AMP TESTS (Roadster Combo)

[MiSeRY]

In my continuing search for the Holy Grail of guitar sounds, I took a trip last night to the nearest Guitar Center. My friend and I spent the better part of 2 hours A/B 'ing different heads/cabs to see if anything really stood out in the crowd. I'm currently the owner of an early 90's Dual Rec that really hasn't knocked my socks off. I like the sound of the gain, I just hate the cleans and it's too flabby on the bottom end when running the gain high.

The first one we tried was an early 90's Tremoverb through a Marshall 2x12. This one sounded to me much like my Dual Rec with regard to the gain. However the clean channel was no comparison..much nicer than any sound I ever got out of my Rec.

Second, was a new Stiletto. This amp wasn't too bad either, but between the two, I would have taken the Tremoverb hands down.

Third was a VHT Pitbull 50W, that my friend was drooling over. Of all the amps, boutique or not, this was my absolute least favorite. In the gain stages, it had this "hiss" about it. Not like electric noise or 60 cycle hum...it was just ugly gain for lack of a better term.

Fourth, came the Diezel Herbert (which I really didn't want to play, for fear I would never want to turn on my Recto, ever again). This amp is truly nasty and for high gain, modern metal...in a class all its own. To date, I have never heard Drop D power chords hit so rock solid. That being said, I thought the clean channel was absolutely nothing to write home about. This amp seems to me almost more of an Uberschall...a one-trick poney. But make no mistake...it does that one trick AMAZINGLY well. Regardless, the price tag is $4300.00, so forget it.

Last, but certainly not least, we plugged in a Mesa Roadster combo and a Roadster head. Right off the bat, I really didn't dig the Roadster head. Maybe that was because of the Mesa cab it was plugged into, maybe not. I really wasn't feeling it. My assumptions were that the Roadster combo would be similar. So we plugged in the combo and holy ****! This amp seemed to have everything that my Recto was missing. The versatility of this thing is beyond belief. The cleans were absolutely pristine and the amount of combinations/features on this thing are great. I almost walked out with one but the store was closing and I thought that I needed at least one more test with this thing, with MY Les Paul. I plan on going back later this week to see if they'll let me take it in a back room or something and let it rip. If it holds the bottom end, when playing high gain, better than my Recto does...then I'm 100% sold.

Can anyone tell me their experience with this amp? It would seem that this combo alone at 100W would kill. I could only imagine if you plugged up to a Mesa 4x12 Traditional. Any comments or thoughts on the Roadster would be much appreciated, since it looks as of now, that it will be my next purchase.

Thanks!

 

[paytojt]

Man I really want one too. To me, it sounds maybe slightly less heavy than a Dual Solo, but I feel it's still plenty heavy. I also appreciate the versatility that is harder to get out of the Solo. Definitely tighter also.

 

[Jammin J]

Recently I was actually shopping for either a Roadster or a Stilleto combo. I thought the features in the Roadster were absolutely incredible and had my heart set on trying to track one down. Unfortunately, I have to drive 50-100 miles to get to a MB dealer.

So I finally make it up to the closest dealer only to find out that they only have the head versions. I plugged into the Roadster head through a MB 4x12 and spent the next 20 minutes trying to find a reason to spend $2k + on this amp. All in all, I was very un-impressed with it. I did like the Stilleto Duece, but wanted to actually play the Ace combo without being forced to buy one and hope it's what I wanted.

With your report that you liked the Roadster combo better than the head, I'm really disappointed that I did not get a chance to try it out. I just really disliked the head version through the 4x12 and didn't think the combo would be much different.

I later read that the Ace is a lot more harsh sounding than the Duece head, so if I had ordered it from the dealer, I would have been stuck with something that I wasn't happy with.

I praise MB for their build quality and selection of amps, I just wish that the dealers could stock more of a selection. I mean I know they only want to stock what they can move, but with the vast catalog of MB amps in current production, it's actually tough to find what you're looking for unless you want a DR, LS, Stilleto (head).

PS: I did check out another MB dealer over 100 miles away.....still no Roadster combo or Stilleto Ace. I simply can't make a purchase of this magnitude w/o putting some string time on it prior to purchase...

Just my experience...

J

 

[MiSeRY]

Man I really want one too. To me, it sounds maybe slightly less heavy than a Dual Solo, but I feel it's still plenty heavy. I also appreciate the versatility that is harder to get out of the Solo. Definitely tighter also.

