Mesa Stiletto Duece - The Forgotten Mesa?
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
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I have owned and played a stiletto for 8 years, and I've never had a single problem with it. The amp takes pedals really well, and the clean channel, for me, is immense!
I will never sell it.
Beast of an amp!
I used to have the 150 watt model, called the Trident. It was a BEAST!!!!
Dammit Leon, I just finished convincing myself I don't need a Stiletto. Thanks for costing future me another 600-800 bucks...
:D
just watch hetfield using stilettos.. :P cant be convinced more than that :P
Plague Scythe Studios I second this so badly and I’m trying to keep from going home and pulling out the money. Maybe gonna buy the combo version. Ohhhhh it sounds so good. But can it pull corrosion of conformity style sounds out of it
Malcolm Reynolds how much are triple crowns tho.
Malcolm Reynolds hey as long as it’s super versatile and high gain it’s good by me😂
I was lucky to get this amp as a graduation gift in 2005, the same year it debuted. I wasn't old enough or experienced enough to know what I had. I've grown as a musician and developed my style of riffs around this amp. It's my main piece of gigging and recording gear. It's the one item I would never sell or trade.
Thanks for showing it some love with the awesome review!
Love when a piece of gear gets to grow with you as a musician
The clean tone is awesome!!!
My favorite amp of all time! Thanks for showcasing it!
Monstrous isn't it?
Best amp Mesa ever made. Great playing & demo. All usable tones. Well done.
no the best mesa ever made was the nomad 55 4x10 combo
Marmon Quimby ...do any research at all. The Mark IIC+ is by far their best achievement. They still go for $4-5k on ebay. Compare that to the price of this amp used. No demand for them.
@@firesole871 What is your point?
DUDE THANK YOU! THIS IS THE DEMO I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR seriously seriously great. This is my amp, well actually I own the Triple Rec version. There was so much hate when they were first released but these can be fantastic amps. The clean head room is great its very pedal friendly if you spend time EQing them. When I say spend time eqing them I mean spend time. This amp has some great tones and some garbage tones. It has an almost fender like blues crunchy vibe I get sometimes with spring reverb and a telecaster. It handles the Les Paul very very well. It's so dynamic I think what I like most out of it is the feel. But the sounds even in this demo are great, I mean I don't get why there was so much hate for these. It has the Plexi sounds, the JCM 900 sounds it can come close to a Bassman yet has all the fluid violin like Mesa tone as well as the AC/DC thing not to mention. Its just the quintessential rock amp. Its amazing. My favorite by far as he said is the clean crunch channel. Its that edge of break up kind of tone. Really shines
Man, you nailed it again, in finding tones and in playing! Loving your vids. To all the people out there who say "it´s shrill or brittle" and what not - I ask you "Have YOU ever heard an old Marshall Plexi or 1987?" So PLEASE keep calm. I love mine and have so many complements on my tone - they´re really countless.
I twisted all the EQ-pipes to 9ish 9:30 Mids slightly lower, Gain at 2´ o´clock - that kills a little bit of the fizzyness at lower volumes, and in variations depending on the cab I´m using (G12T75 or GBs).
Thanks for this demo - I enjoyed it ;-))
Cheers from Germany
I just purchased the Mesa Boogie Stiletto Trident. This video is what pushed the Buy button for me. Thanks so much for making this video. It high quality you cover every aspect of this head and you clearly spoke to what this a great head. Thanks so much for making this video brother!!
hope you dig it!
With that boost it was amazing! And for the record, AC//DC riffs are never lame in my book! haha.
Malcolm and Angus rule
I got a steal on this amp and 2x12 today and had no idea what i was doing trying to make it sound bitching. thanks to this video i now have my first super cool amp, and know how to use it. Thanks man!
I love mine! Thank you for making this. More people need to realize how amazing of an amp this is. I use it for metal, borderline djent
I'm hoping less people realise it so the used prices stay low ;) Fantastic amps!
Leon Todd haha
Andy Timmons has gotten some really remarkable tones out this amp over the years.
Mal Reynolds agreed
I really like Andy and his playing. I think it's ironic that one of Mesas biggest endorsers clearly is a fan of Marshall tones from his use of Stilettos to his signature JHS pedal that is essentially a JCM 800 amp in a box.
Personally, I like the Rectifier sound more than the Stiletto/JCM800.
@@mikedenkinger9570 the stiletto is based on two of Andy’s old Marshall heads I believe……
Yeah, I mean, when you are as good as Andy you can pull out a great sound out of a shoe box.
These are not great amps.
