Mesa/Boogie Express 5:25

The Express series is pretty well documented here with respect to features. I thought I'd contribute my two cent's worth about the sound of the amp. My amp is the 5:25 single 10".

I use a number of guitars through the Express but my main gigging guitars are a Gibson 336 and a Music Man Albert Lee (single coils). I'm an amateur, playing out a few times a month with a celtic rock band and a singer/songwriter duo. Both bands are 50-ish types, like myself, so we want to play much quieter than in our younger days. As a result, I was looking for small, portable amp that would provide some output stage compression at a low volume. With the 5 watt class A setting it's perfect for coffee house and other small gigs. I've used the amp on larger gigs with the 25 watt setting and found it plenty loud enough, even un-mic'd. Our drummer is a subtle player so it works. I'm pretty sure the 25 watts wouldn't have worked when I was younger: I remember playing with a rhythm guitarist using a Super Twin who used to drown out my Mesa Mark IV.

To the sound: the "pure" clean tone is quite variable, from dark jazzy tones to bright, sparkly tones. The contour feature does a great job of bringing the sparkle out with my Albert Lee guitar. I can do a credible jazz tone with the 336 and have sat in with local jazz guys a few times without being run off the stage.

The pushed clean channel is one of my favourites, especially in the 5 watt setting. I can get the Buddy Guy Strat-into-a-pushed-Bassman tone at easy to manage volumes. This is a great channel for riding the guitar volume control or using pick attack to get rhythm and lead tones. I would buy the amp just for this channel.

The lead channel is typical Boogie. With the Burn setting you get that sustain and compression that makes a Boogie what it is. I find the lead channel less harsh than my past Boogies: Mark IV and .50 Caliber. This is actually the best sounding Boogie I've played. The Blues channel is nice and touch sensitive with the 336 moving towards the Larry Carlton/Robben Ford range. With a little output stage clipping it's another channel that would work for a whole gig without touching the footswitch.

So far so good. This is my third Boogie - never had a problem with any of them.

I've had past dealings with Mesa with my Mark IV, looking for advice on re-tubing and found the contact really enjoyable. Although you don't always get to talk someone immediately they always call back within a day or so. One of the nice things is that they are genuinely interested in what you have to say and offer advice that fits your needs. I'd give them a perfect score if they answered the 'phone every time on the first ring.

Great amp. I traded a Fender Deluxe Reverb against this amp and wish I'd done it the day the amp came out. I thought the Deluxe was the last amp I'd ever want but the Boogie is a much better amp for a lot more styles of music.

It would be a 10 if its price wasn't on the steep side. When you factor in the ability to gig without dragging pedals along it starts to balance out financially.

Amp was made in 2009. This is the Head version. I ordered it in Oct and it was completed in Dec, about 10 weeks! That's what I get for wanting the blonde short head! Tons of versatility, though only 4 options at a time. Has two channels from which you can choose; clean, crunch, blues and burn. You can select one choice per channel and each channel has a "Contour" knob which is a preset "V" shape of Mesa's 5 band eq included on some models. As you turn the knob clockwise the knob starts with more midrange and goes towards the scooped mids in which the bass and treble are boosted and the mids dropped down. Since you can set these for each channel it really gives you another footswitchable option. You can shut the contour off, set it to footswitch activation or set it on that channel continously. I tend to use the countour eq as a tone change for solos, I don't set it too drastically, maybe at about 10 or 11:00 on the clean channel, maybe about 12:00 on the dirty channel to clean up the mids. The Express also has switchable output power in the back, either 5 watts or 25 watts. I was a little sceptical of the 25 watt rating from 2 EL84s but I play in clubs of various sizes, including a rather large outdoor patio and the head was clean, no problems. It has an efx loop which I need as I always use some kind of delay, have done it for years so now I need to hear a little "puff" of delay in my amp, like a delay drug addict! I've been GIGGING for about 37 years or so, been to music schools blah blah blah, I'm so scary good I have to work a day job for support!! Anyway, I have owned a TON of amps in my life, some I still have, I think this thing is awesome, as the kids say! Really fat, tubey sound. I think in these days it's easy to get a decent or great distortion sound from a myriad of amps out there but I tend to play the clean channels when I'm auditioning amps as I'm looking for a feel and an undefinable sound on the clean channel. There are a lot of amps out there that I like the distortion channel on but wasn't too happy with the clean sound. The Express 25 has a great clean channel, in my ******, lead guitar player, egomaniacs of the band always, opinion. (You know how guitar players are.)I play a lot of different styles from CW to Latin/Mexican music to hard core jazz-fusion thing to straight oldies rock and roll, it's all fun to me as long as my rig is sounding great to me. I have also played with the Blues Channel set for a relatively clean sound where it sounds clean but breaks up when you hit double stops hard and this was heavenly! The preamp really seems to like distortion pedals. I use an original TS 808 I bought a hundred years ago brand new (that's how old I am!) and a Blackstone Distortion, sometimes I'll run an Ibanez TS-7 or a DOD Juice Box, the distortion is so good on the amp I feel it enhances whatever pedal you use in the front of the amp. I TRY to get the Larry Carlton distortion sound and from there go to heavier distortions for various songs, this amp keeps me happy at this (though I make NO claims to sounding ANYTHING LIKE the master Carlton!!)I just want to get his tone, gave up trying to play like him, of course! The Burn channel gets more than enough gain for the cover bands I play with.

