Ultimate Chug Test: Mark V, JJ100, Stiletto Deuce & Roadster Comparison
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Today we compare 4 heavy hitting guitar amps.
The Mesa Boogie Mark V, Friedman JJ100, Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce and the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Roadster.
Signal Chain:
Gibson Les Paul Custom - into the given amp expressed.
Two Notes Torpedo Live
SSL Alpha Pre
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The Stiletto cuts. Definitely my favorite in the mix. The overall tone of the Mark V is best IMO, but I'd prefer to match the cut of the Stiletto with a bassier amp.
Thanks Dom! Yea the stiletto can be a gem specially when the low mids of the bass is crossing over to give it that heft. Bledning amps is a whole other rabbit hole- hahaha - thanks again for watching man!
Wait until you paly the Roadster and Stiletto in stereo
@@KHGuitarFreak1988 have done that, Stiletto was the 50 w version.
Stiletto is a sleeper! One day they will be highly sought after. They really are not like anything else. Try with a greenback IR! Drool town!!
Great call! Once I acquired my Splawn Cab - that was an immediate marriage with my Stiletto - I will certainly give your suggestion a consideration on my next round of re-amps. Thanks!
I own a Stiletto Deuce and I liked it at first. I now love it. I have tried a dozen others but after really getting it dialed it just kicks the others out of the door. A couple of folks even shared it comes across as a JCM800 on steroids!
@@rjeff753 im playing a stiletto through a late 70's marshall cab with greenbacks. Just awesome!
Damn. The Stiletto eviscerated the other two amps. More vids plz 🤘
Thanks! The Stiletto is certainly a sleeper for sure. Currently working on some bigger collaborations. Hedging on the quality vs quantity - thanks for watching once again!
Shocked to say this, but I'm digging the Duece in these clips. Hmm
Just stay tuned, before you know it you won't know what you like and will just have to buy a Kemper hahaha
In my Hetfield voice “Nevvahh”
Mesa Stiletto for me.
Mesa Mark V sounds best here. JJ was a disappointment for me.
Right on - appreciate you watching and the comment!
I'm really digging the Mk V and the Stilletto!
Thanks Andrew! - Yea both are kick ass choices- depending on what you are going for.
Deuce takes the cake this time!
Thats a couple votes for the Stiletto - also right around the time I was thinking about selling it - I think she will stay!
I love mesa dual rec amps, but that freidman is in another level...wow
Same here- I love them both!! Thanks for watching!
Yeah, the JJ is so gnarly. I have a DS40 and SmallBox 50 but my next Friedman will be the JJ-100 hands down.
The Stiletto is really more impressive than the others in this test. I'm glad to see that people are starting to appreciate this underrated amp! I have one and I prefer it to my Roadking. But the one you use here is boosted? Or is it a V2?
Apologies, somehow missed this comment. Thanks for watching- yea the Stiletto's are IMO over looked beasts. Thats impressive if you prefer the Stiletto to your Roadking - that speaks volumes! For this video I am pretty sure there was no boost used - and mine is a Stage II version.
@@Jon_Tate Okay! Mine is a V1, I boost it with a very slight overdrive. Finally, this allows me to have 3 channels! When I say that I prefer the Stiletto to the Roadking, in fact I mean that it is so much more precise and dynamic and I use it more often now for live shows ...
Dude you did the one thing that no one has accomplished yet... Letting the JJ100 sound bad. Where did all the high go? Complete lack of presence and treble.
Luuk Mestrom Right on man- on these comparisons - they are raw as it can get. There are other videos I’ve done show casing the JJ - that certainly holds a better representation of that amp. I will certainly admit - that my process and procedures could be refined to give the same tones week in and week out. Truly appreciate your comment and critique, as that is how I grow and learn to do better moving forward 🤘🏼
I loved the roadster the most. Boosting it with an OD tightens up the bottom end for some brutal chugging.
Right on! Hard to go wrong either way - thanks for watching!
Stiletto - especially if you play in a band
Dude, please tell me exactly how you set that Roadster EQ and which channel it was. To me this one has the most cutting mids but still manages to sound dense and sharp where the Stilleto had great mid response but felt a little on the hollow side for my taste.
I can absolutely do that! Spot on observation on the Stiletto - the low mids lack on that amp - but tweaking the bass guitar to fill in that missing gap in a mix could do a lot for that amp. So these positions are relative to clock position.
Channel 3 "Modern" - Recto Tracking switched ON
Main Output: 11 o' clock
Channel Master: 11 o' clock
Presence: 10 o' clock
Bass: 9 o' clock
Mid: 2 o' clock
Treble: Between 2 and 3 o' clock
Gain: 10 o' clock
The gain on the Roadster is where I feel most folks kinda go astray- if you crank the gain there is almost like a inherent low end cloud that kinda comes over everything - and keeping the gain at a modest setting, cuts through and is more pronounced vs maxing out the gain.
