Re: Which is your favorite Fender 1x12 tube combo amp?
I'm not a big fan of high gain...
Which leaves:
Express: basic two channel, power switchable: 5/15/25 watt and 5/25/50, A/AB modes - price leader? $1300
Lone Star: Class A, "botique amp" $1900 for the combo. Switchable power per channel: 30-15-5 EL 84s, 10-50-100 6L6 (Class AB for high outputs)
Mark Series: Original "Carlos" amps, incredible fancy wood enclosures. 3 channel, many modes.. lots of models $2000 and
I read a review of the Express 5 50 combo just now and it said: "It's also got that modern Boogie characteristic of a slightly soft attack when compared to the fast response of many vintage-style hand-wired circuits, with a smoothness that almost feels like some light studio compression has been applied somewhere in the signal chain." That sort of odd sounding. Anyone else experience this?
Random thoughts...
You don't need the exotic wood cabinet on a Mesa amp to have a great amp. They are beautiful, but you do pay for it. They also do custom vinyl.
The Triple Crown amps have a more "British" feel with their EL34s, but along with high-gain, they do clean and mid-gain very well. Channel Two is amazing on this amp! The Santana-esque soaring lead tone is there, and beyond. I'm a blues-classic rock-pop-country kind of guy...the TC-50 can handle anything.
Mesa has done several 212 combos in the past: the Nomads, Heartbreaker, Trem-O-Verb, F-100, Royal Atlantic, TA-30, Maverick...to name a few. But THE 212 rig to have is one of their 112s, like a Nomad 45, DC-3, Mark III, or Mark IV, et.al. on top of their 112 Theile cab. I prefer the EVM speaker. Two pieces, so it's more portable and a smaller stage footprint, and it elevates the knobs to a much more comfortable level. Mesa has really explored this for many years. I have the DC-3, Mark III, Mark IV and Mark V:35 combos, and use a 112 EVM Thiele when I gig with my band. For a local jam, I can take just the combo. They also make a 112 Wide-Body Closed Back cab that is Thiele-ported. My big Mark V combo has the Celestion C90, and the WBCB cab has a V30. I LOVE THIS RIG! It sounds huge, even on the 10-watt setting.
You should also include the Mark V:35 on your list of possibles. I love my big bottle amps, but there are not many gigs you could not do with this amp...especially with the Thiele. And the Cab-Clone lets you practice silently with headphones, or feed the board directly in a live situation.
Regarding the "simplicity' of single channel amps...
Is having a one trick pony amp and four distortion pedals simpler than a two-or three channel amp? Really now. And yes, those Deluxe Reverb amps sound great cranked. Until you want to use a delay...doesn't sound very good now...unnatural. Most of those amps don't have efx loops...unlike the Mesas, which have very good loops.
Funny you should mention that soft compression. In the late '70s, early '80s, I got a chance to demo two Dumble amps. Both the original Mesas and Dumble amps were based on BF Fender amps. That bit of compression and sustain is what I remember most about those Dumbles. Hard to describe it...very touch dynamic, yet liquid under my fingertips. A very seductive feel. I never felt that with any of my Fenders, but when I bought my first Mesa, a 180-watt Mark III head, there it was. Had to have the Master above 2.5, but once in the sweet spot it is glorious! That little bit of compression is not a bad thing.
Finally, if you're trying to compete against a guy with a 50 or 100-watt half-stack and your little Ampeg ain't cutting it...well, neither is a 15-22 watt open-back combo. Need a minimum of 35-50 watts.
With a Theile cab!
Bill