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Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 Combo
by Brett Petrusek
Mesa Boogie recently added the Express
series of amplifiers to its vast line of tone
generators. The Express is offered up in
two formats to meet the musical tastes of
players of any genre. The 5:25 features two
EL84 power tubes and a smaller bottle
design that lends itself to the early breakup
and warmth heard in many vintage
British amplifiers. Our review model, the
5:50, features a duet of 6L6 power tubes.
If you’re not familiar with 6L6s, they lend
themselves to nice, sparkling clean tones
with a distinct, rich bottom end (think early
Fender). The 6L6 also comes across as
smooth in high gain situations and is definitely
one of my personal favorites.
The Express features Mesa’s Duo-Class
power switching circuit. The switching circuit
allows the player to choose between
Class A/B at 50 watts or Class A at five
watts. Peter Stroud, musical director and
guitarist for Sheryl Crow, PG columnist and
tone chaser extraordinaire, shed some light
on this subject and put it into terms that
are easy to understand: “When the amplifier
is in Class A mode, it is being pushed
much harder – think of it as the power
section on ten, full throttle – providing
more break-up, midrange and sag, which
is great for that vintage, bluesy rock vibe.
In A/B mode the power section provides
much more headroom, producing tighter
low-end sounds and a more prominent
top-end.” It’s a great design, and Mesa is
well-known for inventing this dual class
power section.
Out of the gate, the price of admission
on the Express 5:50 is justified by its
incredible flexibility and ease of navigation.
The 5:50 offers the player two separate
channels, each with two modes and independent
EQ. Channel 1 provides Clean and
Crunch while Channel 2 provides Blues and
Burn. Other features include a tube-driven
reverb and separate, footswitchable Contour
knobs for each channel.
“Although Channel 2 Blues was intended for moderate gain,
I found it to be my favorite tone center for full-on, smooth
distortion rhythm and lead work. This channel picks up
where Channel 1 leaves off; great blues tones are to be found
with the Contour disengaged in Class A mode.”
For my test drive, I used a Gibson Les
Paul BFG loaded with a Seymour Duncan
Custom Shop ‘78 model humbucker in the
bridge position and the stock P-90 up front.
Channeling It
I started with Channel 1’s clean setting
to get comfortable. Each channel
provides six knobs: Gain, Treble, Mid,
Bass, Reverb and Master Volume. In A/B
mode I was able to get some very pleasing
clean tones with decent headroom.
When I switched down to five watts, the
amp was absolutely beautiful and really
opened up, becoming very expressive
and making even order harmonics more
prevalent – these are the natural harmonics
that make an amp sound great, giving
chords and single notes rich, secondary
overtones. What’s killer about this channel
is when it’s pushed, by cranking up
the gain and rolling up your guitar’s volume
knob, you’ll hear some awesome,
fuzzified, distorted clipping sounds. Roll
down your guitar’s volume knob and
you’re instantly back to clean.
The crunch setting on Channel 1 was
most impressive to me in full power A/B
mode. I was able to get some thick, bold
distortion sounds. I first thought of this
amp as a low-powered vintage affair, but
I suddenly found myself in a dropped
tuning, ripping out aggressive higher-gain
rhythms. The low-end wasn’t extremely
tight – instead it was a little more organic
and somewhat spongy. This seems to be
a signature quality in most
Boogie amps – some folks
will like it, some won’t.
I was really knocked out by
the amp’s versatility when
I started messing with the
Contour. The Contour knob
allows the player to V-scoop
the EQ to their heart’s content
in any channel, and by scooping
just past the point of the
amp’s standard midrange
voice, I found fluid lead tones
with plenty of sustain.
Before moving on to Channel 2, I experimented
with the tube-driven reverb. I’m
generally not big on using reverb, but this
had a natural, organic feel. You could certainly
tell that there was a tube behind it
and it was sweet and transparent when
properly adjusted. You can adjust its level
with the knob on the faceplate and bypass
or engage it with the included Express
5:50 footswitch.
Although Channel 2 Blues was intended for
moderate gain, I found it to be my favorite
tone center for full-on, smooth distortion
rhythm and lead work. This channel picks
up where Channel 1 leaves off; great blues
tones are to be found with the Contour
disengaged in Class A mode. Burn is over
the top, just as advertised. By placing the
Contour knob in an extreme setting with
the amp in full-power Class A/B mode,
this channel was capable of venturing into
Metallica, Dimebag or similar territory with
no problems.
The Final Mojo
The Express 5:50 speaks in a variety of
voices and sounds great doing it. The low-powered,
old school tones were extremely
convincing and the A/B full-powered gain
sounds were huge. You could spend hours
dialing in variations, yet the amp still feels
simple and thoughtfully designed. Its variable
power makes it perfect for home
recording situations, but the amp will shine
in studio and live applications as well. If you
want to cover a lot of ground with speed,
ease and quality tone, this is a winner.
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Mesa Boogie
1x12 $1199
2x12 $1299
mesaboogie.com
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Comments, Rants and Raves
Donovan on 10/17/2007 4:45:00 PM
I own this amp in a 2x12 combo (with matching 2x12 extension cab), and I've got to say this review is right on. This amp can give you several wonderful tones, and is the most exciting amp to play and listen to I've ever seen. Especially for the price.