The only other variable I can think of is that I do have a Mesa SPAX7 in the V1 position - everything else is stock mesa tubes throughout. Thanks for the comment and watching- and let me know if these settings help you!
@@Jon_Tate Cheers for the detailed response and the tips...👍
Man, the Mark V just destroys! Great demo.
Thanks Rich!
What I really dug was the riffing
Thank you!! Only if people knew how many riffs had to die before one is given the light of day - haha
@@Jon_Tate You riff-killing maniac lol keep it up, man
@@ibnsina9486 hahahaha!
The Stiletto sounded the best in the mix followed by the JJ100, then the Mark V and then the Roadster. Isolated, I liked the Mark V thenthe JJ100 then the Stiletto and the Roadster was my least favorite. I am biased as I have been playing through Stiletto Deuce heads since 2007 but I also use a 1990 Mark IV too.
Very keen observation - yea maybe it wasn't quite fair to have the Roadster show cased un-boosted- I have made the argument about that before... Oh well! The JJ is kinda like a Stiletto that has taken pre-work out and gorges on a strict red meat diet- very similar but there is a bit more low mids in the JJ. Stiletto's are fine amps, and Ive said it time and time again - that they are Mesa's most over looked, and mis-understood amps to date. Thanks for watching and the comment Wade!
The Mark V was probably my fave. The stilleto sounded much brighter.
Thanks Rooster-- the Stiletto is a pretty bright amp, and is just the ticket for some applications.
@@Jon_Tate alright. So my TC sold. I'm looking at a D-Moll and a new Uber. I've always eyes the jj100 though. Think it's in the same class for modern metal? Some videos make it seem like it's not as brutal.
@@Rooster7six Awesome! Well man - that is a very pricey recommendation for any person to make. I know folks who have an Uber absolutely love it - I feel the JJ could cover more ground sonically - and not just be a one trick pony. I get uncomfortable on recommendations over a thousand bucks haha. Nerd out on some more videos! The only down side to the JJ or it client base - is that most are old school rockers and that's probably what you are hearing a lot of. I have a bad ass metal-ized version of a cover coming out in NOV that will lay to rest any and all questions as to whether the JJ can handle searing metal tones- that's all I can say!
As a Mark V 25 owner, I actually thought the Stiletto sounded better. Did not expect that. They had one at my Sam Ash but never gave it a try cause I thought nothing of it. Now I wish I did. Great video!
The Stiletto is an often over looked gem of an amp. You do have to EQ slightly differently than typical amps- which is why I assume some folks hate it. Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!!
My fav is the Stiletto. I like raw, not so highgain amps, they're mostly a better platform for a TS-boosted sound.
Understood- can't really go wrong with the Stiletto - its just amazing how overlooked and under rated this amp was.
Man. JJ seemed to lack the mids and clarity of the others. I preferred the Mesas here, but I still love my JJ100.
It could have very well been the way I had the JJ dialed in that day- you have a JJ so you know you can get some nice mid-range from it. Not going to lie once I got this JJ100 - it seriously stopped my search for tone - I love that freaking amp no question about it!
Roadking 2 user here. Im trying out those settings tonight for sure and will update on my thought. I believe the roadster sounded awesome but maybe just a tad bit too dark. Ill see if i can improve on clarity with a ts9. I was surprise that the mark 5 and friedman souded similar. Trough my headpho e at least. In the end they all sounded killer. Very good job my friend.
Thanks man - its not a perfect A/B/C/D - but we try.... I feel that a TS or Maxon OD up front on a Roadster is just a must... Then again sometimes you are looking for that darker sound, and treble and presence controls and make up some ground there. Considering that the Roadster and Roadking have similar lineages, Id be curious as to how both those amps compare to one another (aside from the progressive linkage, and power tube configurations). Thanks for watching!! And let me know how those settings work for you.
I like all of them. The JJ was a little weak on the bottom when hearing it isolated, but that was probably just settings. As guitar players we tend to have too much bottom dialed in when playing alone though. Then you record and have to roll off all that extra low end so the bass guitar sits clean in the mix. I’d say in a dense mix with double tracked or quad tracked guitars you would have a hard time telling much difference between them all. No hate. I love all these amps. Just my two cents worth of thoughts.
