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iamqman « Texas hide and Texas tone »
Published on 06/23/11 at 22:35Mesa boogie is just a stellar company and their amps are just amazing. This amp is just spectacular. It has all the same tone and features as the black standard but just in a sweet Texas brown hide looking tolex. The tolex matching the structure of the amp very well. I like the way it sound and now I love the way it looks.
I wish I could work over at Mesa and just play there collection of amps on a daily basis. They have so many wonderful amplifiers to choose from it actually can get a little complicated to pick one.This amplifier is one of the easiest pieces of gear to ever control. It is two channels that has two modes per channel. Which actually makes it a four channel amp because you can switch from them easily with the footswitch.
Another cool feature is the Contour control which acts like a V formation like you would see on the Mark series amps. As you turn is to noon you will get that V formation and dial in an out the highs and lows and you turn is around.
Mesa/Boogie Express 5:50 Combo Custom 50-/5-watt Tube Combo Amp Features at a Glance:
* Open-back combo
* Color: British Tan Bronco vinyl with Tan grille
* 1 x 12" C90 speaker
* All-tube - 5 x 12AX7A, 2 x 6L6
* Switches from 50-watt Class A/B operation to 5-watt Class A operation
* Fixed bias for consistent performance
* 2 fully independent channels with 4 style modes
* Independent Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb, Master, and Contour controls per channel
* Footswitchable Variable Contour Control on each channel provides EQ from one rotary control
* All-tube long-spring reverb
* All-tube effects loop
* 3-button footswitch (Channel 1/2, Reverb, and Contour)
* Slipcover included
UTILIZATION
Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 2
Power 5W Class A or 50W Class AB (Switchable)
Speakers 1 x 12" C90
No Effects
Reverb
EQ Treble, Mid, Bass
No Amp Modeling
Preamp Tubes 5 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 2 x 6L6
Inputs 1 x Instrument
Outputs 3 x Speaker
Footswitch I/O
Effects Loop
Height 19.5"
Width 22.8"
Depth 11.75"
Weight 54 lbs.
SOUNDS
The tone is a typical tone you get and we all have know from Mesa. It is a heavily saturated tone that feels nice and warm and room filling. I started with my favorite mode which is the Burn mode on channel two. Here you will get that familiar Recto tone that you get from the Dual, Triple, Roadster, and Road King rectifier amps.
This amp sounds fantastic with a Strat and humbucker style guitar in front of it. Another great option is running the speaker out to a 4x12 or a 2x12 if you want more air pushed through for a bigger gig or a higher power rock band combo. This tone is just rich and girthy, even though it is primarily a blues rock type of voiced amp. You won't be disappointed.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great amp for someone in a a need for a simple Mesa combo amp who needs a little less power but a few more options than an Electra Dyne amp. You can get all the recto goodness and have a good clean channel for country or pop music. Plus the addition of a crunch feature gets you a solid classic rock tone if so desired.
At new they come in at around $1578. This is good price considering all the features you get with it. I recommend this amp to any guitar player needing a compact amp with enough features to play in any cover band.
I wish I could work over at Mesa and just play there collection of amps on a daily basis. They have so many wonderful amplifiers to choose from it actually can get a little complicated to pick one.This amplifier is one of the easiest pieces of gear to ever control. It is two channels that has two modes per channel. Which actually makes it a four channel amp because you can switch from them easily with the footswitch.
Another cool feature is the Contour control which acts like a V formation like you would see on the Mark series amps. As you turn is to noon you will get that V formation and dial in an out the highs and lows and you turn is around.
Mesa/Boogie Express 5:50 Combo Custom 50-/5-watt Tube Combo Amp Features at a Glance:
* Open-back combo
* Color: British Tan Bronco vinyl with Tan grille
* 1 x 12" C90 speaker
* All-tube - 5 x 12AX7A, 2 x 6L6
* Switches from 50-watt Class A/B operation to 5-watt Class A operation
* Fixed bias for consistent performance
* 2 fully independent channels with 4 style modes
* Independent Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb, Master, and Contour controls per channel
* Footswitchable Variable Contour Control on each channel provides EQ from one rotary control
* All-tube long-spring reverb
* All-tube effects loop
* 3-button footswitch (Channel 1/2, Reverb, and Contour)
* Slipcover included
UTILIZATION
Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 2
Power 5W Class A or 50W Class AB (Switchable)
Speakers 1 x 12" C90
No Effects
Reverb
EQ Treble, Mid, Bass
No Amp Modeling
Preamp Tubes 5 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 2 x 6L6
Inputs 1 x Instrument
Outputs 3 x Speaker
Footswitch I/O
Effects Loop
Height 19.5"
Width 22.8"
Depth 11.75"
Weight 54 lbs.
SOUNDS
The tone is a typical tone you get and we all have know from Mesa. It is a heavily saturated tone that feels nice and warm and room filling. I started with my favorite mode which is the Burn mode on channel two. Here you will get that familiar Recto tone that you get from the Dual, Triple, Roadster, and Road King rectifier amps.
This amp sounds fantastic with a Strat and humbucker style guitar in front of it. Another great option is running the speaker out to a 4x12 or a 2x12 if you want more air pushed through for a bigger gig or a higher power rock band combo. This tone is just rich and girthy, even though it is primarily a blues rock type of voiced amp. You won't be disappointed.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a great amp for someone in a a need for a simple Mesa combo amp who needs a little less power but a few more options than an Electra Dyne amp. You can get all the recto goodness and have a good clean channel for country or pop music. Plus the addition of a crunch feature gets you a solid classic rock tone if so desired.
At new they come in at around $1578. This is good price considering all the features you get with it. I recommend this amp to any guitar player needing a compact amp with enough features to play in any cover band.