Mesa Boogie Lone Star Special 1x12 Combo

This is the exact same amp as the flagship standard brown tolex but with a more neutral color of black which is much closer to the rest of the Mesa Boogie family tolex. It is the same price as the brown tolex and there is no up charge like the custom red edition Lone Star. So if you don't like the brown and want to keep with the classic black look then this is a great option over the brown Texas color.

Mesa Boogie is one of the best amplifier companies in the world. The have been building high grade high quality amps since the 70's. The took a different approach to the high gain amps that Marshall was putting out at the time and whet a bit different route. The have been able to grab a piece of the rock and roll market and push the envelope.

With this amp they continue that tradition of expanding their territory in the amplifier world.

UTILIZATION

Features:

• Pure Class A, Multi-Watt™, Channel Assignable Power Amp (Patent Pending) allows you to assign either 1, 2 or all 4 Power Tubes to each Channel for Power Ratings of 5, 15 or 30 Watts per Channel via independent 5/15/30 Watt Power Switches / 4xEL84, 5x12AX7, 1x5Y3

• Rectifier Tracking™ (5&15 Watt Mode = Tube, 30 Watt = Diode - Patents 5,168,438 & 7,193,458)

• 2 Fully Independent Channels each with Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Reverb & Master Controls

• Channel 1=Boutique Vintage Clean/Classic Breakup

• Channel 2=Clone of Ch 1 or Cascading High Gain

• Drive/Clean Switch activates Ch 2 "Drive" Control (Multi-Stage Cascading Gain Circuit)

• Thick/Normal/Thicker Voicing Switch (Channel 2)

• All-Tube, Long Spring Reverb with Bright/Warm Reverb Tone Switch

• Output Level Control (over all channels when activated)

• Footswitchable Solo Level Control – Patent 6,724,897 (over all channels when activated)

• All-Tube FX Loop with Send Level Control (over all channels when activated)

• True "Hard" Bypass Switch that removes FX Loop, Output Level & Solo Level Controls from signal path

• Slave Out w/Level Control

• Fan Cooled with On/Off Switch

• External Switching Jacks for Channels 1/2, Solo & Reverb • All Aluminum Chassis

• 2 Button Footswitch (Channel 1/2 & Solo)

• Slip Cover

SOUNDS

I love how modern Mesa Boogies now have a foot switchable effects loop. So you can with easy click on the footswitch and take the effects loop out of the circuit. This is handy for the tone purist that doesn't want anything in between his guitar and amp. Some effects loops degrade the tone a little bit and this attacks that issue.

I love the tone of this amp. The clean tone of this amp is amazing. This is basically Mesa's approach towards the blues and country rock players. It still retains that natural grind that is infamous with Mesa Boogies, but a milder voicing for the softer bluesier side of rock and roll. Still a killer amp and an amp full of warm tone. You really hear the warmth of the tone in this amp compared to other Mesa Boogies. There is a purist to the tone and sweetness to the structure of its voicing.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a fantastic amp for those who want a little tamer Mes boogie amp and still want the features and feel that makes Mesa Boogie great. This is a great amp with many features and tone for fender and Marshall players all around. Having two separate channels with several voicing options within each channel along with a solo boost, this amp is a go ready gigging amp for many players.

At new these amps come in at around $1850, which isn't a bad price for a solid built combo with this many features. And not a bad price for an optional color over the Texas brown and wheat grille. I recommend this to the person who plays a lot of covers or pop and rock music. This is going to be one of Mesa Boogies' most versatile amplifiers.

This is the same fine amp as the regular brown tolex and wheat grille casing. This one comes with custom colors for the aesthetics player.

Red Tolex w/ Cream Faceplate and Tan Grill Cloth w/ Cream Piping and Tan Handle and Corners.

This is going to have the exact same features as the brown Lone Star, but just a different tolex color. There is a slight up charge for the custom tolex so keep this in mind before making your purchase.

Mesa Boogie is one of the best amplifier companies in the world. The have been building high grade high quality amps since the 70's. The took a different approach to the high gain amps that Marshall was putting out at the time and whet a bit different route. The have been able to grab a piece of the rock and roll market and push the envelope.

With this amp they continue that tradition of expanding their territory in the amplifier world.


Mesa/Boogie Lone Star Special 1x12 Combo Amp Features:

* Handbuilt in the Petaluma, California
* Rectifier Tracking (5&15 Watt Mode = Tube, 30 Watt = Diode)
* 2 Fully Independent Channels each with Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Reverb & Master Controls
* All-Tube, Long Spring Reverb with Bright/Warm Reverb Tone Switch
* Output Level Control
* Footswitchable Solo Level Control
* All-tube FX Loop with Send Level Control
* True "Hard" Bypass Switch that removes FX Loop, Output Level & Solo Level Controls from signal path
* Slave Out w/Level Control
* Fan Cooled with On/Off Switch
* External Switching Jacks for Channels 1/2, Solo & Reverb
* All Aluminum Chassis
* 2 Button Footswitch (Channel 1/2 & Solo)
* Slip Cover
Push/pull circuitry

UTILIZATION


Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 2
Power 5W, 15W, 30W All Class A - Switchable
Speakers 1 x 12" C90
No Effects
Reverb Yes
EQ Treble, Mid, Bass
No Amp Modeling
Preamp Tubes 5 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 4 x EL84, 1 x 5Y3 (Rectifier)
Inputs 1 x Instrument
Outputs 3 x Speaker, 1 x Slave
Footswitch I/O Yes
Effects Loop Yes

SOUNDS

I love how modern Mesa Boogies now have a foot switchable effects loop. So you can with easy click on the footswitch and take the effects loop out of the circuit. This is handy for the tone purist that doesn't want anything in between his guitar and amp. Some effects loops degrade the tone a little bit and this attacks that issue.

