Have You Bought Any Amp Heads / Combos & Cabs In 2025?

Most recently found a stupid good deal on this 1959SLP reissue. Also, a buddy made me a package deal on a mk1 Kraken and MT15 I couldn't turn down
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I hadn't bought a new amp in 5-6 years. I felt the urge, so I bought a Mark VII head that arrived yesterday.

Seems to be a wonderful amp, but I'm just getting to know it. It's sitting on top of a small rack that houses an amp and cab switcher. I think I have enough cabs for it with what's here, but I rule out nothing.

I like the idea of having Mesas tricked out a little with custom trim. It's totally unnecessary, of course, but it adds a little dash of 'isn't that special'. :pickle
 

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László said:
I hadn't bought a new amp in 5-6 years. I felt the urge, so I bought a Mark VII head that arrived yesterday.

Seems to be a wonderful amp, but I'm just getting to know it. It's sitting on top of a small rack that houses and amp and cab switcher. I think I have enough cabs for it with what's here, but I rule out nothing.

I like the idea of having Mesas tricked out a little with custom trim. It's totally unnecessary, of course, but it adds a little dash of 'isn't that special'. :pickle
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How close to the Lonestar can you get with the VII clean channel?
 
laxu said:
How close to the Lonestar can you get with the VII clean channel?
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That's a good question. I haven't tried to directly compare them yet. I've been monkeying around with the VII just to learn how to work with it.

However, I'm curious about how they compare, too. So I'll try to dial them in to sound alike and report back. With the KHE I can switch directly between the amps into the same cab without a time lag, so I should be able to get a detailed comparison going.

The caveat is I'm running NOS tubes in the Lone Star, including EL34s. So it might wind up being apples/oranges.
 
Hi all,

I recently sold my JVM410 combo (amazing amp, but stupidly heavy, even with Celestion V Type Neos). Also selling my Kemper PowerRack with Kones, AA3 and Vox AD120VTX Head. I'm done with amp modelling / profiling (for the moment?).

I have gassed after the Revv Generator 120 MKiii for the past year and bought one a couple of weeks ago - brand new in the box for $2,999 Aussie. The RRP is $6,500 Aussie (which is insane!) so it was a great deal that even the store couldn't explain. I haven't cranked it up to industrial volumes yet, but the 10w mode sounds amazing. Also, the multiple channels and drive modes, wide choice of tubes, ease of bias and onboard Two Notes Captor (with 2x XLR outs) satisfies the 'tweaker' in me. BTW, the onboard noise gate works very well.

I'm planning to run it through 2 2x12's, a 4x12 or a 2x12 with Redbacks. I have it hooked up to my Boss GT1000 in 4CM for midi switching and pre & post effects (the Boss Natural Drive sounds pretty good in front of the Revv). I will not be using the Boss amp sims. I may insert a Friedman BE OD Deluxe or Fulldrive 2 (or both) into the second GT1000 loop.

I know it's old fashioned, but I am convinced that good tone weighs a lot. In my late 60's (with my back holding up), I'm happy to deal with that.

Cheers!
Paul
 

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laxu said:
How close to the Lonestar can you get with the VII clean channel?
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It was National Amp Test Day!

I can dial the two amps' cleans pretty close, keeping in mind that I'm using different output tubes (I have NOS Siemens EL 34s in the Lone Star). You'd have to go back and forth quickly to hear the differences at the right settings.

Note: Mesa recommends using the Tweed setting on the the Lone Star on with EL34s, and I follow that admonition. That has to have a significant effect. Thus a comparison may not be apples/oranges, but it's probably still two different varieties of apple.

The degree of difference between the two amps, set as close as I could get them (pretty darn close), also depended on pickups and guitars.

For consistency, I ran both amps through a Lone Star 2x12 combo's Mesa Black Shadow C90s.

I'm able to switch between the two amps in less than a second with a KHE amp and cab switcher, so comparisons are immediate. The switcher adds no noise or tone suck, so that isn't a concern. I didn't use pedals to compare the two amps.

With a PRS McCarty Singlecut Private Stock model that has 57/08 humbuckers, the Lone Star doesn't quite achieve the 'Clean' mode of the Mark's Channel One. Its midrange and lower midrange are thicker, and there's less crispness in the bass than the Mark VII.

However, if I switch to the 'Fat' mode on the Mark VII, the two amps can be dialed within a hair of each other, close enough that I actually wondered if I still need the Lone Star (but since I can't even wrangle the 87 pound Lone Star combo up the stairs and out of the studio to trade or sell it :ROFLMAO:, it's a good thing I can dial the amps in differently!).

