Why aren't the Express people posting anything?

[edward]

...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....
The Express just works.... and sounds good!

LOL ...nicely done!!!
You win ...on both counts!! :mrgreen:

Edward

 

[snakestretcher]

Had mine (5.25 1x12) a few months now and done several gigs with it, including some sizeable, crowded rooms. I've never had to have the volume at much over 10 o'clock-this little thing is loud! It took me a while to optimise settings for a good, clean rhythm tone and a nicely purring overdrive with both contours permanently set to around midnight but, of all the Mesas I have owned over the years this has given me the most satisfaction, and it seems tailor-made for Telecasters.

 

[dogdew]

My Tele is in storage in WA state. I am in CA,
I cant wait to try my Tele through my 550!

 

[Don]

I hate to make you feel worse, but I love my Tele through my 5:50! It's great in all the modes! Burn mode with my Tele is like the ultimate fuzz pedal!

 

[dogdew]

Hey soundchaser59 thanks! I just found your post today. I appreciate that explanation! It make perfect sense!

 

[TimeSignature]

Man... Im really G.A.S.ing for an Express again!!!!

I think Im going to go with the 5:25 1x10 black shadow as opposed to the V30 in the 1x12. IMO they sound very different!

 

[edward]

Man... Im really G.A.S.ing for an Express again!!!!

I think Im going to go with the 5:25 1x10 black shadow as opposed to the V30 in the 1x12. IMO they sound very different!

I gotta tell ya ...when I first got my 525 110 combo, I loved the tones, period! But then I got to thinking (obsessing, really) what kind of 10" would sound better in there. Not finding a definitive answer (and unwilling to plunk down lots of cash to experiment on a bunch of 10s out there), I just kept playing it as is. Man ...just a really great amp! I have now come full circle and honestly decided that the stock 10" is truly the right speaker for this amp! If I want more bottom or girth, I'll add my thiele to the mix. But the voice of the 525's ELs along with the stock 10 really is beautiful in its own right. It's not a 12, nor is it pretending to be; it has its own very cool thing going on, and I like it! It makes me wonder if Mesa just sourced out a 10" speaker and stuck this one in, or if they really did "spec" this one out for this amp's voice ...given what I hear, I am leaning toward the latter

BTW, the smaller footprint and lighter package are a real plus with the 110. Sometimes I just don't feel like busting out the heft of my DC5 Widebody.

Edward

 

[TimeSignature]

Man... Im really G.A.S.ing for an Express again!!!!

I think Im going to go with the 5:25 1x10 black shadow as opposed to the V30 in the 1x12. IMO they sound very different!

I gotta tell ya ...when I first got my 525 110 combo, I loved the tones, period! But then I got to thinking (obsessing, really) what kind of 10" would sound better in there. Not finding a definitive answer (and unwilling to plunk down lots of cash to experiment on a bunch of 10s out there), I just kept playing it as is. Man ...just a really great amp! I have now come full circle and honestly decided that the stock 10" is truly the right speaker for this amp! If I want more bottom or girth, I'll add my thiele to the mix. But the voice of the 525's ELs along with the stock 10 really is beautiful in its own right. It's not a 12, nor is it pretending to be; it has its own very cool thing going on, and I like it! It makes me wonder if Mesa just sourced out a 10" speaker and stuck this one in, or if they really did "spec" this one out for this amp's voice ...given what I hear, I am leaning toward the latter

BTW, the smaller footprint and lighter package are a real plus with the 110. Sometimes I just don't feel like busting out the heft of my DC5 Widebody.

Edward

Whats the deal with the 10 inch speaker? Anyone know how it sounds... say compared to a V30 and more importantly a C90?

 

[rwil]

I mostly agree with your opinion Edward about the E50. Still that I was not totally convinced for anything between clean and tick crunch, and that raise pretty much when I listen the 5:25 thru the V30 cab. Since that I swapped the stock with the Greenback, well I'm just in the sky with the 5:25 10". For anyone liking the V30 12", I really think that the G10 is the answer, and the combo have loss a few pounds!

