NAD: Mesa content

Speeddemon

Speeddemon

Well-known member
Sooo....since a used 2C+ is insane money, III's are not common, I sold a IV with a reason and my cutesy V:25 lacks the heft of a bigger amp, I figured, what the heck, let's get the next best thing available...

A Caliber 50+ medium head in quite clean condition!

I read horror stories about compromises between the 2 channels or things like "ugh, I have to use the graphic EQ with the lead channel".... Uhh...yeah! That's why these amps rock...

Having owned a DC-5 for a little while, I can definitely say that the Cal 50+ is more aggressive and easier to tighten up without an external boost pedal than the DC-5.
That one kept having that 'Recto-ish' thing in the lows and low-mids going on, that was too woofy and fuzzy for me.

It fits my Thiele cabs pretty well, although sheer push and volume doesn't completely make up for the little Mark V:25's tones and versatility.
Cleans are lush and big, although they're easier pushed into a slight crunch than the clean channel of a Mark or the DC-5. So far, lead channel is pretty good, although I'm still not sold on it. You definitely have to dial it in like a Mark (e.g. treble high, bass not too high, mid to taste, and fix the honkyness with the gEQ)...and I just looooove the look.
But maybe I just need a Mark 2C+ or III.... 😉
 

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Speeddemon said:
Sooo....since a used 2C+ is insane money, III's are not common, I sold a IV with a reason and my cutesy V:25 lacks the heft of a bigger amp, I figured, what the heck, let's get the next best thing available...
Click to expand...
I didn’t realize mkIII’s were that uncommon; Really? I thought the biggest question on a mkIII was which stripe to get ..
 
alund said:
I didn’t realize mkIII’s were that uncommon; Really? I thought the biggest question on a mkIII was which stripe to get ..
Click to expand...
I'm in Europe and either the III's are without the gEQ or the seller saw some yokels in the US asking crazy money on Reverb, hoping they can cash in big too.

For instance, the person selling a Caliber 50+ head on Reverb now is asking over 3 times the price I paid for mine. 😊😎

Circuit wise this thing is interesting and with a bit more hair and character IMO than what the DC-5 gave me.
If anyone has more more pointers on do's and don'ts, setting wise, I'm all ears.
My Engl Savage 60 has less awesome cleans, but at the same time, it's in some ways easier to set up a good high gain tone too. Perhaps less liquid-y than what most Mesas are known for, but also less finicky.
 
Caliber 50+ are brutal amps. Throw an EQ in the loop and they bring the heat just like the mark series.

Congrats on the new amp and post some clips if you get a chance! Always like caliber 50+ clips
 
Nice! I liked the 50 Caliber+ I used to have. I remember it having also a really nice clean ch and reverb and mark type gain ch. I agree about much preferring it to the DC-5 and other DC's
 
.50 Cal + is great! My fav Mesa for long time.
Ez to setup for good cleans and dirt. The clean channel set to edge of breakup rivals a Deluxe Reverb, and takes pedals better, imo. In fact, many prefer pedals to the lead channel. Cobain comes to mind. Lead channel is that Metallica, COC sound.

I will say, it's not going to punch too much harder than the Mk V 25. Check out the ouput tranny and tell me it'll have the low end and punch of a 2204. Not gonna do it.
That's part of it's charm, faster to get into rowdy territory than the MkIIC or MkIII.

It's not near as versatile as the Mk V25. You'd probably have better luck using a bigger power amp with the Mk V25, if you really need more oomph.

But since you got it, try these settings:
Vol/preamp 6.5
Master 2-3
Lead master for equal or louder than clean, 4-5?
Treble 6.5-7
Bass 0-3
Middle 0-3 (both bass and mid set to 4 with treble 7+ is looser, more meaty)
Reverb and presence off
Graphic set for gain channel in smiley face.

There you have great cleans that'll take any fuzz or distortion great, a dirt channel that's quite hard rocking Marshall sound, 90s ACDC, that takes a boost perfect for Metallica COC.
 
LPMojoGL said:
.50 Cal + is great! My fav Mesa for long time.
Ez to setup for good cleans and dirt. The clean channel set to edge of breakup rivals a Deluxe Reverb, and takes pedals better, imo. In fact, many prefer pedals to the lead channel. Cobain comes to mind. Lead channel is that Metallica, COC sound.

I will say, it's not going to punch too much harder than the Mk V 25. Check out the ouput tranny and tell me it'll have the low end and punch of a 2204. Not gonna do it.
That's part of it's charm, faster to get into rowdy territory than the MkIIC or MkIII.

It's not near as versatile as the Mk V25. You'd probably have better luck using a bigger power amp with the Mk V25, if you really need more oomph.

But since you got it, try these settings:
Vol/preamp 6.5
Master 2-3
Lead master for equal or louder than clean, 4-5?
Treble 6.5-7
Bass 0-3
Middle 0-3 (both bass and mid set to 4 with treble 7+ is looser, more meaty)
Reverb and presence off
Graphic set for gain channel in smiley face.

There you have great cleans that'll take any fuzz or distortion great, a dirt channel that's quite hard rocking Marshall sound, 90s ACDC, that takes a boost perfect for Metallica COC.
Click to expand...
Yeah some have said it’s real wattage is somewhere in the 30’s, but I liked its sound. The Mark V25 IME also would sound smoother, more polite vs the ruder, rawer caliber voicing that I prefer
 
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