Boutique Brit Rock Magnificence Right In Your Own Home
Written: Sep 24 '06 (Updated Sep 23 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Brit quality amplification
Cons: No effects
The Bottom Line: A superb sounding amp that is extremely versatile and cost effective. Highly recommended.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace |
For many years, Mesa/Boogie has been one of the leading lights in producing modern high-gain amplifiers for the metal and hard rock guitarist. Its Rectifier series has been immensely popular amongst the metal head set and has helped reshape the sounds of rock and roll. More recently, Mesa complemented this series with its Lone Star and Road King amps, which have brought the more traditional sounds of American amps to the sound scene.
And it the past year or so, Mesa has attacked the Brit rock scene with its new EL34-based Stiletto amp series, with the Deuce and Trident offering 100- and 150- watts of superb sound. Now, Mesa has downsized that offering a little bit in terms of power but arguably providing even better, more versatile sound with its new 50-watt Stiletto Ace amplifiers, available in 1x12 and 2x12 combos and a head. If you’re looking for classic 1970’s crunch along with a host of other options in a (slightly) more reasonably priced package than the Ace’s big brothers, you’ve come to the right place.
Before we get to the description of the features of this amp, let’s get right to the point: what are the differences between the Ace and it’s two bigger brothers, the 100-watt Deuce and 150-wattt Trident? The answer is very simple: the Ace is powered by two British EL34’s instead of the four EL34’s in the Deuce and the six EL34’s in the Trident. With less power, it’s easier to crank up completely so it’s obviously suited to smaller venues. But the Deuce and Trident can both be knocked down to 50 watts, so what is the benefit of using only 2 EL34s in the Ace?
Mesa engineers explained the difference in a recent review in Guitar Player. They believe that the 50-watt transformer is tighter and crisper with more responsive highs. They also believe that the 50-watt configuration is better suited to the combo format and that, combined with the closed-back design and the custom Celestion speaker, they have succeeded in generating four by twelve “thump” in a combo format.
While I leave it to the listener to determine if those claims are accurate, there is no question that the Stiletto Ace is one mean, versatile, gun-running SOB that creates a very wide palette of Brit-rock and modern gain sounds. You really can’t go wrong with this machine, you can push it all the way to thirteen, and it’s a helluva lot of fun besides being extraordinarily versatile.
The amplifier contains is equipped with two fully independent channels with independent Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence & Master Controls for each channel. Each channel contains three modes that are switched using min-toggles: Channel 1 = Fat Clean, Tite Clean or Crunch/Channel 2 = Crunch, Tite Gain or Fluid Drive (Crunch is the same on both channels to simplify switching).
Each channel has a “Rectifier” switch that allows the user to choose either a Rectifier/Tube style for a saggy, compressed feel or Diode mode for tighter punch. A “Bold/Spongy” switch lets you choose between a full 117 volts of power, or a “spongy” setting that knocks down the voltage to get a “brown” feeling. You can use the Effects Bypass switch to create a pure signal for studio work. The Output control is a master volume control for both channels while the Solo knob lets you preset an additional output level control and switch to it during performances for volume boost.
The rear panel contains a Slave out so you can feed external amps or processors for concert purposes without blowing them up. Additional controls permit use of external speakers or cabinets and there is an FX switch along with fuse and power cord receptacle.
The ton of controls and options that come with this amp reveal its powerful versatility and performance-ready capabilities.
The question is how it sounds and the answer is fabulous. Channel 1 is essentially 1970’s British hard rock traditionalism, courtesy of the EL34’s. Fat Clean is, well, clean, while the Tite Clean provides more mids and highs. Crunch is a combination of classic Brit rock and Southern California crunch perfect for Judas Priest, AC/DC and the rest. Channel 2 shifts into high-gain territory. The Crunch is more vicious than that on Channel 1, useful for both rhythm and mean solo work. The Tite Gain and Fluid Gain are increasingly high-gain modes that are almost crystalline in their sonic assaults.
One quibble is that there are no effects. Granted, just about everybody has their own pedals, but Mesa has put effects on some of its other amps and, in particular, it has a very nice reverb that could have been included here.
I can’t believe there would be a guitarist out there who couldn’t see the virtues of this amp. It offers an extraordinary amount of sound options. It is incredibly responsive to pick attack. The Celestion speaker sounds fabulous delivering piercing highs and bone pulverizing lows. Any Brit rock player needs to give this amp a serious listen as it rivals much more expensive boutique amps in tone and versatility.
Here are my other amplifier reviews:
Marshall Super 100 JH
Peavey Classic 30 Combo
Crate Power Block
Roland Micro Cube
Mesa 5:25 Express
Mesa Stiletto Ace
Fender Cyber Twin
Line 6 Vetta II Combo
Mesa 5:50 Express
Line 6 Spider III 75
Mesa Lone Star Combo
Vox Valvetronix AD60VT
Mesa Stiletto Deuce
Mesa Triple Rectifier Head
Fender DSP 65
Peavey Triple XXX Head
Fender Super Sonic 1x12 Combo
Hughes and Kettner Switchblade 50 Combo
Fender MH 500 Metalhead
64 Fender Vibroverb Custom Blackface
Mesa Dual Rectifier Roadster
Peavey Penta Head
Peavey JSX Joe Satriani Signature Head
Line 6 Spider II Head
Crate Acoustic CA30
Line 6 Flextone III Plus
And you may also be interested in a few books such as:
Hugo Pinksterboer – Tipbook Amplifiers and Effects
Ritchie Fliegler – Amps: The Other Half of Rock and Roll
Michael Ross – Getting Great Guitar Sounds: A Non-Technical Approach to Shaping Your Personal Sound
Recommended:
Yes
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