Lonestar Special vs. Lonestar

[eaglewolf]

A friend of mine recently purchased a Lonestar Special (for use with an R8, Strat and a Telecaster) and I was quite impressed with what that amp could do, even at fairly low volumes (he lives in a condo.) I wasn't familiar with that amp, though I have heard good things about the Lonestar. Since my dealer doesn't stock the Special, I was interested in people's thoughts about the tone of the Lonestar and the Special.

I see that the Special uses EL84 tubes vs. 6L6's for the Lonestar. Are these amps completely different animals, or is the Special more of a lower powered Lonestar? I'm currently using a Blackstar HT-5 combo amp for my low powered amp, but I'm intrigued with the LSS. Any input would be appreciated.

Yes, I know that going to listen to them myself is what I will ultimately have to do for any buying decision, but I just thought I would pick the brains of those that are already using them to get some more insight into these two amps. The more I learn about Mesa, the more I like them!

David

 

[boogiemon]

the LSS is essentially a LSC w/a different power amp. This make a lot of difference to some, less to others. Anyway the the LSC is going to be heavier, owing to the larger xformers, etc. Also the LSC can run w/EL34's, 6V6's, 6L6's & even el34's (though it still won't sound exactly like the LSS)

The choice for many between the two hinges on how much head room is needed.

g'luck

A friend of mine recently purchased a Lonestar Special (for use with an R8, Strat and a Telecaster) and I was quite impressed with what that amp could do, even at fairly low volumes (he lives in a condo.) I wasn't familiar with that amp, though I have heard good things about the Lonestar. Since my dealer doesn't stock the Special, I was interested in people's thoughts about the tone of the Lonestar and the Special.

I see that the Special uses EL84 tubes vs. 6L6's for the Lonestar. Are these amps completely different animals, or is the Special more of a lower powered Lonestar? I'm currently using a Blackstar HT-5 combo amp for my low powered amp, but I'm intrigued with the LSS. Any input would be appreciated.

Yes, I know that going to listen to them myself is what I will ultimately have to do for any buying decision, but I just thought I would pick the brains of those that are already using them to get some more insight into these two amps. The more I learn about Mesa, the more I like them!

David

 

[Mork]

boogiemon is right, the headroom is a factor here. I play in a fairly loud band due to our drummer not having a volume control and our bass player thinking nobody can hear him. They keep telling me to turn up ( I keep telling them to turn down ) but things on the LSS are getting a bit saturated now on the 30w setting leaving me with nowhere to go (other than mic'd up throught the PA). If you don't play live or only do small gigs it's a wonderful amplifier that puts a smile on my face everytime I use it.
I've just picked up a classic head, it will be interesting for me to see the difference- for now I'll use it through the specials speaker so it will be a good comparison.

 

[eaglewolf]

Thanks for the feedback. I figure that with the Roadster head I don't have to worry about being drowned out in most situations. I'm looking at the LSS more for a lower volume option.

I've read a number of articles and threads on attenuators, and the opinions seem to be all over the place as to the value of them. In general, most seem to indicate that if I'm using an amp at its designed level, I should get better results. Hence the interest in the LSS. With 5, 15, and 30 watt settings, I should be able to cover most everything I need when a 50/100 watt head is more than is called for.

David

 

[Octavarius]

If this is only a volume concern, I wouldn't do it. Wattage and volume level have a logarithmic relationship, so 10W would be half as loud as 100W, and 5W half as loud as 50W.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

I'm gonna say that Boogiemon is not 100% right about using EL84s in the LSC....I owned both the LSS and LSC at the same time (on 30 days return ability)...to decide which I would keep. I ended up returning the LSS when I inserted EL84s into the LSC...the tone was 98% LSS. No doubt the transformer played a small role...but perhaps the cabinet was the bigger factor...the LSC had the larger sized cabinet.

And as far as weight goes...they're nearly the same --maybe a pound or 2. You can also get the LSC combo in the smaller LSS 1x12 size.

So with the LSC you have the option to use 6V6, 6L6, EL34 and EL84s via Yellow Jackets...and have the ability to go all the way from 5 watts to 100 watts.

 

[Griz]

I've had 7 LoneStars now. 5 Specials and 2 Classics. Longheads, shortheads and combos. For best results on either... I found 4X12"s bring a huge performance difference. There's just no comparing the touch sensitivity with the 4X12"s compared to the single 12" or even a single 2X12". And much better tone at a lower volume is easily attainable. Each amp had a little individual nuance with some greatness and a few were a little too average. I ended up keeping a Special [23] head palying thru a Roadster 2x12 loaded with Vintage 30s from a Bogner and a LOPO openback 2x12 with English Greenbacks from Mesa. I'm a very happy camper!

 

[eaglewolf]

Nice rig, Griz! My dealer indicated that they actually have had quite a few problems with the Lonestar - virtually every time they sell one it comes back with problems, particularly the combos. (One was sent to Mesa for repairs four times.) But the sound out of them (when they worked) was awesome. Maybe they just get the lemons. WIth the Rectos they don't seem to have the same problem.

Still, I'm intrigued with the Lonestar. If it can provide great tone at the lower volume level I'm looking for... I'll just have to wait and see.

