Mesa Lonestar

[rastaman]

Just wondering here what the general consensus is of the drive channel on these amps (6L6's). The clean is good but the one I played seemed lifeless on the drive channel. Could it of been a bad preamp tube? I've also read where some people reviewed the dirty channel as being muddy?!?!?

[bobbypols]

The general consensus is that it is bland. Infact, usually that channel is the deal breaker for most as to why they dont buy the amp (and weight). Also the reverb fadeaway during ch. switching is a bit weird.

[oldhousescott]

I guess "congested" is the word I'd use. I reduced the cathode bypass cap on the additional gain stage and that helped some.

[rastaman]

Doesn't Dave Grohl use one? Would you compare it to the Mesa Express 5:50 dirty channel?

[buddaman71]

I actually love the lead channel on the LSC. It is darker and more liquid than most. I only use it for EJ style leads, which it does quite well IMHO.

[Bikedude]

There are a few mods "Reeder mod" and several tube changes to liven up the OD channel on the LSC. I like the way mine sounds with EL34's, and JJ-pre amps. Check out the boogie board for more info.

[bkd_guitarist]

I didn't find it bland, just lacking in high gain. I think the LSC's drive channel has a really nice tone for mid-gain stuff. It's worth trying a few more in case you got a bad sample.

[Miles]

Doesn't Dave Grohl use one? Would you compare it to the Mesa Express 5:50 dirty channel?


Foo Fighters use these for clean tones only.

Dave Grohl uses Road Kings so does Chris Shiftlett.

[Austinrocks]

I have a Mesa Mark IV, tried the lone stars in the stores, prefer my Mark IV, but thats easy to say about most amps I have tried, took me a long time to get my mark iv the way I like it, 6v6 tubes were the secret for me, now its easy to get great sound, not sure if the lone star will take the 6v6 tubes, and they wont fix the drive channel, I don't believe the lone star is heavy drive channel amp like the mark iv or rectifiers.

[fjs1962]

I really like the drive channel of my Lonestar. It's not a British OD at all though, and I think that turns some folks off. It's very American sounding to me, Like a cranked Fender amp. With the extra gain stage on I can get the same type tones I used to get from my Mark I, with about the same amount of gain available. In fact that's what the Lonestar is like to me, an updated version of the Mark I amps, with channel switching, better cleans and better reverb. I find the Lonestar to excel at clean to mid drive tones. That's what I use mine for. For heavier or crunchier stuff I prefer something with a Marshall voice, like my Germino Lead 55.

[macmax77]

Foo Fighters use these for clean tones only.

Dave Grohl uses Road Kings so does Chris Shiftlett.

FF is using Budda amps

[plan-x]

The Reeder mod mentioned early, is done on the 2nd ch and matches the tone (clones) of the 1st ch. Making it possible to obtain the great clean sound with some OD on it. It's a simple mod, and any novice can do it.

Mod link: http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=22160&highlight=

[Lucidology]

I really like the drive channel of my Lonestar. It's not a British OD at all though, and I think that turns some folks off. It's very American sounding to me, Like a cranked Fender amp.

With the extra gain stage on I can get the same type tones I used to get from my Mark I, with about the same amount of gain available.

In fact that's what the Lonestar is like to me, an updated version of the Mark I amps, with channel switching, better cleans and better reverb. I find the Lonestar to excel at clean to mid drive tones.


Totally agree ... it's my favorite OD channel ever on an amp so far ..
However, there is an art to tweaking it ...
one should start with the treble and presence turned up quite a bit
and then take it down from there (counter-clockwise) ... Obviously the opposite from usual...

The OD channels Treble is actually a gain stage ...
as is the loop knob when set higher then noon ...
The Classic is capable of incredible natural sustain... with very organic, chewy OD/Distortion sound..
It is very, very Smooth, and extremely reponsive to touch sensitivity...
But not British as fjs mentioned .. ( I love it)

There's been many threads on the Lonestar Classic virtues:

Andy Timmons on the Lonestar! [Archive] - The Gear Page (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-204983.html)

Tell me about the Mesa Lonestar! - The Gear Page (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=421370)

[jaxonmills]

Did you ever buy another LSC? I thought I read that you had sold one a while back.


