BeZo
Well-known member
There is a thread on here about the Mesa Stiletto that got my gears turning. I used to have a Stiletto Trident Stage II and it ripped, and I feel like that sound would fit the new band I'm doing. So, I checked my local Craigslist, and wouldn't you know it? One just posted at a decent price. I emailed the guy and passed on my contact info and he texted me right back.
"You’re on the Rig Talk board aren’t you?"
He recognized my name from my email. All of a sudden this went from a random Craigslist encounter where I buy an amp under the cameras a the local gas station, to a Rig-Talk deal. The guy is @the recluse, and he said he doesn't post on here, but mostly lurks. User name checks out. Cool guy. We chatted about gear for a few minutes on his front porch before I scuttled off to practice with a new toy.
The amp was a little dusty, and dialing it in revealed some scratchy pots, but it really fit the bill. It's an early version of the Stiletto Deuce with a low serial number. I definitely noticed the difference between the first gen and the Stage II. The bass and gain on CH 2 are not what I remember, and I now see the value of the "Hollywood mod". I hit it with my MXR Booster Mini a little harder and it helped a bunch. It also gave me a little more bark on CH 1. I had a harder time dialing in the clean I was looking for with this amp surprisingly enough. I kept switching the modes, but adjusting the gain difference between them was painful. I'm going to douche the pots and try again.
In the end, I met a cool guy, bought the right amp for a good price, and had a great experience. 10/10 would do again. @the recluse just let me know if you ever want to sell that Royal Atlantic!
"You’re on the Rig Talk board aren’t you?"
He recognized my name from my email. All of a sudden this went from a random Craigslist encounter where I buy an amp under the cameras a the local gas station, to a Rig-Talk deal. The guy is @the recluse, and he said he doesn't post on here, but mostly lurks. User name checks out. Cool guy. We chatted about gear for a few minutes on his front porch before I scuttled off to practice with a new toy.
The amp was a little dusty, and dialing it in revealed some scratchy pots, but it really fit the bill. It's an early version of the Stiletto Deuce with a low serial number. I definitely noticed the difference between the first gen and the Stage II. The bass and gain on CH 2 are not what I remember, and I now see the value of the "Hollywood mod". I hit it with my MXR Booster Mini a little harder and it helped a bunch. It also gave me a little more bark on CH 1. I had a harder time dialing in the clean I was looking for with this amp surprisingly enough. I kept switching the modes, but adjusting the gain difference between them was painful. I'm going to douche the pots and try again.
In the end, I met a cool guy, bought the right amp for a good price, and had a great experience. 10/10 would do again. @the recluse just let me know if you ever want to sell that Royal Atlantic!
