Stiletto speaker selections

[carnivore]

I would appreciate any advice I can get here. I have been reading every post on this forum and am blown away with the knowlege you guys posess. I have decided to get an Ace. Unfortunately I can't A,B,C them at the local GC and will likely have to order what I want if it is different than a 2-12 combo.

I know tone is very subjective. I am a 50 yr guy (still looking good) I listen to and play 70s-80 classic rock mostly,,ie.. cheep trick, stones, skinnard, early van halen, AC-DC, bad company..enough said.. I currently have a couple jcm800s, 50 & a 100 and just want to simplify my life and move up to a mesa.

I have 2 av1960s with v30, have a 3/4 back mesa cab (not been used in a couple years.) and throw out this question,

how does the 1-12 combo sound compared to the 2-12 (that I have heard and liked) vs the Ace in a head version played through either of my 4-12 V30 marshall cabs or my 1-12 3/4back cab.

Like I said I know it is subjective but please jump in here and continue some of the great opinions you guys have been posting. big thanks..

 

[srf399]

Well I'm totally bias when it comes to the Stiletto Deuce Stage II so all I'll say is that you should really try to play all 4 of the Stiletto's (Ace Combo, Ace Head, Deuce & Trident) through your cabinets with your own guitar and effects. Might be worth it to take them into the store and try the head through your own cabinets. Any of these heads with a Stiletto 2x12 cabinet is really nice sounding IMO and they are really easy to move around (I'm 46 here).

 

[srf399]

In my opinion the Ace Combo didn't push as much air or sound as big as the Stiletto Deuce II with the 2x12 Stiletto cabinet. I didn't have the opportunity to try the Ace head though. When I was trying them out the Deuce tightened up and was brighter without the brittleness of the Ace when I plugged the 8 ohm cabinet into the 4 ohm speaker outlet on the head and dropped it into 50 watt power. Very similar but not as ice picky. So if you prefer a tighter/brighter sound you might prefer the Ace but the Deuce can get pretty close to that and in the 8 ohm outlet I found it to be a lot smoother sounding than the Ace. Others may have a totally different take on the sonic differences so remember it's just what my ears are hearing and my wife says I don't hear much of anything!

 

[Barry]

Get the head version no matter what Stiletto you choose . Use a closed back cabinet as well . Do you have a les Paul ? The Stilettos sound amazing with mahogany based humbucker guitars .

 

[enigma]

+1 on buying a Stiletto head!!! I have a stiletto trident (v.1) and run it through a recto 2x12 (celestion v30s). It's an awesome combination ~~~

I think the key to bringing the best out of a Stiletto is via closed cabs. And, I agree that stilettos especially love Les Pauls. My ES335 does alright with it as well!

 

[jamme61]

I feel, like guitars, If you play one and it sounds good to you, Take That One Home. i have changed the speakers to Celestion vintage Neo speakers(sound like V30's and saves you 14LBS) for a killer light gig combo the express 5:50 1x12 is light and tonefull. I have had the amps you have, and loved them, i think you get some of that JCM800 tone in the Stilleto on the higher gain stuff.

 

[jab]

I'm using an Ace head into 1x12 and 2x12 Roadster cabs (the same as the Stiletto cabs without the white piping). It's a bit punchy sounding which is not a bad thing and I am happy with it. I'm 46 and the thought of carrying around a combo was highly unappealing. I keep one cabinet in my rehearsal space, and one cabinet at home. I bring both cabs to the gig. Less weight, more versatility. I have played the head out of the 4x12 Stiletto cab at the local dealer and I really can't tell much of a difference but then again, they're all V30. I upgraded my tubes and it makes a big difference by the way as far as getting a fuller sound.

Nice to at least see someone out there is covering Cheap Trick. Must be from the midwest. Curious what it is about the JCM800's that you feel you need to upgrade. What do you hear in Ace that you don't get in the 800's?

 

[srf399]

I upgraded my tubes and it makes a big difference by the way as far as getting a fuller sound.

What tubes did you upgrade to?

 

[Anonymous]

Got that old 'cause of the Ace! In our age physical activity is a must, the Ace helps me to stay fit ;-) should be a good ad for the 45+ target group of mesa buyers.

yes the Ace is heavy but its worth every gramm per db! For every new track or song there is a sound which supports the intentions. its a small amp and combo, not a 4x12". Go for the combo, you can ad the 1960 anyway later.

 

[carnivore]

Nice to at least see someone out there is covering Cheap Trick. Must be from the midwest. Curious what it is about the JCM800's that you feel you need to upgrade. What do you hear in Ace that you don't get in the 800's?

Orig from southern Illinois.. Still dig Cheap Trick. Their Rockford CD is their best ever in my opinion.

on the 800...I do like them a lot. I have a 1989 50 watt 2 channel and a 1981 Single channel 100 watt. They don't have a lot of diversity but do a **** good job of doing thier one great trick. I am looking at the Ace for 2 reasons, I need a few other tones as I am now doing more church playing but still need to rock out from time to time doing bar gigs. Second reason,, I probably only play my 800s for 20 minutes a month each and as of today both 800 heads are in at the amp tec's shop getting some buzzes and hums fixed. They never leave my house and are broken down. I have a 20 watt Hughes & Kettner I have been playing at church and fill in bar gigs.

I have it in my head that the Mesa's will be a little more reliable. The amp tec has this thing that Mesa's are not point-to-point and therefore are a waste of money. You guys on this forum have me thinking differently..

 

[mightywarlock]

gotta put my 2cents in...

i bought an Ace combo.


It was too harsh for me.

look at my video's on youtube to hear the incredible difference between the Ace and the Deuce II.

i sold the Ace and bought a Deuce II and i use that every day now.

Ace had better tone, but, it was too trebly and harsh for my ears.
no matter how i dialed it, and changed tubes it always hurt my ears.

Go with a Deuce head.

here's a sidenote however,

last week band rehearsal was at my place. me on my SG, into the Deuce II into a Traditional 4x12. the other guitar player playing my gretsch into my Triaxis on ld.2 yellow i believe, into the 2:90, into a Recto 2x12.

amazingly, both guitars sounded very much the same and was hard to tell the difference in the tones.

i thought there would be a greater difference, but was very suprised, Mesa tone is Mesa tone.

 

[srf399]

Ace had better tone, but, it was too trebly and harsh for my ears.
no matter how i dialed it, and changed tubes it always hurt my ears.

I'm not sure I following you here... The Ace had better tone yet it was harsh and hurt your ears? That doesn't make sense to me. Oh Well

Here is an analogy that describes to me the difference... This is just what my ears hear

I have always liked soft lead in pencils... The Deuce is like a regular HB leaded pencil.... the Ace is an H Leaded pencil. To me it scratches and almost rips the paper to apply where as the Deuce glides on smooth and black.

I agree with the harsh label but to me that harshness was over the top and I wanted a smoother Eric Johnson Marshall type tone.

 

[jab]

I have NOS Seimens that Mesa relabels STR450 in my Ace now. Some tube guru sent me this suggestion as well:

There are a few reasons for the sharp character of the amp that can be addressed to improve things a bit.

1. The front end .... use 12AX7R2 tubes in V1 and V2 to smooth things out a bit.

2. The amps are VERY overbiased and run cold which makes them very grainy. If you use Mesa tubes use ONLY BLUE or WHITE color codes. WHITE is better than blue. I prefer going to the E34LS in a #6 rating in these amps that will bias closer to proper bias with the Mesa fixed bias.