Moving on soon

[srf399]

Hate to say it.... but.....

The honeymoon is over..... Finding my deuce to be too bright... too immediate... and harsh... I want a darker.... chewy... smooth sound....
So.... I'm waiting for my tax return and I'm going to get a Bogner Ecstasy. I guess the Stiletto isn't the sound I'm wanting after all. The chewy/organic sound of the Ecstasy is what I'm after. I'm going to hang onto my Deuce II until the economy shifts so I don't take a bath on it.

 

[Riff Blister]

Wow!
srf399 your post stopped me dead in my tracks this morning.
I have been recording our band practices for the last few weeks with a little Tascam DR-1. My band mate has his Bogner Shiva and I have my Deuce II. After listening to the recordings last night I kind of came to the same conclusion. I am ready for a change.

The honeymoon is over..... Finding my deuce to be too bright... too immediate... and harsh... I want a darker.... chewy... smooth sound....

I've been going through this love...hate... love... hate thing with the Stiletto for two and a half years.
I don't know, maybe it's the late winter depression that sinks in about this time living in Minnesota but I might be looking for something new.

 

[jab]

srf399: moving on, that's big news. Sure it's not just a mild case of Minnesota Winter GAS?

Regardless, never tried a Bogner and as I've always said, if you're not in pursuit of better tone you might as well be taking a dirt nap. What kind of music do you play that the Bogner is such a good fit? I play a variety of classic rock with an edge (Stones, Faces, U2, Who, Queen, even throw a lot of Bodeans type stuff in the setlist).

 

[srf399]

It's not that the Deuce II is not a great amp... it is... However... I've been playing since around 1978 and never had the $$$ to get the dream sound I wanted. In the last 4 years I've been in a better position to do that. I play a variety of styles and am finding that although the Stiletto is more versatile for an EL34 based amp...it's still limited IMHO. I have mainly played 6V6 & 6L6 amps in the past... and I do prefer the EL34 for high gain. Also as I'm getting older I want more versatility. I do love the Lone Star but I don't like the Lone Stars 2nd high gain channel. I found it lost definition and went mushy on me. That's what I liked about the MKIV and Stiletto. However these both were too quick and immediate with the cleans for me. What I'm looking for is the chewy Hendrixy plexi sound and of the amps I've heard the Bogner Ecstasy Classic sounds the closest. I'm totally open to suggestions on other brands and models if anyone has suggestions. I'm just finding that the Stiletto is too in your face even in the tube rectifier and spongy modes. I like Alan Hinds sound on the exotic site. That's closer to what I'm looking for. But I still want a nice smooth high gain and a nice pure fenderish type of clean tone.

 

[MusicManJP6]

It happens! I have no problem getting rid of a great amp if it doesn't 'do it' for me. I went from an Ace combo to a DC-3 shorthead through two Recto 1x12 cabs and couldn't be happier! Now I've got a stereo rig (with the help of a Crate Powerblock and my GT-8) for the same coin as I had in the Ace combo...

 

[srf399]

That tone that Alan Hinds gets is just amazing to me.

 

[insideout]

If you're looking at high end amps, don't overlook Cornford. Guthrie Govan gets some amazing, smooth tone out of those things. Hard to get your hands on one for a test run though.

 

[shampoch]

Hate to say it.... but.....

The honeymoon is over..... Finding my deuce to be too bright... too immediate... and harsh... I want a darker.... chewy... smooth sound....
So.... I'm waiting for my tax return and I'm going to get a Bogner Ecstasy. I guess the Stiletto isn't the sound I'm wanting after all. The chewy/organic sound of the Ecstasy is what I'm after. I'm going to hang onto my Deuce II until the economy shifts so I don't take a bath on it.

I own both Stilleto Deuce II and Bogner XTC (also a Diezel VH4 and Soldano SLO) what sound are you after, maybe I can help?

 

[srf399]

I'm after the sound that Alan Hinds is getting but I want a bit more high gain. I want something that tracks well.... but is also vintage sounding with the EL34 vibe. The Ecstasy does it for me but the price is unreal! But I'm tired of settling and I'm almost ready to just bite the bullet and do it. I'm finding that unless my strings are brand new and it's a great day... that the sound of my Deuce is only classic rock and nothing else. Don't get me wrong.. if all I cared about was classic rock.... then no problem. But I really like variety. The chewy sound of the Bogner is pretty irresistible to me too.

