Lone Star 100 Watt 2x12 Combo w/ EL34s Clean

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Only Human
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In keeping with the previous three clean amp demos, here's my 100 Watt Lone Star 2x12 Combo clean. It's currently loaded with all NOS tubes; military grade GE 12AX7s and one NOS Siemens 12AX7 in the reverb return position, and a quartet of matched NOS Siemens EL34s.

The two 12" speakers are Celestion/Mesa Black Shadow 90s.

Same mic and pedalboard setup as with the other three, with one difference: I used a different delay and reverb setting that I thought sounded better with this amp.

The amp is set to 100 Watts, 'Tweed' power setting (a built in Variac that brings the input voltage down from 117 to 93 volts which is recommended with EL34s instead of the usual 6L6 quad) , global master and effects loop are switched out of the circuit.

While the bottom end and top are more lush with the 6L6s, and the lowest notes are more solid, especially clean, I like the overdrive channel better with the EL34s. So I left them in. In the Tweed setting they're not as crisp, however. So there's that.

 
Thank you Les for doing this series of demos. The Lonestar is really high on my wish list of amplifiers. When I was shopping for a new amplifier 5 years ago, it was between the Lonestar, which back then was still being made, and the Fillmore. I went with the Fillmore in the end as the 100W power section scared me off. Even though I'm still in the honeymoon stage with the Fillmore half a decade later, I do regret not owning the Lonestar. There's something special about the 100W power section in Blackface square amplifiers that you just can't fully experience otherwise. Keep it coming, please!
 
Thanks so much for doing the clean series. I hadn't listened to the other demos for a few days and my initial impression on the Lonestar was that it sounded fantastic, and wasn't aware of the lack of crispness/transparency compared to the others till I did full A-B comparisons. It still sounds great, just different and might also sound killer with the Tele's middle pickup position.

Sorry to know that you've run out of amps to test, but of course there are different amp settings, especially EOB and crunch, as well as different guitars. Regardless, great series.

With the work & NOS tubes that have gone into the amps and the tones that come out of them it's easy to see why letting go of any of them would be so difficult.
 
Thank you Les for doing this series of demos. The Lonestar is really high on my wish list of amplifiers. When I was shopping for a new amplifier 5 years ago, it was between the Lonestar, which back then was still being made, and the Fillmore. I went with the Fillmore in the end as the 100W power section scared me off. Even though I'm still in the honeymoon stage with the Fillmore half a decade later, I do regret not owning the Lonestar. There's something special about the 100W power section in Blackface square amplifiers that you just can't fully experience otherwise. Keep it coming, please!
If you find the stuff useful, that’s wonderful!

I’ll be doing an ‘edge of breakup’ demo and also an overdrive demo with each of the amps over the next few weeks, assuming I don’t sell one or the other of them off. 😂

As you know, high gain is too far out of my wheelhouse to demo anything worthwhile.
 
Thanks so much for doing the clean series. I hadn't listened to the other demos for a few days and my initial impression on the Lonestar was that it sounded fantastic, and wasn't aware of the lack of crispness/transparency compared to the others till I did full A-B comparisons. It still sounds great, just different and might also sound killer with the Tele's middle pickup position.

There are actually a lot of variables.

Because of the KHE head/cab switch box I can flick a switch and go between every amp and every cab instantly, without noise.

Each of the amps morphs into something different feeding the different speakers. I’ve only recorded one permutation of each for this demo, those being mostly speakers that came with each amp, except the 4x10 I nominally bought for the Fillmore was bought a year after I sold the 2x12 I initially got for it.

The Lone Star’s internal combo speakers are Celestion Black Shadows that are specially modified CS80s, if memory serves. It’s a stiffer, barkier speaker than the V30s in the PRS cabs, or the Creambacks in the 4x10 Mesa cab.

As you might expect, the Lone Star’s character changes driving each speaker, markedly so into the 4x10.

Running the amp in the ‘Tweed” variac mode with EL34s, as I do per Mesa’s recommendation for using that tube, also changes its character. It’s brighter and bouncier clean with 6L6s in normal mode.

I was able to give that up because the Fillmore and DG30 give me my normal ‘crisp and more transparent’ 6L6 tone.

