Is there a boutique amp that sounds better than the LSC

[Pageburst]

I've been through a bunch of /13's, a couple of different Carr Amps, several Fuchs ODSs and more than one Bruno.

While they are all great amps none of them provided a more satifying rock -n roll tone than the LSC either clean or dirty.

While tonally the LSC was second to none I did feel that several of the above boutique amps noticably bested the LSC in terms of touch sensitivity. But now with a set of EL34l and the LSC on tweed mode the LSC has gobs of touch sensitivity reminds me in particular of a vintage marshall a buddy of mine has. It's like it breathes with you

Anyway has anyone tried a boutique amp that blew away there LSC or vice versa. Would love to hear some comments regarding this

 

[jdurso]

I've been through a bunch of /13's, a couple of different Carr Amps, several Fuchs ODSs and more than one Bruno.

While they are all great amps none of them provided a more satifying rock -n roll tone than the LSC either clean or dirty.

While tonally the LSC was second to none I did feel that several of the above boutique amps noticably bested the LSC in terms of touch sensitivity. But now with a set of EL34l and the LSC on tweed mode the LSC has gobs of touch sensitivity reminds me in particular of a vintage marshall a buddy of mine has. It's like it breathes with you

Anyway has anyone tried a boutique amp that blew away there LSC or vice versa. Would love to hear some comments regarding this

i really dig some of the bad cats (cant remeber the ones ive played), the dr z 38 SR, and the victorias but i also think those are one trick ponies that have their own sound..... what i love about the lone stars is the flexibility (2 awesome channels and some of the extras you find on the mesa products that some of the boutique companies stay away from).... i think the lone star as a whole stands its own among the amps both you and i have mentioned.... and if the lone star tone is what your after your saving yourself a lot of $$$$

 

[BobL]

Some of the Bad Cats are up to the task, Gibsons GA40RVT gives it a run for the money at half the price, Dr. Z has some that sound a little better, and of course if you could ever find a Dumble there would be no contest. But all in all it doesn't get much better than a Lonestar depending on your needs.

 

[fishyfishfish]

Nope.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

I think the Clean Cleans on the Shiva are better....but the Shiva does not break-up...so the Texas Blues/SRV tones are not there w/o a pedal.....yet the LSC has it in spades, plus the power options -- not in the Shiva

...And channel 2 on the Shiva >> LSC

 

[djw]

Funny, seems to be quite the low-activity thread. I don't know if I should be psyched that I have the best-sounding combo out there, or if I wish there was more to be said about this. C'mon, we can't have it that good, can we? Who's going to school us?

 

[LSCMan]

Don't know about boutique, but a Super Reverb is pretty hard to beat.

 

[djw]

While tonally the LSC was second to none I did feel that several of the above boutique amps noticably bested the LSC in terms of touch sensitivity. But now with a set of EL34l and the LSC on tweed mode the LSC has gobs of touch sensitivity reminds me in particular of a vintage marshall a buddy of mine has. It's like it breathes with you

Hey Pageburst, what kind of EL34s are you using? I didn;t like the "Mesas" I tried... but I want what you describe.

 

[boogie shoes]

hey I have 34's in mine too, tweed setting is sweet as honey.......I have a head pushing a recto vert 2x12 and that thing just roars or purrs what ever you ask of it. LSC friggin rules.

 

[djw]

hey I have 34's in mine too, tweed setting is sweet as honey.......I have a head pushing a recto vert 2x12 and that thing just roars or purrs what ever you ask of it. LSC friggin rules.

Awesome... what KIND of EL34s, please?

 

[boogie shoes]

boogie tubes, I want to retube it though, I bought it used and it came with the 6's and a set of 34's it has all boogie pre tubes too. I will bet some of the tube combos at dougs or eurotubes will really sweeten it up. but yeah the 6's that came with it where well worn so I popped in the 34's they were new...........man crunchy beautiful tones. it loves classic rock, aerosmith, vanhalen .....you gotta try it.

 

[sfarnell]

I own a nice LSC w/winged c EL34s. It is a GREAT amp. It reminds me of my first Twin Reverb that my parents bought for me new in 1967. That said, I've owned just about every boutique amp and several do what be LSC does, only better, and they also do things the LSC can't deliver.

I love the cleans on the LSC. Very powerful with a huge amount of headroom. The lead channel is lacking IMO. I like a very smooth OD which the LSC can do, but not very well and not without spending a lot of time tweaking it. The reverb is good on the LSC but it is not great.

