General
The Mesa Boogie Lone Star Special Head is the smallest and most brutal sibling of the Mesa Boogie Lone Star family. The gigantic character of this little tyke is driven by two pairs of EL84 tubes in the power amp and a Mesa 5Y3 rectifier; a combination that rips brilliant highs, velvet mids and rich, compact lows while the rectifier adds a laid back 'sag' to the attack to give the overall sound of the Special a sulking, sultry feel, like a long Texan Summer night.
Mesa Boogie Boutique with Punch
On full power, the rectifier is bypassed and the attack is tightened for more aggression. With this adaptable personality, Mesa Boogie have developed a boutique-style head that has all the slinky, sensual distorted tone you would want from a Lone Star Special but that can also throw a solid, hard punch. But don't let the maximum power of 30 Watts fool you since with Mesa Boogie 30 Watts means loud - really loud! However, if you do want all those rich and responsive tube-driven dynamics at lower volumes, the four EL84s can be individually switched a step down to 15 and even 5 watts per channel.
The Smallest Sibling with the Biggest Character
The face of the Lone Star Special Head has all the same features as its big brother. The first channel is developed for cleans with rich bell-bright overtones and the second channel is for clean-with-an-edge that can tip over into sumptuous vintage-style overdriven tone. The breaking point can be dialed in accurately using the cascading gain pots one by one to gradually upset the balance and finally push it over. While this is the smallest member of the Lone Star Family, it's certainly the most precocious and has the biggest character.
Tips or comments about this product
- The Mesa Boogie Lone Star Special is also available as a 1x12 or 2x12 combo (also in black), or as a 19-inch rack model (only in black).
- The videos feature the Mesa Lone Star Special combo, which has the same layout and controls.
