Mesa/Boogie Express 5:50 1x12 Combo

It's got plenty of foot-switchability but the tone controls do very little. Apologists say that they are very inter-dependant and you have to get to know them. I say: what's the point in putting a knob labelled 'Bass' on something and numbering it 0 to 10 (or 11) but failing to design it such that it has a marked effect on bass frequencies?

I just didn't like it at all.
I stupidly (I freely admit) bought this amp in a hurry before a tour. I was playing a humbucking thinline tele through an old Vox AC15 and a few pedals and I wanted something much louder, all valve and very versatile. I liked the clean and mild OD sound of the Vox but I wanted that louder plus "good crazy" ie better filth than I got from Vox with Rat or Brown Rabbit pedals.
It had stunning reviews in Guitarist magazine but I could not dial up a clean sound anything like the Vox. And I didn't like any of it's other sounds that much and neither did the band.
Luckily, I'd taken the AC15 with me too.

It didn't get very much milage at all but I did see an intermittant fault with the footswitch - not really very good at this price level.

I never called them. I took it back to the shop after lending it to a friend for a while.

I've played for 24 years. I have two telecasters - a regular one and a thinline. I still have the aforementioned Vox but now also a Fender Princeton and a Vibro Champ, both of which I really like, perhaps more than the Vox.
I bought too many pedals when I was with that band. Now I use a bit of delay, the Brown Rabbit and the tremelo / reverb of the amp.

You plainly have to like something about Mesa Boogies that was entirely lost on me.
But beyond that, it is undoubtedly over-priced and badly 'designed'.
A case of the emperor's new clothes.

If high gain is you thing, otherwise don't buy it, not versatile,
lends itself to single coils, I play a 335, I spent hours tweaking this amp, all those dials and switches do not take you out of the Mesa universe

terrible, the tube distortion is the worst , the clean is sterile sounding, you will spend hours trying to tweak this thing,
If you coming from a clean amp , like fender, you will not like this at all, try playing Jazz or blue's , put on ear protection and warn the neighbors, listen to some clips on you tube B/4 you buy one,
I wish I did

built well

Did not have it long enough, sold it on ebay

playing 38 years, the only thing I liked was the cabinet, if you want a high gain amp try Rivera,Vox or Marshall ,or just get a Fender and get a distortion pedal on it, the 6L6 tubes really did not warm this thing up, since this experience I played through many amps b/4 I bought another fender

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.

5watt Class A, 50W Class A/B - two independent channels - two voicings pr channel. Reverb Effectsloop

You dont need more - 1x12" in speaker, footswitch - only I miss is switchable loop - as on Mark IV or Marshall TSL.

And it is a bit heavy (ca 30 kg's)

But it is a 10'er

Most guitars sound nice on this one, you can decide for your self what channel and voicing to be the lead or rythm channel.

Awsome sound in all ways, tight bottom, crispy highs and punchy mids. 5W option sounds awsome withoud blowing the head off. 50W is loud. Chords are sparkling harmonics

What you play is what you hear with this amp. reveils everything. I cand directly compare the sound to any other amp. but it sounds "right".

Extremely versatile EQ - does everything you want.

Solid built, like any other mesa/boogie - tubes are very well protected. But dont know yet its brand new

Normally Mesa is very reliable.

Mesa answers your e-mail the next day. and they are very polite when you call them

It is a 10'er all over - I have put insurance on mine so i will get back a new one if lost or stolen. this is one of the many amps i have owned where i will not doubt to get a new one. This is a keeper.

I have tried most combos in the 1x12" class, Marshalls, Vox, Fenders, Peavey's also Line 6 Flextone, and even Budda 45W. I swapped my Mesa/mark IV combo for this one. It had the best bottom, and punchy sound and i fell fore the simplicity of the "tweakers" in front.

Music felt good when it got out of the speaker. did not feel for changing anything.

This year

Sounds good. To the last reviewer - you CAN bias a Mesa/Boogie. They have it covered up on the board. According to my amp tech, they put some kind of plastic coating or something over the bias pot. So you have to go in and find it, remove the cover and you're good to go. Yes - Mesa does this so they have a "tube annuity" stream coming in after the sale - its kind of like buying software and having to pay maintenance on it every year! Yes - I agree - free the people and let them bias for crying out loud! Every manufacturer should have test points and a bias pot on the outside of the chassis for easy access - it's not rocket science! You're right - Randall's article "selling" us on why we shouldn't bias is ridiculous.

Well, I'll be honest. This is one of the sweetest amps i have ever played. One of the main reasons for this is because it can do anything. Anything. Tight Fender like cleans, Perfect overdrive channels for punk or hard rock, blues, etc. The burn channel will definitely make a lot of people happy, especially with the contour turned up all the way, but for the most part, you can't beat this. All tube reverb too!

Everything is good here. I have been spoiled witht he contour, it adds so much depth to the sound it makes everything seem small and less intense. For me to really enjoy the amp without the contour, i need to turn off the amp, go play video games or something for a while, and then come back when the contour is off. The difference is tremendous!

One big reason I wanted to write a review is because of the metal talk. The burn, honestly, just cant get that heavy, heavy tight gain. Keep in mind, it sounds amazing! Its just not modern metal sounding. Heres the thing. I use a EHX Metal Muff on the clean channel(when the 50 W are engaged, an it sounds fantastic. I know there are metal purists out there who just don't want to use a pedal, but trust me, this match is to be desired, especially with the contour engaged with the distortion pedal, its seriously brutal. Besides, this amp is so versatile, its a worthwhile trade.

Built like a tank, Would gig without backup. Theres something wrong with the footswitch though, i have to contact mesa about that one.

Dont know yet, hopefully good!

Beautiful amp, especially if you play more than one style. This can seriously cover it all, just grab a metal muff. Before you naysay it, go try the two out. IT SOUNDS GOOD, I promise!

This has been covered...giving it a 9 because it's not quite as versatile as other models...BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE...thats the beauty of it!

AMAZING...LITERALLY!!! When I brought this amp home I thought it was OKAY after fiddling around with it for about an hour. The next day I brought it to rehearsal and... WOW.... HOLY CRAP... I have found the HOLY GRAIL of tone... SERIOUSLY!!! The cleans are WAYYYYY better than my Fender Twin Reverb and channel 2 is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I have said goodbye to my Distortion pedals...FOREVER!!! If I could give this amp a rating BETTER than 10 I would! I was almost in disbelief at the sound I was getting out of BOTH channels.... I was IN AWE!