Not hate assumed my friend. Great observation! Early on, I did that a lot, cranked the low end because it felt good in the jam room. Now just out of habit and instinct, I automatically roll off the low end at the amp. I suppose I could or should have done a "jam setting" which highlights the JJ's bottom, end. Even though I know these things, when I fire this bad boy up- I secretly crank the low end up just a bit more to get it thumping. I assure you - there is no lack of low end on the JJ, and much like you said was more than likely due to the habitual settings. Thanks for watching and the comment!
Is this a stage II stiletto?
If my memory recalls correctly - I want to say yes that it was a stage II.
Alright, just picked up a JJ100 with a resonance knob and the Footswitchable JBE mod with separate gain and volume for the JBE and man is it killer. That being said, you def gotta get it cooking a little to get the tone IMO. Volume at 9 o’clock and it just roars. I was disappointed at it for semi bedroom volumes as it just doesn’t sound all that great, but once it gets to around 9 o’clock it’s amazing. Just way too loud for bedroom levels. But I just solved that by going into my gArage with the 4x12 haha
Wow! Heck I wish I knew about the foot switchable JBE mod! That my only real minor complaint is having to reach back behind the amp to turn it on or off.
Glad you are digging it - I no kidding sold off my Mark V and Stiletto after getting the JJ- it is truly a beast- as you well know- hahaha.
Yea the volume thing does play a hand in things- as thats what really gets the tubes cooking and moreover- really gets those speakers moving, you know.... Glad you have a garage to retreat to to get the most out of the JJ- Im really glad that it was a unicorn amp that actually delivered vs being hyped- and as you know - its bad ass!
Tanks for watching and the comment! Keeping riffing!
Spearhead Studios yeah you can send it to Dave and get it added as well as the resonance or “thump” knob. I got lucky and bought mine from a guy who customer ordered his from Friedman I believe.
This video has me a bit perplexed...I have legitimately never liked Mesa amps and I’ve tried. Owned 3 and sold them all. I have a PRS Archon that I feel like sounds how I wish a Mesa would. What is perplexing me here is that I expected to love the JJ100, but I actually thought you made the Mesa’s sound much better here. In fact, I’m just plain underwhelmed by how less mid focused and empty it sounded in comparison. I was very close to pulling the trigger on a JJ but now I’m a bit hesitant
Right on- thank you for watching and your comments. I will admit that I am probably not the best gear UA-cam out there- the way I run my A/B tests are straight forward with no EQ sauce or wizardry on the back (like many other folks do) Ive heard great things about the Archon for sure. And guitar tone is right up there with politics and religion in regards to subjectivity.
You can check out some of my other videos or "Jam of the Weeks" for additional comparison or to see and hear what a more ideal tone (at least for me is). Again these tests specially when Im running comparisons I try my best of be unbiased and not favor one amp over another.
With that said and again Im not a hallmark guitar tone guy- but since the arrival of my JJ100 and the newer Multi-watt- I have sold off everything else - those 2 amps cover so much ground for what I do- that it made no since keeping the roadster, the mark V or the Stiletto around.
If you are on the fence places like Sweetwater have a great return policy within 30 days (No Im not endorsed by them- have you seen my subscriber count- hahaha). Again thanks for watching and your comment!
Spearhead Studios thx for the reply man. I’m in no way knocking your work as you made the amps sound very good haha I just thought the JJ didn’t sound as good as I’ve heard in other demos, but you made the mesa’s sound better than most demos. I’m sure it was just an EQ thing or something. I’ll def still be considering one.
The JJ is significantly fatter/thicker in the lows than the Stiletto which isn't a surprise since Cantrell played Recto's and no doubt wanted those tonal characteristics in this his signature head. I never thought about given the JJ a try because up until this point no amp held a candle to the brutality of MESA recto. Friedman needs to produce a 150w death metal head based on the JJ. Can call it 'The Corpse'.
Spot on observation! When I did these videos the only recto I had was the Roadster- I have since acquired a multi-watt DR and dear gawd!! I certainly think the JJ has a different mid range characteristic than the multi-watt DR - but both are extremely tight and focused in the low end. The multi-watt blew the doors off the Roadster honestly. Hahaha I like that marketing idea of "The Corpse" - lol!
@@Jon_Tate Now that interesting about the DR-mW vs the Roadster. I did read a bunch of reviews holding the mW in high praise; it might be my next amp. Although I do like that one can modified a p-t-p amp easier than a PCB. Excellent reviews mate. Cheers.
⚔️ 2:30
The Mark series sounds great. I’ve always wanted one, but the volume was always an issue for me. I’m considering slaving a Mark IV into my Triple rec.
Once again- apologies for the late response (Im not getting push notifications on comments left) Nonetheless..... Yea. that might work for you- I get plenty of volume from my Mark - I wonder if there is a underlying issue?
