Boogie Express 5:25 Thoughts

[Schlep]

Hi all -

I played a Boogie Express 5:25 combo with a Celestion 12. After going through 3 Boogies over the years, I was really surprised how much I dug this amp - I have several BF Fenders and a Fargen Blackbird, the Boogie EL84 sound is a nice alternative. The ONLY thing I didn't like was a bit of idle background noise. Given all the things the amp does do, I can live with it.

Anyway, I'm surprised there aren't many threads about them. Maybe because it's not PTP, who knows.

So who's a fan and who's not? Share your experience / thoughts / wisdom / critisizm. . .



Craig

 

[Laxrappa11]

ive owned a 5:50 for a few months now and i gig with it regularly. really great stuff, does everything i could possibly want in an amp for where im at right now. i was deciding between the 5:25 and the 5:50 but went with the latter because im more of a fender guy, i like the 6L6 tight bottom end and sparkly top. i played the 5:25 in a store and almost bought it on the spot it sounded that good. really clean cleans were decent, but i thought the broken cleans sounded great. cant say much about the drive channel didnt spend much time with it but both clean and crunch mode on the green channel sound great

 

[never-enough]

i have a 5:25 head.
i picked it up when they first came out, i loved it instantly and i still love it now.
i tend to use it with a mesa 3/4back 1x12 or a mesa open back 2x10 cab, both sound great.
i find every mode to be very usable, but i think that the blues mode on channel 2 is my favorite, especially in 5w mode.
the reverb sounds good.
the contour function is usefull.
all around i think it is a killer deal.
it is not point to point but i have not had any issues with mine and i have used it extensively both in the studio and on the road.
i have other amps that i use when i need a "big amp" sound, i got the express to fill in the gaps in my amp arsenal and it has done a great job.
hope that helps.

 

[Waxhead]

Both the 5:25 and the 5:50 are among the best and most versatile amps in their class IMHO. Great all-rounders.

You can easily reduce the amp hiss by about 60% by changing tubes too. Will make it sound better too.
If you want it totally silent a good noise gate will eat it all.

Go for a 5:25 with the 12" speaker too - sounds better

 

[Joseph Hanna]

I've been filling in for a good friend (recovering from an illness) of mine at a house gig and have been using his amp rig. A Catlinbread Super Chili Boost an Express 5:25, an MI audio overdrive (not sure the model but...it's blue) and a Fulltone Tape Echo. Maybe it's a combination of a good band and a great sounding room but that 5:25 sounds tremendous. I hear it well. It's very touch sensitive. I don't have the urge to fiddle. It seems to fit (frequency wise) in the onstage mix. Just a killer little amp.

I don't think personally I'd splurge on the Tape Echo but man what a great sounding rig.

I'm using the money from the gig to copy his rig for my own.

 

[supernosher]

I'm a big fan of the Mesa EL84 amps too. I have owned two Rocket 44s (still have a head), a Blue Angel (EL84s and 6V6s), an F30 and an Express 5:25. I like them all and I like the Rocket 44 better than any of them. It's quieter at idle than the Express, it's got gobs more power, and while it has an insane amount of available gain in the preamp it is not as buzzy as the Express or the F30.

Yeah those Rocket 44's have MOJO. Something none of the new MESA's I've played have.

 

[ripoffriffs]

Just received my 5:25 Head today from a fellow TGP'er. Plugged it into 2 1x12 cabs with Weber 12F50 and WGS 65 speakers. Took me all of 20 minutes to dial in the initial tone on both channels. I use the ch1 in crunch mode with light gain that cleans up with guitar's volume knob. Ch2 is on Burn but the gain is very moderate. Ch2 replaces my OCD for boosting leads.

This amp is very good! I don't use the contour on Ch1 and very little of it on Ch2 (which probably explains what makes it so good! )

I've owned Mesa dogs in my time: Nomad 45, auditioned models I could not set if my life depended on it: Lonestar Special, Mark IV's (which I owned briefly), & owned one that 's way too monstrous in gain: Rectifier. I stayed away from Boogies for 5 years.

Tried it at Guitar Center (with no intention of buying & paying full price) and was surprised at how good it was. Found one here, and bought it. Armed with the knowledge of going easy on the controls, i.e. not too much of the TMB and gain, and I was able to dial in a sound that I preferred. Of course I still have a long way to go to try other settings and find more tones. But already I'm convinced, this is gonna be a keeper.

Oh yea, the touch sensitivity & response is there. This is a quality not limited to just Dumbles or 2 Rocks as some have claimed in other threads. Varying pick attack yields the proper response.

Sometimes the simplest Mesa models are the best ones.

 

[Waxhead]

Just received my 5:25 Head today from a fellow TGP'er. Plugged it into 2 1x12 cabs with Weber 12F50 and WGS 65 speakers. Took me all of 20 minutes to dial in the initial tone on both channels. I use the ch1 in crunch mode with light gain that cleans up with guitar's volume knob. Ch2 is on Burn but the gain is very moderate. Ch2 replaces my OCD for boosting leads.

This amp is very good! I don't use the contour on Ch1 and very little of it on Ch2 (which probably explains what makes it so good! )

I've owned Mesa dogs in my time: Nomad 45, auditioned models I could not set if my life depended on it: Lonestar Special, Mark IV's (which I owned briefly), & owned one that 's way too monstrous in gain: Rectifier. I stayed away from Boogies for 5 years.

Tried it at Guitar Center (with no intention of buying & paying full price) and was surprised at how good it was. Found one here, and bought it. Armed with the knowledge of going easy on the controls, i.e. not too much of the TMB and gain, and I was able to dial in a sound that I preferred. Of course I still have a long way to go to try other settings and find more tones. But already I'm convinced, this is gonna be a keeper.

Oh yea, the touch sensitivity & response is there. This is a quality not limited to just Dumbles or 2 Rocks as some have claimed in other threads. Varying pick attack yields the proper response.

Sometimes the simplest Mesa models are the best ones.

nice to hear.
2 tips - never dial the bass pot past 10 oclock and you'll get 100 great tones out of it.

Changing tubes to those recommended by www.dougstubes.com will
a) reduce amp hiss by about 60%
b) make it smoother
c) provide more gain if you want it