ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

[SirJackdeFuzz II]

Good people of the tone-table . . . i read this recently in a local forum :

''The big Lonestars are basically the same amp (as the Mark I). Circuit wise.''

Just how much truth is in this statement ?
I have never read this on the Mesa Forums anywhere, ever . . .

. . . please shed some light on this.

Much Appreciated.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

Mesa’s are Mesa’s, and I may be wrong, but I thought they were actually decended from the Dual Rectifier range (Blue Angel, Maverick, Heartbreaker, Solo).

 

[SirJackdeFuzz II]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

. . . anyone else ?

 

[dystrust]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

I haven't looked at a schematic, so I don't know for sure. The control layout is similar, so it wouldn't surprise me if they shared some common design elements. I've only played one original late 70s Mark I, and it sounded great though it didn't sound anything like a Lonestar. The Mark I sounded very similar to the Mark IIs & Mark IIIs I've played, though it obviously didn't channel switch and it wasn't quite as gainy. OTOH I don't care for the Lonestar at all; it seems to have an overbearing lower-mid that's just about impossible to dial out. I suppose it might sound good if you're trying to fatten up a Strat...

 

[Aceman]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

Again - Mesa woke up one day and said let's out-Fender fender, and out-Marshall Marshall.

Lonestar & Stiletto. Still Mesa - at least some of the settings/options...

Lonestar is a helluvan amp

 

[Demanic]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

Again - Mesa woke up one day and said let's out-Fender fender, and out-Marshall Marshall.

Lonestar & Stiletto. Still Mesa - at least some of the settings/options...

Lonestar is a helluvan amp

Yet, having a Stilleto, you still are thinking about a Jube...

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

The Lonestar is one awesome amp. My Blue Angel is a better Deluxe.

 

[Aceman]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

Yet, having a Stilleto, you still are thinking about a Jube...

Absolutely no need. Just a want. Because cool Silver.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

To my knowledge, and I've never talked to Mesa about this, the LoneStar is unique. I know they really worked on getting the clean channel up to Twin Reverb status, and it's the first Mesa that critics didn't tear apart it's clean tone, to my recollection. (Though I am personally very happy with the clean tones of my Mark IIIs, IV, DC-3 and Maverick.) I know the he 4xEL84 Class A power amp of the Maverick is a direct ancestor of the LoneStar Special, but the preamps are very different.

I was looking at a Lonestar, ElectraDyne, and a Mark V, and when I talked to Mesa about those amps, they said those tones are all in the Mark V. So then I debated a Mark V vs. a modeler and the V won out. No regrets at all.

So I have my doubts about the relationship between the Mark I and the LoneStar. I don't think my Mark IIIs sound anything like a Mark I either. I suppose you'd have to get the word directly from Mesa.

Bill

 

[Mincer]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

To my knowledge, and I've never talked to Mesa about this, the LoneStar is unique. I know they really worked on getting the clean channel up to Twin Reverb status, and it's the first Mesa that critics didn't tear apart it's clean tone, to my recollection. (Though I am personally very happy with the clean tones of my Mark IIIs, IV, DC-3 and Maverick.) I know the he 4xEL84 Class A power amp of the Maverick is a direct ancestor

of the LoneStar Special, but the preamps are very different.

I was looking at a Lonestar, ElectraDyne, and a Mark V, and when I talked to Mesa about those amps, they said those tones are all in the Mark V. So then I debated a Mark V vs. a modeler and the V won out. No regrets at all.

So I have my doubts about the relationship between the Mark I and the LoneStar. I don't think my Mark IIIs sound anything like a Mark I either. I suppose you'd have to get the word directly from Mesa.

Bill

Well, replacing the 6v6s with 6l6s in the Blue Angel, the clean sound is pretty close to a Twin.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

Well, replacing the 6v6s with 6l6s in the Blue Angel, the clean sound is pretty close to a Twin.

I’d love the opportunity to play all those 90’s Dual Rectifier amps that aren’t the Solo Head. Blue Angel, Heartbreaker, Maverick... the 4x10 combos look very cool.

 

[Mincer]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

I’d love the opportunity to play all those 90’s Dual Rectifier amps that aren’t the Solo Head. Blue Angel, Heartbreaker, Maverick... the 4x10 combos look very cool.

I have a 1x12, which weighs about 50lbs. I think the 4x10 is over 60. I had never tried a Heartbreaker or Maverick. Interested in trying the new Fillmore, though.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

I have a 1x12, which weighs about 50lbs. I think the 4x10 is over 60. I had never tried a Heartbreaker or Maverick. Interested in trying the new Fillmore, though.

I’m sure it’s at least that. My Road King Combo is 98lbs. and the 4x12 I just is 108lbs. or so? 4 10s with amp and all has to be heavy. It’s a classic tone, the old Bassman and Super Reverb alone.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

I have had a Mesa F-50 1x12 and a 5:50 Plus Head/Vintage 80's Mesa Metal Grill Vertical 2x12 Cabinet but neither really did it for me tone-wise. Some time back I picked up a Boogie Private Reserve Lone Starnat a local shop where I had several opportunities to A/B it to a pair of standard ones, IMHO, the solid wood cabinet does make a difference in the tone and it's damn lovely! Killer Amp with a lot of options to tweak the sound and variable 10/50/100 Watts really gives you flexibility. As to the Mark I I've only played through a couple briefly and they were older 1x12 combos and very different compared to the Lone Star.

 

[dave74]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

The Lonestar just looks so "right" in the wood cab.

edit: I just now noticed the reverb bright/warm switch on the back.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: ATT : Boogie Bill and other Mesa gurus : Mark I vs Lonestar

Beautiful amp, muttz. I'm drooling!

Bill