OsirisProtocol
Member
Hey all. I'm new to the boards and I've been looking into different Mesa amps for awhile now. I sold off all of my guitars last summer and purchased a PRS Singlecut. After buying it I decided to buy gear that I know would be keepers (or at least last long). With that said and some previous experience with Mesa amps I am looking to buying a Mesa. So I decided to sell my Vox, keep my Gemini (sentimental value and its a brilliant amp) and look for a new amp.
Background:
I started researching amps two months ago. I'm a college student and I want to invest in an amp that will last a lifetime. I know a lifetime with a single amp is kinda unrealistic but I want to try :wink:. I don't mind owning different amps down the line for different applications but this is a here and now deal. So I've come looking for assistance.
I play anything from blues to metal depending on my mood and who I'm playing with. At the moment I am not in a band since I hop back and forth between Buffalo and NYC alot. I'll be making a permanent move to Buffalo soon so I will look for a new band this summer. So wattage is a concern for me with private practice, band practice and future gigs. Because I personally play a lot of different genres of music I'd prefer a versatile amp. I do play metal on my own but I don't see myself in a metal band in the future so that's something to consider. Great cleans are what's most important to me. Also I will be saving for whatever amp I choose over time. I have to make sure I keep up with my tuition payments after all.
Reference list of artist tones I play towards:
All That Remains
Andy Timmons
Arctic Monkeys
As I lay Dying
Chevelle
Circa Curvive
Coheed and Cambria
Fall of Troy
Jet
John Mayer
John Petrucci
My American Heart (Yeah I know... )
Red Hot Chili Peppers
and the list goes on and on....
Lone Star:
I love the Lone Star. It has perfect cleans imo. Yet I also want brilliant crunch and lead tones in the area of a Stiletto Deuce to a Dual Rectifier. I'm tempted to go the Any Timmons route with a Lone Star and Stiletto Deuce rig over time but I want to way my options. I know the LS isn't a high gain amp and because of that I don't think it would be quite suitable for metal or have a thick/tight low end for some chug. I know I can always use an OD pedal but it won't be the same for really good heavy rock to metal tones. I wouldn't mind buying the Lone Star now and buying a supplemental amp for heavier tones when I can spare the cash if needed.
Stiletto:
I admit I'm a fan of the Marshall tone. I've never been a fan of the amps for reliability issues amongst other things but that's a different story. From what I've heard and understand the Stiletto has a great Marshall like tone done the Mesa way. Alot of the clips I heard of the amp have been horrid tbh. I blame it on bad eq'ing and recording so I don't hold anything against the amp really. I know Travis from Coheed and Cambria uses one and I like the tone he gets from it. I'm looking for more info on the amp in general and to see where it can take me tone wise.
Mark IV:
I've heard nothing but good things about these amps. Pete Loeffler of Chevelle uses one and I love how heavy and clear his tone is with his baritones' and drop tuning. The bad thing is I have had a hard time tracking them down to try out. So with that being said, judging from what I want would the Mark IV be a good choice for me if I can find one? Also I've been told to check out the Mark V. I've heard one demo of the amp at NAMM. I wasn't really impressed because of all the background noise and random knob spinning in the video. No doubt it's a great amp I just need to check it out myself.
Express 5:50:
I don't know much about these amps in truth. I've heard a few clips and I like the clean tones some users got out of them. Besides the tone I'm looking into it for the lower wattage. I won't be able to let loose the full 100w of the other amps outside of some band rehearsals and some gigs so a 5:50 would be a bit more reasonable volume wise. It would be a waste to have a great sounding amp that I can push all the time to get the tone I want. I've never used an attenuator (not against using one) and I've heard of cheaper models just sucking tone from amps so I don't have alot of options in this department. If I can find a really good attenuator for a decent price I'd go with one of the other models for my needs if they fit.
Road King II:
The Road King II seems to be the answer to my problems. I understand the low gain channels use the Lone Star's preamp and the high gain channels use the Rectifier's. I want to stay as close as possible to the Lone Star cleans. For those of you who played/owned both amps does the Road King II really cop Lone Star tones? Can channels 3 & 4 handle Deuce tones along with Rectifier tones or is it just a Rectifier type of unit? It would be great if the amp can cop some Marshall like tones like the Stiletto too. Also can I get a nice fluid lead tone out of the amp by itself? I know people usually use boosters (i.e. BB preamp) on their Lone Stars for a great lead tone but as a single amp can this be dialed in the RKII? I'd really like to get a great lead/soloing tone out of the amp. The RKII is also a bit darker than its Rectifier counterparts. Can this be dialed out or is there a mod to help with this down the line? If the RK can really handle everything I want as far as these amps are concerned then this will more than likely be my choice amp based on sheer versatility.
