Its come down to Stiletto Trident Vs. Triple Rec Vs. Mark IV

[gnarwailnmt]

So,
i have the frogskins for a new amp, finally i get to buy a NEW piece of equipment again.
I live in a hole, and a six hour drive to a larger city wont guarantee me that they'll have a trident, triple rec or mark IV.
So im asking all you tone and amp gurus out there.

I play in drop c, and i want an amp with lead and clean channels, independent eq and volume control of course.

Im in the price range of the Triple Rec, the Trident or the Mark IV.

Drop c, metal/funk. So i need smooth, tasty cleans and tight, balls deep, chainsaw meets skull gain tone.

Debate!

 

[MasterTrax]

I'm guessing you will like the Triple Rec best, Mark IV next, and Stiletto the least.

IMO the Mark IV is the most versatile of the bunch, but you didn't say versatile, you said "i need smooth, tasty cleans and tight, balls deep, chainsaw meets skull gain tone" and the Recto will shovel it to you on these tones. The Mark might out-do the Recto on the cleans (depending on your tastes) but the Recto will rule when you want rhythm tones which will leave giant footprints in solid concrete.

The Stiletto will likely not have the thunderous bottom end you are looking for. It's a great amp and has gobs of available gain, but for what you are asking it would be far down my list of amps to try.

Let us know what you end up with, and happy hunting.

 

[phyrexia]

I've only played one Trident but I think it would rattle your skull quite nicely.

Do you need a three channel amp or are you going to use pedals and stuff?

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

I'm guessing you will like the Triple Rec best, Mark IV next, and Stiletto the least.

IMO the Mark IV is the most versatile of the bunch, but you didn't say versatile, you said "i need smooth, tasty cleans and tight, balls deep, chainsaw meets skull gain tone" and the Recto will shovel it to you on these tones. The Mark might out-do the Recto on the cleans (depending on your tastes) but the Recto will rule when you want rhythm tones which will leave giant footprints in solid concrete.

The Stiletto will likely not have the thunderous bottom end you are looking for. It's a great amp and has gobs of available gain, but for what you are asking it would be far down my list of amps to try.

Let us know what you end up with, and happy hunting.

Hi there . . .

. . .do not want to hi-jack this thread, but i do have a Stiletto question !

I live 8hours away from the nearest Mesa dealer.
So most of my info comes from the net, and helpfull folks on this forum !

Question :

How would you, or anyone else, describe a Stiletto tone vs. a Marshall TSL/DSL type tone ?

I am looking for an alternative Britt tone. Everyone and his dog has a Marshall (do they know something i do not ?). I want that tone, but i also do not want to follow the flok of sheep. Or do they use Marshall because it is the best Britt-voiced amp out there ?

youtube is not much of a help, as ALL the clips sound sooooo terbely, and you say the Stiletto has gobs of thumping bass (that is what i am looking for - a dark voiced amp) but youtube makes me think it has ZERO bass.

Any help will be greatfull !
Cheers
Jack

 

[AustinK]

i would vote for the recto. If you need a good lead though i vote for the mark . The stilleto is probably a little too vintage for your needs.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

PS . . .

. . . and just like the OP, i play mostly in Drop C !

 

[gnarwailnmt]

yeah. i had heard that the stiletto's sound like marshalls. I didn't like the jcm 900 i played, and i had messed around with it for a month before i realized it didnt have the mid crunch.

I do want versatility. I have a pedalboard with a chorus, delay, wah, and variety of distortion boxes.

I know lamb od god plays mark IV's, and im not talking about thier studio recordings because god only knows how much tweaking they do to get that lustful sound. but live, they just run mark IV's, no pedal board...so i crave that gain.

I have a rectoverb 50, and i do not like the distortion. the background hum is the start of the problem. then i just cant get it to eq the way i want. Ive tried the facotry settings and posted a few other times seeking rectoverb settings and still havent found that sound. I dig the clean sound and the reverb control. Im just worried that a triple rect will have the exact same gain...even though the trips have more tone shaping options.

