thinking of buying express 5:50

[bertg_06]

hey guys, im thinking of buying the 1x12 express 5:50. What are your experiences with this amp.
I need something that is going to be very versatile, reliable, and that I can use at home and at a gig. I just want to make sure that I wont be spending $1300 without being really sure of the quality and sound of the amp.

What kind of tones can i expect from it? I have a schecter hellraiser guitar with emg's.
I want good cleans, but particularly great distortion.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Don]

I love mine. It's a great jazz, blues, r&b, rockabilly, reggae, classic rock, hard rock, punk, etc.. amp.

It's not a metal amp.

The clean sounds are great as is the reverb and I love the driven sounds. I use it for everything from basement practice to playing bbqs.

 

[gezza]

Hey bertg_06,

I'm not sure if you or others have seen this demo.

http://www.mesaboogie.com/demo/ExpressDemo150.html

Give you a quick idea of what the amp can do.

I would try it first, nothing beats your own ears.

I tried 5 different amps for 2 hours, before settling on the 5:25 x 10" Combo, I have enough volume for all my applications. I used to own a Marshall JVM410C a hundred watt combo, this amp is just as loud, I can't get the volume past 1 - 2. But for small Pub gigs these amps are perfect.

Only one negative, you can only select 2 of the four channels, I would be great to be able to switch from Clean to Crunch, Ah well you can't have it all.

I play Classic rock, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Live, Nickleback, ZZ Top, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, this amp handles all these styles, I also use some pedals manly for Solo Boost and a crunch sound.

Just my opinion,

Thanks,

Gezza.

 

[Don]

About the only thing that I don't like on my Express 5:50 is that the Clean and Crunch modes are on the same channel! I would love to be able to switch between them. I suppose I can just flip the switch on the amp, however, I like the Clean mode with the mids set low (around 9:00) and the Crunch mode with the mids set high (around 3:00).

 

[floaty83]

The 5:50 1x12 is the perfect match for what you're looking for. It is the most versatile amp ever made IMO. And yes, about the only thing it can't do is hard core metal. But if you need that kind of tone, just use you're favorite pedal as this amp loves pedals.

The cleans are just as good if not better than any of the vintage Fender cleans and it's gain channels are freakin amazing.

WORTH EVERY PENNY! I will never buy another amp again.

 

[lostcause]

The 5:50 1x12 is the perfect match for what you're looking for. It is the most versatile amp ever made IMO. And yes, about the only thing it can't do is hard core metal. But if you need that kind of tone, just use you're favorite pedal as this amp loves pedals.

The cleans are just as good if not better than any of the vintage Fender cleans and it's gain channels are freakin amazing.

WORTH EVERY PENNY! I will never buy another amp again.

I said that once. Three amps ago :lol:

 

[vbf]

what floaty83 said...awesome amp! I test drove Orange, Matchless, and Fender...all great amps but the Express 5:50 was the amp for me. The primary diffs between the 5:50 and 5:25 are the tubes (6L6 & EL84, respectively) and speaker (12" Black Shadow & 10" C30 (I think), respectively). I def recommend that you try them both with your guitar.

 

[Newysurfer]

The 5:50 1x12 is the perfect match for what you're looking for. It is the most versatile amp ever made IMO. And yes, about the only thing it can't do is hard core metal. But if you need that kind of tone, just use you're favorite pedal as this amp loves pedals.

The cleans are just as good if not better than any of the vintage Fender cleans and it's gain channels are freakin amazing.

WORTH EVERY PENNY! I will never buy another amp again.

+1 with floaty

except that I did buy another tube amp. An Egnater Rebel 20 head :mrgreen:

 

[Dolebludger]

I play a Nomad 55 2X12. I played an Express 2X12 at a music store while test driving an effects pedal. It sounded great. I played it in clean and overdrive modes. In these, it sounded rather exactly like my Nomad, which I really like, except for its lack of a fully independent ch. 2. I must confess that I don't use my Nomad's ch. 2 all that much, as I tend to play either totally clean, or on rather full overdrive. That being said, it all depends on how much you would use an "in between channel".

At the $1300 price you mention, I would assume you are buying new. Because if you are buying used, that seems a bit high.