Anyone Replace C90 In 5.50 Express+ With A Neo Speaker?

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Lef T

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I'm currently on the lookout for a more grab n go type of combo and really like the 5.50 + combo.
At 54 lbs. the 5.50 is more lug n go for my 63 year old body.
The C90 is 13 lbs.
A speaker like the Emminence Lil Texas is 3.5 lbs.
That brings the weight down to roughly 45 lbs.
Anyone try this?
 
I feel your pain T...

2 C-spine surgeries, and just saw the doc today, my T-4 is bulged.
I'm lucky enough to feel my fingers enough to play once a week.

I bought a 5:50 plus combo years ago, left it stock. Why mess with "almost perfection".
I used a folding 2 wheel dolly for quite a while.

As things got worse for me, I picked up a 5:50 plus head.

Now I leave the combo at home, and when I travel I take the head and either a 1x12, 2x12 or 2x10 cab, it depends on the room we're playing.

Its much easier to make extra trips to the car instead of 1 trip that ruins my night (and next few days with pain).

Yeah I know its more $, but its where we spend our money. And with both, you will know that amp like the back of your hand.

You got the amp, you like the sound, I don't thing the speaker change will help for very long.

Good luck Brother!
 
Thanks for replying.
I haven't bought the 5.50 + yet.
I really like the combo vs head and cab.
Not sure which direction I'll go yet..
 
Lef T said:
I'm currently on the lookout for a more grab n go type of combo and really like the 5.50 + combo.
At 54 lbs. the 5.50 is more lug n go for my 63 year old body.
The C90 is 13 lbs.
A speaker like the Emminence Lil Texas is 3.5 lbs.
That brings the weight down to roughly 45 lbs.
Anyone try this?

No have not heard of anyone doing a positive amp downgrade like this.
Mesa use the Celestion C90 and V30s on all their modern amps for good reason imo.
While I've not heard any Mesa with Eminence anything I've no doubt it would be a downgrade.
Eminence speakers only suit Fenders imo.

If weight is a priority for you Mesa make lighter combo amps than 5:50.
5:25, Mark V 35, TA-30 or............
Consider a 5:50 Head with a separate V30.

Lightest and best of all is the Mark V 25 with a separate cab :mrgreen:
 
Newysurfer said:
While I've not heard any Mesa with Eminence anything I've no doubt it would be a downgrade.
Eminence speakers only suit Fenders imo.

You are a very funny guy, you've never heard a Mesa with Eminence but you got no doubt it would be a downgrade, interesting statement :lol:

On the other hand I have personal experience, I own both Celestion v30 and Eminence legend and Eminence is better for Express series. V30 is too fizzy, especially on the drive channel, because of it's boosted high mids.

Since you also mentioned Fenders, FYI - cleans on the Express and many other Mesa amps are very similar to Fender voicing.
 
I haven't done it in my 5:25 express which is much lighter, but I did replace the black shadow in my lonestar special with a celestion g12 vintage neo to reduce the weight. The vintage neo is not identical to the black shadow, but with EQ adjustment, I can get a similar tone which works for me, and I shaved off about 9 pounds. Carry your foots witch and cable separately, and another couple of pounds goes away.

I have plugged my express into the lonestar cab with the vintage neo, and it sounds good with the express. But the cab is bigger than the express and adds some dimension. I would swap out the 5:25 celestion for the vintage neo if the weight was an issue.
 
I got my current Mark V combo used, and it had and Eminence Governor in it. It sounds great. I have an extension cabinet with a neo speaker in it - Eminence Deltalite II. It really opens up the tone when I use both. I haven't tried it with just the Deltalite, but I plan on doing that soon - probably over the holidays.

Experiment with speakers! It's fun and you can learn all kinds of cool things about your amp by doing it. Don't listen to the fraidy cats who think only certain speakers belong with certain manufacturers. That's BS. Everyone's rig has a different signal chain. We play in differently shaped rooms with different floor and wall coverings. All of that stuff affects tone.