It's NEW

I hope I NEVER find out!

This amp is pricey!!! But it's also worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY!!!! If you can afford one...BUY IT. If you are a serious musician this amp will deliver...PERIOD!

The amp was brand new, made in 2007. Features are pretty basic - two channels, with two gain settings per channel. Each channel has its own gain, tone, reverb and master volume settings. There's also the "Contour" knob. Disappointingly, there's no overall master control (i.e. after the FX loop), but given that most FX units have output control this should not be that much of a problem. Also, there's no presence control. By far the most exciting two features of this amp are "Contour" control and 5W mode. There's a TON of power on tap, but it sounds good at lower volumes as well. I'll give it a 9 here, because I'd love to have an overall volume control for when I don't use the FX unit or when I use pedals in the loop.

Here's where it gets interesting. Suffices to say, I sold my Mark IV combo after getting this amp. It's that good. Compared to Mark IV, its lead channel has more of a "Marshall" flavor to it, which to me means that highs are warm and transparent and there's this pick "chirp" that I enjoy when alternate picking - Mark hides that. Notice that I didn't say it has Marshall _tone_, it's just the gain structure and highs. That said, you can make it sound like a Marshall in the mix (there are clips on Youtube even where some dude lays down some great Gary Moore kind of tone). Compared to a Marshall, this amp has a ton more low end, particularly with Contour control engaged. Another difference between this amp and Mark IV is that the Express takes pedals very well, and its Bass tone control is actually useful (on a Mark it farts out after about 4, and that's by design).

If you listen to it in store, be sure you've engaged the Contour control. The amp sounds pretty darn good without it, but it's only when you enable it that this amp shows its true potential.

Clean is actually clean, overdrive is nice and warm. I'm surprised to see the "it's noisy" complaints in other reviews. Mine is not noisy at all.

I have also tried this amp running though EVM12L speaker that I had in Mark IV combo. It adds quite a bit of "bite" and "sizzle" to the tone, and removes a bit of low end. I may put an EVM12L into it in the future. Or I may not. It sounds great as is.

It's brand new, so it's never broken down, but I've had my fair share of Mesas and they've been rock solid. That said, I'd probably still have a backup, or at least a spare set of power tubes.

Never dealt with them. If their engineers did their jobs well, probably never will.

I've been playing for about 9 years now, on and off. I also build amps myself, so I think I know a thing or two about how they work and what's good and what's not. Mesa makes top notch gear. You open it up and you notice all the little things that tell you this amp was designed and built by folks who know what they're doing.

My only wish as far as features are concerned would be the overall master control. And maybe even lower wattage mode, because even 5W still blows the doors out when you crank it. I'd like to see 0.5W mode on it, so that I could overdrive the power tubes at lower volumes.

Anyway, this is just nitpicking. This is the amp that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Let's get this out of the way first - I bought this guy today so it is kind of like getting lucky on the first date... Most of the features have been covered. I have a couple of very good amps; a 66 Deluxe Reverb that still has the original transformers, tubes(!), etc. with the exception of the driver, a Savage Rohr 15, and a Gibson GA-15. This is by far the most versatile. I will get into that in the sound quality section. I tend to like more of a purist amp than what this is, and I tend to not like Mesa's so this is a departure for me.

The one issue I have with the amp is the inability to bias the tubes. The owner's manual has a lengthy treatise on why this is not desirable. With all due respect, this is utter bullshit. First of all, all tubes are not alike and Mesa does not have an exclusive on the good ones. I have a matched quad set of mid 60's GE NOS tubes that are useless with this amp. I'm sorry but the fact is that tube manufacturing has changed and, to my knowledge, good old tubes use different metallurgy than new ones and sound better and last longer. I deal with very expensive (up to $40,000.00) tube stereo amps and it is a fact of life that as the tubes age, they need rebiasing. They are still good, they just need to be tweaked as they get more time on them. I found the Mesa explanation of why this is not so to be offensive and insulting and more than a little self serving since their answer is to replace output tubes every 12 months with their in house, generic tubes. They are correct in that there are very few sources for tubes today but that completely ignores some of the great tubes from the "golden age". Fortunately the lack of a bias option does not prevent you from experimenting with low level tubes. I have some Telefunken and Mullard 12AX7's I am going to try. Mesa made a fairly expensive stereo hifi amplifier a number of years ago. It was sorely lacking in performance. It also had a very short life. It had an extremely high output impedance and its performance (and frequency response) changed radically depending upon what speakers you attached to it. It was a bad design.

I don't mean to rant but this is garbage. I almost didn't buy the amp just because I found this so offensive. It would have been my loss. A local tech is going to add bias capabilities to the amp for me as soon as the warranty expires. OK, I'm done. I assume the designer's had a reason for the solid state rectifier and I will defer to their judgment on that. But please don't tell me that black is white.

First and foremost, this is a 6L6 output tube amp. There is something about 6L6's that I like, even they don't always like pedals in front of them, at least in my experience. I had a Bogner Shiva head with 2/12 cab and the clean sound was to die for. Unfortunately, it disliked most pedals, even very good ones, it was the loudest 60W amp I have ever heard (I think that was the power rating) and the effects loops was psychotic. But the clean was to die for. The 5:50 combo gives me a great deal (not quite all) of that sound but is far more versatile and, to quote my 4th grade report card, "plays well with others". I play a lot of clean stuff. My guitars range from a Don Grosh strat to a Fender 52 reissue Tele Hot Rod, surpisingly nice, a 335, a Heritage 575 archtop and several others. I use a variety of pedals but don't like most effects loops. Noise hasn't been an issue in the first 24 hours. It is quieter than my Deluxe Reverb, which is surprisingly quiet. The settings for the two channels give a lot of versatility. I don't have much use for the high gain, so I set the first channel at clean and the second for blues. The first is a glorious, open sound with a fat but well controlled bottom end and shimmery highs. When I go to the second channel, it is almost like I went from a 6L6 to an EL84 amp. Perfect. I own a high end audio store and I am something of a tone freak. Unfortunately my talent doesn't match my tastes, but such is life. I have very little use for the heavily distorted options but the beauty of this amp is that they stay out of the way if you don't want them. The contour switch is also very useful. Last, but not least, is the fact that the majority of my playing is at home. The 5W option, where you only use one tube in the triode mode is truly useful. It is one of the few amps with power reduction options or power soaks I have encountered that actually sounds good.

24 hours. What can I say? I have read of some issues but I have no basis upon which to make a judgment.

