Mesa/Boogie 5:50- opinions please

[MartyGrass]

A friend of mine may be letting go of his 5:50 1x12. Is this a good choice for clean and blues?

 

Any criticisms of this combo?

 

Thanks.

[barrymclark]

As much as the kids these days covet the Triple Rec for their metal tones, I have never been a fan of their metal tones. Their cleans (not as clean as say a Roland, but more of a smokey clean. Beautiful) and more bluesy tones are just where its at.

 

This is a very toolbox amp. It can do about anything but modern metal and do it VERY well. I'd get this one with no hesitation for jazzy tones and rockabilly. Just amazing tone.

[barrymclark]

...wandering off topic, this is the one REAL weakness of modeling amps: they model after the tones that an amp is more popularly known for but can't really venture into the territory that the actual amp could. I can't speak to the AxeFX, but other modelers like Line6 and Roland and so on, just do what their meant for. Some do it well. BUT.... if you've ever played a Marshall 18w for jazzier tones... it is just hot. Try that on a modeler. It will turn you RIGHT off. Same for Mesa-Boogie. The modelers often leave you feeling underwhelmed if you venture off the beaten path. It does me anyways. Again, not speaking about the AxeFX. Just never used one so I can't say.

 

A boogie is on my list of wants amp wise. I'd say my days of finding that all in one amp are over. The Cube is the closest I have ever been but it doesnt have that smokey clean Marshall or Mesa sound. The Vox is ok.... the Fenders are SICK good. The JC is... well... JC. It better be. Don't do what Fender did with their modeler and make an AWFUL version of your own amps! haha.

 

Anyways... back on topic. I personally love this amp and a few other Mesa models. I'd be on it in a heartbeat.

[212Mavguy]

Boogie designs consistently use very thick and strong boards with very generous traces. All parts used in Boogies are of consistent high quality, the cost of nice parts is reflected by the price new. My Maverick 2/12 that I have doctored up is one serious monster tone machine for sure.

 

The owner's manual for just about every Mesa amp is available at the Mesa factory website.

[vbf]

I had one and hated it. I purchased in new and had way too many QC issues for an amp in that price range. While the concept is good, the issues finally drove me to get rid of it. I owned it over a year and really wanted to like it. I swapped tubes till I was blue in the face and still could not get the tones I wanted. I didn't think it took pedals very well either. I purchased a Blackstar HT-40 and L O V E it! What a great amp! Haivng lived with a 5:50 for over a year and put up with all the problems I cannot recommend one.

[JeffB]

I had one and hated it. I purchased in new and had way too many QC issues for an amp in that price range. While the concept is good, the issues finally drove me to get rid of it. I owned it over a year and really wanted to like it. I swapped tubes till I was blue in the face and still could not get the tones I wanted. I didn't think it took pedals very well either. I purchased a Blackstar HT-40 and L O V E it! What a great amp! Haivng lived with a 5:50 for over a year and put up with all the problems I cannot recommend one.

ouch!! thats a horrible mesa experience. What qc issues did it have? What tones did you want from it?

They are two different sounding amps.

[MartyGrass]

Fortunately, a friend of mine offered to sell me his M/B 5:50. I trust him completely. He has gigged with it for a year or so without an issue. He offered to let me take it home for a week to try it. You can't beat that.

 

He got a Vox AC30 something a couple of weeks ago. He gigged with that a few times to make sure it works okay, and it does. He finds it brighter than the M/B.

[Gitfiddler]

Interesting opinions on this Boogie. I was interested in the 5:50 a few years back, but ended up with a Mark IV widebody combo. That thing is built like a tank...and feels like one when trying to move it.

 

Fortunately Mesa Boogie offers pretty good customer support, even if you are not the original owner.

 

MG~Good luck with your new toy. Give us a tone report after you get it dialed in.

[tsp17]

As much as the kids these days covet the Triple Rec for their metal tones, I have never been a fan of their metal tones. Their cleans (not as clean as say a Roland, but more of a smokey clean. Beautiful) and more bluesy tones are just where its at.

 

This is a very toolbox amp. It can do about anything but modern metal and do it VERY well. I'd get this one with no hesitation for jazzy tones and rockabilly. Just amazing tone.

 

+1. I have been looking for a deal on the 5:50 myself for straight ahead jazz and fusion/jazz-rock. if i didn't have 2 amps already, i'd probably go get one.

[vbf]

The QC issues were many. The footswitch was so poorly constructed the MIDI cable would not make contact with the internal PCB. The amp would become very shrill even after a full tube swap. The amp would cut out unexpectedly or suddenly get very loud. What really frustrated me was the lackluster customer service from Mesa. I consider myself to be a very level headed consumer with reasonable expectations. Suffice it to say I was left disappointed more than once. Perhaps my particular amp was snake bit and I was predestined to have a bad Mesa experience. Sound wise, the amp had that distinct Mesa thing going on but was always very gritty and grainy on all the dirt channels. It did not like pedals and I was using all the industry standards (Timmy, various Lovepedal's, cmatmods, Skreddy, Catalinbread, etc). I called Mesa one final time to ask if they would simply give permission for my local store, from whcih I purchased it, for a replacement. No luck! I was sent to the only Mesa repair guy around (not their fault) that was over an hour away. The whole experience was just way too frustrating, not to mention I never knew when it was going to begin acting up. I cut my losses after buying a Blackstar, which is fabulous! The 5:50 is a brilliant idea with tons of versatility and I'm sure lots of guys love em'. I hope your Mesa experience in better than mine.