TA-30, 5:25 plus, 5:50 plus, or Lone Star Special for home?

[rridle]

Former Mesa owner looking to come back into the fold. I'm currently playing an Orange Rockerverb 50 mkii head but it's just too much amp for what I need. I only play at home and looking to downsize. While I like the Rockerverb gain, I don't use or need all of it and would like more range in the lower gain area. (it goes 0-60 fairly quick). I previously owned a Rectoverb that I just couldn't connect with the mid gain tone.

That said, all of the above listed Mesas are up for consideration in a 112 combo form. Could anyone compare any of them or shed some light on their sounds? I don't need Fender clean, but cleans should be good. I spend most of my playing in lower/mid gain land (think Pete Yorn or Death Cab) and occasionally drift to higher gain such as Foo Fighters or Rage Against the Machine for example. I also enjoy playing blues and jazz. I was considering the TA-30 but not sure about it's high gain sound. The sound samples on the Mesa home site sounded good for the Express plus series but I was torn between the 5:25 channel 1 and 5:50 channel 2. I've read good things about the Lone Star but haven't found many sound samples. Of course this would be easier if I could just play all of the them but the nearest dealer is 100 miles away. I appreciate any advice anyone can share!

 

[ifailedshapes]

I haven't owned a TransAtlantic, but I've owned a 5:25 (non-plus) and a Lone Star Special. I'm going to be very concise in my opinions.

LSS: best cleans I've ever heard; great liquid lead; not good for crunchy rhythm playing.

Express: more versatile; cleans not as lush as LSS, but still great; can easily venture into rock territory.

Hope that helps!

FWIW: I'm heading back to the Express fold as soon as my current amp sells. (It's listed in the classifieds, if anyone wants a mint Ace combo, LOL!)

 

[rridle]

How does the Stiletto Ace sound at living room levels?

 

[ifailedshapes]

How does the Stiletto Ace sound at living room levels?

This is my second one. First was a head, now I have a combo. I think it sounds fantastic. The master volume works really well. The cleans are out of this world, especially considering it's an EL34 circuit. The low gain-crunch is really cool, too. It's a fantastic amplifier.

And for some reference, my living room levels involve a wife who hates loud noises, a 3 year old daughter with highly sensitive ears (music in the car hurts her ears), and 18-month twin boys. If I can play without disturbing all of them, it can work anywhere.

 

[twally]

Hello,

I've owned a LSS, 5:25 and 5:25+. I still have the 5:25+. While all are great amps I found the LSS to have a little too much sparkle in the clean channel. Some may call this harmonics, some sparkle, some chime, etc. The plus series has some of this, but not as much. I find it a good balance.

The difference between the plus and original is pretty subtle. While I like the Graphic EQ the main reason I went with the plus is because of the 15 watt setting. To me, for my needs, this is the perfect wattage. Of course the boost is a nice feature as well. The plus is also a little more "open"--less compressed, but not stiff. It has a great feel to it. On all channels you can tame or accentuate the grit with your fingers and guitar volume.

For a great sound at home, recording or gigging you can't go wrong with either of these.

I have never played a TA so can't help you there.

I hope all this drivel helps.

TW

 

[knotts]

I have an LSC and I've played an LSS. The cleans are unbelievable (I tend to say chimey) and I found that for crunch a good OD pedal works best. Everything mentioned about the Lonestar amps in this thread I would agree with.

I have done a demo with a TA30 and TA15 and was relatively underwhelmed. I thought it would really get more of a brit tone, but I think they sounded a little thin and tended to be bright. With that said, I wasn't playing it through my rig so there were a lot of variables that could have contributed to me having that impression, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I never had the pleasure of playing through a 5:25+, but I was contemplating cashing out of my LSC and getting something smaller for a backup and for home use (either a mini-rec or a 5:25+). I think I would probably be happier with the features of the 5:25+.

 

[mdortona]

Hi!

Here's my two cents, being a former LSS combo owner, a former TA-15/TA-30 (heads) owner, and a current 5:25+ combo owner:

LSS - great cleans, OD was good but not great. Heavy and loud.

TA-15 - No effects loop was the deal breaker. Otherwise, a very nice amp, but a bit hissy.
TA-30 - Great versatile amp, perfect wattage, but noisy as a snake with the efx loop switched in which was the deal breaker.

5:25+ - Great size/weight and plenty of power. 75-80% of the LSS chimey cleans, more modern overdrive and having a solo boost was icing on the cake. Very easy to take to gigs. Killer with a 1x12 closed ext cab. 5watt setting is easy to use and not piss off the family!! I use the GEQ very little.

Good luck!

Matt