Not sure What Head to get by Mesa

[jjmathews202]

Im planning on buying a new amp, and Ive looked heavily into Mesa and I'm pretty set on getting one. I play modern punk and alt rock playing thru a les paul.

I have a Peavey Classic 30 and a shitty Marshall MG.
I have about 2k give or take a couple hundred to spend on a head and cab (new or used)

Ive really looked heavily into the Mark V, a Dual/triple Rec, the Stiletto Deuce and a Roadster.

Which is the best for a good clean and nice creamy medium-high gain OD?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[Analog Kid]

Electradyne.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Electradyne is a pretty cheap price for a Boogie. The 1x12 combo is really loud. I have played one one a half doz times, own a Rectifier and MKV. You can get an ED head 'floor model' from Mesa Hollywood for about 1450. IMO it has a good lead tone and good solid rock and most metal is possible. Does not sound like you are into death metal or ultra high gain. Others say a boost pedal can work those into the plan. I like the voicing of the ED, regardless of the price, and it is the cheapest head anyway. Sweet. My bonus next year will become an ED head. With an LP, the ED sounds great, I am thinking with the right set of EL34's it would become the amp I use for most classic rock/early metal.

The Rectifer is an icon in rock an roll history. I love mine and think it does play clean pretty well. As great as it is, it does seem to 'take over' the guitar tone much more than the MKV. The distortion on the REC is great, but it always sounds like REC distortion. Still there are effects and of course the AC Boost on clean.

If you have some time to hunt for deals you could pick up a used Single Rec head for $700 ish, (what I did) and then a Dyne head for the $1300 area. There is your 2k, add two cabs. There is a thread for cabs on here. Boogafunk is the name brand. Gotta love that name.... $130 for a 1x12 cab, add speaker. You would be about $2500 in, and have a killer stereo rig. The width and depth of 2 differently voiced amps.... :shock: :shock: Catching that elusive 'CD Tone'... priceless 8)

Good luck with your tone quest.

 

[jjmathews202]

Thanks for the detailed reply!

Would I run these two at the same time doing something like amp switching with the channels? Or just for different tones I could switch amps?

 

[jjmathews202]

Does the Single Rec sound as good as a dual?

 

[Jak0lantern01]

Punk? Do the Stiletto since it's probably (IMO) the most flexible of the amps the you mentioned. Add an EQ to the loop, and there's nothing that amp cannot do. I wasn't too fond of the Electrodyne, not enough gain and it was missing something for me. My next suggestion would be the Mark V, but be prepared to have to dial that one in just right to get your sound. I think The Offspring uses Mark series amps, their sound is pretty consistent.

 

[Turumbar82]

You can't go wrong with any of these heads. They are all great. The issue is finding which one has the voice you like. Definitely try to play on as many as possible.

The Single Recto sounds great. The Dual has more features of course and a little more headroom but there isn't that much of a difference in tone.

 

[jjmathews202]

The stiletto sounds pretty good, but is it really similar to a marshall? From what i can tell they are sort of similar but from what I have heard over youtube they have some major differences.

If I wanted to go the stiletto route then would I want to go head + cab or combo?

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

You've got to be more specific in your tone, or else any of those amps you've mentioned would fit the bill...

 

[Heritage Softail]

The single rec series 2 has one more mode than series 1. Not sure about the slight voicing differences over the single/double/triple aside of headroom. The single is still way way loud. I run it thru and A/B/Y switch in stereo with the MKV. The V has delay in the loop. The Rec is straight dry, unless I am running the FP777 old Ibanez Flying Pan. It does a Stereo pan and phaser. Way cool old school effect, I swear some old hits of acid are kicking on when playing that sometimes.... :shock: Bottom line is 3 notes going on at one time, big wide sound. Of course you can't duplicate some CD sounds live. I guess that's why so many people ripped Boston on the live sound being a let down from the 15 X layered tracks....

As others said, play as many amps as possible. Your guitar, ear, and playing technique have a huge effect on your 'out the speakers' sound. Somebody is always needing cash.... A deal is out there.

 

[Jak0lantern01]

Well, the Stiletto is "Marshallesque" but is definitely not a Marshall. To me, it's almost as if a Recto and Marshall mated and had little Stilettos. I own a Rectoverb and have played through various Marshall amps, I find the Stiletto to be a good middle ground. I would always recommend a head vs. a combo. Lugging a combo can be quite bothersome, I don't care what shape you're in. Plus, with a head, you have your selection of cabs/speakers. I own a 1x12, a 2x12, and a 4x12 so I'm ready for any situation.

 

[primal]

As long as you not playing nu metal the ED has plenty gain on tap. Has much more low end then the stilletto and is tighter at the higher gain settings IMO.