I love the tone of this amp. The clean tone of this amp is amazing. This is basically Mesa's approach towards the blues and country rock players. It still retains that natural grind that is infamous with Mesa Boogies, but a milder voicing for the softer bluesier side of rock and roll. Still a killer amp and an amp full of warm tone. You really hear the warmth of the tone in this amp compared to other Mesa Boogies. There is a purist to the tone and sweetness to the structure of its voicing.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a fantastic amp for those who want a little tamer Mes boogie amp and still want the features and feel that makes Mesa Boogie great. This is a great amp with many features and tone for fender and Marshall players all around. Having two separate channels with several voicing options within each channel along with a solo boost, this amp is a go ready gigging amp for many players.

At new these amps come in at around $2030, which is a considerable up charge for the tolex. If you don't want to pay the extra money than get the standard brown version. I recommend this to the person who plays a lot of covers or pop and rock music. This is going to be one of Mesa Boogies' most versatile amplifiers.

Mesa Boogie is one of the best amplifier companies in the world. The have been building high grade high quality amps since the 70's. The took a different approach to the high gain amps that Marshall was putting out at the time and whet a bit different route. The have been able to grab a piece of the rock and roll market and push the envelope.

With this amp they continue that tradition of expanding their territory in the amplifier world.


Mesa/Boogie Lone Star Special 1x12 Combo Amp Features:

* Handbuilt in the Petaluma, California
* Rectifier Tracking (5&15 Watt Mode = Tube, 30 Watt = Diode)
* 2 Fully Independent Channels each with Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Reverb & Master Controls
* All-Tube, Long Spring Reverb with Bright/Warm Reverb Tone Switch
* Output Level Control
* Footswitchable Solo Level Control
* All-tube FX Loop with Send Level Control
* True "Hard" Bypass Switch that removes FX Loop, Output Level & Solo Level Controls from signal path
* Slave Out w/Level Control
* Fan Cooled with On/Off Switch
* External Switching Jacks for Channels 1/2, Solo & Reverb
* All Aluminum Chassis
* 2 Button Footswitch (Channel 1/2 & Solo)
* Slip Cover
Push/pull circuitry

UTILIZATION

Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 2
Power 5W, 15W, 30W All Class A - Switchable
Speakers 1 x 12" C90
No Effects
Reverb Yes
EQ Treble, Mid, Bass
No Amp Modeling
Preamp Tubes 5 x 12AX7
Power Tubes 4 x EL84, 1 x 5Y3 (Rectifier)
Inputs 1 x Instrument
Outputs 3 x Speaker, 1 x Slave
Footswitch I/O Yes
Effects Loop Yes

SOUNDS

I love how modern Mesa Boogies now have a foot switchable effects loop. So you can with easy click on the footswitch and take the effects loop out of the circuit. This is handy for the tone purist that doesn't want anything in between his guitar and amp. Some effects loops degrade the tone a little bit and this attacks that issue.

I love the tone of this amp. The clean tone of this amp is amazing. This is basically Mesa's approach towards the blues and country rock players. It still retains that natural grind that is infamous with Mesa Boogies, but a milder voicing for the softer bluesier side of rock and roll. Still a killer amp and an amp full of warm tone. You really hear the warmth of the tone in this amp compared to other Mesa Boogies. There is a purist to the tone and sweetness to the structure of its voicing.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a fantastic amp for those who want a little tamer Mes boogie amp and still want the features and feel that makes Mesa Boogie great. This is a great amp with many features and tone for fender and Marshall players all around. Having two separate channels with several voicing options within each channel along with a solo boost, this amp is a go ready gigging amp for many players.

At new these amps come in at around $1850, which isn't a bad price for a solid built combo with this many features. I recommend this to the person who plays a lot of covers or pop and rock music. This is going to be one of Mesa Boogies' most versatile amplifiers.

The Mesa/Boogie Lonestar Special is the revision of the original Lonestar. It a Class A EL84 two channel amplifier that's meant to deliver those more vintage tones. It has multiple mini toggle switches for voicing changes, a power selection switch to choose between various wattages, reverb, an effects loop and tons of other features.

UTILIZATION

Mesa/Boogie did a great job at fitting a plethora of features inside this amp without having it feel too complicated. The toggle switches feel great and have a solid detent when you select them. The effects loop works nicely, and the solo boost is a nice touch, too. Mesa/Boogie manuals are some of the best out there, and they'll help you really understand this amp better, show you where the sweet spots are, give you example settings and show you how to take care of your newly purchased amplifier.

SOUNDS

The sound is probably the one everyone is wondering about. Given that this is an EL84 based amp, it has this real unique quality sound to it that's almost VOX-esque. However, don't be fooled. This amp can get some insane girth and low end. The cleans on this are absolutely amazing, and the gain tones give that awesome wooly vintage sounding gain that delivers tone for days. I find the feel on this amp to be a bit better than the original Lonestar, probably due to the EL84s. John Petrucci helped make this amp a bit more famous when he used it for his clean tones exclusively during his Train of Thought touring era.

OVERALL OPINION

Those looking for an amplifier that retains a vintage tone with one of the best cleans on the market should really look no further than this amp. The gain is great for that old school vintage tone, the clean has this amazing bounce and is very jingly, the build construction is great and it's just an overall wonderful amplifier.