I have also owned plenty of guitars though unfortunately sold some I wish I still had. Have about 7 right now, currently using my American Standard Tele with a Texas Special neck pickup and a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder in the bridge, the Express 25 LOVES this guitar, sustain, fat rock sounds plus twang for days. I am deliriously happy with this set up. Also play a new Yamaha RG-AX2 light weight solid body, Yamaha AES 1500 kind of semi solid archtop axe, my favorite all time axe is my Gibson Les Paul Signature I bought when I was a punk kid and have managed to play all over the planet and still have. This guitar is in pristine condition and it sounds like the voice of God, admittedly sound being a VERY subjective thing. Anyway, the Mesa Express 25 suits my style and all the guitars I have VERY well. It has a signature sound to it and if you like EL84s midrange sound this is one of those amps you have to try. Nice midrange, very even sound to me except for the little complaint about the bass out put later. The amp is also so loud I have NEVER been allowed to get even close to full tilt Boogie because other band guys, the audience and even my wife tell me I am WAY too loud! Too bad, but the amp holds it's own with even loud drummers. Of course we do not play thrash or metal or punk so the volume in all the bands I play with is kind of loud-club approved. The clean channel stays pretty clean for me up to about 7 on the master, though I believe clean on a tube amp is really that good old Fender "5% distortion" thing we grew up hearing. Clean sound on a small wattage amp is also about your touch, at least on a really good, expressive amp like this one. YMMV. The only niggle I have with it is it is a little bass shy for a tube amp! I use it with a matching blonde Thiel Mesa 1X12, a two twelve cab made for me when I lived in Texas and a two ten really old Gibson cabinet and even on the 2X12 I have to crank the bass. ON most tube amps I have owned there is more than enough bass for me so this is the only little complaint. Still for me it sounds awesome, so I rate it.....

As for reliability I have only owned it for just over two months though it has been gigged and rehearsed every week since, sometimes two or three times a week. Has a five year warranty and I REALLY baby my amps and guitars so I anticipate no trouble. It runs really hot though so I do fan it at gigs and rehearsals, I want to keep those circuit boards cool. Also, I ALWAYS travel with a Crate Power Block as a back up, like the sound of them and they only weigh like 4 and a half pounds, I can easily jury rig a good sound with a PB and finish a gig in style. So I always toss a PB in the back of the car as back up. Too many expensive amps have let me down on big gigs in my foolish youth to travel or gig without a back up.

Company was VERY friendly, live in the San Fernando Valley so my contact was the main store in Hollywood, love going there anyway! The sales team was VERY helpful, very good attitudes, unlike some stores we could think of who could go nameless but whose initials are Guitar Center~! Sorry GC, but sometimes your sales help is pitiful and surly!As stated above the warranty is 5 years! I could be dead by then! Cool!

As stated, been playing since I was too young to leave the band stand because of the alcohol laws in Arizona, though nowadays I'm sure 17 year olds would not be allowed in clubs to play gigs!! Ahhh, the good old days! If this was stolen I would find the thief and make him eat the components and put the chassis in his lower orifices and buy another Express, that's how mad I'd be! Don't want to live without it. I compared it to a LOT of amps, bought it with part of a settlement from a car accident so I figured this was probably a last good shot to get one more semi expensive amp! Finally settled on this because of the weight to cost to sound to features balance. It seemed like I could just ef with it for years on stages and the occasional studio gigs and just have way too much fun. I wish all four modes were footswitchable but then it would be called the Roadster and weigh a ton, wouldn't it?! The question above is there anything I would like to share, NO, I would never share this amp with anyone! I like it too much to share! Feel free to write to me if you want to talk about amps, I'm amp stupid addled, I LOVE amps!!

This amp features a great assortment of... well features. It has Two footswitchable channels, that each contain two voicings. Clean/ Crunch and Blues/ Burn. It also has footswitchable reverb on each channel and a footswitchable contour control that, in my opinion, reshapes the tone of the channel when on, by scooping the mids, it also works as a nice boost when you want to throw down a lead. I like this feature on the Burn Channel. I have the 1x12 model with a nicely voiced 12" Celestion vintage 12. This amp also has dynawatt which gives a boost of headroom so that your clean doesn't break up too fast, but tends to suck a little of the sustain out on leads. Mesa explains it as giving the amp the feel of an amp at twice its power rating. It also comes with a footswitch that controls the things I've stated above and a stash pouch to hold cords, footswitch, and your stash, etc.

