Anyone use the Brit mode on your Roadster???

[G.I.G.]

....and if so, what settings do you use? I know that Brit mode is more effective on the Road King II with the EL34's, but there has to be a useful situation for the Brit mode on the Roadster.

Right now I've been using the Brit mode as kind of a low-gain setting. I play in a cover band and I play channel 2 in the Brit mode a couple times per night on certain parts of songs, but I'd like to be able to use that channel for stuff like AC/DC, KISS, etc. where you need that "brown sound" without the face-melting gain of channels 3 and 4.

Is anyone using this mode on their Roadster? If you do, what settings are you using?

 

[SonicShredder]

I don't use it. I find it sounds way too tinny, no matter what I do. I usually don't use channel 2 at all, but when I do, I use it as my pristine clean tone, and use Channel 1's Tweed setting.

 

[G.I.G.]

I've noticed that it sounds a little thin as well. That's odd to me since you'd think the 6L6's would fatten up any "Brit" sound to start with. I've been using channel 1 in "fat" mode but I do like the "tweed" mode quite a bit.

 

[jamme61]

I had the same problem, I wanted to do what your saying, and in the end I brought back the roadster and got a stiletto. I think you might have to use an over drive pedal on the twang or even the brit mode(low gain) to get what you want. between the brit mode not working for me, and 3 and 4 being overkill for my needs, made me bring back the amp. I have posted about the new amp that I would love to see from mesa which would be part roadster and part Stiletto.

 

[G.I.G.]

I have posted about the new amp that I would love to see from mesa which would be part roadster and part Stiletto.

I think they call that the Road King. :wink:

I love the recto tones and I love the versatility of the Roadster. I understand that I'm not going to get Stiletto tones from my Roadster. I just wish the Brit mode was a little more usable.

 

[xscottx9]

I had a hard time with the British channel too .. until I bought the new Marshall "Vintage Modern" .. then I realized, the RK/Roadster British channel is copping that old school marshall sound. The RK II British channel sounds scary like the Vintage Modern .. this is the Vintage Modern in "low dynamic" setting, the non boosted stage ..

anyways .. I have an OCD, and playing it in front of both amps, I can pretty much cop the new Marshall with my RK II .. The OCD really beefs up the channel, and adds a touch of sizzle, ..set it up as a boost.

I was so used to the more modern sounding JCM2000 crunch modes, I was comparing my RK II British channel with the wrong sound .. its marshall, its just not a JCM2000 marshall, which the crunch mode on that beast is a cleaned up, non woofy, sweet low gain crunch.

 

[jamme61]

yea I thought a pedal would do it. Also EL34's in the roadking do not help it cop the Marshall tone IMHO. I had my freinds roadking to use before I got my roadster and it still wasn't there IMHO. Most of the tone is coming from the preamp on the Mesa's. Even with my old DSL and JVM, a lot of the tone is in the preamp, now if we are talking about my Plexi or even my Marshall 18 watter then it's the power tubes doing a lot. I'm not saying that the el34's don't add some marshall to the RK, I just think it's not much and most of it is in the preamp. after buying the stiletto I think Mesa can do better on the brit mode on the Roadster.

 

[MusicManJP6]

I use it as my pristine clean tone, and use Channel 1's Tweed setting.

That's what I do as well. The brit mode doesn't do much for me...

 

[jamme61]

Tweed was my fave setting.

 

[alex1fly]

I started a Brit mode praise thread a while back. I did some searches but can't find it; if there's a way to find all posts or threads by me then you may find some inspiration in the thread. I got some good tones from it by turning the treble way down (9:30 or so) boosting the mids and bass to thicken it up, and cranking the gain. Tube rectifier too.

 

[123thefirst]

Brit mode works much, much better through an open back cabinet, especially one with a C90. V30's accentuate the peaky, glassiness of that mode too much IMO. Also the mode seems meant to be used with rolled back tone and volume controls.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Too temperamental IMO...

 

[Fixxer6671]

Brit mode works well with a nice Overdrive pedal. to use on its own, it can be harsh emaning you REALLY need to dial it in. Play with the mids, and treble knobs they work really well.