No experience. Overall I have heard fairly good things, but I don't feel qualified to give a rating.

Would I buy it again? Hell, I haven't paid the credit card bill yet. But yes, I think so. I wish they didn't play the game they do about tubes, and I find their literature to be a little over the top, but that has nothing to do with their performance. I like it a lot. I will have the unit modified when the time comes. I am amazed that someone with my tastes likes something from the same company that makes the triple rectifier, but then I think about early Santana. So yes, we're good.

Had many boogies ... over 5 amps and even the Mrk 4
This gives me the first opportunity to really drive a Boggie as all the rest have been too watt heavy to drive in most venues I play
ie heartbreaker,DC 10, Mk 4,Tremoverb

use a tele and strat and the tone is stunning
contour switch amazing
blend most sounds using the clean/crunch/blues/high gain
I use crunch and high gain ... fantastic

had to change original amp but since then no probs

Coda music in UK been fantastic on change of amp

playing Boogie for 10 years ... main thing about this amp is ability to drive at a volume which is managable for the first time ever and get the Boogie tone past 2

Features, you already got. I bought this amp beacause it's the first affordable (to me) amp I've played that gives me the tones I like from all my guitars (tele, strat,LP, 335 and Gretsch). I use it, currently, for live functions, with a set encompassing jazz, blues, pop, rock, indie... I really wish the blues/burn and clean/crunch were footswitchable, although I don't care much for the crucnch - prefer the blues mode with a bit more gain. For most gigs in clubs and halls, I never go past 10 o'clock on the volume knob on the 50w mode.

I can get superb tele, strat,LP, and 335 clean tones, whereas the Les paul and 335 hi-gain tones are just pretty good. My Fender Hotrod suits my Electromatic projet (mod with F'trons) better. The Eric Johnson strat is just mind-blowing thru this amp! The distortion is not at all brutal with these guitars but, very frustratingly, when switching from blues to burn, there is a serious volume drop. It is pretty noisy, especially with hi-gain and pedals.
It is a very toneful amp and, overall,I doubt it would disappoint anyone who wants a few different sounds using different guitars.

I have spare everything, but I hope, at this price, it will be faultless for a while yet!

I have raised the noise and blues/burn volume difference with dealer and they quickly offered substitute amp while an inspection was done locally (for Scotland, that's pretty good. Haven't sent it yet. However, I cannot locate a Mesa email address on their website adn with the time difference and the fact they are only open mon-thu, contacting them is awkward.

I've been buying gear for 25 years now and this is the best amp I've ever afforded. I'd consider replacing it, for sure. I love the tones, I hate the noise and the blues to burn volume drop. I wish it had 3 channels, footswitchable - clean, blues, burn.....and a free roadie cos it's a heavy beast!

I bought this Express 5:50 combo this year and it is the first year they've made them I believe.

The features of the amp are well documented on Mesa's site but its a two channel amp where each channel has a switch that changes the voicing / gain structure of the channel so its almost like a 4 channel, just not foot switchable 4 channels.

I use this amp at home in 5 watt mode and use it when playing with my friends in 50 watt mode.

The "contour" mode is a replacement for the multi band EQ on some previous models... now it is a single knob thats foot switchable.

I love this amp. It has some seriously sweet tone. You can't get a super clean tone out of the amp as is pretty much standard for most mesa amps I've come across. the clean channel has a warmth and slight crunch to it that I really enjoy. If you are looking for fender cleans steer clear.

I use this amp with a PRS Custom 22 with custom split coil Santana pickups, a PRS Custom 22 with Dragon II pickups, a PRS Single Cut with #7 pickups, and a 1978 Peavy T-60. Each guitar has a distinctive sound when played through this amp. You can get some really nice textures out of the overdrive when you have the contour engaged but without contour on and in a good position I am unimpressed with the overdrive on this amp.

I also overdrive the clean channel frequently with a fulltone fulldrive II and that adds a whole set of awesome options to this amp.

The 5 watt mode has the best overdrive sounds and the warmest clean sounds but 50 watt mode sounds almost as good, just a LOT louder.

I can't really complain about anything on the amp.. other than the contour option, it has me so spoiled I rarely turn it off and the overdrive sounds flat when I do, but that is likely because I am so used to it now.

I haven't taken this on the road or anything but it seems to be built like a tank. I'll leave this as no opinion since I dont have any experiences with it other than putting it in my trunk to meet my friends and play so far.

I haven't had any reason to contact mesa and the warranty was a 5 year limited one if memory serves.

I've been playing on and off for 15 years now. This is currently my only amp... I'd replace it if it was stolen. I've previously owned a Hot Rod Deluxe, some POS crate amp, an 80s Peavy 2 12 combo that was outrageously loud tube amp... forgotten what it was exactly now.

This is the first amp that I've owned that I thought sounded as good as it should sound.

I would rate it higher but Mesa is so freaking expensive and it is really damned heavy.

5 watt mode is KEY. You can get that great tube sound, at a reasonable sound level. Def a great move for home use... even the occasional jam sess.

I play everything from metal to blues to funk to rock. To be honest, I really like the crunch you can get out of this. It's doesn't have the piercing high treble that my old Peavey XXX used to have, which is a major plus. But this bad boy can keep up with metal riffage, no doubt... not to mention its a pro with rock and blues.

This amp has more than enough power ... I actually own the 2x12 model.

Soooo versatile. The blues channel is by far my favorite for rock rhythm, but the clean and crunch are boner-inducing as well. I'm not terrible impressed with the burn channel other than for high-gain in your face solos. Granted, if you turn the gain down below 12oclock, you get a real warm rhythm sound-- but the point is, you won't be dissapointed with the gain.

Unless your some metal-junky, I'm pretty damn sure you'll be pleased with the crunchy chunkiness of this amp. Although it doesn't chug as heavy as my triple xxx, I don't mind because the tone this thing puts out is just way too nice.

Just bought it the other week, but I would trust mesa enough use it on a gig without a backup.

I've been playing for 10 years and I own an SG and an American Deluxe Strat w/Humbuckers... BTW the Fender clean and blues is orgasmic. Best tones I've ever heard in my life, hoenstly. I played my guitar for 10 hours straight when I bought this, just gettin' kicks off of playin cheesey blues riffs. The sound is so warm, but the attack is real crisp in rhythm mode on my sg.

If it were stolen, I'd hunt the person down and surely get my vengence... in fact, I'd do the same if that person put a ding in it. I'm in love with this.

