Need some advice (Roadster / Stilleto Ace / Lonestar)

[Artiefufkin10]

Search the forums on people who used the 34's with their Roadsters. I never tried it when I owned mine, but everyone has a different opinion on the results.

The amp was designed with the 6L6's in mind, so you're not going to get exact Stiletto sound out of it, but it may be a nice change.

You're right, if you're into the recto-distortion..the amp is going to suit you well for a long time. Also remember, its got a great all-tube reverb and all those great power/rectifier options on each channel. Seriously though, find a combo and lift it by the handle to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into first.

 

[jab]

I sold my Dual Rec and bought an Ace head. I'm using a head and 1 x 12 and 2 x 12 Roadster cabs so I don't bust a nut moving equipment around. The main reason I sold the DR and went Ace is there isn't a lot of room b/w clean and dirty on the DR, vs the Ace where you can dial in many more sounds and levels of distortion in between. Rectifiers kind of go from clean to rectifier fizz quickly, and I was needing more "crunch" flexibility. Now the Roadster of course has many more option b/w clean and dirty, but I wasn't blown away by it. The Stiletto cleans were as good or better IMO - much more spanky sounding than saggy sounding if that makes any sense. Regardless, I'm jealous of your quest. Nothing better than deciding on which Mesa to go with. BTW, I had no reliability issues with either one.

 

[srf399]

I know you said you were looking specifically at combos.... however don't rule out a head & cabinet setup. You'll have a ton more options as far as cabinet/speaker combinations and it is a lot easier on your back. I went from a MKIV (a lighter combo at 66 lbs) to a 46 lb head and 48 lb stiletto 2x12 and my back really loves me for it. This will also open you up to trying the deuce or trident heads and down the road maybe using two heads with one cabinet... or whatever you like. Just another option.

 

[djw]

One other possible advantage to the head/cab config is that it's marginally to largely better for your amp. There's at least some consensus on the idea that housing your tubes in the same chamber as your speaker, with all the air movement and vibration so close, can affect both the performance and lifetime of the tubes.

...and obviously you open free yourself up to try different types of cabs (closed vs open, 2x vs. 4x, etc.).

 

[enigma]

I'd say of the three you mentioned I'd definitely NOT recommend the Ace combo - too high strung for versatility.

It'd be either the Roadster or Lonestar. I'd definitely lean towards either the LSC or LSS for versatile sounds you're looking for. Roadster great, but too many channels (I'd rather use my pedals).

I personally favor my LSS combo!!! Just today I again tested three amps to play with my PRS SC 245 (PAF style humbuckers) this weekend: Orange RV100 head; Stiletto Trident head; and LSS combo. They are all awesome, but again LSS combo won out by a hair.

LSS just surprises me everyday. And, it's one amp that definitely takes pedal the best !!!

I'd highly recommend it!

I'd seriously consider getting another LSS (a head this time) and trade my Stiletto for it! Anyone?

 

[srf399]

And that is it in a nutshell.... Tastes vary.... You need to go play them all and pick the one that suits you. I tried the LSS and didn't like it at all... But many do.

 

[jjboogie]

Hey all,

I'm thinking of biting the bullet and going for a Mesa Boogie combo.

A little back story...I've played/owned just about every combo amp under $1400 and have yet to find one that I really like. The closest I came was a Marshall DSL401, but I had trouble keeping it running as it loved to over heat. That and it only had 1x12 w/ an open back cab, which made it sound kinda thin.

So back to present....I'm considering dropping the cash on a Mesa, but I want to make sure that if I spend that kind of cash, I'm going to have a great amp w/ little-to-no issues.

Ultimately the tone would be my deciding factor between the above listed combos.....but I want to make sure that I'm not missing something important as far as known issues or reliability problems. I read about the RK's having some issues with the FX loops and hope that problem does not transfer over to the Roadsters....since they are similar in platform.

All opinions are welcome and any information is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

J

By the one that sounds best to your ears! Take your guitar to a store that has them and play through them ALL!!!

If I were to make a suggestion I personally would say looking at the styles of music that you play I would say hands down by the LSS and get a pedal for the metal....

Just my two cents.....All the amps you mentioned have their pros and cons....

 

[eventide_awakening]

I own the Roadster 2x12 and I absolutely love it. Hit the preamp with a boost, aka TS9, and you can turn the brit voicing into a better transition channel from clean to recto IMHO. The weight is a big consideration in all of this. However, the only thing that precedes the Mesa name besides their tone, is their weight. I've never met a lightweight Mesa amp, but I also haven't picked up the Express/Nomad/F-series combos either. I'm lucky in that I always have someone to help me load/unload my combo, so I have no issue with owning my Roadster.

