Mesa/Boogie Express 5:50 1x12 Combo

I purchased the amp new from a local dealer. I purchase it with great expectations given Mesa's reputation for quality and tone. Tone is good, quality is bad.

Quality aside, this amp sounds good

This thing has been problematic from the jump. It had a bum tube, which isn't terrible, but now the foot switch is defective and Mesa does very little help to get stuff fixed under warranty.

Even though you'll get a person on the phone when you call them, customer service vis a vis repair is well, well below what one would expect given the cost and reputation of the manufacturer.

Don't buy one. They sound good but are poorly manufactured and they're rather unhelpful with warranty repairs. I wanted so badly to love this amp...but I don't. Simply put, they're not worth the money. If it were stolen I would definitely not buy this amp again.

This is a two channel, all tube amp with two switchable voicings for either channel via mini-toggles. On Channel 1, you can choose between "Clean" or "Crunch". On Channel 2, you can choose between "Blues" or "Burn". This gives you an amazing amount of options. It can run at either 5w in Class A mode or 50w in Class AB mode via a mini-toggle next to the speaker outputs. Each channel has controls for Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb, Master and Contour. The Contour control is kind of like a graphic EQ in one easy knob. There is also a mini-toggle next to the Contour knob that allows it to be On, Off or switchable via the footswitch.

On the back, there is a series effects loop that works wonderful. Also, there are four standard 1/4 inch jacks for connecting to a "master switching" device that would most likely be a MIDI control system. Next to those is the fuse holder. On the other side is the speaker outputs that include one 8 ohm and two 4 ohm. There is a 90w, 8 ohm Black Shadow speaker and the tube array including 2 6L6 power tubes and 4 12AX7 preamp tubes. There is sturdy metal bar running across the back in front of the tubes for protection and nice built-in nylon pouch to hold the footswitch during transport or storage.

The cabinet is as sturdy as I have I have come across and all the knobs and switches are solid and sturdy. This is what you expect from Mesa and USA manufacturing in general. No qualms there.

This is the first all-tube amp that I have owned and I believe it to be one of, if not the most, versatile tube amps on the market. There are a few "cons" that I would be remiss to mention: the power cable and the footswitch cable are hardwired in the chasis. I can live with the power cable this way, but the footswitch cable seems like a major oversight. there is enough cable for my use, but I can see some others really seeing this as a pain. Along with that, the cable connects to the side of the footswitch. I realize that a lot of amps have the cables come out the side, but it makes it hard to incorporate into a pedal board. Lastly, the channel voicings are not footswitchable. Again, this is probably due to the fact that the EQ setting for each voicing would be completely different, but it would be nice to have the option and make it a four channel amp. With that being said, the pros outweigh the cons like an elephant to a fly.

My setup goes like this:

Either a 2007 Epi Les Paul Custom (stock humbuckers) or a 1993 MIM Fender Strat w/ Texas Special pickups > Marshall ED-1 > Dunlop Crybaby 95Q > Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive > Fulltone GT-500 > (soon to have a ProCo Rat 2 here) > Express 5:50

And in the loop:

Send of amp > Boss PSM-5 (all the following are in the PSM-5 loop) > Ibanez FL-9 > Boss PH-3 or an EH vintage Smallstone > EH Pulsar > Boss DD-3 > DOD FX96 Analog Delay > Digitech Jamman > (return of PSM-5 loop)> Return of amp

I tend to cover the areas of rock, metal, blues, punk and alt country. This amp has the versatility to cover all these genres very effectively and then some. It is truly a working man's amp. I use mainly the "Clean" and the "Burn" voicings.

The clean is the best I have played. I don't notice any breakup at higher volumes on the AB setting as others have mentioned and it has a sweet breakup on the A setting. This channel is in love with my OD and distortion boxes! I almost gave up on pedal distortion and overdrive until I got this amp. Others have said it, but I will repeat it: This amp loves pedals! The crunch voicing on the A setting can get real close the Vox sound and in the AB setting is rounder for a great classic rock tone. Channel 1 is not the channel that I originally bought the amp for but has become the one I currently use the most.

