You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

[HamerPlyr]

I had the opportunity to play through a Mesa Lone Star today and you guys were totally right. They didn't have a Lone Star Special, so I gave the regular Lone Star a go.

Instead of a BS, buzz word-laden review, let me sum it up. It seems like Mesa came up with a marketing strategy and then tried to build an amp to fit it instead of making a great amp first and then figuring out how to sell it.

This thing seemed to be trying to look and sound vintage, but it still has that Recto series low end 'thunk' that you can't dial out. The two things don't mix well, IMO. Clean channel was good, but I have something better in a Rectoverb.

You'll have to go a long way to find a bigger Mesa Boogie apologist than me, but this amp doesn't live up to Boogie standards. I wouldn't say that it flat out sucks, but it certainly isn't worth what they're charging for them. IMO, of course.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

Oh, I almost forgot. I got to play a John Mayer signature strat and you guys were right about that, too. Schweet! It's everything that a great strat should be with the exception of a big ol' fat "V" neck, but the neck on this thing was still nice.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

Yeah, the 6l6 Lonestar I tried was pretty average.

How big was the mayer neck?

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

Yeah, the 6l6 Lonestar I tried was pretty average.

How big was the mayer neck?

From the Fender marketing dept.: "the satin urethane-finish maple neck has a slightly larger C-shape topped by a buffed headstock with a vintage ’50s decal. The African rosewood fingerboard has a 9.5” radius and Dunlop® 6105 frets."

To my hands, it was an average sized neck. Not big, not small. I like a big ol' chunky "V" and it certainly wasn't that. I would characterize it as being an average sized, almost unnoticeable neck. Not thick, not thin. Nondescript.

 

[spuds]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

I just checked it out on the fender website...
Looks promising!! How much was it going for?

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

I just checked it out on the fender website...
Looks promising!! How much was it going for?

I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't even notice. I wasn't looking for a guitar, so I didn't pay attention to it.

 

[Stevo]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

Wow that's too bad. Boogie has made some great amps. I recently played an F-30 and it sounded pretty bland. I played a 1x12 nomad at a big outdoor jam last month and that amp sounded very cool. It's one of the bigger sounding 1x12s I've ever played.

 

[Curly]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

I liked the Lonestar Special I tried, and Joneser said he thought it was a lot better than the regular model.

 

[spuds]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

Yeah, I quite like the nomad too... But it was the price that got me.

 

[Grandor]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

I'm the opposite.
I think the F is way better than the nomad. I could not pull a searing enough tone from the Nomad straight up. The F however...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

The Lonestar is a big dud. The Lonestar Special is much better, although I'd only buy one used.....the new price is too much.

The John Mayer strat, on the other hand.....man, why hasn't Fender just made that exact guitar a regular a 'vintage American Std????' If I asked Fender to make a guitar, it'd be that one. I like chunky C necks, and that one isn't overly chunky, it's just a bit more than a regular one, which feels great. John Mayer's taste is pretty much spot on. I love that strat, but my favorite Am. Std looks just like it, so there's no need for me to go after it.
If anyone is looking for a great strat, and can come up with $1350, that's the one to get!

 

[Jonny R]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

The Lonestar is a big dud. The Lonestar Special is much better, although I'd only buy one used.....the new price is too much.

The John Mayer strat, on the other hand.....man, why hasn't Fender just made that exact guitar a regular a 'vintage American Std????' If I asked Fender to make a guitar, it'd be that one. I like chunky C necks, and that one isn't overly chunky, it's just a bit more than a regular one, which feels great. John Mayer's taste is pretty much spot on. I love that strat, but my favorite Am. Std looks just like it, so there's no need for me to go after it.
If anyone is looking for a great strat, and can come up with $1350, that's the one to get!

One might almost think that if he wasn't out there singing songs to college girls he'd be hanging out on a gear forum describing what makes a good strat too.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: You Guys Were Right About the Lone Star

John Mayer does have good taste in gear. He's one of those guys you kinda wanna dislike, but he can play, and he does have great tone. His signature strat is the best signature strat, IMO. He's always using cool amps too.