I guess my appeal to the trident was the tone shaping switches.

And i guess the mark Iv would give me the most options at once, plus reverb.

I do want multiple channels. At least a clean and gain, with separate eqs and such, which is why im looking into 2 and 3 channel amps.

So if i dont like the marshall tone, it looks like its down to the Trip Rect and the Mark IV.

Thanks for all the replies, this really helps me out.
Keep it coming

 

[ytse_jam]

I know lamb od god plays mark IV's, and im not talking about thier studio recordings because god only knows how much tweaking they do to get that lustful sound. but live, they just run mark IV's, no pedal board...so i crave that gain.

pay attention: not so much gain needed when you're playing in lower tunings

 

[nitrous2400]

I know lamb od god plays mark IV's, and im not talking about thier studio recordings because god only knows how much tweaking they do to get that lustful sound. but live, they just run mark IV's, no pedal board...so i crave that gain.

pay attention: not so much gain needed when you're playing in lower tunings

you need teh gain for the br00tulz ...

fig it this way the mark IV will get you tight gain but it wont sound as badass and massive as a triple recto ... the recto wont have the cleans like you want that would prob go to the markIV... if its important to you that you get a clean tone you might want to look at a bogner uberschall thats really similar to the recto and it has a pretty nice clean channel, otherwise a framus cobra will also do the same nice rhythym sound and good clean channel... theres alot of amp companies out there that are in the rectos price range if your dead set on a recto or mark IV pull the trigger but if you dont like it cuz your missing something in the equation than know that theres other companies framus, engl, bogner etc. ha good luck dude

 

[jdurso]

I'm guessing you will like the Triple Rec best, Mark IV next, and Stiletto the least.

IMO the Mark IV is the most versatile of the bunch, but you didn't say versatile, you said "i need smooth, tasty cleans and tight, balls deep, chainsaw meets skull gain tone" and the Recto will shovel it to you on these tones. The Mark might out-do the Recto on the cleans (depending on your tastes) but the Recto will rule when you want rhythm tones which will leave giant footprints in solid concrete.

The Stiletto will likely not have the thunderous bottom end you are looking for. It's a great amp and has gobs of available gain, but for what you are asking it would be far down my list of amps to try.

Let us know what you end up with, and happy hunting.

Hi there . . .

. . .do not want to hi-jack this thread, but i do have a Stiletto question !

I live 8hours away from the nearest Mesa dealer.
So most of my info comes from the net, and helpfull folks on this forum !

Question :

How would you, or anyone else, describe a Stiletto tone vs. a Marshall TSL/DSL type tone ?

I am looking for an alternative Britt tone. Everyone and his dog has a Marshall (do they know something i do not ?). I want that tone, but i also do not want to follow the flok of sheep. Or do they use Marshall because it is the best Britt-voiced amp out there ?

youtube is not much of a help, as ALL the clips sound sooooo terbely, and you say the Stiletto has gobs of thumping bass (that is what i am looking for - a dark voiced amp) but youtube makes me think it has ZERO bass.

Any help will be greatfull !
Cheers
Jack

the stiletto is a great amp and to my ears has more to offer than a marshall tsl/dsl..... i like the dynamics you get with the stiletto over the marshalls.... the amp just seems more alive...... also another great brit-sounding amp that IMO blows the walls of of marshall is the Laney VH100 and TT100.... both amps can go from sweet cleans to tight metal (think Opeth)..... IMO one of the best EL34 tube amps out there.... it definitely has its own sound as does the stiletto but both have the brit tones going on..... honestly both the laney's and the stiletto are a way better value than the tsl/dsl or even the new jvm..... those mashalls just dont do it for me

 

[secretsoundz]

yeah. i had heard that the stiletto's sound like marshalls. I didn't like the jcm 900 i played, and i had messed around with it for a month before i realized it didnt have the mid crunch.

