which is better the Express or Roadster

[Beserkr]

I just picked up a Express 5:50 2x12 and am pretty happy, but I'm wondering if i would be beter off with the Roadster 2x12. Lately I've been in my Texas Blues mode, ala Doyal Bramhall II and Chris Duarte, but would like the range to cover 80's metal in the vain of Scorpions, Accept, Priest and also cover Trower and Gary Moore. What are your opions on which amp would cover these better. One other thing is i don't play out so power isnt an issue, i'm just a basement dweller. thanks

 

[clutch71]

By looking at your signature I would think one of your Marshalls would cover the "Scorpions, Accept, Priest and also cover Trower and Gary Moore " tones you are looking for.

Express vs. Roadsters are two different animals. If you don't have much experience with a rectifier you might want to try one out. I think you should way your playing style, options, and the sound you want versus the cost.

Looking is half the fun anyway. Good luck.

 

[domct203]

........... but would like the range to cover 80's metal in the vain of Scorpions, Accept, Priest and also cover Trower and Gary Moore. What are your opions on which amp would cover these better. One other thing is i don't play out so power isnt an issue, i'm just a basement dweller. thanks

Sounds like you might like a Stiletto.

Dom

 

[dodger916]

Hey Berserker:

The House of Guitars had both when I was there two weeks ago. You could A/B them.

Frank

 

[Beserkr]

By looking at your signature I would think one of your Marshalls would cover the "Scorpions, Accept, Priest and also cover Trower and Gary Moore " tones you are looking for.

Express vs. Roadsters are two different animals. If you don't have much experience with a rectifier you might want to try one out. I think you should way your playing style, options, and the sound you want versus the cost.

Looking is half the fun anyway. Good luck.

I need to change my sig because as of tonight both Marshalls will be on ebay, I want to just have 1 amp until I have better skills. As for the cost I would rather spend more money now than buy a less expensive amp now then a ton of pedals later to cover the ground I could have with the other amp. It looks like the Roadster is alot more involved and wonder if its worth it..thanks

 

[Beserkr]

Hey Berserker:

The House of Guitars had both when I was there two weeks ago. You could A/B them.

Frank

Thanks dodger, I'll swing by there this week and give them a go. How do you like them, and how about the Stiletto?

 

[dodger916]

Hey Berserker:

The House of Guitars had both when I was there two weeks ago. You could A/B them.

Frank

Thanks dodger, I'll swing by there this week and give them a go. How do you like them, and how about the Stiletto?

Never had the opportunity to play a Stiletto, but I am partial to 6L6 amps.

I had trouble finding my tone in either the Express or the Roadster, and when I plugged into the Mark IV, the light went on for me. I found the Roadster cumbersome; too many options for my simple mind. Plus which, the heavy Recto tones really aren't my thing. The Express (5:50) seemed just mediocre to my ears; good but not worth owning for me. What struck my fancy about the Mark, and what distinguishses it for me, is its expressiveness. Its tones are great, but the articulation is what really hooked me.

Frank

 

[Newysurfer]

Don't buy any Mesa amps at all is my opinion. If you're only ever wanting something for home use getting any Mesa is total overkill IMHO and is not using these amps for their intended purpose - which is to be cranked loud for gigging. Mesa amps are not made for home use and you'll notice that even the 5w setting on the Express is even a touch too loud for home use. Tube amps don't get into sweet spot range till you crank the gain and master volumes. The 5:50 will do Gary Moore tones great when you crank it on 50w and use a cab. Unless your basement is the size of a club you'll never be able to do that unless you use an attenuator. And they usually ruin the tone and lead to fast tube wear-out..

For strictly home use buy any decent 5 to 15w tube amp or any decent 30 to 60w solid state amp and get either an MFX or some pedals. Save yourself $1000. Mesa don't make either of these amps types but Vox, Fender, Marshall, Roland, Randall all do this well.

 

[clutch71]

By looking at your signature I would think one of your Marshalls would cover the "Scorpions, Accept, Priest and also cover Trower and Gary Moore " tones you are looking for.

Express vs. Roadsters are two different animals. If you don't have much experience with a rectifier you might want to try one out. I think you should way your playing style, options, and the sound you want versus the cost.

Looking is half the fun anyway. Good luck.

I need to change my sig because as of tonight both Marshalls will be on ebay, I want to just have 1 amp until I have better skills. As for the cost I would rather spend more money now than buy a less expensive amp now then a ton of pedals later to cover the ground I could have with the other amp. It looks like the Roadster is alot more involved and wonder if its worth it..thanks

I was wondering if those Marshalls were going to stay or go. I would caution some thourough tinkering before selling. I'd hate to see you get something else and miss the Marshalls.

 

[kingster911]

The express 5:25 might be great for you actually. It has 2 El-84s and is switchable from 5 to 25 watts. I played it recently and it's very saturated, due to the contour knob which acts as the 5-band eq from the Mark series but all in a knob. It's a pretty no-nonsense amp. Has reverb, and two channels. A little scaled down and not too powerful for home use imo.

 

[Beserkr]

Thanks for all the reply's. Today I test drove a Lone Star Special 2x12 and thought it was muddy, but I'm not suprised that I didn't like it because I've never been a EL84's. As for the Express 5:50 I think it far from sucks. I find that it a real nice range of tone, and thats why I didn't have a prouble listing my Marshalls on ebay. I love the Marshall tone but I found using them was a constant balancing act between power and tone. I find the 5:50 to have a more usable tone to power ratio than the Marshall's I have (hope that makes sense). I plan on trying out the Roadster and Stiletto Ace, and Mark IV this week. Thanks again!