I use the EL34s with the Lone Star because I wasn’t doing anything with the gain channel, yet it’s a good one with the EL34s. To me, anyway.

It’s interesting to hear how different these amps sound, at least as I have them set up!
 
As you know, high gain is too far out of my wheelhouse to demo anything worthwhile.
Just Palm Mute The Open E In Some Triplet Or Galloping Type Pattern And Hit A Chord Or Two And Let Them Ring Out. That Is All I Do. :)

It Isn't About The Playing, It Is About The Tone. Go For It Man! \m/
 
The Lone Star’s internal combo speakers are Celestion Black Shadows that are specially modified CS80s, if memory serves. It’s a stiffer, barkier speaker than the V30s in the PRS cabs, or the Creambacks in the 4x10 Mesa cab.

After three years of near-constant use, it's become my favourite speaker, and has completely replaced my EVs - which I'd been using for well over thirty years.
 
I listened to all 4 amps back to back, and was surprised how similar the DG30 and Fillmore sounded to each other. Not identical of course, but surprising given the radically different speaker cabs... and pretty much everything else, while we're at it. Expected the Fillmore to be closer to the Lonestar, although maybe with 6L6's and without the variac setting, it would be.

I think I might be broken. Of all the Mesa amps I've tried (which is admittedly not nearly all of them), almost universally I've liked the clean tones more than the drive tones. I don't think guitar players are supposed to like Mesa clean tones more than their drive tones! Although I think there's something to it.
 
Your sound out of your set up is a lot like mine (also the Lone Star with EL34's). I moved from the 2x12's on the Lone Star to a 4X12 with CS80's, just because I had it, and I really like the change. Fuller sound at low volumes, and lots of headroom.

But you play much better than I do!
 
I listened to all 4 amps back to back, and was surprised how similar the DG30 and Fillmore sounded to each other. Not identical of course, but surprising given the radically different speaker cabs... and pretty much everything else, while we're at it. Expected the Fillmore to be closer to the Lonestar, although maybe with 6L6's and without the variac setting, it would be.
It is definitely closer through the same cab with 6L6s. It’s one of the reasons I felt I could get away with EL34s in the LS.
I think I might be broken. Of all the Mesa amps I've tried (which is admittedly not nearly all of them), almost universally I've liked the clean tones more than the drive tones. I don't think guitar players are supposed to like Mesa clean tones more than their drive tones! Although I think there's something to it.
Welp, if you’re broken I’m just as broken, because I mainly use the Mesas clean, maybe with a little bit of grit. If I use them with more gain, it’s usually in combination with a PRS amp, pulled lower in the mix.

The only Mesa I’ve really loved the drive settings on was the Tremoverb, which was absolutely fantastic. However, with the EL34s, the Lone Star’s drive tones are pretty good, especially at volume on stage, which is how my son uses his. He gets great sounds, but always has his Klon on, and he also uses a Pettyjohn drive pedal.
 
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I listened to all 4 amps back to back, and was surprised how similar the DG30 and Fillmore sounded to each other. Not identical of course, but surprising given the radically different speaker cabs... and pretty much everything else, while we're at it. Expected the Fillmore to be closer to the Lonestar, although maybe with 6L6's and without the variac setting, it would be.

I think I might be broken. Of all the Mesa amps I've tried (which is admittedly not nearly all of them), almost universally I've liked the clean tones more than the drive tones. I don't think guitar players are supposed to like Mesa clean tones more than their drive tones! Although I think there's something to it.
Mesa Amps Do Have Some Beautiful Clean Tones And I Think Their Cleans Deserve More Credit Than They Get. I Have A Buddy Who Gets Incredible Clean And Edge Of Breakup/Bluesy Tones From His Dual Rec That Are Absolutely Stunning. I Would Never Guess That Amp Would Sound That Amazing In Those Tones He Gets From It But It Does.
 
Your sound out of your set up is a lot like mine (also the Lone Star with EL34's). I moved from the 2x12's on the Lone Star to a 4X12 with CS80's, just because I had it, and I really like the change. Fuller sound at low volumes, and lots of headroom.
I bet it sounds great that way!
But you play much better than I do!
Nah, I’m no good at noodling. I need a drum track, a bass line and keys in order to do anything halfway decent,

I’m sure you’re a better player than I am, because really, everyone here is!
 