I had mixed emotions on this amp until last night. I'm using it primarily to play on the worship band at my church, which plays contemporary rock worship music. In the styles of Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Lincoln Brewster. Playing the amp in my practice room at my house left me wanting more, I could almost dial in the sound I wanted, but was left frustrated. This all changed at worship practice last night, in a much larger room. The amp opened up and showed its true colors. The clean on low gain, closely rivaled that of Fender, and the burn was perfect for my leads and parts that lend themselves to some distortion. My leads cut through the mix nicely with the contour. I had quite a few goosebump moments while playing. Think outside the box if you get this, i got some nice results by utilizing the Blues mode on the second channel as my clean and the crunch mode cranked as my lead/ distortion channel. This combo worked well. I'm very pleased with the clean and the headroom that this small amp has, it holds up very nice with my PRS loaded with zebra humbuckers, which tend to have a enough power to break up most low wattage clean channels. In other write ups people have said that the burn gives nice distortion but doesn't lend itself to recto levels. I would have to disagree, this channel with the contour on and turned all the way up gives you a nice saturated distortion that is tight with a nice bottom end. They must not know how to utilize the tone knobs to get this type of distortion. Keep in my that this is a 25 watt amp w/ one 12" speaker, it will never sound exactly like a 100 watt head through a cab, but it has distortion that rivals Recto. It also has a switch to go to 5 WATT class A, very nice sounds in here, but don't count on it being low volume. This amp is very loud on all modes. It blows my Mesa/Boogie Maverick 35 watt 2x12 out of the water. The amps houses top quality tones for clean and distortion. I'm very satisfied.

My Mesa maverick has never given me any problems. However this amp was drop shipped to me by guitar center. Unfortunately during shipping tube amps can tend to suffer damage to tubes. One tube had an issue, I replaced with one I had and it works like a charm. I doubt i will have further issues, but I can't give a high score due to this. Mesa and guitar both took care of me. they are sending me a new set of tubes to make sure they are all matched etc.

When called on the tube issue, there was no hesitation to send a replacement set. Very good customer service!! along with guitar center

This thing is exactly what I was looking for. It's light weight and has the versitility to keep up with my changing needs. it gives me Mesa Distortion with a very nice clean that I was lacking in my Mesa Maverick. You will not be disapointed with this little guy. Try opening it up in a wide open room to get best results for your tone. This amp is very loud, don't be fooled by the 25 watt rating. It also work well with effects.

Purchased in Jan 2009. Features are same as 5:25 1x10, except with a 12" Celestion Vintage 30 G12 speaker. Only had it a short time, so I'm learning how to dial in sounds at different volumes (and 5w vs 25w). Hugely versatile sound options. Great advice in the manual on tone settings - which really narrowed down the trial and error on my part. Only bummer for me is my 2 favorite sounds so far are the Clean & Crunch, both toggle options on channel 1 (so I can't footswitch between them). With the gain way low, I can get a somewhat comparable Clean on Blues (although for some reason doesn't sound as rich, kinda radio-y), or decent overlap with Crunch-like distortion on Blues w/ gain cranked, or Burn w/ gain low (although Burn is definitely creamy-er). They all sound great, so its not like a sacrifice. I keep osciliating between clean as clean or blues as clean, and different gain settings, but I'm pretty sure I'll settle in on a favorite combo soon enough. I think the Contour knob is the balls (I think it controls how deep the 'V' is on a multi band EQ). It really brings the sound to life. Rated 'Features' a little lower cause I can't footswitch between Clean/Crunch (reaching behind me to flick the toggle isn't much of a compromise, cause I'd have to twist a few of the tone knobs to jump between properly).