Totally agree ... it's my favorite OD channel ever on an amp so far ..
However, there is an art to tweaking it ...
one should start with the treble and presence turned up quite a bit
and then take it down from there (counter-clockwise) ... Obviously the opposite from usual...

The OD channels Treble is actually a gain stage ...
as is the loop knob when set higher then noon ...
The Classic is capable of incredible natural sustain... with very organic, chewy OD/Distortion sound..
It is very, very Smooth, and extremely reponsive to touch sensitivity...
But not British as fjs mentioned .. ( I love it)

There's been many threads on the Lonestar Classic virtues:

Andy Timmons on the Lonestar! [Archive] - The Gear Page (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-204983.html)

Tell me about the Mesa Lonestar! - The Gear Page (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=421370)



And btw, all I use live is the OD channel w/ drive engaged. I use a Screwdriver when I need more mids/gain/presence for rhythm and a Timmy or SD-1 as a lead boost. Covers a lot of ground. I find that the OD channel cuts better and is more focused than the clean channel, usually sounds better to me in a mix.

[squeally dan]

I think the clean on the lonestar is worth the price of admission. I miss mine a bit.

[fjs1962]

I think the clean on the lonestar is worth the price of admission. I miss mine a bit.

I agree. I've always loved Twin Reverbs for clean and to me the Lonestar clean channel is like a good old Twin.

[rastaman]

I can't see buying an amp for the cleans, I did that recently and still haven't forgiven myself..... :mad:

[Miles]

FF is using Budda amps

for recording, yes. Live, it's all Mesa stuff. Have a look at the backline next time. There's a great article regarding "in your honor' that talks about use of budda amps. Great, you did your research. But live, I think they like the 4 channel range of the Mesa stuff, and it's reliable and accessible more than Budda.

[Miles]

I can't see buying an amp for the cleans, I did that recently and still haven't forgiven myself..... :mad:

Well, if you like pedals, then you would probably look for a good clean amp first. If you don't, and you like overdriven tones, what's the point?

[Miles]

I didn't find it bland, just lacking in high gain. I think the LSC's drive channel has a really nice tone for mid-gain stuff. It's worth trying a few more in case you got a bad sample.

The Lonestar Classic has about as much gain as you'd get from a Recto, or at least as much gain as any tone that's usable and not total fuzz.

It's not the amount of gain that's different, it's the voicing. The Lonestar is a tamer and darker voicing. Yeah, it's super bland. It sounds good, but it's really bland, a decent sounding drive but very safe sounding. It takes pedals like a beast, but it's kind of moot to buy an $1800 2 channel amp and only use the clean. But Channel 2 is just that classic old school dark boogie gain. It's somewhat one dimensional sounding, but if you like a tighter tube driven sound (as opposed to pedals) on the old school side, it's cool. I often had a hard time cutting through as well as I'm able to with anything else. My live recordings with the lonestar turned out just OK.

The way I ended up running mine (while I had it) was Channel one for cleans and pushing pedals (keeley stuff, OCD), and using the drive channel as a near clean boost only grittier with a slight high end boost.

It was fine, but there were a lot of rigs that I found more useful and easy to use. I've also had a lot of trouble in the reliability department with lonestars. All my old recto series amps were built like tanks, but the Lonestars seemed to just be doomed. I had 3 of them, and all 3 had major problems. Probably bad luck.

Cool amps, but they are indeed overpriced.

[rastaman]

Well, if you like pedals, then you would probably look for a good clean amp first. If you don't, and you like overdriven tones, what's the point?


Point is you have a clean channel for cleans and a dirty for dirt :)
My Express 5:50 2x12 has a decent dirty and nice cleans, I feel the LS would be similar. If step on an OCD or Timmy on the clean channel of the Express man does the volume jump up, I guess you could tweak the volume on the pedals to keep that from happening. I've done that by mistake a couple of times and got some funny looks, it's freaking loud! What I usually do is use clean channel for clean, and pedals with the dirt channel for dirt ( I keep the gain down on the dirt channel, as a matter of fact, I keep the Express dirt channel in the Blues mode for a thicker dirt ).

[Lucidology]

The OD is not bland whatsoever to my ears ...
It is one of the best sounding of them all in my opinion
It's goes down very easy .... and it is capable of cutting through the mix and tons of volume to spare ..
Again ... it's all in how you tweak it, and there is a learning curve to the Classic..


