I noticed something cool on Boogie's website!

[BostonRedSox]

They have ED clips now, much like the clips Mesa added for the newer amps. Go to the ED link here:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/electradyne/electradyne.html#gpm1_4

 

[J.J]

Thats a pretty good video, thanks for sharing. Seems to represent the ED tones quite well.

I really like the second clip with that classic rock tone.

 

[BostonRedSox]

I liked the first clean clip and the Hendrix Solo clip most.

 

[jeffp]

I noticed this quite a while back. The sounds are incredible.They did influence me on my decision to finally go with the ED. it`s going to be a long couple weeks before mine arrives. Along with MB Marcus Daniel video and Mitch video at Sweetwater i was searching for all the info i could get and this board dished it out!. Being from a small town,not having heard or seen one anywhere, and the unavailable help from the nearest dealer(Story on it`s own) you guys are a very big part in my decision to go with it. I really like this board. There`s a lot that can be learned talking to others about their experiences and opinions and how they hear things.Thanks guys. I hope you have room for one more on the site because"I`m in"! jeffp
Electra Dyne
2 x 12 rectifier cab
G System

 

[ifailedshapes]

I noticed this quite a while back. The sounds are incredible.They did influence me on my decision to finally go with the ED. it`s going to be a long couple weeks before mine arrives. Along with MB Marcus Daniel video and Mitch video at Sweetwater i was searching for all the info i could get and this board dished it out!. Being from a small town,not having heard or seen one anywhere, and the unavailable help from the nearest dealer(Story on it`s own) you guys are a very big part in my decision to go with it. I really like this board. There`s a lot that can be learned talking to others about their experiences and opinions and how they hear things.Thanks guys. I hope you have room for one more on the site because"I`m in"! jeffp
Electra Dyne
2 x 12 rectifier cab
G System

This board is perhaps the friendliest public forum on the internet. We're glad to have you, too!

I'm really curious to hear your opinion on the Electra Dyne because it's an amp I'm considering, too. I've realized that the Stiletto Ace is an amp that I love, but it's not the right fit for my only amp. I really wish I could afford to keep it AND get something else, but that's just not happening. My wife and I have a 15 month-old daughter, and I'm a stay-at-home dad right now, so my music habit has to be sustained by selling other gear.

Anyway, I kinda got off track there. I'm really looking for something warmer. I've got my eyes on the following:

Lone Stars - I've played through both the Special and Classic multiple times, but I've never really compared them directly. I'm leaning towards the Classic, but I just love how the Special looks with the brown/cream combination.

Mark V - This is on my list because of its 3 channels. I know that the clean channel rivals the Lone Star, and I also know that I will love channel 2. The wild card is channel 3.

Dual Rec - I started paying attention to popular music in the late 90's, and I just can't help but love the sound of a Rectifier. For my own music, though, I'm not sure it's the best fit. When watching the demo vids, I think the only mode in channels 2 & 3 I would ever use is Raw, and that just seems like a waste to me. I can say with greater than 90% certainty that this won't be my next amp, but hey, that leaves ~ 10% that it might be.

Electra Dyne - This amp seems too good to be true. I'm a very leery of shared tone controls (I understand it actually uses stacked pots) because of my experiences with the Mark IV and trying to find the balance between R1 and R2. The same amp also made me realize that I don't like having one global reverb control. Also, the foot switch is less than ideal as I would prefer to have instant access to all 3 sounds. Anyway, all of those would instantly become minor nuisances if the tone was spot on. Sadly, my dealer sucks at keeping things in stock, so I've never had a chance to play through one, and I refuse to purchase something that I haven't tried in person. My money is too valuable right now.

And finally the Fender Super Sonic 22 - I went to demo a couple G&L's last week and played them through this amp. I actually walked away more impressed with the amp than the guitars. I prefer Mesa's build quality and customer service, but this amp is a lot cheaper than everything else on my list and it sounds incredible. The lack of a master volume isn't my ideal setup, and the clean channel is great... if you like clean. Because this is a non-master volume amp, there is no way to get the clean channel to break up without excessive volume.

Oh, a few years back I played an Orange Rockerverb 50 combo and loved it. It would be interesting to play one again and see if I still feel the same way.

 

[J.J]

I've given up on the one amp idea. I see it along the lines of food, if you only had bread to eat, you could live, but you would not be happy. Personally if I had to do the desert island thing I'd probably go with an Axe FX.

