Gearing up for a new MESA! Which should I buy?

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zappaslaughter

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Hey Gang!!

I have been playing through a very old fender Concert series for about two decades now, and it is finally time to upgrade. After a couple of weeks of research I narrowed my list down to either a MESA (maybe the Lonstar or Stelleto), a fender "the Twin" or the HK switchblade.

I have always wanted a Mesa boogie amp since I was a wee lad, mostly for nostalgia because I grew up down the road from them in Sonoma County.

I play mostly blues / funk / rock...maybe a touch of the heavy stuff when the mood strikes. I am really looking for an amp that has a similiar clean tone to my Fender Concert series with a much more heavy distortion channel. Basically a very versitile amp.

Any thoughts?
 
the Road King does indeed look like the grand pappy of all amps, however I do balk a bit at the 2500 buck price tag. I was thinking in the 1500 to 2000 dollar price range. Does it really have that much more bang for my buck? Do you guys recomend I get a combo amp or a head 2x12 cabset up? I do worry about amp rattle, which i have read can be a issue with the combo amps.
 
Get a head and a cab... much easier to carry. Well you could get the roadster which is just a RK minus the progressive linkage.
 
I have read the lonestar special and classic have mesa's best clean sounds..the head and cab is what i have been eyeballing right now. Does anyone have any experience with the custom feature Mesa has to offer, and how much they cost?

say for a custom grilll and color?
 
I have a RKII and because I play indoors in my bedroom it doesn't get too loud, but when i do rarely play and jam, or just go all out and blare it, it definitely Woos me. Like he said, Roadster might be for you. Although it is cool to be able to choose your power tube setup in the King, would you also want to assign independent cabs to channels?
 
what would you say sets the roadster apart from the lonestar?
It almost seems that he lonstar series has more options with the rectifier watt options...i could play low wattage at home..and higher when I do get out to jam. 4 chanels is defenatley cool but i think i can survive on2; a claen and drive channe.


i see it is a little more pricey. Does it have cleans as good as the lonestar in your opinion?

What do you guys think of a 1x12 combo on a 1x12 extension cab?
 
The Lonestar Special breaks up at a much earlier stage
then the Lonestar Classic ...

If you like the pristine clean of a Twin, remember it is famous
for the amount of headroom it can keep at loud volumes...

I bought a Twin recently & took it back for the Lonestar Classic..
which has just as much headroom as a Twin, but with an even more pleasing tone...(IMHO) & a much better overdrive channel.

The Special is a great sounding amp,
but with the EL84's it breaks up very early which gives it a touch of grit...
which is a great sound for those who desire this...

However, when it comes to crystal clean tones at stage volumes,
you can't beat a Lonestar Classic... it's an amazing sound!
 
zappaslaughter said:
I have read the lonestar special and classic have mesa's best clean sounds..the head and cab is what i have been eyeballing right now. Does anyone have any experience with the custom feature Mesa has to offer, and how much they cost?

say for a custom grilll and color?
Click to expand...

I think The LoneStar is the amp for you . keep in mind they have just updated it for 2007 . It now has a 10 watt option as well . So now you have 10/50/100 watt option . Its not a instant gratification amp but I asssure you that the sweet spots are in there . Leather coverings are $319 and embossed leather coverings are $419. Having said that Im a huge Stiletto fan but Im not sure if thats the amp for you considering the playing styles you mentioned .

www.toyzzband.com
 
I had a Concert, Twin and a Dual Showman. I've also had the LSS and a Roadster with a 2x12 cab (just swapped that for an open back Roadking combo, on order). The cleans you're used too you're not going to get on the Mesas IMO. They're sweet, a lot of character, but not as glassy as the Fender.
I like the Mesa sound, it's just an adjustment for old Fender players like us. :lol: The Roadster, with it's closed back V30s was more voiced for higher gain than I was used to, so I'm hoping the Roadking will indeed give the LSC sound, which I like.
Best setup- any of the above with a good A/B and your trusty Fender.
 
i used a vibrolux then went to a twin the evil one which i hated the sound of a twin reverb best amp fender made.but i got tired of the fender sound
i now have a lss 2x12 i play country,classic rock,blues and i find this amp plenty loud enough for gigs.but (imho) its great with single coils i use a fender tele with it. but humbuckers i have a les paul with humbuckers and it break's up to early and its a lot of messing on stage to clean up the amp mind you ch2 my les paul just sings in that ch.so i am on the fence whether or not get the lsc or just go all out and get the rk.II but i'm not getting rid of my lss its a great little amp and just kick's *** on stage!
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I am leaning the way of the LSC, but I did just find a used duel recto half stack for 1500 used by my home. Does this ams have a good clean sound, or is the LSC the best clean sound you can get from Mesa. Also thanks Barry for the custom info. anyone else out there buy a custom job? I wonder how much the wood faced models cost. Probably an arm. leg and my first born.
 
zappaslaughter said:
Thanks for the tips guys. I am leaning the way of the LSC, but I did just find a used duel recto half stack for 1500 used by my home. Does this ams have a good clean sound, or is the LSC the best clean sound you can get from Mesa. Also thanks Barry for the custom info. anyone else out there buy a custom job? I wonder how much the wood faced models cost. Probably an arm. leg and my first born.
Click to expand...

premier hardwood, leather or suede front panels - $159
private reserve hardwood or embossed leather front panels - $199

I do think the LSC would be better than the LSS for you . I may go for more custom stuff on my next Mesa. I do have gold grille cloth on my rig .You should try to play through both the LSC and the LSS if possible . its an investment and take your time .
 
you betcha Barry. Thanks again for those custom prices too. I figure if im going to shell out that much cash, might as well make a work of art too. Going to my "local" dealership tomorrow. (bout an hour away).

Going to test drive both models in an isolation booth so i can get them smoking.

thanks again gang, for taking the time to reply.

you guys rock!
 
zappaslaughter said:
you betcha Barry. Thanks again for those custom prices too. I figure if im going to shell out that much cash, might as well make a work of art too. Going to my "local" dealership tomorrow. (bout an hour away).

Going to test drive both models in an isolation booth so i can get them smoking.

thanks again gang, for taking the time to reply.

you guys rock!
Click to expand...

Go for it . All the custom options are on the mesa site . they have some new embossed leathers like ostrich hide as well . Looks cool too . Saw some at the NAMM show . If you can you ought to ask the dealer to put a set of EL34s in the LSC just so you can get the entire scope of the amp . They usually come stock with 6L6s. Take your own guitars along . preferebly something with humbuckers and single coils . Have checked out the custom gallery on the Mesa site ? you can get some ideas from it . Would love to hear what you end up with .

www.toyzzband.com
 
This is just an assumtion based on what I've been hearing/told about headroom...

It is basically how loud you can push your amp without introducing any unwanted distortion or breakup. Having an amp with lots of headroom means you can get a very clean sound at higher volumes.

Normally it seems that a 100 watt Mesa (LSC, RKs, DRs, etc.) or any 100 watt amp for that matter has much more headroom than say a LSS with the power switch turned to 5 watts. There are other variables that go into achieving more "headroom" which include speakers, BOLD instead of spongy, and using the silicon diode rectifier instead of the rectifier tubes.
 

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