The only thing I'd change would be the ability to switch between Clean and Crunch, and Blues and Burn. Granted, I can do without it because the amp is very responsive to the volume knobs-- the gain clears up real quick with the slightest volume decrease, which is great for urgent solos... not to mention, the countour feature acts as a great booster peda.

bottom line: I'M GOING TO KEEP THIS AMP FOR LIFE. no question. I can't be any happier with it.

Coming from years of playing mostly Fender vintage and reissue amps, this thing is loaded. 2 Channels, each with a choice of 2 voicings, contour, master volume on both channels, gain on both channels, bass/mid/treb on both channels. 12" Celestion Black Shadow, 5 or 50W...
Small enough to lug to the gig, big enough to fill the stage.

I love this amp. If I were to have a wish list, it would include two inputs instead of one (like Fender), footswitch access to all four sounds, and a headphone jack (like Traynor), at least for the 5W setting. I have an ABY pedal instead of two inputs, I haven't needed access to 4 sounds while on stage and I have a practice amp with a headphone jack; it's just a wish list.

I have to give it a 10 here. It's stunning. The 50W has a more open and usable tone than the 5W. Great clean, overdriven and distortion tones. I love having a gain and master volume on each channel. It's easy to dial in the sound; I bought it and played two shows before really having time to spend with it and it sounded great right away. Works great in the recording studio as well. I use a Fender Hot Rod '52 and a "Mandocaster", both sound great. I play the Mando on crunch (mando volume rolled back a little to clean it up) and on burn with a slide...beautiful! No pedals needed; I sold them.We play Honky-Tonk Rock/"Alt"Country/Evil Bluegrass.

I sold my soul ('67 blackfaced Bassman 50 and reissue Deluxe Reverb) for this amp...so far no regrets! The Sound!

I've owned to for about a month and a half; played 4 shows and spent 4 days in the studio with it. Not long enough to really tell yet...so far so good. None of the problems with it that some others have experienced...

Not yet.

I'd give it a 10 if it had my wish list. This is a fantastic amp...the tone is unreal. I compared it to Marshall, Fender, Traynor, etc. but this one had the tone and most of the features that I was looking for. I wanted one amp that did what my two amps and pedals did. I liked the Marshall DSL401, but it didn't quite match the tone and reliability? Also liked the Marshall VintageModern (heavier but nice), I'd like to like the Traynor's more, but they just can't match the tone. Fender makes great amps, but I wanted 50W clean and dirty, like a Pro Reverb (way too heavy and no longer made). The Hot Rod Deluxe is ok but not quite there in tone. The Lonestar is too beautiful for the likes of me.

Amp is new for 2007
2 channels - independent tone controls for each channel + contour and reverb
contour control - sort of like the old 5 band eq but replaced with one rotary knob (separate control for each channel)
mini toggles for additional voicings for each channel clean / crunch - blues / burn
mini toggles for power setting 5 / 50 watts
4 - 1/4" jack switcher inputs
foot switch to control channels, reverb, contour effects loop
Black Shadow Celestion 12"
Black Slip cover
Size wise: Slightly narrower but deeper than a Fender Vibrolux

Right off the bat, this amp is very versatile - very decent, usable sounds. A lot of tones are possible. Clean has the Lone Star Classic vibe. Lead tone has a modern take on the classic Boogie with gobs of gain, IMO tighter and more focused than the Lone Star Classic but not as upper midrange intense and presence voiced as the Dual Rectifier Series. I definitely wouldn't call it an amp for metal (use a pedal - slams with the Soldano GTO). Closed 2 - 12"cab may give that more intense punch and tightness.

Amp works and sounds really good with pedals in the front (Keeley drive pedals and the usual green pedal work great) and the effects loop works decently with stomp pedals and rack effect units, however, because the master volume is the send and there are no send and return level controls you may need to do some tweaking if you like the really clean tones with the master fully open.

The 5 watt setting is quite loud even for home and if you are pushing it, the amp could compete with medium volume drumming. You can really hear the power tubes saturate in this setting. The 50 watt is plenty loud with a lot of headroom; might not need much more volume than this.... maybe just an extension cab for more coverage.

Good warranty to back the product. Most of the previous Mesa products I've owed were quite reliable. Heads / combos gave no problems except for a effect loop problem with one of the heads.

Mesa support was good last time I called them....haven't had a reason to call since the 90's.

Up to this point, I feel this is a great product that I will probably keep.

Coming from vintage and vintage reissue Fenders, this amp has a lot of features. 5W class A or 50W A/B, two channels; each with two voices, 12" Celestion Black Shadow speaker... I gave it a 9 because it has more then I need, but it'd be nice to access all 4 voices by footswitch instead of 2.

The tone is stunning! I use the 50W side the most; the master volume allows you to sound good even at lower volumes. I play a Fender Hot Rod '52 with an SD mini humbucker in the neck and a Fender FM61E mandolin. Our band plays Alt-Country/Bluegrass/Rock/Southern Rock/Blues and this amp can hit all of those sounds without pedals. It's a quiet amp too.


Channel 1/Crunch: Gain at 11 O'clock for rhythm guitar and mandolin (I
turn the volume down a bit on the mandolin).
Channel 2/Burn: Gain at 2 O'clock for slide mandolin and lead guitar.

I can't think of anything wrong with the sound (for my use), I have to give it a 10

They have a good rep and it's seems very solid so hopefully it's reliable. I gig locally without backup, but always tour with my practice amp...just in case. To new to rate.

I've never used it, can't rate it.

I've been playing for a few years and have gone through a lot of great amps to get here including a '67 Bassman 50 and a Deluxe Reverb RI. I've played Marshall, Vox, Traynor and Fender before settling on this one. Sadly, I had to sell the Bassman and DRRI to get this amp, but I never regret it when I'm playing the Mesa. I like having one amp that is small enough to lug around, big enough to fill a room and has killer tone.

New 5/50 Express Oct 07. Excellent options over the F-50 I owned. Tube reverb a major plus. The 5 watt 50 watt option is handy for recording. The gain settings for each channel helps tailor to your liking. The volume control for the contour in each channel is cool.

Better than my F-50 hands down in every way. It seems like the F-50 was part of the journey to the eventual Express models. I am positive that we will see future models better than the Express as well. That's the way it works. Anyway the Express 5/50 has been Great to play so far. It's more tonally sophisticated than most of the other amps I've played and I own some heavy hitters namely a Victoria 50/212 $2800.00 amp. I would say that this Mesa does a Great job for a 112 combo. Hard to beat.