Channel 2 is where you get the classic Mesa crunch good for everything up to hard rock but not quite metal. I bought the amp for this channel and it does not disappoint, especially when you can run it wide open. It is not a rectifier sound, so it may not be for you if you are going for the modern metal sounds, unless you have a stompbox. The gain on the Burn channel has quite a decent range. I like to keep it between 9 and 11 o'clock and then add some OD from one of my boxes on top of it, but I also like to run it at 2 to 3 o'clock with out anything in front of it. I'm starting to use the clean with my boxes more and more for a little more versatility, but it is very comforting to know that I always have this crunch to fall back on.

I'm giving it a 9 because there are a few specialty sounds that I don't think you will be able to coax out of it. That being said, you really can't go wrong with this baby. It's amazing all the different tones that come beaming out of this baby. I bought a 1X12 extension cab to run with it and it has been a great addition. Really makes the sound fuller and seems to open up the frequencies a little, especially when you are jamming with the band. The 1X12 is fine for practice or quick get togethers and I would not want to know how much the 2X12 version weighs!

Never had an issue. Bought it used from a reputable shop and have never had a problem. Built like a tank. I use it on gigs without a backup, just an extra set of tubes and the thrill of risking it. :)

Never dealt with them but I've heard good things. The manual is well written and it has a 5 year warranty. What more do you need?

I've been playing for about 10 years now and have owned this amp for about 6 months now. I have never owned a full tube amp and I don't think I will ever buy anything but tubes from here on. I have Marshall Valvestate 100R hybrid and a Fender Pro 165 that I hardly ever touch. I have owned a Line 6 Vetta 2X12 combo, Fender Super Champ XD and a Vox Valvetronix AD-30. The Vetta is more versatile, sure, but the sounds are not as sweet and you don't have the joy of hunting for pedals to throw in front of it like you do with this guy!

I would definitely buy again and, in fact, I am looking to buy another to run in a dual setup to really open up my sound. I wish it weighed a little less, but I'll deal with it for the rock solid construction and sound. I was looking at Marshalls (DSL, TSL) at the same time, but this baby showed up and stole the show. To me, this is a lifetime amp, one that will stay with you forever because of the tone and the quality. I have no issues with giving this a 10 overall.

Four Channel tube (6L6) amp (clean, crunch, blues, burn). Also has 50w and 5w mode, Contour control, reverb, foot-switch etc.

I play a Stratocaster and Telecaster, primarily for hard rock (think Audioslave, RATM etc). But i also play alot of Hendrix, Chilli Peppers, blues...i like the single coil sound.

The biggest thing i noticed with this amp compared to my Marshall DSL 100 tube amp (EL34's) is that the Mesa is much "warmer" sounding. You notice it most on the clean channels. So for cleaner, "chimmey" strat tones, the Marshall is better. BUT for straight up blues or overdriven rock, the Mesa is better. It also handles my pedals better than the Marshall i.e. less noise. I use several pedals - Wah, whammy, delay, mojo-vibe, tube screamer, fuzz. In saying that the Marshall is better for Chimmey strat tones, you can dial in the Mesa alot by altering bass/treble configurations. But the Mesa clean channel is a bit more distorted than the Marshall clean at higher volumes.

I don't really use the other channels, so i won't provide an opinion as it won't be informed. But at a glance, the Blues channel was nice and the Crunch reminded me of that Creed, Three Days Grace overdriven rock sound (similar to a Less Paul saturation, but not really). Let me stress, i play via a Tube Screamer with the clean channel - breaks up real nice.

I also use Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot pickups, Std Tele pickups and EMG H/HA pickups on my guitars.

So far so good, but i've only had it a month. I've heard Mesa is reliable. My Marshall has been a pain thus far - 3 blown amps in 9 months and i don't thrash it!

Can't comment yet!

I've been playing guitar for 15 years - i'm 27. I have a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 amp, Marshall 1960 AV cabinet, Custom Warmoth Strat, American Std Tele, American Std Strat, lots of pedals....If it were lost or stolen i would buy it again. I love its warmth when overdriven - it's not thin sounding and balances the strat treble bias. With my pedal setup i get an 80's Marshall JCM800 crunch or close to it. I also love the fact it handles my pedals real well - minimal noise, especially when engaging the wah! The only "minor" downside is the warmth in clean mode and the distortion of the clean channel at higher volumes. But let me stress, i'm being real picky here. Overall an awesome amp. I got this amp because the dude in the shop recommended it and the reviews here were excellent compared to Marshalls. I like JCM 800 CRUNCH.

