Convince me not to!

[sadowsky13]

Thinking about trading my mesa roadster for a Mark IV. have never played a Mark iv but have heard great things about them. How would the two compare! I play in a cover band that does everything from classic rock to 80's metal to modern rock. Will I regret the decision? Do you think a straight trade is fair?

Thanks in advance

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I owned a Mark IV not too long ago. I now have a Roadster.

The Roadster is my perfect amp. With a boost, it does the most aggressive rectifier sound I've heard to date. It is very versatile!

The Mark IV can't do the rectifier. It does, however, have leads to die for.

It really depends on what you need. If I were a lead guitarist, Steve Vai, esque of something, I would only play a Mark IV. I'm mainly a rhythm player, and the added versatility is a plus for me.

I'd like to own a Mark IV again in the future. BUT, if I could only have one amp, it would be the Roadster.

 

[sadowsky13]

So your saying the lead tone of the Mark iv is nicer than the roadster. IN what ways? sorry for all the questions but this is of particular interest to me because I love the roadster rythym but want a better lead tone.

Thanks for the input!

 

[scottieL]

+1 on the leads being godly. I agree that R2 needs some work but a good OD will straiten that out Quick. Contrary to what some say, the IV has amazing cleans (infinite headroom that can be dialed in to break up at ANY volume). a word of warning that it is a bit tough to dial in but sings once you get it there. Not sure about a strait trade between the two though. You might want to get at least a few hundred more out of it or some other gear to sweeten the deal at his end because roadsters generally fetch more $$$.

 

[colemaneuclid]

don't do it!




not really convincing huh?? :lol:

 

[Elixir]

I owned a very clean Mark IV a few months ago, I sold it for my Roadster. You can get a Mark IV for around 1k right now (maybe even less) a Roadster usually goes for 1300-1600 depending on how new it is.

Also, a Roadster can get close to a Mark IV sound but a Mark IV can not get close to a Rectifier sound.

 

[Melodyman]

I owned a Mark IV for 9 years and sold it in February and got a Roadster. I used to play Rectifiers awhile back and it was like coming home.

Mark IV is a great amp, these days I like a little more spread in my sound and don't need the extra focus of the IV currently.

 

[colemaneuclid]

Honestly for a cover band situation I'd think the roadster would be the better amp. It's more versatile for the application where you'd be using it. Yes the lead tones of the mark amps are better but unless you solo all day, the roadster can cover all the tones you need. That and if dialed in correctly, in a bar with a full band and people I really don't think the crowd would notice a difference in your lead tone.

 

[LithiumZero]

I went from a Mark IV to a Roadster and am much happier with the Roadster FWIW. Don't do it mang!

 

[pokerrules47]

I concur on the concept that the roadster is better for cover bands. I can get 4 distinct tones out of it without having to mess around with stuff too much. I play everything from metallica to the beatles on it and impress the **** out of everyone that hears it.

The mark iv can get a wide variety of tones, however, you are somewhat limited on stage as these tones aren't always foot-switchable. I also agree that the IV is more of a "lead player's" amp. Although you can get great rhythm tones out of it, it's more geared towards singing leads.

I would personally NOT sell my roadster to get a mark IV. I would own both tho. I also think that roadsters are worth quite a bit more than mark iv's

 

[Rydock]

What Roadster settings are you guys using to get a Mark-ish kind of lead tone?

 

[primal]

I own a Road King 1 and a Mark IV.

The Road King has the same preamp sections as the Roadster for Channels 3 and 4.
The Roadster has Better preamp sections for channels 1 and 2. The Roadster reverb is better as well.

So from a clean channel persective, the Roadster is much better then the Road King 1, which makes the clean channel comparison between the Mark IV and roadster even easier since the RoadKing 1 has better cleans then the Mark IV

Mark IV has a very good and usable clean channel, but the Road King clean channel is noticably better. Given that the Roadster has an even better clean channel and better reverb then my version of Road King, I can only say there would be a big drop off in the clean channel! Very big!

Leads on the dirt channels. Here again the two amps are not comparable. Mark IV is better. Not really close. Mark IV is much smoother, better sustain, more natural compression.

The Mark IV is to midrange as that the Rectos are to low end. I think this really assists the Mark IV in sounding great for leads as the notes sounds much fuller to my ear.

Mark IV is a very tight amp. Really does well with the muted palm stuff. You just need to keep the bass on the lead channel at 4 or below. If you think there is not enough low end, just add it back with the built in EQ.

But it won't ever get as much low end as the Roadster. You will miss that Recto Growl and wall of distortion.

If you are looking for the drop C chugga chugga type stuff and want amazing cleans, it's the Roadster by a mile.

If you are looking more for shredder type leads and reall tight response and can live with a good sounding clean channel, it is the Mark IV.

The Mark IV can really get a good range of tones, but as another poster points out, unlike the Roadster, they may not all be available at the click of a footswitch.

While the Roadster is versatile, it is a Recto, and will always sound like a Recto. To most of us here, that is a good thing. But you already own it and already know this.

And going from 4 independant channels to really 2 and a half independant channels because of the shared partial controls between R1 and R1.

Check out a couple of my favorite Mark IV youtubes
On the lighter side, with a Strat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Cgem1m94k

Some guy doing his own version of Master of Puppets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpWULOhw5lo

Regarding Price, here is what I got from Ebays completed listings

Mark IV heads that sold, average price was 1490. If I throw out the highest (1700$ for one with blond tolex) and the lowest (1000$ for a rackmount Mark IV), it is about 1580$

The Mark IV combos went for much less, the two that sold averaged about 1100.

The Roadster, only saw one sold and it went for 1700.

I think you could pull some extra cash in.

The thing is these are two very different amps.

I love my Mark IV. It is amazing.

But if I already owned a Roadster, I don't think I would give it up for a Mark IV. I would just save my *** off!

 

[sadowsky13]

Thanks to all who posted so far, primal that was very informative thanks! Still thinking about it. Had a guy offer me a VHT pittbull classic 100watt combo so far but not convinced I want to go that way yet as I have never played a VHT and really like mesa. Sounds like the lead channel on the Mark IV is exactly what I am looking for. As for the roadster I love the sounds from it but find it can be heavy on the low end. I find it can turn to mush sometimes and I dial in more treble mids.