Oh, one more thought...assuming that really is a Stiletto, we might be seeing a clever marketing/publicity stunt for the Stiletto line here. 8)
1. The Stiletto line sales performance constantly fails to meet long-term expectations.
2. They renovate the line. Enter Stage II.
3. Sales continue to underperform.
4. (in 2012) They kill the Stiletto line.
5. ...they wait a couple of years...
6. (now) They leak a picture of a well-known guitar celebrity (Hetfield qualifies) with a mystery Mesa amp.
7. They wait for the buzz and net hype.
8. Somebody positively identifies it as a Stiletto.
9. Stiletto prices on secondhand market start to rise.
10. ...they just wait....
11. People are complaining everywhere about ridiculous prices on Stilettos and wondering why Mesa won't reissue them.
12. The prices keep rising.
13. ...they just wait...
14. Stilettos on ebay are going for more than fully loaded mint IIc+'s. Even battered-up Ace combos with blown speakers.
15. Mesa triumphantly restarts Stiletto production! It immediately outsells all other Mesa models! Everybody is happy!
Farfetched fiction? Yeah, that was a work of fiction...but farfetched? Years ago, Doug West said: " Randy and I joke all the time that the best way to make something successful is to quit making it." ...and, curiously enough, he said that in the context of Stiletto sales not meeting the expectations! ( http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/mesa-boogie-born-to-boogie-1 )
...So I guess all this could be a part of a very long hatched master plan. :lol:
Remember Jimmy Page and Supro amps... :wink: