First timer here...a few questions

[jpage]

Howdy folks! First off, I'm not the infamous "jpagey" from some other boards, although I might be just as annoying--I have never dealt with him but have heard stories.

Secondly, I just was forced to sell my main amp of 5 years, a Voodoo Amps V-Plex. Loved it but was squeezed for jack at a bad time and now I will be hunting for a new noise maker in the next few months. I am seriously considering a couple Mesas--the Mark IV combo and the new Stiletto combo. My style of music would be called "hard & classic rock & blues" I suppose. I used to play out regularly but now am mainly a hobbyist but will get out every once and again with buddies. I like the idea of a combo that I can plug into a 4x12 when I want.

I love Zep obviously, and Slash/Gary Moore type stuff when I have a Les Paul on and SRV & Jimi noodling when I am wearing a strat. My concerns with the Mark IV is that it will have great thick heavier tones but not the ability to open up or sparkle with a strat, and lack string to string definition with humbucker & high gain. My concerns with the Stiletto are exactly the opposite.

Anyone here have experience with both amps?

 

[Platypus]

Howdy folks! First off, I'm not the infamous "jpagey" from some other boards, although I might be just as annoying--I have never dealt with him but have heard stories.

Secondly, I just was forced to sell my main amp of 5 years, a Voodoo Amps V-Plex. Loved it but was squeezed for jack at a bad time and now I will be hunting for a new noise maker in the next few months. I am seriously considering a couple Mesas--the Mark IV combo and the new Stiletto combo. My style of music would be called "hard & classic rock & blues" I suppose. I used to play out regularly but now am mainly a hobbyist but will get out every once and again with buddies. I like the idea of a combo that I can plug into a 4x12 when I want.

I love Zep obviously, and Slash/Gary Moore type stuff when I have a Les Paul on and SRV & Jimi noodling when I am wearing a strat. My concerns with the Mark IV is that it will have great thick heavier tones but not the ability to open up or sparkle with a strat, and lack string to string definition with humbucker & high gain. My concerns with the Stiletto are exactly the opposite.

Anyone here have experience with both amps?

Yep, and I just ordered a Stiletto Ace combo to play your exact type of music My 58 Les Paul into the Stiletto was dead nuts classic rock all the way from Hendrix to Zep to Cream to Sabbath and even into the G&R.

The MarkIV is a great amplifier and it covers a lot of ground but you really want EL34 tube power sections to play the music you listed, and the MarkIV is best known for it's brutal high gain metal settings.

The Stiletto shines with either guitar, I demoed it with a Strat and my LP and both were great.

I suggest you go play both but I think you'll be happier with the Stiletto. Don't forget to check out the Lonestar either

Welcome to the board!

 

[jpage]

I owned the Lonestar and found it to be...I guess "muffled" would be the best way to describe it. Especially after playing the plexi clone which is (I mean was ) so up front and in your face. Now, if I only played a strat the LSC probably would have hung around longer but the lack of sparkle was so apparent with the LP (I also play a '58 ) that I had to kick it to the curb.

I guess I know what to expect with the Stiletto and am just wondering if the MIV has enough top end on tap to at least reasonably emulate classic Marshall tones. Also--can't that amp handle el34s? Not that changing power tubes makes that much of a difference in the voicing of an amp but I did think that was the case. The lure of a super flexible amp is quite strong, and I am not particularly interested in cloning any particular tone.

Anyway, thanks for the reply!

 

[Platypus]

I owned the Lonestar and found it to be...I guess "muffled" would be the best way to describe it. Especially after playing the plexi clone which is (I mean was ) so up front and in your face. Now, if I only played a strat the LSC probably would have hung around longer but the lack of sparkle was so apparent with the LP (I also play a '58 ) that I had to kick it to the curb.

I guess I know what to expect with the Stiletto and am just wondering if the MIV has enough top end on tap to at least reasonably emulate classic Marshall tones. Also--can't that amp handle el34s? Not that changing power tubes makes that much of a difference in the voicing of an amp but I did think that was the case. The lure of a super flexible amp is quite strong, and I am not particularly interested in cloning any particular tone.

Anyway, thanks for the reply!

I personally don't think the MarkIV will give you Marshall tones as well as the Stiletto will. The first channel of the Stiletto IS a plexi clone. The second is a hot-rodded marshall tone like jcm800 style.

 

[jpage]

I bought and promptly returned a Stiletto head as soon as it came out and was not impressed. I've owned several super lead type amps and I can tell you that Mesa missed the mark. Now, apparently they have made improvements on the design but I have not had a chance to try one out. What did they change from the original? Did they repair/modify the version 1's that were released and sold?

I really need to try these out for myself...

 

[Platypus]

I bought and promptly returned a Stiletto head as soon as it came out and was not impressed. I've owned several super lead type amps and I can tell you that Mesa missed the mark. Now, apparently they have made improvements on the design but I have not had a chance to try one out. What did they change from the original? Did they repair/modify the version 1's that were released and sold?

I really need to try these out for myself...

lol.. it's like you're reading my mind here. I too bought a series I stiletto and promptly returned it 2 weeks later. It's a lot more gainy now and the clean channel is way better in my opinon but that could be because of the combo. I didn't care for the new stiletto head as much as I did the new ace combo. It just lacked 'something'

I was VERY suspicious of buying a Stiletto again after my first bad run, but the Ace just f' nails that tone I hear in my head.

Don't forget when you demo it to USE THE OUTPUT CONTROL as a master volume control, it really opens the amp up.