 

[Silverwulf]

To quote siggy14 from another thread:

"Been there, done that came back. I sold all my mesa's, bought an uber and an XTC fully loaded, great amps however I came back to mesa. Honestly I could cop the XTC with my stiletto, yeah not all channels like the plexi, but **** close enough. The XTC is a very dark amp, so by dropping the Treble and mid's I could basically mimic the XTC's red channel for half its price, better clean on the stiletto, I was just missing channel 2 that the XTC offers."

If you like the Stiletto type sound but want it less immediate/in your face and vintage, you're ironically describing more of Series I than the Series II you have.

 

[srf399]

I agree with you. The Stiletto Stage I is probably more like what I'm looking for... however... the Ecstasy high gain is something i want as well.

 

[MrMason]

I'm not sure how the clean channel is, but the Splawn Quickrod has some REALLY sweet tones judging from what I've heard. I think the head is just under 2 grand.

 

[Silverwulf]

I'm not sure how the clean channel is, but the Splawn Quickrod has some REALLY sweet tones judging from what I've heard. I think the head is just under 2 grand.

I wouldn't recommend the Splawn for what he wants. He said he wants something more versatile, less in your face, and with a Fender-ish type of clean. The Splawn Quickrod is pretty much the exact opposite of that.

 

[srf399]

The Splawn Quickrod is the exact opposite to what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a cross between my old 65 Deluxe Reverb and a vintage Marshall Plexi.... but with added gain. I think that the closest amp out there that can pull this off is the Bogner Ecstasy Classic. Please weigh in f you feel there is a better option.

 

[firstsong]

So, how much are you guys asking for the Deuces?

Sam

 

[srf399]

I'm not selling mine.... not until the economy shifts... Haven't you ever watched a Tom Vu informercial??? LMAO "Why you wanna wok" "Buy low...sell hi" :lol:

 

[Riff Blister]

I’ve been using the Z Air Break a lot this year at home and at band practice. That has been the source of my frustration. Time slipped away from me and I have discovered that my tubes are pretty much shot. I’m way over due. That’s the reason I’ve been sounding so crappy lately. This past weekend I stuck my Mesa stamped back up tubes in and it came to life again. I ordered a new set of pre-amp and power tubes this morning from Doug. Hopefully they will bring me back to the fold.

I’ll be 52 in April. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12 but really nothing serious until the last fifteen years. I have not owned a tone of amps so my experience is limited when making comparisons with my Stiletto. That’s why I hang out on this forum. To learn stuff from you guys. Thanks, by the way. Keep it comin'!
I think I will hang on to my amp for a while but keep looking for the “holy grail”. Think old school Marshall Plexi. Mmmmm!

 

[Duece2]

I’ve been using the Z Air Break a lot this year at home and at band practice. That has been the source of my frustration. Time slipped away from me and I have discovered that my tubes are pretty much shot. I’m way over due. That’s the reason I’ve been sounding so crappy lately. This past weekend I stuck my Mesa stamped back up tubes in and it came to life again. I ordered a new set of pre-amp and power tubes this morning from Doug. Hopefully they will bring me back to the fold.

I’ll be 52 in April. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12 but really nothing serious until the last fifteen years. I have not owned a tone of amps so my experience is limited when making comparisons with my Stiletto. That’s why I hang out on this forum. To learn stuff from you guys. Thanks, by the way. Keep it comin'!
I think I will hang on to my amp for a while but keep looking for the “holy grail”. Think old school Marshall Plexi. Mmmmm!

Which tubes did Doug suggest you get for your amp?

 

[Riff Blister]

Doug's Tube has the pre-amp tone kit cocktail for Mesa amps. This will be the second time I've used them. Go to his web site.
He recommended either the Mullard reissue EL34's or the RUBY EL34BHT's. I'm going to try the Mullards.
I have been using SED "Winged C'" EL34's I like those too.

 

[siggy14]

Well first things first, as you saw qouted by silverwolf from me, I can cop the XTC easily with the stiletto, so trust me you would be wasting your money there if you love the red high gain channel of the XTC.

I think your problem actually comes more down to speakers, i see you have a stiletto 2x12, I think that might be half your problem. I love V30's with the recto's but i am really not enjoying it with my stiletto. Not to mention the stiletto cabinets are smaller so they are going to be more upper mid spike which you might not like.

I love my stiletto going through my splawn cab which has the combo of the big blocks and small blocks. I am going to grab my marshall 1978 cab loaded with black backs and see how that sounds,

But serious, I would take your head and try it through different cabs.