Eminence patriot speaker for mesa lonestar head

[JimmyO]

I am converting my Mesa Lonestar combo into a head, it was just getting too heavy. Have ordered a head shell from mesa to transfer the amp into. Initially I'll be using it with the 2x12 governor loaded Avatar cab I use with my avatar 45 JTM 45 clone. I want to get a 1x12 avatar cab to pair with it and am looking at the high output eminence Patriot speakers that can handle the lonestars 100w. I play classic rock and blues using vintage sounding strats and les Paul's. So far I am looking at the Red White and Blues and Texas Heat. The swamp thing looks like it would emphasize the lonestars excessive bass - I usually run the bass almost off.

Any recommendations or experiences with the speakers I'm considering?

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Eminence patriot speaker for mesa lonestar head

I don't think the RWB will be the best choice because it's a bit darker with more low mids. Perhaps on a rectifier, but not the Lonestar. However, I can't think of a better speaker than the Texas Heat. It will bring out the top end and high mids perfectly without any ice pick, and it will preserve the rich low end of the Lonestar while tightening it up a bit. It's not as mid-scooped, bassy, or harsh high end as the Mesa Boogie Black Shadow speakers. Not to say that the Black Shadows aren't great speakers, it's just that the Texas Heat has it all. It has a really great and snappy response. It's categorized as a Patriot, or American flavored speaker, but it has kind of a British flavor. I have used the Texas Heat with a variety of amps and it's definitely underrated in terms of versatility.

Keep in mind that it takes some time to break in. At first, there was something a little weird about how the treble sat on top of the sound, but as the speaker wore in, it merged perfectly with the high mids. You might think that the "Texas sparkle" description seems like it might not blend well with bright amps, but that's not farther from the truth. It's very versatile because it allows bright amps to come through with the perfect amount of high end sparkle, and darker amps to have just enough added top end presence. It's your best speaker choice in my opinion.

 

[JimmyO]

Re: Eminence patriot speaker for mesa lonestar head

Thanks for the great write-up. Looks like the Texas Heat is just what I'm looking for. Great recommendation.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Eminence patriot speaker for mesa lonestar head

Andrew Lamprecht put a texas heat in his boogie MKIII. Ask him what he thinks about it.
I had a boogie and i never really liked the black shadow because it was too powerful, present, scooped and hifi sounding for my personal taste, but my main amps are both fenders now (a twin reverb and a princeton reverb). Incidentally they both have texas heats in them too. Great speakers. Nice and thick sounding with a very pleasing warm yet defined top end. The other thing thats nice about them is that they a re not super efficient, so you can afford to crank your power tubes a knotch higher for the same apparent volume of a more modern big magnet speaker. This is really useful in todays gig environment where its not likely that you can crank your amp up to its full potential. Swampies are much more similar to the black shadows - big, scooped and efficient.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Eminence patriot speaker for mesa lonestar head

Swamp Thang is very efficient/loud, with a lot of low freqs.
Probably not what you are looking for.

 

[JimmyO]

Re: Eminence patriot speaker for mesa lonestar head

Thanks for the responses guys! Confirms what I was thinking about the Swamp Thing. The Texas Heat sounds like it would be a good match for the Lonestar. This would give me a more American sound in a portable 1x12 cab, and I'd have my existing British flavored 2x12 with the Governors, so I can pair them with either the Lonestar or the JTM 45 clone for a versatile setup depending on the gig.