need a better sound from my mesa

[Homebake]

i've got a mesa 5:25 express that i use for recording/gigging with an ibanez rg (HSH).

except i'm not satisfied with the sound i get out of it.

the burn channel (which i use for everything distorted basically) isn't giving me enough edge and "bite" for my lead playing.

what can i do to get a more gilberty, harder tone? use a boss ds-1 on the clean channel or something?

[HeavyMetal4Ever]

Try using a ds-1 or a tubescreamer (or one of the many clones) as a boost for the burn channel. Put the Level up on the pedal, but leave the Gain and Tone down.

Rock on!

[speedy mcfeely]

Mesa tone stacks are funny. try boosting the mids and dropping the bass. Most Mesas have alot of bass, I run the bass on my Lonestar and Mark IV almost off.

[mesaman]

Try putting a GEQ in the loop. That amp has a surprising amount of gain and the contour knob adds a lot of different tone variations. You could hit the front end with a boost like a BB pre amp or a TS9, but you can really get some amazing tones with an EQ in the loop. From clean boosts to heavy mids to scooped metal. The Boss GE7 and the MXR 10 band are nice units, check it out. I feel Mesa's just need additional GEQ's like the mark amps. Like the previous poster said, they have very unique and touchy tone stacks and are tweekers dreams as I am certain you are well aware, the EQ just gives you more options without changing the Mesa tone too much.