Mesa Boogie Lonestar... and an old flame

GoldenEraGuitars

I guess this is more of a "what the hell am I thinking" thread as opposed to "what should I do?" thread but I'll keep writing anyway.

12 years ago I bought a JMP 2203 79 head and cab. All original and as you can imagine it sounded and looked the nuts. Fast forward about a year of ownership (I was 21 at the time this happened) and financial issues forced the sale. A friend was quick to snap it up and hey, I made a profit too. 

Now, over the years (because I live in Northern Ireland which has no real decent music shops) I have owned a plethora of amps and I have revisited the JMP era once. It's was last year actually but again, I ended up selling to buy my "dream amp" ; the Lonestar. I'm a huge Timmons fan but this amp goes waaaaay past his tone. It's an amazing amp and stupidly versatile. The on board options are all about the tone, nothing else matters with this amp.

Now, out of the blue the friend who I sold the amp to tells me he's moving the old JMP on and gave me first refusal. If... and only IF I sold the Mesa I could afford the Marshall. I've often thought about the JMP, it holds a special place in my heart for some reason. But here's the thing... after getting the odd bite on the Mesa I noticed I recoiled. A strange feeling came over me and I asked myself "why are you selling it??"

And that's it? Why am I selling up? They're both different in every way possible and I have often thought over the last 11/12 years about getting the Marshall back but now that the opportunity is here I can't seem to bring myself to sell the Mesa. I actually sold my guitar to fund my new business so I can't play it just but the tones are amazing. It does everything I need it to. 

Once again i seem to be hovering over the self destruct button. Ideally, id have both. But I sunk a lot of money into materials for the business that it's got to be one or the other. Very conflicted just now...

professorben

If he's your mate, try em side by side, I'm sure he will let you borrow it for a week to make your mind up. 

GoldenEraGuitars

I know that's probably an option. But it brings me back to the issue of I didn't think I was attached to the Mesa as much as I am. And I'd hate to think this'll end up as a "remember that Mesa I had... man that was a great amp" thought to ponder in the coming months if I bought the Marshall back. 

ICBM

The Marshall is a great amp, and versatile in that it's simple and you get out what you put in with your hands and your guitar. The Mesa is a great amp, and versatile in that it has more scope to create a sound with the amp itself. Which suits your playing style better? Do you use effects - bearing in mind the Marshall doesn't have a loop?

How much is the Marshall? If it's under the market rate then it will probably be a good investment even in the longer term - it's a classic vintage amp. The Mesa is likely to do less well - high-powered complex channel switching amps aren't all that popular even now and are unlikely to be so in the future.

If it was me I would keep the Lonestar - even though I love 2203s, they're just not flexible enough for *all* the things I want an amp to do… bearing in mind that if you know what you're doing you can dial in the Mesa to sound surprisingly similar.

english_bob

lonestar said:

I actually sold my guitar to fund my new business so I can't play it 

This being the case, the Lonestar will mean slightly less redundant space being taken up in your house.

 I'm very fond of those Marshalls too, but if it was me, for the music I play, I'd keep the Mesa (with the caveat that I've never actually played one- it's 2203 in real life vs Mesa "on paper").

 Unless you could easily add an effects loop to the 2203. @ICBM?

ICBM

english_bob said:

 Unless you could easily add an effects loop to the 2203. @ICBM?

Yes, although you'll need to drill holes in it. Not a huge deal on a late-70s JMP, but I tend to feel that it's missing the point of the amp in some ways.

GoldenEraGuitars

Tbh I'm a straight up old school blues rocky kind of guy. I only use overdrive, reverb and delay.

The head AND 4 x 12 is £850 and about 8 miles away from me. I borrowed a friends guitst and played the Mesa again this morning. I spent longer on the clean channel than the drive channel. Had that been the Marshall I'd have simply rolled the volume off on the guitar. 

Its a tough one. I know I want the Marshall but something is holding me back. Maybe I should just man up and do my best to sell the Mesa...

ICBM

lonestar said:

I only use overdrive, reverb and delay.

The head AND 4 x 12 is £850 and about 8 miles away from me. I borrowed a friends guitst and played the Mesa again this morning. I spent longer on the clean channel than the drive channel.

Keep the Mesa.

ESBlonde

How many kidneys do you actually need? Get both amps, who needs a guitar anyhow.
Details ya see.

GoldenEraGuitars

ICBM said:

lonestar said:

I only use overdrive, reverb and delay.

The head AND 4 x 12 is £850 and about 8 miles away from me. I borrowed a friends guitst and played the Mesa again this morning. I spent longer on the clean channel than the drive channel.

Keep the Mesa.

Ah. BUT... I love the sound of the Marshall before the bite kicks in. Very tricky one. I'm genuinely torn.

GoldenEraGuitars

ESBlonde said:

How many kidneys do you actually need? Get both amps, who needs a guitar anyhow.
Details ya see.

Tbh... I'd keep my kidneys. But I do have 3 children... they have kidneys 

Moltisanti

there are loads of late 70s JMPs still out there, they are not as rare as people think. Another one will come up.

I have an 83 JCM800 2204 and a Lonestar and they are both awesome amps, the Lonestar is a LOT more versatile

professorben

lonestar said:

ESBlonde said:

How many kidneys do you actually need? Get both amps, who needs a guitar anyhow.
Details ya see.

Tbh... I'd keep my kidneys. But I do have 3 children... they have kidneys 

Make a new one for spares, kidneys, liver, heart etc.....
fir free. 

AND you get a shag out of it. 

No brainer. 

Maynehead

For me, Mesas are the ultimate amps. I'm also not a fan of Marshalls so it's a no brainer. You'd be selling a superior amp to fund an inferior one, but that's just me.

MikeB

Keep the Lonestar!

Remember how you felt with that strat and the lonestar first time you plugged in......

Mike77

+1 for keep the lonestar

GoldenEraGuitars

Mmmmm it would appear that I'll be letting the Marshall go then. I guess since I've started my business I haven't had the time to play.. at all.

And being currently guitarless doesn't help. It'll be very difficult to watch the JMP slip away but I suppose that's all sentimental, right?

MikeB

Glad to hear that the mesa won the day Scott! 

Wazmeister

Have the Marshall. Sell the Mesa.

You can always simply get a LS later

GoldenEraGuitars

Wazmeister said:

Have the Marshall. Sell the Mesa.

You can always simply get a LS later

Haha well... in an ideal world I'd have both but... money *shakes head*

usedtobe

If you have the Marshall will you have to change your username?