Guitars are similar. I was trying to figure out what I would keep if I could only have one. I soon reailsed if I could not keep a Strat, my Tele my SG and my LP I'd be unhappy fast. My guitars out weight my amps around 2:1

Back to the amps, can the ED do everything ? No, but it can do most of what I want very well. It has the Fender sounds I want (Black face) covered to a very high level and on the other side it does Marshall from the early days into the 80's. Still, I have the DRRI and the Express 5:25 for variation. I also have a JCM800 because it looks cool :lol:

When I compare the MKV to the ED the MKV easily wins for veratility, but you have to work with it. Way more options means way more setting up and much tweeking. There are plenty of compromises that can eat away at you for both amps if you let them.

After 6 months the shared tone is still working well for me. I do use the EQ to fine tune, but don't find that I am changing things between the modes. The gain and master controls get the most use.

I would not have taken home an ED if I did not have the luxury of testing multiple times at the shop though.

Ifailedshapes, do you have another guitar besides your Strat ? Personally I'm a Strat guy, but have found that I did have to go to the dark side (Gibson with humbuckers) to get some classic tones. Despite being a Strat guy I generally use a Gibson in the band these days as the other guitar player has a Strat. Getting a new guitar can be like getting a new amp.

 

[jeffp]

very interesting. I kept my eq thinking it may come in very handy with the ED. how do you set it up to suit you? jeffp

 

[ifailedshapes]

I've given up on the one amp idea. I see it along the lines of food, if you only had bread to eat, you could live, but you would not be happy. Personally if I had to do the desert island thing I'd probably go with an Axe FX.

Guitars are similar. I was trying to figure out what I would keep if I could only have one. I soon reailsed if I could not keep a Strat, my Tele my SG and my LP I'd be unhappy fast. My guitars out weight my amps around 2:1

Back to the amps, can the ED do everything ? No, but it can do most of what I want very well. It has the Fender sounds I want (Black face) covered to a very high level and on the other side it does Marshall from the early days into the 80's. Still, I have the DRRI and the Express 5:25 for variation. I also have a JCM800 because it looks cool :lol:

When I compare the MKV to the ED the MKV easily wins for veratility, but you have to work with it. Way more options means way more setting up and much tweeking. There are plenty of compromises that can eat away at you for both amps if you let them.

After 6 months the shared tone is still working well for me. I do use the EQ to fine tune, but don't find that I am changing things between the modes. The gain and master controls get the most use.

I would not have taken home an ED if I did not have the luxury of testing multiple times at the shop though.

Ifailedshapes, do you have another guitar besides your Strat ? Personally I'm a Strat guy, but have found that I did have to go to the dark side (Gibson with humbuckers) to get some classic tones. Despite being a Strat guy I generally use a Gibson in the band these days as the other guitar player has a Strat. Getting a new guitar can be like getting a new amp.

JJ, thanks for your response. I'm not looking for "one amp to rule them all." I just don't have enough money to have two nice amps, and I refuse to buy a piece of crap just because it's "different." (Wow, I can't believe that I used quotation marks twice!) If I had the money, I'd probably own no less than 4 amps, with the Ace being one of them, but seeing as how my 28th birthday is next Saturday, I've still got lots of time to build up my collection.

Regarding the Strat, yeah, my dad and I share guitars. I just talked with him earlier today about giving him the Strat (which is way nicer than his Strat) and taking back a PRS Hollowbody. That guitar is just tasty. It's not bright; it's not dark; it just has this inherent warmth, and the two pickups contrast each other nicely. He was saying he might actually buy my Ace, but whether he takes it or not, I'm pretty confident that it has to go.

From the videos I've seen and all the comments I've read, the Electra Dyne will most likely be my next amp. A used ED will be less than a used MkV, if I can even find one. It seems like most people are holding on to these, and that says something that really piques my interest.

 

[J.J]

very interesting. I kept my eq thinking it may come in very handy with the ED. how do you set it up to suit you? jeffp

Jeff, I meant EQ on the amp. I do have a Boss GE7 with the Monte Allam mods which I mainly use for experimenting. I had it in the loop last night to see if I could add back the tone that long cables were taking away. Boosting the last 3 sliders a fraction works better than I thought.

I also used to use it to knock off some of the low and sub low bass, but have since found the amps bass control can do that too :mrgreen:

An EQ would get some good use if you want some variation mid song or whatever. I'm finding that when I have great tone, I just want to keep playing.

This might sound odd, but the ED's Marshall like vintage gain gives you some dynamic tone control. On the the Vintage low mode if you need to be brighter and cut through more, dig into the strings harder. If you need more mellow tone back off a little. At first I stuggled with controling this, but over time it has become almost second nature. My Express 5:25 on the other hand is quite compressed sounding and is not dynaic enough to do this.

