Lonestar+ Stiletto = Big waste of time and money

[Gordybaby]

Okay here goes,
Before I start this post please remember this is my personel opionion from my own experience. I have been lurking around on this site for a long time and have recently started posting. I feel like Mesa Boogie has had 2 major flops in the last several years. The lonestar and the stiletto ace. I have owned a LSS 1x12 combo, LSC head and a Stiletto Ace head. All three of these amps seem to have major flaws. I have used all three of these in a band setting with luke warm results. There is just to much tube changing, speaker swapping, eq looping, knob turning, reeder modding BS. :shock: This is completely unacceptable for an amp in this price range. This is Mesa Boogie we are talking about! One of the few great manufacturer still made in the U.S.A. Thank God for the Electra Dyne. You can by a 1X12 combo with stock tubes and a stock speaker and it will sound spectacular. Like any great amp this amps is a solid foundation to go in just about any direction. I had just about given up on Mesa until I purchased the dyne new in January and have used it live 5 times since. I think it is the perfect live amp. Very easy to dial in great tones, takes pedals well and sound good at lower levels. I feel there may be alot of people who have spent good money on the other three amps and think they have to love them. I have to admit I tried to love them believe me, I spent over $1000.00 on tubes, speakers, effects and cables. I had 2 of the three culprits for over 2 years. Please anybody considering buying a stiletto or lonestar save yourself alot of grief and pass on these for an ED.(In my humble opinion) I have been play in bands and recording for over 30 years and have owned a ton of gear blah blah blah... Use your own ears for your tones. This was my experience and I just wanted to share it.

 

[Laskyman]

Please anybody considering buying a stiletto or lonestar save yourself alot of grief and pass on these for an ED

Personally, I couldnt agree more- but for very different reasons....to ME, the ED is really a perfect blend of clean, vintage low, and vintage high gain in one body. The epitome of a "combo" amp. Add a boost, and really, you can do virtually ANY music style. Plug straight in, and you'll forget you like outboard gear.
The designer of this amp just made a tough argument for "going solo"........

But what do *I* know about anything....

 

[tubby_cosmos]

I can definitely understand your frustrations with the Lonestar and Stilletto. I hate tweaking amps and if I can't get a good sound within 5 minutes, I give up and decide the amp is crap. That said, the combination of amps you went through is exactly the combination Andy Timmons endorses and gets a fabulous sound out of. If you don't know him, take a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CDklxuTS0E

I definitely agree with you that the ED destroys both the LS and Stilletto in terms of ease of use and overall sound. But that doesn't make the other two amps total failures. Then again, having the skills of Andy Timmons always helps to get the best out of an amp =P.

 

[Gordybaby]

The funny thing is Andy Timmons is why I bought these amps in the first place. Believe me I am no AT but as far as technique and tone I have always been able to hold my own in my local music scene. I played a Rivera combo for 10 years and discovered Andy and decided I had to have that setup. I used a very similar setup and even studied all his you tube videos. But my live sound was uninspiring to say the least. Yes I am one of those who thinks alot of you tone is in your playing. That being said it still sounded like me but not very enjoyable. Believe me I made it through the late 80's and 90's with an Ampeg stereo chorus solid state stock half stack wth no effects and always had great tone. It was kind of a one trick pony but I was always satisfied. I can get more Andy tones out of that ED than I ever felt I got out of the other amps. Maybe it just me but is seems like there is alot of unsatisfied customers. I still have the stiletto but only for a back up.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I think the problem with Andy Timmons' clips is that he never plays rhythm. People hear his tone in those clips, then they run out an buy a Lonestar and immediately try to play riffs on it. It's not that kind of amp. It's clean to rocked up Fender on one channel and smooth/fat lead tone on the other. It's not a very good riffing amp.

I haven't personally had a problem with the Stiletto... but I don't have a whole lot of time on them either.

 

[primal]

I think the problem with Andy Timmons' clips is that he never plays rhythm.

Exactly!

After seeing Andy Timmons vid on the Mesa site, I ran out to test drive a lonestar, and really was not crazy about the drive channel tones I was getting with rythyms. Really did love the clean though.

As Lasky said, I think the ED does a great job of taking the lonestar style clean and combining it with some good old school rock tones you find in the ED Hi\Lo modes.

I actually liked the Ace. A lot in fact. Thought the crunch channel was reason enough to by the amp. But the ED was a better fit for my ears.

 

[masque]

i respect your opinion and while I dont own the ED yet....I do think it's one of th ebest sounding Mesa amps I've heard in a long time.

however, I have also played on a lonestar several times ( i admit i have not owned one)....but just last week I sat thru an andy timmons guitar clinic in louisville and his lonestar and stilletto absolutely sounded heavenly.....plain and simple.

the ED may indeed be a better amp than those two but I have to disagree with your assessment that those two amps are "flops".....lots of people dig them quite a bit.

 

[Joe Gamble]

I've been gigging a LSS almost exclusively for the past two years and find it to be a great amp. It's sounded great in almost every situation I've put it in- gigging all over the place and on a ton of sessions. Over time I found myself frustrated by the muddy low end in the gain channel. In order to get it behave I have to role off all the bass and mids which- like a few of you have said- makes it less than awesome for chunky riffs and heavier rock material. The Reeder mods definitely changed things but didn't address my issues with the amp. This is what prompted my looking into the ED and the Mark V.

