I am wondering how the lead channel on the MKIV and the Liquid Drive Channel on the Stiletto Ace compare? I prefer the Marshall sound for crunch and a woody/grittier clean sound so I think that the Stiletto would better suit me on the cleaner channels but I'm not sure about the lead channels... How does it compare to a MKIV? Also comments about the Ace sounding thin scare me a bit. I've tried the amp at very low settings but not live. Any comments would be appreciated.
Stilleto Ace VS. MKIV
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mightywarlock
Well-known member
I sold my Ace.
i bought a Deuce.
Ace 1x12 combo, is a loud mean monster, but too bright for MY Tastes. I could never get the right amound of bass response out of it for My Tastes.
I thought i would like it after trying out a Deuce.
the Ace is CLEAR! and Loud! compared to the Deuce, which has more bottom end, and is cab dependent on what it will sound like.
they are both good.
for My needs, and Taste, i decided to stick with the Deuce II, and sold my Ace.
nuff said.
:!:
i bought a Deuce.
Ace 1x12 combo, is a loud mean monster, but too bright for MY Tastes. I could never get the right amound of bass response out of it for My Tastes.
I thought i would like it after trying out a Deuce.
the Ace is CLEAR! and Loud! compared to the Deuce, which has more bottom end, and is cab dependent on what it will sound like.
they are both good.
for My needs, and Taste, i decided to stick with the Deuce II, and sold my Ace.
nuff said.
:!:
FPFL
Well-known member
Can't truly compare to a MKIV, it was years ago I borrowed one, but I've played many other amps many times including fenders, marshalls and mesa rectos
The Ace is many things but it is at its heart a raging EL34 monster (for better and worse). That said, thin is never a word that I would ever use to describe it on leads or otherwise. If anything once you tame the highs a little, often a challenge with EL34s IMO, balancing the thickness is actually the challenge. Its a VERY meaty amp set up right.
The Ace is many things but it is at its heart a raging EL34 monster (for better and worse). That said, thin is never a word that I would ever use to describe it on leads or otherwise. If anything once you tame the highs a little, often a challenge with EL34s IMO, balancing the thickness is actually the challenge. Its a VERY meaty amp set up right.
FPFL
Well-known member
A lot of this depends on the rest of your rig. There is no one best way.
For me a few things made the difference with each.
First, tame the highs. As more seem to do all the time, I use beam blockers but only on the top half of my 4 x 12. Its the right mix of smoothing and splash IMO. Next, I trust my ears and not my eyes - aka the knob numbers - when building a tone. So many people struggle with this simple but profound idea built on bad habits picked up as kids with crappy gear. Last I rarely run the tone on my guitar wide open, its on 8-9 instead of 10 much of the time. I find a small number of subtle changes works better than one drastic change, but thats me with my rig.
Low end girth is not a problem with a good 4 x 12 size cab. I'm not a believer in the magic 2 x 12 boxes some speak of... they get the job done to be sure, but nothing defeats simple physics for tight low end. To me the right 4 x 12 resonant point is the key. 2 x 12s always got wonky or woofy in some particular middle low frequency that I had to fight to tune out or tune around. Much less of a problem with the bigger box cab even with only 2 speakers in it.
The Ace head I use also puts out tons more bass than I'll ever need and I do play drop d flat tuned modern metal quite frequently. Plenty of chest punching, pant flapping glory and little flub. Changing my pickups out from A2 magnets would tighten me up more I love the sweetness that the A2 gives and I sacrifice a little tightness for it. But really, to me this is much more about the right cab and speakers. Don't assume Mesa makes the best cab for your personal sound. I didn't.
-P
For me a few things made the difference with each.
First, tame the highs. As more seem to do all the time, I use beam blockers but only on the top half of my 4 x 12. Its the right mix of smoothing and splash IMO. Next, I trust my ears and not my eyes - aka the knob numbers - when building a tone. So many people struggle with this simple but profound idea built on bad habits picked up as kids with crappy gear. Last I rarely run the tone on my guitar wide open, its on 8-9 instead of 10 much of the time. I find a small number of subtle changes works better than one drastic change, but thats me with my rig.
Low end girth is not a problem with a good 4 x 12 size cab. I'm not a believer in the magic 2 x 12 boxes some speak of... they get the job done to be sure, but nothing defeats simple physics for tight low end. To me the right 4 x 12 resonant point is the key. 2 x 12s always got wonky or woofy in some particular middle low frequency that I had to fight to tune out or tune around. Much less of a problem with the bigger box cab even with only 2 speakers in it.
The Ace head I use also puts out tons more bass than I'll ever need and I do play drop d flat tuned modern metal quite frequently. Plenty of chest punching, pant flapping glory and little flub. Changing my pickups out from A2 magnets would tighten me up more I love the sweetness that the A2 gives and I sacrifice a little tightness for it. But really, to me this is much more about the right cab and speakers. Don't assume Mesa makes the best cab for your personal sound. I didn't.
-P
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