I'll see if I can dig up that Andy Timmon's clip where he shows you
what it sounds like before he kicks in the Xotic BB ..
Actually like the tone he gets without the BB, using just the Lonestar, much better..

[Bikedude]

I have a Mesa Mark IV, tried the lone stars in the stores, prefer my Mark IV, but thats easy to say about most amps I have tried, took me a long time to get my mark iv the way I like it, 6v6 tubes were the secret for me, now its easy to get great sound, not sure if the lone star will take the 6v6 tubes, and they wont fix the drive channel, I don't believe the lone star is heavy drive channel amp like the mark iv or rectifiers.

Yes, you can configure an LSC to run either 6l6's, 6v6's,34's, or 84's/YJ's.

[macmax77]

for recording, yes. Live, it's all Mesa stuff. Have a look at the backline next time. There's a great article regarding "in your honor' that talks about use of budda amps. Great, you did your research. But live, I think they like the 4 channel range of the Mesa stuff, and it's reliable and accessible more than Budda.

well, i really don't listen to them much, i think i like 2 FF songs, and since my two loves have been Mesa and Budda Amps, they can use both and it is a win situation, hehehehhehehhe.

Are you "the" Miles?

:D

[Miles]

Point is you have a clean channel for cleans and a dirty for dirt :)
My Express 5:50 2x12 has a decent dirty and nice cleans, I feel the LS would be similar. If step on an OCD or Timmy on the clean channel of the Express man does the volume jump up, I guess you could tweak the volume on the pedals to keep that from happening. I've done that by mistake a couple of times and got some funny looks, it's freaking loud! What I usually do is use clean channel for clean, and pedals with the dirt channel for dirt ( I keep the gain down on the dirt channel, as a matter of fact, I keep the Express dirt channel in the Blues mode for a thicker dirt ).


yeah, but then you're stomping on 'channel' and then 'pedal on' buttons to get your sound. I hate tapdancing at shows.

when I owned a lonestar classic, I realized that the OCD pulverized the dirty channel of the Lonestar. I was actually extremely surprised. Whatever works for you. I would generally own a 2 channel amp to use the 2nd channel for my primary overdriven rhythm sounds, but that's just me. Also, as far as volume jumps go, you CAN set the pedals to have equal volume w/ the clean channel without volume jumps, you just gotta set the levels right, make sure you're boosting the right frequencies to sound 'natural' when changing sounds.

With a fender-ish circuit like the Lonestar, I found the "high-pass" switch on my OCD to be best when selected as it broughg out those upper mids (that fender-ish circuits like boogie often lack) like a huge marshall-ish pounding to the mix with all that thump of the old boogie voicing. On the other hand, my vox circuit just couldn't hang with the 'high-pass' engaged, as it sounded like nasally mud, and I needed to up the gain and put it on 'low-pass' to compliment THAT amp. It's a killer pedal. Try to experiment a bit. You may find that your 2nd channel is a great 'clean boosted' channel, and your OCD is your main squeeze for killer pounding dirt. That was my solution when I owned the amp.

[Miles]

Yes, you can configure an LSC to run either 6l6's, 6v6's,34's, or 84's/YJ's.

I ran mine with KT77s and was most content. Same thump with slightly enhanced upper mids...slightly. I don't hear power tube changes in the same circuit nearly as much as other people do, I suppose.

[Miles]

The OD is not bland whatsoever to my ears ...
It is one of the best sounding of them all in my opinion
It's goes down very easy .... and it is capable of cutting through the mix and tons of volume to spare ..
Again ... it's all in how you tweak it, and there is a learning curve to the Classic..


I'll see if I can dig up that Andy Timmon's clip where he shows you
what it sounds like before he kicks in the Xotic BB ..
Actually like the tone he gets without the BB, using just the Lonestar, much better..

Yes, but there are those of us out there who traded our Lonestar Classics for Peavey Classics ;) ...BLASPHEMY!!!!

That's okay, I use digital stuff anymore anyways.

