Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce

[MikeS]

Not that I’m serious about buying one, but I’m just wondering what your guys’ reviews of the Stiletto Deuce are like. I’m intrigued mostly about how the 5U4 rectos mesh with the EL34 power section. Does have a Marshall-esque flavor with the low sag of a typical 5U4 recto? I’m thinking that might be cool… sort of a “Modern Vintage.”

I’m also wondering if this is a purely high gain amplifier. How well does it clean up and how well does the gain back off. The amp seems to have so many switches and knobs that I fear it would be like the Marshall DSL series (jack of all trades, master of none, so to speak).

 

[JeffB]

Re: Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce

I've played one a handful of times...

First time I hated it....cos I wasn't used to a MESA and how they work...

second time...better...but still not mind blowing

third time...i really started dialing in some sounds that were very very good


I actually think it's better as a "crunch" amp, then a super high gain Rectifier style...The best tones I was dialing in were Yardirds to AC/DC to 800 levels of gain. I didn't mess with the tube rectifiers much, but I did'nt feel it was a saggy/farty as the Rectifiers are.

Takes some serious tweaking...but when ya dial in the sounds...very impressive. One in particular I was able to dial in (forgot which mode) was this kind of razor sharp vox sound...crunchy, sweet, yet it was totally slicing in the top end (though not in a obnoxious way)...Great heavy blues tone.

It wouldn't be my first choice in an amp, but if I needed a wide variety of british tones it's def be near the top.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce

I don't like them that much. While they sound good for leads, they really blow for rhythm work. Even when I saw Steve Vai, his rhythm axe-man Dave Weiner was playing through one. Sounded like ass for rhythm, but sounded really good for leads. That said, He also kicked in a pedal for the leads.

They really have no teeth at all unless you give em a pedal to chew on, just like an old Marshall. My problem with them is that they're overly bright and lacking in the bass department.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce

I only briefly plugged into one, found all it's best gain tones, and saw what it's clean channel was capable of. I think I like it a lot more than the regular Dual or Triple Rectifiers. To me, it's kind of a cross between a Marshall DSL and Dual Rectifier, which is kind of what it was intended to be. For metal players, it's definitely a dream amp, as long as it's dialed in good, and the player has the right pickups.

 

[muttonchopsrule]

Re: Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce

I actually think it's better as a "crunch" amp, then a super high gain Rectifier style...The best tones I was dialing in were Yardirds to AC/DC to 800 levels of gain.

i agree.

i played one in GC last week, and was getting AWESOME AC/DC type of tones out of it, and from there the amp cleaned up pretty well. but i found that once you turn the gain up past AC/DC and 800 territory, the whole sound loses its definition.

i'm curious to hear one through a marshall 4x12...i really don't like the rectifier cabinets!