Edited: Getting an Express 5:50 2x12 combo

[MrMason]

Hey everyone, how's it going? I'm pretty much a die-hard Carvinite, have 3 "custom" guitars that I love, a Legacy, and a V3. I like the V3, but the more I play the Legacy compared to it, the more I realize I want something different. So I'm gonna sell my V3 head (already have a buyer, just waiting until I save some cash).
I'm seriously thinking about the Road King 2, although it's very much out of my budget, you have to go for what you want. I like the fact that I can get the EL34 and 6L6 combination independent for each channel. I have a 4x12 loaded with the old Carvin BR12s (they're made by Eminence), and I have a 2x12 Legacy cab with one Celstion Vin30 and one Black Shadow. I'm THINKING these too cabs might be enough for getting pretty versatile sounds out of the RKII, but we'll see (if I'm ever able to afford it hahaha).
I've only been able to play the amp for a few minutes, so I'm not sure how it sounds yet really, was hoping to hear from people here to see what kinds of sounds they get from it.
Any thoughts? Suggestions? Good stories?

 

[fatoni]

the mixing of tubes is "neat" but for me its not vital (for me) and it is costly. you should check out the roadster. i love that amp. another amp to check out is the mark iv. those are both versatile amps with different voicings so play both and see what you like

 

[MrMason]

the mixing of tubes is "neat" but for me its not vital (for me) and it is costly. you should check out the roadster. i love that amp. another amp to check out is the mark iv. those are both versatile amps with different voicings so play both and see what you like

Thanks for the advice. I DO notice a difference between 6L6s and EL34s, and there are some things I like from each, which is what got me thinking about the Road King 2, also the ability to have different cabs for each channel.
I've heard that the Mark IV has one of the best lead sounds ever, which is great because I play lead a lot, but not sure it has the flexibility I want to be able to switch between warm clean, to spanky clean, heavy chunk, to smooth but articulate lead; in a single amp. I'll try them out if I ever find one in a store..they don't seem to come to stores here often.

 

[MrMason]

Also, how much sustain and how articulate are each of those amps lead tone?

 

[sixtonoize]

Here's some advice that's I wish someone would've shared with me when I got my first Mesa. It's called the Mesa 12-Step Program.

1: Get new Mesa. Feel excited because you have your first "real" amp

2: Dial in all of the same settings that you use for your other amps, and think it sounds awesome.

3: Realize that it sounds lame.

4: Hate your tone, and think "Mesa must not be for me"

5: Tweak he amp for a while, convinced that "Mesa are tweaker amps, whatever the hell THAT means"

6: Think about selling or try to sell your amp.

7: Try messing around with ridiculous settings. After all, the amp sucks, so you've got nothing to lose.

8: Find one halfway decent setting, that would sound like garbage on any other type of amp.

9: Find one AMAZING setting.

10: Find LOTS MORE amazing settings, and a few that you absolutely can't live without.

11: Impress others with your awesome tone.

12: Realize that "Mesas are tweaker amps (whatever the hell that means)", and that you probably would've regretted selling this amp for the rest of your life.

(Optional) 13: Link 2 mesas together for a stereo wall of sheer awesomeness.

Now, the most important step is #6. You've got to be aware of it, and do whatever you can to NOT sell your amp, even if it takes 6 months for you to "get" it. Nobody told me about the cycle, and it's pretty common. I almost sold my F-100 a while ago, and then I found my one amazing tone, and now I'm NEVER selling my F-100. It takes time, and you've got to try settings that would sound horribly bad through any other amp. Mesa amps can be SUPER versatile, but the down side is that you'll find a hundred tones that you're just not into before you find one that you can't live without.

 

[MrMason]

Now, the most important step is #6. You've got to be aware of it, and do whatever you can to NOT sell your amp, even if it takes 6 months for you to "get" it. Nobody told me about the cycle, and it's pretty common. I almost sold my F-100 a while ago, and then I found my one amazing tone, and now I'm NEVER selling my F-100. It takes time, and you've got to try settings that would sound horribly bad through any other amp. Mesa amps can be SUPER versatile, but the down side is that you'll find a hundred tones that you're just not into before you find one that you can't live without.

There's no need to worry about that, the Legacy taught me to dial in TONES and not just EQ SETTINGS. :lol:

 

[dogbone94]

get a boogie... tverb infact.....

 

[newfinator]

I also have a Legacy which I love and as a result I just can't seem to live without some decent mids.... so I ordered a Mark IV.

 

[mechanic]

Here's some advice that's I wish someone would've shared with me when I got my first Mesa. It's called the Mesa 12-Step Program.

1: Get new Mesa. Feel excited because you have your first "real" amp

2: Dial in all of the same settings that you use for your other amps, and think it sounds awesome.

3: Realize that it sounds lame.

4: Hate your tone, and think "Mesa must not be for me"

5: Tweak he amp for a while, convinced that "Mesa are tweaker amps, whatever the hell THAT means"

6: Think about selling or try to sell your amp.

7: Try messing around with ridiculous settings. After all, the amp sucks, so you've got nothing to lose.

8: Find one halfway decent setting, that would sound like garbage on any other type of amp.

9: Find one AMAZING setting.

10: Find LOTS MORE amazing settings, and a few that you absolutely can't live without.

11: Impress others with your awesome tone.

12: Realize that "Mesas are tweaker amps (whatever the hell that means)", and that you probably would've regretted selling this amp for the rest of your life.