Good luck on the adventure!
 
It's worth a shot! I found the C90 to be a really good match with the 5:50 when I tried other speakers. If I was to try a Neo speaker I think I'd look at the Celestion Neo Creamback, though I haven't heard the Eminence.

I have an Express 5:25 1x10 now with an Eminence Copperhead. The Copperhead takes away some of the "honk" that the stock speaker had.
It's a downgrade from the 5:50 (for me, anyway), but I really only use it to practice with and as a grab and go for informal jam sessions. I love it's portability. I generally use a larger Fender style amp for gigs.
 
Krek13 said:
Newysurfer said:
While I've not heard any Mesa with Eminence anything I've no doubt it would be a downgrade.
Eminence speakers only suit Fenders imo.

You are a very funny guy, you've never heard a Mesa with Eminence but you got no doubt it would be a downgrade, interesting statement :lol:

On the other hand I have personal experience, I own both Celestion v30 and Eminence legend and Eminence is better for Express series. V30 is too fizzy, especially on the drive channel, because of it's boosted high mids.

Since you also mentioned Fenders, FYI - cleans on the Express and many other Mesa amps are very similar to Fender voicing.

Great Krek - we can both laugh at each other then :mrgreen:
I don't find your statements interesting though
 
Newysurfer said:
Krek13 said:
Newysurfer said:
While I've not heard any Mesa with Eminence anything I've no doubt it would be a downgrade.
Eminence speakers only suit Fenders imo.

You are a very funny guy, you've never heard a Mesa with Eminence but you got no doubt it would be a downgrade, interesting statement :lol:

On the other hand I have personal experience, I own both Celestion v30 and Eminence legend and Eminence is better for Express series. V30 is too fizzy, especially on the drive channel, because of it's boosted high mids.

Since you also mentioned Fenders, FYI - cleans on the Express and many other Mesa amps are very similar to Fender voicing.

Great Krek - we can both laugh at each other then :mrgreen:
I don't find your statements interesting though

That's ok, I have real experience and I know what I'm talking about.
On the other hand - you are one of those "virtual" guitarists who finds his facts on the internet and then gives advice about gear he never even saw or tried in real life. You probably don't even play guitar.
 
thunda1216 said:
you know, Eminence made some Black Shadow speakers for Mesa as well...

Isn't the Fillmore 75 made by Eminence?
 
Don said:
If I was to try a Neo speaker I think I'd look at the Celestion Neo Creamback, though I haven't heard the Eminence.

I've heard good things about the Neo Creamback too.
I've considered a 5.25 Express Plus,but like the 5.50 plus better.
I wish Mesa would come out with a 35 lb. Kingsnake. :lol:
 
Old thread, but I just bought a 5:25+ yesterday and got back on this board after a long time, having sold my Lonestar Classic years ago.
I haven't put a neo in a MESA before, but I put 2 neo Lil-Texas speakers in my 1966 Pro Reverb. They sound great. I use Texas Heat speakers in a Blues Junior I used to own and it really worked magic in that amp. Then I stuck em in my Fender Deluxe Reverbs to tighten up the low-end, and ended up using them not only for the bluesier stuff I love to play, but in cover bands with pedals and I always got compliments on my tones, from clean to heavy-rock. In my Pro-Reverb, which had 2 12" speakers, the Neo's shaved 20 pounds off the amp! They sound great too. I think they would work fine in a 5:50+. Nobody goes around sticking their nose into the back of your amp at a gig anyway so get whatever speaker you want! The only time anyone noticed mine, was another guy with a Blues Junior who had put the same speaker in his, and noticed how much better my amp sounded than most BJ's!
 
guitarnorm said:
I haven't put a neo in a MESA before, but I put 2 neo Lil-Texas speakers in my 1966 Pro Reverb. They sound great.

Thanks for chiming in.
I still haven't made a move but am still considering a 5.50+ combo and putting a neo in it.
I've heard a lot of good things about the Lil Texas speakers and they're really reasonably priced.
 

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