Why aren't the Express people posting anything?

[dogdew]

I've had my 550 212 for month or so now. I'm able to dial in just about anything I want now. I like it! It's f***in great!
I'm wondering why this express page doesn't have any new posts?
Whats really going on?
Talk to me people.

 

[rwil]

Maybe folks are too busy around it!? 8)
I'm thinking these days about a 10" Greenback or to add a 12" cab having a Classic G12H30 Anniversary.
Otherwise, it works great here too!

 

[dogdew]

Thanks for the reply! Yeah I'm hoping to see some more new express posts on here though. Hearing other folks and their experience is a great way to learn.
Adding more speakers was on my mind today too. Just a minute ago I realized my window was wide open after playing for a half hour or so.
Oh s**t! Not good.
I probably shouldn't give more speakers another thought any time soon, lol...
Thanks again!

 

[BoogieTom]

Hi: I've had my 5:50 2X12 Express for 3 weeks now. I feel the same way. These amps are f###in awsome. I was up playing mine at 4 am this morning. When I first got mine the overdrive sounded a little strange because the speakers hadn't been broken in yet, but it will scream now and the clean and blues tones are great. I've had several compliments on the soiund quality. A friend of mine, after hearing my amp, wants one pretty bad. He is worried about how he will get it past his wife. I told him I told mine that I just traded my old amp in for the Boogie. I didn't tell her that I also had to give a thousand bucks with it. These amps may not be the top of the line in the Mesa Boogie series but still at 1399.00 they are not cheap and the dealer would not budge a cent from the price. It's all about contract agreements I guess. Welcome to the board. I'm going to boogie some more.

 

[naverc]

I got the 5:25 1x12 last year, and man im loving it. so versatile.

I just hate the hissing from the clean channel... I cant take it sometimes

 

[rwil]

I probably shouldn't give more speakers another thought any time soon, lol...

Normal! So much thing to discover and to enjoy. But it's like guitar and strings; soon or later it is something that it seems to raise for most tone lover!
I ordered my Greenback today!

 

[BoogieTom]

I got the 5:25 1x12 last year, and man im loving it. so versatile.

I just hate the hissing from the clean channel... I cant take it sometimes

That is strange. I have no hiss at all from any of the channels on my Express 5:50. Have you had it checked out. I don't think you should have a hiss.

 

[dogdew]

Sometimes in different pup positions w/ my strat I get hum. if i like the sound i ignore it if not i dial it out. i guess i'd have to hear the hiss to guess what it is. might need someone with some tech experience to help with that. maybe its not the amp? guitar or power source. that sucks Bro!i hope you work that out. maybe a noise suppressor or something.
Thanks you guys for the response! Your awesome!
PS it's your turn to come up with a new express thread.
I'm counting on you man!

 

[Don]

I've had my 5:50 1x12 combo for a little over 2 years. I noticed that channel 2 has been lacking lately. I put a new 12AX7 in V1 and channel 2 is back, strong as ever! I had to replace the PI tube a few months ago.

I'm probably overdue for a complete re-tube!

 

[dogdew]

Hi,
two years without a complete re tube seems like good mileage. I think you've done well.
i hope my tubes last a while. i don't know what to expect. this is my first tube amp.

 

[TimeSignature]

I think there arent many posts because they are super easy to dial in and do not have many bells and whistles. Popularity also comes into play. Let me just say that I think they are fantastic amps!!

Its not like a Mark V where people are wondering if they can sound like Petrucci's Mark IV tone with a hint of Mark Morten if they run the amp in Pentode with a slightly inverted V in the GEQ while bypassing it and easing off the treble in 10 watt mode only if the moon is full.... Or 1000 threads on whether the Recto is the best sounding amp for metal and how to get it to sound less fizzy. :lol: The Express just works.... and sounds good!

 

[dogdew]

right on! i hear what you're saying. i really wish i knew what they were talking about. i guess maybe someday down the road i'll buy another Mesa w/ a few more bells and stuff and try to learn the lingo but for now i'm ok w/ my 550.

 

[soundchaser59]

I'm getting such good tone now that I dont have time to post...... I'm busy playing my geetar!


Wait til you put a clean boost in the fx loop! Or try a BB Preamp in the fx loop.....WOW!

Or try a CMATMODS Deluxe Compressor + Butah low gain od in front of the crunch channel.....WOWER! :twisted:

 

[Furvel]

I've had my 550 212 for month or so now. I'm able to dial in just about anything I want now. I like it! It's f***in great!
I'm wondering why this express page doesn't have any new posts?
Whats really going on?
Talk to me people.

