Mesa Stiletto Ace combo

paisleywookiee said:
TEMP BAN, GETTING POLITICAL!!
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I had fun with the Stiletto Ace at practice last week. It sounded huge for its size and had lots of punch. Great rock sound with that classic midrange crunch and cut.

I made it about 6-7 songs before getting a strong urge to go back to Dyne + 4x12, which I then did pretty quickly. That being said, we play in a very large room with a loud drummer using a Bonham-size kick drum and bass player with a 1x15+2x10 cab, so a 50W 1x12 combo even keeping up at all is very impressive. But the 90W Dyne and 4x12 is a much better fit for that space and a hell of a lot more fun.

For now I'm going to use the Ace at home and possibly get it out for the odd smaller gig. Super cool and versatile amp with a crazy amount of power and sound for its size.
 
TubeStack said:
I had fun with the Stiletto Ace at practice last week. It sounded huge for its size and had lots of punch. Great rock sound with that classic midrange crunch and cut.

I made it about 6-7 songs before getting a strong urge to go back to Dyne + 4x12, which I then did pretty quickly. That being said, we play in a very large room with a loud drummer using a Bonham-size kick drum and bass player with a 1x15+2x10 cab, so a 50W 1x12 combo even keeping up at all is very impressive. But the 90W Dyne and 4x12 is a much better fit for that space and a hell of a lot more fun.

For now I'm going to use the Ace at home and possibly get it out for the odd smaller gig. Super cool and versatile amp with a crazy amount of power and sound for its size.
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Have you tried pumping the Ace into your 4x12? That extra oomph you are looking for there might honestly just come from the larger cab.
 
EOengineer said:
Have you tried pumping the Ace into your 4x12? That extra oomph you are looking for there might honestly just come from the larger cab.
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I had planned to try it, but once I got hankering for the Dyne I didn't want to bother.

Also, other than trying for curiosity, it doesn't really serve a purpose because I don't want to bring an 80 lb combo and still need to use a 4x12. Might as well just bring the 40 lb head if I'm using that cab. And also pretty sure the oomph, while partially from the cab, is largely from the 90W Simul-Class power amp.

That being said, as mentioned, in a smaller area with less volume going on from the drums and bass, the Ace combo would be awesome.
 
I’m seeing a lot of complaints about Stilettos in this thread, but every player I’ve heard record one sounds great. They were meant to run in a 2 guitar band where one player plays a Rectifier and the other plays a Stiletto so the band has a really full sound when both guitarists are playing. I’ve only seen this a few times, and this was a staple of Devin Townsend’s 2000s era rigs, but it absolutely sounds amazing in this context.

Also there’s guys like this that just make Stilettos sound so appealing:



It doesn’t hurt that the amp looks sick as can be in that wine tolex. Gorgeous.

From my own experiences you simply cannot convince me the Stiletto is a bad-sounding amplifier. Do the more modern TC and Badlander improve Mesa’s EL34 amp offerings? Absolutely, but the Stiletto was a step on that path and an excellent line of amplifiers, for a time.
 
Desertdweller said:
I’m seeing a lot of complaints about Stilettos in this thread, but every player I’ve heard record one sounds great. They were meant to run in a 2 guitar band where one player plays a Rectifier and the other plays a Stiletto so the band has a really full sound when both guitarists are playing. I’ve only seen this a few times, and this was a staple of Devin Townsend’s 2000s era rigs, but it absolutely sounds amazing in this context.

Also there’s guys like this that just make Stilettos sound so appealing:



It doesn’t hurt that the amp looks sick as can be in that wine tolex. Gorgeous.

From my own experiences you simply cannot convince me the Stiletto is a bad-sounding amplifier. Do the more modern TC and Badlander improve Mesa’s EL34 amp offerings? Absolutely, but the Stiletto was a step on that path and an excellent line of amplifiers, for a time.
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I've owned both the Badlander 100 and Stiletto (Deuce II + Ace) and used/kept/preferred the Stiletto much more. The Crunch just works better for me. However, not looking for a Stiletto vs Badlander battle, but I see how it makes sense to compare them.

(And, thinking of it now, the Stiletto has actually been my favourite Mesa EL34 amp, having owned pretty much all of them.)
 
la szum said:
Suspicious Monkey GIF by MOODMAN



But..... but the Electra Dyne is a "Mesa EL34 amp," too. :brick
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Not really in the same way though, in that the others are promoted as their take on the EL34 thing, etc, and come stock with them. The Stiletto even has “EL34” printed on the front, above the logo.

Whereas the Dyne comes with 6L6s and you can use EL34s as a variation/option.

(For the record, I actually don’t like the Dyne with 34s…)
 
EOengineer said:
IIRC at least some of the ED combos I’ve seen might have been closed back, but generally I agree. Mesas in particular I always find to be VERY anemic in an open back 1x12, and that gets compounded if it’s a narrow cab.

My Mesas need sealed cabs.


FWIW I noticed a couple days ago SEVERAL sub $1k combos in GCs inventory.


The most common mistake I see with the Stiletto is people trying to pair them with V30s or something like it with a big upper midrange spike.

The Stiletto needs to be treated like a 1959 or 2203 - works best into something that trims off some top, like a greenback. Otherwise they will absolutely take your head off.
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Creamback. I bet that combo made of dwarf star material would work great with a Creamback Neo.
 
I'd imagine that ED with that low-mid thump and fullness would be addictive in a trio setting. Hard
ask to get the SA to cover that. :idk

I bet in a 7 piece with 3 piece brass that SA would slice through like butta!
 
The Stiletto II preamp (Ace, Deuce, Trident) Crunch channel is a 100% straight clone of a Marshall JCM 800 2203 preamp. The brightness in these amps that bothers some people is typically associated with the Crunch channel and can be tamed by removing or modding the the Treble Peaker at C14.

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I modded mine with a 3 way switch for Stock voicing, Half-Treble and No Peaker. It makes a world of difference. I can play my Tele with this amp now (with the Peaker bypassed).

I use my Stiletto II Deuce with a Fender Supersonic 2x12" closed back loaded with V30s. I also have a Mather 2x12 open back loaded with Reinhardt R65M-LCs. Its sounds fantastic with both cabs.
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I have the Stiletto, an Electra Dyne 2x12 combo with MC90s, and a Royal Atlantic head. I find them all to be very different amps. I've hung onto the Stiletto because it has upper harmonics that the other two amps just don't.
 
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Magic Dragon said:
The Stiletto II preamp (Ace, Deuce, Trident) Crunch channel is a 100% straight clone of a Marshall JCM 800 2203 preamp. The brightness in these amps that bothers some people is typically associated with the Crunch channel and can be tamed by removing or modding the the Treble Peaker at C14.

View attachment 9214
I modded mine with a 3 way switch for Stock voicing, Half-Treble and No Peaker. It makes a world of difference. I can play my Tele with this amp now (with the Peaker bypassed).

I use my Stiletto II Deuce with a Fender Supersonic 2x12" closed back loaded with V30s. I also have a Mather 2x12 open back loaded with Reinhardt R65M-LCs. Its sounds fantastic with both amps
View attachment 9215View attachment 9216

I have the Stiletto, an Electra Dyne 2x12 combo with MC90s, and a Royal Atlantic head. I find them all to be very different amps. I've hung onto the Stiletto because it has upper harmonics that the other two amps just don't.
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Welcome! Great taste in amps!
 
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