 

[J.J]

JJ, thanks for your response. I'm not looking for "one amp to rule them all." I just don't have enough money to have two nice amps, and I refuse to buy a piece of crap just because it's "different." (Wow, I can't believe that I used quotation marks twice!) If I had the money, I'd probably own no less than 4 amps, with the Ace being one of them, but seeing as how my 28th birthday is next Saturday, I've still got lots of time to build up my collection.

Regarding the Strat, yeah, my dad and I share guitars. I just talked with him earlier today about giving him the Strat (which is way nicer than his Strat) and taking back a PRS Hollowbody. That guitar is just tasty. It's not bright; it's not dark; it just has this inherent warmth, and the two pickups contrast each other nicely. He was saying he might actually buy my Ace, but whether he takes it or not, I'm pretty confident that it has to go.

From the videos I've seen and all the comments I've read, the Electra Dyne will most likely be my next amp. A used ED will be less than a used MkV, if I can even find one. It seems like most people are holding on to these, and that says something that really piques my interest.

I read your post in the Stiletto sub forum. Sounds like you have a bright Strat. I have 3 Strats and they are all very different. My first Strat was an old Japanese 57RI that I got to see if I'd like Strats. That guitar has had 3 sets of pickups and I never did get it to sound like I wanted. It just doesn't have that sparkle or thump. I played probably 20 more until I found what I wanted, a 62' RI hot rod. It is quite a dark sounding guitar, but has the most dynamic and sharp attack. The top end is there, but I have to turn up the trebble to bring it out.

I know you are probably going to have to change amps, but the other thing that may be a bigger problem than you know is the C90 speaker you use. The C90 has more top end than the V30. Side by side the V30 always sounds rolled off to me. Where the V30 does sound bright and in your face is in the mids, it can be harsh, but never quite seems to get to the knife edge of a C90. I have not played that combination, but Imagine an Ace with a C90 could take the paint off walls.

Anyway, with the ED it works with all my Strats and my Gibsons. For the gain modes it does seem to like Higher output pickups. None of my guitars have high outputs pickups, but the Fender 57/62 tends to sound week in the gain modes. The humbuckers really get things going. The ED has plenty of gain, but not as much as a Stiletto.

I'd love to tell you the ED is perfect for you (and it could be), but the LSC really needs some looking at. A real bummer you can't test things for your self. If I was only using a Strat the LSC would have done the trick. The dedicated Clean channel will cover more ground than the ED for sure and Ch2 can give another great clean, but also has some great gain tones. Ch2 is smoother, has more gain and is more modern sounding than the ED to my ears. What made the decision easy for me was that I could not get good tones from Ch2 with my Les Paul.

I have only seen one second hand ED here. The other guys that I know with them work in the music shop and have had them for a while. I have seen a number of second hand MKVs though. I just checked my serial number and its only around 1300. given that the build date is only 8 months ago the reaility is the there just are not many EDs around. The MKV probably outsells the ED 10:1, it is much more attractive on paper

There was a guy here that plays Strats and traded his ED for a Lonestar. He told us the LSC was much better for him.

 

[ifailedshapes]

I know you are probably going to have to change amps, but the other thing that may be a bigger problem than you know is the C90 speaker you use. The C90 has more top end than the V30. Side by side the V30 always sounds rolled off to me. Where the V30 does sound bright and in your face is in the mids, it can be harsh, but never quite seems to get to the knife edge of a C90. I have not played that combination, but Imagine an Ace with a C90 could take the paint off walls.

You have a good point, and I have thought about this before. I know a V30 would be a better match, and when I demoed the Ace at my dealer it was always with V30s. The Stilettos are just bright amps, and I don't say that as a complaint; it's just their nature. I like it, but I've decided it would be a better second amp. I'm confident I will own another one someday. Hopefully Mesa keeps making them for at least a couple more years, as I'd really like to customize an Ace combo.

I certainly haven't counted out the LSC, and like I said earlier, I will never purchase something without playing one first. Also, I am not a Strat guy. My philosophy is that guitars are tools. Would you limit your toolbox to just one screwdriver? So with that beng said, I own a Strat, but also have the PRS Hollowbody which is a totally different sound. They both have their place, but I'm thinking the PRS is what I want for now. Give me a year, and I'll change my mind again. Another guitar I really want to add is a G&L ASAT, though I'm not sure which one yet. My in-laws live in Olympia, WA, and Pro Guitar Shop is in Portland, so I plan on stopping by to demo whatever G&L's they have.