[rastaman]

yeah, but then you're stomping on 'channel' and then 'pedal on' buttons to get your sound. I hate tapdancing at shows.

when I owned a lonestar classic, I realized that the OCD pulverized the dirty channel of the Lonestar. I was actually extremely surprised. Whatever works for you. I would generally own a 2 channel amp to use the 2nd channel for my primary overdriven rhythm sounds, but that's just me. Also, as far as volume jumps go, you CAN set the pedals to have equal volume w/ the clean channel without volume jumps, you just gotta set the levels right, make sure you're boosting the right frequencies to sound 'natural' when changing sounds.

With a fender-ish circuit like the Lonestar, I found the "high-pass" switch on my OCD to be best when selected as it broughg out those upper mids (that fender-ish circuits like boogie often lack) like a huge marshall-ish pounding to the mix with all that thump of the old boogie voicing. On the other hand, my vox circuit just couldn't hang with the 'high-pass' engaged, as it sounded like nasally mud, and I needed to up the gain and put it on 'low-pass' to compliment THAT amp. It's a killer pedal. Try to experiment a bit. You may find that your 2nd channel is a great 'clean boosted' channel, and your OCD is your main squeeze for killer pounding dirt. That was my solution when I owned the amp.

I thought I'd mentioned something about the volume needing to be turned down for volume jumps but thanks for the advice.

I've never had or found an 2 channel amp that both channels are good enough. Amps like the LSC and Express for example, have a great clean and the dirty channel isn't so great (a nice way to put it). Every amp that has a great dirty channel has a clean channel that is lacking (Orange, Marshall etc. etc.). That's just the nature of the beast.... IMHO. There are specific components in the design of an amp that inhibit having both channels kick ass. If I had an amp that had LSC cleans and a JCM800 2204 dirty, I probably wouldn't be here.... much less buying pedals, cables, ABY boxes etc. etc. I see your point and I raise you! :p

I should of bought that Aiken Sabre when I had the chance!!!!!!!

[Miles]

I thought I'd mentioned something about the volume needing to be turned down for volume jumps but thanks for the advice.

I've never had or found an 2 channel amp that both channels are good enough. Amps like the LSC and Express for example, have a great clean and the dirty channel isn't so great (a nice way to put it). Every amp that has a great dirty channel has a clean channel that is lacking (Orange, Marshall etc. etc.). That's just the nature of the beast.... IMHO. There are specific components in the design of an amp that inhibit having both channels kick ass. If I had an amp that had LSC cleans and a JCM800 2204 dirty, I probably wouldn't be here.... much less buying pedals, cables, ABY boxes etc. etc. I see your point and I raise you! :p

I should of bought that Aiken Sabre when I had the chance!!!!!!!


I TOTALLY HEAR YOU, and this has been a point that I've been preaching around here for a long time. You get a good clean amp, but THAT clean signal generally lacks w/ a pedal. To get that pedal sounding beefy, you sacrifice a clean. On multichannel amps, the dirts are usually fabulous, or at least good, while the cleans are rubbery and unresponsive. Yet, as a working musician, you can't lug multiple amps (practically speaking) while setting up A/B switches, etc... and actually having a cooperative soundguy who is willing to mix the signals.

This is why I went digital. When you take the time and think about it, all we're doing is manipulating sound signals to produce a sound. It's not that there is mojo in tubes, they are a great design and circuit, but it just isn't the only way. With most decent digital products, you can, by any means, re-produce various voicings that sound great. Therefore, I can get the beefy dirt and the shimmery and chimey cleans. I do not miss the 30 tube amps I have owned whatsoever. But this exact situation that you are in caused me to re-try digital and actually take the time necessary to make the sounds happen, and I did. I only use it and I only want to use it anymore.

So now, a pricey tube amp, in my opinion, =:barf

[Benlevy]

The OD is not bland whatsoever to my ears ...
It is one of the best sounding of them all in my opinion
It's goes down very easy .... and it is capable of cutting through the mix and tons of volume to spare ..
Again ... it's all in how you tweak it, and there is a learning curve to the Classic..


I'll see if I can dig up that Andy Timmon's clip where he shows you
what it sounds like before he kicks in the Xotic BB ..
Actually like the tone he gets without the BB, using just the Lonestar, much better..