No doubt Mesa's are built well, but I have had my share of issues with them. I have owned Mark 4, F-50 and now Express 5/50. My Mark 4 would eat tubes and overheat. My F-50 cooked a couple of sets of factory tubes and the reverb tank took a dump and had to be replaced. So far, so good with the Express. Maybe to soon to tell. I gig alot, so I will now soon. I will give an 8 hear because of experience.

Mesa has been ok in helping me deal with problems. They are a big busy company (corporate world like). I would say that they are as good as they can be at there size. I will give them an 8 in this category because of recent events in dealing with them.

I like this amp and feel Mesa is worth the money in most cases. I have been playing for over 36 years and been through alot of gear. I like the Mesa versatility, and can cover most styles of music with these amps. I would say this is a good amp for Classic to Hard rockers, not METAL.

This is my first Mesa, I've played mostly Fender vintage and reissue amps. In comparison, the Mesa has a ton of features. Two channels, each with two voicings, 5W or 50W setting, gain/treble/mid/bass/reverb/master and contour controls. Footswitch controls channel 1 to 2, reverb and contour. 12" Celestion Black Shadow and an actual owners manual. It has a lot to offer, probably more than I need. If I were to get picky about it, it'd be nice to access to each channel voicing with the footswitch and two inputs instead of one.

Great tone! I've tried every channel/voicing and have been able to easily come up with a good sound. Comming from Fender clean, I really liked the warmth in the clean channel. I typicaly use "crunch" for guitar and mandolin (I turn down the volume of the mandolin to clean it up) and "burn" for a well distorted slide mandolin. Very impressive sound! Well worth the switch to Mesa.

Seems pretty solid, Mesa has a good rep. Too new to tell.

No experience yet.

After years of playing and switching gear again and again (Peavy, Vox, Marshall, Fender), I may have found an amp that I will stick with. Very flexible and great tone. I had to sell my '67 Bassman 50 and Deluxe Reverb reissue to get this amp, so far no regreats!

Made in 2007 - foot switchable 2 channel amp with contour control also foot switchable for 4 different tones on the fly. Very versatile for all types of music except Hard Metal. I play Blues, Classic Rock and some Jazz with a PRS Custom 22 and a 60's Fender Strat (Reissue). Both guitars sing through this little Boutique amp. I play with a gigging band and was looking for a more portable amp a bit lighter than my Fender Twin (with Fulltone Fulldrive II)The Mesa 5:50 weighs about 51 pounds, much lighter than the Twin. Solid Tube driven tone and top notch construction that Mesa is known for.There is a velcro pedal bag in the back of the amp to house your foot switch for mobile musicians. Also the padded amp cover has a storage pouch on the side. Seems they thought of everything. NO, I Don't work for Mesa..

Okay, I thought I wanted a Carr Vincent at $2,490 but the Mesa/Boogie 5:50 was so close and about $1,300 less, it was a no-brainer. You have to question your sanity when your thinking of spending that much for a 1x12 Boutigue amp. Sure Carr makes a fine amp, but I feel more comfortable going with Mesa whose been around for 30 years. The switchable 5 Watts to 50 Watts is too cool. the 5 Watt side is perfect for very small clubs or bedroom playing with warm harmonic overdrive as well as Fender like clean tones. The 50 watt side is more versatile and so loud I can't imagine ever needing that much volume. It's even loud at about 10 o'clock on the dial. Mesa's classic two channel design with identical controls with the Contour rotary knob for each channel is really hard to beat. Reading articles by Randall Smith about barrowing from previous Mesa amp designs to create this little amp is proof he's is listing to his customers. I was looking for an amp that would give me a clean rhythm and a fat warm lead tone I could shape from the pot on my guitar and I can do this in the Crunch,Blues and Burn channels. The Clean is just plain clean no matter what volume you're at. The variety of tones that come from this amp makes it hard to settle on just one. No noise from mine except when I get close with the single coil pups.

Mesa's reputation is very solid. The Mesa/Boogie 5:50 Express Amp comes with a 5 Year Parts & Labor warranty (Foot Switch included), a 3 year Speaker Warranty and 6 months on tubes. Does any other amp manufacturer offer that? It's going to be nice having an amp I don't have to worry about paying for repairs for a while.

Only dealt with a couple of times and it was a great customer service experience.

Been playing about 34 years. Own an Ampeg Reverbojet 68, Fender Twin II by Paul Rivera. I've owned Marshalls, Fenders, Peaveys, Sound City, Rivera Chubster 40 etc. I would buy another one is stolen. I am really thrilled about this amp. I can't really say anything negative about it since I have only had it about 2 weeks. I have played it every day for a bout an hour or two.

Two channels that can be further subdivided into two differing tones. Each of the four possible settings is extremely useful and toneful. Unlike many amps, even at a lower volume setting you can get a nice, singing tone out of this amp. Unlike the Mark IV, this amp is very easy to understand from the start. The Contour knob is a very subtle adjustment and the reverb is excellent. It is very easy to dial in a great sound quickly and get on with your playing.

Great clean tones, great crunch settings, the blues tones really sing, and the lead sound is classic Boogie. Don't expect a Dual Rectifier sound out of this amp. That's not what it is meant to do, it is a much more versatile machine.

I have three other Boogie amps and other than changing tubes when needed they serve you well with reasonable care on your part.

Sure they can be a bit hard to get through with on the phone, but they are real good about getting back to you as soon as they can. And once they call you back they take all the time needed to answer all your questions and help you out any way they can.

If you need an amp that can do a good job covering many different styles of music well, this is an amp for you. It is plenty loud enough for most gigs, and it is small enough and light enough to make loading and unloading less of a chore. Mesa Boogies have long been known for making reliable products that last a lifetime and this is the latest in that long line.

I have a 2007 5:50 1x12" Combo. I agree with Bill & Drew. This is an amazing amp. The best 50w combo I've ever played over 25 yrs as a pro muso. I've used it on the 5w setting gigging with a Jazz band and at full power rehearsing & gigging with a rock band. It has everything you need - plenty of power and volume for any venue, a series FX Loop for connecting dig modellers, 5w to 50w switchable, easy/simple to dial in pots, 4 different footswitchable voicings. It's light weight, small and rugged. But its incredible versatility is what separates it from the pack. This is no one trick pony like some other Mesa amps. It's clean & crunch tones are equally as good as it's overdrive and high gain ones. The Contour pot varies the tones beautifully by scooping the mids and the all tube spring Reverb is to die for. The tones on all voicings are superlative. And that includes guitars with both single coil and humbucker PU's. It sounds equally great with my Gibson SG, Gretsch Jet Firebird and Strat.