50 watt 2 channel all tube amplifier. This baby has a tube reverb that is to die for! Amp can be run in 5 watt or 50 watt power settings, (I prefer to run 50 watts as there is quite a difference in sound at the lower setting, and I like to practice with the same sound that I am gong to use with the band). Foot switchable reverb and contour is a great feature and the separate gain, volume and eq controls for each channel makes this a very versatile amp.

This amp sounds amazing! The clean channel is pure bliss with a rich warm tone, and the distortion just kicks! It has a full and warm sounding tone that can turn hairy and nasty with just a twist of the countour control. Everything from Southern and classic rock tone to screaming blues. I play an American Strat Deluxe with vintage noisless pick ups and a Peavey Wolfgang through this amp and they both blow me away. I have owned Fender, Peavey, Traynor and Marshall tube amps and this one smokes them all! Choose between "crunch or clean" and "blues or burn" for the channel modes and you will find an amazing array of sounds to suit almost any style of music. This amp gave me everything I wanted in my old JCM 900 Marshall but couldn't find. The only thing about this amp is it is very touchy/sensitive to small adjustments of the tone controls and can require some tweaking to get it just right, but when you do...... wow!

I've only had the amp for 7 mths but it feels solid.

I've never had to contact Customer Support.

I have been playing for 16 years and this is the best amp I have owned. Nothing against my old Fender, Crate, Marshalls as they were great amps, but this one is the one I will buy again, If stolen I would definitely buy it again, it is just the right size for my needs. If you haven't tried one you don't know what you're missing, and the price of this one compared to other amps is really not that bad, especially for what you get. This is my first Boogie, and I am now a huge MESA fan! This amp has a sound of it's own that is distinctly Boogie!

2009, Right off the Show Room Floor, from the only local dealer Mesa has near it's factory. I play Blues/Rock/Country, and I've owned a lot of amps; Some costing several grand, some for under $100. Now..living in Petaluma, I've had a love affair with Mesa (and Two Rock), and I've owned many of Mesa's classic amps. But the Express is it's own unique tone machine, yet not for everyone. The key to this amp, IMHO, is the Contour function, and it's departure from the traditional Mesa voicing, along with the 5 watt option. To make it better? Swap out the speaker for a Tone Tubby Alnico...break it in...and smile! Did you know Mesa's CAN be biased, but the bias control is hidden? Matched JJ's for everything I own!

I use several custom made MJ Engineering guitars (Mirage Custom, GT & Roadster) a '77 Les Paul, Music Man Axis P-90 Super Sport, '66 Epiphone Granada, and a American Standard Strat and Tele. Now, to make this amp bloom, you need to open her up (clean volume a 2:00ish). The issue at that setting on either channel? Hiss. Some tone purists may think I'm nuts, but I use a Boss Noise Suppressor (NS-2) through the FX Loop, (I hit the front of the amp with everything else), and it works like magic. NO, it doesn't suck the tone, and it reduces 90%+ of the amp hiss. This is a Rock, Blues and beautiful Clean Tone amp. This is not for Metal. Use the new Mark V (ala Lamb of God) for high gain IIC+ and Mk IV screaming tones.

I never ever gig without a back-up, because even the best of amps can go sideways on you. (I also bring extra tubes and fuses.) The venue we play dictates the back-up, but it's usually my Reverend Hellhound 40/60: The MOST "underated" amp on the planet BTW. So...the weak part of the Express is the Foot Switch. The 5 pin connector is crap. I had to replace one after just 30 days of use. I would have gladly paid $100 more for a quality foot switch.

OK...living in Petaluma has it's advantages. I know the service folks on a first name basis at Mesa, so I suppose I get better attention than if you have to FedEx your amp and scream at Debbie if you have an issue. They treat me great, give me extras, and the turn-around time is usually under a week, if that.

