Bought the Roadster!!!!

[Monsta-Tone]

I thought about it a lot, and the Roadster is what I want. I've been looking at amps for months now, and everything I looked at (ROV, Tremo, Soldano, Mark IV) had good and bad points. There was always something I thought it was lacking.

I put the Roadster 2x12 combo on layaway today. I'm selling my Heartbreaker, Soldano Hot Rod 100 +, and some vintage Fenders (none that are worth anything) to get it.

Freaking expensive at $2099, but well worth it.


Can't wait!!

 

[Micah]

Swwet man! :wink:

 

[Micah]

Ive got a question for you-- What was it that you were missing from the Soldano?? I wonder about these soldanos and would like another head to sit on top of my Marshall 1960A cab but living in Omaha Nebraska I dont have anywhere to try one.... Its hard to justify all of that money without first trying one out. I do own an M-Audio Black Box that models an SLO 100 and it sounds really sweet but its hard to tell for sure without playing one. What is the Soldano like and what is it missing--I am a fan of simplicity as long as it does what I like. :wink:

 

[jackieTHEjokeman]

I sold my Mark IV for it. Glad I did. The Roadster is the greatest Mesa amp of all time. I think it takes over the Mark IV in terms of versatility. Jazz, Blues, and METAL!!

 

[sunder]

What does the Roadster combo weigh in at?

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Micah,

I have 2 Soldanos. I have the Lucky 13 that has an incredible clean channel. It sounds almost exactly like my Fender Pro Reverb, and it has Reverb.

The Hot Rod 100 can cover any ground from EVH to Warren Haynes (who uses the SLO) to all out Death Metal.

The Clean channel is pretty good too, very articulate.

There is really nothing that I don't like about the Hot Rod 100, other than the shared EQ for both channels. Although, I can dial in really good tones in both channels with the same EQ settings very easily.

I was looking to get a high gain Boogie, and had a few guitars for sale. The owner was looking for a new guitar, he wanted my PRS, but I told him no. He really liked my US Strat Deluxe that was for sale, so we traded. I gave him the Strat and fixed some stuff for him.

In short, I have a great Soldano and would never use this amp. I really liked the Reverb and the Cleans on the Roadster and need something more versatile than the Soldano for possible future gigs. The Lucky 13 is incredibly versatile, as is the Hot Rod 100, but I like bells & whistles.



Jackie,
I used to have a Mark IV and tried one out next to the Roadster. The Mark IV didn't have as nice of a clean sound, and it has to be cranked to get where I want it. For my tonal preferences, it fell very short of where the Roadster was.

It's funny too, I was starting to think that I should get another Mark IV because of it's versatillity, but the Solo feature and separate EQ's for each channel sold me 100%. Plus, I love the Vintage/Spongy/Tube Rectifier settings.




As for weight, I think it's somewhere around 100 pounds. I could still lift it with 1 hand, but it would be a pain in the butt to lug around like that. It has side handles like the Tremoverb combo, and casters so it is really easy to transport.



I can't wait. I just have to sell some stuff on Ebay to raise the rest of the money.

 

[RR]

Cool,

I'm not so keen on "Progressive Link" power configuration (Road King II). I rather have an either / or (either all 6L6s, or either all EL34s) but that just me. Not sure if I'm into mixing power stage tubes. :wink:

But I wish it did not have that funky half and half black diamond plate though.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

It really looks much better in person. If I decide I hate it later, I can just replace it.


I thought it looked like crap on the internet, but when I saw it in the store, I knew it was mine.

 

[Boogiebabies]

 

[Boogiebabies]

Cool,

 

[xscottx9]

have you swapped out the EL34's? Even in the Roadster Manual it says El34 will funk(thin out) up all the tone except for in Brit mode .. with that said, If I run some Ruby's, they have alot more volume and thump ..

I would try a set of Ruby's, or Mullards. I like the JJ 6L6 stuff, but have not been pleased with the EL34. or E34L's JJ has to offer .. more midrangy, and not as full soinding as the other tubes I have tried.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

The SLO and the Hot Rod 100+ are incredible amps. I also didn't mean to imply that they are not versatile. I can dial in any tone I want, but I have to change the knob settings. What I meant was that they don't have the same immediate versatillity as the Roadster appears to.


The Lucky 13 is more incredible to me, to a certain degree. I called Soldano a few years ago when I 1st got it. Bill Sundt told me how to get just as much gain as the SLO. Most Soldano players don't like the Lucky 13 because it doesn't do the Soldano thing right off the shelf, but changine 3 parts and removing 2 will make these amps into monsters. Plus the Reverb and an incredible clean channel (which sounds very much like a cross between a Twin & a Super Reverb). The only thing it's missing is a Loop, Solo, and a switch to change channels without the footswitch.

I will never sell my Lucky 13, but wanted the Mesa High-Gain tone as well. We are building a Music Rm in our house and I will have the luxury of being able to crank things a bit more, as well as having a few amps plugged in & ready to go.