Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12,this Friday

[liono9]

Guys i finally wanted/needed a bigger amp,so i sold my Bj'r and my Fender Toronado to fund this new amp.Basically what sold me was the power switching ,where i can run the amp on 5 and 50 Watts.I haven't owned a Mesa before so i'm excited.I played one at GC and honestly i like what i heard, i took my own geetar and played for good 30 -40 mins and thats the amp i want.
I was looking on e bay and then this one poped on local craigs list,he wants $800.00 for the amp, i think the price is good considering new is $1199.00 plus tax. i hope the amp is not junked,he says he has all the papers & stuff.
He wants to meet at local GC ,but i told him i am not buying until i plug it in.
So i have to meet him Friday 8pm.Hope the amp turns out ok.
Sorry for the long post .

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12,this Friday

Good luck! -those express amps are good all-rounders.

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12,this Friday

I hesitated a long while between that one and a Genz-Benz El Diablo. In the end I found a "too good to pass" deal on ebay and went of the Diablo, which, in retrospect, was probably more what I was looking for (although it's a good all-around amp it's definitely a great metal amp).

I hope you like your express, sounds like a good deal to me...

Give us a review once you get a chance to really open it up!

 

[edsmith]

Re: Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12,this Friday

That's great, congratulations. I tried that amp a couple of times and the clean channel is pretty much as good as my Lonestar. I know this might offend some Fender loyalists, but I actually like the clean channel on these amps better than my Deville. I didn't care for the 5 watt mode though because you still have to play it really loud to get that satuaration. I would love to hear some clips of that amp.

I hesitated a long while between that one and a Genz-Benz El Diablo. In the end I found a "too good to pass" deal on ebay and went of the Diablo, which, in retrospect, was probably more what I was looking for (although it's a good all-around amp it's definitely a great metal amp).

I hope you like your express, sounds like a good deal to me...

Give us a review once you get a chance to really open it up!

I'd really like to hear one of those El Diablos too. A friend of mine at the guitar shop swears by them and he owns Marshall Plexis and Bogners. He says the clean channel is great too. I'd like to hear more about this amp. Do you know where I can find a good review?

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12,this Friday

For Edsmith:

Well, there are a few reviews over here (Gamera and Barbarian Brute wrote some nice ones). I really haven't found great reviews on-line sadly... HC is still the mess it used to be, meaning that finding objective information from players who know what they do are really, really hard to find. I think your best bet is to try one, but to spend more than 10 minutes with it though....

I love the warm channel (clean), with the massive amount of reverb available is definitely one of the best cleans I've played through (please note that I'm not a fender freak and I've never had a chance to be intimate with some of their most appreciated models) and does an amazing job for what I need (reggae, ska, jazz, etc...).

The hot channel is (IMHO) very versatile, but I'm yet to use it a high-volumes... From what I've been trying to test, it goes from a nice crunch to all-out metal distortions (mesa-saturated, although it has its very own voice)... I've read some people stating that they can't get metal tones out of this: I dunno how they use their amps but that's ridiculous. Their non-compressed "marshally" thing is pretty good too I'd say (I just sold my JCM800). Both channels are winner in my book and, for now, I really don't miss the marshall... I've got the overdrive I've always wanted, the heavy sounds I need and a great clean to top it all...

 

[edsmith]

Re: Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12,this Friday

For Edsmith:

Well, there are a few reviews over here (Gamera and Barbarian Brute wrote some nice ones). I really haven't found great reviews on-line sadly... HC is still the mess it used to be, meaning that finding objective information from players who know what they do are really, really hard to find. I think your best bet is to try one, but to spend more than 10 minutes with it though....

I love the warm channel (clean), with the massive amount of reverb available is definitely one of the best cleans I've played through (please note that I'm not a fender freak and I've never had a chance to be intimate with some of their most appreciated models) and does an amazing job for what I need (reggae, ska, jazz, etc...).

The hot channel is (IMHO) very versatile, but I'm yet to use it a high-volumes... From what I've been trying to test, it goes from a nice crunch to all-out metal distortions (mesa-saturated, although it has its very own voice)... I've read some people stating that they can't get metal tones out of this: I dunno how they use their amps but that's ridiculous. Their non-compressed "marshally" thing is pretty good too I'd say (I just sold my JCM800). Both channels are winner in my book and, for now, I really don't miss the marshall... I've got the overdrive I've always wanted, the heavy sounds I need and a great clean to top it all...

Not trying to hijack this thread, but it sounds like you have a really sweet amp there. It looks like they come stock with Ruby tubes. There are a lot of people out there who don't like Ruby tubes for some reason. Did you keep the stock tubes or did you switch them out? It also appears that you can switch from EL34 to 6L6 too. Combined with all the features and the pentode/triode modes, that sounds like a super versatile amp. I'm amazed at the things they come up with these days. Have any clips?

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12,this Friday

Not trying to hijack this thread, but it sounds like you have a really sweet amp there. It looks like they come stock with Ruby tubes. There are a lot of people out there who don't like Ruby tubes for some reason. Did you keep the stock tubes or did you switch them out? It also appears that you can switch from EL34 to 6L6 too. Combined with all the features and the pentode/triode modes, that sounds like a super versatile amp. I'm amazed at the things they come up with these days. Have any clips?

Yup, we're hijacking right there aren't we?

I haven't spent that much time with it, especially at higher volumes. Therefore, I'm waiting to get a chance to play it loud for a while before changing anything on it, in order to really get to know it better. The new tubes are already ordered anyways, but I'll wait (got both el34s and 6l6 on the way). I'm expecting things to just get better with better tubes (duh) so I'll wait and see how good I can get it to sound before doing any move. It is a really versatile amp, as you stated: 6l6 or el34, pentode/triode, etc... might not be everyone's cup of tea though, and some people just are never satisfied... I do believe I scored a very sweet amp (especially for the price I paid) for what I need but, as I said, I'll find out more later too.
Sorry, no clips. Barbarianbrute did record some and posted them though.