I tried two Lonestars at two different stores. Cleans were great, dirt was awful. Not so-so, not passable, awful. That Timmon's clip, man he makes the Lone Star and the Stilleto sound good. Maybe he's using heads with some magic cabs/speakers or has some custom Boogie fairy dust in there. The ones I played were not in the same ballpark. In my opinion of course... :-) The Stilleto sounded much better through an Orange closed-back 2x12 with v30s. Maybe a LS head with a different cab would help it out. For $1800, I don't want to have to beg an amp for good tone...

[macmax77]

change the mid pot on the 2nd channel and you'll have a beastie amp

[rastaman]

change the mid pot on the 2nd channel and you'll have a beastie amp


Is that the "incorrect" pot they speak of over at TBB? What do you change it to?

[jaxonmills]

I tried two Lonestars at two different stores. Cleans were great, dirt was awful. Not so-so, not passable, awful. That Timmon's clip, man he makes the Lone Star and the Stilleto sound good. Maybe he's using heads with some magic cabs/speakers or has some custom Boogie fairy dust in there. The ones I played were not in the same ballpark. In my opinion of course... :-) The Stilleto sounded much better through an Orange closed-back 2x12 with v30s. Maybe a LS head with a different cab would help it out. For $1800, I don't want to have to beg an amp for good tone...


If you can't get a decent sound out of the od channel, you either don't know how to dial the amp in or you're not trying. The Stiletto's tone is not even close to the Lone Star, and it's not supposed to be. They're completely different sounding amps. A lot of people get great tones out of the Lone Star, even if you can't.

[rastaman]

So what's the secret O wise one?

[jaxonmills]

There is no secret other than to understand what the amp is designed to do. It's not going to sound like a JCM 800. If that's what you're looking for, look elsewhere.

Keep the bass down, treble at at least 12 o'clock, set the mids and presence to taste. To my ears, the od channel sounds the most open on the 'normal' setting. The drive knob adds bite/grind, the gain knob adds sustain, use the diode rectifier for a tighter sound, and try different combinations of 10/50/100 watt output and tweed/on power settings.

[rastaman]

Before we go any further, which amp are you talking about?

[jaxonmills]

Lone Star.

[rastaman]

Ok, at least we're on the same page. I'd like to work with a head and a good cab to see if I could do better but I wish I knew how to tweak it 'cause I sure loved the cleans..

[jaxonmills]

Also, KT77's added upper midrange and touch sensitivity in mine, and I'm using a closed-back 212 cab with vintage 30s instead of the mesa speakers.

[rastaman]

Also, KT77's added upper midrange and touch sensitivity in mine, and I'm using a closed-back 212 cab with vintage 30s instead of the mesa speakers.


I want to order a black on black head bad but the combos I've tried just didn't do it for me (OD channel). I would be running it into an OS Bogner 2x12 with either MC90s, V30s, whatever it takes.

[jaxonmills]

You might be better off with a different amp. The Lone Star is good, but it isn't for everyone.

[rastaman]

Ok....

[jaxonmills]

And keep in mind, the od channel is basically just a clone of the clean channel with and added drive control and voicing switch.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from buying a Lone Star. I love mine. But if you don't like how it sounds, what can I say?

[Benlevy]

If you can't get a decent sound out of the od channel, you either don't know how to dial the amp in or you're not trying.

Two other options: 1. I have a tin ear. Very well could be. 2. You like a dirty tone that sounds like dog squeeze to me. Hey, different strokes man, don't get your feelings hurt. :-)

The mention of the Stilleto was just to say that maybe a different cab would help, who knows. Good luck Rastaman.

:munch

[rastaman]

And keep in mind, the od channel is basically just a clone of the clean channel with and added drive control and voicing switch.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from buying a Lone Star. I love mine. But if you don't like how it sounds, what can I say?

Fair enough.

[rastaman]

Two other options: 1. I have a tin ear. Very well could be. 2. You like a dirty tone that sounds like dog squeeze to me. Hey, different strokes man, don't get your feelings hurt. :-)

The mention of the Stilleto was just to say that maybe a different cab would help, who knows. Good luck Rastaman.

:munch


So, whatchyou gonna do?

[Lucidology]

If you can't get a decent sound out of the od channel, you either don't know how to dial the amp in or you're not trying. The Stiletto's tone is not even close to the Lone Star, and it's not supposed to be. They're completely different sounding amps. A lot of people get great tones out of the Lone Star...