With a family and 3 little kids, this might have been a once in a lifetime purchase for me, so I was looking for the bomb. (I'm jealous of all you gear collectors). I primarily use an '84 Les Paul Custom w/ stock pickups on all kinds of rock music (not into metal). Love how full, rich, warm the sound is with my guitar. I have an old Peavy solid state that sounds about as marginal today as the day I bought it a loooong time ago. I was looking for great tube tone in a small combo big enough to play w/ band/drummer. Wanted a good clean and a good distortion. The Clean is amazing with my guitar. There are several great distortions - have been able to dial in something spot-on or very close for the covers I play. I compared this against a Vox AD50 & AD60VTX, Marshall (??? 12" combo), Mesa 5:50, 5:25 1x10, and a Zinky Blue Velvet (I reeeeaaaaallly wanted to love the Zinky - its SOOOOO sexy). Voxes, for modeling amps, had a really good tube-like tone, but the controls drove me crazy, I'm also not a big effects person, so that was a waste of functionality - great price, but wasn't the bomb. Marshall - got a great Marshall distortion, but clean stunk. Zinky - to me the clean was a little too thin. Had the mid-boost on, and couldn't dial in the tone knob to get the richness I was looking for in a clean (I bet it would sound great w/ a Fender). Zinky had some killer distortion - phenominal - it did come with a fair amount of background noise and was easy to feedback. Mesa Crunch came very very close to that sound, and Mesa seemed to have better "manners". I like the EL84 tube sound better than the 6L6's (5:50). I guess 6L6 had tons of Clean headroom, but came at a cost of less harmonic color in general... really wanted the tube qualities to show through. 12" 5:25 had a little more low end over the 10" (no, really???). Its plenty loud. If I ever play someplace too big for it, I'm sure they'll just mic it. Its so nice to have an amp that's easy to lug around, and have it all in 1 cabinet (I go w/ guitar in one hand, amp in other, and a backpack w/ cords, picks, strings, etc). It sounds great at band volumes and in my practice room while the family sleeps. Haven't tried this w/ Fender/single coil guitar yet, but I imagine that would bring out a lot more sparkle out of the clean. I'd also like to experiment w/ hooking it up to ext cabs - lots of good advice in the users guide for this too. I'd also like to try a few effects pedals to give me a "solo" function, or to put gain over the clean channel to have 3 footswitchable sounds dialed in.

So far so good. Wasn't even afraid to buy the one off the floor. Warranty is comforting. Built like a tank. I'm fully expecting it will last a lifetime if I keep it in tubes.

Dunno.

It was pricy, but I would buy one again in a heartbeat. It's totally worth it. Not one second of buyers remorse (which is strange for me on a big ticket item). Now all my gear is better than I am, which inspires me (and eliminates all my excuses).

year the amp made: 2008
amp versatile enough: Yes, easily.
styles: Classic rock, Yngwie
Channels: 2; Modes: 2
channel switching: Yes
Effects loop: Yes
Headphone jack: No, not needed.
What features do you wish it had: Guitar tuner.
Why: Strats are beautiful musical instruments but need tuning.
Are there features you never use: No, once in a while I use the 5 watt setting.
Where do you use this amp: On stage, practice hall and bedroom (I'm single, no kids, lol)
Does it have enough power: Yes.
This is a hot-rodded tube amp. See Mesa Boogie for more explanation. http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Express/Express.htm
I will get another Mesa Boogie Express 5:25 Head and two 1 x 10" cabiets and run them in stereo for a wide lush chorus effect.

guitar and pickups: Fender American Strat (see info link)
Strat 1: http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0110102747

Strat 2: Is a maple neck, not rosewood.
http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0101500720

How does it suit your music style: excellent
"Clean" for Beatles (Here Comes the Sun, Lucy in the Sky)
"Crunch" for Clapton (Hideaway)
"Blues" for Stevie Ray Vaughan (Scuttlebuttin')
"Burn" for AC/DC (Back in Black)

noisy: No, just use good cables and logical setup and a Furman Power Conditioner.
http://www.solidcables.com/products.html
Watch the Multimedia Video
http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?div=01&id=PL-PLUS_II

Channel One, clean low gain, reverb low to mid, contour some scoop
Channel Two, bit higher gain, reverb lower, contour some scoop
Master low in the bedroom and higher on stage.
What kind of sounds can the amp make: A full range from mellow clean dynamic to saturated sustaining overdrive.

How much variety: Wide variety, getting another amp to run for wide stereo effect.
clean channel clean at high volumes because of Dyna-Watt circuitry:
Mesa???s Dyna-Watt circuitry is a clever way of getting more power out the 5:25???s two EL84 valves, which would traditionally yield only 15 to 20 watts. Dyna-Watt effectively stores up power so it can be released when you hit a note giving more power at that instant. The amp is constantly recharging and releasing power as you play.
In what settings: Keep the gain low to have a clean sound?
Tube-Driven Overdrive is pleasant on the ears: Can run in Class A mode too, rich harmonics that transitor amp never have.

Highly reliable. Always have back up amps to be smart. Never broken down. Other amps have broken down and thats what makes the Boogies so special. Thet play all night long and still look and sound good.

I bought all my amps, both Fender and Mesa Boogie from Long & McQuade in Toronto. Excellent service. Fender and Mesa Boogie have a 5 year warranty.

How long have you been playing; Since 1969
What other gear do you own: Hundreds of items, all to do with performing and recording electric guitar for rock music and venturing a little into the Yngwie world of guitar playing.
If it were stolen or lost, I would definitely buy Mesa Boogie again.
what do you love about it: Sound, features, looks, reliability, company philosophy.
What do you hate: Hefty price.
Did you compare it to other products: Yes.
Which ones: Fender and Marshall.
Why did you choose this one: Form must follow function.
Anything you wish it had: Guitar tuner.
Will continue to buy Mesa Boogie amps and Fender Stratocasters. Digitech is really making progress with the harmony devices for vocals and guitar.
Boss makes great pedals for effects.
Buy everything new.
Price was as good as any other place, but terms and service at Long & McQuade are better.