Best demo video on the net. I own this amp and love it. I always find a way to get the sounds i hear from my favorite songs. This amp does it all. So many options.
Man, I've wanted one of these for years and this just made me want it more.
It feels real good, right in between mesa squish and Marshall thrak.
Ive always been curious of the Mesa Stiletto Juice
That clean channel is almost perfect. It sounded like something was clipping.
the trident is for sure amazing too.
all knobs at noon, except gain and master, it is PERFECT, just use tubescreamer.
Also, thx for this video dude, there aren't many in-depth videos on the Stiletto out there.
Your greco is sickkkkk man...omg
Dear Lord this amplifier is INCREDIBLE!
The best stiletto review I was very unsure of this amp because a different guy didnt really get a good distortion out of it but now I know that that is possible
Great amps that can be had for a bargain
@@LeonTodd yeah im picking one up soon but its the trident the 150w version for 800 bucks which is really cheap for a mesa
The best demo for Mesa Stiletto! Good Job!!!
Wow, thanks!
@@LeonTodd You're welcome
I love playing my stiletto. Mainly because everyone hates it so goddamn much, if it don't say rectifier they just turn their nose up and act like it's not even a mesa product.
They rule
It’s not necessary to turn the amp completely off when switching from SS/Tube. I just put mine on standby and switch and then standby off after. Never had issues. In the dual/triple rec owners manual it never says not to switch when amp is in standby.
Had a Mesa Stiletto Ace. It was the best amp I've ever owned, just way too loud for me. Nice hybrid American/British tone.
Leon I like this video because I am an American and Mesa and Fender are about as American as we can make an amp. So I love the history lesson on this metal/rock amp! Keep them coming if you have any other rare gear!
Great demo! Your playing really makes that amp shine. I like the Mesa/Marshall-ish thing going on.
Thanks a lot mate, it's definitely got a unique voice
Leon this is amazing! I've never heard of the Stiletto (other than Andy Timmons rig rundowns). But the very first half stack I ever heard in person was a 100w Recto and I've been in love ever since. However, the tones that inspire me the most are Marshall tones. But with Marshall tones I always wish they had more of that Mesa Recto low end. I've been a Line 6 user for 8 years and my go-to tone is alway a Recto amp with several eq blocks to add in those Marshallesq high frequencies. I love this amp! Great video and thanks for the info!
This amp is made for you !
I used this amp as a team mate for a dual rec for quite a while. Great combo IMO. The stiletto has a great clean tone. IMO it's the best sound out of the amp. Its a great amp for sure. Considering going back to it and I also have the old DSL. By comparison tho I find the stiletto leagues ahead of the DSL in terms of reliability. This is me speaking tho, and maybe others have had different experiences. IDK. Out of all the pedals I had at that time,( including the boss OD) my favorite boost pedal for this amp was the mxr distortion plus. I had this problem of liking a boost pedal for the dual, but not the stiletto, or vice versa. That little yellow thing was good to me on both. I always thought that by piggybacking the two amps it put you into master of puppets or Justice territories. Not something I go for, but I always thought it was a cool thing to know just in case there was a said scenario. ...ok, done blathering on... Great video btw. Another thing to keep in mind is that this is an all round good amp. You shouldn't have any problems ditching it if it's not for you. You have to play it to understand that I find. It will sell fast on consignment in a shop. Mine did.
I was gonna by a Marshall 2555 until I played one of these. I'm in a Hair Metal tribute, and this amp just does everything I could want and a whole lot more! Been playing it for 6? 7? 8? years??? Anyway - It out Marshalls any Marshall I have ever played.
Cool...I learn something new everyday. Thanks Leon
Awesome sounding amp!
My main amp for 2 years! Does glassy maiden lead tones from '86 - '88 like nothing else.
I just started following you and I just totally dig your chunky riffage! It's great to see more of a metal perspective on gear. I play mostly bluesy type stuff but I started on Sabbath and Ozzy so it was good to hear you slip in a little diary!
Thanks man! Love that whole era
@@LeonTodd It feels like a bygone era except for dudes like you keeping it going! Thanks for the inspiration!
@@tommywilliamsjr.697 I appreciate it mate. If you want to hear some of this on context my band Ragdoll has a few albums out you can stream online in that vein.
You make that amp wail!!!! Awesomeness!!!!!!
The first crunch channel I thought it was a bunch of cats fighting lol 😂
prob more to do with the mic
I’m sure I heard a bit of diary of a madman in there somewhere 👊
You gotta start playing your own songs / riffs in the outros!
