Considering LSC or LSS

[revlimitbounce]

Hi everyone:

Okay, I've been reading up on these two and I think I've narrowed it to the LS non-Special, since I often do some very clean, Joe Pass-like solo guitar arrangements of standards and from what I've bveen reading, the Special might not be able to deliver that warm, pure sound which I used to get out of my old Fender Super.

However, I also need to bust out on occasion, but never with a mountain of gain. Much more in the Knopfler, Carlton realm of just enough gain to give real buttery, yet chewy tone where you control the amount of overdrive with the fingers' attack (or pick). Equipment includes Strat, PRS cu22, 335, Ovation UKII (remember that thing?) and a 175 single-pickup.

Am I on the right track?

Also, I've owned a Boogie before, in college and shortly thereafter ('85-90). Had a Mark IV loaded with EQ and the EV speaker and was actually always looking for warmth which I never found.

Thanks,

 

[Joel]

Well, they are both really nice amps. The classic covers a lot of ground. The blowout prices for the discontinued models make them a steal at this point. Some have bought the 1x12" combo for $900 brand new which is cheaper than you can get a used one off of Ebay. The Classic and Special are pretty much a different beast, but it sounds like you'll need that clean headroom that the Classic will give you. Try them both out and if you're obsessed with Class A tone, you can get that from the Special or the new Classic which has a 10 watt class a setting. I've tried them out side by side, and I liked the drive channel better on the Classic. The Special is a wonderful sounding amp also, but it sounds like the Classic would suit your needs better.

 

[zappaslaughter]

Both of are awsome amps that can deliver what you seek. I went with the LSC beacuse I like the pre set biasing options.

I own an old Fender Concert II, which was a one trick clean pony. But it has the best cleans I have heard. The LSC has an awsome array of cleans available on chanel 1. you can easily dial in that touch response you speak of. The reverbs are supposedly the best MESA makes, but I don't play with much beacuse I got the wide body 1 12 combo and an extension 1 x12 cab I add to the mix.

900 bucks is a steal, right after I buy mine for 1299 of course

all in all the clean headroom and the multitude of clean tones I can dial on chn 1 made this amp worth it.

Chn 2 gets some great classic rock tones, but not the high gain monster you will see in other mesa amps. Chn 2 can be made real clean too w/o the drive and gain dialed low. Sounds very classic.

 

[Greg]

I just picked up on Saturday at my local GC a new LSC for $900. Was in there today and they have three more. My favorite salesman there, Lester said he could drop ship. I too am interested in playing jazz with mine, chord melody style. Spent the day dialing in cleans and can definitely recommend this amp to you. Been playing 45 years and feel my advice is solid. The GC I'm talking about is in San Bernardino California, Lester may be off on Wednesdays but another good salesman there is Randy. Mention Greg told you about this, they'll know which amp you're talking about. No way you're going to get a better amp for the price. Heck, there may not be a better amp period!

 

[revlimitbounce]

Thanks for all the info. I'm definitely thinking about the LSC, but I gather the Special probably operated better at low volumes with it's 5-15-30 watt switchability?

Alternatively, is there any unusual retubing one can do to bring the LSS's warm overdrive into the LSC's clean capabilities?

Thanks,

 

[Joel]

In theory you'll get power tube saturation at lower volumes, but the Classic still sounds good at lower volumes. The Special is way more portable, which might be a consideration.

If you're getting one of the blowout Classics, you can apparently use some yellow jackets sockets with EL-84 power tubes instead of 6L6 or EL-34. I still don't think it will operate Class A, and I believe that voids the warranty. The output tranny is different between the two amps also. I believe their preamps are the same.

If you're adamant about getting maximum versatility and your budget allows, I would say to get the new Classic.

 

[revlimitbounce]

The "new" Classic?? Besides being an oxymoron, what's different about it?

Maybe there's already a thread on it....

 

[Troy]

The "new" Classic?? Besides being an oxymoron, what's different about it?

They added a 10 watt Class A feature on the 2007 Lone Stars.

 

[zappaslaughter]

The "new" LSC's will have a 10 watt class A option. Sounds good! however they will be the regular price of 1700$, where you can find blowout 2006 LSC's right now for around 1000. I stuck with the 50/100 W "old" LSC, and let me tell you it is a great amp. I play mainly jazz / blues / classic rock, and this amp does em all nicely.