There's been some disappointment from metal heads that the 5:50 won't give recto metal tones and that's true. This is not a metalheads one trick pony. If you want a one trick pony for shredding buy a Mesa F-50 or Mark IV and stop whinging.
This amp covers ground from country/pop/jazz/folk cleans thru clean/crunch/overdrive blues and rock to all distorted rock styles up to heavy rock grunge. If you want a heavier tone connect a 2x12 or 4x12 closed cab on it. If you want pure metal/nu-metal stick a stombbox in front of it. It does all that with tones that'll blow you mind. THe tones on the sweet 5w setting are equally as good as the growling 50w one. THere's a ton of headroom before the clean channel breaks up, the Celestion Black shadow speaker handles heavy bass like a champ. Cranked on 50w it has plenty of volume for up to a medium sized club. For bigger venues connect a cab and/or mic it to a PA and you're cooking with serious gas.

See if you can find another 50w tube amp that gives that much versatility with such high quality. I've spent 25 yrs trying - you won't find one.

Had mine 3 months - no prob's :)

Don't know. But the guy below who had all the problems with Mesa should have just demanded a completely new amp rather than getting the old one repaired each time. Mesa have a great rep for build quality.

Nothing to criticize, everything to luv. I'll give it 9.5 overall. The best amp I've ever owned and I've had Fenders, Marshall, Roland, Vox, Line6 - both tube heads and solid state combo's. I'm a critical SoB so I can't give it a 10 but I was tempted.

This is a follow up review to the one I submitted last month

What kind of sounds?
Horrible vibrating ones to be honest.

If you look at my previous review you will see I was up to amp no.4 in 5 days. Quite an achievment!!
I have now taken this last amp back and got a refund but not before Mesa UK had a go at fixing it.
I started to get that annoying vibration from this amp and decided to contact Mesa UK direct.
I also explained that one of the 12AX7 valves did not glow at all.
I was very quickly sent new replacements but this still did not solve the problems so I sent it away for repair.
The amp came back very quickly and I was told that the valves had all been replaced and that everything had been "tightened up".
Unfortunately, the power valves were left loose in their sockets. The retaining clips were bent so far back they did not grip the valves at all, leaving them to vibrate like mad.
Also, not only did the original 12AX7 valve STILL not glow but the one next to it didn't either!!!
At this point I gave up.
Yes my score is low but ask yourselves this. What score would you give if you had all the hassle I did?

Mesa UK were very courteous and turned the amp round very quickly but the problems had not been solved.
I would have preferred to wait a bit longer and have it sorted out properly.
The shop were 1st class and I have no complaints there

I gave a generous 8 before this latest failure.
Not quite so generous now.

I've been playing guitar for 27 years, I now play and teach professionally. I don't play metal type stuff. Mostly Americana, rock, yer basic rootsy sounds. I was planning to buy a Lone Star Special until I came upon this amp. At $500 less, it seemed like a great idea, especially when you consider the fact that it's 50 watts max, not 30.

This amp I think goes a little further in terms of extreme gain/drive sounds than the Lone Star. So you can grab some more extreme overdrive sounds, similar to the single recitfier, etc. I like it this amp. It sounds great, the variety of tones you can get are astonishing. And it's relatively affordable, for a boogie.

I like it, but I'm most likely going to return it for a Lone Star Special.

Why??

Reason # 1: No Casters. There are no wheels on this puppy and it's over 50 lbs. Huh?

Reason # 2: The included footswitch is connected not by a standard guitar cable, like most boogie switches, but by a MIDI type cable. Again, huh?

This is not ideal, but would be acceptable if you could replace it with any standard MIDI cable. But you can't! The dang cable is hard wired into the amp. If this cable were to be damaged on a gig, you'd be looking at a heap of trouble. I was really surprised by this design, and I don't understand why they chose to implement the footswitch in this way. Nobody mentions this in the reviews I've seen, so I wanted it up here.

To be fair, you can buy external footswitches, as there are other jacks on the back to use with standard latching footswitches.

Reason # 3: Unlike The Express doesn't allow you to set each channel up at a different wattage configuration. IE, one at 5 watts, the other at 50. I admit, at those extremes, this is probably not very useful. However, I'm interested in possibly using the Lone Star in that fashion. (Clean channel 30 watts. Lead 15 or, even 5 watts.)

This is a great amp. I'm leaning towards the Lone Star Special, and I thought that readers here would appreciate more of a discussion of this amp's features and how they differ from the others in the boogie line

I'm giving it a 6 because of the hard wired midi cable for the footswitch. I really don't understand why they hardwired used this type of cable. But I am especially disappointed that the cable is hard wired to the amp. That seems very un-Boogie to me.

The jury's still out here.

Made in 2007. This amp is the most versatile amp I have ever played through. I play blues, rock, country, jazz, and more. I won't repeat the specs here as they can be found on the mesa site. Plenty loud enough to do any club you will ever play. If you need more, hook up a cabinet or mic it up.

The sound is perfect for me. I love the clean channel. It has a very rich quality to it. Not quite fender or vox, but rather a mix of the two with some originality to it. It stays clean and gets very loud. The speaker handles the bass just fine at higher volumes. The dirty channel is why I bought this amp. For years, I have played clean fender amps and relied on pedals for my dirty sounds, but they are no match for the sound this amp produces. I play strats, teles, and gibson guitars. It is pretty quiet and definitely not as noisy as some of the fender combos.

Haven't had it long enough, but Mesa seems to stand behind their product and I know a lot of people that have been using Mesa brand amps for years with no problems.

Never had a reason to contact them.

I have been playing for over 10 years and I have owned a lot of gear over the years. It took nearly $10,000 worth of buying and selling amps to settle with this one. I just wish it came out sooner. If it was stolen, I would get another immediately. I tried Orange, Dr.Z, Bad Cat, Bogner, Fender, Budda, Peavey, and many more before settling on this amp. Don't waste your hard earned money on anything other than a Mesa. I am now a happy customer for life.

Is any instrument or piece of equipment really worth straight 10s across the board?
I don't believe it is because that indicates absolute perfection.
I think this amp is great but it doesn't get full marks because it has only 2 channels yet 4 different modes. I personally prefer the Clean and Crunch settings but they are on the same channel so you have to change the settings manually each time. Not great and certainly not if halfway through a song! Take your blinkers off guys. You must know this when writing your reviews so why give perfect 10s?

