Back to Mesa: Recommendations for 2x12 Cab and Overdrive?

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys,

Been a while, but I'm finally back to Mesa. During my 'metal band years', I rocked a bunch of Mesa amps, and frequented these forums quite often. However, transitioning into undergraduate+grad school, followed by the beginning of getting a 'real job', I decided it was more practical to go digital, so I rocked an Axe FX for quite a few years.

Things have finally settled, so I decided it was time to come back to Mesa with a Roadster. It was always one of my favorite amps, and I'm really excited for the full 'playing experience' of a tube amp again.

Anyway, while I purchased the head, I'm in need of a speaker cabinet and an overdrive pedal or two. I am an 'at home' player only, so I believe a 2x12 will be best for me to keep volume levels more controllable. I'm a modern rock/progressive metal type player, so I'm looking for good high gain tones, with enough versatility for cleans, mid gain rhythm, high gain lead, and mid gain lead.

- Which Mesa 2x12 cabinet would you recommend for the Roadster? I have access to the Recto Standard, Roadster, or Road King cabinets…any experience with these? When I ran 4x12s in my band, I seemed to prefer the response of the traditional as opposed to the oversized. Would the Roadster cab transport these characteristics to a 2x12 without much loss?

- What are the current favorites for overdrives to push the front end of the amp? I'd like an overdrive for boosting of aggressive rhythm tones, and an overdrive for boost lead tones/smoother tones. In the past, I had good experience with the Maxon OD808 for the rhythm application, but I've seen many new such pedals released since. Is the Maxon still the favorite? Other options? I figure for the lead tones, the BB Preamp is the way to go. Is that pedal versatile enough to take both roles?

Appreciate the input!

Eric

 

[zerofivefour]

FWIW,

I have never played a roadster. I have used 2 channel rectos for years. With that said, I would suggest trying out either a mesa recto 2x12 or perhaps even a mesa traditonal 4x12. I've used both cabs a well as the standard recto cab with a rev f. dual and rev f. triple with great results. I also use both with my CAE 3+SE rack rig in stereo. The mesa voiced V-30s are my favorite speakers for rectos.

I used a standard recto cabinet for years with a triple, however for at home use it would not be my recommendation. It is a great cabinet for festival levels paired with a recto but for at home levels it would not 'open up' enough, (wouldn't open up at all really), to warrant its use to reap the benefits of its design. The same could be said for the traditional with regard to levels however it is a tighter sounding cabinet and I find it is better suited, albeit not designed for bedroom levels. Of the two 4x12s it would be my choice for bedroom levels. If you don't plan on ever running it loud the recto 2x12 will push more than enough for you and will sound amazing, punchy, and tight. The 4x12 will sound a bit more, 'alive', more 3d and less boxy, although the recto 2x12 really does sound great and is more than enough for the job imho.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I appreciate the info…I ended up locking in a traditional 4x12 today, and I'm REALLY excited for it.

I'd still love some input on overdrives if anyone cares to share.

Thanks,

Eric

 

[discordance_axis]

Pedal-wise, I sometimes use a BB Preamp and RC Booster in front of My Road King. I have a TS808HW on order so i'll be able to comment on that once it arrives but for now:

The BB is a very nice pedal, very transparent so it won't colour the tone of your Roadster rather than, lets say a tube screamer that is well known for the mid hump that it adds. It is a very warm sounding pedal but along with the modern / vintage modes of the Roadster things can get really aggressive.

I'd definitely recommend a BB. I'd suggest getting just the BB and trying it to see if it suits you for all the different applications you mentioned and only then moving on to more things once you know because it should definitely suit you for atleast a lead boost.

Other contenders that I've heard a lot about that may suit you are the Fulltone OCD and the Suhr Riot. The Riot recently had a re-released version with even more gain on tap (not that it was needed imo). Come to think of it, I think the BB-Preamp also has a re-release with different compression options available aswell.

 

[YellowJacket]

'At home only' player and you have a roadster!!?? HAHAHA!! :lol: :mrgreen:

I'd recommend the RA 27" 1 x 12 extension cab. I find for at home use, speaker excursion is the single most limiting factor on low volume tone so running only 1 speaker will get you the most 'open' sound at the lowest volume. In my experience, 4 x 12s are best suited for shows, especially ones where the PA is insufficient. A 2 x 12 is a good middle ground but I think a perfectly ideal situation would be to have a killer 1 x 12 for jamming and a 4 x 12 for gigging. Anyway, your call. I'm just adding this option into the mix since it has worked exceptionally well for me thus far.

