3ch Dual Rec vs. Road King

[boogieslide]

A local guy has a Road King he may be selling. I'll actually be able to check it out before deciding to buy it, but thought I would get some input here until then.
I currently have a 3ch DR. I have been experimenting with it for over a month as far as settings and different tubes. I have it to where I like the amp overall, but there are some aspects I do not like and it is keeping me from loving it and naming it my #1 amp (still lean to my 5150II lead ch). All along I have been contemplating modifying the DR with JerryP. Financially I could do that for less of a total investment than the RK would be. Plus I would have to sell the DR and come up with some cash to get the RK. So there is the situation.

Wondering if anyone with personal experience with both models can compare the high gain channels between the two. Is the RKs ch3 and ch4 pretty much the same as the DRs ch2 and ch3?

 

[Areola]

everything you can get in a Dual Rectifier, you can get in a Road King.

if you've got the money.. my god.. the Road King is the best mass-production amp ever invented.

 

[Red Barchetta]

if you've got the money.. my god.. the Road King is the best mass-production amp ever invented

+1000 on that.


RB

 

[David.W]

The RK can do everything your Dual can do and more, true. It comes down to what your after. I have a Triple and play my buddies RK alot, and I love his amp. Now when I jam my triple is just fine, that 3channel with my gibbo is potent. Anyway my point is and always has been, whats the tool for your job?

If its just a little lead boost your after look at the infamous tubescreamer, or a keeley mod if your snobby like me.

Good luck!

 

[Boogiebabies]

If you can swing an RK II, you will not need any modes. As far as it doing it's recto thing, wait until you hear it with 2 EL34's and 2 6L6's and 4 6L6's and 2 EL34's. It's a beast. It also has the best cleans of any amp I own.



(I did not find the same Mojo in the RKI)

 

[boogieslide]

If you can swing an RK II, you will not need any modes. As far as it doing it's recto thing, wait until you hear it with 2 EL34's and 2 6L6's and 4 6L6's and 2 EL34's. It's a beast. It also has the best cleans of any amp I own.



(I did not find the same Mojo in the RKI)

Yeah unfortunately cash is an issue. My wife and I are expecting our first in January so gear purchases that I need to put additional cash into are not much of an option. I don't really have too much in my arsenal that I am willing to part with or would really yield adequate profit anyhow.

I do like playing blues and funk and my current amps are not too great for that stuff. So the versatility of having some of those tones plus the high gain tones I need for my current band in one amp is certainly attractive.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

 

[Nelg]

IMO if you prefer the 5150 for your distortion tones, i'd suggest the Mark III for an affordable aggressive sound, or the Mark IV. The RoadKing is ultimately going to sound like a rectifier - just different "versions" of rectifiers with all the tweaking you can do to it. I'm not saying the recto can't sound aggressive because it can sound **** mean if you dial it that way, but if you want that raw sound of the 5150, I'd suggest just getting a Mark III or IV, especially if you don't want to spend so much on the RK. Plus, Mark IIIs go for like $700 on ebay.

 

[Boogiebabies]

If you can swing an RK II, you will not need any modes. As far as it doing it's recto thing, wait until you hear it with 2 EL34's and 2 6L6's and 4 6L6's and 2 EL34's. It's a beast. It also has the best cleans of any amp I own.



(I did not find the same Mojo in the RKI)

Yeah unfortunately cash is an issue. My wife and I are expecting our first in January so gear purchases that I need to put additional cash into are not much of an option. I don't really have too much in my arsenal that I am willing to part with or would really yield adequate profit anyhow.

I do like playing blues and funk and my current amps are not too great for that stuff. So the versatility of having some of those tones plus the high gain tones I need for my current band in one amp is certainly attractive.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Children can be expensive, but they are the least expensive in the first year. You need to figure out a way to buy one and justify it as a necessary expense that would benefit the children in the from of future inheritance. Either that, or if your wife notices your new amp you reply with, " What, I've had that old thing for years".


Congrats on the baby. You can forget about playing anymore until your 50.

 

[Nelg]

If you can swing an RK II, you will not need any modes. As far as it doing it's recto thing, wait until you hear it with 2 EL34's and 2 6L6's and 4 6L6's and 2 EL34's. It's a beast. It also has the best cleans of any amp I own.



(I did not find the same Mojo in the RKI)

Yeah unfortunately cash is an issue. My wife and I are expecting our first in January so gear purchases that I need to put additional cash into are not much of an option. I don't really have too much in my arsenal that I am willing to part with or would really yield adequate profit anyhow.

I do like playing blues and funk and my current amps are not too great for that stuff. So the versatility of having some of those tones plus the high gain tones I need for my current band in one amp is certainly attractive.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Congrats on the baby. You can forget about playing anymore until your 50.

Not true. I know people in their early 40s who just started playing again.