This is a great sounding amp but please see my comments below.
This is my first Mesa amp and the distorted sounds can get a bit muddy for my liking particularly with my Les paul but maybe that is how they are supposed to sound.
I do like the Clean channel and you can get a great sound with a Strat or Les Paul. Nice reverb and the contour certainly adds to the overall sound. Not keen on the Blues setting but then I'm not very good at playing that style of music (not Mesa's fault).

I have not come on here to slag Mesa off but to merely share my true experiences with you.
I am now on my 4th amp in 5 days and I have been away on holiday for 3 of those!
This is the absolute truth. I got the first one on the Weds morning but when I got it home, there was a really noticeable vibration from somewhere in the amp that was particularly bad with certain notes / chords.
I rang the shop and they said to bring it back which I did straightaway. To be fair, it wasn't as bad in the shop but it was there. They gave me a brand new model which worked fine in the shop. I took it home (luckily I only live 3 miles away) and plugged it in.
It sounded as if it was on about 1/4 watt. It didn't matter which channel you put it on or how loud you had it, it was so quiet. Then suddenly, WHAM, it went onto full volume!
It frightened the life out of me, the kids and the dog who wouldn't come out from under the table for an hour.
It then went quiet again. I rang the shop and they couldn't believe it. I almost felt as if they thought I was making it up.
They said they would check with Mesa and get back to me.
In the meantime, I had a fiddle with it and pulled the speaker jack out a bit and it suddenly started to work. I pushed it in and it stopped working. I then pulled the jack out again and it wouldn't work at all!
Two hours later, I received an e-mail from the shop who said that apparently Mesa UK had had a couple of faulty amps which they traced to the input jack socket (not the speaker jack or socket).
I was told to wait a few days for a new batch to come in then to bring it back for another replacement.
I went on holiday and got back last night and just thought I would try it. Guess what? It worked!
But not for long. It stopped again after 20 minutes.
I went back to the shop this morning to pick up my 3rd amp. I was told this was brand new, had been checked, was perfect and had been resealed.
I took this home and opened the box. I never even plugged it in. It had no cover, no brochure, no footswitch, no final inspection list and a piece of foam sticking out between the front cover and the control panel as well as some marks on the top of it.
I went back again and didn't receive much of an explanation. I certainly wasn't going to be given someone else's cast off so got my 4th amp!
So far this seems OK but the date on the box means it is one of the older batch so this might also turn out to have a dodgy input jack (or whatever Mesa think is the problem).
Time will tell.

I should be really hacked off but I am a realist.
Things can develop faults especially when they are shipped a long way.
I was fortunate that the shop kept replacing mine although one might have been an old model, I don't know.
If I had lived a long way away, this would have been a nightmare to say the least.
Mesa apparently give a 5 year warranty in the US but only 1 year here.
Why?
We pay virtually double what you do in the US so should at least get the same treatment.
If you're going to send a dodgy batch, at least make sure they go to the Germans or better still the French (only joking!!!).

As an amp, I think it is worth a 9. All the hassle I have had has understandably affected my views but I am still going to give a generous 8.

Mesa Boogie Express 5:50 1x12 Combo, purchased new May 2007 - it arrived from the US, it was unpacked, played briefly and then loaded into the car and taken to rehearsal, so so its fair to say this unit has gone straight in at the deep end!

I'm not normally an early adopter of new products, but this amp made its case very well and judging by what I've read and my own subsequent experience, this could be one of the best and cleverest things the guys in Petaluma have come up with for some years.

Essentially, what you have is an amp with a plethora of features which will actually get used (not loads of fancy ones that won't), but with a much simpler front-end control layout, which means the two channel/four mode format can be easily accessed - sound can be dialed in a matter of moments (presumably the reason for calling it 'Express') and voila, you're ready to play.......I have a gorgeous Mark 3 which sounds absolutely wonderful, but setting it up and dailing in can sometimes be a little time consuming and though I always get there in the end, with the Express, a few quick setting and you're ready. Its got the right balance - not too many controls but enough to satisfy most tweakers.

What is really striking is how well everything seems to work and that Boogie have done their homework and obviously put alot of thought into this amp. The player is firmly in mind, in the same way a BMW M3 is designed squarely around the driver.

Build quality is up there with all other Boogies and in particular, the controls have a real solid 'engineered' quality about them - when you set them they stay put - they'll be no slippage of settings on this amp.

I can see this amp appealing to the working pro every bit as much as any other product of Mesa Boogie. It also looks great.

Sound quality is nothing short of astonishing - when you play this in front of others, watch the reaction....as I said previously, my 5:50 went to a band rehearsal, literally, straight out of the box, with justr a quick play test before setting out, so my experience was minimal - my band mates were all blown away by it, they loved the super-Fender clarity and the lead tone, which does everything from sweet clipped overdrive to all-out Rectifier saturation.....but all the time, touch sensitive and musical. Take it from me, folks, it really is that good.

Power it down to Class A/single-ended mode and a whole new range of possibilities opens up. I've only just started with this amp and haven't even begun to really get into it and of course, it needs to run in properly and the cone needs to loosen up a bit, so as you can imagine, I'm looking forward to getting to know it even better and hearing what elese it can do.

I play jazz with a funk and/or blues flavour (Carlton's my hero), so need everything from a crystal-clear tone to a nice singing lead tone and this covers all the bases. It gets used alongside a punchy Mark 3 combo & cab and guitar wise, I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard, PRS Custom 22 Artist and a Fender US Delux Stratocaster - the Express seems to have made friends with all three. This is important, as the Les Paul has been fitted with high output Seymour Duncan pickups, whilst the PRS and Fender retain their original equipment - all three guitars have widely differing sonic characteristics, but all work very well with the amp.

For those outside the UK, we have a well respected magazine called 'Guitarist' which gave the 5:50 version a 'Gold Award' (which is reserved only for the absolute best kit and is not given out often), describing it as 'impossible to fault...' Enough said.

Really does deserve a 10.

Well, its early days, but having never had any breakdowns with my other Boogies, there is no reason to suppose this one will be any different. Again, it went straight out of the box to a gruelling 4 hour rehearsal and for it not to so much as skip a beat has got to be promising, so its a ten.