The ACE. I originaly went into this looking only at the ACE because I've owned a few marshalls in the past and I am familiar with the EL34 sound. I'm not a fan of 6L6's.....but to their defense, the only amp I've owned with them is my current Fender HRD 4x10 (which I absolutely HATE! :evil: ).

I haven't tried the EL34s in mine yet, but from what I've heard others on here say, it tightened up the sound a bit. Less boomy bass (I like the mega-bass sound though).

 

[Jammin J]

I got a chance to put a few minutes on a Roadster head and 4x12 cab last night. It was kind of spur of the moment so I did not have my guitar and had to play through a PRS.

In my 15 minutes of "playing" I wasn't able to get into too much depth as far as some of the features like the rectifier tracking or the multi watt switching. My first impression was kind of "blah". The amp actually cleaned up better than I thought it would and I enjoyed channel 1 and 2 more than I thought I would......my dissapointment came when I hit 3 and 4. It was kind of fizzy with the gain up and I guess I expected a little bit more of a brighter sound. The amp seemed very dark overall......but again that's just my first impression.

Now before all the Roadster fans get all up in arms, this was a quick and dirty "testing" if you will. I still plan to spend some more time with this amp and my actual guitar to see what sounds I can dial in with it.

I will say however, that I am very interested in hearing the Stilleto or LSS w/ the EL34's to see how that stacks against the 6L6's.

And about the weight....I know these things weigh about as much as a small VW........but I may be one of the very few of you who gets to leave his amp on the stage 24/7....so the weight isn't really that big of a factor at this point, it won't get moved often.

Thanks again to all of you for your input and keep those opinions coming!

J

 

[eventide_awakening]

...I guess I expected a little bit more of a brighter sound. The amp seemed very dark overall......but again that's just my first impression.

You are right on with that observation. The traditional Mesa tone has always been a "dark" sound. Especially the rectos when compared to Marshall. In the end, if it's too dark for your taste, then that's cool. I have a friend who refuses to get into the Mesa gear because it's too dark and hollow for him. But he has bled Marshall for decades. I wouldn't push Mesa on him because the Marshall 'fits' him just right for his style.

Good luck with your testing, J.

 

[Tweeked]

If you don't need the nu metal sound the Lone Star or Stiletto can't be beat for clean,blues,twang and classic rock tones.Can't get the nu metal stuff out of either of these w/out a pedal.I noticed Mesa has new videos up at their site.Could be helpful in deciding what you need.

 

[medwards1969]

I realized that cabinets are heavy quite a while back. People ask how 2x12s sound in relation to 4x12s all the time, and Mesa sells the Lonestar with the 2x12 cabinet. Now, a deep 2x12 is heavy too! and the Combo needs wheels.

I opted instead to start collecting 1x12s with the theory that it is the Maximum weight of a given piece that is what people are objecting to. So two 1x12s is actually easier to live with than a 2x12. Plus, you can run them side by side, or stack them.

I now own 4 Bogner 1x12 cubes, two loaded with C-90s for my Lonestar Head. The Bogners sound like 4x12s! I managed to get a "short head" Lonestar Classic off E-Bay, now discontinued from Mesa. So I can stack mine vertically, with the amp on top, and it is a great configuration. 1x12s are the way to go, and I will never go back. Get Bogners or CAA or whatever. They are SOLID built. Mesa really messes up by not building and selling these. These are the "stacks" of the future! I plug my C-90s into the two 4 ohm jacks in parallel. I think the sound quality of this setup is very good. Is it more expensive? Maybe at first, but then if you buy multiple heads down the road you do not have to catch new speakers each time. The heads are heavy when they contain the reverbs on board and you have those big tansformers to handle 100 watts.

If you want to study amps, look very closely at what Eric Johnson is doing - speakers go with amplifiers. And certain amps are classic sounding. I think the Lonestar will have longevity because it is making classic clean tones.

 

[zappaslaughter]

I have a LSC 1 x 12, and a lonstar 1 x 12 extension cab. I tested the 1x12 vs the 2 x 12 combo and just plain likes the sounds of the 1x12 way better. But I really wanted at least 2 12 inch speakers, so I bought the wide body 1x12 cab. I love this set up, it's very flexible, and the extra cab is awsome to have for other aplications as well.