NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

[serizawa]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Nop, it has a pair of EL34s. They seem to give out a tighter, more controled distorted sound than my Express, which ran through EL84s. That could be from various other factors though.

Yeah, tighter's definitely the word. I like to crank the clean channel of (almost) any EL84 amp and add in my distortion for the real dirt. Things don't get much better than that for me.

That's why I think a Lonestar would be almost perfect for me. Mesa durability and customer service is really really comforting and nice to have.

My Laney's a great amp, but I'll always kind of miss the feeling of lugging a huge Mesa head and cab wherever I play.

 

[d1dsj]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Nice! I've very nearly owned one twice now and I know I'll get one in the future. If I'm honest I am not a fan of Mesa cabs but then I've never used one with a Mesa amp, but those amps are great. Sounds like you're enjoying it already... good for you fella!

 

[phil_104]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Yeah, tighter's definitely the word. I like to crank the clean channel of (almost) any EL84 amp and add in my distortion for the real dirt. Things don't get much better than that for me.

That's why I think a Lonestar would be almost perfect for me. Mesa durability and customer service is really really comforting and nice to have.

My Laney's a great amp, but I'll always kind of miss the feeling of lugging a huge Mesa head and cab wherever I play.

Some people really like the EL84 distortion (like you) because of it's break up, but I'm findint that the EL34s produce a tone that lets the character of the guitar shine through. With this amp, I'm finding that my tone is one of a guitar with some distortion, not the other way around (if that makes sense).

The lonestar might be for you, but I've always associated that amp with classic 6L6 tone, which the amp comes with stock.

Nice! I've very nearly owned one twice now and I know I'll get one in the future. If I'm honest I am not a fan of Mesa cabs but then I've never used one with a Mesa amp, but those amps are great. Sounds like you're enjoying it already... good for you fella!

Thanks man! The 2x12 can sound dark, there is no doubt about it. But with the Stiletto, which I am discovering is a very, very piercing, cutting bright amp (go figure with a name like stiletto), it seems to ballance itself out quite nicely. I get more punch, dynamics and volume than I did with the 2 cabs and the express, with this setup.

I've had it for 2 days, and I can see why ratherdashing is in love with this amp. It doesn't even feel like a honeymoon gear phase, which I had with the express. It's just like I went from good, to exactly what I wanted, and more.

Btw, the tight gain and crunch modes sound great with my SG for classic rock tones. For you ACDC fans out there, it's ''the sound''. You know the one that screams hard rock being played to 70 000 people in a stadium. That tone. Fluid drive sounds awesome with my PRS, and so does the clean channel. The note definition and fluidity, specially when using the tube rectifier, is jaw dropping.

I'm officially going to say that this amp, does the marshall sound, better than marshall. :cool2:

 

[d1dsj]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Sounds like a win - win situation for you mate, which is excellent in anyone book.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

A Mesa over an H&K? First I've heard of it!

I'm curious, which did you play? I've been jonesin' for a Lonestar for the longest time!

I've owned an H&K Triamp and Duotone before and I seem to remember liking the Stiletto Ace more (the H&K are more versatile and have all around better cleans, but the overdrive on the Stiletto Ace was more to what I'd consider the ideal hot rodded Marshall tone). EL-34s have such a nice, full frequency overdrive tone to them. EL-84s can clip a bit easier (less headroom usually) and have more highs to them, but for overdrive I think they can be a bit harsh sometimes (I think they work the best in those "dirty clean" applications in which they're pretty infectious). I own 2 amps for that very reason. When I first tried the Stiletto Ace I thought it was a bright amp, but with the presence dialed down I found it rounded up really nicely. It has more gain on tap than anyone could realistically need (in true Mesa fashion). Congrats - they're great amps! :beerchug:

 

[phil_104]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

I've owned an H&K Triamp and Duotone before and I seem to remember liking the Stiletto Ace more.

That's because it's the greatest sounding amp ever.

Seriously, I'm having a lot of fun with it.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Congrats, man. Stilettos are awesome amps - easily in my top 3 favourite amps. I completely sympathise with what you said about versatility losing its value as you hone in on your sound. I recently decided to move from an Axe FX to a Suhr Badger for that very reason.

Isnt the amp FX supposed to do a bazillion things??



Phil,

Congrats on the new amp! So, does it have more gain than marshalls??