With both a vintage-style Tom Anderson Icon Telecaster with single coils, and a PRS DGT and its brighter humbuckers, the Mark VII seems to have greater clarity with crisper bottom end detail in 'Clean' or 'Fat' modes than the Lone Star.

I should also mention that the "most me" clean sound on the Mark VII isn't on Channel 1 or 2. It's the Mark IIB mode on Channel 3.

Obviously, the Lone Star doesn't offer that option, so I saw no point in trying to make that comparison.

Conclusion:

You can dial them in to be very close to each other using the Mark's 'Fat' mode, with both amps set clean. It's really a matter of degree. The guitar and pickup choices matter.

However, the Mark VII offers at least two additional modes that can be dialed in clean that the Lone Star can't manage, so even clean, the Mark is the more comprehensive choice.

I hope this unscientific comparison helps!
 
László said:
It was National Amp Test Day!

I can dial the two amps' cleans pretty close, keeping in mind that I'm using different output tubes (I have NOS Siemens EL 34s in the Lone Star). You'd have to go back and forth quickly to hear the differences at the right settings.

Note: Mesa recommends using the Tweed setting on the the Lone Star on with EL34s, and I follow that admonition. That has to have a significant effect. Thus a comparison may not be apples/oranges, but it's probably still two different varieties of apple.

The degree of difference between the two amps, set as close as I could get them (pretty darn close), also depended on pickups and guitars.

For consistency, I ran both amps through a Lone Star 2x12 combo's Mesa Black Shadow C90s.

I'm able to switch between the two amps in less than a second with a KHE amp and cab switcher, so comparisons are immediate. The switcher adds no noise or tone suck, so that isn't a concern. I didn't use pedals to compare the two amps.

With a PRS McCarty Singlecut Private Stock model that has 57/08 humbuckers, the Lone Star doesn't quite achieve the 'Clean' mode of the Mark's Channel One. Its midrange and lower midrange are thicker, and there's less crispness in the bass than the Mark VII.

However, if I switch to the 'Fat' mode on the Mark VII, the two amps can be dialed within a hair of each other, close enough that I actually wondered if I still need the Lone Star (but since I can't even wrangle the 87 pound Lone Star combo up the stairs and out of the studio to trade or sell it :ROFLMAO:, it's a good thing I can dial the amps in differently!).

With both a vintage-style Tom Anderson Icon Telecaster with single coils, and a PRS DGT and its brighter humbuckers, the Mark VII seems to have greater clarity with crisper bottom end detail in 'Clean' or 'Fat' modes than the Lone Star.

I should also mention that the "most me" clean sound on the Mark VII isn't on Channel 1 or 2. It's the Mark IIB mode on Channel 3.

Obviously, the Lone Star doesn't offer that option, so I saw no point in trying to make that comparison.

Conclusion:

You can dial them in to be very close to each other using the Mark's 'Fat' mode, with both amps set clean. It's really a matter of degree. The guitar and pickup choices matter.

However, the Mark VII offers at least two additional modes that can be dialed in clean that the Lone Star can't manage, so even clean, the Mark is the more comprehensive choice.

I hope this unscientific comparison helps!
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Thanks for the detailed info! I've played the real LSC a few times and used the digital version on a lot of modelers. It's one of my favorite clean sounds.

I expect I could get similar results out of the Mark V 90 clean modes. What kind of settings did you use on each amp?
 
laxu said:
Thanks for the detailed info! I've played the real LSC a few times and used the digital version on a lot of modelers. It's one of my favorite clean sounds.
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It's a super-nice clean tone. That's what I've mainly used the Lone Star for.
laxu said:
I expect I could get similar results out of the Mark V 90 clean modes.
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The Mark V 90's 'Tweed' mode is based on the Lone Star's Channel 1. I used it often when I had a Mark V (this was before I had the Lone Star). I don't have my old Mark V here to make a direct comparison, but it's gotta be pretty darn close.

laxu said:
What kind of settings did you use on each amp?
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Pictures are worth 1,000 words!
 

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la szum said:
If I had kept it I may have rolled some New Tubes into it. But apart from that it was solid and fully checked out. :beer
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Well, it survived a 3 hour gig last night with no issues. Sounded good.

I thought I had a foot switch but did not, so I did the whole gig in the dirt channel with the boost off. Volume pot to control the gain, Super Chili Picosso for a boost.

I ran it into an Avatar 1x12 with a G12T75, which is the speaker you select when you’ve had too much wine and can’t see the G12K100 selection clearly.
 
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