LSS vs. 5:25+

Hey guys,

I currently have a Lonestar Special, which I really dig. I also have a Mark V and I find they compliment each other pretty well. However, while I can get a half way decent crunch sound out of the LSS, it's not the best.

I'm curious, has anyone tried the LSS and the 5:25+? Do they have similar cleans but with a more diverse channel 2 on the 5:25?

Should I stick or move to the 5:25? I think the 5:50 may be redundant with the V, but open to hearing about that too.

Thanks!

theroan said:

Hey guys,

I currently have a Lonestar Special, which I really dig. I also have a Mark V and I find they compliment each other pretty well. However, while I can get a half way decent crunch sound out of the LSS, it's not the best.

I'm curious, has anyone tried the LSS and the 5:25+? Do they have similar cleans but with a more diverse channel 2 on the 5:25?

Should I stick or move to the 5:25? I think the 5:50 may be redundant with the V, but open to hearing about that too.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Yes, 5:25 has lots more gain than LSS & I prefer 5;25 crunch channel.
Cleans are similar imo but I prefer the LSS cleans.
Mark V does not make 5:50 redundant at all imo.
They share some tones but are very different amps.
5:50 is much lighter, cheaper and not quite as versatile

Hi theroan,
You probably know this already, but clean and crunch are both on channel 1 of the express amps. So if these are your desired voicings, you will have to do manual switching instead of foot switching. One way to make this faster/easier is to have one of the eq options (sliders vs. contour knob) set for clean and the other for crunch. That way you just have to quickly flip the voice and eq switches and you are good to go. (You can also search for posts that describe how to do a modification to enable foot switching.)

I really like the crunch on the 5:25+! Mesa did a nice job of creating a classic tone that is very distinct from the other mid/higher gain voicings on the amp.

I managed to try the 5:25. The cleans are similar but as others have noticed, it's a little bland in comparison. The crunch on channel 1 I found to be better than blues or burn. Wish it was split up.

I've owned both (as heads with a 1x12).
Owned the LSS for a couple years, liked it for sure, but always wished it had more (or more modern-sounding) gain. Was stuck using an EQ in the loop to add flavor to the gain, but then...

The 5:25+ came out and that was enough for me.
Sold the LSS and ordered the 5:25+.

Definitely prefer the gain of the 5:25+. The built-in EQ is an added bonus.
With cleans that are super nice as well, I consider the 5:25+ the more versatile of the two, by a long shot.

I spend most time at 5 watts which is plenty loud for home.
Plus, 5 watts has that nice single-ended sizzle I prefer over the girthier sound of the 15 and 25 watt settings (at least at lower volume).