No amp deserves a perfect score, because no amp can do do everything so perfect it deserves a 10...period. But kudos to Mesa for taking the F Series to as close to perfection as one could expect. I've had the pleasure of playing with some very talented musicians, and they always comment on the tone I get with this amp. It loves pedals, males quality guitars sound killer, gets pristine cleans (And I have a Dr. Z Maz 30 Sr., a real 1965 BFD, and a Heartland HE5-3A to compare tones), and does the blues and classic rock with precision. The foot swith sucks, as well as the higher volume amp hiss and stock speaker. But for the price (especailly used), and a unique killer tone...you'll be very satisfied.

2008 model. 2 channels with 2 modes each. Series effects loop (non-switchable). Switchable 5w class A and 50w class AB. SS rectifier. 3 band EQ for each channel. Reverb control for each channel. Contour control, Gain and master per channel. Foot switch controls channel, reverb and contour on/off. Only difference I would like would be to be able to access all 4 modes directly from foot switch. 2 6L6 and 5 12ax7s. Single front input.

Clapton Strat with Vintage noiseless. Epiphone Les Paul Prophesy with Duncan JB in bridge and Jazz in neck with coil splitting. I run through a Crybaby to a TS9 to a vintage Rat on the front end and the loop I run through a Hush C to a Boss CE5 chorus through an MXR Carbon Copy delay. I play hard rock, blues, country, contemporary Christian and dabble in jazz.

This amp can cover pretty much everything I play except for when I need a Brit high gain sound, although the pedals can get me pretty close.

At lower gain settings the amp is fairly quiet. The clean channel puts out a bit or white noise but the Hush takes care of it. In class A it is pretty quiet in general. When using class A I really don't push the gain very much so it isn't really an issue. However, switching to class AB the gain channels the noise starts to become a factor. Even with the gain setting fairly high on the burn channel the noise is reasonable but as you begin to dial up the master volume thing get pretty bad. With the gain at 2 o'clock and the master at 2 o'clock the noise becomes unacceptable. Even with the Hush at max (a setting that really ruins tone) it is still intrusive. To be honest, this isn't really much of an inconvenience for me because I rarely if ever us massive amounts of preamp gain or high master levels. The amp is usually miked.

On the clean channel, this amp as magnificent tone. Low gain setting on clean lead to a very musical, chimey yet warm sound. In class a as you push the gain up you are treated to the most wonderfully satisfying breakup especially with humbuckers. In AB there is quite decent headroom. Somewhere between a Deluxe Reverb and a Twin Reverb.
The crunch channel is sounds okay when you push the power section. At lower volume setting (below 12 o'clock) it sounds quite fizzy. The same can be said of the burn channel. However, some push from the TS9 really fills out the distortion and makes it quite usable. I don't use the blues channel much. I much prefer to use the clean channel with the power tubes pushed hard.

This amp really likes pedals. quite a few amps i've used over the years didn't care for pedals in the effects loop. Not so with the Express. It loves them. On the front end, wha pedals and OD/distortion pedals sound great.

One thing of note. This amp sounds much better at really high volume settings when I use an extension cab. It is quite loud enough with just it's own speaker but you can definitely tell that the tubes are being rattled due to some odd sounds. When using a cab, this problem disappears. For more reasonable volume settings the internal speakers sounds quite good.

I've been gigging with this amp for not quite a year. During that time it hasn't even hiccoughed. The cabinet seems very sturdy as does the tolex. I've had pretty good luck with all of my amps over the years ( Fenders, Marshalls, Boogies). But this is a tube amp so I always have a Line 6 Pod X3 Live hooked up to the PA just in case.

No repairs needed so I haven't dealt with any warranty issues. I called customer service once with a question. The were polite and helpful.

I've been playing off and on for 43 years. I also have an Epiphone Valve Jr mini stack, Pod X3 live, Taylor GS8 acoustic a Roland AC60. If this amp were lost or stolen I would probably l would consider purchasing a Mesa Stiletto Ace.
I love the clean channel tone, the switchable wattage. There is nothing that I really hate about it, except for maybe the fixed bias.