 

[soundchaser59]

Whats the deal with the 10 inch speaker? Anyone know how it sounds...

It would sound smaller and thinner, high and high mids would be closer to compare, but the lower the freqs the less the 10 inchers will be able to stand up. I am fairly convinced that the only 10 inchers that can truly handle what this amp spits out are EV's and Tone Tubby Superboy 10. That Superboy is one tough little brickhouse speaker. The G10 Gold is great, but I still have to tone things down a bit to accommodate it. The Weber Texas is the same way, superb and well rounded but not quite tough as nails.....

 

[edward]

Hey TimeSig,

Not sure how to answer that given the 525 has both a smaller cabinet and EL84s ...so how does one truly compare the tone of this particular 10"er to another speaker given that any comparison will be have to entail another cabinet, possibly even another amp. I can tell you this: the stock 10 in the 525 combo cab is bright but not brassy, has articulate mids that I would personally consider "pronounced" mids in a very good way, and has a decent bottom end ...the latter of which clearly cannot compete with a 12"er, or simply even a larger cabinet. So there you go. Your best bet to make the most direct speaker comparison is comparing two 525 combos, one in 10 and the other in 12 (knowing the latter's larger cab will also skew the comparison).

If one is looking for a particular tone but your stock 10" doesn't deliver that, then OK, experiment with other 10s ...this makes sense. But if you are looking for a 10 to sound like a 12, don't bother ...Mesa has that other 525 for you.
FWIW, I love my 10" combo because it offers a different flavor to my 6L6 widebodied-combo.

Edward

 

[edward]

I mostly agree with your opinion Edward about the E50. Still that I was not totally convinced for anything between clean and tick crunch, and that raise pretty much when I listen the 5:25 thru the V30 cab. Since that I swapped the stock with the Greenback, well I'm just in the sky with the 5:25 10". For anyone liking the V30 12", I really think that the G10 is the answer, and the combo have loss a few pounds!

Hmmm, now this is interesting. So you pretty much "like" the E50, but find the G10 better. Given you like the stock speaker, may I ask what specifically it is about the Greenie that makes you love/prefer that? Thanks!

Edward

 

[rwil]

I mostly agree with your opinion Edward about the E50. Still that I was not totally convinced for anything between clean and tick crunch, and that raise pretty much when I listen the 5:25 thru the V30 cab. Since that I swapped the stock with the Greenback, well I'm just in the sky with the 5:25 10". For anyone liking the V30 12", I really think that the G10 is the answer, and the combo have loss a few pounds!

Hmmm, now this is interesting. So you pretty much "like" the E50, but find the G10 better. Given you like the stock speaker, may I ask what specifically it is about the Greenie that makes you love/prefer that? Thanks!

Edward

You can read here another thread where I dropped my 1st thoughts about the G10
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=44996

Another thing that enjoy is to mic the G10 using a SM77. Cleaner and less trebly in a good way, well fo my own taste since I'm a bit more on the dark side, but if I want trebly as possible, dead center sounds really good. So, plenty of range to find the right spot with the mic for a specific need. Fuller and classy.
I love it!

rw

 

[soundchaser59]

But if you are looking for a 10 to sound like a 12, don't bother...

That's what I thought, too......but like the sucker I am I kept trying...... now I have two Tone Tubby Superboy 10's and it is the only 10 I've ever had that can do what my 12 inch Webers do. Most awesome all around 10 inch I've ever used......makes me wish I had kept the EV Force 10 so I could side by side them again.....

 

[edward]

Oh man ...just checked the price on the SuperBoy ...whoa!!
Now that's a bass spkr, yes? Describe what tone you're getting now, would ya? and does it fit ok with the reverb tank?

Edward

 

[hotraman]

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:

Hey thanks for this answer.
I'm a new owner of a 5:25 with a 12" speaker.
I was wondering if the hiss sound was a tube issue.
Once I get playing I don't even notice it.