Lonestar classic vs Special

[Steve777]

Hi everyone,

Ever since seeing ads for the lonestar i've been wanting one.
Now the latest guitarone magazine had a nice video review of the special. Sounded pretty nice. What are the real differences between the classic and special (besides the class A vs Class A/B which doesn't mean anything to me... yet - trying to read up on that ) and which would you advise for a nice thick blues tone on mainly strats/tele's?

Thanks so much!

Steve

 

[RussB]

volume and headroom.

 

[old-guy]

You know you could start a war with that question!

The difference is TONAL, not quality. They're both great amps and they both would be great for the style of music you described.

Bring "your guitar" to the store and plug into both of them. (if they have both) Your ears should tell you which one is right. Yes, there is a difference between the two. Do you like chocolate or vanilla?

You have guys on this board that have the Classic and guys that have the Special and guys that own both. I think it's safe to say everybody's real happy with their choice. I would just say neither amp would be good for "metal."

If you don't know the tonal difference (characteristics) between A / AB
the only thing to do is check them out for yourself. Then you'll undestand what people are trying to "describe" to you.

TAKE YOUR TIME!

 

[axwielding1]

Definitely try both, and read up on them first. Get settings from players, and check 'em out, at least an hour a piece.
I will say that I found the Special worked extremely well for blues with the strat.
ax. :twisted:

 

[Brewski]

Yup, the above advice is solid. Try them both out for yourself with your main guitar. Take into account what type of music you are play mostly. I've heard the Special at live gigs and it has plenty of volume for bar gigs and even outdoor gigs. I haven't had the pleasure of hearing the Classic.

Both are excellent amps, and if I had to make the same choice between them, I'd have to listen to them both side by side. If I had the money and the room, I'd probably have both.

 

[EZBolt]

As a martketing executive (real job) and a guitar player (real love), I think that amp companies, like MB, should have comparison charts and better explainations. It would speed up understanding and speed up purchase time.

To get a store with both a Special and Classic side by side is a chore. I've tried. I called every guitar center and boogie dealer in Southern California to find a store that had both. None of them did ... and I tired for 3 months!

I've played both amps independently but using different guitars (my fault for not bringing them with me) so a comparison for me is difficult to describe. I agree with the above post that the Classic has more headroom. The Special, in my opinion, is a little warmer sounding, but what does that actually mean different ears in different peple? Playing is the only way to discern degree of warmth. Perhaps MS should make an audio CD or post online clips using the same guitar would be nice.

Buit I can say this ... if I only heard the Classic and bought it without hearing or knowing about the Special, I would be very happy with it and vice versa. For me however, the purchase will be the Special, as I love the 5-15-30 watt switch ... but then again, I'm using it for studio and home playing only.

Good luck my friends

 

[Steve777]

thanks for all the replies.
I know how you feel ezbolt! I can't find any local place that has the special, and only one place had the classic. so comparing side-by-side is almost impossible.. And like you I'm mainly looking for something to play at home with - not for gigs or anything, so i'm leaning towards the special as well..

however, Right now i'm stuck behind either lonestar ,or perhaps a Hughes & Kettner Trilogy ... at least they had sound samples on their site

 

[strumminsix]

Steve, I can tell you of a store that has both in the Chicago burbs if that is near you.

If you are playing at home, the Special may be your best bet w/ regards to power usage.

I went for the Classic since I play live and don't usually get mic'd.

So for me, I use 100W for the clean and 50W for the dirty channels.

 

[Brewski]

Hey Steve777. If playing in your home studio is what you'll be doing mostly, then the lower watts may just be to your benefit, although, I've seen the Special gigged gigged both indoors and outdoors. It was miked outdoors, but I think that the majority of the sound was coming straight out of the amp, as that band had a pretty high stage volume. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[TheRazMeister]

Steve, I find the biggest difference between Class A and A/B is the forward slash and the letter B after the A. You'll go nuts listening to everyone else's description.....things like "chimier", "richer", "warmer", "more depth", "overtones". My personal favorite is "bell like" What the heck is that?
Anyway, both amps are great and you need to go play whatever one is sitting in the store. If it does everything you want....take it home and don't look back. The safe bet is the Classic...it is a tremendous amp with a ton of versatility as long as Recto-metal is not your style. Also, it has more "headroom" in case you have a big head.

Hi everyone,

Ever since seeing ads for the lonestar i've been wanting one.
Now the latest guitarone magazine had a nice video review of the special. Sounded pretty nice. What are the real differences between the classic and special (besides the class A vs Class A/B which doesn't mean anything to me... yet - trying to read up on that ) and which would you advise for a nice thick blues tone on mainly strats/tele's?

Thanks so much!

Steve

 

[cnumb44]

I originally bought a Special and had it at home for a month, then swapped it for a Classic and have grown more fond of that amp over the past several months. You are talking the difference between two great amps.