 

[Areola]

IMO if you prefer the 5150 for your distortion tones, i'd suggest the Mark III for an affordable aggressive sound, or the Mark IV. The RoadKing is ultimately going to sound like a rectifier - just different "versions" of rectifiers with all the tweaking you can do to it. I'm not saying the recto can't sound aggressive because it can sound **** mean if you dial it that way, but if you want that raw sound of the 5150, I'd suggest just getting a Mark III or IV, especially if you don't want to spend so much on the RK. Plus, Mark IIIs go for like $700 on ebay.

I'd say this suggestion is QUITE legitimate. Just don't forget you can bring any channel of the Recto back to 50watts and it'll bite a fuckload more.

Currently I have done the following:
Ch 1 - Clean - 120watts (4x6L6 2xEL34)
Ch 2 - Dirty as **** rythm - 50 Watts (2x6L6)
Ch 3 - Lead/main - 100watts (4x6L6)
Ch 4 - Marshally - 100 Watts (2x6L6 2xEL34)

All my tones are based around my Channel 3 which is pretty much a Recto version of the Big Muff (Courtesty of Screamingdaisy), they're just slightly adjusted here and there to have a slightly different colour and level of gain. I'm using 4 completely different set-ups which otherwise can only be obtained through using 4 different amps.

I've owned this Road King for about 2 years, and I'm still finding new ways to improve my settings and maximise my amp's potential

I know this doesn't really give you any direct advice, but once you really start to get inside your amp its a dream come true. What made it even harder for me is that the Road King was my first Rectifier AND the first amp I actually bought myself (after the starter amp my parents got me, which I used for years). I also currently own 4 amps, and I'm selling 2 of them because they're absolutely useless to me because of my road king.

 

[boogieslide]

IMO if you prefer the 5150 for your distortion tones, i'd suggest the Mark III for an affordable aggressive sound, or the Mark IV. The RoadKing is ultimately going to sound like a rectifier - just different "versions" of rectifiers with all the tweaking you can do to it. I'm not saying the recto can't sound aggressive because it can sound **** mean if you dial it that way, but if you want that raw sound of the 5150, I'd suggest just getting a Mark III or IV, especially if you don't want to spend so much on the RK. Plus, Mark IIIs go for like $700 on ebay.

I would like to check out a Mark IV. Never tried one.
Let me clarify though. I like the recto tone. I had a Tverb and I loved the Vintage Gain on it. I got the 5150II and had it modified and was using that. I had intentions of selling the Tverb and getting a cheaper back up so I could put the cash into some guitar upgrades and sticking to the 5150, but things didn't work out that way. I had been attracted to the added versatility of the Recto versions with the Solo boost and welcomed a chance to check out a 3ch DR in a trade.
Here are some things I don't like.
1. I want to use the Solo feature, but it requires the loop to be engaged and the loop definitely sucks some tone. After I dropped all new tubes in it got better, but there is still a difference between loop on and not.
2. Clean is not very dynamic. After a JerrP mod my 5150IIs clean is actually a lot nicer.
3. There is a harshness to the high end that is tough to dial out. Back off treble and/or presence too much and it sounds muffled. It is very directional though, meaning you really only get that harshness when you are directly in front of it like 10 to 15ft away. Closer or too the side it is not like that. (As a reference, standing in the same Recto harsh spot the 5150 is bright cuz you are in the treble beam, but it is not as harsh or ear piercing)
4. I am not a metal player so I don't need a super tight fast tracking low end, but sometimes I feel like the lows are not quite tight enough on certain things even w/SS rectifier. The new tubes did help that a lot though.

The tone gripes I have are things I think could be fixed and if they were I would really love this amp. It is close!

 

[Kung-Fool]

Children can be expensive, but they are the least expensive in the first year. You need to figure out a way to buy one and justify it as a necessary expense that would benefit the children in the from of future inheritance. Either that, or if your wife notices your new amp you reply with, " What, I've had that old thing for years".


Congrats on the baby. You can forget about playing anymore until your 50.

Man, tell me about it. I have an 11 week old daughter and I'm lucky if I get to crank up the amps once a week. And thats only when my wife takes the baby out of the house and I get to stay home. I used to crank it up every day!

 

[Boogiebabies]

Children can be expensive, but they are the least expensive in the first year. You need to figure out a way to buy one and justify it as a necessary expense that would benefit the children in the from of future inheritance. Either that, or if your wife notices your new amp you reply with, " What, I've had that old thing for years".


Congrats on the baby. You can forget about playing anymore until your 50.

Man, tell me about it. I have an 11 week old daughter and I'm lucky if I get to crank up the amps once a week. And thats only when my wife takes the baby out of the house and I get to stay home. I used to crank it up every day!

It will be a while. Honestly, I use a MacBook and headphones. All of my gear is for the opening of the new North Carolina Mesa Museum. I am the curator.

 

[psycle_1]

It will be a while. Honestly, I use a MacBook and headphones. All of my gear is for the opening of the new North Carolina Mesa Museum. I am the curator.

I'd love to see this museum, especially seeing as how I'm just a couple of hours away!! :twisted: