lonestar special 1x 12 live (does it cut it?)

[bsoul]

this is my first post here so hello to everyone and GRATS on a great site! ive been waiting to get a mesa boogie amp for a long time.
im a semi/pro musician looking for a combo to GIG with. i have my eyes set on a lonestar 1 X 12 combo. i played it in the shop and it sounds good but you can never tell until you play it with the band. my big question after reading nearly all the threads on this site about it is- how does the amp stack up playing live/with band (i dont want it to be lost in the mix)? i play originals with a blues/ soul /country and brittish pop type feel. also i need the drive channel to be great because i do use distortion at times. i played a friends brand new f30 (which i liked) and found that it got a little muddy once the valves started to heat up - i hope this doent happen to the lonestar. also the reliability seems a little off on this amp- ive read what seems like a lot of complaints about it.
My current setup is a modded 45w marshall plexi RI and a 90 fender strat deluxe. i use a tube screamer and a HK rotosphear-sometimes a wah as well.

any advice from people who use/used this amp to play live gigs would be great! im tossing up between a much cheaper fender blues deville or lonsestar special.
CHEERS.

 

[picnic]

Welcome, you will get alot of useful feedback here. I had the LSS 1x12 and jammed with it. Great sounding amp, but it couldn't cut the gig situation without being mic'd. It would break up to early on the clean channels. I also like 6L6's more than EL 84's. I don't play pro, just sit in with friend's at bars and parties once in awhile and play at home alot. A regular weekly jam with 2-3 guitars going was too much for the LSS to handle. We are not super loud, low ceiling two car garage setting.
I traded it back to GC and got a LSC 2x12 eventually. I'm a much happier camper now. Don't need the TS9 I used with my TRRI. LSC has much more power and tones than the LSS.

If you are playing at home, studio or mic'd the LSS is terrific. It comes up a little short live with out any reinforcement. Good Luck they are both great amps.

 

[strumminsix]

If you are semi-pro then you will be mic'd everywhere you go.
Why are you worried about being lost in the mix?

 

[SabuJSE]

Any 1x12 by itself is going to have issues in a live setting, with zero micing.

Go for a 2x12 (as Picnic did with his LSC) or order a 1x12 cab to go along with it.

The LSC does have more wattage than the LSS but then that's it's design, after all. If you want a Class A tone that can do sweet sustain and pretty much everything but metal, the LSS is a fine amp. Rock / Jam music / Jazz / etc...

 

[pjrhd28]

I have a LSS 1 x 12 and I love it BUT:

1. When I play it in jams, not miked, when things really get rockin (think of a drummer hitting his set just about as hard as he can, another guitar, sax, maybe a harmonica, and bass), it will cut through but it loses a lot of clean headroom on channel 1. It breaks up a little more than I would like. This just might be my preference but I at least want an option where the amp stays REALLY clean.

2. Other than that, I have no complaints with it cutting through and the tone is truly outstanding. SabuJSE is right about any 1 x 12 having trouble without micing. I also notice that with just about any combo, once it gets really loud, you get some cabinet shake/rattle.

3. If you're ordering, you really might consider a head with a 2 x 12 cab. More projection, easier to haul, more flexibility, less cabinet shake. Sometimes I wish that's what I would have done.

 

[bsoul]

thx guys for the feedback, yes sometimes i cant be stuffed miking up the amp, i just want to rock up and play thats why i wanted to see if it could hold its own- basicaly i want it for smaller gigs, i still have my plexi that i can crank up in the larger ones.
all i need is a small combo that can do the trick-its a pain lugging in my head then the 2x 12 box and stuff- i just want to rock up play. after a few too many gigs i get a little lazy lol.

 

[JoeVFR]

BSoul,

Have you considered the LSC 2x12? I gig with it twice a month. I have not had any issues with it other than a blown fuse from bad house power. It is very versatile and has no problem if you decide to go unmic'd. I really like being able to run the drive channel at 50 watts and the clean at 100 watts. I find it has plenty of drive for what we play (classic rock). I do use a TS-9 to boost for leads.

 

[bsoul]

hey joe, yeah im not sure about the 2 x12 the reason why i was thinking about the 1 x 12 because its compact and lighter. im suprised to hear that gigging with the 1 x12 might be a bit much for it. **** i played a 15w fender pro junior at a wedding and it rocked! admitedly it did break up when the band started to pump(our drummer was hitting real hard) and i had it running flat out in the last set. i was suprised at how well it did (for a sub AU$1000 AMP) -so i was thinking for gigs like that (playing infront of 50-100 people) the lonestar would cut it at 4x the price.
BUT the 1 x 12 is AU$4300 and the 2 x 12 is AU$5300
$1000 dollars extra is a lot for an already expencive amp. i dont think i can go that high. i dont want to fork out 4+Gs for an amp that cant handle playing above a band mix. i guess i can mike it up if need be on the louder gigs. i really want this amp- guys thx for the feedback you really got me thinking now.
EDIT: the lonestar special 2 x 12 is $4500-so that not as bad.
but i do want the class A tone though.

