Lonestar Special Part Deux

The Lonestar Special was set and ready to play in my studio last night. Absolutely unbelievable tone. And remarkable build quality.

The 1×12 combo is larger than my Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue and somewhat heavier. I opted for the Lonestar Special over the classic and a combo style over an amp/cab style for a number of reasons.

My primary use for the amplifier is recording work and mid-sized venues. The Lonestar Special allows switching between 5/15/30 watts. This makes it perfect for recording work. And, I can easily move the combo for live work, which, at my age, is an important consideration. Gone are the days of lugging 70, 80 or more pounds of gear to a gig. I have used a 22 watt Fender for several years for stage work and I never had an issue with volume. At 30 watts, the Lonestar Special is plenty loud enough for me.

I was also looking for an amplifier that could cover blackface, plexi and other vintage-style tones. And the Lonestar Special is really a tone workstation. I had to front-end the Fender with an overdrive to get the amp to break up. With the Lonestar, I can configure channel 2 and dial in the level of drive. And, there is a solo mode that gives more boost to the channel.

Needless to say, I am a bit excited about the new rig. I will have to rethink my pedalboard. This new amp pretty much eliminates my overdrive and distortion pedals.

Now, if only I could carve out a bit more time to break it in.