 

[phil_104]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Congrats on the new amp! So, does it have more gain than marshalls??

Yeah man. I can't generalize about all the Marshalls out there, but it does have more gain on tap than most I have played.

It's also much, much more versatile. The 3 modes per channel really help you shape your tone. Combine that with a presence, a master output level on top of your channel levels, and there is nothing this amp can't do (in the realm of rock that is).

Was jamming earlier today, with a friend of my dad's who has been playing guitar for over 40 years. He says it's one of the finest amps he has played, and he has owned a bunch of marshall from the 60s. He says this is what those marshalls should have been.

Yeah, it's that pimp.

Once I get a few more days with it, maybe a few weeks, I'll write up a review, and overview of the features, and the few shortcomings of the amp.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

happy for ya
congrats
enjoy

i wonder how these sound compared to the electradyne -similarities/differences, etc
t4d

I can answer this having played both (own the Stiletto, played the Electra Dyne at Mesa Hollywood).

They both have that Mesa feel to them, but that's about all they have in common IMO. The Dyne has a sweet, bubbly clean and thick, chewy high gain. The Stiletto's clean is chimey and its gain grinds and bites. Both amps sound fantastic, and they're good at different things.

I'm not really sure why they market the Dyne as "British style" because to my ear the Stiletto is that amp. I liken the Dyne to more of a hot-rodded blackface.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

How does the ace compare with the Mark 5. Yes, I know the Mark has a lot going on in it which is more than the Ace, but is there something in the Mark that relates to the Ace? and how do they compare?

 

[phil_104]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

How does the ace compare with the Mark 5. Yes, I know the Mark has a lot going on in it which is more than the Ace, but is there something in the Mark that relates to the Ace? and how do they compare?

I have never played a Mark V, so I really can't answer your question. Hopefully someone who has comes along. Mark series amps are that kind of beast though that you can't just get an impression for playing it 15 minutes in a store, so hopefully someone on here owns one.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

As I understand it the Mesa MK series amps are a different blood line from the Marshall/ Tweed preamp and tone stack circuitry. The Boogie MK series amps are an evolution from the BF Fender amps preamp and tone stack setups.

 

[lex666]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Congrats on the Ace! I'm totally jealous.

I'm still waiting for my Mark 5 to ship. Its been on back order for over a month now... Hopefully when it arrives I will love it just as much as you love your Stilletto...

 

[phil_104]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Congrats on the Ace! I'm totally jealous.

I'm still waiting for my Mark 5 to ship. Its been on back order for over a month now... Hopefully when it arrives I will love it just as much as you love your Stilletto...

I'm sure you will! I played one for about a half hour at the shop when they first got in, and it was awesome. As I stated tough, 30 mins is not enough to evaluate such an amp.

I'm really starting to settle into the Ace. Got her tweaked, in large part due to RD's help with settings, and a good dose of setting in front of it an experimenting.

I'm discovering the virtues of having a master volume on top of each channel, and then a amp level output. It allows me to really play with the power tubes when dialing in my sound.

Anyways, hopefully that Mark V will make it's way to you soon, and you can also write a review p), so we can compare. I'm sure you'll love it.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Here's my Ace tip of the week:

At high gain, the rectifier setting can make a BIG difference.

I was using tube rectifier for the gain channel (in Fluid Drive mode) because I like the natural compression and damping of the tube. That served me well for a long time because I was playing Tragically Hip covers mostly. Rob Baker is a great guitarist, but he's not known for his tight riffing and high velocity solos.

In the original project, I had written a riff-based song that has a fast and heavy riff. I was not happy with how loose and sloppy it sounded, so on a hunch I flipped the rectifier switch to diode. Suddenly my riff was tight and focused, and it really cut through.

Moral of the story: tube rectifier is great, but if you play anything fast and heavy you're going to want to use diode.

I would guess this pertains to all Mesa amps with a switchable rectifier, but I definitely know it works on the Stiletto Ace.

 

[phil_104]

Re: NAD : The Mesa Express is gone!... enter the...(PICS!)

Moral of the story: tube rectifier is great, but if you play anything fast and heavy you're going to want to use diode.

I would guess this pertains to all Mesa amps with a switchable rectifier, but I definitely know it works on the Stiletto Ace.

I've been using the diode, since I do play some really heavy stuff. Good tip.