I dig the shirt!!
One of my faves! We've got some at ragdollrock.bandcamp.com ;)
I love my stiletto ace, never really understood the hate. I guess I like a fairly bright sound but its never struck me as overly bright. I like the fluid drive personally, keep it on that pretty much all the time. A shame you can't foot switch them, but I guess they would need separate EQ as well. Making it three channels instead of 2 would have been nice, I'd probably use the tite gain more. And I agree it doesn't really need boost, I play mine straight in. Some day I might buy some reverb pedals or something. And maybe a noise suppressor because it does like to hum...
I will say micing it is a bit of a challenge though. Sounds great in the room but if you put a mic dead center then you definitely get a screechy ice-pick sound. I've experimented with different things over the years (for reference I'm a complete amateur, but messed with this amp for about 7 years), most recently I've been pushing the mic all the way to the very edge of the speaker. Still not completely there but much closer to the room sound of the amp. I'm sure different mics might help as well. I'm using an Beta 57A and an SM7B (bought them a long time ago and they're what I have, would probably choose different mics today).
Excellent demo. I liked all of your settings. Kick ass amp.
Nice demo and good chops too! \m/
I had the use of one of those for a few months and really liked it. I think its real super power was its amazing huge 3D cleans. It simply couldn't stand up to the gain depth of the SLO though.
Every review I've heard online of the Stage 1 says it can't do metal and to get the Stage 2, but it sounds pretty damn heavy in your video. Awesome!
I got the Stiletto Trident stage one yesterday. "Metal" is not just one type of guitarsound. The Stiletto is somehow like an Marshall Silver Jubilee. It has a really great 3D gainstructure, and if you push it with a pedal it chuggs like hell. The Amp for it's own won't do the modern djent or metallica thrash, but it is a hell of an great platform to start from for building an unique metal sound.
@@tubeaddicted485 I ended up buying a Stage II and it can definitely get the metal tones you mentioned without a boost. It sounds great, but I was expecting more of a high mid focus on the heavier side, and it's definitely more Recto-y on the Fluid Gain setting. I wish the Tite Gain had more gain on tap though. That's more the sound I was going for, but I'm not big on using boosts as it tends to make all amps sound the same to me. I want to hear the actual amp shine through :P
Derek d maybe I would have bought also a stage II if there would have been one available here in Germany. But so far, I am really happy with my stage I. It is the first MESA that I own. I had many el34 amplifiers, but no other had that organic sound. What I did not like about the other amps is that there was no chance to get a good quality boosted sound without smashing my bones, they've all gone from bluesy sound direkt to a Fearfactory-type of Sound. The stiletto gets that juicy midpronounced singing 80s/90s Glamrock tone I really like. But you've got to have the right speakers to make it chug, otherwise there is no chance to do the really hard stuff.
@@tubeaddicted485 yeah, my problem with the Stiletto is you had to have it pretty loud for it to sound good. I just traded mine for another amp that I should be getting today. I think the Stilettos are awesome amps if you have a space you can turn it up loud and really let it open up.
That's right, it has to be pretty loud. But somehow, it's not louder than the 6505 head I had before, so, no problem 😋
Got a Stiletto Trident a couple of weeks ago. Neat story behind it, it was first a custom order for Matt Carter of Emery and I found it hanging out at Guitar Center. Lovin the amp so far, but you are right, the presence is kinda crazy...
Tried one of these in 2003, loved it. Needing something other than my Plexi type, for more versatility, this has that plexi clang.. Used Stilleto here I come!!!!!! That clang right at 06:44
You really have your vibrato down, sounds great.
That means a lot to hear, thankyou!
amazing playing man
What a jewel.
I love this video so much, I just bought one! Cheers!
…Leo brower simple etude arpeggio… Is This stage 2 version? Happy new year Leon.
great amp and very versatile. With precision drive sound better than Rectifiers for 7 and 8 string guitars
Effin Awesome!!! Thanks!!
Such a great amp! Thanks!
That look more like a Gibson Black Beauty? Loved that Randy Rhoads line ;)
Great review
Try out a Stiletto Duece stage 2. Totally differently beast, can actually chug like a Rectifier.
An Hollywood Mod at an Stage I sounds much better then the Stage II amps. The sound is more open. Ive got both ...
@@deadboz6007 I had a Stage 1 with the Fluid Drive Mod (aka Hollywood Mod). Good, nailed the cranked Plexi tone (gigged with it for 5-6 years), but imo the Stage 2 takes it. What it should've been from the start.