 

[recto-robbie]

Hey newysurfer,,, I have to agree with you to an extent because yes its true the absolute perfect sound out of any tube amp is when its cranked.
BUT being mostly a basement player in a townhouse with a half deaf lady next door,, I wouldnt even consider downsizing to a 15 watt amp. I already bought and returned the 5:25,, nowhere near as loud as I like.
Granted I dont often run my deuce at full tilt but I can assure all of you that when I pack up for the evening I always walk up stairs with a big smile on my face. This amp is blistering sweet and it aint close, volume wise to where most would say the sweet spot is. Ill tell you though, I could buy a vox, marshall, crate, fender, roland or randall but none of them will give me the sound of my boogie. Not a one. Ive tried.
I like blues, I like rock, and I love metal. I like it loud through a 4x12 the way its meant to sound,,, at least to me. And I havent even hit the sweet spot yet,,,, I cant wait!

 

[Beserkr]

I'm with you recto-robbie, I can give the 5:50 the juice it needs to sound good, but I also understand about the sweet spot and how tube amps sound better the louder you play them (to a point anyway. I try and take that all in consideration when I get my amps, and that was kind of me problem with the Marshalls is that when I was getting to the point where it was sounding good it was louder than I wanted to play and that was with a hotplate.
I'm going to test drive at least a Mark IV tomarrow, I'm listening to some Walter Trout and if you guys like Blue's you should check him out, he play's the **** out of his Mark IV and he's a no pedal guy. If you haven't heard him give him a go on youtube.

 

[Newysurfer]

How loud you can crank anything at home totally depends on your living situation. If you live on a farm somewhere - no prob's - but for most urban dwellers a 5w to 15w tube amp is more than enough and you'll still not get to the sweet spots. And if you don't ever push it past 2 you'll never know what the amp is capable of doing or how much gain it''ll give you, so you'll always need pedals.

A Marshall valvestate, a good Vox SS, a JC-120 connected to some pedals, or even a GT8, sounds just as good as a Mesa with it's volume sitting on 1 or 2 (out of 10). It's also 1000% more versatile and $1000 cheaper.

Buying a Mesa for home use is like buying a Ferarri knowing you'll never get out of Manhatton.

 

[dodger916]

Buying a Mesa for home use is like buying a Ferarri knowing you'll never get out of Manhatton.

Maybe...but there are reasons for owning a Ferarri other than extreme performance. For starters, most people aren't capable of really driving the machine to its limits (and probably shouldn't, on public roads!). There's "garage value", i.e., sitting in your garage after a ride, enjoying a beer, admiring the beauty of the stallion as it cools, remembering the handling through a big sweeper or the way it accelerates out of a tight turn into a short straight. Then there's what I call the "death bed test": will I be lying on my death bed rejoicing in the fact that I owned a Ferarri or regretting not having owned one? And of course there's always the curb appeal/the woman magnet factor! And if these reasons exclude me from "Club Purist", then so be it. I don't recall wanting that membership anyway.

I'm fortunate to own both a Ducati 916 and a Mark IV. I will probably never be able to use these machines at their maximum level...but as long as I can afford them and they can bring a smile to my face, I'll keep them. Besides which, for me it's about exploring my individual potential, not the "tools" potential. If it feels right/sounds good, then it is!

 

[Newysurfer]

Yep Dodger - I totally agree. If anyone can get those things from a home sitting Mesa then good luck to em I say

 

[recto-robbie]

Yes I see where your going. And most deffinatly its true. Living situations make or break you there. I guess when I was younger living at home in a small bedroom or even in an apartment, a boogie wouldnt be the best option.
But I brought up the 5:25 because for the day I owned it, I had the amps volume maxed out, the sweet spot had been met and passed but the amp still couldnt provide me with the feel and sound I was looking for.
I know not everyone can play at the same volumes. I guess im a bit lucky with a wife who only asks me to turn it down a bit when she comes down stairs and says my tits are shaking in the kitchen. LOL!
No bullshit. its all good,,, to each their own.

 

[Beserkr]

Well I tried out the Roadster and Mark IV today and feel at this time there both more than what I need. I'm still mulling it over, but pretty sure I'm staying with the 5:50, I was kicking it around last night in the 5 watt mode and it rocks! real nice tone and I like the reverb just fine. As for going solid State, I've been there and there nothing like Tube tone, and as much as I'd love to have a multi effect board I haven't found one for me, and I've tried the Line 6 POD XT 3 times, GT8 5 times and Vox Tonelab 2 times, they just don't cut the mustard. I don't have any problem playing my amps as loud as I want too, but I also don't like to shake the foundation of my house either, and I'm normally done playing by 8:30 at night also.

 

[Newysurfer]

Hey Beserkr - if you do stick with the 5:50 and don't mind spending another $100, consider a tube upgrade. I did it with good results - posted it at
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=17131

 

[Beserkr]

Thanks for the info Newysurfer I actually have a couple tung-sol's, and some NOS tubes I was going to play around but I think i'll go with your recommendation sinse you have had good luck with that combination. Thanks for the info.