TA-30, 5:25 plus, 5:50 plus, or Lone Star Special for home?

Former Mesa owner looking to come back into the fold. I'm currently playing an Orange Rockerverb 50 mkii head but it's just too much amp for what I need. I only play at home and looking to downsize. While I like the Rockerverb gain, I don't use or need all of it and would like more range in the lower gain area. (it goes 0-60 fairly quick). I previously owned a Rectoverb that I just couldn't connect with the mid gain tone.

That said, all of the above listed Mesas are up for consideration in a 112 combo form. Could anyone compare any of them or shed some light on their sounds? I don't need Fender clean, but cleans should be good. I spend most of my playing in lower/mid gain land (think Pete Yorn or Death Cab) and occasionally drift to higher gain such as Foo Fighters or Rage Against the Machine for example. I also enjoy playing blues and jazz. I was considering the TA-30 but not sure about it's high gain sound. The sound samples on the Mesa home site sounded good for the Express plus series but I was torn between the 5:25 channel 1 and 5:50 channel 2. I've read good things about the Lone Star but haven't found many sound samples. Of course this would be easier if I could just play all of the them but the nearest dealer is 100 miles away. I appreciate any advice anyone can share!

I haven't owned a TransAtlantic, but I've owned a 5:25 (non-plus) and a Lone Star Special. I'm going to be very concise in my opinions.

LSS: best cleans I've ever heard; great liquid lead; not good for crunchy rhythm playing.

Express: more versatile; cleans not as lush as LSS, but still great; can easily venture into rock territory.

Hope that helps!

FWIW: I'm heading back to the Express fold as soon as my current amp sells. (It's listed in the classifieds, if anyone wants a mint Ace combo, LOL!)

How does the Stiletto Ace sound at living room levels?

rridle said:

How does the Stiletto Ace sound at living room levels?

Click to expand...

This is my second one. First was a head, now I have a combo. I think it sounds fantastic. The master volume works really well. The cleans are out of this world, especially considering it's an EL34 circuit. The low gain-crunch is really cool, too. It's a fantastic amplifier.

And for some reference, my living room levels involve a wife who hates loud noises, a 3 year old daughter with highly sensitive ears (music in the car hurts her ears), and 18-month twin boys. If I can play without disturbing all of them, it can work anywhere.

Hello,

I've owned a LSS, 5:25 and 5:25+. I still have the 5:25+. While all are great amps I found the LSS to have a little too much sparkle in the clean channel. Some may call this harmonics, some sparkle, some chime, etc. The plus series has some of this, but not as much. I find it a good balance.

The difference between the plus and original is pretty subtle. While I like the Graphic EQ the main reason I went with the plus is because of the 15 watt setting. To me, for my needs, this is the perfect wattage. Of course the boost is a nice feature as well. The plus is also a little more "open"--less compressed, but not stiff. It has a great feel to it. On all channels you can tame or accentuate the grit with your fingers and guitar volume.

For a great sound at home, recording or gigging you can't go wrong with either of these.

I have never played a TA so can't help you there.

I hope all this drivel helps.

TW

I have an LSC and I've played an LSS. The cleans are unbelievable (I tend to say chimey) and I found that for crunch a good OD pedal works best. Everything mentioned about the Lonestar amps in this thread I would agree with.

I have done a demo with a TA30 and TA15 and was relatively underwhelmed. I thought it would really get more of a brit tone, but I think they sounded a little thin and tended to be bright. With that said, I wasn't playing it through my rig so there were a lot of variables that could have contributed to me having that impression, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I never had the pleasure of playing through a 5:25+, but I was contemplating cashing out of my LSC and getting something smaller for a backup and for home use (either a mini-rec or a 5:25+). I think I would probably be happier with the features of the 5:25+.

Hi!

Here's my two cents, being a former LSS combo owner, a former TA-15/TA-30 (heads) owner, and a current 5:25+ combo owner:

LSS - great cleans, OD was good but not great. Heavy and loud.

TA-15 - No effects loop was the deal breaker. Otherwise, a very nice amp, but a bit hissy.
TA-30 - Great versatile amp, perfect wattage, but noisy as a snake with the efx loop switched in which was the deal breaker.

5:25+ - Great size/weight and plenty of power. 75-80% of the LSS chimey cleans, more modern overdrive and having a solo boost was icing on the cake. Very easy to take to gigs. Killer with a 1x12 closed ext cab. 5watt setting is easy to use and not piss off the family!! I use the GEQ very little.

Good luck!

Matt