Stiletto Owners: Stage I vs. Stage II

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

The relationship with my recto for our first year has been VERY love / hate. One day, I find the tones to be perfect, and the next, I can't stand them...my biggest complain as of late has been the undefined and overly deep presence the recto tends to have...not as tight as I would like. Instead of changing speakers, etc., I think it may be time to look into a different amp :?

So, I'm REALLY considering the stiletto series...I remember playing one a few months back and really enjoying....ofcourse, I will be making another trip to my shop soon to give it a fair shot!

My question....what are the differences between the two stages of the amp? Is the newer Stage II significantly better? If so, why do you think so?

As for cab, I assume the traditional cab would be the best match...

Thanks for all the input! Help a struggling man to make his choice (and maybe convert :shock: )

PS: Anyone interested in a trade, do feel free to PM :wink:

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Also, just out of curiosity....any converts out there? What's your story?

Overall reviews on the stiletto would be great!

 

[Barry]

Hey guys!

The relationship with my recto for our first year has been VERY love / hate. One day, I find the tones to be perfect, and the next, I can't stand them...my biggest complain as of late has been the undefined and overly deep presence the recto tends to have...not as tight as I would like. Instead of changing speakers, etc., I think it may be time to look into a different amp :?

So, I'm REALLY considering the stiletto series...I remember playing one a few months back and really enjoying....ofcourse, I will be making another trip to my shop soon to give it a fair shot!

My question....what are the differences between the two stages of the amp? Is the newer Stage II significantly better? If so, why do you think so?

As for cab, I assume the traditional cab would be the best match...

Thanks for all the input! Help a struggling man to make his choice (and maybe convert :shock: )

PS: Anyone interested in a trade, do feel free to PM :wink:

I have both Deuce I & II. They are both great amps. The newer stage II is a bit quicker/tighter if you will . I still say Stiletto I is a great amp as well . It has a bit more sag than stage II . The tite gain is really about the same in both amps . That particular mode was not revoiced . So basically Stage II has five of the six modes (apart from tite gain) revoiced and a updated power transformer . The 4X12 traditional cab is the right choice . I also say that mahogany based humbucker guitars fit like a glove with either amp, especially LP's . Im selling my stage I only because i cant really use two Stilettos . If you want to hear my stage I go to www.toyzzband.com and click Feel Like makin Love and Doctor Doctor . All rythym tracks are stage I Deuce . Good luck in your journey on the path of tone .

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Sounds like Stage II is what I should be looking into....

Any more info?

 

[Platypus]

After I got my Stiletto II, I stopped playing the recto..

I just got tired of the sound of it, I'll probably own another one day but I found 'my' tone in other amps.

 

[Russ]

I am surprised to see you posting so soon after finally receiving your Mark IV. I figured you'd be playing that thing every waking moment.

 

[inkwachemis]

Hey guys!

The relationship with my recto for our first year has been VERY love / hate. One day, I find the tones to be perfect, and the next, I can't stand them...my biggest complain as of late has been the undefined and overly deep presence the recto tends to have...not as tight as I would like. Instead of changing speakers, etc., I think it may be time to look into a different amp :?

So, I'm REALLY considering the stiletto series...I remember playing one a few months back and really enjoying....ofcourse, I will be making another trip to my shop soon to give it a fair shot!

My question....what are the differences between the two stages of the amp? Is the newer Stage II significantly better? If so, why do you think so?

As for cab, I assume the traditional cab would be the best match...

Thanks for all the input! Help a struggling man to make his choice (and maybe convert :shock: )

PS: Anyone interested in a trade, do feel free to PM :wink:

I used to own a Rectoverb and I know exactly what u mean. The recto is really really great for drop tuned thumpage, but it gets a bit too much at times and it was hard dealing with all that bass and muddy mids.

I now own a Stiletto Ace and its the perfect amp for me. In some modes, the Ace very slightly resembles a Recto in the 'vintage' mode but with way more balls and tone. If you are going thru a love/hate thing with your Recto so early on, maybe an amp change is not too out there! Check out the stitetoo series, they are great!

 

[Platypus]

I am surprised to see you posting so soon after finally receiving your Mark IV. I figured you'd be playing that thing every waking moment.

