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Hatsubai « Ridiculous cleans »
Published on 04/03/11 at 14:45The Mesa/Boogie Lonestar is an amplifier tailored more towards the classic and vintage side. Mesa describes it as being a "Texas" amp, and I can hear that, but I think it's a bit more versatile than what they're hinting at. It's a 6L6 or EL34 based two channel amplifier that features various mini toggle switches for voicing changes, wattage selection, an effects loop, a solo boost and a bunch more other features.
UTILIZATION
Mesa/Boogie did a great job at packing everything in this amp without being overly complicated. It has lots of voicing switches, but there aren't so many that it makes you want to spin your head like certain other amps. The best part is that all the voicing switches are very useful and can really deliver some amazingly versatile tones out of this thing. The Mesa/Boogie manuals are some of the best on the market, and they'll give you example settings, show you where the sweet spots are, how certain knobs work and how to take care of your amplifier. The best thing is that Mesa amps are highly reliable, so there should be no issues taking this on the road.
SOUNDS
Mesa describes this as a "Texas" amp, giving homage to Stevie Ray Vaughan. It does do that tone, and it does it great. However, it's a lot more versatile than that. Aside from trying to capture that almost Dumble-esque lure, it can deliver some of the best clean tones on the market that'll rival any Fender. The gain tone just blooms and has this great wooly quality, and it sounds absolutely massive once cranked in 100 watt mode. You can also slap in some EL34 tubes to give you a totally different flavor of sound.
OVERALL OPINION
Those looking for a more modern vintage sounding amplifier should really look no further than this. Compared to the Lonestar Special, this one sounds a bit bigger and has a slightly different character, but they're both great. I have a hard time choosing between the two. I find the Lonestar Classic to be a little more versatile, especially when it comes to gain tones, but both should be able to deliver whatever you want. Andy Timmons did a great job on this, and while his gain tone is a bit too dark, it can help you better understand what this amp is all about. You can find it on Mesa's website.
UTILIZATION
Mesa/Boogie did a great job at packing everything in this amp without being overly complicated. It has lots of voicing switches, but there aren't so many that it makes you want to spin your head like certain other amps. The best part is that all the voicing switches are very useful and can really deliver some amazingly versatile tones out of this thing. The Mesa/Boogie manuals are some of the best on the market, and they'll give you example settings, show you where the sweet spots are, how certain knobs work and how to take care of your amplifier. The best thing is that Mesa amps are highly reliable, so there should be no issues taking this on the road.
SOUNDS
Mesa describes this as a "Texas" amp, giving homage to Stevie Ray Vaughan. It does do that tone, and it does it great. However, it's a lot more versatile than that. Aside from trying to capture that almost Dumble-esque lure, it can deliver some of the best clean tones on the market that'll rival any Fender. The gain tone just blooms and has this great wooly quality, and it sounds absolutely massive once cranked in 100 watt mode. You can also slap in some EL34 tubes to give you a totally different flavor of sound.
OVERALL OPINION
Those looking for a more modern vintage sounding amplifier should really look no further than this. Compared to the Lonestar Special, this one sounds a bit bigger and has a slightly different character, but they're both great. I have a hard time choosing between the two. I find the Lonestar Classic to be a little more versatile, especially when it comes to gain tones, but both should be able to deliver whatever you want. Andy Timmons did a great job on this, and while his gain tone is a bit too dark, it can help you better understand what this amp is all about. You can find it on Mesa's website.