As though the best sound/build/looks is not enough, this area is another in which Boogie put others to shame. OK, never had reason to seek their help on break-downs, but I contact them reasonably regularly with questions on my amps and new products, etc and they are so happy to help. They are friendly, helpful and seem genuinely pleased that you have chosen their products, nothing is too much trouble, just like PRS, in fact. They are rightly proud of their heritage. HC's 'Incredibly Kind & Helpul' description is spot on.

A great hybrid amp. I think this is one of their better products in recent years, they seem to have brought something of all their amps into this package - the clean sound is unmistakenly like a Lone Star (exact same bits apparently), the lead tone very Mark 1, the crunch tone very Rec-like and so on....

Whilst no Boogie is cheap. I believe they represent excellent value for money. With Boogies, you pay for superlative sound and build quality as standard and the more features you want, the more the amp costs. Thats the only difference - there are no compromises on sound quality, nor corners are cut and no cheap parts are used. In fact, one of my band mates was surprised at how cheap it was!

And no, before anyone suspects, I am not on a commission, nor do I work for Boogie, though would love to - are you reading this, Randall?

Essentially two channels, quickly switched to give four "styles" i.e. CLEAN, CRUNCH, BLUES and BURN?. Again, each with reverb and dip-V eq contour. Plus two kinds of outputs giving either 5 watts or 50 watts.

Basically delivering sets of tone, full fat or skinny latte and all stops in between. Very versatile amp. I liked the F50 but I reckon this is the next step.

I'm using a Les Paul Deluxe and a Strat. Of course each guitar sounds different through the amp and this amp plus those two guitars just increase the tonal versatility. Not noisy at all and way less noisy at crazy gain settings than any other I've tried. Lovely feedback and sustain from the amp. All musically controllable.

I haven't tried any 7 string detuned stuff so I can't comment but I heard Stevie Ray to Sex Pistols tones as well as Thin Lizzy, Ramones and Kiss tones too. Ptobably Mettalica and Megadeath but I didn't try to get the more extreme tones. Lot's of Satch and Vai sweetness too.

Not had it long enough to comment on reliability.

Never dealt with customer support. The language in the manual seems a bit over the top but you can hear the pride of the company in the amps sounds.

I've been playing nearly thirty years and have never been a tone snob but this amp makes me play better because lots of different things I'd never usually try sound so much better. I think it's a genuinely inspiring and musical amp that helps with writing riffs, songs and even if only noodling, the noodles are tastier.

Not great financial value since we in the UK essentially pay twice for the US folk pay.

No need to write them all down again

ALL GOOD!!

First off, I have been using the Single Recto for the past 4 years and although its a great Amp and has many great sounds there has always been one problem that the EQ cant get rid of.

ICE PICK LEADS.

Yes. Thats right, the Single rec has a plague that the higher wattage recs dont have. If you play instrumentals with it, you will notice you're bends have a tiny ice pick squeel at the top of them which ruins high gain leads.

I am pleased to say the Express does not have this problem at all. Bend the strings of this baby and it rips you a new arsehole.

This is an Amp for Guitarists that like to play real good quality lead guitar. I am using a Les Paul Classic and it screams sustain and harmonics. Easily the best sound i have ever heard. I can go through Satch, Vai, Gary Moore. It all sounds awesome.

For rhythm, the distortion is not as clean cut as the recto but just as punchy and powerfull. Its more like what you would expect to hear if Marshall and Mesa had sex together. Think of the Justin Hawkins tone but twice as punchy with better harmonics.

As for the clean. I used my PGM 301 and its as good as everyone hear says. Really really good

Have not had it long but the Recto has never gone wrong in 4 years so i give them 10

AWESOME!!!!!

This is a NEW guitar sound.

This Amps distortion will become the cornerstone of a new style. Just like the Recto invented modern metal and nu-metal, this Amp will probably invent nu-rock of something......lol

Welcome to the future

2007

It's new but Mesa Engineering has always been reliable.

Had a microphonic tube in V1. Called customer support and they sent two new tubes immediately.

Been playing almost 40 years and I've been thru alot of gear. I love this little amp. It does it all!

New for 2007, the Mesa Engineering Express line replaces the F series.
Extremely versatile, 2 channels, 2 modes per channel (Clean/Crunch-Blues/Burn), included footswitch for switching channels, turning tube-driven reverb on/off, and turning contour (boost/eq) on/off.
5 12ax7 preamp tubes, 2 6L6 power tubes, effects loop, and the incredibly nifty ability to switch between 50 watts class A/B and 5 watts class A (single ended).
Used in my livingroom, so the 5 watt setting is ample, at 50 watts an obscene amount of power is on tap.

I'm playing with 2 Teles, an Artcore with Seymour Duncans, and a Schecter with EMG's. Short of a Mesa Roadking/Roadster or the Lonestar it's about as versatile a tube amp as I've come across.
The clean and reverb appear to be lifted from the Lonestar series, and they are absolutely top-notch.
Fantastic blues overdrive and classic rock sounds, and plenty of gain for Metallica-style metal (to my ears).
Some have complained that it doesn't have as much "Rectoish" gain on tap as the F50 it replaced, and that may very well be the case.
However, there is gobs of gain available, and the clean and reverb easily trump the F50 and every other competing amp in this price range.
Convincing jazz, blues, pop, rock, country, and metal tones are all available.
Gets noisier under higher gain, but so does every other tube amp, and less so than the F30's and F50's I've played.
I've been impressed with nearly every Mesa amp I've played through, but this was the first I absolutely had to have.

A lot of white noise was present when I first got the amp home, regardless of the level of gain or master volume. Called Mesa customer service and they quickly helped me trace it to a power tube. Local Mesa dealer (where I purchased the amp) gave me a new set of Mesa 6L6 power tubes, no questions asked.

Been playing at a very amateur level for about 2 years, and I sold off 2 amps I really liked (Flextone III and Fender HRDx) when I found the Mesa 5:50.
If it were stolen or lost I'd make an insurance claim and replace it, only other amp with a similar place in my heart is the Lonestar Special, and I'm not sure it's worth the extra $500.
Suppose it'd be nice if it had the headphone jack like the F Series, but I have a Vox DA5 that is an outstanding headphone amp.
Compared it to a number of ther Mesa products, the Fender Supersonic, and the new Vox AC50 head with matching 2x12 cab. The Vox was tempting, but doesn't have near the versatility or quality of the Express, and costs more money (despite being made in China). The Supersonic is a nice amp but the Express series trumps it in every area.
I've owned a lot more amps than I've needed to in the last 2 years, and I can't recommend the Express 5:50 enough.
Expensive but worth every penny.