Stiletto Ace users Crunch Tite #1 yes?

[jamme61]

If you have GAS for this amp now... wait till you bring one home!

BTW it was between this one and the JVM head... the Deuce isn't fizzy like the Marshall. A little harder to dial in but when you do it's unbelievable.

Now I want to upgrade the tubes!

BTW I have 2 Mesa Siemens 450's does anyone know if it's okay to put these in the 50 Watt sockets and leave the 447's in the 100 watt sockets?

you would have to see if the tubes are close to each other in bias. Do you have a Bias rite tool? If they are not close you'll get a hum. Are the Siemens, mesa old stk 450's? If they're Mesa's what color code are they? If the colors are the same you should be good, still it would be nice to check it and be safe.

 

[srf399]

What is a bias rite tool? These are Mesa STR 450's Grey

The tubes in the Duece are Mesa STR 447's Green

 

[srf399]

I played for about an hours last night again and was getting more sounds out of this amp... Love the spank you can get in the clean channels.... and how it starts to get this wooly fuzz sound (clip) when you increase you picking attack... Was getting an amazing clipping sound in tite clean. The loop send level is a little tricky. Not used to that after having the MKIV. I agree that the Stilettos could be set up to be more flexible on the fly like most of the other Boogie amps but the sound is so good I don't care right now. I agree with other readers that you have to really watch the treble & presence on these. I don't think it's a problem though... on this particular amp I can run the treble pretty high... up to 2 o'clock and it's still fine. I don't like my TS 808 with it though... too middy. I would like to try the BB Preamp. Once the V30's get broken in (Cabinet was new out of the box & I'm the only player to use it) and I get some beam blockers and maybe change a few tubes this will smoothen out a bit I'm sure... But it's nice and smooth right now. Backed off the presence, treble in fluid drive and was getting a nice smooth Johnson'ish sound (well as close as one can without all his effects) Anyway I guess I should shut up about this amp and just go play LOL

 

[jamme61]

I played for about an hours last night again and was getting more sounds out of this amp... Love the spank you can get in the clean channels.... and how it starts to get this wooly fuzz sound (clip) when you increase you picking attack... Was getting an amazing clipping sound in tite clean. The loop send level is a little tricky. Not used to that after having the MKIV. I agree that the Stilettos could be set up to be more flexible on the fly like most of the other Boogie amps but the sound is so good I don't care right now. I agree with other readers that you have to really watch the treble & presence on these. I don't think it's a problem though... on this particular amp I can run the treble pretty high... up to 2 o'clock and it's still fine. I don't like my TS 808 with it though... too middy. I would like to try the BB Preamp. Once the V30's get broken in (Cabinet was new out of the box & I'm the only player to use it) and I get some beam blockers and maybe change a few tubes this will smoothen out a bit I'm sure... But it's nice and smooth right now. Backed off the presence, treble in fluid drive and was getting a nice smooth Johnson'ish sound (well as close as one can without all his effects) Anyway I guess I should shut up about this amp and just go play LOL

The bias rite, is a tool to measure the bias of the tubes https://taweber.powweb.com/biasrite/br_page.htm
I think you'll be fine running all those tubes together. they're all mesa tubes and will be really close in bias. On the overdrive pedal, Check out the Bad Monkey it's $39 new and IMHO sounds awesome with this amp. I just got the BB AC pedal and it's nice but the Bad Monkey is pretty close and for the higher gain stuff I like the Bad Monkey better. I too run the presence and treble where you do, maybe it's the cab we use? Mine is the 2x12 ace combo and it sounds great.

 

[srf399]

The other cool thing is if you plug the cabinet into the 4 ohm speaker output the amp becomes brighter and tighter so you can get a different feel that way as well. The spongy variac switch on this amp has more effect than the tweed had on my MKIV

 

[jamme61]

The other cool thing is if you plug the cabinet into the 4 ohm speaker output the amp becomes brighter and tighter so you can get a different feel that way as well. The spongy variac switch on this amp has more effect than the tweed had on my MKIV

+1 on that. Just ran it at 4 ohms with a marshall 2x12 I have sounded great, cool beans!

 

[srf399]

Going to play the Deuce live today...