2008 ALL TUBE 25 WATT 1X12 COMBO, SMALL, LIGHTWEIGT, VERSITILE AND MOST OF ALL, POWERFULL! 2 CHANNELS (4 GAIN MODES) FT.SWITCHABLE TUBE SPRING REVERB AND CONTOUR. EFFECTS LOOP,EXTENSION CAB OUTS, SWITCHABLE TO 5 WATTS CLASS A VIA THE BACK PANEL, PERHAPS IT'S COOLEST FEATURE. I'VE USED IT IN COFFEE HOUSES, LARGE OPEN HALLS, SMALL CLUBS AND RESTURANTS. I'D SAY IT COVERS EVERYTHING I LIKE TO PLAY WHICH IS MOST THINGS. I'VE BURNED THROUGH SOME CASE TO FIND THE RIGHT AMP THAT CAN COVER WHAT I DO, THIS DOES, FINALLY.

GUITARS-STRAT W/JB JR BRIDGE, 04' PRS CE24 MAPLE. I USE THIS AMP EQUALLY LIVE AND IN THE STUDIO. I PLAY COUNTRY, ROCK ,REGGEA, HIP HOP,FUNK,FUSION,AND ALL INSTURMENTAL TA BOOT. THIS AMP KICK ASS! THE CLEAN CHANNEL VERY DYNAMIC W/GOOD HEADROOM. THE BURN CHANNEL NAILS THE SOUND I HEAR IN MY HEAD(SANTA MEETS CREAM ERA CLAPTON). MY EFFECTS SOUND GREAT THROUGH IT TOO. I USE A LINE 6 DL4 FOR DELAY IN THE EFFECTS LOOP, A FULLTONE WAH-DIAMOND J DRIVE-BOSS RT-20,DIGITECH SYNTH WAH-AND SOME KEELEY PEDALS IN THE FRONT END. IT LOVES EM' ALL.

I FEEL LIKE I CAN DEPEND ON THIS AMP, IT'S MY DRUMMER I WORRY ABOUT. I'VE NEVER WORRIED ABOUT TUBES REALLY AND I THE AMP IS BUILT SOLID.

I'VE NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH IT BUT HAVE DEALT W/MESA BEFORE OVER THE PHONE, THEY WERE GREAT AND MY DEALER IS AWESOME. THE WARRANTY COVERS 5 YEARS.

AFTER 20 YEARS OF PLAYING, I'VE OWNED AND USED ALOT OF GEAR, I HAVE A THING FOR DELAY PEDALS AND IT WAS IMPORTANT TO FIND AN AMP W/AN EFFECTS LOOP AND KILLER SOUND QUALITY, THIS FITS THE BILL AND THE OTHER FEATURES ARE GRAVY. I FORGOT THE AMPS FT SWITCH AT A GIG RECENTLY...I JUST SET THE AMP ON BURN AND USED MY GUITARS VOLUME KNOB TO GO FROM CLEAN TO DIRTY...LIKE A BUDDY SAID, A GOOD AMP CLEANS UP WHEN IT'S TIME TO.... I JUST MADE THAT UP, BUT YOU GET THE IDEA. THE MONEY SPENT ON THE AMP IS NOT AN ISSUE, BECAUSE I GOT A 100% RETURN ON MY INVESTMENT IN TONE. THAT'S WHY I OWN IT, SIMPLE.

Here it goes, I play Jazz guitar, so I wanted a modern Jazz sound, I was impressed with the built quility, and without spending to much time trying to dial in a sound I just bought it from my local dealer who seemed to be pushing hard on these express lines
I SPEND A MONTH TRYING TO DIAL IN JUST A TRADIONIAL jazz tone, forget it--all I got from there so calles clean channel was a very nasty clean , the other stuff it does was fine, but for you jazz guys out there , forget it

I was playing a gibson 335 , sweet guitar, the nice smooth clean was not there, slight hiss ,the amp does well if your just looking for a well built high gain amp, I don,t play loud so I never tryed the distortion

here I have to give it a 10, built quility was suberb

vey good

been playing for 45 years, the gain was nice, but that was what it was designed for, the built quility was great, the vintage clean that they claim was there , well after a month of trying to EQ this amp , finally gave in to a fender twin
I think if you want that tradional clean ,stay away from the el84 types and get one with 6L6 tubes for a smoother overall sound, if your looking for that modern jazz sound, stay away from this amp

I have played a Fender Telecaster through a '63 Ampeg Gemini II (garage sale $40) for over 20 years and was looking for a reliable warm-sounding upgrade. I still love the Ampeg but wasn't happy when I replaced the original speaker (which had disintegrated). I read a review of the 5:25 in Guitar Player and gave it a couple of test drives at the local GC.

