Could really use some help choosing the right Mesa amp

Hi,

I'm looking to purchase a Mesa boogie amp that has a very clean sounding clean channel (sort of like the fender blues deluxe reissue) and a "clean" sounding distortion channel in a 1x12 combo. I prefer the clean sound of the 6L6 tubes and would rather my distortion come from the amp instead of a pedal. This would be for home use in a semi sound proof media room. The type of music I want to play is classic rock (ie: more than a feeling, sultans of swing, just what I needed, refugee, stairway to heaven, etc) . Unfortunately, finding a dealer or state that has all of the Mesa 6L6 combo candidates to plug into has proven impossible to date and you can't play loud enough in the store in order to be able to make a true comparison. I've scoured the Internet for YouTube videos of the Mesa amps that I've been looking at, but they're predominantly guitarists playing blues rifts, not classic rock.

I sure could use some advice.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Mesa Boogie Electra Dyne 27" 1 x 12 combo.

Just what the doctor ordered. Expect to use it on '45 watt mode' exclusively!

Thank you very much for the quick reply! That is one of the three amps that I am considering. Another person that I had spoken to recommended the lone star 1x12 combo and then I saw the express 5 50 combo as a possibility as well. Do you believe the clean channel on the Electra Dyne to be more appropriate for my desired use than the clean channel on the lone star, and to be more similar to that blues deville re-issue tone? The other question that I have is whether the Electra Dyne has all of the features that I would really ever need.

Thanks so much.

I'd also think about a vintage Mark II B, though you'd probably have to turn it up a little to get the distortion to really cut on the dirty channel.

I'd say the Lonestar or the Electradyne. Both are simply stellar amps. You can't go wrong with either of those. Also, the circuit design has way more impact on tone than what type of power tubes it uses. By the way, most big Mesa amps have a switchable bias so that you can use 6L6's or EL34's.

The MKV would have you covered. It has all shades of clean and edge of breakup in channel 1 and channel 2 covers that clean distorsion up to heavy crunch. The reverb is also very nice.

The EDs clean and reverb is as good a clean as you will find in any Mesa amp and is definately my personal favorite. It covers SRV and Dire Straits very well. The vintage lo mode is very dynamic and uncompressed and excels at low to mid gain tones.

The RA is also well worth looking into. I know it is an EL34 amp although you can run it with 6L6s if you like. Its clean mode is voiced a little brighter than the ED (although very similar), but it can still be made fairy warm if required. The vintage low has my favorite Mesa classic rock tones. It is the most dynamic of any Mesa I have played. With the gain @ 11:00 to 12:00 and light picking it can be very clean sounding with great string definition. Lean into the strings and out comes as much crunch as you could want.

I don't think I would recomend that 5:50, I do like it a lot and it covers a lot of ground, probably only second to the Mark V. To my ears though it doesn't really excel at anything such as the other Mesa amps that are more aimed in a particular direction.

The LSC does have great and versatile clean, but the drive channel seemed a little out of place to me. If you are looking for edge of breakup of slight over drive then you can make channel 2 a channel 1 clone and run the gain up to get good drive tones.

I would recommend the Lonestar. I play classic rock with a band and blues on my own time. I really didn't think that 6L6's complimented the classic rock style as much as EL34's. I typically use the clean channel and use pedals to get my grit. I originally had a 2x12 combo, but I didn't like the sound from the C90 black shadow speakers for classic rock. The cleans were immaculate, but the dirt sounded muddy. I also thought channel 2 was unusable for many years. I've since put the electronics in a head cabinet and bought a 4x12 with a mix of V30's and G12H's. Since then the sound is much better suited for classic rock. Also with the new cab, channel 2 and I have bonded. I would recommend that you purchase a head and find the speaker cab that suits your style.

I'm also going to recommend both the Electra-Dyne and Lone Star Classic... although the Electra-Dyne is a little easier to use and dial in than the Lone Star.

Another vote for either the Electra Dyne. I wouldn't recommend a Lone Star since you said you want to get your gain from the amp without pedals. If you were pedal-friendly, I'd actually recommend the Lone Star.

The Electra Dyne is perfect if (like me) you don't want to use dirt pedals. It's very simple to setup, and the TONE is AMAZING!!! There are some compromises you make when you play an Electra Dyne, but the tone makes it all worthwhile.

The Lone Star's clean is the current benchmark for Mesas (some would say amps in general.) The Lone Star has more controls and tone-shaping options than the Electra Dyne, and little niceties like individual reverb controls per channel are nice to have.

Let me summarize by saying this: I recently had both an Electra Dyne and a Lone Star Special. When I was forced with the decision of which to keep, I ended up keeping the Electra Dyne. If I had to make the decision again today, I would do the same thing without regret.

Thinkin' you need a MkII or maaaayyyybeee a MKIV at most.

Leid said:

Thank you very much for the quick reply! That is one of the three amps that I am considering. Another person that I had spoken to recommended the lone star 1x12 combo and then I saw the express 5 50 combo as a possibility as well. Do you believe the clean channel on the Electra Dyne to be more appropriate for my desired use than the clean channel on the lone star, and to be more similar to that blues deville re-issue tone? The other question that I have is whether the Electra Dyne has all of the features that I would really ever need.

Thanks so much.

Click to expand...

The Electra Dyne has a clean tone which has been described as Mesa's take on a fender blackface. From my experience, it is a dynamic, elastic, and punchy clean tone that has a huge depth to it.
The biggest difference between the Electra Dyne and the Lonestar is the dirt tones. The Electra Dyne has two dirt modes, vintage Lo and Vintage Hi. It can do everything from blues to hard rock / modern rock, and it does it with a very 'british' type of a voice, in spite of the 6L6s. Definitely can do something in the world of a marshall crunch when necessary. It sounds like a hotrodded plexi with the rough edges sanded off of the tone and the huge Mesa signature low end. The Lonestar has a clean that is more american blues in its inspiration. Both are great amps but you have to determine which tone is more 'you'.

Welcome to The Board, Leid

Another vote for the Electra Dyne. I recently played one at a friends rehersal space and was blown away, YellowJacket's description is spot-on.

Dom

Guys,

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your input.

Thank you very much.



Edmond

Not the 5:50 or F50. They're great amps, but not the best clean.

Dyne all the way!

+1 for the electradyne
from what you said youre after i wouldnt buy anything without giving one of those a go first

let us know what you get.

A very solid 1x12 combo is a Mark IIC. They are not laying around for sale all the time for good reason. The clean channel is awesome. Nothing short. The edge of breakup you get from an el84 is there. Mine has el34's in it. The high gain tone is world class. It feels different with a tele and turns into a great hot country type amp with a decent compressor. All day rock with a LP, and my JP6 gets good tight metal.

Looking back, I wasted (maybe) too much money on amps that were close to great. The IIC mode in my MK V is good, but it is not a MK IIC no matter what the marketing spin is.

Comparing my amps, Dr Z Maz 38, SLO, MK V, Single Rec, Uberschall TJ, Bogner New Yorker, 5153... The MK IIC is the best at clean and all around rock/metal, and just has that sound in my head I had been chasing.

Try one in a place you can crank it. That thing is sonic sex. Just my opinion, but that is the amp that made Mesa the King.