David

 

[MusicManJP6]

Played a LSC this weekend finally. Sounded great through the combo but sounded KILLER through a 4x12. I was surprised at the amount of gain. The cleans were the best i've heard from a Mesa by far.

I don't care for the LSS as much as the LSC.

 

[mdortona]

Happy as a proverbial pig in sh#t with my LSC, running EL34s in the power section thru a Thiele and an open-backed 1x12. Getting too old to lug a 4x12 around (and my wife would kill me if I bought one home) :roll:

Matt

 

[Mork]

Got my classic head today and plugged it into my Special's speaker..... SWEEEEET!
I must admit I was a little nervous in case I'd made a mistake but I think I'm going to be very happy! Sounded surprisingly good at low volume, a little light on the drive channel at that level but looking forward to using it in anger.
Unfortunately here in the UK prices for Mesa stuff has gone through the roof so it looks like the Framus cab with a pair of V30's.

 

[Kiteboarder]

Nice rig, Griz! My dealer indicated that they actually have had quite a few problems with the Lonestar - virtually every time they sell one it comes back with problems, particularly the combos. (One was sent to Mesa for repairs four times.) But the sound out of them (when they worked) was awesome. Maybe they just get the lemons. WIth the Rectos they don't seem to have the same problem.

Still, I'm intrigued with the Lonestar. If it can provide great tone at the lower volume level I'm looking for... I'll just have to wait and see.

David

You know what? I've head this sort of stuff before. I actually had a dealer try and sell me a different amp once using an excuse like this when I brought up the Lonestar to the conversation. Now, while I suppose a couple of lemons here and there is normal no matter the brand, I don't think there is a problem with the Lonestars at all, across the board.

 

[webe123]

Nice rig, Griz! My dealer indicated that they actually have had quite a few problems with the Lonestar - virtually every time they sell one it comes back with problems, particularly the combos. (One was sent to Mesa for repairs four times.) But the sound out of them (when they worked) was awesome. Maybe they just get the lemons. WIth the Rectos they don't seem to have the same problem.

Still, I'm intrigued with the Lonestar. If it can provide great tone at the lower volume level I'm looking for... I'll just have to wait and see.

David

You know what? I've head this sort of stuff before. I actually had a dealer try and sell me a different amp once using an excuse like this when I brought up the Lonestar to the conversation. Now, while I suppose a couple of lemons here and there is normal no matter the brand, I don't think there is a problem with the Lonestars at all, across the board.

I think that "dealer" is insane. This is the first I have heard of ANY problems with the lonestar. If they were that bad, wouldn't it be common knowledge way before now?

Mesa products are like PRS products, both have outstanding QC. So while there could be some lemons that got through...I seriously doubt what that dealer said about a lot of them being bad, is true.

 

[djw]

Like with anything, there will be lemons, and unfortunately the problems tend to stand out as much or more than the successes. There are scads of posts here on the Boogie Board written by people who have problems with their LS's... which is logical, since this is probably the best place to get advice on the subject. The dealer might have some real experience with this too, but it doesn't change the fact that there are way more people raving about how much they love their Lone Stars than there are complainers.

Over at the GearPage, there's a whole nest of dudes who swear they've had nothing but problems with Mesas in general, that they're totally unreliable, etc. It's pretty weird. I guess one just has to see for themselves how it goes for them...

 

[eaglewolf]

If I'm not mistaken, the issues that I had talked about were with just a couple of amps that had been through the shop several times. Trust me - I'm not put off by one dealer's comments. I've had other dealers tell me that Gibson guitars are horrible, Fenders are junk, or PRS's are overpriced pieces of crap. One person's opinion doesn't make it a fact. I don't doubt that the dealer had some issues with some amps, but I've read too many good comments on the Lonestar to be scared off by this.

I really like the sound from Mesa and a Les Paul. Some day I hope to add a Strat and a PRS to the collection as well. With the Roadster I may or may not add the Lonestar to the mix, but I was interested in the comments on the LSS vs the Lonestar. I liked what I heard out my friend's LSS, even at low volumes. That was what I was looking for, and wanted to get some input from those that are more familiar with the amps. Thanks to everyone that responded for the feedback.

David

 

[Kiteboarder]

If I'm not mistaken, the issues that I had talked about were with just a couple of amps that had been through the shop several times. Trust me - I'm not put off by one dealer's comments. I've had other dealers tell me that Gibson guitars are horrible, Fenders are junk, or PRS's are overpriced pieces of crap. One person's opinion doesn't make it a fact. I don't doubt that the dealer had some issues with some amps, but I've read too many good comments on the Lonestar to be scared off by this.

I really like the sound from Mesa and a Les Paul. Some day I hope to add a Strat and a PRS to the collection as well. With the Roadster I may or may not add the Lonestar to the mix, but I was interested in the comments on the LSS vs the Lonestar. I liked what I heard out my friend's LSS, even at low volumes. That was what I was looking for, and wanted to get some input from those that are more familiar with the amps. Thanks to everyone that responded for the feedback.

David

No problem David. Happy to comment! It's funny that you mention it, I'm very interested in checking out a Roadster. -D