@@censorbot0454 i ve got an Stiletto Ace before the Stage I and think different ;)
Now i have an SLP Clone with #34 and #36 Mod and an '84 JCM 800 2203 with some Mods. Guitar Heaven in my opinion ... but the loudest Guitar Heaven.
@@deadboz6007 Got one of those to. Rob Reeder of C3 Amps lives just north of me in Van Alstyne. I populated the boards (no mods other than the depth mod the board came with), he assembled the amp. It's got it's quirks, but yeah...it's hella loud. ;)
Got mine a week go. I run it in a simple rig, ENGL Delay and Bogner Uberschall in front, 2x12 cabinet with Celestion RedBacks. That rig nails every tone from Dokken to SkidRow and Alice in chains. I'm pretty shure with a 4x12 it would also chug like hell...
It does chug like hell and don't be afraid to put a EQ in the loop to really hone the chug.
I owned this amp for a while. Had to sell it in order to afford the axefx. As much as I loved it, the places my band played didn't allow for opening up an amp like this. If I was playing larger venues I'd probably still have it.
I still regret selling mine! Gonna have to pick another one up someday! Great amp
I absolutely love my Deuce. JCM800 on steroids!!!
Hey man what's up is your stilleto noisy like a recto I've had a couple rectifiers and they were all over the top noisy. I don't mind a little bit on higher gain settings I just really don't wanna use a noise gate but I dig the sounds of this amp alot.
I have no noise out of my Stiletto at all. It is solid.
@@jessehoopes7042 The only noise issues i have when cranking my Deuce are from my neighbors.
I acquired a Burgundy colored one from the broker of a collector. I think it only has about 5 hours on it total. Not that I don't like it, I do. It's just so flexible, I get option anxiety overload lol. The collector played it for 10 minutes and put it in storage. I guess he did that with everything. Anyway, Thank you for a excellent presentation of this beautiful and underrated amp.
It's worth the effort dialling it in. If you have a looper hook it up so you can have two hands free to tweak the amp!
great amp!!
I have the Stage II. It is bonkers.
I've owned the Deuce since it's release. Not covered here is the sick bluesy stuff it can yield with a nice strat. This is a very misunderstood and often maligned amp. Speaker choice is very critical. Best with lower watt cones like the V30's heard here. 75 watt Celestions can make it very spikey. A quality effects unit in the loop and you can cover alot of ground.
I use the stiletto duece 2 w a TS9 tube screamer and always get compliments on the tone.
Hi Leon, if you ever do a part 2 could you try some Ratt riffs when dialled like a classic Marshall and some VH-ish stuff in spongy mode? It would be interesting to hear how effectual the spongy feature is at doing the variac thing. The manual says its a variac so presumably once engaged, if you mess with the eq and dial the volume, it should get some extra sparkle.
I'm going to try that ASAP!
@@LeonTodd Thanks Leon. I have been using a Variac at 190v (Qld) to be roughly around the US 117v down to 90v thing. Its with JTM50 clone. The sound gets softer and theres a reasonable volume drop. THEN if you crank all the dials to 10 except bass it does get very VH. You can hear the extra grit from the amp now being biased cold and the response is great. However, with the Stiletto, Mesa dont say it it just drops the voltage or if it has an auto rebias circuit like the Suhr SL68. I have been running 2 amps to get everything I want but I am guessing the Stiletto can do both jobs well ;-)
@@KnockAndAskToday where did you buy your variac?
Just on Gumtree years ago. Its old and has a brand name like microna or similar (can't check now). There are new production red powertech branded ones on ebay with voltage gauges or digital readouts. 190v makes a 50w amp sound like 30w and they really do sweeten up Marshalls. Laney GH50L sounds better without a variac though so all things are not equal when it comes to tone :-)
Great amp, great review!
So bright
Great review!
Glad you enjoyed it
@@LeonTodd got my stiletto trident today. Great amp and a nice add to the fleet. Horns up
Had three different ones from Guitar Center, each came with issues. First one had the footswitch shoved inside and broke a preamp socket, second didn't have tubes and DOA when it was sorted out, third one worked... Kind of... It was an artist used head, but it was a pre-release edition and had issues with noise and weird squealing. Soooo took it back, got my money back and ordered a rectifier from Sweetwater and the a EVH 5150 III head shortly after. Love both, but I miss the stiletto sound... Will HAVE to find a working one!
Leon if You like Stiletto You should try Royal Atlantic - its more marshall than stiletto with great clean channel and 2 drives :D
I did a very brief demo with one a while back and really enjoyed it. I agree that it's definitely got more of a Marshall character to it!