I have a Stiletto Ace. I would describe its gain sounds as a "Marshall on steriods". The clean channel is amazing also, very Fender blackface sounding...

 

[jdurso]

yeah. i had heard that the stiletto's sound like marshalls. I didn't like the jcm 900 i played, and i had messed around with it for a month before i realized it didnt have the mid crunch.

I do want versatility. I have a pedalboard with a chorus, delay, wah, and variety of distortion boxes.

I know lamb od god plays mark IV's, and im not talking about thier studio recordings because god only knows how much tweaking they do to get that lustful sound. but live, they just run mark IV's, no pedal board...so i crave that gain.

I have a rectoverb 50, and i do not like the distortion. the background hum is the start of the problem. then i just cant get it to eq the way i want. Ive tried the facotry settings and posted a few other times seeking rectoverb settings and still havent found that sound. I dig the clean sound and the reverb control. Im just worried that a triple rect will have the exact same gain...even though the trips have more tone shaping options.

I guess my appeal to the trident was the tone shaping switches.

And i guess the mark Iv would give me the most options at once, plus reverb.

I do want multiple channels. At least a clean and gain, with separate eqs and such, which is why im looking into 2 and 3 channel amps.

So if i dont like the marshall tone, it looks like its down to the Trip Rect and the Mark IV.

Thanks for all the replies, this really helps me out.
Keep it coming

first off the trident sounds nothing like a jcm900.... probably more in the range of a tsl but i think the tridents sound is more appealing..... and i think the triples have a different tone than the rectoverbs.... there's a lot more head room and has more of a firebreathing type tone... the ROV sounds somewhat tamed at time.... mark iv to me can do what you want but its tone is a lot dryer because there's not as much saturation

IMO i think you should take a look at the roadster.... its slightly more than the triple rec but well worth the money..... the tone shaping abilities are the most powerful in any mesa minus the RK.... plus you're getting some of the best cleans mesa has out there (lonestar circuit).... there is so many different tones in the roadster you can cover almost all grounds... and again its only slightly more than a triple.... well worth the extra $$$ for lonestar cleans and tons of toneshaping options

 

[MasterTrax]

To answer the question to me about the Stiletto sound -

Let me qualify my comments by first saying that I love the old Marshall JMP sound. I also like the JTM sound. I am also a Mesa amp fan and own several models.

I have had three Stiletto models on loan here at the studio. They all sound a little different but all have the Stiletto tone. To me the Stilettos are brash and hard sounding amps with icepick highs that have to be meticulously dialed out to less than desirable effect. Stiletto fans, don't bother flaming me because this does not mean I think the amp sucks. It means I do not personally like the tones they produce, and for the reasons I listed. No amount of flames will make me like them anyway.

 

[ytse_jam]

I know lamb od god plays mark IV's, and im not talking about thier studio recordings because god only knows how much tweaking they do to get that lustful sound. but live, they just run mark IV's, no pedal board...so i crave that gain.

pay attention: not so much gain needed when you're playing in lower tunings

you need teh gain for the br00tulz ...

fig it this way the mark IV will get you tight gain but it wont sound as badass and massive as a triple recto ... the recto wont have the cleans like you want that would prob go to the markIV... if its important to you that you get a clean tone you might want to look at a bogner uberschall thats really similar to the recto and it has a pretty nice clean channel, otherwise a framus cobra will also do the same nice rhythym sound and good clean channel... theres alot of amp companies out there that are in the rectos price range if your dead set on a recto or mark IV pull the trigger but if you dont like it cuz your missing something in the equation than know that theres other companies framus, engl, bogner etc. ha good luck dude

Well I believe there's something inherently brutal in lower tunings by themselves... and I'm feeling the more defined the sound the more brutal it becomes, it's like if too much gain would smooth out the tone to me. the high gain voicing (I mean the "basic timbre") of a recto is something peculiar and a must for such brutal tones, but what adds more character to it is its looseness in my opinion, the ability to get those underground bass response

 

[gnarwailnmt]

i agree, the more defined the sound, the more brutal. Which is why i need something which will let the lower notes have that defined crunch. I do agree, that rolling back some of the gain will improve the sound. I like to have this gritty gain, which is also defined. I dont mind hiss when im playing but when im not playing that amp better not fucking hiss or whine. thats one thing i cannot stand. I played my buddies 5150 tonight, and it was ok, i didnt mind it, but i feel like i could find better.

