Mesa Boogie question
Discussion
There seem to be a few folks in here with experience of Boogies, so; has anyone bought or used the 5:25 or 5:50 Express?
I've had many different amp/speaker/combo combos over the years, along with a raft of multi-FX units, but I've yet to find 'The One'. I don't gig any more, (haven't for years), so want something for home use only. Currently using an Orange Tiny Terror into an Orange 1 x 12" cabinet, and, whilst it's an little excellent set-up, still isn't quite right. I want the next purchase to be the last one, and don't mind paying for it, so, any opinions? I don't want a digital modelling amp; I've got a Line 6 Spider which, though perfectly acceptable, isn't 'It'. Something crunchy and overdriven is what floats my boat. Would either of the Expresses do what I want, (set to 5w, obv.) or is there something even better out there?
I've had many different amp/speaker/combo combos over the years, along with a raft of multi-FX units, but I've yet to find 'The One'. I don't gig any more, (haven't for years), so want something for home use only. Currently using an Orange Tiny Terror into an Orange 1 x 12" cabinet, and, whilst it's an little excellent set-up, still isn't quite right. I want the next purchase to be the last one, and don't mind paying for it, so, any opinions? I don't want a digital modelling amp; I've got a Line 6 Spider which, though perfectly acceptable, isn't 'It'. Something crunchy and overdriven is what floats my boat. Would either of the Expresses do what I want, (set to 5w, obv.) or is there something even better out there?
AdeTuono said:
There seem to be a few folks in here with experience of Boogies, so; has anyone bought or used the 5:25 or 5:50 Express?
5:25 1x10" combo here.AdeTuono said:
I've had many different amp/speaker/combo combos over the years, along with a raft of multi-FX units, but I've yet to find 'The One'. I don't gig any more, (haven't for years), so want something for home use only. Currently using an Orange Tiny Terror into an Orange 1 x 12" cabinet, and, whilst it's an little excellent set-up, still isn't quite right. I want the next purchase to be the last one, and don't mind paying for it, so, any opinions? I don't want a digital modelling amp; I've got a Line 6 Spider which, though perfectly acceptable, isn't 'It'. Something crunchy and overdriven is what floats my boat. Would either of the Expresses do what I want, (set to 5w, obv.) or is there something even better out there?
I guess as you've got a Tiny Terror I don't need to tell you that a relatively low powered valve amp can be Pretty Damned Loud Mine in a small space, but be aware that even on the 5 Watt setting you're not going to be able to crank an Express in your bedroom without making a heck of a lot of noise! That said, mine works very well at "bedroom" volumes, it works well with all my guitars and it does a wide range of sounds from Fender sparkly clean to full-on R-a-w-k. Some reviews I've seen on Harmony Central etc suggest that it's short of gain for full-on Metal but it goes dirtier than I can ever imagine using! The only problem I have with it as a "home" amp is that the volume control isn't terribly progressive at low settings and you need a very steady hand and a bit of patience to avoid irritating anyone trying to watch TV in the next room.
As a "small venue" amp which I can take to a pub jam night with the amp in one hand and a guitar in the other it's pretty close to perfection for me. They've definitely got the big sound in a small package thing nailed with this one, some people have been a bit skeptical about a 1x10 combo being able to sound like a "proper" amp but they always seem to shut up once they've heard it, having owned a Super Champ for a while I had no qualms about that and (possibly because the cabinet's relatively big) it's actually got a quite remarkable amount of low-end thump available - if this worries you the 5:25 comes in a (very little larger) 1x12 option now!
Definitely worth a try - as an alternative, if you're sure you're never going to want more than 5 Watts the Blackstar HT5 really did strike me as being (at least!) as good as the reviews suggest when I had a play with one - the one I tried was head version through a Marshall 4x12 and it sounded huge - no reverb but if that's an issue[1] the money you save over the Boogie should get you something jolly nice to stick in the effects loop. To be honest if it had been out before I got the Express that's where my money would probably have gone but that might have turned out to be a mistake when I started doing the jam nights - the 5:25 is nowhere near flat out, even with a drummer and a few people in the room but I have to run it "full power" mode to keep a bit of headroom on the clean channel as it goes a bit crunchy[2] on 5 watts.
Dunno what else to say, if you've any specific questions I'll try to answer but I'd certainly put it on your list of things to try and there's no substitute for actually playing with it.
[1] Which it would be for me - you may not need it in a decent size room or in the studio but I've always felt that I need a touch of something to add a bit of "air" when I'm at home in a carpeted room with lots of soft furnishing.