Also, hard bypass the loop and get you MESA on. you don't really need the loop active, you will get more out the amp in general.

I had it set on Brit setting, but I am now a convert of tweed for CH1, and CLEAN for CH II.

I knick named my head Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde......

It goes from one end of the spectrum to the other.

channel III is now on Moder as is channel 4. Voiced differently and freaking devistating.......

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

 

[G.I.G.]

Well, I tweaked the Brit mode on my Roadster last night and I'm getting a lot closer to where I want to be with this mode. I actually went back to the manual and used their sample settings (titled "Brit Grind") and adjusted a little from there. The big difference came from switching back to 50-watts instead of 100-watts that I was running before. It added a little more girth IMO. Here are my settings now...

Channel 2 Brit mode, tube rectifier, 50-watts, a splash of reverb.
Master: 10-11:00
Presence: 11:00
Bass: 1:00
Mid: 12:30
Treble: 12:00
Gain: 3:30

I think "Brit" is a very general term and what you think of it depends on what kind of sound you're looking to get out it. I'm looking for a rhythm crunch that sounds equally as good with chords or single pick attacks. I switch to channel 3 in Vintage mode for solos. The gain setting I'm using on channel 2 seems a bit extreme but I wasn't getting the break-up I wanted with anything less than that. The settings I'm using now seem to work well for AC/DC like rhythm tones (although not spot-on as you could imagine).

 

[MetalMatt]

Brit mode to me always seems like it almost get's
there, but falls short an dies. In my opinion you really have to turn up to make it shine, and thats going into crazy territory. So I just keep my boost on brit, works great. I have to agree with 123, an open back helps.

Alex is this the thread?
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=16343&highlight=

 

[jamme61]

Brit mode to me always seems like it almost get's
there, but falls short an dies. In my opinion you really have to turn up to make it shine, and thats going into crazy territory. So I just keep my boost on brit, works great. I have to agree with 123, an open back helps.

Alex is this the thread?
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=16343&highlight=

This is the thread IMHO and it's embarrassing to see me going on about how great things are on the roadster(I think I had it for a couple of days at that point). This should be a lesson to me about reading this stuff, it's fun but no way you can use this stuff to really know the amp. It takes going out, buying it, and bringing it home, taking it to the gig ETC. to really find out if the amp is for you IMHO.

 

[alex1fly]

I started a Brit mode praise thread a while back. I did some searches but can't find it; if there's a way to find all posts or threads by me then you may find some inspiration in the thread. I got some good tones from it by turning the treble way down (9:30 or so) boosting the mids and bass to thicken it up, and cranking the gain. Tube rectifier too.

Found it!

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=16343&highlight=spongy

 

[domct203]

The more I experiment with the Brit mode the more I like it actually. It's a mode that really needs to be pushed out front like the Raw modes. I keep the Bass ~ 11:00, Mids @1:00-2:00, Treble ~ 1:00 and the Gain ~ 2:00. Pushed with a TS-9 & Active P'ups I can get some good AC/DC-ish tones with a nice added "richness" I really like.

Dom

 

[lockbody]

As soon as I stopped trying to make ch 2 sound "British" in the Roadster I used to own I really started to enjoy it more.

 

[CudBucket]

Interesting thread since last night I played with the Brit mode on my RKII and thought... Why would I want this tone?

I then pulled out the manual and realized, at least in my opinion, that most people are mis-interpreting this mode. I don't think it's supposed to be a Marshall type tone. Certainly not a Stiletto channel/mode. The manual says it's modeled after the "great sounding amps of the 50's and 60's that were built in Great Britain". That doesn't say Marshall to me. That says Vox. So if you're looking for Kiss, AC/DC or VH, I don't think you're really getting it. I certainly don't hear that potential in this mode.

Think about it: How could a clean channel have a mode that's going to get that type of crunch. Sure they're not really high gain tones, but they are certainly mid-gain and more.

I think it's a bit tinny sounding and better suited for a clean tone or something that's just approaching break up. But not the tone you hear on "Back In Black", "Destroyer" or "Van Halen".

Just my opinion so what do I know?

Dave