It looks like its still the triple rec vs. MkIV...and maybe a krankenstein.

Im really digging the different opinions though

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

I'm guessing you will like the Triple Rec best, Mark IV next, and Stiletto the least.

IMO the Mark IV is the most versatile of the bunch, but you didn't say versatile, you said "i need smooth, tasty cleans and tight, balls deep, chainsaw meets skull gain tone" and the Recto will shovel it to you on these tones. The Mark might out-do the Recto on the cleans (depending on your tastes) but the Recto will rule when you want rhythm tones which will leave giant footprints in solid concrete.

The Stiletto will likely not have the thunderous bottom end you are looking for. It's a great amp and has gobs of available gain, but for what you are asking it would be far down my list of amps to try.

Let us know what you end up with, and happy hunting.

Hi there . . .

. . .do not want to hi-jack this thread, but i do have a Stiletto question !

I live 8hours away from the nearest Mesa dealer.
So most of my info comes from the net, and helpfull folks on this forum !

Question :

How would you, or anyone else, describe a Stiletto tone vs. a Marshall TSL/DSL type tone ?

I am looking for an alternative Britt tone. Everyone and his dog has a Marshall (do they know something i do not ?). I want that tone, but i also do not want to follow the flok of sheep. Or do they use Marshall because it is the best Britt-voiced amp out there ?

youtube is not much of a help, as ALL the clips sound sooooo terbely, and you say the Stiletto has gobs of thumping bass (that is what i am looking for - a dark voiced amp) but youtube makes me think it has ZERO bass.

Any help will be greatfull !
Cheers
Jack

the stiletto is a great amp and to my ears has more to offer than a marshall tsl/dsl..... i like the dynamics you get with the stiletto over the marshalls.... the amp just seems more alive...... also another great brit-sounding amp that IMO blows the walls of of marshall is the Laney VH100 and TT100.... both amps can go from sweet cleans to tight metal (think Opeth)..... IMO one of the best EL34 tube amps out there.... it definitely has its own sound as does the stiletto but both have the brit tones going on..... honestly both the laney's and the stiletto are a way better value than the tsl/dsl or even the new jvm..... those mashalls just dont do it for me

WOW - thanx for the feeback !

I too do not like the "new" JVM's - not my type of sound !

My only concern about the Stiletto Deuce (stage I and more so the II) is that i am affraid that the bass response is going to be too tight for my liking ! I like a loose bass response, i.e. NOT tight, like all the modern amps (Rec's, VHT's, Diezel and the like !)

When i say loose bass, think Fu Manchu/Electric Wizard.

Can the Deuce do "loose bass" ?

Many thanx again !
Jack

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Double Post

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Double Post

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Double post

 

[gnarwailnmt]

Well. After lots of thinking, im still kinda stuck between a mark IV, a triple rec and the krankenstein.

I just got off the line with the nearest mesa dealer, and they said they can get me a new mark IV for 1899. which is pretty killer.

I think im going with the mark Iv, versatility over power. I also feel it has that amazing gain response because its not using the quad power tube section to push out 100 or even 120 watts, its pushing out 85, meaning it will be able to push more gain..right?

Anyways, Im leaning towards the Mark IV, with the krank and triple rec beating each other up for second. I dont mind that dude asking about stilettos because i was curious too, and still kind of am.

But for all of you out there...Its the mark IV...to the triple rec/krankenstein.

We're in the final inning as im making my desicion...keep it rolling