 

[picnic]

Just my .02 here ($1.08 AU$) WOW those kind of prices for Lonestars.
The LSC is A/B on 6L6' but switchable to EL84's and there's a bias selector on the back. I think that gives you class A. Like I said earlier, the LSS at 30 watts didn't cut the gig situation with out support. The LSC can go to 50/100 watts. I am also partial to 6L6's.
Maybe a 1x12 and an extra 1x12 cab would work

 

[bsoul]

thx for that info- great to come to a site and have so many helpful posts. im sure im gonna be needing more info when i finaly get mine. im gonna go and test drive some and see if i can get a loner or even rent one, i think thats the only way to go.

 

[Brewski]

Hey bsoul, If you're asking if the LSS 1x12 will do a small pub gig of around 100 people or so, the answer is yes. I've heard them in small clubs, unmiked, and they still cut through. Those 30 watts are a loud watts. If you playing a larger venue, you would then consider miking or adding another cab, but for what you are talking about, I think that you'd do fine with it. The Pro Junior that you played through is a class A amp. I have a Blues Jr. I don't believe that the Fender Blues DeVille is a Class A amp. Here in the states what used to be the Blues Deville, is now the Hot Rod Deville, unless you get the Blues Deville 410 reissue. You'd have a broader pallet of tones with the LSS, and you'd have the warm class A sound that you are looking for. The LSS is also fan cooled to keep some cooling on the tubes. Good luck to you with your decision.

 

[bsoul]

thx brewski, i just rang a music store and aksed if i could have them lone me one and they said yes, so now ill get to use one with the band to see how it cuts through. im going to pick one up sometime next week for a trial. ill let you guys know how i go with it.

the fender blues deville are not all valve as far as i know.
those blues jnr are a mightly little amp, i am considering buying one just to take to band practice. a lot of power in such a small and lightweight amp.

one more question brewski- how does the lonestar drive channel compare to the drive channel of the blues deville?

 

[Brewski]

Hey Bsoul, our lead guitarist had a Hot Rod Deluxe and ended up with a Lonestar Special. His son now plays the Hot Rod.

I think that the Lonestar is warmer, and you have more gain to work with. The Hot Rod Deluxe had always sounded kind of harsh to me. If you're thinking of metal type gain, neither of those amps are going get you there without some help from a pedal.

The Blues Jr. is great amp for what it is. If you like the Blues Jr., you will be blown away by the LSS. They are in different leagues.

 

[bsoul]

cool brewski, yea no way i want metal type distortion for what i do.
but i do need british pop type distortion every now and again. id like the amp to meet me half way and let the peddle do the rest
how does the lonestar cut it at quiet gigs?(you know the one where the drummer is using brushes/hotrods).
thx for the camparison vs the fender deluxe, lonestar must be some amp then.
yeah for what it is the Blues jr rocks - such a small package and big sound- i still want one for practice though.

 

[Brewski]

Hey bsoul,

The Lonestar Special would work pretty well for quieter gigs, too. It's a nice feature to be able to switch it between 5 watts, 15 watts, and 30 watts. We were doing an impromptu party gig with no drums, and our lead player just ran it down to 5 watts and he had room to spare with it. I've seen him do outdoor gigs with it, as well, with his other band band which had 7 members. He loves that little rig. He also has a matching 1x12 cab with a V30, if he needs more volume.

If you're looking for an amp with vintage vibe, I think that you are looking in the right place. It'll give you a Brit sound too, although, it is a Mesa and not a Marshall. Also, you may not feel the need to use a pedal for that sound.

When you get a chance to try one out, be sure to write back on how you liked it one way or the other. It's been said many times on this forum that tone is subjective. It's what sounds good to your ears. I'm sure that others will benefit from your experience.

 

[bsoul]

he has the 1 x 12 LS right? whats a v30? yeah for sure ill right a preview, hopefuly next week. ill just mike it if i need more volume- its a bit of a pain but only takes a few min. as i said before i played the f30 and that got muddy after the valves started to heat up- other than that i loved the tone of it. BTW even my moded marshall does that after a few months of gigging. then i just get it serviced. if the shop lends the LSS to me for a week- ill be a happy puppy. its going to be a little scary but im going for a total tone overhaul. i might even bench my tube screamer and replace with a klon or something similar. i have 2 roger mayer pedals too the cost me an arm and a leg that ill probabaly sus out,

 

[Brewski]

Yes, he has the 1x12. Oh Sorry, on his extra cab, the v30= Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. He has other amps, but this is his main gig amp. It has a great tone, a luxurious reverb, and doesn't break his back to when it comes time to move it.

I hope that it works out for you. I know that Mesa's are not cheap where you're at, so if they do loan it to you, you'll be able to give it a real world test before you decide on it.

Watch your mid and bass settings, you may find that you need less than you think. There have been a number of guys who have backed off on them and liked their tone better. Mesa's tone knobs really do shape your tone with only a small adjustment. You might start with the suggested tone settings from Mesa, and then go from there. All the best!

 

[bsoul]

cool thx, ill be going with the suggested tone settings first off and slightly change them for taste. i have to admit im more a 3 tone knob person- the simpler the better for me. your help has been great! hopefuly ill get it in the next 2 days or so for testing.

 

[bsoul]

update, i havent picked up my lone amp yet but i sent a few emails around and found out that mesa boogie only offers 12 month warranty in Australia!!! GRRRR we get shafted in price and now in warranty - this amp better be special.

 

[Brewski]

That sucks!!! I wonder why the warranty is different there? Must be the roo liability or something. Seriously though, that bites.