it's US$500 cheaper.

 

[jamme61]

5:50 is killer! and I'm a marshall plexi guy. like the other guy posted the cable plugs into the underside of the amp, it is not hardwired to the amp. Makes you wonder about these review guys???

 

[simonich]

The 5:50 has a lot more gain than the Lonestars and sounds just as good clean/crunch. It's therefore much more versatile and a better amp for that reason alone. It also has a series FX Loop PLUS it's US$500 cheaper.

I liked the Lonestars when I tried them (and bought one), and I liked the 5:50. Gotta quibble a little bit with your use of "versatile". Sure, the 5:50 covers more gain territory. But the Lonestars have more variability, power settings, voicings, etc. That's pretty versatile. (Oh, fyi, the Lonestar has a serial FX loop too.)

I think they are both good amps. It's just a stretch for me to say the 5:50 is MORE versatile than a Lonestar. But I understand why you said it.

 

[jamme61]

I had the lonestar too, and when you add in the dufference in price it just makes the express seem mmore versitile LOL. I don't remember the 5 watt option on the LS? is there one? that's a great option on the express 9not kidding) also the cleans on the express and LS sound the same to me, it's the blues setting on the second channel of the Express that sold me, I couldn't get that with my LS. both killer amps but the $500 is pretty big.

 

[PC Biz]

I played the ACE and 5:50, and the cleans are great on both. As mentioned you get a bit more versatility with the 5:50, and the 2x12 configuration pushes a lot more air. Even at low volumes, the 2x12 combo sounds great.

With that said, I still prefer the Rectoverb over both. Excellent cleans, very jazz gig worthy, and Single Rectifier crunch on demand. The reverb is really nice, too. I prefer the head version with a 2x12 over the combo.

 

[Newysurfer]

Hey Lonestar owners- don't get twitchy. I'm not criticisng the Lonestar at all. A really great amp. Def one of the best available. But when I tested em both out a few months ago I thought the 5:50 just pipped it

 

[wilerty]

jamme61: Starting with the 2007 model the LSC offers the 10/50/100 watt modes and the LSS offers the 5/15/30 watt modes.

I only play at home, so I use the 5 watt mode 95% of the time with my 5:50 2X12. I was comparing the 5:50 to my Twin that I was replacing, so I didn't even try the LSC. Even though I've been using Fender amps for 46 years, I must say the 5:50 eats the Twin for lunch. In addition to the great cleans, the variety of modes and contours available is terrific ... plus you can get those sounds at a basement volume. I must say that amp in the crunch mode with the bridge pickup on my PRS Johnny Hiland is just fantastic.

I have since played thru a LSC and it is also a great amp. I prefer the four modes and contour on the 5:50, but I'm sure the LSC can produce similar sounds once one gets used to it. To me there is no reason to buy more than a 5:50 unless you need the power.

 

[jamme61]

jamme61: Starting with the 2007 model the LSC offers the 10/50/100 watt modes and the LSS offers the 5/15/30 watt modes.

I only play at home, so I use the 5 watt mode 95% of the time with my 5:50 2X12. I was comparing the 5:50 to my Twin that I was replacing, so I didn't even try the LSC. Even though I've been using Fender amps for 46 years, I must say the 5:50 eats the Twin for lunch. In addition to the great cleans, the variety of modes and contours available is terrific ... plus you can get those sounds at a basement volume. I must say that amp in the crunch mode with the bridge pickup on my PRS Johnny Hiland is just fantastic.

I have since played thru a LSC and it is also a great amp. I prefer the four modes and contour on the 5:50, but I'm sure the LSC can produce similar sounds once one gets used to it. To me there is no reason to buy more than a 5:50 unless you need the power.

+1 I am so happy with this amp (5:50) and then I think about the price and I'm amazed. Thanks Mesa, great job.

 

[inkwachemis]

well, I bought a brand new 5:50 1x12 from mesa hollywood on friday. problem is that it's too loud for home practice in either 5 watt or 5 watt modes in the burn mode. The root cause of this is the lack of output pot. And this was one of the reasons I bought this amp -- less volume.

Do you guys use a power attenuator (e.g. hot plate) with this at home?

It takes a wah pedal much better than my mark III or RKI. Doesn't seem to have as much gain on tap for metal (one less gain stage than the Mark IV) but the guy at Mesa Hollywood said for metal you need to turn down the bass and turn up the contour in the burn mode. Decent sounding tones from all four modes. Reminds me of my Marshall 2205 with better clean, better reverb and lack of output knob (master volume in Marshall speak).

I'm thinking that I should return this amp and get an Ace due to the lack of output volume knob. And there's that custom Deuce II on eBay for cheap now. **** bad timing!

honestly , if you're looking for an amp for home practice, the Ace is not the amp you are looking for.