Actually, from what I could tell last night...CH4 on the Roadster is just as heavy as my 2Ch Recto but the gain just seemed sooooo much more focused and tight than on my amp. I have to have one!!

 

[MiSeRY]

Recently I was actually shopping for either a Roadster or a Stilleto combo. I thought the features in the Roadster were absolutely incredible and had my heart set on trying to track one down. Unfortunately, I have to drive 50-100 miles to get to a MB dealer.

So I finally make it up to the closest dealer only to find out that they only have the head versions. I plugged into the Roadster head through a MB 4x12 and spent the next 20 minutes trying to find a reason to spend $2k + on this amp. All in all, I was very un-impressed with it. I did like the Stilleto Duece, but wanted to actually play the Ace combo without being forced to buy one and hope it's what I wanted.

With your report that you liked the Roadster combo better than the head, I'm really disappointed that I did not get a chance to try it out. I just really disliked the head version through the 4x12 and didn't think the combo would be much different.

I later read that the Ace is a lot more harsh sounding than the Duece head, so if I had ordered it from the dealer, I would have been stuck with something that I wasn't happy with.

I praise MB for their build quality and selection of amps, I just wish that the dealers could stock more of a selection. I mean I know they only want to stock what they can move, but with the vast catalog of MB amps in current production, it's actually tough to find what you're looking for unless you want a DR, LS, Stilleto (head).

PS: I did check out another MB dealer over 100 miles away.....still no Roadster combo or Stilleto Ace. I simply can't make a purchase of this magnitude w/o putting some string time on it prior to purchase...

Just my experience...

J

Dude, I REALLY didn't like the Roadster head...neither did my friend and he's a total gearhead. I swear, when we turned on that Roadster combo we both just stopped and looked at each other like...****! FYI, my buddy is a devout Mesa user as well. He's been dead set on his MKIV forever. This the first amp that I've seen that's actually made him consider buying something other than a MK. Keep looking to try one out!!

 

[MiSeRY]

bump

 

[tempest1226]

what did those of you like about the roadster combo that you didnt think the head had?

 

[clutch71]

It's always important when looking for boogies that you actually play the amp you plan to purchase because they will sometimes sound slightly different from amp to amp within the same family. You could go to the same shop tomorrow plug into another Roadster head and be totally floored by it.

When I was looking for a Roadster I had played many in the past, some with EL34's and some with 6L6's. When the time came to actually do the deal, I tried one in stock at my local dealer. It just didn't cut it for me and the reverb didn't work. A board member had offered to sell me his Roadster for a very good price and the one in stock even persuaded me away from the private sale.

My advice is when you find one that really jumps out at you and you are looking to buy, grab it. I hope the combo is there next time you go back. It's good that you are taking your time and comparing it against other amps to find what you like, plus it's just plain old fun!

Good Luck!

 

[MiSeRY]

what did those of you like about the roadster combo that you didnt think the head had?

idno. maybe it was just that particular Roadster head, but it just sounded more sterile to me in comparison to the combo. the sound of the combo just jumped out at me for some reason. there was a totally audible difference. now maybe that's because the head was played through a Mesa cab that had C90 speakers in it, whereas the combo has 2x V30's in it?

 

[MiSeRY]

It's always important when looking for boogies that you actually play the amp you plan to purchase because they will sometimes sound slightly different from amp to amp within the same family. You could go to the same shop tomorrow plug into another Roadster head and be totally floored by it.

When I was looking for a Roadster I had played many in the past, some with EL34's and some with 6L6's. When the time came to actually do the deal, I tried one in stock at my local dealer. It just didn't cut it for me and the reverb didn't work. A board member had offered to sell me his Roadster for a very good price and the one in stock even persuaded me away from the private sale.

My advice is when you find one that really jumps out at you and you are looking to buy, grab it. I hope the combo is there next time you go back. It's good that you are taking your time and comparing it against other amps to find what you like, plus it's just plain old fun!

Good Luck!

Thanks man! I'm trying to sell my rig today ....asap! so I can go back and get that combo before it's gone.

 

[barneyc4]

I have a Roadster head and a traditional slanted 4x12. AMAZING.

Can you compare the Roadster to the Hebert please? How close are they?