My only qualm is this: The c90 in the 1 x 12 sounds great live but if you intend on doing a lot of recording, it is not ideal with a recto. I've gotten some fantastic tones from it but it just doesn't have that v30 tone.

 

[discordance_axis]

'At home only' player and you have a roadster!!?? HAHAHA!! :lol: :mrgreen:

I'd recommend the RA 27" 1 x 12 extension cab. I find for at home use, speaker excursion is the single most limiting factor on low volume tone so running only 1 speaker will get you the most 'open' sound at the lowest volume. In my experience, 4 x 12s are best suited for shows, especially ones where the PA is insufficient. A 2 x 12 is a good middle ground but I think a perfectly ideal situation would be to have a killer 1 x 12 for jamming and a 4 x 12 for gigging. Anyway, your call. I'm just adding this option into the mix since it has worked exceptionally well for me thus far.

My only qualm is this: The c90 in the 1 x 12 sounds great live but if you intend on doing a lot of recording, it is not ideal with a recto. I've gotten some fantastic tones from it but it just doesn't have that v30 tone.

He already bought a 4x12 but I was going to say that personally I like to sit down in front of my amp when I play at home and sitting in front of a 4x12 is just too harsh. The frequencies going into my ear are just nasty, sitting above the speaker as opposed to your ear parallel to the speaker will sound much better. For me atleast!

 

[YellowJacket]

Poor guy won't be able to hear in a few weeks!!!

 

[ryjan]

Poor guy won't be able to hear in a few weeks!!!

My "Basement" rig is a Roadster halfstack too. :lol:
It was awesome in a band but now that I'm on my own it is a bit of overkill. I'll either get a cab clone or one of them new Mini Marks.

 

[YellowJacket]

I keep saying, the biggest problem with bedroom tones is speaker excursion. For me, a properly awesome 1 x 12 was the best solution to solve that.

 

[cyber104]

I too highly recommend the RA "Wide" 1x12. I took the advice of YellowJacket about 2 years ago and now have 2 of them. They are awesome for almost any venue and sound guys love to see them. As a sound guy and a player I know what I think when someone rolls a Triple and a 4x12 cab onto the stage of a club that seats 50 people :roll:

 

[Nick Lehman]

I know you guys will probably hate me for this but......

I gotta say that the Orange 2x12's sound alot better than the Mesa 2x12's. IMO

And yes I have had both in front of me @ the same time and A/B'd them.

The Orange has sooo much more low end, the Mesa just sounded like straight midrange, I was shocked to be honest.

I REALLY wanted to like the Mesa more but I just couldn't do it.

I used to rock my buddies Mesa 4x12 @gigs and I remember it was way better than the Marshall I had at the time, but do't really remember much from back then.

That's what malted hops and bong resin do to you.....

 

[YellowJacket]

I too highly recommend the RA "Wide" 1x12. I took the advice of YellowJacket about 2 years ago and now have 2 of them. They are awesome for almost any venue and sound guys love to see them. As a sound guy and a player I know what I think when someone rolls a Triple and a 4x12 cab onto the stage of a club that seats 50 people :roll:

Yup, that cab is absolutely killer.

I know you guys will probably hate me for this but......

I gotta say that the Orange 2x12's sound alot better than the Mesa 2x12's. IMO

And yes I have had both in front of me @ the same time and A/B'd them.

The Orange has sooo much more low end, the Mesa just sounded like straight midrange, I was shocked to be honest.

I REALLY wanted to like the Mesa more but I just couldn't do it.

I used to rock my buddies Mesa 4x12 @gigs and I remember it was way better than the Marshall I had at the time, but do't really remember much from back then.

That's what malted hops and bong resin do to you.....

Orange cabs definitely have a different voice. The v30s are voice differently with more highs and a less smooth top end and the cabs in general have more presence about them. I think they sound incredibly fizzy and don't blend well with Mesa amps but it's simply a question of what one wants to hear tonally.
I'd second this recommendation by suggesting everyone tries as many different cabs as possible. You may be surprised by what you like!

 

[Silverwulf]

I have four 4X12 cabs in my basement... 8)

That being said, the Maxon OD808 is still my OD of choice with Rectos. I've tried everything under the sun for 10 years, but it's never left my board...and I've had everything you can imagine. I still love other ODs I have - like the Analogman King of Tone and Fulltone OCD - but I find them too bass heavy trying to boost a Recto for heavier rhythms.

 

[Eevil]

Well... I've been using voodoo lab sparkle drive for a long time with different rigs. Personally I like the idea of blending a clean signal into mix or using the same pedal as clean boost.. blending the clean with od gives more pick attack when using as a lead boost