Just had my new ED out on three gigs the last two days and was blown away by all the tight low end in this amp. While I was having problems with the LSS being anemic in larger outdoor settings, the ED cleaned up and kicked a$$. Still dig the LSS for what it does well but chunky rhythms isn't it...

 

[Gordybaby]

I just wanted to share my experience with these amps. I got caught up in the guitar magazine reviews and the buzz at the music store, but like with any amp you never know until you play live and record with it to find out what you really have. My point was I was disapointed that you have to shell out that kind of money and then mod these amps to get the best tones out of them. I just wanted to save someone the frustration and money I spent. When I purchased my ED I had 2 back to back shows to really give this amp a work out. I love that right out of the box the ED has very usable tones. I did have some power tube problems at first but I have that resolved and my amp is still completly stock after 8 months and I truly love it. Use your own ears and if you are happy with your tones dont let anyone tell you different. If you are happy, who cares what anyone else thinks. Play like you mean it with what ever gear you have.

 

[masque]

I just wanted to share my experience with these amps. I got caught up in the guitar magazine reviews and the buzz at the music store, but like with any amp you never know until you play live and record with it to find out what you really have. My point was I was disapointed that you have to shell out that kind of money and then mod these amps to get the best tones out of them. I just wanted to save someone the frustration and money I spent. When I purchased my ED I had 2 back to back shows to really give this amp a work out. I love that right out of the box the ED has very usable tones. I did have some power tube problems at first but I have that resolved and my amp is still completly stock after 8 months and I truly love it. Use your own ears and if you are happy with your tones dont let anyone tell you different. If you are happy, who cares what anyone else thinks. Play like you mean it with what ever gear you have.

agreed.

 

[Charles Reeder]

Gordybaby (and gang).

You may be surprised to learn that I agree with an awful lot of what you have to say! Coincidentally; I played the latter 80's and early 90's with an Ampeg 140C Chorus (Solid-State) Amp....because it gave a more usable tube tone than the particular tube amps I had run across at that time.

I would not go so far as to label either the Lonestar series or the Stiletto series as failures...but I too was less than satisfied with their 'out-of-the-box' performance.

I live too far away to 'audition' amps at a Mesa disributer music store...plus...I get self-conscious (and frustrated) when trying to coax nuances out of a guitar and amp rig while half a dozen 'wankers' are trilling away at various rigs at absolute max distortion levels. My concentration and patience both go south!

As a result; I bought both Lonestar and Stiletto without prior experience with either. I think the Lonestar suffered from a 'split-personality'...they couldn't leave 'well-enough-alone'...and ended up turning channel-2 into a 'mud-bath.
The Stilettos are just plain and simply biased too cold to get the genuine, natural distortion of the amp series it was supposed to emulate. BOTH amps bebefit from the ability to set the bias warmer.

Wish I had never found the need to start on a speaker, tube and mod search too! But I did...and I wouldn't have even bothered if there hadn't been a certain 'intangible-something' lurking in both amps that I felt worthy of pursuit. I am quite pleaseed with the tone from both amps now...and not likely to get rid of them.

BUT...I am also VERY EXCITED about the stuff I'm hearing about the Electrodyne! I hope to hear one (in person) eventually. Who knows; maybe I'll even get one without ever hearing it as I did with the Lonestar and Stiletto!

At any rate; back to my original assertion. I don't consider these 2 failures...but...I agree with you that it would have been far easier and more productive of my resources (read that as money) not to have to try and correct the sound myself.

I really enjoyed your posting...you expressed your views well...and I do agree with almost all of it.
Keep us informed. You are a very good advocate for the Electrodyne...which is definitely an exciting departure from Mesa's usual approach to amp design. Maybe one day I'll get one and join you in singing it's praises.

Charles

 

[YellowJacket]

Definitely true. If you're searching out tones all the time it is possible you gear isn't doing what you want it to. Electra Dyne definitely sounds great out of the box!!

 

[Gordybaby]

How sick am I. I still own the stiletto and I am awaiting delivery of a bias kit. I agree with Charles that there is a certain potential inside these amps. I just wasn't getting the results I thought I should. I sold the LSS for a LCC because I wanted more head room. I had trouble bonding with the LCC so I sold it to finance my ED, but couldnt unload the stiletto. For some reason nobody seems very interested in the stiletto in western Washington. So I decided to keep it for a backup. Now after reeding alot about mansfield's bias kit I am hoping this is the answer to this amps brittle problems.

 

[lostcause]

I cant get on with the ED but love both the LSC and Stiletto.
I never have problems getting the sound I want and havnt swapped out one tube since I bought it new. I did the Reeder mod's and quickly put it back to factory specs. I could not understand what everyone saw in those mods.
So for me the LSC is a plug in and play amp. My expectations of it might vary to everyone elses.
Just goes to show how we all like different things.

 

[TTSTWO]

Good points on both sides. I was not completely satisfied with my Stage 1 Stiletto until I put a 10 band eq in the loop and bought a Mesa 4x12 cab. Mind you, the first spekers I was playing through were sh!t. I'm fine with the setup now. I was originally out to get a DR but purchased the Stiletto instead. I still want to pick up a DR but will probably give to ED a test drive then make a decision. I understand they are 2 totally different beasts. Anyway, good posts!

 

[boogiemon]

i finally gave up on the LSC. The clean channel was really good, but ch2 couldn't cut it at band volume, not for me anyway. i tried the reeder mods, speaker & tube swaps, but ch2 sounded kinda constipated when turned up. i'm using a Mark III now.