 

[paytojt]

what did those of you like about the roadster combo that you didnt think the head had?

idno. maybe it was just that particular Roadster head, but it just sounded more sterile to me in comparison to the combo. the sound of the combo just jumped out at me for some reason. there was a totally audible difference. now maybe that's because the head was played through a Mesa cab that had C90 speakers in it, whereas the combo has 2x V30's in it?

Speakers definitely make a world of difference. That has to be the major difference in what you played. Maybe try the head through Vintage 30 loaded closed back cab if possible?

 

[barneyc4]

It's always important when looking for boogies that you actually play the amp you plan to purchase because they will sometimes sound slightly different from amp to amp within the same family. You could go to the same shop tomorrow plug into another Roadster head and be totally floored by it.

When I was looking for a Roadster I had played many in the past, some with EL34's and some with 6L6's. When the time came to actually do the deal, I tried one in stock at my local dealer. It just didn't cut it for me and the reverb didn't work. A board member had offered to sell me his Roadster for a very good price and the one in stock even persuaded me away from the private sale.

My advice is when you find one that really jumps out at you and you are looking to buy, grab it. I hope the combo is there next time you go back. It's good that you are taking your time and comparing it against other amps to find what you like, plus it's just plain old fun!

Good Luck!

hey clutch, the reverb didn't work on the Roadster you tried? I had a Roadster that the reverb just stopped working one day. I couldn't hear it on any channel.

 

[MiSeRY]

I have a Roadster head and a traditional slanted 4x12. AMAZING.

Can you compare the Roadster to the Hebert please? How close are they?

Man, as far as gain goes...honestly, there is no comparison between the two. The Diezel Herbert is so ungodly tight and focused..it's insane. We cranked the **** out of it and no breakup whatsoever. It is definitely THE metal machine. But, for versatility...I would have bought the Roadster hands down. The cleans on the Diezel were sterile to me, like so many of the "boutique" amps that are popular now. Bottom line, if you want to play nu-metal and you have a trust fund or something...buy the Herbert. If you love the ability to literally dial in tons of different sounds (and don't get me wrong...the gain on the Roadster was awesome..super tight) ..then the Roadster is for you.

 

[HalfDeaf]

In my experience, I've found that A/Bing amps at guitar center can be a bit of a crap shoot. Usually, they are connected to different cabinets, and speakers play a big role.

But equally important is the volume issue. Usually, its tough to really crank it at GC. And even if you do, you can't sit there for hours at high volume tweaking with the settings on each amp. So what ends up happening is that you are really comparing the preamp stages of the amps. Moderate-high end amps like Mesa, VHT, Soldano, etc are designed for live volume levels, so that the characteristics of the power amp come into play in the overall sound. The Mark series is the perfect example. Played below 3ish (depending on your preamp settings), the clean channel can sound sterile, and R2 and Lead lack the "mark" swirl. But once you get into live volumes, the power section comes alive and the resulting tone is incredible. To see this, search the forum for mrd's recent high volume markiv R2 demo - it's amazing (and R2 is supposedly the "weak" channel).

 

[2warpd]

Well I see you spent some time at Sam Ash and Guitar Center! I actually played most of those same amps a couple of days ago with exception to the VHT which I owned a few years ago ( loved it but it wasn't getting much use). I currently have the Roadster 2x12 combo but am not really sure if it's for me. I just order the high gain tube kit from Eurotubes to see if that changes anything. Dunno, maybe the Rectifier sound isn't me anymore. I also used to have an early 90's DR and loved it then. Misery, if the tubes don't do it for me I may sell the Roadster so let me know if you decide to purchase. It's less than 6 mos old and would pass for brand new hang tags and all. Plus I'm local to you.

 

[MiSeRY]

Well I see you spent some time at Sam Ash and Guitar Center! I actually played most of those same amps a couple of days ago with exception to the VHT which I owned a few years ago ( loved it but it wasn't getting much use). I currently have the Roadster 2x12 combo but am not really sure if it's for me. I just order the high gain tube kit from Eurotubes to see if that changes anything. Dunno, maybe the Rectifier sound isn't me anymore. I also used to have an early 90's DR and loved it then. Misery, if the tubes don't do it for me I may sell the Roadster so let me know if you decide to purchase. It's less than 6 mos old and would pass for brand new hang tags and all. Plus I'm local to you.

yeah, that would be great...just say the word. I'm actually in the process of trying to sell my early 90's DR and cab now. good luck with the high gain tube kit from Eurotubes. i put it in my Recto and it turned to ****.