I did this plugged straight in with no boost and the gain still wasn't pegged (probably almost pegged).
http://www.netmusicians.org/index.php?section=id&value=5026

If you need more gain then that there was still a little left on tap or you could boost it. Though if you really want more gain then that you should be looking at a different Mesa.

With the Stilletto on the crunch channel it will definately do the ACDC thing better then the ED ever could though. The Stilletto also has seperate controls for your clean and dirty channels which you don't have on the ED. Though I will say I have gotten great clean and dirty tones together even with the shared control.

You can't go wrong with the Stiletto. It's worth the price for the crunch setting alone. For me I opted for the ED because I felt it had much more bottom end and stayed tighter at the higher gain settings.

 

[jjmathews202]

the tone youve got with that ED is pretty good, but im sort of scared of the shared Eq. Also my friends have said get a used dual rec and a 2x12 cab w/ greenbacks. He says its friggen orgasmic

 

[theweatherman]

I play punk rock. Get the ED. im telling you...you wont be disappointed. it has plenty of gain. i set my volume (gain) knob at 3 oclock and it hits perfect for bad religion, pennywise, offspring, nofx, unwritten law...i could go on. but the point is you need this amp. Ive owned a stiletto, mark v, roadster, many rectos, and marshalls, and the ED is the best amp ive ever heard for my style of music. it is thick, tight, and loads of low end. it sounds like a combination of amps all going through one cab.
Make sure when you try it out you reach around the back and flip the gain trim to clean or off. Most people who say the ED doesnt have enough gain fail to do this.

 

[JOEY B.]

I'll also put in a vote for the Electra Dyne. The Stiletto always sounded a bit "grainy" to my ears. I tried various tubes, speakers, and even beam blockers and could not get rid of the grit. The lack of reverb for the Stiletto cleans was also an issue. I now have an ED head with a 2x12 ported cab (MESA MS-12 150 watt speakers). The head is loaded with Sylvania 6CA7/EL-34 power tubes and does a more pleasing to the ear AC/DC than my stiletto ever did. If you need more gain, the ED sounds great with a mild overdrive pedal. All the comments about it being LOUD are true in the 90 watt setting, but I can get some of my best tones in the 45 watt setting. Not weak, but just a faster power tube distortion. 8)

 

[Analog Kid]

the tone youve got with that ED is pretty good, but im sort of scared of the shared Eq. Also my friends have said get a used dual rec and a 2x12 cab w/ greenbacks. He says its friggen orgasmic

Every Boogie is orgasmic, they don't make any bad amps.

 

[primal]

the tone youve got with that ED is pretty good, but im sort of scared of the shared Eq. Also my friends have said get a used dual rec and a 2x12 cab w/ greenbacks. He says its friggen orgasmic

For me the shared EQ hasn't been a problem. I can get a great clean and overdrive with the same settings, especially with the gain trim switch and clean level knob on the back. But I certianly understand your concern. There is a compromise.

Regardless of what ever amp you choose, make sure you try it first.

And this also goes for the dual rec. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love dual rec's. They have already earned there spot as a classic. I plan on adding one to the stable in the not too distant future. But I owned one in the past and know what to expect.

I have run into a lot of people who have a certain expectation about what a dual rec should sound like. They buy one, get it home and then are surprised that it is not tight right out of the box like they are expecting. Then they try everything they can to try and make it not sound like a dual rec.

Dual Rec is an awesome amp, just make sure you try it and it is for you before you go ahead and put down the money (as you should with any amp you purchase)

 

[jjmathews202]

For sure, especially in tight times, theres no way I won't listen to each amp before I pull the trigger, there are just so many choices, and I wanted to hear from the guys that know what they are talking about

 

[davidfloyd]

ED does sound great. For some reason, sometimes the simpler circuits sound better - less grainy/purer - compared to more complex circuits. I've heard it with other brands besides Mesa as well. I play a Roadster, but definitely am impressed with the ED.

 

[Laskyman]

Told this story many times- retired a Roadster for a Stiletto Deuce, dropped the Stiletto for an Electra Dyne- NO REGRETS. No more *amp* gas. No more tweaking. No more "where is the sound I had last night"....No more "this amp is great, but needs a better clean, crunch, lead,etc,etc....The Dyne is tighter, has the best clean I have ever played, the greatest low gain finesse, a great lead voice, even with shared EQ- each mode works together excellent- not very much compromise, takes effects well both in loop and out front, would crush many head and cab combination in terms of power (at least percieved volume), has ridiculous low end, and is sexy as hell.
Count it. Next to a Mark V 112 combo, the ED 112 combo consistently made it sound thin and weak -thats not dissing the V so don't get excited mark lovers, but it is true- and shocked all who heard- employees included.
Demo an ED- it may change your opinion of simple one channel amps. Did for me, and I didn't see that coming.....