Stiletto Ace - Mesa Boogie

FRONT PANEL: Controls & Features (Continued)The MODES: Channel 1 (Continued) Because the voicing of this mode is heavy in these rich lows, it will be necessary attimes to reduce the setting of the BASS Control, especially when higher settings of the GAIN Control are to be used. Some amazingclipped or pushed sounds are possible with the FAT CLEAN mode by cranking the GAIN and setting the BASS at 0 (7:00/off). Here, anaddicting smoothness is always present because the sub-low frequencies are allowed to pass freely and the entire spectrum warmsup and exudes soulfulness. Even when the BASS Control is used to trim away some of these lows, a fat smooth voice remains thatyou will find useful for many applications.TITE CLEAN (toggle in middle position) is the opposite in every sense. This mode is stripped of sub-lows and lower mids creating afocused, immediate attack characteristic that can be described as unabashed forwardness. TITE CLEAN works great for chordingand parts played here will sit proudly and uniquely in a mix…even a complex one, because they requirelittle space to tell the story loud and clear.FATCLEANTITECRUNCHCLNINPUTWhen clipped, this mode behaves in a brash, urgent manner and with more bass frequencies trimmedearly on in the preamp, the BASS Control may be used to dial in tighter lows that compliment the top-endperfectly. In fact, for clipped sounds in the Rhythm Channel, TITE CLEAN would almost always be the preferred choice. The balancein all frequencies will result in the most cohesive distortion character, where the added gain stays more glued to the notes. Be sure tocheck out using TITE CLEAN in combination with the BOLD/SPONGY switch set to SPONGY and the TUBE RECTIFIER selectedon the Rear Panel for some truly amazing power clip sounds.CRUNCH (toggle down) is the ultimate in tight, urgent grind. The added gain in this mode, combined with immediate attack and abrash attitude, makes this mode the old school Rock ‘N Roll dictionary of Brit inspired guitar sounds. This range of “medium gain” isso versatile that you could use this mode alone for years, finding both great rhythm and solo sounds thatare accurate, articulate and expressive.FATCLEANTITECRUNCHCLNINPUTBecause the CRUNCH mode is not as saturated, even at a maximum setting, as the two high gainmodes in Channel 2, it responds very well to adding additional gain by utilizing the switchable powerfeatures. This mode spreads the perfect glazing of gain to give the right amount of attitude without covering up the natural characterof your guitar.The inherent chirping harmonics are further enhanced by switching down to SPONGY which emphasizes top end shimmer whilescooping out a nice narrow slice of midrange. Choosing the TUBE RECTIFIER sags the power down even further and adds a creamy,legato feel - making single note playing effortless, while removing any hint of harshness and elevates this mode to an incredible solovoice.The incredible expression and versatility of the CRUNCH mode prompted us to provide a duplicate of this sound among the choicesin Channel 2. After becoming familiar with the many uses for CRUNCH, you will quickly discover the value of being able to use it forone of two scenarios; either two slight variations of this mode set for similar gain ranges (using the two individual MASTER Controlsfor levels) or, vary the gain range and use one for rhythm and one for soloing.However you wish to dedicate your Channels, you will likely find CRUNCH to be one of the most important and essential modes inyour ACE.Now that we have reviewed the modes in Channel 1 and understand the voicings, let’s move down to Channel 2 and get to know themodes in your ACE dedicated to higher gain soloing.PAGE 5