I've been stuck with work recently

I played pretty much 48 hours straight friday and saturday though

Gotta keep those computers running... :roll:

 

[jackieTHEjokeman]

Have you read my "sticky" post at the top of the page? I had the worst love/hate relationship with that amp. Even moded, it was a hard amp to like. There is a reason that a stage II came out. I wouldn't recommend a stage one at all. As for a stage II, I don't own one but I test played an ACE for about two hours at my guitar shop. I thought it was what the "stiletto" should have been all along. It also depends what style of music you're wanting. I bought a Stiletto for all the wrong reasons. I wanted it to sound like a Marshall. Big mistake, I should have just got a Marshall.

 

[enigma]

I own a Stiletto I, and love it. I also own a Marshall, because I love it. And, so on and so forth. Discover it for yourself, and see whether the amp matches your the type of music you play.

I for one love the fluid mode on Ch. 2 with either a LP or PRS. Just fluid, liquid tone. But, that's just me.

 

[rippingrudy]

I just got my Stiletto Deuce stage 1 today.

Here are my quick impressions:

If you like playing with a JCM 800 but wish it had more gain and a clean channel then the Stiletto is your amp. It NAILS a BETTER sound then the JCM 800.

I find that it has a huge array of sound available when you use different EQ settings - Unlike most Mesa amps you can use "extreme" tone settings like maxing out the gain and the bass or turning off the bass completely!

It does NOT have screaming fizzy gain like a 5150 - It has a huge amount of gain but it is CLEAN gain if that makes sense. If you pick hard you get more gain, if you lay off you get less. If you pick 16th notes you can hear every one.

Awesome amp that gets a bad rap because people don't understand what it is. This amp is made for TONE - not BREWTAL METALZ. lol

 

[Platypus]

I own a Stiletto I, and love it. I also own a Marshall, because I love it. And, so on and so forth. Discover it for yourself, and see whether the amp matches your the type of music you play.

I for one love the fluid mode on Ch. 2 with either a LP or PRS. Just fluid, liquid tone. But, that's just me.

Me too.. my favorite setting by far with those guitars.

 

[Midrangegood]

I can definatly agree with the mahogany guitars matching up with stilettos.I just got my Silverburst SG,and it sounds awesome.It compensates for all the inherent brightness.Its really smooth sounding on tite gain.

 

[bluntage]

Man, I am in the same boat... my Dual Recto isn't sounding right to me and the Stiletto looks so tempting, though after reading a variety of opinions, I am completely unsure whether I or II is the right way to go for me.

 

[bluntage]

Hey guys!

The relationship with my recto for our first year has been VERY love / hate. One day, I find the tones to be perfect, and the next, I can't stand them...my biggest complain as of late has been the undefined and overly deep presence the recto tends to have...not as tight as I would like. Instead of changing speakers, etc., I think it may be time to look into a different amp :?

So, I'm REALLY considering the stiletto series...I remember playing one a few months back and really enjoying....ofcourse, I will be making another trip to my shop soon to give it a fair shot!

My question....what are the differences between the two stages of the amp? Is the newer Stage II significantly better? If so, why do you think so?

As for cab, I assume the traditional cab would be the best match...

Thanks for all the input! Help a struggling man to make his choice (and maybe convert :shock: )

PS: Anyone interested in a trade, do feel free to PM :wink:

I have both Deuce I & II. They are both great amps. The newer stage II is a bit quicker/tighter if you will . I still say Stiletto I is a great amp as well . It has a bit more sag than stage II . The tite gain is really about the same in both amps . That particular mode was not revoiced . So basically Stage II has five of the six modes (apart from tite gain) revoiced and a updated power transformer . The 4X12 traditional cab is the right choice . I also say that mahogany based humbucker guitars fit like a glove with either amp, especially LP's . Im selling my stage I only because i cant really use two Stilettos . If you want to hear my stage I go to www.toyzzband.com and click Feel Like makin Love and Doctor Doctor . All rythym tracks are stage I Deuce . Good luck in your journey on the path of tone .

Hey Barry,

Why are you sticking with the II over the I? Does the I still get a good amount of gain (I'm not suggesting Recto-like gain, but enough gain for heavier tones)? I think my problem with my 2ch DR is that it seems to be all heavy, all of the time. Also, I can't dial in a clean tone to make me happy. I want a more versatile amp that will give me heavy tones if I want and have a good clean tone but produce a lot of other tones in between.

If your I is still for sale, I might be interested.