Before I decided to get the Deuce I was surfing and went to the Bogner site... If you want an idea what the Deuce can do in channel 1 check out the Bogner Ecstasy Classic EL34 MP3 samples. When I was GAS'ing for the Deuce II I heard these and thought I wish I could get a Bogner. I'm getting 99% of these sounds out of the Deuce! Got to figure out a way to get some samples on here!

 

[Barry]

as long as we're threading here on Stiletto tone, I really miss having a 3rd channel so I can have a clean, crunch, and lead sound. So here is my latest solution that is working ok for a classic rock sound: Ch 1 crunch (12:00), Ch 2 Tite Gain lead (1-2:00), and when I need clean I use my Ch 1 crunch, back off my volume on my guitar which cleans it up nicely, and to compensate for the loss in volume use the solo switch on the footpedal to get my overall volume back to normal because my solo knob level is about the same level I drop my guitar volume down to when I want clean.

I have read the greatest things in the world about the Xotic preamp pedals so I'm going to try that too. All I read is once you try it you won't use any other OD pedals because it doesn't color your tone, just gives you more of what you got. Anyone ever use that pedal? I'm thinking about a clean-crunch in Ch 1, Tite Gain higher end gain (not quite a lead gain level) in Ch 2, and use the preamp & solo switch when you need to liquify, or put some grease around the edges, for a lead sound on Tite Gain. Hmmm. Almost like 3 channels and keeping the integrity of the Mesa tone in tact.

I think I need to go to Tone Addicts Anonymous. "My name is jab, and I'm a tone addict".

I use a BB preamp in front of my Deuce and Lone star heads . It is an amazing pedal . Highly recommend

 

[jamme61]

I'm thinking of trying to put a bright cap on the clean channel in my stiletto. It probably won't work but I'd love to get a little more jangle on there. I miss the cleans I was getting on the Express.

 

[srf399]

What kind of guitar are you playing through the clean channel? I tap my coils on my Dimarzio Breed humbuckers and it jangles better than my old 65 fender deluxe reverb ever did.

I've heard really good things about the BB Preamp.

I had my TS 808 hooked up today when I played live but I didn't need it... I used the tite gain mode and turned my guitar down to about 4 - 5 for crunch rhythm and then dimed it for solos and it was the nicest lead sound I've ever had and the crunch sounded like Van Halen's first album. I almost wet myself when we started playing and was giggling to myself most of the first set! LOL Got a ton of compliments on the sound.

The TS 808 actually sounds too middy with the Deuce in my opinion. For under $50 bucks the Bad Monkey sounds like a no brainer.

 

[jamme61]

I'm using p-90's but have used humbuckers in the past. the bad monkey is like a tube screamer with out the mid hump and a little more gain with a bass and treble knob. It really works and sounds great. I think I like the BB AC that I just got better for a slight boost for a blues kind of lead sound or, to beef up a rythm part. the bad monkey seems to cut better (more highs) and is better for the higher gain leads, the monkey can do it all IMHO. For $39, I was using two of them untill after reading so much about the bb pedals, I grabbed one. Now I know but, I was fine with the two monkeys and no BB pedal. Check it out if you get a chance.

 

[srf399]

I basically have my TS as a boost. But if yesterday was any indication I don't think I really need it. I've always played through amps that had the Fender voicing and I much prefer the Marshall type of smooth distortion now after playing the Stiletto II. I've never liked the Marshall's though because of the fizzy distortion on the newer ones but I always remember my old Marshall I had in the early 80's (it was a late 60's/early 70's model. No master volume, and it was punchy but needed a really good OD but I wasn't a very good player back then. But when I was playing with a full band yesterday that Marshall type overdrive was there but without the fizz and I really prefer it over the fender voiced overdrive. I always had the EL34's in my outer sockets of my MKIV but the voicing doesn't get the real EL34 vibe. Funny...I saw a post I responded to in July of this year on this forum where I stated that I would never sell my MKIV! Wow.. what a difference 5 months can make. That's the nice thing about Boogies... they keep their value and there is pretty much a sound for everyone and someone is going to get a really nice mint MKIV in the one I traded in and I hope they treat her with care and keep her in good condition. Fantastic amp but not the sound I was looking for in my mind.

