Stiletto Ace...Further Thoughts

[oceantracks]

OK, this is my first MESA amp, and I have had the one 12 combo for about a week.

I do recording in a pro home studio and am a music producer as well as a player, with a lot of recording experience.

I've now done several tracks with this amp. Most of these tracks have been alternative pop style work, where one is on the bridge pickup and looking for a fair amount of distortion. Then onto overdubs with various clean settings, from edgey to very clean, using a Gibson Explorer and a Fender Nocaster.

I have to say that this is one of those rare pieces of gear that when you play back what you've done, it doesn't sound just good, it sounds exactly like what you have heard on a million records, and exactly like you were hoping for it to sound. It elevates everything you do. One of those pieces of gear that take things to a whole new level.

I am still getting a handle on the clean sounds. I don't expect this amp to be a chimey AC30, but I was pleasantly surprised at how many good clean sounds I could get rather quickly. In fact, dialing in sounds on this amp is done in seconds and you are there. Very sensitive and lots of adjustment possibilities tonally.

Once you monitor your tracks with studio reverb or slap, compression, etc, it is just amazing how good a studio amp this is. It sounds HUGE, and can get great sounds without rattling off the roof (though it sounds even better rattlling off the roof...I tried it )

What a great amp. I could see augmenting this with one of the new UK Hiwatt 20 watters, or an AC30 for those chime things, but this is a beast. Highly recommended, and I'm glad some of you up here pointed it out as a good choice. Very happy with this guy.

Tom H

 

[Platypus]

glad you like it

I can't wait for mine.

 

[inkwachemis]

glad u like it

I have the Ace head.

what are your favorite modes? so far, I've dealt mainly with the "fat clean" in channel 1, and "tite gain" in channel 2

however the "crunch channel" is :twisted:

recently discovered some great sounds in that mode that i need to explore more. I'm finding that i really need to turn down the presence and treble alot overall to tame the highs. I'm using a guitar with p90s so it can already get a bit bright, but it cuts well.

have u explored changing the stock mesa tubes out? so far, I've taken out he stock preamps, and put in GT12AX7-m in the v1, and C9s in the rest, and its help take a bit of the brittleness out.

 

[cvansickle]

glad u like it

I have the Ace head.

what are your favorite modes? so far, I've dealt mainly with the "fat clean" in channel 1, and "tite gain" in channel 2

however the "crunch channel" is :twisted:

recently discovered some great sounds in that mode that i need to explore more. I'm finding that i really need to turn down the presence and treble alot overall to tame the highs. I'm using a guitar with p90s so it can already get a bit bright, but it cuts well.

have u explored changing the stock mesa tubes out? so far, I've taken out he stock preamps, and put in GT12AX7-m in the v1, and C9s in the rest, and its help take a bit of the brittleness out.

I have a new Ace head too.

Have you experienced any weird noises in the clean channel? When I use the clean side, in all three nodes, I get a certain "fartiness" when I play hard. Soft picking and chords won't do it, but if I hit a chord hard it distorts and not in a good way. I haven't contacted Mesa yet. Do you think a tube change would help? It doesn't seem to be a problem at all with the dirty channel.

 

[Anonymous]

sigh - i have two of this two-twelve-inchers.

but i wonder what you are discussing about. i never tried to copy any sounds with them, they just sound awsome as they are - they own this unique and not clonable sounds of "the ACE" - thats all. everything else is just a copy.

 

[Platypus]

glad u like it

I have the Ace head.

what are your favorite modes? so far, I've dealt mainly with the "fat clean" in channel 1, and "tite gain" in channel 2

however the "crunch channel" is :twisted:

recently discovered some great sounds in that mode that i need to explore more. I'm finding that i really need to turn down the presence and treble alot overall to tame the highs. I'm using a guitar with p90s so it can already get a bit bright, but it cuts well.

have u explored changing the stock mesa tubes out? so far, I've taken out he stock preamps, and put in GT12AX7-m in the v1, and C9s in the rest, and its help take a bit of the brittleness out.

I have a new Ace head too.

Have you experienced any weird noises in the clean channel? When I use the clean side, in all three nodes, I get a certain "fartiness" when I play hard. Soft picking and chords won't do it, but if I hit a chord hard it distorts and not in a good way. I haven't contacted Mesa yet. Do you think a tube change would help? It doesn't seem to be a problem at all with the dirty channel.

Does it happen on all notes? I had this problem on my DR with just the low E string, the highest output from the pickup, would cause a weird fade in the signal/farty sound and then it would come back in after a few seconds.