Like my Peavey VTM60 amps this is voiced very bright, possibly to get a distinct sound on a cleaner setting. Not a surprise Andy Timmons played both. I back off the treble to about 2, middle at 3 bass to about 5 presence on 2
great vid
I love Mesa Boogies. I have a MK IV. I also really love the single rec and dual rec amps, but I find this amp lacking in the lows on this amp and a bit peaky in the highs.
Yeah I had this amp and there was this high frequency, like an ice pick, I could not get rid of it. I loved everything about the amp,but that frequency....I sold it
@@mrshiney2 What cabs were you using?
@@NateThunder I tired 3 different cabs 4x12 with v30's 2x12 with Tone Tubby's 2x12 with a greenback and a G12h 30....nada
Fine demonstration! Well done!
Nice tight amp! ( Where's my credit card, Big Mesa sale at Sweetwater!) Thanks for sharing brother!
I really dig the stiletto! SD-1 in front... hmm
Literally almost bought one of these this week.
Had the choice between a mint Rockerverb 100 mk2 or a Stilleto Deuce II but ended up buying the rockerverb instead.
Would love one of these though just for the look; I’ve got a blackface dual rectifier it would match with nicely (silver panel, black checker plate).
I'd love a rockerverb; how are you liking it?
Ah man it's great. Big fan of Orange stuff in general.
I already had an old Rocker 30 head, which I play through more than anything else these days. The Rockerverb doesn't sound as sweet in the studio but obviously it's got all the bells and whistles the R30 doesn't for gigging etc.
It's hard to explain but I feel like where Marshall's are the amps which get the job done, Oranges are the amps which inspire you. Something about that creamy midrange they have just makes you want to keep playing.
A month or so from my previous post and I got the opportunity to grab another stiletto. If all goes well, I'll be getting a half stack with a 100 deuce and Mesa 4x12 :D
Is a 4x12 necessary? Hell no!
Do I want it? Hell yes!
Leon the Amp Sniffer :D 19:54
Was that a brief Slik Toxik riff near the end of the review ?
Excellent review but the problem is we are not really sure what is the sound of a Les Paul Greco. compare to a Les Paul or Ibanez Les Paul copy
No two les Pauls sound exactly alike so it kinda sounds like a Les Paul I guess.
Seems like a quite versatile amp. I have been wondering if there was an amp with switchable rectifier circuits, etc. Or even a fully modular circuit as this appears to be. Now, I know.
The Stiletto is aptly named: Kinda thin and kinda sharp sounding. It doesn't have that warmth that I associate with a great Marshall, for example.
OldSlowGamer well that’s why it’s a mesa not a Marshall
Sounds tasty
Impressive
Why does everyone power off before switching the rectifiers to diode/tube? You know you don’t have to do that right? 🤷🏻♂️
Random question but what size fret wire did you go with on that guitar? 6150, 6105, or 6100?
Is this direct out or through a cab and Miked?
I wanted a Soldano Hot Rod 50+ because of you. Then a Rev G Dual Rec, still because of you. And now I want a Stiletto Deuce. Damn Leon, you make my decision on which amp to buy harder and harder, help me haha
The obvious answer is to get an Axe-Fx so i can send you tone matches of all my amps :p
Now I want this head too. My wife's gonna throw me out soon.
That is Tasty...!
Thanks for the video,ive always been curious about these amps.I think the best sound was crunch mode(if your into that ac/dc sound). Tite-mode sounded anything BUT tight...lol. There just doesn’t seem to be any imediacy in the attack. Personally,if i were going to Mesa for a Marshall tone,id go for their Triple Crown. But if i wanted pure aggressive high gain tone,id stick to boosted Rectifiers.
As usual Leon,every amp you touch sounds amazing because of your guitar finesse and prowess...lol. Really,youve got some serious chops. Demo a triple crown already,its right up your alley! I promise your going to love it.
I've been asking around to try borrow a TC because all the clips I hear sound fantastic!
Had one. Not a bad amp but I'd rather take the Marshall DSL for the price. No sustain and felt that I really had to work the machine. I prefer the feeling of notes just flying off my fretboard
So , this or DSL 100? Which one gets more love? ;)
Probably the DSL, but it's more a case of familiarity at this stage. The Stiletto does a slightly different thing to the DSL but they both sound fantastic.
you did make me convince myself that I definitely don't want this amp
10:36 good ac/DC tone
Of course it's not gonna sound like a mk 5 or a dual Rect - it has el34's not 6l6's. It sounds good.