 

[jamme61]

I basically have my TS as a boost. But if yesterday was any indication I don't think I really need it. I've always played through amps that had the Fender voicing and I much prefer the Marshall type of smooth distortion now after playing the Stiletto II. I've never liked the Marshall's though because of the fizzy distortion on the newer ones but I always remember my old Marshall I had in the early 80's (it was a late 60's/early 70's model. No master volume, and it was punchy but needed a really good OD but I wasn't a very good player back then. But when I was playing with a full band yesterday that Marshall type overdrive was there but without the fizz and I really prefer it over the fender voiced overdrive. I always had the EL34's in my outer sockets of my MKIV but the voicing doesn't get the real EL34 vibe. Funny...I saw a post I responded to in July of this year on this forum where I stated that I would never sell my MKIV! Wow.. what a difference 5 months can make. That's the nice thing about Boogies... they keep their value and there is pretty much a sound for everyone and someone is going to get a really nice mint MKIV in the one I traded in and I hope they treat her with care and keep her in good condition. Fantastic amp but not the sound I was looking for in my mind.

Wow! you and me are comming from the same place. I love the older marshalls(and have a Plexi RI, PTP, mustard caps, new OT, etc. my favorite) I too had the MKIV last year and went crazy about how great it was (and it is at some things, ) Like the clean R1 and I liked R3 but, R2 was always a disapointment for me.

 

[srf399]

The thing that was just amazing was that I took longer than normal to set up my gear and I always run a powercord right out of the stage area to limit dirty power. Well I had to plug in to the stage circuit... not a bit of noise from this amp.... nada. Then I didn't have time to do a sound check..we went right into playing! I just eyeballed what I knew from reading the manual.... started playing and it was F - - - Me!!!!!! It was my dream sound! I didn't touch it at all after that! And that leather smell from the Croc leather on the front is cool....

Was reading an Andy Timmons interview and he was talking about how the Stg II's treble doesn't need to be turned down like the Marshalls. He sounds like he likes treble in his mix and said that with the Stiletto he is actually adding more of it. But I was under the impression that the Stilettos were more trebly than the Marshalls... What he said seems to fly in the face of what people on the board here are saying. I didn't find this Deuce trebly or ice picky at all.... just very smooth (More so than my MKIV was) and articulate with that vintage Marshall wooly/woody grind. Add a little leather smell and it was Utopia! LOL I'm also finding that it's easier for me to solo through.... more fluid and therefore more forgiving than the MKIV but it still tracks as good as the MKIV). A few people have suggested replacing the V1, V2 & V3 preamp tubes with Mullards to warm it up a bit... So I may try that but right now I am really taken with this amp.

 

[jamme61]

If people ever played a plexi on the high treble channel (without the bright cap disconnected) you would think the stiletto dark in comparison LOL. As you turn up the plexi it gets more bottom and fills out and all the tone comes together and punches you in the chest, yes! To get a plexi cooking without an attenuator or a Master volume mod, you have to crank it, and it's so loud it hurts(in a good way)

 

[srf399]

You have a Plexi right? Could to post your settings that you use on your Ace to replicate what you Plexi sounds like and post them here? That would be cool.

I'll bet most people here have really never heard a Plexi in person let alone played through one. My old Marshall had a punch that would almost perform open heart surgery when turned up halfway! Punch like no other!

 

[jamme61]

You have a Plexi right? Could to post your settings that you use on your Ace to replicate what you Plexi sounds like and post them here? That would be cool.

I'll bet most people here have really never heard a Plexi in person let alone played through one. My old Marshall had a punch that would almost perform open heart surgery when turned up halfway! Punch like no other!

I will but, it's so different for everyone(different guitars, pick ups, fingers ears ect.) I run my

Second Channel
Crunch Tite
Gain -- 9 oclock
Treble -- 9
Mids -- 1
Bass -- 2
presence -- 11

I'm using a PRS custom 22 Mcsoapie (3 p-90's) This is the same amt of gain my plexi gets at about half cranked (not jumpped just treble channel)after that the plexi just gets fatter untill I don't like it. I love old marshalls everyone shold own one IMHO. the JCM800 2204 is killer too IMHO