Great amp, clean channel very good for all types of music, I play everything from blues to jazz, this amp has a quality sound that well make it hard to stop playing, had a fender twin for 25 years,and like this more, one half the weight, two channels with a foot switch, effects loop,this amp has the 6L6 tubes which give it a beautiful sound , built with alot of quality

I play a gibson 335 a Guild starfire IV , and they make these guitars sound unbelievable, setting I use are pretty much around ten to 12 oclock, this amp makes no noise, the distortion is so good I have no use for my Rat, the clean channel on 5 watts is great for home use and will break up fairly quickly, but is perfect for practice as well as the 50 watt setting,as far as the 50 watt setting breaking at high volumes, I have never had to play that loud
the sound quality I would give is a 10, I would give it a higher rating if I could

Like I said , built like a tank, no backup required, this amp has been running flawless for three months,

never had to deal with them, but I hear they are great

I have been playing for 40 years, I use my gibson 335 80% of the time
I would buy it again if it was stolen
I went to buy a fender Hotrod deluxe, this amp was sittng next to it
the clean on the fender was no match for the quality sound of the Mesa, I never thought I would buy a Mesa,I thought they
would have a harsh sound, but this amp is unbelievable, I think it has to do with the 6L6 tubes, the ones with EL84's are nasty

The features are great - when the amp worked it was great.

This amp is capable of a wide range of tone - needs to be fine tuned for each different guitar of course.

HORRIBLE. I am on my second amp. The first went up in smoke the second day I had it. Now my second 5:50 seems to be quitting after about 25 hours of use. It has never left the house and I am the only user. In contraxt, my 36 year old Fender Princeton, which my mom bought me new when I was a kid, is still sounding great without any problems.

Not the best so far. We'll see how it goes on the latest problem.

If it fails prematurely then what can I say. I have a Budda Superdrive 18w and a Marshall DSL401 that have less features BUT at least they are more reliable.

great features ..every channel sounds great, good sound is the best feature for me,.....

sounds great with all my guitars, gibson , fender, ibanez , jackson
and my present fav...prs singlecut. i now know what they mean, about the diff between practice amps..........i got a valvestate 100,
bandit3 100, peavey valve king 100 watt amps, had most of the fenders..........AND..........a QUALITY amp .........the messa 5-50
blows them all outa the water , i mean the other amps sound good , i like em , gut this one .....yyaa eehhhh.......the holy grail of tone
, for me anyway.

TOO NEW , BUT I BOUGHT IT USED .........IT WAS GIGGED A BUNCH AND IT
still plays great

unknowm

oh ya .........i cant stop playing it , been playing since just before led zep came on, so ive heard a lot a amps .........this
is one amp ya don t wanna miss out on

This amp works very well for the styles of music I play - pretty much alternative country/blues/folk and classic rock.

2 channels with 2 voicingings per channel give you a good range of options to cover a wide range of tones - very hard rock and metal are not it's strongsuit though.

It would be nice to have a presence control or have a 5 band eq similar to the Mark's. The contour does a decent job of shaping the tone after the gain but it can be a bit overpowering at times due to the single knob control. It is footswitchable which is very cool but I don't find myself switching it on and off but rather changing the setting from song to song.

This is my primary gigging amp. It has plenty of power for what I do, the clean headroom is great and the amps cuts through nicely. I ususally use the 5w setting for rehearsal and practice - it is also a perfect setting for recording. Probably the best thing about New Mesa's is the addition of the Class A to Class A/B switching. I think the amp puts out considerably more than 5w in that mode though -I would guess more like 8w but it definitely has the single ended sound. I can actually drown out my band in practice in the 5w mode with no problems but the volume control is much less sensitive than on the 50w setting so it makes it a bit easier to keep from overpowering my band mates.

All tube - which is definitely great for the gain and reverb - I have never used the effects loop.

I currently own a 50w Head and Wide Body single 12" open back cab. I had first bought the 5:50 combo and didn't like the amount of rattle it had from the speaker baffle so I brought it back and traded it for a 5:25. The 5:25 had less mechanical noise and the tone was great when playing by myself but it seemed to be lacking when I played with other people - I blame the 10" eminence speaker but it really wasn't that bad - just lacking the grunt to keep up with drums and bass. So in my opinion it was well worth the extra money to buy the 5:50 Head because I get the great sound of the 6L6's (I prefer them to el84's) and absolutely no mechanical noise - great for recording and just generally not sounding like crap when practicing - probably wouldn't have heard it at a gig but it annoyed me. Plus the head and cabinet are lighter individually than the combo - much easier to move around and easier to change at a gig - I can set my head next to me and have my speaker anywhere I want. Eventually I want to get a cabinet for this beast but for right now I don't feel like lugging one around and the sound is excellent from the Mesa open back cab. Far better than I expected.

