I can't help myself. Really, it's a shame. I've been farting around with guitars for so many years I can't hardly recall how long its actually been. One thing I have never had is a great amplifier. Ok, I've never even had a good amplifier, let alone a great amp. Now, I do.

My early, and only Christmas present is this new Mesa Lonestar Special! An all Class A amplifier with a tone sent from heaven. Wow, I get a shiver just writing...I wanna go back home and play! Here's a bit from the Mesa website. It's all true. I'll vouch for them all day and then some. Read on!

Introducing the new Pure Class A, EL-84 Powered LONE STAR SPECIAL® featuring Channel Assignable Power (patent pending) that allows you to assign 1, 2 or all 4 EL-84’s to either of its 2 Channels for independent Power Ratings of 5, 15 or 30 Watts!

In one short year, the stylistic momentum of the Lone Star ® has been overwhelming.

Players and reviewers alike have bestowed global accolades on this gem, including prestigious Editor’s Pick and Platinum Awards.

“So …why another Lone Star?” Because tone this good, demands it!

Take that incredibly expressive pre-amp with its intuitive versatility, add the vintage magic of EL-84’s running Pure Class A — and a new classic is born.

Where its Big Brother boasts the huge warmth and headroom of 6L6 power, the Special delivers seductive, bubbly tone and a sensual, elastic feel. This Lone Star is short on weight, but tall on personality.

Authentic retro-tone is all about power and the way it clips. Yet in any given amp, the sweet-spot of power clip is inseparably tied to its wattage and playing loudness. The Lone Star Special smashes this age-old limitation by offering three distinct power configurations, each with its own window of wattage: 30, 15, or 5. Perfect Power. Per Channel. On Demand.

Thirty Watts, bold and pure from all four power tubes punches through the mix and hangs with a band in mid-size venues. Fifteen watts cries the blues with sinful passion …coaxing expressive soul from an electron-soaked pair of EL-84’s. Both these circuits run Pure Class A in a Push-Pull configuration. But what really makes this Lone Star Special is its ability to switch down to five watts of single-ended power bliss (patent pending).

In Push-Pull circuits, the second harmonic is cancelled out when the two halves of the wave-form are re-combined in the output transformer. Unlike Push-Pull, Single-Ended circuits preserve this most musical of all harmonics. A subtle coating of warm distortion (an octave above the note you’re playing) glazes the entire spectrum with a purring, golden halo of precious nuance. Perfect for individual playing or recording.

Lone Star Special ® FEATURES

Handbuilt in the Petaluma, California

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

Been Too Long

I have been occupied for some time now with the joys of Facebook. Not that I should have been ignoring this venue, but alas, I have. I don't think I'll abandon it altogether. I simply have too much to say...most of the time. As usual life has been full of twists, turns and the unexpected. I suppose that is what the Lord meant when he promised that we would have and live life abundantly. So, a short summary of my abundant life might look something like this:

Still hunting and fishing. I'll never stop that so far as I can see. It is simply too cathartic to be out of doors.

Still messing around with my guitar. I'll never be good enough to break beyond our church Worship Team, but that's ok with me. I hope to move beyond a simple digital multi-effects pedal to individual pedals...that seems to be the topic de jour.

Trying to recover from a major jetski accident. Two surgeries, four plates, three wires and twenty five screws later I am back together. Not healed yet, but better.

Still trying to grow my relationship with Jesus, my wife and my children. All of which can be difficult at times and blessings at others.

So, I guess I'm simply living. Nothing wrong with that, it's life...

abundantly.