If this sounds like you, replace your rectifier tubes.

 

[cvansickle]

There's no fading, just the farty sound. And it happens on both diode and tube rectifier settings. I'm thinking it's a preamp tube issue...

 

[NoGlassNoClass]

There's no fading, just the farty sound. And it happens on both diode and tube rectifier settings. I'm thinking it's a preamp tube issue...

While I do not have a Stilleto (yet!), have experienced a similar noise with the Recto. Are you using the FX loop? Try turning the send level down a bit. Could also be the V4 preamp tube. If using pedals in the loop, try a lower setting on the channel masters and turn the output up.

As long as its not a tube problem, the noise can be dialed out.

 

[inkwachemis]

glad u like it

I have the Ace head.

what are your favorite modes? so far, I've dealt mainly with the "fat clean" in channel 1, and "tite gain" in channel 2

however the "crunch channel" is :twisted:

recently discovered some great sounds in that mode that i need to explore more. I'm finding that i really need to turn down the presence and treble alot overall to tame the highs. I'm using a guitar with p90s so it can already get a bit bright, but it cuts well.

have u explored changing the stock mesa tubes out? so far, I've taken out he stock preamps, and put in GT12AX7-m in the v1, and C9s in the rest, and its help take a bit of the brittleness out.

I have a new Ace head too.

Have you experienced any weird noises in the clean channel? When I use the clean side, in all three nodes, I get a certain "fartiness" when I play hard. Soft picking and chords won't do it, but if I hit a chord hard it distorts and not in a good way. I haven't contacted Mesa yet. Do you think a tube change would help? It doesn't seem to be a problem at all with the dirty channel.

def start with changing to some nice tubes. Although stock mesas are decent, I think nicer tubes can make the amp sound much much better. changin out the preamps have made the clean channel breakup much more natural and smoother than with stock mesas, which to me, were very brittle sounding

 

[cvansickle]

There's no fading, just the farty sound. And it happens on both diode and tube rectifier settings. I'm thinking it's a preamp tube issue...

While I do not have a Stilleto (yet!), have experienced a similar noise with the Recto. Are you using the FX loop? Try turning the send level down a bit. Could also be the V4 preamp tube. If using pedals in the loop, try a lower setting on the channel masters and turn the output up.

As long as its not a tube problem, the noise can be dialed out.

Yes, I use the effects loop. I took your advice, and I think it's done the trick. I turned the channel masters down and the amp output up. The fartiness in the clean channel has been dialed out. Thanks a million!

 

[NoGlassNoClass]

Good it worked out for you. I dont think the fartiness comes from the amp itself, but rather the FX's (especially pedals) inability to handle such a hot signal. With mine, it was the Boss DD6 in the loop clipping on loud/low notes...most noticeable on the clean channel. For me, backing off on the Loop Send to below unity gain was unacceptable due to the loss of volume when switching the loop in/out. Lowering the Channel Masters achieves the same thing (less signal to the FX) while allowing balanced volumes across all 3 channels, loop in or out.

 

[SoCalSteve]

deleted

 

[Platypus]

You guys sure know how to rub it in! I have a January 9 ETA for my Ace 1x12. In the meantime I've downloaded the manual so I can become familiar with the switches and settings.

Good tip about the FX loop. I'll keep that in mind also.

You and me both man

Ace 2x12 coming around that time.

 

[cvansickle]

Steve, Platy, I can't understand the hold up on yours. Are you ordering a custom color, to be delivered by a girl with beer-flavored nipples or something?

My dealer here in Atlanta made one phone call to the distributer, and it was here as fast as the truck could get it here from California. And I talked to a dealer at the Arlington Guitar Show a couple weeks back, and he said Mesa has plenty in all configurations of Aces. He can get any combo or head, black or green, immediately.

 

[SoCalSteve]

delete

 

[Platypus]

Steve, Platy, I can't understand the hold up on yours. Are you ordering a custom color, to be delivered by a girl with beer-flavored nipples or something?

My dealer here in Atlanta made one phone call to the distributer, and it was here as fast as the truck could get it here from California. And I talked to a dealer at the Arlington Guitar Show a couple weeks back, and he said Mesa has plenty in all configurations of Aces. He can get any combo or head, black or green, immediately.

Hmm.. I ordered from probably the best shop in Chicago so I dunno what the deal is. He said he could only get 1x12's and since mine was a 2x12 it had to be ordered. I sent him an email earlier today seeing what my ETA was.