Time for a new Amp. LSC or Fender Super-Sonic?

[StratRat]

Howdy Folks,


I first have to say that the Stiletto Ace is one great amp. I can't get enough of it and absolutely love looking for new tones in it.

Now its time for find a 6L6 sibling for it. Stat wise the LSC and SS seem to be pretty even and was wondering if anyone could share any personal thoughts on 1 or both and hopefully someone can post some LSC clips =).

Thanks for the Info,

Wayne

 

[stash49]

Dude, that is so funny, I was just about to start a thread about the agony of owning both an ACE and an LSC! They are both so utterly awsome with my Les Paul, I can't find a single stomp box that makes either better. The real problem is deciding which will be my main amp. They envy each other too much.

 

[speedy mcfeely]

stash49,

dude, you just need an AB/Y box. you will have the uber set up!

The super sonic sounds very harsh in the dirty channel. you'd do better to get a LSC and and AB/Y for the stiletto.

 

[StratRat]

Speedy!

You nailed it! Ace and LSC head going into a 2x12 Roadking cab with the separate connections for each speaker and your A/B/Y box. I'm so sold on that idea if I wasn't in the middle of a storm I'd already be in the car.

You guys rock!

 

[stash49]

Not really on topic here, but what is the very best A/B/Y pedal?

As far as Fenders go, the LSC nails the Fender sound better then Fender, especially Clapton and SRV.

 

[ursinus]

There are two: The Lehle and the HBE Bytchyn Swytchyn
None better IMO

 

[asattwanger]

Supersonic O-my-god NO!!!!!!!

Idea is cool but with Fender. Sorry they don't cut it anymore.

I was on the hunt for a Vibro King. Sounded great to me, but when I asked about it on another site {non-fender} and WR mentioned how great it sounded untill all three of them {WR, JD, & JG} started playing and it couldn't hang. To the point JD has never brought it back to practice. Well, that's F'ed up!!!

This is scarey. Think about it, JD bought or barrowed a $2500 amp because he must have thought it sounded good, but not even his master stylish ear couldn't tell about the amp untill you put it to work.

To me that is scarey!!!!!! The 5:50 Express better be able to hang with a Soldano ROS and a 68 Bassman because that is why I'm looking for a new amp.

 

[phyrexia]

I don't see the Super Sonics as being harsh but I would go with the LoneStar.

 

[speedy mcfeely]

I really like the whirlwind AB/Y. the other one I like is the tonebone switchbone. these are quiet.

 

[Strat N My Stuff]

Hey StratRat, I am on the fence about keeping the LSC I bought about two weeks ago. Heven't even filled out the warranty card. While I am diggin' it, I think I would rather have an LSS. I mention it to you cause depending on where you are (location and decision), it might be a good deal, where we both get what we want

 

[bluntage]

I played a Lonestar 1x12 today for about a half hour and was astounded by the range of tones available from such a little package! Pure bliss, imho. Go with the LSC!

 

[asattwanger]

how about the Morley George Lynch triamp selector. It has an ajustable gain boost so you don't loose any signal when running all three at once.

I know you will be getting a third amp one day. Morley is the badass and you might as well be ready when the day comes...

 

[scottkahn]

The Lone Star Classic and Fender Super Sonic are different beasts, particularly in the high-gain area.

We did very in-depth reviews of both amps at MusicPlayers.com, and I ended up purchasing a Super Sonic at retail I liked it so much (i.e. didn't wait to get it through industry discounted channels).

The Lone Star has Boogie's best cleans (subjective, but the folks at Mesa/Boogie think so, and so do we at MPc). The Super Sonic has the voicings of Fender's Vibrolux and Bassman. The Bassman sound is spot on gorgeous in particular (and the Vibrolux one sounds great too).

The lead channel is Fender's first real high-gain tube circuit and it sounds like a Boogie Single Rectifier. Yes, it's THAT heavy. In the past, Boogie got started when Randal Smith modded Fender amps, and now we have the opposite situation -- for the first time, there's a Fender amp that sounds like a Boogie.

The Lone Star heavy channel is better for blues and classic rock, but if you want a more modern metal tone, it doesn't sound like a Rectifier amp... but the Super Sonic goes from subtle Fender blues rock all the way up to modern heavy. Not as heavy as a Dual Recto, but close.

My primary amp is a M/B Road King II. I am totally happy using my Super Sonic whenever I don't want to bring the half-stack. The tone is definitely in the same ballpark.

Visit the reviews section of http://www.musicplayers.com to read our in-depth reviews of these amps.

Scott

 

[user 1198]

I have both the Super-Sonic and the LSC. I have had my LSC for over a year now and I have only had my Super-Sonic for about two weeks. Both amps have absolutely great clean sounds. In fact, I had my LSC clean channel tweaked to the point where the amps sounded almost exactly the same with the SS on the Bassman voicing. The LSC can get much bassier than the SS. I would say the clean channels on both amps are on par with each other. The SS amp is much lighter and I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that it only has one 12 inch speaker. I would much rather lug around the SS than the LSC.

The LSC is quieter as far as the typical tube amp hiss and hum go. The effects loop on the SS is a little bit more transparent than the loop on the LSC. On the LSC I always noticed a little bit of the punch is lost when you engage the loop. On the SS the punch is still there, however, this hiss gets a smidge louder when the loop is engaged. The reverb on the SS is nicer.

The Burn channel on the SS is what sold me on the amp. I was at GC playing a Marshal DSL 401 and was really liking it until I plugged into the amp next to it which happened to be the Super Sonic. I had no idea that the SS amp was in Fenders pro tube series line of amps. I thought it was just a cheap entry level amp because the cosmetics to me look a little cheap. I was majorly surprised at the tones that were coming out of this little combo. I much preferred the distortion of the SS over the DSL 401. The distortion sounds so much more natural. I couldn't believe that I was getting this kind of distortion out of a Fender amp. The Texas Tea example setting nails the SRV tone.

Comparing the distortion of the SS and LSC, I am definitely leaning in favor of the SS. The LSC's voicing on the distortion channel is darker than the SS and has more pronounced lower mids which tend to get a little muddy if not setup correctly. When I first got my LSC it took me at least one or two months to finally dial in a distortion tone that I was happy with. With the Super Sonic you can dial in a good distortion tone instantly, especially if you start with the example settings that come with the amp. The distortion channel on the LSC is much thicker than on the Fender. In fact I have read a few reviews where people complained that the Burn channel on the Fender is a little thin sounding, and I can see where they are coming from, especially if you are accustomed to thick Mesa type distortion. I have also heard that Fender is having production problems with these amps and that a lot of people are getting duds that just don’t sound so good. I think that is one of the reasons why opinions and reviews on this amp vary so greatly. Make sure you try several of them to make sure you are getting a good one.

Listen to the sounds samples on the Fender website. These sounds samples sounds exactly how the amp sounds when you play through it at home. They did a great job recording those clips and what you hear is exactly what you get.

The Super Sonic is my favorite amp right now, but my LSC isn't going anywhere. I don’t think that I will ever sell either of these amps. However, if I could only keep one of these amps, I would probably keep the Super Sonic as it has better and more versatile distortion.