I own a Stiletto and in tite/fat clean mode using Diode section w/ a good tube Driver Pedal = full organic warm smooth dynamic type of tone. very pleasing tone in my opinion. Stiletto's can achieve such a wide array of tone that is what makes them special.
Never played a Bogner, but i have heard them being played in concert and on sound clips. Bogner's kick major ***. Especially the Shiva and EXctasy models.
I know you didn't ask a question about Carvin Legacy amp but i will share it with you anyways because i am pretty sure (read this somewhere actually) Bogner worked with Vai to design the first vai modeled legacy amp (Vai use to play a Bogner) so maybe it has some merit in describing a little bit of the voicing of the Bogner amps .I own a Legacy combo amp as well and also enjoy its voicing. It has a very woody warm smooth type of high gain distortion That is Extremely Dynamic and unique. A great amp for melodic Vintage/classical type rock stuff/lead work. The legacy also has a nice clean channel that sounds great.
Stiletto is very tight sounding on all of its frequency ranges. Meaning it is very responsive to how you play. That being said it is also very DYNAMIC as well.
My legacy compared to my Stiletto is just as Dynamic, but doesn't have same sort of tightness to it. ANother words its a little looser sounding, "especially on the low end of the amp". The Legacy has a Bassier Low end than my stiletto head (that is comparing them with similar EQ settings (both at noon lets say), but its just looser/flubbier on the low end compared to my ace head/ rec cab combination.
when i run my legacy combo through to my rec extension cab I find myself turning the bass to around 9 0clock MID noon Treb 2 0clock pres 3 oclock volume is up high and drive is around 2 oclock ( at least that is what i have it set to right now as i look over at its settings
. That being said i know that if i changed out the power tubes it would tighten up the lower end (tubes are a couple yrs old now)
So many people say that the Stilettos are bright sounding. its this inherent natural presence and treble voicing that are inherent in the tite gain and fluid drive modes of the dirty channel of the amp. I think most people are complaining about the tight gain and fluid drive mode when they say its bright. If you are worried about this turn down the treb and presence on the channels to 9 0clockish and go from there make sure you have your output around noonish and your master over noon as well for the tone of these particular modes of the drive channel to come alive and sound bright in a good sort of way. Not to mention that running an eq in your loop can completely change the voicing of this channel. Have you ever been to a show or for that matter played in a loud environment and heard a sweet beautiful tone come out of someones guitar that you could hear and it sounded loud when the guy was doing sound check but then as soon as the rest of the band was playing you couldn't even hear the guitar tone cut through the mix. Well the Stiletto was designed to cut through especially in the two modes that I was just talking about.
OR like I first mentioned you can run a tube driver pedal in the clean Channel of the amp and go really dark and creamy sounding with the stiletto.
I have been to an Andy TImmons Guitar Clinic. Timmons uses a tube driver pedal in the clean channel of his stilletto amp tight cln diode i believe. CHeck out a BK Butler/chandler tube driver pedal for that Eric JOhnson David Gilmour, and Timmons all use these pedals from time to time.
Of course a Bk Butler Tube driver pedal new goes for around 350 so its not cheap
Good luck with your decision making. You cant go wrong with either Mesa or Bogner.
"... guitarists shouldn't get too riled up about all of the great players that were left off of 'Rolling Stone Magazines' list of the Greatest Guitar Players of all Time' ... Rolling Stone is published for people who read the magazine because they don't know what to wear ..." - Joe (Sach) Satriani