Totally agree (I owned the Stiletto for awhile, not my bag at all)..
with that being said however
I think the 2X12 Lonestar version sounds much smoother OD wise
(the 1x12 is boxy in comparison... though it's a sound a lot of folk like ...)

I really dislike Vintage 30's ... so that's not an option for moi...
Seems as though the Mesa speakers are just fine,
yet I'm always curious how GH-65's would sound in the amp (any amp for that matter ..)

[macmax77]

Is that the "incorrect" pot they speak of over at TBB? What do you change it to?

it is not that the pot is "incorrect"

The same guys at Mesa will tell you to change the pot on the 2nd and 3rd channels of the RK if you don't need the over the top distortion and will also tell you to do this if you want the same #1 channel reproduced for the 2nd channel on the lonestar.

Some people will like the second channel as it is, some people will love to have the great #1 channel reproduced in the 2nd channel in order to drive it and keep things clearer.

If you want totry it , do it and you will have a great amp with 2 great channels or the same channel twice that you can use clean and overdriven and will probably not need any more pedals since you'll have 2 great sounds.

[rastaman]

it is not that the pot is "incorrect"

The same guys at Mesa will tell you to change the pot on the 2nd and 3rd channels of the RK if you don't need the over the top distortion and will also tell you to do this if you want the same #1 channel reproduced for the 2nd channel on the lonestar.

Some people will like the second channel as it is, some people will love to have the great #1 channel reproduced in the 2nd channel in order to drive it and keep things clearer.

If you want totry it , do it and you will have a great amp with 2 great channels or the same channel twice that you can use clean and overdriven and will probably not need any more pedals since you'll have 2 great sounds.

Do you know anyone who's done this? I'd like to try before I buy.

[macmax77]

Do you know anyone who's done this? I'd like to try before I buy.

Yes , my friend has a NEW Lonestar, maybe 4 months old and has done this and is happier than ever, the 2nd channel sounds a lot better now, at least to his ears and mine.

[Miles]

I tried two Lonestars at two different stores. Cleans were great, dirt was awful. Not so-so, not passable, awful. That Timmon's clip, man he makes the Lone Star and the Stilleto sound good. Maybe he's using heads with some magic cabs/speakers or has some custom Boogie fairy dust in there. The ones I played were not in the same ballpark. In my opinion of course... :-) The Stilleto sounded much better through an Orange closed-back 2x12 with v30s. Maybe a LS head with a different cab would help it out. For $1800, I don't want to have to beg an amp for good tone...


I disagree. It's like an old school grind on a fender amp. It's a cool sound, slightly one dimensional, but that's really a good thing for many styles. It's a versatile channel, but yeah, it's hard to get it to ring out the way it should. It wants to be dark. Using treble as a pseudo gain, backing down the drive and using the mid and bass sensibly, you get a pretty nice sound. It's very smooth, which doesn't lend itself easily to an aggressive style of playing. We're talking rock n' roll, blues, country, etc... Speaker swaps don't do a lot for me. I thought V30s in this amp sounded pretty awful and it had a very nasal quality.

It's nothing like a stiletto, stiletto is much sharper, brighter, almost strident sounding really. I wasn't too impressed with that design at all, very sonically limited, whereas the lonestar covers more sensible ground for things that I play.

Having said that, I can think of a handful of cheaper amps that are better for me than the lonestar, so I digress.

Happy Hunting. YOU have to try it to see if it's right for YOU. Opinions are really like assholes, everyone's got one, so take the advice around here with a large pinch of salt. Most the opinions, I have noticed, come from staple blues players or old school rock players, so it's all subjective, and the opinion of a piece of gear here might be viewed very differently somewhere else.

[macmax77]

I have played Boggie amps for soooooo many years that each time i hear someone saying how difficult is to dial in a great sound i tend to disagree with that person since the Boogies are the easiest amps for "me" to dial in.

That said i think there is a lot of user error when dialing in a Boogie.

[Miles]

I have played Boggie amps for soooooo many years that each time i hear someone saying how difficult is to dial in a great sound i tend to disagree with that person since the Boogies are the easiest amps for "me" to dial in.

That said i think there is a lot of user error when dialing in a Boogie.