 

[revlimitbounce]

The "new" LSC's will have a 10 watt class A option. Sounds good! however they will be the regular price of 1700$, where you can find blowout 2006 LSC's right now for around 1000. I stuck with the 50/100 W "old" LSC, and let me tell you it is a great amp. I play mainly jazz / blues / classic rock, and this amp does em all nicely.

Okay, thanks! LSC seems like the way to go. Does anyone know of a weight chart for the LSC 1x12 vs. 2x12?

BTW, are all the old LSCs blue with silver?

 

[user 1198]

BTW, are all the old LSCs blue with silver?

You can customize the look of your amp anyway that you want, but the silver/blue and black/tan combination seam to be the stock colors for this amp. I bought mine stock from a store and it looks like this:

 

[revlimitbounce]

BTW, are all the old LSCs blue with silver?

You can customize the look of your amp anyway that you want, but the silver/blue and black/tan combination seam to be the stock colors for this amp. I bought mine stock from a store and it looks like this:

[image removed]

Nice. 2x12? What's it weigh? TIA.

 

[BIG L]

Hey CodeTitan! I play a PRS McCarty as well and have seriously been considering picking up a LSC. I noticed you have several nice amps. How does your McCarty sound out of your LSC?

 

[zappaslaughter]

The LSC blowouts also come in black with silver. I did get the blue / silver 1x12 because it sounded the best of the floor models they had there. There is a ten lb difference between the 112 and 212. i think the 1 12 wide is about 65-70 lbs, pretty **** heavy. both the 112 and 212 share the same chasis, so the only difference is the extra speaker.

 

[Barry]

The "new" LSC's will have a 10 watt class A option. Sounds good! however they will be the regular price of 1700$, where you can find blowout 2006 LSC's right now for around 1000. I stuck with the 50/100 W "old" LSC, and let me tell you it is a great amp. I play mainly jazz / blues / classic rock, and this amp does em all nicely.

Okay, thanks! LSC seems like the way to go. Does anyone know of a weight chart for the LSC 1x12 vs. 2x12?

BTW, are all the old LSCs blue with silver?

1X12 = 72 lbs., 2X12 = 79 lbs. The old ones are blue and new ones are black and of course there are custom options

 

[user 1198]

Nice. 2x12? What's it weigh? TIA.

It weighs somewhere between 80 and 85 pounds. It is extremely heavy. I wish I would have bought the head with a separate 2x12 cabinet.

 

[user 1198]

Hey CodeTitan! I play a PRS McCarty as well and have seriously been considering picking up a LSC. I noticed you have several nice amps. How does your McCarty sound out of your LSC?

The PRS McCarty is a perfect match for the Lone Star. I like splitting the coil in the neck pickup for cleans and using the bridge humbucker on the dirty channel for some nice raunchy classic rock tones. If you want a really nice warm jazz tone, use the neck pickup (not split) on the clean channel. For blues I use the neck pickup with the coil split on the clean channel which is being driven by a Tube Screamer in front.

My favorite guitar for the clean channel is my Stratocaster, but my favorite guitar for the distortion channel is definitely the McCarty. But all-in-all the McCarty is a much more versatile guitar and sounds really good with the LSC.

 

[revlimitbounce]

Nice. 2x12? What's it weigh? TIA.

It weighs somewhere between 80 and 85 pounds. It is extremely heavy. I wish I would have bought the head with a separate 2x12 cabinet.

Jeezus! That's heavier than my dog and he's really big! (But has really good tone.)

Um, I might rethink this; spent most of my teens and much of my 20s hefting heavy cabinets and rigs and I emerged almost unscathed....

Head & cab seem like a logical alternative, but I'd much rather do a combo that wasn't all Captain Curb Weight.

 

[joe.h]

hey code titan i love that lsc with the tan grill that looks really classy i must look for that model. i have already lss2x12 but i am wanting to get a lsc for my les paul so i will have both crazy but hey you only live once!

 

[user 1198]

hey code titan i love that lsc with the tan grill that looks really classy i must look for that model. i have already lss2x12 but i am wanting to get a lsc for my les paul so i will have both crazy but hey you only live once!

Thanks....I agree, you only live once...That is why I have so many amps. My next purchase is probably going to be an LSS. I really believe that in 20 or 30 years down the road, the LSC and LSS are going to be very coveted. I know I will never sell my LSC.