Mesa Amps Do Have Some Beautiful Clean Tones And I Think Their Cleans Deserve More Credit Than They Get. I Have A Buddy Who Gets Incredible Clean And Edge Of Breakup/Bluesy Tones From His Dual Rec That Are Absolutely Stunning. I Would Never Guess That Amp Would Sound That Amazing In Those Tones He Gets From It But It Does.
My old Tremoverb might have been based on the original Dual Rectifier, maybe that’s why it worked so well for me. Could have been a variant of that design.

If I recall it even had the ‘Dual Rectifier’ logo on the front panel.
 
My old Tremoverb might have been based on the original Dual Rectifier, maybe that’s why it worked so well for me. Could have been a variant of that design.

If I recall it even had the ‘Dual Rectifier’ logo on the front panel.
IMO That Was One Of The Best Amps Mesa Made In That Class/Type Of Amp.
 
IMO That Was One Of The Best Amps Mesa Made In That Class/Type Of Amp.
Couldn’t agree more. A well-meaning amp tech - without asking me - modded it so he could adjust the bias. I don’t know what he did, but the amp was never the same.

I had given it to my son while he was in high school and it was making a funny noise. The noise got fixed, but both of us were disappointed with the result.

The next day we traded it in for a Stiletto, which was a very nice amp, and good for what my son was doing musically at the time, but it wasn’t quite like the Tremo.

BTW, I did tell the store it had been modded. They said it sounded good, we made a deal, and everyone went away happy.
 
I listened to all 4 amps back to back, and was surprised how similar the DG30 and Fillmore sounded to each other. Not identical of course, but surprising given the radically different speaker cabs... and pretty much everything else, while we're at it. Expected the Fillmore to be closer to the Lonestar, although maybe with 6L6's and without the variac setting, it would be.

I think I might be broken. Of all the Mesa amps I've tried (which is admittedly not nearly all of them), almost universally I've liked the clean tones more than the drive tones. I don't think guitar players are supposed to like Mesa clean tones more than their drive tones! Although I think there's something to it.
I own and have owned quite a few mesa amplifiers and my favorite tones are using the clean channel as a pedal platform. I think I’ve only switched on the drive channels just to make sure it was working but 99.9% of my playing is clean channel and pedals for drive.
 
My old Tremoverb might have been based on the original Dual Rectifier, maybe that’s why it worked so well for me. Could have been a variant of that design.

If I recall it even had the ‘Dual Rectifier’ logo on the front panel.
I owned a duel rec for a couple decades and I would always play on the clean channel. That thing was just too damn loud for home use. Sold it to buy a lone star special which is much more my wheelhouse in the last 10 years
 
If you can't get superlative clean and/or edge-of-breakup tones out of a Tremoverb, MkIIA, or Lone Star - well I feel for you; but there's probably another instrument out there that will suit you better. PSA: I have a kazoo I'm willing to sell cheap.


Yes, I know, I'm too generous for my own good.
 
I owned a duel rec for a couple decades and I would always play on the clean channel. That thing was just too damn loud for home use. Sold it to buy a lone star special which is much more my wheelhouse in the last 10 years
They could get loud, no doubt. That didn’t bother me, as I’d stick the Tremo in my recording booth and play in the control room. But the Lone Star Special is a great, and more manageable, amp.

If you can't get superlative clean and/or edge-of-breakup tones out of a Tremoverb, MkIIA, or Lone Star - well I feel for you; but there's probably another instrument out there that will suit you better.
They’re definitely excellent for those types of sounds, and those are home base for me.

There are amps that are more transparent; there’s a lot of circuitry in the Mesas, and you can hear it as a bit of a haze that obscures the woody tone of many guitars just a little. It doesn’t bother me, that’s part of the deal one accepts with a Mesa, but they’re great amps that do a LOT of things and that’s why I have two Mesas here.

One nice thing about the Lone Star is that you can switch the circuit for the Global Master Volume and the effects loop out of the circuit, and that’s how I run mine. It improves the transparency noticeably.

I’m a believer in some of the hand wired amps being more transparent, but in general many of them are simpler designs - though the Two-Rocks were pretty complicated.
 
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