Nice upload, thanks for sharing.
Thanks!!
I have the Roadster but I really loved the fatter fuller Mark V
Nice! Yea - its really hard to kick either of these amps outta bed- haha but great observation!
What were the settings you had on the stiletto I just recently picked one up and have been playing with all the settings the sound variety is amazing I so far really love the amp
Oh man - I couldn't even begin to remember the settings for that - I dont think it was anything too crazy or beyond the norm. The versatility as you are probably seeing is pretty incredible - just watch out for that presence - that sucker can cut your head off- haha. Thanks for watching - but I apologize for not being able to recall those specific settings.
Right on appreciate the reply bud and yeah I’m so far loving the amp the versatility truely is amazing and yeah noticed that the presence got pretty hardcore haha thanks again for the reply bud great video definitely helped me make my choice between that and the Friedman just slapped my Friedman B.E. OD pedal into the Mesa kills it
Mark V is the winner here for me JT.
Right on! Solid pick - thanks for watching man!
I thought your Roadster sounded killer! I have a 2x12 version of it and I feel like such a noob trying to get a great heavy recto sound out of it. I have always heard rectos take time to learn to dial in though. Are you running 6L6 or EL34 power tubes in yours? Also, what channel and settings are you using? Sounds great even without a boost. Great work!
Hey Alex! I am running 6L6 in mine- tube rectification setting on the back side. All my tubes are just standard Mesa branded tubes, but I do have a SPAX7 pre amp tube in my V1 position.... For this one I was using channel 3 Modern.
Thanks you for your complements! Many folks tend to dial too far back on the mids' thus making the amp sound like it doesn'tt have any balls. Guitars are a mid range instrument - be a bit more liberal with your mids, and don't get crazy with your bass settings.
Ive heard great things about the Roadster combos! Hold on to that sucker! Thanks again man- if you have any other questions hit me anytime!
Spearhead Studios thanks for the quick reply. I’ve ordered a SPAX7 preamp tube for V1. I’m gonna see what that does to the amp. And thank you for the tips. I’ll try them out. I’m enjoying your channel! Keep it up!
@@alexblankenship2486 Thanks Alex!
please make video Roadster - Brit compared with Stiletto - Tite Gain
I don't know how I missed your comment! I will certainly try to do that - thank you - and I apologize for the late response!
@@Jon_Tate all good :) thanks man
Man they sound so close. Even in the room a lot of the sound is nuance for a lot of high gain heads. Guitar players can tell but in a mix at a show no one gives a damn. Lol my wife tells me they all sound the same at the house 😂😂
I just hit the nail on the head- hahaha - to the common listener all amps sound like box of white noise haha. Only fellow gear nerds and audipphiles will thumb their noses over such details - whats more - those are the people who absolutely WILL NOT buy your music hahaha - certainly makes you wonder sometimes - lol
@@Jon_Tate lol Yeah and amp addiction is a problem. I just listed my TC 100. Want to try an Uber
@@Rooster7six That is the truth!!! Id love hear how you like the Uber when you get one- specially coming from the TC.
Is it me or did the JJ and the Stiletto sound very similar?
Thats a solid assessment. Both the JJ and Stiletto are EL34 based. They kinda share a similar mid range and top end with one another. Where they differ is in the low end - while the Stiletto is considered Tight - the JJ is ungodly massive while remaining tight as well. It wouldn't be too far of an assumption to call the Stiletto Deuce a poor mans JJ.
Not that there is anything poor about a Stiletto - just saying in comparison to price points between the two.
This confirms for me again why I moved from a Roadster to a Mark V. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Roadster, but I’m just a Mark guy. Solid comparison!!!
Thank you! Yea the Mark is quite a bit tighter and shapable (is that even a word- hahaha). Thanks again! Keep riffing!
Nice riff
Thanks!!
Friedman...
Good choice!
Hey man, is your Stiletto the original or a stage 2? Thanks 👍
Hey Derek - this one was a Stage II- thanks for watching!
@@Jon_Tate thanks :))
The mighty Mark V sounds the best !cuz i own one and could've got anyone at the time .but you had it dialed in right and i noticed it right away it sounded different than the rest before i knew which amp it was.🤘👍
Nice - yes once you hear a Mark V - you can almost always pick it out- it has its own sound and is a killer amp.
wish they would have been boosted because most of us use a boost pedal of some sort.
Right on - I decided not too boost to show which amp or amps "need" a boost and which ones might not- all of them take boosts very well though. Thanks for watching and the comment Mike!
@@Jon_Tate they all need a boost to bring out their angry side.i bet the the opinions would have been completely different if they were boosted.