I know this is the Boogie board chalk full of Boogie fans, including me. I love Boogie amps and have owned just about every model. To me, the Mark IIC+ that I currently own cannot be beat by any amp, including the boutiques, for a pure rock and roll sound.

Over the last two years I've bought and sold closed to fifty amps. I've thinned the herd down to five: My LSC, a Two Rock Classic Reverb, a Two Rock Custom Reverb Sig, a Carol Ann OD2-100, and a Mesa Mark IIC+ with Simulclass and reverb. The LSC is the lowest on the totem pole and I may even sell it soon. I listed it on eBay but it didn't sell. I had offers but I'm not going to give the amp away. Here's a pic:

 

[Rudee]

By "boutique amp" you mean what exactly?

 

[djw]

Okay, I really didn't mean to hijack this topic (I'll make up for it in a sec)... I am really curious about Pageburst's selection of EL34s. Boogie shoes, sounds like you're using the same ones I am, but I didn't like the Boogie tubes at all (they're actually re-branded Sovtecs). Maybe mine are duds; I hope that if I can decide on some JJs or EHs or whatever, maybe I'll have better luck with those. My Marshall sure likes the old ones it's running on.

So I'll return us back to the boutique amp topic now...

Did anyone else see this amp shopping video essay by this shredder guy in NYC? Some pretty fun stuff, and a treat if you're like me and habitually trawl for tone clips by various amp makers. Interestingly, this guy talks about having not had much concept of actual live tone before embarking on this mission. Interesting, because he shreds like a mofo. Yikes.

Anyway, this is all only tangentially relevant in relation to the LSC because we Lone Star heads seem to be more focused on the sweetness of the straight-ahead clean tone more than on how much gain the amp can produce.

I've never owned anything more boutique than a Boogie, but my other two amps are coveted old classics (lucky me!) and so far I have not been fortunate enough to play through anything else that made me want to sell any of my current amps.

That said... My limited in-store experience with a Victoria was pretty nice, and the sound clips on their site are beautiful. I love the way they break up in that crisp, crackly way with no flub. They're one-trick as well, but it's a pretty nice trick. But again, for features and versatility on top of a truly fine baseline, I haven't played anything nicer than my LSC.

 

[djw]

...I love the cleans on the LSC. Very powerful with a huge amount of headroom. The lead channel is lacking IMO. I like a very smooth OD which the LSC can do, but not very well and not without spending a lot of time tweaking it. The reverb is good on the LSC but it is not great...

Over the last two years I've bought and sold closed to fifty amps. I've thinned the herd down to five: My LSC, a Two Rock Classic Reverb, a Two Rock Custom Reverb Sig, a Carol Ann OD2-100, and a Mesa Mark IIC+ with Simulclass and reverb. The LSC is the lowest on the totem pole and I may even sell it soon. I listed it on eBay but it didn't sell. I had offers but I'm not going to give the amp away. ...

Ok, NOW we're getting somewhere. A pair of Two Rocks... holy guacamole, dude. 8) That's a beautiful Lone Star, too.

And Rudee, I'd venture a rough definition of Boutique as being small production numbers, largely handmade, produced by a company that isn't a large conglomerate or a subsidiary of one (e.g., Fender, Marshall). That narrows things down quite a bit, probably... you probably could add more criteria, like production actually takes place at or near the corporate address of the maker (no outsourcing to Mexico, for example). And then there's plain old cred.

Is that a fair description?

 

[edgarallanpoe]

I have one of the first Bordeauxs from Fargen Amplification. Much better amp than the LSC. I use my RK live because I play in a cover band and the RK gives me the flexibility that I need, but my Fargen is the best sounding amp I have ever heard and I have owned all the big boys in the boutique market.

 

[wastoid]

The LSC is the lowest on the totem pole and I may even sell it soon. I listed it on eBay but it didn't sell. I had offers but I'm not going to give the amp away. Here's a pic:

Heh, I saw you post this on craigslist. Me and a friend were admiring the nice flame on that cabinet.

(I'm in San Mateo)

 

[MrMarkIII]

Anyway has anyone tried a boutique amp that blew away there (sic) LSC or vice versa. Would love to hear some comments regarding this

The "Mark III", I believe it's called.
Louder than a LSC.
More complex tone.
Easier to throw in the trunk.
Did I mention it's louder?