Re: Do they make an amp like this?
I jerked around with some more MESA's yesterday.
I didn't find the Lonestar to be as bad as the poster here. In fact I thot it was damn good. But from what I'm hearing on HC there may be some issues MESA has to work out with them. I'm not sure I'd take it over my F series tho. The Lonestar Special did sound better to my ears than the standard Lonestar.
The F-30 will do what you want. And for less than a grand. The jangly cleans, plexi type crunch (the EL84s help), all the way to typical high gain MESA. The F-50 will give you the same range of gain, but it's not quite as "sparkly"/british due to the 6L6s.
Also check the mid/high end Riveras. I wasn't impressed at all w/ the Clubsters/Pubsters (not enough gain stages..2 12ax7s..makes for mud when the gain starts getting cranked up), but the Fandango and R series are sweet amps that are very versatile.
That said, EL34's just have a hard time with Jangly cleans IME. EL84's and 6L6's are much better for that. But 6L6's don't quite have that british "sparkle" and mids. The EL84's are a great choice for something that can do a blend of brit and american sounds.
For other brands..I don't know without going into the Boutique lines I'm not fam with. I tried alot of amps in the 800- 1200 price range in my recent amp search and was unconcerned about brand, only tone.... and I haven't heard anything yet from the major manufacturers besides the MESA F series that would do a wide variety of sounds and do them all very well for a grand. Thats why I bought my 50..and I NEVER thought I'd buy a MESA
