combo to head shell question?

[mikeller]

Love my Lonestar combo but I have a trouble hauling it due to the weight.

What's involved with installing the head in a head shell

THanks

 

[jmontgomery]

Take four screws out, slide out chassis. Do the reverse for install.

 

[mikeller]

Take four screws out, slide out chassis. Do the reverse for install.

What about the reverb tank?

 

[jmontgomery]

There's just the two wires that connect with RCA jacks. You can order a head with the reverb tank installed or move the tank you have. The reverb tank itself doesn't cost much.

 

[djw]

Sort of all depends on whether you order a shell from Mesa or have one custom made by someone else. I had a short head cab made by Saxon Cabs a few years ago and it has served me well. The reverb *just barely* fits inside the cab without the vinyl sack, in fact is snug enough that I don't need to affix anything to the inside of the cab to keep the tank in place -- it just stays put. Might have gotten lucky there, or perhaps the tank defined the width of the chassis (or vise versa).

If you order from Mesa, you should be good to go. If you order a custom shell from a 3rd party, make sure you communicate well with the maker and that you measure the chassis and the tank widths. If I did it again, I might have specified an opening on the bottom of the cab so I could put the tank in upside down, suspended between the feet basically like the old Mark amps. That could shave an inch or two off the height and lose a few ounces of weight too.

Apparently if the chassis and reverb tank are too close, you might get some buzz. I don't.

I go back and forth between the head and re-installing it back in the old combo cab, which as you know sounds phenomenal as-is. I recently picked up a Mini Rectifier, and as it's the first legitimate backup/grap and go that I've been happy enough with to sub for the LSC once in a while, I might swap the Lone Star back into its combo and use it for the bigger gigs, and leverage the big cab sound of the Lone Star. So the last suggestion is: keep the combo cab around if you have room.

What speaker cab are you planning on using?

 

[djw]

PS. Ah... now that I see your sig, I see you have the Recto cab (and a Mini Recto). Great minds think alike.

Sounds like you're ready to rock!

 

[mikeller]

PS. Ah... now that I see your sig, I see you have the Recto cab (and a Mini Recto). Great minds think alike.

Sounds like you're ready to rock!

I am seriously considering a Royal Atlantic 27 cabinet also. Might be easier to carry sometimes!!!

 

[djw]

PS. Ah... now that I see your sig, I see you have the Recto cab (and a Mini Recto). Great minds think alike.

Sounds like you're ready to rock!

I am seriously considering a Royal Atlantic 27 cabinet also. Might be easier to carry sometimes!!!

I haven't tried that cab... but I am positive it will sound amazing. That's basically Mesa's next-generation 3/4 back cab, and it's a monster. My 27" Lone Star cab sounds awesome with both the LSC and the Mini Rec. Do it! The cabs at that measurement are incredible.

 

[mikeller]

PS. Ah... now that I see your sig, I see you have the Recto cab (and a Mini Recto). Great minds think alike.

Sounds like you're ready to rock!

I am seriously considering a Royal Atlantic 27 cabinet also. Might be easier to carry sometimes!!!

I haven't tried that cab... but I am positive it will sound amazing. That's basically Mesa's next-generation 3/4 back cab, and it's a monster. My 27" Lone Star cab sounds awesome with both the LSC and the Mini Rec. Do it! The cabs at that measurement are incredible.

Thanks sir!! Actually I am thinking it might also sound flipping good with the Electra-Dyne head as well...

 

[djw]

I am seriously considering a Royal Atlantic 27 cabinet also. Might be easier to carry sometimes!!!

I haven't tried that cab... but I am positive it will sound amazing. That's basically Mesa's next-generation 3/4 back cab, and it's a monster. My 27" Lone Star cab sounds awesome with both the LSC and the Mini Rec. Do it! The cabs at that measurement are incredible.

Thanks sir!! Actually I am thinking it might also sound flipping good with the Electra-Dyne head as well...

Yes indeed. Of course, the other option is to go more compact with one of the smaller LS cabinets, if portability is a primary concern. Those will sound good too, but there will be a tradeoff -- it'll sound a bit less massive, more boxy. Since you already have that bigger Recto cab, I would give that some thought too.

 

[mikeller]

Yes indeed. Of course, the other option is to go more compact with one of the smaller LS cabinets, if portability is a primary concern. Those will sound good too, but there will be a tradeoff -- it'll sound a bit less massive, more boxy. Since you already have that bigger Recto cab, I would give that some thought too.

I guess I'd rather go bigger - big cabinets just sound fuller to me and I really don't like that boxy sorta sound. Its all a bit frustrating sometimes - trying to get a good sound but a volume that bandmates and soundmen don't get annoyed with. That is the problem with the Electra-Dyne, its killer sounding but it is off or loud. The low-side taper on the master isn't great. Its much easier to tame the Lonestar!!!!

 

[djw]

I guess I'd rather go bigger - big cabinets just sound fuller to me and I really don't like that boxy sorta sound. Its all a bit frustrating sometimes - trying to get a good sound but a volume that bandmates and soundmen don't get annoyed with. That is the problem with the Electra-Dyne, its killer sounding but it is off or loud. The low-side taper on the master isn't great. Its much easier to tame the Lonestar!!!!

Very true. One of the underrated strong points about the Lone Star. It loves some volume, but it has a very useable volume taper on both channels and the master. The Loop Send level is basically an attenuator too, so there's a lot of ways to tame it.

 

[srobertson59]

I guess I'd rather go bigger - big cabinets just sound fuller to me and I really don't like that boxy sorta sound. Its all a bit frustrating sometimes - trying to get a good sound but a volume that bandmates and soundmen don't get annoyed with. That is the problem with the Electra-Dyne, its killer sounding but it is off or loud. The low-side taper on the master isn't great. Its much easier to tame the Lonestar!!!!

Very true. One of the underrated strong points about the Lone Star. It loves some volume, but it has a very useable volume taper on both channels and the master. The Loop Send level is basically an attenuator too, so there's a lot of ways to tame it.

This ^^^ is absolutely one of my favorite parts of my Lone Star...the ability to adapt it easily to the volume requirement for the situation. Granted, there are some tweaks needed when going from place to place, but once you understand the tool, it doesn't take long to dial in the perfect sound for the situation.

 

[jmontgomery]

Just an FYI for you. There's someone on thegearpage selling an empty LSS headshell. White floral leather.

 

[mikeller]

Just an FYI for you. There's someone on thegearpage selling an empty LSS headshell. White floral leather.

Thanks very much - will a Lonestar (Classic) fit in the LSS headshell ?

 

[jmontgomery]

It sure will.

 

[x6stringer]

Just thought I would post because this is exactly what I did with my lsc combo as well. I just could notdrag that thing around! I have some issues with my back from time to time so I knew I was going tohave to break that amp up into a head/cab configuration. I just called Mesa and ordered an empty head cab and transferred that baby right over. The reverb tank just sits right in the bottom of the cab. No problem. I use it with the lonestar cabs loaded with the stock C90's and my rig just kills! I love my Lonestar Classic!