Opinions needed: Stiletto I & voltage converter questions...

[night0wl]

Hi all,

I am new here and have a couple of questions regarding a Stiletto stage I and voltage conversion.

First of all, a small intro.... I have been using a Studio .22 plus Mesa/Boogie for about 4 years now and love it. Until now it has been used mainly for solo work and I recently joined a band who play a lot of larger venues and the .22 caliber isn't keeping up I also have a Marshall JCM800 100w lead combo but I prefer the Mesa tone and the JCM tends to get a little "muddy". Soooo, I have been offered a Stiletto Duece stage I head for a great price, but the power is 110v (US) and I am in Australia (240v).

I don't have the opportunity to try out a Mesa in store as I live too far away from the nearest music shop. The music we play is basically old rock covers (pub rock) and no modern metal or anything like that. From researching the 'net I understand the stage 1 doesn't have as much gain as a Stage 2, but is that the only difference?

My other questions are:
Is the Stiletto worth buying considering the deal I am getting (basically less than half the price of an Australian 240v model)? Would I be better off going for a Dual Rec solo head instead of a Stilleto? What are the tone differences between the two?

What voltage converter would be best to convert 110v to 240v? I don't have the option right now of having the transformer rewound so I would need a converter to plug into the power socket. What size converter would I need?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to checking out more of this great little community

Cheers
Shane

 

[night0wl]

Thanks for the help peeps ..... much appreciated

 

[Paulie]

Sorry night0wl, I can't answer any of your questions other than, as a stage I owner, say that what you are looking for in an amp is well suited for the stage I. There is more than enough gain in it and it handles "all purpose" cover band situations well. I couldn't be happier with mine.

I had a DR for a few years and loved it - found that it was better suited for heavy chording. I wanted something a little more Brittish sounding and better for my lead style - even though I used E34L's in the DR. The Stiletto is perfect for me. Wish it had a 3rd channel though.

 

[Old BF Shred]

Have you actually played that Stiletto? It seems to me that whether or not you can get a converter or transformer for 230v is secondary, compared to if you even like the tone. I have an Ace and a Studio 22. I like both, but the Stiletto is superior, IMO, and louder.

If you like it, the next question is how much for a converter or is it easier/cheaper to get 230v model. Also. there "may" be a possibility that the stock transformer has taps for 230v and, if so (you'd have to call Mesa, or a service center, to find out...they won't release a schematic for Stilettos), you could have a tech make the change fairly cheap. You'll have to do some more research to determine that.

Frankly, only you can answer these questions....but I wish you...
Good luck!

 

[night0wl]

Thanks for the replies guys

I have gone ahead with the purchase and even adding the voltage converter ($160AU) still works out less than half the price of a 240v model. I have paid a total of $1600AU for the amp (delivered) and it should be here in a week or so. 240v models I have seen here are going for over $3600....

I have been doing some research on voltage converters..... Just trying to find the right size one. I am thinking about going for a step down transformer that is "For larger applications requiring additional power. With a 500VA rating this transformer is good for up to 4.3 amps. " (taken from the site I was looking at). Hopefully that one will do the job...

Cheers

 

[Old BF Shred]

Just trying to find the right size one. I am thinking about going for a step down transformer that is "For larger applications requiring additional power. With a 500VA rating this transformer is good for up to 4.3 amps. " (taken from the site I was looking at). Hopefully that one will do the job...

Cheers

Sounds like it should work....The most common size fuse I've seen in Mesa amps is 3 amp (slo-blo). So this seems about right....unless perhaps the Stiletto is a Trident, which may be larger, but should not be by much.
In fact, look at the fuse.....as long as the converter can handle that rating (but you may want to allow a little extra margin for error) you should be OK.