[2] Very, very, very nice but not what you want when you're trying to be all sensitive
I had a Boogie Studio 22 which I think in a dotted line, Mesa Boogie kind of way was an ancestor of the 525. It was a really good amp, great sound, gigged with me for 15 years, never failed and filled pubs and clubs with plenty enough noise. Sold it recently because I no longer play live and it was just too loud for studio and home use.
I went down the Line 6 Flextone route but one amp I tried on my travels but couldn't justify the outlay was the Cornford Harlequin. 5 watts only but was pretty loud and stunning sound quality. I would reckon you could easy use it live in a smallish pub. You'd have to drive it hard though so you'd get tube distortion...
Also heard good stuff about the Blackstar but didn't find one to try out so I can't really comment on that...
All the best
DC
I went down the Line 6 Flextone route but one amp I tried on my travels but couldn't justify the outlay was the Cornford Harlequin. 5 watts only but was pretty loud and stunning sound quality. I would reckon you could easy use it live in a smallish pub. You'd have to drive it hard though so you'd get tube distortion...
Also heard good stuff about the Blackstar but didn't find one to try out so I can't really comment on that...
All the best
DC
OK, the Subway Rocket...
It's a very simple 20 watt 1x10 format with shared EQ (incl. Presence) and independant volume/gain controls for the switchable rhythm and lead channels. There is also a third switching option called 'contour' which has no specific controls, but is basically a boosted version of the lead channel with some of the mids cut.
Tonally it's very good with a wide range of sounds from the rhythm channel and the lead channel taking you from low gain up to medium/high gain. The lead channel has strong mids which can be eq'd but as eq is shared this would be a compromise on your rhythm sound if you're in a live switching situation. The contour channel builds on the lead sound and really heavies things up with quite a hi-gain mid scooped tone.
If this was a solid state amp it would be marketed as little more than a practise amp, but this is so much more than that. Whilst the front looks basic, the back reveals all the expected features of a bigger amp; fx loop, headphone socket and speaker mute switch, choice of 4 & 8 ohm speaker outs.
Interestingly the first Boogie I ever tried was a Subway Rocket and it was that amp that convinced me I wanted a Mesa. At the time the shop were asking £680 for a second hand one (almost the same as the original new price) so I didn't buy it, but have since had numerous different Mesas. This amp is great for my current circumstances, but if I find myself gigging again I think it would continue to serve me well. I'd probably add an extention 1x12 cab and maybe an eq pedal for a bit more versatility, but it's certainly got the power and the tone for almost any band situation.
It's a very simple 20 watt 1x10 format with shared EQ (incl. Presence) and independant volume/gain controls for the switchable rhythm and lead channels. There is also a third switching option called 'contour' which has no specific controls, but is basically a boosted version of the lead channel with some of the mids cut.
Tonally it's very good with a wide range of sounds from the rhythm channel and the lead channel taking you from low gain up to medium/high gain. The lead channel has strong mids which can be eq'd but as eq is shared this would be a compromise on your rhythm sound if you're in a live switching situation. The contour channel builds on the lead sound and really heavies things up with quite a hi-gain mid scooped tone.
If this was a solid state amp it would be marketed as little more than a practise amp, but this is so much more than that. Whilst the front looks basic, the back reveals all the expected features of a bigger amp; fx loop, headphone socket and speaker mute switch, choice of 4 & 8 ohm speaker outs.
Interestingly the first Boogie I ever tried was a Subway Rocket and it was that amp that convinced me I wanted a Mesa. At the time the shop were asking £680 for a second hand one (almost the same as the original new price) so I didn't buy it, but have since had numerous different Mesas. This amp is great for my current circumstances, but if I find myself gigging again I think it would continue to serve me well. I'd probably add an extention 1x12 cab and maybe an eq pedal for a bit more versatility, but it's certainly got the power and the tone for almost any band situation.
Enjoy the 5:25, I had a Lonestar 2x12 a few years back and it was the best amp I have had but alas couldnt justify keeping it(aint that good a musician). Now looking for something similar and was amazed this eve at the Blackstar artisan series, if it were not for our wedding next year i would buy it no questions.
I've got a Heartbreaker 2x12", it's sex with speakers 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7e5pyVi3Fg Lust Channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5939S8wBDnI Love Channel!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7e5pyVi3Fg Lust Channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5939S8wBDnI Love Channel!
Edited by Malam on Saturday 14th March 05:23
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