Bought this amplifier over a year ago and have gigged with it about 25 times. My amp has the 10" speaker. Mesa has since come out with a 12" version of the 5:25 - makes me suspicious that they were not satisfied with the sound of the 10" configuration. I am very pleased with the 10" version, however, and especially like the light weight and large sound. The amp is very versatile. Minor changes in the settings produce noticeable changes in sound. Like other users, I would be very happy if all four channels were foot-switchable. However, I have found that I can get two really good rhythm settings using the clean and blues channels. The reverb is excellent and I love it at its most subtle to its most extreme. More about the sound later.

Generally speaking, this is a wonderful and solid little amp. However, I do have a few issues with the design: (1) Due to the compact size of the amp, there is an issue with the EL-84's becoming dislodged when removing the power cord and the footswitch cord. I would be happier if both of these cords were conveniently removable for storage in a gig bag. You can remove the footswitch cord but it is not worth the hassle. To alleviate this issue, I wrap the cords tightly for storage in the back of the amp. I also double check these tubes prior to each gig to ensure they are properly seated. I never store the footswitch itself in the amp even though it has a nice little padded case. (2) The channel switching is a little noisy. This is an issue if you switch channels while playing and want the switch to be seamless. There is no issue with noisy switching when switching while not playing- only while playing and switching. (3) The labeling on the front panel is very difficult to see when standing next to the un-tilted amp. This was only an issue during the first few gigs when I was tweaking the "Contour" thinking it was a Master Volume control. As with any instrument, the layout soon becomes ingrained in your consciousness after you live with it for a while. (4) Due to the compact size, you cannot connect a 90-degree plug on the front panel.

The rhythm sound in my head is spanky clean with a nice break-up when you lean into it. I get this easily with this amp. The Clean channel has personality and can achieve many different cleans. I set the Gain to 1:00, Treble at 11:30, Mid rolled all the way down, Bass at 12:00, Reverb at 11:00, and Master to suit the room. I rarely need to set the Master past 1:00 to get enough volume to fit in nicely with the band in small club or large bar environment. Of course these settings are approximates and sometimes I???m feelin??? more gain (2:00 ??? 3:00) and roll off my guitar volume slightly to get back to spanky. The response of the clean channel is great at the higher gain setting and I easily achieve a break-up with a nice amount of furry goodness when I play hard ??? and back to clean when I play lighter. I can???t ask for anything more out of a clean channel, except for it to sound great when I attach pedals ??? and it does. I mainly use a ProCo Turbo Rat for high sustain leads and man it sounds really good. I also use a Tremolo pedal, because the Ampeg Gemini II built-in tremolo (and ???echo??? for that matter) are so sweet and I really miss them live. If the 5:25 sported real tube tremolo, I would be so in love that I would be sleeping with this amp. I???ve also used some clean boost (BBE Boosta Grande) to overdrive the front end and have found the results to be just OK. I find that hitting the front end with more gain is not necessary when having a second channel that can better achieve a dirtier clean. However, a clean boost in conjunction with an overdrive or distortion pedal really has produced some amazing overtones on the overdriven signal and I have been able to ride on some pretty amazing near-feedback sounds. I place the boost after the overdrive. The amp compares nicely to the rhythm guitarist???s sound of a Gretsch playing through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I definitely notice a little more body to his sound, but he is semi-hollow and I???m Tele spank so the difference is complementary. Synopsis ??? Even with using just the clean channel and a pedal or two, this amp is versatile enough to play gigs with and am very pleased with the tones and mass of sound.

Now on to the Blues channel. This channel also has much to offer. I use settings very similar to the Clean channel but roll up the mids to about 9:00 ??? 10:00. I use this channel for ???clean??? leads and as a stand-alone channel. For example, if we???re doing a T-bone Walker tune, I???ll use just this channel. I???ll roll down the volume for the rhythm parts and roll it up for the leads to cut through the mix. The results are much better than using a boost pedal to cut through the mix. The sound is much more organic and less harsh. The overdriven tones on the Blues channel are very pleasing and even this channel takes pedals well. This channel certainly can be used as the primary clean channel (I???ve played entire gigs on this channel), using the Crunch channel as a lead channel. I???ve experimented with this a little but am far happier with using pedals for high sustained leads.