Depends on the boogie. Some are more finicky than others. If you know how they work, then you generally know which kinds of combinations you need to have to make certain frequencies shine. Some just sound like stale boxes of tubby fuzz (think nomad). Sorry, I've used 'em and hated them. On the other hand, I've owned 4 recto series amps, 2 lonestars, and a Blue Angel and found great sounds in all of them. I also like some sounds in the Stiletto Ace, but for an all around working man's amp, I think it's average. The Mavericks are great and I've really liked every T-verb I've played. Overall, for me, boogies have some of the most innovative and useful features for a gigging player. I think they're wonderful too. I think the Lonestar is one of the best tube amps around, but it wasn't even close to being the best gigging rig for me.

[fjs1962]

I thought V30s in this amp sounded pretty awful and it had a very nasal quality.

You know, for the first two months I had my Lonestar I would have agreed with this. The regional Mesa rep for my area talked me into ordering mine with V30s since I gravitate toward more vintage styls amps/tones, and said he has V30s in his personal Lonestar and loves them. Mine were harsh and nasal like you described until I got a few hours on them at volume, and after a while they smoothed out and now they sound great, more lively and clear than the C90s in the other Lonestar I had, and not harsh at all anymore. Seriously, I was ready to try some other speakers in the amp but a couple of V30 lovers i know told me to give them some time as they would change once they broke in, and I'm glad I did. The V30s Mesa uses in the amps are still made in England, but I don't know how much difference this makes. To be honest, I'm not usually a V30 guy either, I prefer Greenbacks, H30s and Blues, but in this Lonestar the V30s sound just right. Before I get flamed here, I realize there are some folks who don't like V30s no matter how broken in they are! ;)

[fjs1962]

One more thing, I want to go on record here and say that while I love my Lonestar for what it does, if I had to use only one amp from now on it wouldn't be the Lonestar. To me the Lonestar is VERY American sounding, and I can get great Fender and early Mesa Mark tones from it. It does a mean Texas blues tone with a Strat, excellent country tones with a Tele, and covers stuff like 70's Carlton, Santana, and even stuff like Foghat with a Gibson or PRS.

That said, even with EL34s I don't get anywhere near a British Marshall tone out of the Lonestar, and if I had to live without one of the two I'd lose the Fender sound before the Marshall sound for the stuff I play (I also own a Germino Lead 55).

[tribedescribe]

I own the Lonestar special, this amp is slightly brighter than the classic due to the el84's. I think channel two benefits from a slightly brighter voice. I really love the lead sound on channel. The real key to dialing up a good sound distortion sound on channel 2 was stated earlier. Keep the bass down to 10, treble at 12 and set the mid and presence to taste. You also need to set the gain higher than the drive. I also found a good compressor (keeley) is essentail to make channel 2 soar for lead playing. A boost pedal will also work. This amp is not for everyone especially if you are looking for that marshall sound. But for me this amp suits my needs and style. I play fusion, rock and blues.

[Lucidology]

I own the Lonestar special, this amp is slightly brighter than the classic due to the el84's. I think channel two benefits from a slightly brighter voice. I really love the lead sound on channel.

The real key to dialing up a good sound distortion sound on channel 2 was stated earlier. Keep the bass down to 10, treble at 12 and set the mid and presence to taste. You also need to set the gain higher than the drive. I also found a good compressor (keeley) is essentail to make channel 2 soar for lead playing. A boost pedal will also work. This amp is not for everyone especially if you are looking for that marshall sound. But for me this amp suits my needs and style. I play fusion, rock and blues.

Nice first post ... Welcome to TGP

[pageburst]

The Lonestar is a great amp. But I run mine with EL34Ls which really increases the touch sensitivity

I get big opulent dimensional cleans and a very chewy thick drive channel. With my R9 and a really great pair of boutique PAFs it's got that Stones Sticky Fingers thing down cold,

Also great with my CS Strat nice warm round and chimey.

I've kept that Lonestar around after selling many other boutique pieces because it's one of the few amps of any size that sounds good at very low volumes.

[buddaman71]

I think the LSC is one of the best American amps ever made. I have seen Andy T live and his tone was beyond fantastic. Literally EJ-worthy and just wailing.

Metal tones? NO.
Amazing clean/SRV/smooth OD tones? Hell yes!