Im GAS'sin for a Mesa 50. Caliber+

[RedhouseNorton]

I dont really know why. I definitely dont need one! Its an amp Ive always wanted to pick up , but I just havent done it yet. They are going for next to nothing right now , so I think its time!

 

[50calexplorer]

I never thought I would read that.


I used to have one and really regret selling that one, great amps.

 

[RedhouseNorton]

LOL! I never thought Id write that! Im not a Mesa guy at all , but I wanna pick one of these up pretty damn bad right now

 

[rhythmrocker]

LOL! I never thought Id write that! Im not a Mesa guy at all , but I wanna pick one of these up pretty damn bad right now

Buy it. That's the only way you are going to know, i.e., move from fantasy to reality (often two very different things).

 

[RedhouseNorton]

Buy it. That's the only way you are going to know, i.e., move from fantasy to reality (often two very different things).

I plan on it. Ive found a couple of pretty good deals on them , but Im holding out for a deal I cant bring myself to pass up

 

[art_z]

last I saw these were going pretty cheap. there was one on the emporium approx 6 mos ago that sold for like $500. still kickin myself for not buying it.

 

[jkg]

i have had one for almost twenty years. a great amp. i have debated selling off and on but it was my first tube amp.

 

[auratnik]

I had one but sold it because of terrible valve rattling that we couldn't solved.
Otherwise it was really cool sounding amp.

 

[RedhouseNorton]

last I saw these were going pretty cheap. there was one on the emporium approx 6 mos ago that sold for like $500. still kickin myself for not buying it.

They are going anywhere from $400- $550 right now.

 

[art_z]

lark street music has one with road case ($595). its a 1x12 combo though

 

[vds5000]

I believe Daves Guitars had the .50 Calilber a few months back for $450.

I use dot have the .50 Caliber (not the "+" version), and it was a great amp. The EL84's made it sound real raw.

 

[never-enough]

I used to have a .50 caliber.
2 6L6s with the graphic eq.
It had an insane crunch sound.
It had a killer clean as well, but I never got it set up to switch between the two.
I wouldn't mind giving one another shot though, I do miss it a bit.
I used to run a Mesa blue angel for a clean sound and the .50 cal for crunch with a panning pedal to go between them, it was a great rig.

 

[jkg]

I used to have a .50 caliber.
It had a killer clean as well, but I never got it set up to switch between the two.
QUOTE]

I see a lot of people make this critique of this amp, especially since later models had their own tone stacks etc. Personally, I never found it to be a problem. I set the clean channel with the tone stack and contoured the gain channel with the graphic eq. works for me. The clean channel is fantastic to my ear. The gain channel can get a little out of hand for my current taste but it never bothered me when I gigged with it many years ago.

i'd be curious to see how the tones compared to a 5:50 which i guess is it's current equivilent.

 

[never-enough]

Yeah I would love to spend some time dialing one in now.... I had mine about 13 years ago.
I'm pretty sure it would be alot easier to find two sounds I would be satisfied with these days....
Also, back then I was going for an all out insane heavy aggressive crunch... I don't need anything close to that these days.

Like I said, it was a cool amp and one of the few amps I have sold that I miss.

 

[dvilla76]

jkg: I see a lot of people make this critique of this amp, especially since later models had their own tone stacks etc. Personally, I never found it to be a problem. I set the clean channel with the tone stack and contoured the gain channel with the graphic eq. works for me. The clean channel is fantastic to my ear. The gain channel can get a little out of hand for my current taste but it never bothered me when I gigged with it many years ago.

i'd be curious to see how the tones compared to a 5:50 which i guess is it's current equivilent.

I really like mine but bought it knowing from all I read that it's sort of a one trick pony as I believe it pre dates the multi channel Boogie. Although it offers a choice of clean or killer gain capability via push pull pot or foot switch it's still a one channel amp so setting it for good a clean tone does not allow me to also tailor the gain settings independently. Either I have good clean and not so good gain or vice versa.

I'd be interested in hearing from someone with firsthand knowledge to correct me if I'm wrong as I'd rather have both if possible.

Thanks, Dave

 

[mcdyas]

a guy on hc just wanted to trade me this .50 caliber for my dsl50...

 

[datguytim]

Wow - I had one back in the early 90's & was SO glad I got rid of it. I found it dull, anemic and lifeless compared to my next rig (a '69 Marshall Superlead a/b'd with a Fender Super Reverb).

To each their own I suppose . . .

 

[mvd18969]

My main amp from 88-95 was a .50 caliber head (not the plus, mine had EL84s). Still have it, still love it. Absolute smoking tone. The other guitarist in the band I had used a .50+ caliber head. His was a little brighter sounding and lacked the crunch that the EL84s delivered. Listen to the clips in the link in my sig. That's my .50 caliber w/ a Rockman stereo chorus in the loop. Sounds killer still!

 

[newholland]

great clean heads, the ones with el84's. bombproof and unflappable-- i had a 1986 one from 1993 to something like 2006. no eq. could NOT get a decent gain tone out of it-- so basically set it up as a clean platform, and always performed admirably. LOUD as hell, stable. set up flat.. couldn't complain.

if you use it as a master volume amp on the rhythm channel-- it's a really great amplifier.. but i could NEVER come up with a use for the gain channel of a mesa.. just too over the top with humbuckers. i had a .22 for a few years after, and i still feel the same way.. i sold my mesas and went on an 84 dr. z and i felt like someone took the proverbial wool blanket off my amp!

 

[Primakurtz]

Just saw one on feeBay. Item # 190367559840.