The Crunch and Burn Channels. These channels are probably more appropriate for humbuckers (especially the Burn) although I have used the Burn with decent results. There have been times when I have abandoned pedals to just play direct into the amp. In this configuration, I use the Clean channel with Gain set to 3:00, so that I can get some variety to clean tones with guitar volume manipulations. I use the Burn channel to get the highly saturated tones that I usually use an overdrive pedal for. I typically tweaked the Burn channel settings while playing to achieve the most palatable sounds. I am by no means after that super overdriven rectifier sound so I don???t have any experience using the amp to get Santana-esque tones. Typically I don???t use these channels, since I have to pick two channels for live shows and I am more interested in variety

The 5:25 I reviewed here is actually my second 5:25. The first one was a floor model and had a problem where it would lose power and get crackly after warming up. I returned it to GC and got another. I suspect that it had known problems at GC since it was obvious that the protection bar across the back of the amp had been previously removed. The second one has been operating without issue, except when the EL-84???s were not properly seated in the sockets, as mentioned earlier.

I have not dealt with customer support but do appreciate the home troubleshooting tips contained in the User's Manual.

Overall, I love the size and sound of the 5:25. I intend that this will be the last amplifier I ever buy. The power of this little amp is perfect for the small club and large bar circuit. I have never needed to mike the amp and have always been happy where it sets in the mix. About the reviewer: I've been playing guitar for 25 years. Interests over that period have been primarily in original post-punk trios, although I am now the lead guitarist in a deep-cuts cover band. I have now found myself playing music that has a wide range of styles such as Blues (Albert, Freddie, and B.B.), Reggae (Jimi Cliff, Bob Marley, Clash),and good ole' RnR (from Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly to Spoon and everything cool in between). My favorite band of all time is the Minutemen. I am inspired by happening tunes and happening tones of many genres. I play gigs a couple of times a month but have no plans on quitting the day job.

A 5:25 1 x 12 combo 2008
Controls that work and are well laid out and with a reverb that is unbelieveably good for such a small amp.

I tested it alongside various amps including a Fender Blues Deluxe, Express 5:25 1 x 10 and a 5:50 1 x 12; using a Gibson Les Paul Custom for testing purposes.

The 1 x 10 combo sounded good, but it couldn't match the sound of the 1 x 12 combo, when using a Les Paul Custom. Sadly the Fender Blues Deluxe was out of it's depth soundwise against these little amps.

So far I have used this with a Gibson les Paul Custom and a Fender American Standard Stratocaster and both sound fine through this amp.

The quality of sound and tone from this little amp takes you by surprise when you first hear it because it is that good and it is the best practice amp I've used. Like any high quality valve amp, it highlights the nuances in your playing.

The clean channel has more clarity than the Fender Blues Deluxe or Blues Junior and the crunch setting is great for blues playing.

On the second channel the blues setting can be used to play lead, whereas the burn setting is heavy overdrive and sounds superb when using the Stratocaster.

The 5 amp setting is pure tone, whilst the 25 watt setting is superb too and ideal for not just practicsing; but also jamming with friends and gigging in small venues.

The reverb is one of the best I've heard on any amp. Up there alongside the reverb on a Lonestar or Cornford Hurricane; in that respect.

The contour controls work well, but do introduce a small amount of white noise. They are worth using particularly on the 25 watt setting.

Some people have mentioned there is some white noise and if you turn up the master, whilst the gain is low, then it is noticeable. If however you put the gain on 12pm and keep the volume lower, the white noise is less obtrusive.

Personally I find this a very versatile amp from clean jazz to heavy crunch and would have no problem recommending it to other players looking for a quality amp.

It seems really well built and I'd be surprised if it proves unreliable.

I can't comment as I haven't had any contact with Mesa Boogie

I've been playing quite a while and have some nice guitars, which are played through the 5:25 1 x 12 combo, A fender Blues Junior and sometimes when jamming, through my mates Mesa Boogie Blue Angel.

I'd be frustrated if it were stolen, as I would defintiely miss it and would want to replace it.

As mentioned above i tested it alongside the 1 x10 combo, which I thought was a quality amp too, but I preferred the sound of the 1 x 12 combo with my Les Paul Custom. The 5:50 sounded good, however i still preferred the sound of the EL84's in the 5:25 1 x 12 combo, to the 6L6 valves in the 5:50

I won't go into great detail as most of the features are covered elsewhere. Two channels with two modes each. I like how they set up the first mode of each channel to complement the other--Clean and Blues respectively--the same goes for the second mode of each channel--Crunch and Burn. That way you can think of channel 1 as a rhythm and channel 2 as a lead, although you can also work the other way too since the amp is so versatile--e.g. use blues mode from 2 as your rhythm sound and crunch from 1 as your lead. The amp is so versatile with so many kinds of sound available and levels of gain--it would be nice to be able to access them all on the fly live, but then that would mean you would need to have four separate Eqs; and a four channel amp = a bunch more $$. Anyway, I really like the portability of this amp (38#), the build quality and the tone quality--it really does sound very much bigger than a 1x10, 25 watt amp. It has ample power for gigging and maintains clean headroom until quite loud. If I play a large place, I'll just mic it. Another huge "feature" is that you can do most shades of rock, blues, jazz, country, R&B, alternative, etc. It has almost all the basic sonic territory covered for the electric guitarist...and it's portable!

