Re: Mesa Stiletto Ace
I went to the Mesa Hollywood store last weekend, but forgot to mention my experience with that amp.....the same exact one Steve has...the green combo.
First off, I like the fact that it has a more aggressive rock tone than most other Mesas, which is more like a versatile Marshall sound. I was hoping to be able to try a head/4-12 combo, but the Mesa combo holds down the tight lows pretty well. I think this might be the amp Jeff H is looking for, based on all he's looking for in an amp. All the modes sounded real good, and I wish I could remember the details, but on Mesas, I just start flicking switches and tweaking them to get what I'm looking for. The amp seems to be a tweakers delight, because all the staple sounds are in there. You can get all the clean to midgain you want, and even the highgain is a sound that requires no OD pedal to get it over the top. It's not really an amp that you can have completely figured out in one sitting. I'm sure SocalSteve took a few days to really get it figured out. I like amps like that though, because you don't get tired of them easily. One thing about Mesa is that they have a signature sound which is hard to describe......really dense sounding with a definite circuit board sound.....it doesn't sound as wide open and sweet as a vintage amp, but those types of amps are usually not good household amps because they need to be cranked. This Mesa is an amp that can be used at home, but also extremely loud in a studio.
Overall, I think it's an amp that a rock player could buy sight unseen, without hearing it first, and be pleasantly surprised. It's not lacking in any areas. If you're a diehard Marshall/Fender/Vox guy, you'll know right away that it has it's own sound, which is distinctly Mesa, but it's the most Marshall-like Mesa they've ever come up with, so there's no complaints. I think it's worth buying. Yeah, it's a little pricey, but at least you won't feel like you've wasted your money.....which is the feeling I'd get if I bought most other Mesa amps. The other day, I A/B'd a Lone Star with a Fender Super Sonic, and the Fender killed it. However, this new Stiletto Ace will equal or outdo the Super Sonic. I think the head version would sound absolutely crushing on a Celestion 4-12 cab. The combo is a great Swiss Army Amp, which would serve any style really well.