Brad

 

[stash49]

People, I love love you all! I too went through the whole gamut of boogies before discovering the simple profound beauty of the the ACE. I was sick last Friday and showed up to the gig without my pedal board. I plugged strait into the ACE-it was without a doubt THE best sound I, and the band, ever had-it cut through the mix perfectly! At times I miss the sonic brutality of my Rectos, or classic rock perfection of my HB combo, but the ACE is like a new girlfriend that makes you want to forget the others! A PRS standard 24, and a Steletto-thats it for me (except on the country gigs-it's all tele and lonestar there). I cant wait till my stage II Trident shows up!

 

[flogger]

picked up my first mesa this saturday , a stage one trident .
had no idea what it would sound like, no one stocks mesas around here
I didn't even know they'd revamped it and was bummed when I found out I was holding the 'crap' version, lol.
from all the discriptions of the stage II , I'm thinking I got the right one for me. the stage one is the new IIc , muahaha

first impressions - the presence on this amp is NUTZ
for an amp to have this much clarity without reverb had me thinking I'd made a mistake

fat clean is phat. warm , bloomy , a very nice clean
tight clean seems sterile , not sure what its intended for, chorus drenched fingerpicked ballads ?
crunch suprized me, never ran into this much gain on a clean channel
me like , though not quite enough gain for my prefered rhythm , short of jcm gain but in the sweet spot for boosting.

red crunch seems the same as blue crunch.
tight has quite a bit of gain, but its thin sounding to me without resetting the eq for it, and the volume is quite a bit lower
than fluid drive on the same settings. I need to knock the presence down to 9 , and the treble under 11.
tight drive might be the bees knees if I down tuned... or played thrash ect.
fluid drive makes this amp for me. tube rect and spongy has it competing with my favorite Legacy tones.
greasy , elastic . the stage two fluid drive is revoiced and tighter ? NOooo , thank you !

thought the output knob was disconnected and the loop was broke , the manual is your friend .
oh , an how loud is this fan suppposed to be ???
I've seen alot of posts on how it takes time to dial in your tones , even finding new ones long after the honeymoon is over.
I call it versatility , but even though this trident will spend most of its time on spongy blue crunch and red fluid ,
if theres more to find in here, thats even better !

my wish list mods would only be...
more blue channel crunch gain
revoiced red tight gain. more mids, less presence/treble, and better balance with fluid drive volume.
footswitch the modes, and seperate spongy switch for each channel

 

[Platypus]

Glad you dig your amp! They're both great amps.

 

[flogger]

thanks , I'd never played a mesa until saturday . just traded my rockerverb for a dual rect :shock:

now I'm into mesa with both feet :lol:

 

[ashjn]

picked up my first mesa this saturday , a stage one trident .
had no idea what it would sound like, no one stocks mesas around here
I didn't even know they'd revamped it and was bummed when I found out I was holding the 'crap' version, lol.
from all the discriptions of the stage II , I'm thinking I got the right one for me. the stage one is the new IIc , muahaha

first impressions - the presence on this amp is NUTZ
for an amp to have this much clarity without reverb had me thinking I'd made a mistake

fat clean is phat. warm , bloomy , a very nice clean
tight clean seems sterile , not sure what its intended for, chorus drenched fingerpicked ballads ?
crunch suprized me, never ran into this much gain on a clean channel
me like , though not quite enough gain for my prefered rhythm , short of jcm gain but in the sweet spot for boosting.

red crunch seems the same as blue crunch.
tight has quite a bit of gain, but its thin sounding to me without resetting the eq for it, and the volume is quite a bit lower
than fluid drive on the same settings. I need to knock the presence down to 9 , and the treble under 11.
tight drive might be the bees knees if I down tuned... or played thrash ect.
fluid drive makes this amp for me. tube rect and spongy has it competing with my favorite Legacy tones.
greasy , elastic . the stage two fluid drive is revoiced and tighter ? NOooo , thank you !

thought the output knob was disconnected and the loop was broke , the manual is your friend .
oh , an how loud is this fan suppposed to be ???
I've seen alot of posts on how it takes time to dial in your tones , even finding new ones long after the honeymoon is over.
I call it versatility , but even though this trident will spend most of its time on spongy blue crunch and red fluid ,
if theres more to find in here, thats even better !

my wish list mods would only be...
more blue channel crunch gain
revoiced red tight gain. more mids, less presence/treble, and better balance with fluid drive volume.
footswitch the modes, and seperate spongy switch for each channel

My fan is really not that noisy. Can only hear it when the amp is on stand-by, and you have to be standing pretty close to it.

About the tight clean, set it to spongy, tube rectifier, and turn the gain up to like 3 o clock. Adjust the other settings as need be. Its a nice, break-up clean sound