It is all personal taste. For me the sound of the 6l6 tubes is what got me. It just feels more muscular with a bit more control and clarity than the el84 based Special, at least IMHO. The break up is a little tighter and I like that. The amp works great with footpedals, so if I need unreal distortion, that is what I use (Boss Heavy Metal pedal). I can get a wonderful blues sound and the clean channel is just right for me. Kick in the over drive on channel 2 and you've got another sonic pallet.

They are both great amps. The Classic just offers a bit more power and headroom and the 6l6 sound.

 

[RR]

I have yet to try either, but just reading about them they seem like the same amp when it comes to the preamp / tone section BUT a whole different animals when it comes to the power section : Class A -vs- Class A/B.

Would it be safe to say Lone Star Classic => Fender Twin on Steriods and with Bells and Whistles.
and Lone Star Special => AC Vox on Steriods and with Bells and Whistles?

The LoneStars Series to me is a whole new paradign of M/B amps.

 

[SabuJSE]

Oh no - not the dreaded headroom thing again. I'm going to break out in hives again!

The above comparison is somewhat fair... I tried both and went with the LSS since I found the tone to be more clear and bright from clean to overdrive. Others have found the exact opposite.

Bottom line - both are great amps and you need to play through both. If you play both single-coils and humbuckers, I strongly suggest trying out both types of pickups with both amps.

 

[TheRazMeister]

The Classic comparison to a Twin may be valid but I've never heard anything sound like a Vox. They have their own distinctive (crappy) sound. (The Valvetronix is a different story). Again, if you read my 1st post on the topic, there is no answer to what they sound like. I can play my AR2000 thru a class A amp and sound as warm as my Rectoverb. Everyone hears differently and if you really want a description of the difference, go to the Mesa site...they do a great job of describing the amps.

I have yet to try either, but just reading about them they seem like the same amp when it comes to the preamp / tone section BUT a whole different animals when it comes to the power section : Class A -vs- Class A/B.

Would it be safe to say Lone Star Classic => Fender Twin on Steriods and with Bells and Whistles.
and Lone Star Special => AC Vox on Steriods and with Bells and Whistles?

The LoneStars Series to me is a whole new paradign of M/B amps.

 

[RR]

... I've never heard anything sound like a Vox. They have their own distinctive (crappy) sound.

Not sure which Vox you tried but vintage amp gurus mentions ultimate amp sounds include Fender Bassmans, Fender Twins, Marshall Plexi, an AC30 Vox all in the same breath.

Now if you don't like them, just say its your opinion. Jimmy Page's "Whole Lotta Love" was done with AC30 Vox. Matchless, Bad Cats are based on the AC30 Vox.

 

[TheRazMeister]

OK, here's my opinion...Vox are the single most overrated tube amps in the history of electricity. Actually, I just don't particularly like their brand of tone. It's very glassy and brittle sounding and I just didn't want anyone thinking that the Special even remotely sounded like a Vox, because they don't. Also, I've never heard or played a vintage Vox but along with Fender, would NEVER consider any of their new amps over a Mesa. When I think of Vox I think of British Invasion bands of the 60's and look at the amp as being very limited, especially for gain tones.
Let me state also that to me a gain channel is imperative, thus my reason for spurning the Fender, Vox style amps. Plus in 10 years of gigging (in NYC and Virginia) and umpteenth years of watching, I've never met or seen a single guitarist that used a Vox other than Brian May.

... I've never heard anything sound like a Vox. They have their own distinctive (crappy) sound.

Not sure which Vox you tried but vintage amp gurus mentions ultimate amp sounds include Fender Bassmans, Fender Twins, Marshall Plexi, an AC30 Vox all in the same breath.

Now if you don't like them, just say its your opinion. Jimmy Page's "Whole Lotta Love" was done with AC30 Vox. Matchless, Bad Cats are based on the AC30 Vox.

 

[scotspine]

tend to agree with a lot of what you say raz. however, please check out "the delays" for a beautiful vox tone and some lovely guitar work.

 

[Steve777]

Boy did I ever open a can of worms

 

[TheRazMeister]

Not bad, rhythms remind me of U2 at times, coincidently another band that uses Vox amps.

Also, just want to add that I LOVE the Vox tonelab and Valvetronix series amp modelers.

tend to agree with a lot of what you say raz. however, please check out "the delays" for a beautiful vox tone and some lovely guitar work.

 

[Sounds like Roy]

Steve, as you can see most people, myself included think both the classic and the special lone stars are great amps, and you really can''t go wrong; but since you mention intending on mostly playing in home studio, I think you should try the special for its versatility - 5/15/30 watts - at more reasonable (home studio) volume levels. You can get an excellent full rich clean on channel one set for 30 watts, and then switch over to a nice warm crunch tone on channel two set at 5 watts. To get natural tube overdrive, you have to really push the output tubes and the 5 watt setting really allows for that. The master volume feature on both lone stars really helps here too. Crank the master and set the channel volume to taste.

I played the classic in the store first and thought it was great. When I went back to think about buying it, the guy had a special in - which I took home that very day.

For the class A stuff, read Randall Smith's "white paper" on this subject. It should be on the Mesa web site.