Fender amp to compliment an Express 5:50?

I currently own an Express 5:50 1x12 Combo w/Mesa 1x12 Expansion Cabinet.

I originally was going to buy a DRRI, but then played on this and it sounded much more alive and had more versatility then a DRRI.

I'm really happy with this amp, but still wanting a DRRI or even a Princeton.

What would be a good fender clean amp to compliment my boogie? Looking for something with nice breakup.

I'm guessing the boogie with enough fiddling with the tone and voice settings can cover a DRRI pretty well also. I just haven't been able to dial it in yet.

Thanks

express50express said:

I currently own an Express 5:50 1x12 Combo w/Mesa 1x12 Expansion Cabinet.

I originally was going to buy a DRRI, but then played on this and it sounded much more alive and had more versatility then a DRRI.

I'm really happy with this amp, but still wanting a DRRI or even a Princeton.

What would be a good fender clean amp to compliment my boogie? Looking for something with nice breakup.

I'm guessing the boogie with enough fiddling with the tone and voice settings can cover a DRRI pretty well also. I just haven't been able to dial it in yet.

Thanks

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I've played and gigged with almost every Fender amp ever made.
I've owned a few too including a Twin and I really like almost all of them.

So what Fender compliments an Express 5:50 ??? - nothing, nada, zero.
There's a few that have cleans & reverb as great but that's all.
And a DDRI is not even comparable on clean tones or reverb imo.

The 5:50 has very Fenderish sounding cleans already with 6L6 tubes, as does the Lonestar.
Why do you want another amp with similar sounding cleans that are inferior to the 5:50 ???

With 2nd & 3rd amps I always go for one's that sound different and will provide a wider range of tones than I already have.
Otherwise, it's just wasting money imo.......like people who buy multiple Strats & Tele's that all sound the same :mrgreen:

Get a Fender Princeton Reverb (RI or not, but the RI's used and mint can be had for about $600...a steal).
They'll compliment your Express with their thick and lush tones, along with the vibrato and speed settings....it blends VERY nicely with the 5:50. I previously owned a 5:50 combo 212 and currently have the 5:25 Plus model (along with a Mesa Road King II v2 combo) and blend it with a PRRI (modded by Fargen) and it's out of this world.

I agree with newysurfer -- the cleans on the Express are so good, you aren't missing much unless you use the tremolo a lot. I only use it sparingly, so I just put a Seymour Duncan Shape Shifter on my board and kept on trucking. I'm selling my 80's Fender Concert to fund the purchase of a 5:25 with the 10" speaker to use for backup and rehearsal.

Having said all that, based on your original post, the DRRI (or, better yet, a Silverface Deluxe Reverb) is a good choice. I still have my Oldfield Club D'Lux, which is just a handwired DR clone, and I won't be selling that anytime soon. Great amp. And of all the Fender amps out there, the Deluxe and Princeton are the ones you'd have a harder time copping versus the ones with bigger iron, so if you're looking for a tone you can't get out of the Express, the Deluxe or Princeton would be the ticket. I would seriously consider a good Silverface over a RI, though.

Thanks everyone. Call me crazy, but i'm thinking about getting a Blues Jr or Pro Junior to go along with it.

I'd replace the speaker of course.

I have a 5:50 1x12 and I used to have a PRRI. I put them side by side with an A/B switcher and twiddled knobs on the 5:50 until I found the same sound as the PRRI.

Then I sold the PRRI.

I'm not sure what you mean by compliment? What I replaced the PRRI with is a Vox AC15C1, which has a sound all it's own and different than my Express. To me the Vox is an amp that compliments the Express because it has a sound I can't replicate on the 5:50.

express50express said:

Thanks everyone. Call me crazy, but i'm thinking about getting a Blues Jr or Pro Junior to go along with it.

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Either one is a great amp. I'm getting a 5:25 1x10 today to "compliment" my 5:50, but that's because I need to replicate the tones from my 5:50 at rehearsal and back it up at gigs. For me, the complimentary aspect is I can replicate the same tones I get from my gigging rig in a tiny and lightweight package.

The 5:50 is realistically too big an amp to carry around, so a Blues Jr. or Pro Jr. would be a good amp to have, whether it technically "compliments" the 5:50 or not.

The cleans from my Express 5:50 1x12 combo were not quite as good as my '66 Vibrolux Reverb though the VR needed to be played louder to sound as good. I added a PPIV master to my VR and eventually ended up selling the Express. The VR was a better sounding (to me) and more portable amp (it weighs about 10 pounds less and is over an inch less deep front to rear) though less flexible than the 5:50.

I wouldn't say that the 5:50 sounds just like a Fender blackface amp- it's cleans are slightly less complex and it has more punch to drive through a band better though I couldn't see having both of them.

There was a time when I was using a 5E3 tweed Deluxe clone and the Mesa Express. That was a pretty good combo. I wouldn't mind getting a 5:25 combo and parking the 5E3 on top of it!

express50express said:

Thanks everyone. Call me crazy, but i'm thinking about getting a Blues Jr or Pro Junior to go along with it.

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Hehe I would actually :mrgreen:
If you want lightweight & small wattage there's many better amps around than these 2 little Fenders imo......including

Egnater Tweeker 15
Egnater Rebel 20
Marshall 5
Vox Night Train
Orange Tiny Terror
Mesa 5:25
Mesa Mini Rectifier.............for starters

But each to their own and enjoy your Fender

Twin Reverb for Cleans and Pedal dirt. Mesa 5:50 for cleans and tube dirt. What more could a man ask for.

Someone to carry the Twin Reverb for you! :lol: Still wish I had one, but there is no way in hell that I'm carrying that one to gigs.

Matt

mdortona said:

Someone to carry the Twin Reverb for you! :lol: Still wish I had one, but there is no way in hell that I'm carrying that one to gigs.

Matt

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I know. For some reason I just can't get past buying amps by the pound. It's just that the heavy ones always sound so good. If you think about it though the Express 5:50 is no lite weight either. At 53 lbs. it's only 9 lbs. less. And by volume it's pretty much the same size as the Twin. The cabinet isn't as wide or tall but it's considerably deeper. I've got to believe that if the Express was a 2X12 it would be even heavier than the Twin.

:lol: :lol: :lol: I hear ya! That's what stopped me from buying a Heartbreaker Combo - weighed more than a Twin!

Matt

mdortona said:

:lol: :lol: :lol: I hear ya! That's what stopped me from buying a Heartbreaker Combo - weighed more than a Twin!

Matt

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Lonestar Classic & Mark V combos are around 70 pounds

Get a SF Princeton Reverb it's are pretty close sounding to a BFPR and a lot cheaper. The cleans on a PR are unbeatable and you can breakup earlier than a DR and at lower volumes than the DR. Be sure to put a high quality tube in V1 that suits your needs for early or late breakup. You should put in a vintage 60's, re conned US Jensen speaker to get that sweet vintage Fender tone. There is something nice about the bass tone of a 10" speaker, focused. I play thru a 5:25 1X12 and SFPR, I love them both for different tones, for me If I want big clean and/or reverb I go Fender. If I want edge, dirt and beyond, well that's a no brainer, Boogie baby Boogie. FYI I'm biased, I really love vintage Fender, all me gear and guitars are Fender except for my beloved Express 5:25