Two different Stiletto's are confusing me...UPDATED

[jackieTHEjokeman]

Okay over a year ago I went to my local guitar shop where I first played the Stiletto Deuce. It was plugged into a Mesa 4x12 Standard cab. I LOVED how it sounded, it was a cross between a rectifier/marshall sound. I played it with a guitar that had EMG's at the time. THIS IS WHEN I DECIDED TO GET A STILETTO.
I bought a Deuce a month or two afterwards brand new (different shop).
Some of you all might remember my ordeal, as I am the author of the sticky thread regarding the HOLLYWOOD MOD. Anyway, I never really like MY Stiletto after I bought it. I have a Mesa Standard 4x12 cab that it plugs into. I have many guitars with EMG's and Seymour's. I even tried the JJ tubes in them. It doesn't sound anything like the Stiletto in the store (pre or post Hollywood Mod).
TODAY: I went back to that very same guitar shop and played a Stiletto into a 4x12 cab again. It sounded so freaking nice, just the way I remembered it the first time at the shop. I even thought for a second that it was the SERIES II Stiletto. The salesman said it wasn't.
So now I'm confused as all holy heck. I have the exact same cab, I have tried EMG's, and Seymour Duncan pickups. I put them on the same settings. Tried different tubes and even had the HOLLYWOOD MOD. Why do two Stiletto's sound COMPLETELY different from each other???? I'm thinking about buying the exact Stiletto at the shop! Anyone ever have this happen to them? Any explanations? Thanks.

 

[J.R.B.]

I reciently moved all my amps to a different room. Sounds like sh!t!!! It's much smaller than my last space and I'm not sure if the walls are insulated. Same amps and same settings. There are lots of variables and I'm thinking that if you were to buy this Trident and get it home you may have the same problem. In general, I think amps sound better in larger spaces like huge guitar shops, bars and studio spaces.
I think Mesa has a good enough quality control not to allow 2 of the same amp to leave the factory sounding completely different. At least I hope.
Then again it could be something like the speakers in your cab might be more or less broken in than the one in the music store.
One thing I can say for sure is that if I want my amp to sound the same everywhere, everytime, with the same settings, I have to have it mic'd.

Also, see if you can take your amp in and A/B them.

Good luck,
J.B.

 

[CudBucket]

I've had the same exact thing happen so many times. In fact, it happened with the Stiletto. I loved the Trident in the GC I played it in. In fact, I was using a B52 4x12 cab. Loved it, bought it on the spot. Brought it home, plugged it into my 2x12 recto cab. Long story short, I sold it a few weeks later.

Just goes to show you how many factors are involved in getting good tone, especially with tube amps. Maybe, the amps on display are used to the point that the tubes are broken in and so are the speakers. Who knows? Maybe we need to stop changing our strings.

 

[Elpelotero]

it has to be the room. i've experienced different sounds in different areas...my room up in college (townhouse) has tons of reverb and slapback, etc...the bass fills the room so much. at the garage in band practice, it sounds very open, like the rectos you dream of. in my room right now it sounds *ok,* but then i crank the hell out of it and i feel better.

take your amp into your backyard when no ones around and crank the sucker loud. that should do the trick.

 

[Russ]

I have heard that the Hollywood mod is now standard Mesa issue. Is there any weight to this claim?

 

[timmerel]

Even Stevie Ray Vaughan had this happen with his Dumble amps - from recording one album to the next, they were in a different room and he couldn't get the sound he wanted out of the same Dumble amp.

 

[Ravensha]

I have the exact same cab, I have tried EMG's, and Seymour Duncan pickups. I put them on the same settings. Tried different tubes and even had the HOLLYWOOD MOD. Why do two Stiletto's sound COMPLETELY different from each other???? I'm thinking about buying the exact Stiletto at the shop!

After reading the extensive adventures of you and your Stilletto, I would be really interested in the outcome of a direct comparison. You should bring your head into the store, and with the same settings/guitar/cab make comparisons.

This way you will know if it is the room - or - if there is something unique about that amp. Since your Hollywood Mod only affected the one channel, you can make a direct comparsion between the amps based on the other channels.

As far as the location of your home amp, what size is the room and how much 'stuff' is in the room?

 

[jackieTHEjokeman]

^^ It's in my garage. I have a 3 car garage, I'm using the third car portion. I have that area carpetted with industrial carpet. It's about a 12x12 area. I got to tell you guys, I REALLY THINK that Mesa has two different versions of the SERIES I. I know it sounds crazy. When I got mine brand new, the FLUBBY sound on the FLUID DRIVE was extremely noticable. The HW mod got rid of that. But the one at the shop is untouched from the mod and I do not get the FLUBBINESS in FLUID DRIVE. I am going to call Mesa up today and ask them. It's driving me crazy!!!

 

[FPFL]

They say right on their site that they may make upgrades along the way without notifiying so no one should be shocked to discover there was a 1.01 if there was in fact one.

The other thing to remember is that -a lot- of assumptions are still being made. I've played identical amps that don't sound identical. Don't even get me started on guitars... but there are a lot of parts in your amp that could be "identical" but still have real, hearable variance that has little to do with an alternate version. Never mind the cabinet, the room, the guitar, etc. or that this other amp may not be stock.

Since no one else has asked, why didn't you just buy that holy grail stiletto in the first place?

-P

 

[ryanj]

Well, jackie.. I don't know what to say. I read your posts extensively before I purchased my stiletto trident (its a series 1) and was a little scared to buy it but I figured for the price ($899) I couldn't go wrong. Well, here it is a few months later and I gotta tell ya, my "unmodded" stiletto rages!!! Best amp I ever bought, hands down. I just puchased a Mesa trad recto cab and it sounds even better. Maybe there is something to getting the tubes "burnt in" a little, I don't know. I have all the gain I could ever need and any "muddiness" on the fluid drive channel is easily eq'd out. I will be curious to see what happens with your amp. I think a/b'ing the amps in the store is a good idea. Your amp, their amp and your cab. Let us know what happens.

 

[jackieTHEjokeman]

Hey ryan, my intentions were not to tell people that "unmoded" Stiletto's were terrible. My intentions were to show people that if you felt the same why I did, there's a mod for it. Anyway, I think everyone should read my last post on my sticky Hollywood Mod thread. I just submitted it today. I have an interesting point of view on it from a Mesa tech guy. Let me know what everyone thinks...

 

[prs1999]

FPFL..you could be correct on the different revisions on the Stilettos.
When the amp first hit the streets (and the 2004 catalog),channels 1 and 2 only sported two voicings instead of the now"3 modes per channel".
Channel one's mini toggle was labled; Clean/Hi Gain
Channel 2's; Raw/Claw

Everything else seems to be the same on the surface,but who knows what lurks under that chrome skin.
Anyone have one of these "first" Stilettos?

 

[ryanj]

That's cool, jackie, I didn't think that you meant anything like that. Actually I found your posts regarding the stiletto extremely helpful. I think the idea of there being different "revisions" is a good one and I wouldn't doubt that that may be the case....... Anyway, I'm off to read the post you left on the other topic.....Thanks