Keith on 10/18/2007 10:04:00 AM
I can't get into Mesa Products. Especially since they are are trying to obtain patents for circuits they did not invent. They sell the same amp over and over again with a slick add campaign. BOOO
Jon on 10/22/2007 5:19:00 PM
A friend of mine picked up the Mesa 5:25 and is sounds great. We played both humbucking and single coils through it and we both found it to be a versital, good sounding amp. Considering it was just a hair over a grand, I consider it a steal.
roger on 10/24/2007 8:45:00 AM
keith-what a cry baby-and you state your opinion as if it's fact. your comment implys also that you have not tried this amp. how can you hope to have a valid opinion. boogie makes great products and advertising is important too! grow up!
roger on 10/24/2007 8:47:00 AM
keith-and another thing-I do not work for boogie and I have tried this amp out at a guitar show recently. it sounds incredible
Werner on 10/28/2007 11:30:00 AM
Hi Guys,
Im 0wner of a 5:50 since about one month, it sounds really great. for this Amp, I put away my two german amps, because I´ve never heard such a sound before!
Stead on 11/14/2007 7:48:00 PM
Just bought a 5:50, I've been playing shows for about 20 years - and I'm sold!! This is my first MESA product - WOW - It actually makes me play better -- The tone is unbelievable and the controls are really simple but they have sooo much range. BUY ONE TODAY!!
--Keith, play the amp before you condemn it - rember it's about the music not the advertising.
Dave on 11/15/2007 10:43:00 PM
I use to own a Mesa .50 caliber back in the late 80's. Unreal sounds from Mesa! I can't wait to order the 5:50. Can someone give me insight as to why one might prefer the 2x12 vs the 1x12. I'm not really sure the advantages/disadvantages of having 1 vs 2 speakers. Thanks.
J.C. on 1/11/2008 3:22:00 AM
I own and LOVE a couple of Mesa products. This one didn't do it for me, tho'. Its distortion reminded me of a Mesa version of a Hot Rod Deluxe. Which I don't like. I tried one at a store, and borrowed a 1x12 from a friend for a gig and just couldn't dig it. While the clean is honkin' Mesa all the way, the low end gets flubby when distorted to my ears. Not resonant or tight at all.
Hey Dave! on 1/11/2008 3:29:00 AM
Hey Dave! Get a 2x12! More speaker area means more tone! The 2 speakers also give you better sonic imaging when listening in front of it. 1x12's are punchy and a little more focused with a narrow sonic throw, but 2x12's give you a little more "spread".
philthy on 1/19/2008 8:07:00 AM
Dave, the 2-12 offers more clarity at higher volumes while the 1-12 gives you more of a broken up tone. What ever suits your fancy. Keith, stick to solid state.
Don on 2/13/2008 11:53:00 AM
I've had a 5:50 1 x 12 for about a month now after owning vintage Fender amps for the past 25 plus years.
I'm very impressed with the clean and dirty sounds from this amp.
It's great for all styles of music and, believe it or not, it is the best surf amp I've ever played. The reverb is incredible! Better than I've ever experienced in a vintage Fender amp.
steve jewell on 2/18/2008 9:44:00 PM
I've been playing for about 35 years now.I own both Fender & Marshall amps.Recently I purchased a mesa 5:50 express single combo and I can't believe the range of tones I coax out of this little guy.This is truly the only amp I will ever need!
T-Bone on 3/6/2008 10:41:00 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the 5:25 have better "dirty" due to the EL84s as opposed to 6L6s in the 5:50?
geoff on 3/12/2008 2:21:00 AM
better is subjective. the preamp distortion will be the same from either, if you are pushing the amp volume wise, you would noticed the difference in the way the power tubes distort. if you are a fan of power tube distortion, you would probably prefer the el-84s, if you need more headroom you should opt for the 6L6s. i have a 5:25 head and the blues channel in class a sounds AMAZING. i think it is a bargain and have recomended the amp repeatedly. for me, it is def. a keeper.
rory connolly on 4/3/2008 6:51:00 PM
HEY!!!leave the brother alone he only saying his piece,right or wrong,and I have had a bunch o amps in my time and am using a Legend 30(tube- pre)am getting a 50/2-12 and also have a 83 Yamaha 4-10-50watt solid state that KILLS!!!.Had a Mesa Heartbreaker that I miss dearly,and would love to find the old ones that were 50(?}watt with a 15 in it,but this sounds like a 1-12combo with a 15"Emenece ex.cab would be cool for us slide guys,I'll have to check it out.Spread some love ya'll!!
BLUESTHUG IN H TOWN
Jim Ponder on 4/3/2008 7:50:00 PM
I guess I was expecting too much from the Express 5:50, but it never came close to delivering the high gain roar that Mesa is known for. Nor the best Mesa clean tones. Their model 2 Stiletto may cost more, but it's twice the amp.
Texas Jake on 4/4/2008 8:43:00 AM
Yeah!Boogie amps are killer!This one is so sweet....my gear consist of 3 boogies...this is one of them.Total tone!
K-Man on 4/5/2008 2:44:00 PM
The Express 5:50 is my second Mesa amp, with the first one being a TriAxis / Simul-Calss 2:90 combo with 2 - 1x12 C90 cabinets. I find the 5:50 to be everything I was hoping for. I had a 5:25 at first but returned it in favor of the 5:50 because I didn't think that the 5:25 had enough clean headroom for my taste and playing style.
Boswell on 4/6/2008 11:24:00 AM
This Mesa 5:50 is my first valve amp and I just love the multitude of different tones available from clean to Hi gain.
A definate 9 1/2 out of 10
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