If anyone can send any advice my way or post any clips they have around to help me out please do. Thanks for reading and any help you can give. Love the forum here guys and keep rocking.
Background:
I started researching amps two months ago. I'm a college student and I want to invest in an amp that will last a lifetime. I know a lifetime with a single amp is kinda unrealistic but I want to try :wink:. I don't mind owning different amps down the line for different applications but this is a here and now deal. So I've come looking for assistance.
I play anything from blues to metal depending on my mood and who I'm playing with. At the moment I am not in a band since I hop back and forth between Buffalo and NYC alot. I'll be making a permanent move to Buffalo soon so I will look for a new band this summer. So wattage is a concern for me with private practice, band practice and future gigs. Because I personally play a lot of different genres of music I'd prefer a versatile amp. I do play metal on my own but I don't see myself in a metal band in the future so that's something to consider. Great cleans are what's most important to me. Also I will be saving for whatever amp I choose over time. I have to make sure I keep up with my tuition payments after all.
Reference list of artist tones I play towards:
All That Remains
Andy Timmons
Arctic Monkeys
As I lay Dying
Chevelle
Circa Curvive
Coheed and Cambria
Fall of Troy
Jet
John Mayer
John Petrucci
My American Heart (Yeah I know... )
Red Hot Chili Peppers
and the list goes on and on....
Lone Star:
I love the Lone Star. It has perfect cleans imo. Yet I also want brilliant crunch and lead tones in the area of a Stiletto Deuce to a Dual Rectifier. I'm tempted to go the Any Timmons route with a Lone Star and Stiletto Deuce rig over time but I want to way my options. I know the LS isn't a high gain amp and because of that I don't think it would be quite suitable for metal or have a thick/tight low end for some chug. I know I can always use an OD pedal but it won't be the same for really good heavy rock to metal tones. I wouldn't mind buying the Lone Star now and buying a supplemental amp for heavier tones when I can spare the cash if needed.
Stiletto:
I admit I'm a fan of the Marshall tone. I've never been a fan of the amps for reliability issues amongst other things but that's a different story. From what I've heard and understand the Stiletto has a great Marshall like tone done the Mesa way. Alot of the clips I heard of the amp have been horrid tbh. I blame it on bad eq'ing and recording so I don't hold anything against the amp really. I know Travis from Coheed and Cambria uses one and I like the tone he gets from it. I'm looking for more info on the amp in general and to see where it can take me tone wise.
Mark IV:
I've heard nothing but good things about these amps. Pete Loeffler of Chevelle uses one and I love how heavy and clear his tone is with his baritones' and drop tuning. The bad thing is I have had a hard time tracking them down to try out. So with that being said, judging from what I want would the Mark IV be a good choice for me if I can find one? Also I've been told to check out the Mark V. I've heard one demo of the amp at NAMM. I wasn't really impressed because of all the background noise and random knob spinning in the video. No doubt it's a great amp I just need to check it out myself.
Express 5:50:
I don't know much about these amps in truth. I've heard a few clips and I like the clean tones some users got out of them. Besides the tone I'm looking into it for the lower wattage. I won't be able to let loose the full 100w of the other amps outside of some band rehearsals and some gigs so a 5:50 would be a bit more reasonable volume wise. It would be a waste to have a great sounding amp that I can push all the time to get the tone I want. I've never used an attenuator (not against using one) and I've heard of cheaper models just sucking tone from amps so I don't have alot of options in this department. If I can find a really good attenuator for a decent price I'd go with one of the other models for my needs if they fit.
Road King II:
The Road King II seems to be the answer to my problems. I understand the low gain channels use the Lone Star's preamp and the high gain channels use the Rectifier's. I want to stay as close as possible to the Lone Star cleans. For those of you who played/owned both amps does the Road King II really cop Lone Star tones? Can channels 3 & 4 handle Deuce tones along with Rectifier tones or is it just a Rectifier type of unit? It would be great if the amp can cop some Marshall like tones like the Stiletto too. Also can I get a nice fluid lead tone out of the amp by itself? I know people usually use boosters (i.e. BB preamp) on their Lone Stars for a great lead tone but as a single amp can this be dialed in the RKII? I'd really like to get a great lead/soloing tone out of the amp. The RKII is also a bit darker than its Rectifier counterparts. Can this be dialed out or is there a mod to help with this down the line? If the RK can really handle everything I want as far as these amps are concerned then this will more than likely be my choice amp based on sheer versatility.
If anyone can send any advice my way or post any clips they have around to help me out please do. Thanks for reading and any help you can give. Love the forum here guys and keep rocking.