Mainly use my Strat with "Fat 50s" single coils and Les Paul with Duncan Antiquities. Where to begin???All the Boogies I've tried in the past have left me kind of cold--too mid-rangey, "hard," and in your face (I'm thinking of amps like the Mark I, the Maverick, Blue Angel) There always seemed to be a lack of warmth and fullness. I've always liked the big, full sound of Fenders and the only Boogie I ever tried that came close was a 2x12 Tremoverb--but since that was too much $$ and weighed in at 103#, I couldn't really justify it for the smaller to mid-size gigs I play. Anyway, I was really blown away by the 5:25--it seems they resolved the depth and fullness issue with this amp. It has an absolutely GORGEOUS CLEAN channel for Strats or Les Pauls with a huge bottom end and plenty of sparkle. The contour controls are a great help in this department. I always have them on and just dial in more or less of their effect according to the sound I'm looking for; when you turn them off, the sound seems to go kind of flat and you can never quite duplicate their effect by just using the tone controls to compensate. Anyway, I like stout lower-mids--not too fond of the upper register of mids and hate spikey highs. Fortunately for me, it's like one reviewer said, it's like Fender clean without the bright switch on--on my Fenders, I never used the bright switch (just way too bright). On the ones that had bright jacks (Custom Vibrolux), I had to dial back the highs a bit to compensate. Anyway, the clean is like the best aspects of Fender clean mixed with the best parts of the clean from another amp I own and love--the JC120--you can get THAT sound...and actually make it better. It's extremely versatile...to my ears, Fenders, when pushed into O/D or when they have an O/D channel (Devilles and Blues series), tend to sound harsh and grainy. The Boogie sounds so much more focused, you really can sculpt the sound with great precision (I know it sounds hokey, like from an advert for them, but it's true). This is not just true for the clean, but across the board--every channel's basic tone can be tweaked and morphed using the tone controls such that the amp can cover a huge sonic range--I absolutely love it, although, being a first time Boogie owner, it can be frustrating as hell to do all that tweaking (and I'm a tweak freak--maybe that's the problem)--but that tweakability can produce great results and is what makes the Boogie a cut above your standard Fenders and Marshalls--even ones in the same price range. The tone controls are so sensitive that just a little goes a long way, so if I am hearing just a bit too much treble harshness while soloing, I can adjust the tone controls so I can get the tone I'm hearing in my head--YES!! FINALLY!! And without pedals. But, alas! There are limits, because while playing live, you'll still need pedals if two basic gain structures don't cover what you need on the fly. Especially if you do a lot of variety like in weddings or praise and worship music in church. Anyway, I am still experimenting to uncover or invent more great possibilities for live work between the two channels. So far, I've only seriously honed in on dialing in the modes in the Full power (25-30? Watt) setting, since, when running @ 5 watts, all traces of clean go south at any usable volume--even for bedroom playing--it breaks up almost immediately (although beautifully) but sounds anemic compared to the other modes, even when cranked. That's the only complaint I have about the amp. The other three modes are usable @ 5 watts and will put out quite a bit more volume than the clean mode.
One final note. Other reviews, both here and in a couple of rags have said 1) it sounds boxy when compared to the 1x12 version or the 5:50--while I haven't compared it to the 5:50, I have compared it to the 1x12 version, and I liked this one better primarily for its tone --not as midrangey--and also because it is easier to transport. 2

Haven't had any issues with mine yet, but I agree with the other posts re: the noise problem???it isn't acceptable and Boogie should address it instead of blow-offs like "That's just part of the amp". If mine does develop a noise issue --God forbid!!--it will either be fixed, replaced or returned. Geez, that would suck!!!!

5 years on the amp, 3 on the speaker and 6 months on the tubes..and it's transferable! I've not dealt with them yet, so no rating.

I've been playing for over 30 years (??!!!). I love the amp so far. I've said what I wanted above. I've gone back and forth on the price issue. I guess Boogie raised their prices in February of '08 and so I had to pay 1149 + tax (actually I didn't spend a dime out of pocket since I traded several other amps in for it). It's a pretty steep price for a 25 watt, 1x10 combo. BUT on the other hand, I'm wondering what other amps are there on the market that can do what this can for the money...and do it so well? This amp outperformed every one of the amps I traded in on it and one of them was a Reverend Hellhound and another a dual channel, all tube Traynor. So it really is like having 3 or 4 amps in one???3 or 4 really good amps at that. BUT I still can't say, in the broader scheme of things when you're not a full-time pro, that 1200.00+ with tax is a "fantastic value" for a guitar amplifier, so I have to give it a 9.