Sorry! I've had my 5:25 for 10 weeks now and haven't had much need to post. I've had no problems to speak of, and the Express manual is written so well that there was little need to post questions here. Most of the new threads here deal with either problems (I've had none) or possible modifications, most of which leave me puzzled, since I'm quite happy with my Express just the way Mesa built it. At some point I'll be here reviewing re-tube options, but outside of that there's not much to report.

 

[dogdew]

@ Soundchaser, hey man can you describe what the clean boost in the effect loop did for your sound?
@Furvel the word around here is Dougs tubes. I've heard everything good about this outfit! http://www.dougstubes.com/
Thanks for the comments everyone! Gotta keep this thing alive!

 

[Newysurfer]

I got the 5:25 1x12 last year, and man im loving it. so versatile.

I just hate the hissing from the clean channel... I cant take it sometimes

That is strange. I have no hiss at all from any of the channels on my Express 5:50. Have you had it checked out. I don't think you should have a hiss.

The hiss has been discussed here before at length.
All tube amps have some hiss when you crank the gain.
The 5:25 has more amp hiss than the 5:50.
The 5:50 only has some hiss when you crank the gain on the burn channel.
For those that don't like it there's 2 ways to kill it.

1) Retube your amp with those tubes recommended by Doug at http://www.dougstubes.com.
That will reduce it by 60-70%

2) Buy yourself either a MXR Smart Gate pedal or an ISP Decimator. These are the two best noise gate pedals.
The Boss one is rubbish by comparison IMO.

I've done both and my 5:50 runs totally silent even with the gain on the burn channel maxed out :mrgreen:

 

[richpjr]

I'm using an ISP Decimator on my 5:50 and as Newysurfer said - it works great.

 

[Don]

My 5:50 hisses on the clean channel at all volume and gain levels. It's a louder than my other tube amps (I currently have 6 of them and have used tube amps since 1982) but it's not an issue at all for me or my band.

BTW, some of my tube amps don't hiss at all. You can't even tell that my 5E3 clone is on unless I'm playing.

 

[StevenL]

I've dealt with the hiss on the clean channel of my 5:25 10"er thusly:

Turn the Main way down, 9:00 or below, and use the Gain primarily as the volume control and then the Treble, turning Mid & Bass way down. The gain structure is different on the clean channel.....seems the Master sends too much juice to the internal speaker with the Master, Treble and Gain cranked up. This is the only thing that gets the hiss to an acceptable level when using only the internal speaker.

Bypass the internal and use external cabs with bigger/more speakers. Can get more Master level that way with less hiss. With a 1X12 and 8X10, the clean is nothing short of beautiful. Quiet and HUGE...almost 3d.

Use the internal with an external cab and attenuate the output to the internal 10" to let it drive the external way harder than the internal speaker.

Don't try to make the 5:25 a clean-volume-monster like a Fender Twin. It just won't do it. Find the sweet spot at a reasonable volume level and ENJOY! If you need huge clean volume, get a Twin.

For me, using these methods keeps the hiss level pretty much the same or less than any other tube amp.

I'll know in the next couple of months whether the Doug's Tubes retubing really works. Will post my findings when this occurs. I've still got the original Mesa(?) preamp tubes in there. Have gone through about 4 sets of power tubes so far in a couple of years. It's easy to tell when the power tubes start getting weak and it greatly revitalizes the amp when they're replaced.....but it doesn't really affect the hiss. The HISS is either related to the preamp tubes or just the inherent gain structure of the amp. Looking forward to the retube! If it cuts the hiss 60% like some say, I'll be one happy camper.

 

[soundchaser59]

@ Soundchaser, hey man can you describe what the clean boost in the effect loop did for your sound?

Don't know.......best explanation is this....

If I turn the clean boost off and turn the master up a lot and then turn the gain up to "volume A" then I get "sound A".

If I turn the clean boost on and turn the gain down so that I match "volume A" again (leave the master up a lot) then I get "sound B".

To my ears, given that both methods are playing at "volume A", the one with the clean boost on with less gain seems to be a similar sound, but slightly fuller and phatter and warmer some how. It's hard to explain, and the difference may or may not be real obvious at times, but the difference is always noticeable to the extent that I now never turn the clean boost off. I run the clean boost about 70%, run the masters up full on the clean channel and about 3 o'clock on the burn, and I use the gain (and the guitar volume and the pedal settings) to set the loudness...... and I am much happier with the sound.

Just for experimental kicks I added a BB Preamp to the loop before the clean boost, and found it gives it a certain singing almost screaming semi-clean lead character that I have trouble getting from the amps tone knobs and mode selections. Again, it's a slight but always noticeable and always pleasing difference. I'm getting more of "my sounds" by experimenting with the loop than I ever got by experimenting with pedals in front of the amp.