My guitars are:

Fender American Deluxe Strat with SCN pups, Fender Hod Rod Telecaster '52 Reissue with mini humbucker in the neck position, Gibson Les Paul Classic Antique w/ 57 Classic and Classic Plus pups.

This amp loves the strat - I almost can't get a bad sound out of it (except if I crank the treble) with the single coils. This is a good thing because I play this guitar probably 75% of the time. I find these amps a bit picky with humbuckers - I have a Mark III which is the same way - they have a tendency to get nasally sounding - like the amp has a cold. I find I really have to roll off the bass, sometimes set it a zero to get it to brighten up. The contour helps bring this back some of the bass without getting too stuffy sounding, but presence would really be the ideal way to brighten it up a bit.

Channel 1:

Clean:
Really nice cleans, twangy to deep, they sound really good. I wouldn't call it sparkly like a Fender but it can be coaxed to sound chimey. The advantage is it doesn't get that Fender ice pick sound to it. I use this setting for most of my rhythm/quiet lead fill playing.

Crunch:
Pretty nice crunch - can get a bit muddy with the higher gain settings, I usually use it around 12 o'clock or less on the gain. I don't like it cranked for chording, if you play more than power chords (or any chord with more than 2 notes) it sounds muddled. The stuff we play uses a lot of 7, 9, 11 and 13 chords so I find this to be unusable for me. For riffs it is great, you can crank it up and get some nice drive - kind of similar to the lower gain settings on the blues lead channel.

Lead:
Blues:
Nice channel, I find it a little thin for the single coils but it sounds good. Sounds much better on the 5w setting with the master up or more generally at higher volumes - it gets much more dynamic and sings a lot better, at low volumes it just seems a bit thin and lacking in sustain. I like it best with the humbuckers. I use it more often for clean leads, you can set it so it is louder than your rythm channel and get some nice clean to cleanish lead tones from this channel - I consider this more of a country channel than blues channel although it can do both very well - I just prefer a bit more of a heavy blues tone or higher gain sort of lead sound.

Burn:
I've not read where too many people are all that crazy about this channel. To be honest, I like it the best of the lead channels and I use it for most of my leads - I think it has great depth, the drive is not over the top, the sustain is amazing, you can set it to be super smooth or hard and edgy - I mean this is what I think of when I think of Mesa. It is very similar to the lead channel on my Mark III but a lot easier to set up. I use this also for power chording or heavy riffs and it works really well. I don't get into really chunking metal type stuff so this suits my style perfectly.

The distortion can get a bit harsh but I find it works pretty well through most of it's range of adjustment.

The reverb is 1000x better than that of the Mark's but isn't as strong as Fender tube reverb. The level is good unless you want some really over the top 'verb - a single 12AX7 just doesn't have enough gain to do that.

Hum and white noise are not too bad - not exactly recording quality but it can be gated out.

Great so far. I use the Mark III as a backup.

I have dealt with Mesa about the rattling issues on the Combo's - they didn't seem to think it was an issue. I tried 3 of them, they all did and Mesa seems to think it is an "acceptable level of mechanical vibration" BS! If you spend $1200 on an amp, it better not rattle, squeak, etc... thats what I expect. I've never played a Fender or a Marshall Combo that did that, my Mark III does't do that and that sucker is loud, but luckily for Mesa I liked the tone enough to dish out the extra dough for a head and cab. Hopefully they do better on the next iteration of thier entry level combos.

I would buy what I have now again in a heartbeat. Awesome for someone looking for a wide range of tones in one amp - No Marshall or Fender could touch it. So all in all this amp is a steal for anyone who plays something other than Metal. If you are pure country it might be more than you need, if you don't play clean tones - don't get this amp - but if you want it all in an amp that can sound great in a variety of situations, get an express.