Stiletto Trident vs. Triple Rectifier...I need some help.

[tele_jas]

Guitar Player June 2005, Carlos Santana is on the front cover

Hey, I have that one.... If my wife hasn't pitched it yet because I left it laying around, I'll try to scan it and get it in there in the next day or so.

I did find this though: http://www.mesaboogie.com/Reviews/StilettoGP-05/StilettoGP-05.htm

 

[tele_jas]

I did a quick search and found the entire article online... Here ya go: http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?sectioncode=6&storycode=8714

 

[xnfx]

RR and tele_jas,
Thanks for the help guys!

 

[RR]

Thank tele-jas for the article link. You got me off the hook of scanning the GP article.

My niece download a virus on my computer which is hooked to the scanner that's why I could not scanned the article. Yes, I know, I could have used my other computer(s) but they don't have the scanner's drivers installed and I was lazy. My laptop is at my girlfriend's house which do have the scanner's driver.

O-kay I exaggerated "an enclopedia of Marshalls" but here's highlight excerpts from the June GP 2005 article aricle:

-"Clapton’s Blues Breakers snarl, Hendrix’s psychedelic screams, Gibbons’ grind, and many other fabled Brit-amp texures. In fact, it was easy for me to clone the sound of both a ’74 50-watt Marshall non-master head"

- The Crunch position adds another preamp gain stage to closely approximate a post-1975 master-volume Marshall model 2203/4’s higher-gain circuitry.

-For those who just can’t get enough JCM 800-inspired glory, Channel 2 begins by replicating Channel 1’s highest-gain Crunch mode.

 

[oyster]

I am running el34s in my single recto instead of 6L6s and I personally like the tone a lot better but it is definitely a matter of preference because both are very good. You should get ahold of a recto and try switching the tubes back & forth, it is so easy to do you can go from one to the other quickly.

I did this, recording riffs every step of the way with different amp settings, going from driving the power tubes only to using regular settings. Then I listened to the recordings to verify my impressions - it is a very obvious difference - even my wife agreed it is material, even for the casual listener.

Don't forget to switch the bias each time you replace tubes!!

I feel that the ability to change the tubes is a major benefit of the recto.

PS.... You can also put EL34's in your Rectifier to get even a more "British" flare, but you can't put 6L6's in the Stiletto. The 6L6's are a tad bit darker for that "American" sound that Rectifiers and Fenders are known for.

 

[NoGlassNoClass]

The second guitarist in my band has a Triple.

His tone is IN YOUR FACE.
In a good way.
I like the Mark because I dont want such an identifiable (with NuMetal) band tone.
The Stiletto was more mild, though I can get dirty.

IMO that horrible nu-metal sound has more to do with the overall setup than the amplifier itself...Bass 10-Mids 0-Gain 10, one-finger power chords on a rediculously detuned guitar with enormous strings.

With a bit of patience, its pretty easy to get hard-rock/traditional metal tones from a recto...good cleans too.

Anyhoo my take on the Stiletto...
After parting ways with 2nd guitarist (Marshall user), I started looking into using another amp for a stereo/wet-dry rig. The obvious first choice being the Trident as my main amp is a Triple. While the Stiletto is a fine amp of the typical Mesa quality, personally I didnt care for it. After several hours with my rig and an ABY box connected to a variety of Mesa and Marshall heads (at gig levels...nice to deal with a cool music store!) I decided on the Mark4. The Trident does have some nice Brit flavors, but to me lacked the whallop of the Recto even at high vol.

If you're a big Marshall fan, the Stiletto offers similar tones with better build-quality, more features and tweakability. If you want that "Boogie" tone, best to look at their other offerings.