stilleto deuce stage 1 lead tone?

[sonicpulverizer]

Hey everyone this is my first post here on the board.
Looking for some advice on a touring rig I'm putting together.
I currently have a MARK V 1x12 combo that I'm running through a rack and into
a recto 2x12. I'm dialing in some sick, SICK lead tones on the IIC+ mode,
but i cant quite dial in a good heavy sounding rhythm tone.
I tried out every mesa they had in the store besides the stiletto that they didn't have. = (
The triple rec seems to be perfect for the rhythm tone i need. (FAT, PUNCHY, CHEWY)
But while testdriving the trip rec i couldn't find a lead tone in the same calibre as the MARK's,
though i didn't spend too much time on it. My question I'm posing to you guys
is can the stiletto do good... well ... great lead like the MARK? I'm considering getting a
stiletto stage 1 i found used to replace the MARK and picking up the trip rec
and just using a radial product to switch between them for rhythm/lead.
any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[droptrd]

I think the Stiletto can. But, when compared to a mark, the Stiletto will always be more present in the upper mids. EL34's. Might need a boost though.

 

[ryjan]

What type of tone are you after? What are your bands influences?

 

[sonicpulverizer]

i just traded the mark V for a bogner uberschall.
the mark IIC+ mode on the MARK V was just killer for lead.
but it just didnt have the crushing rhythm i needed.
and ryjan, the lead sound im going for is sorta reminiscient to
the hotrodded marshall sound in most judas priest records.
i think the uber is gonna handle my needs quite fine. though
i might be looking for a IIC+ for sale somewhere. that lead is just
so wicked! but how would you guys describe the lead capabilities
of the stiletto deuce? ive read the stage I is alot like those hotrodded
plexi's, any truth to this?

 

[droptrd]

ive read the stage I is alot like those hotrodded
plexi's, any truth to this?

I think it is a generic comparison. While the stilettos are british flavored due to the EL34 voicing, I dont think they sound like marshalls. You can dial in some marshall-esq tones on them, but you can do that on a lot of amps. Compared to a recto the stilettos are very much on the marshall side of the fence. I think the Stage I and Stage II have a lot of the same differences between them that the Plexi and 800 have. But that is as far as the likeness goes IMO

 

[sonicpulverizer]

fair enough, i had just read that the stage I sounded slightly less compressed and more open than the stage II, but all the clips ive heard of the stage II sound pretty good though the person demo'ing the gear is normally using some sort of drive or boost. how would you describe the gain structure and feel of the deuce?

 

[droptrd]

My trident I is very touch sensitive. Its one of the most expressive amps ive ever owned. Though it has tons of gain on tap, the higher gain setting tend to get mushy with the way I have my EQ set. A boost works great with my settings especialy when I need uber metal gain.