Just got my new Deuce Stage II - Wow

[les_paul_gold_top]

Well gentlemen (and ladies of course), I got my long awaited Deuce last week. I am a Marshall guy through and through, until now. I had to give up my beloved '73 50 watter because of set retooling. I went to my backup 50w watt JCM800 for a short period of time before ordering this amp. All I have to say is - wow. How much easier is it to play than any of the Marshalls. I cut through ten or twelve tunes - involving cleaning up the tone at times (relatively speaking – I was a Marshall guy don’t forget) and had no problems what so ever - extremely versatile. This amp really sings - I have had nothing but compliments from my band.

Since I have always been a tube switcher - and I have quite the collection from the Marshalls - I was wondering about what you guys have done in terms of changing tubes. In the past, I used the JJ's everywhere because the original 73 config was way too bright - then I snipped the bright cap and stayed with the JJ's. I just hate to tinker with something so very cool!

By the way - my first MESA (and tube amp for that matter) was a mid 80's SOB 60 watter - EV speaker with an EV extension cabinet. The guys at Mesa added an effects loop, and also changed it over to EL34's for me - pretty cool I'm back...

I also got rid of my reissue Marshall Cabinet - and bought a 4 x 12 Stiletto cab - I actually played that with the Marshall for a week - there is a difference between those cabinets!

Thanks a lot guys - I used this group a lot before I purchased the amp...

By the way - I have been playing for 25 years, play classic hard rock, and newer stuff now, I play an Eric Johnson Strat (changed the pickups for versatility), and a 1988 Les Paul Gold Top - Showcase - (also changed the pickups). I also have a 1991 Gibson J200 as well....

Tim

 

[siggy14]

Welcome aboard, i am working on getting my stiletto as we speak. I played an ace at a GC and loved the tone.

So tell me, what speakers were in the marshall cab, and how do you find them to be different?

Well gentlemen (and ladies of course), I got my long awaited Deuce last week. I am a Marshall guy through and through, until now. I had to give up my beloved '73 50 watter because of set retooling. I went to my backup 50w watt JCM800 for a short period of time before ordering this amp. All I have to say is - wow. How much easier is it to play than any of the Marshalls. I cut through ten or twelve tunes - involving cleaning up the tone at times (relatively speaking – I was a Marshall guy don’t forget) and had no problems what so ever - extremely versatile. This amp really sings - I have had nothing but compliments from my band.

Since I have always been a tube switcher - and I have quite the collection from the Marshalls - I was wondering about what you guys have done in terms of changing tubes. In the past, I used the JJ's everywhere because the original 73 config was way too bright - then I snipped the bright cap and stayed with the JJ's. I just hate to tinker with something so very cool!

By the way - my first MESA (and tube amp for that matter) was a mid 80's SOB 60 watter - EV speaker with an EV extension cabinet. The guys at Mesa added an effects loop, and also changed it over to EL34's for me - pretty cool I'm back...

I also got rid of my reissue Marshall Cabinet - and bought a 4 x 12 Stiletto cab - I actually played that with the Marshall for a week - there is a difference between those cabinets!

Thanks a lot guys - I used this group a lot before I purchased the amp...

By the way - I have been playing for 25 years, play classic hard rock, and newer stuff now, I play an Eric Johnson Strat (changed the pickups for versatility), and a 1988 Les Paul Gold Top - Showcase - (also changed the pickups). I also have a 1991 Gibson J200 as well....

Tim

 

[Charlie]

Welcome aboard!

Similar story here. I've had two JCM800's and a reissue JTM45 but now I've switched over to the Deuce. It's a great amp.

:wink:

 

[Silverwulf]

I have a Mesa Stiletto Ace Head Unit that I've been using for a couple of weeks. It had stock tubes for a few days, then I swapped them out for JJ's (which I use in all my amps). I use the High Gain Front End from Bob at Eurotubes (High Gain in V1 - V3, Standard in V4, Balanced in V5) and a pair of EL34L's in the power amp.

It's a noticeable difference in the tone, and even the other guitarist in the band commented on how much better it sounds. Despite being a "high gain" front end, it tightens up the lows a little more, does add a little bit of gain, removes a little of the brittle top, and actually makes the clean channel sparkle better. With that config, I found it hard to get a "bad" clean tone out of the amp.

Bob is great to deal with over at Eurotubes. Every time I order from him, we probably spend at least 20 min on the phone talking about tone and amps.

 

[phillyred79]

Derry, NH huh?!! Cool. I lived in Fremont, NH for years. Sometimes you can find nice used Mesa gear at Daddy's Junky Music.

 

[stash49]

Yeah-Wow! I 'm just glad you don't live in Northern Virginia-I think I'm the only cat around here with a Deuce 4x12 rig.

 

[siggy14]

I am in nova, hopefully i will have one, i am getting ready to order it next week. I have had the series 1 as well, but really like the series 2 better. We will have to get together and compare the difference between 2 and the hollywood modded 1.

Yeah-Wow! I 'm just glad you don't live in Northern Virginia-I think I'm the only cat around here with a Deuce 4x12 rig.

 

[Silverwulf]

I am in nova, hopefully i will have one, i am getting ready to order it next week. I have had the series 1 as well, but really like the series 2 better. We will have to get together and compare the difference between 2 and the hollywood modded 1.

Yeah-Wow! I 'm just glad you don't live in Northern Virginia-I think I'm the only cat around here with a Deuce 4x12 rig.

The other guitarist and I just gigged with a Series I (Hollywood Mod) and a Series II in Falls Church VA last weekend. We've been putting them through the wringer at practice, too. The Series II seems to cut through the mix no matter what you do, more so than the Series I HW. The cleans are a little better with a little more shimmer and the Fluid Drive (although we never use it) is still better on Series II. The Series I HW has a great sounding C1 Crunch, though. We both gigged with them on C2 Crunch last weekend. We're really impressed with both amps, but I'm digging the Series II more at the moment.

 

[stash49]

I know what you mean. They're both way cool. I always use a TS9 with my Duece I, but never anything with my ACE. I'd like to check out your band. Anyone around NOVA, lets hook up!

 

[Kung-Fool]

You're not helping my Stiletto GAS!

Does anyone know if there is a difference tonewise between the Ace and Deuce II? Is it just a headroom thing?

 

[Barry]

You're not helping my Stiletto GAS!

Does anyone know if there is a difference tonewise between the Ace and Deuce II? Is it just a headroom thing?

they are voiced the same .

 

[Silverwulf]

I know what you mean. They're both way cool. I always use a TS9 with my Duece I, but never anything with my ACE. I'd like to check out your band. Anyone around NOVA, lets hook up!

I've been using a Maxon OD-808 as a boost in front. I tried countless OD pedals up front, but I always go back to that one. When I gigged last week with it, I was running the ACE on C2 "Crunch" Mode with the Maxon's gain at about 9 o'clock for a little extra. It nails that JCM 800 tone perfectly.

I've been using the "Tite Gain" mode this week to contrast. I bought the ACE specifically to compare it to the Stage I Deuce HW Mod that I sold to the other guitarist in the band. So far, so good. My primary amp is a '94 Recto that's "my sound", but I always like to have a couple head units. After I'm done testing this one out, I may or may not keep it depending on what else I'm looking to try at the time, as I tend to rotate my "back up amp" to try new things. If I do decide to move it, you'll see a brand new ACE in mint condition with full warranty up for grabs... :lol: After a gig or two more, I may give a Mark IV a whirl again. It's been 3-4 years since I've owned one of those.