Classic V1 or V2?

[oldlefty]

I should have posted my original question in this forum, I goofed and filed it in the general discussion for Modern Area Amps :? Please see that post for where I'm coming from on this.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=52722

The question (Classic/Special/MkV) is narrowing down to a Classic, and do I really want/need the V2 and its 10 watt switch for using this amp mainly at home for practice volume levels. Can you be satisfied with the tone and volume of a 50/100 watt V1 for "bedroom" use? Does the 10 watt option make or break a deal for this kind of use (particularly if having the 10 watts adds hundreds to the price of available amps? Thanks guys.

 

[djw]

Depends on the bedroom.

I use my V1 LSC all the time at home, but I think I have a slightly unique situation here... I work at home and my neighborhood, right next the elevated train tracks, is noisy during the day. Quieter at night, and I don't usually use it then. Mostly I use it during my work breaks (instead of smoking, basically).

However. I don't think the 10w setting would help me much, we're talking about 10 Mesa watts and that's still pretty darned powerful. That said, the amp still sounds pretty great even when it isn't at full bore... at least as good as anything you can get for less. Again, I doubt having the 10 watt option would give you a satisfactory tonal body at bedroom levels as most people think of them. I'd say if you find a good deal on a 50/100 version, go for it.

 

[screamingdaisy]

The beauty of the LoneStar - as opposed to a non-master volume Fender amp - is that you can dial in some grit using the preamp yet dial back the volume using the master volume. Thus you can achieve a usable level of dirt in your tone without having to crank the amp up to the point where it breaks up due to volume.... and it means you don't require a Princeton at home, a Deluxe for the small stage and a Twin on a big stage.

I use an LSS for it's overdriven "Fender turned up too loud" sounds. I use it almost exclusively in 30w mode regardless of whether it's on stage or at home. For myself, I find that using it in 15w or 5w modes reduces the headroom more than it reduces the actual volume, so my tone is thinner and more broken up yet not really all that much quieter. I like a thick, firm clean tone with a bit of grit, so I stay on the max headroom.

And, to totally contradict myself, when I use the Mark V I run my clean channel (Fat mode, which is similar to yet not exactly the same as the cleans on the LoneStar) on 45w mode and with the tube rectifier on. I do this to reduce headroom, in that on 90w mode I find the cleans are too stiff. Dropping the headroom and changing rectifiers adds some nice bounce and a bit more grit into the cleans.

That said, if I were a Fender player I'd be using a Bassman rather than a Twin... so take my opinion for whatever it's worth.

 

[oldlefty]

Thanks guys. For what I'm playing (see link), would you say that a Lonestar Classic has "something extra", or that the MkV can do the Classic just as well, plus do other stuff too? Does the Mk V lose any of the specific Classic vibe by being a swiss army knife??

 

[djw]

Thanks guys. For what I'm playing (see link), would you say that a Lonestar Classic has "something extra", or that the MkV can do the Classic just as well, plus do other stuff too? Does the Mk V lose any of the specific Classic vibe by being a swiss army knife??

Can't speak for the MkV. Based on what I've read, I'd wager that the LSC is easier to use right off the bat, whereas the MkV will do more things but has a longer learning curve. People seem to love their MkV's quite a lot. I'm really happy with my LSC. For classic tones, it's really hard to beat.

 

[oldlefty]

A decent looking Classic V2 came up on ebay this weekend and I took it. Looking forward to joining the family! Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[digiTED]

hey everyone

I'm new to this forum and new to Planet Mesa, but I do have some thoughts on the OP's question.

I just picked up a LS v1 1x12 this weekend. It's got 6L6s in it at the moment.

I've been using the FX loop as an attenuator with great results. Not sure how this works with FX in there, tho. I just leave the loop in activated and the loop's input at minimum. The "Output" pot of the face thus becomes activated as a global master volume, where as the channel-specific MVs only affect those channels.

It sounds great to my ear; better than an outboard attenuator with my Tweaker (traded for the LS )I live in a high rise with Mr. Fussy Pants directly below me, so I only cranked it up without the loop/attenuation thing in place when I knew he wasn't home.

You can also run 6V6s in the LS for lower headroom and output. I have a matched quad in the mail to try like this.