LMFARO. That is hilarious, because I've been through each one of those phases over the past 8+ years with my DR (R12489). I had to custom order it, and HATED it the first time I played it. Then, over the years, tried a ton of processors, cabs, etc. until I FINALLY read the section in the manual dealing with the tonal 'sweet spots'. That made a world of difference, because I was using the Bass 7, Mid 1, Treble 10 settings. But it was still lacking something... I ended up with a GB2x12 cab (great cab, IMHO), a BBE sonic maximizer (does wonders for my Red channel, which has a very thin and wide sound) and, most importantly, a Maxon OD-808. Now I simply love my tone, on both channels. I especially love the tightness the Maxon provides at higher gain settings when chugging on the low B string.

On a side note, the day I ordered my DR the sales guy phoned me and offered a new rack version of the head for the same cost and I TURNED IT DOWN. Mostly because the guy told ne the rack case for it was $600. Now I know I didn't even need a case, and could get one for a lot less if I did want one down the road... Oh well, I love my DR anyway (well, now I do).

--x

 

[Elpelotero]

Mine included a few more steps after the first Mesa.

Buy a "vintage" Mesa.

Realize it slays.

Buy another "vintage" Mesa.

Realize it slays.

Buy another "vintage" Mesa.

Realize it slays.

Sell first Mesa b/c others slay more.

 

[wildrat666]

ive would gladly buy a road king. got a Roadster and i love that amp. Ive been through the fase everybody talking about sold my DR and messed around with other brands, i´m back with a Roadster and a Rectoverb head, I love them!!!!

 

[NDRU]

haha I'm at step 8, I think

 

[tunedown]

I'm on Step 7.

 

[MrMason]

I'm getting the impression that people don't think really care for the Road King 2. I definitely want a great lead amp, but I was hoping the RKII would be the answer because I like to be able to switch from slightly distorted clean/blues to lead, to rhythm all within the same amp. Is the RKII's lead sound really that bad that getting a Mark IV would be worth the sacrifice of versatility?

 

[MetalMatt]

Im on Step 13 8)

The RKII is a wonderful piece of gear. Going from clean, to dirty clean, to lead, to rhythm the RK does that beautifully.

Getting a good lead tone out of a RK takes some time and a pedal or two, but it can be done. It's not as smooth as a Mark, but the amp can hold it's own. Is the RK an articulate amp? Yes and no. It all depends on how much gain you use.

Here is a good example of what a Recto can pull off.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=21626

IMO Road King and Roadsters are smoother and tighter amps than the 3ch Rectos.

 

[MrMason]

Ok...spent the weekend going to guitar stores trying out amps.

Mesa Lonestar: Awesome cleans, and great low-mid gain breakup, but didn't like the lead tone.

Mesa Lonestar special: Same as Lonestar, but I think this one sounds a lot sweeter.

Egnator TourMaster: 4 channels, again with great cleans and low-mid gain breakup. Awesome amp...not NEARLY enough gain available though for a lead sound.
Edit: The youtube clip circulating seems to have enough gain for lead, but for some reason I was unable to get more than slight crunch. I played with the settings for a long time, just didn't seem to be there. Maybe I was doing something wrong?

Randall LynchBox: It only had Georges' modules in it, they all sounded good though. The leads were "tear your face off" with a lot of harmonic character. I imagine the modules would make this a very versatile amp, although I'm not sure it really hits the nail on the head. I also didn't get the impression that it would hold up very well after time.

Mesa Roadster: This is the one I was most eager to play. I messed with it for about 45 minutes, tweaking knobs looking for my tone. The cleans and broken cleans were really good...although I'll go ahead and say that they DON'T sound as good as Lonestar cleans; comparing Class A/B 6L6s to Class A EL84s here. I could tell that there was a lot of gain available and good tone on the dirty channels...but I didn't feel the "mojo" there like I get from the Legacy. Good sounds, just didn't respond to my picking the way I would've liked. Still an option, but not really sure at this point.

Here's the kicker:

Mesa Express 5:50 : I really like this amp! I didn't get the lead sound from this amp either, but it DID have some mojo to it from what I could tell; with a good overdrive I think I might be able to do it. I wish it were a 3 channel, so I could get cleans and bluesy cleans, but rolling off on the volume seemed to work well. And I loved it switched to 5 watts. I don't think this amp is a true Class A, but it sure sounded like it! I preferred the 2x12 version to the 1x12, which is shocking that the 2x12 didn't make the bass overwhelming on the blues channel as was the case with the Lonestar.

Express 5:50, although a far cry from what I was originally looking at with the Road King 2, seems like it could be the one. I was never really looking for the recto heavy stuff, just a good lead tone (it'll still need some help I think) I'm hoping to crank this amp the next time I go in to see if maybe that will unleash the beast I'm looking for. Anyone have any experience with this amp?

 

[MrMason]

I pulled the trigger, went to GC today and ordered an Express 5:50 2x12 combo. Now the wait. :? Here's what I ordered in a 1x10: http://mesaboogie.com/gallery/gallery.php?id=527

 

[GLiDE]

Go ahead, bro' ... take that wallet hit like some of us did and go Road King II, baby!!! Someone would have to shoot me dead and pry my cold dead fingers off of the handle to get my Road King II !!!

aCk!!! Thfpppttt!!! :shock:

 

[ollievk]

hahahaha those stages are SO true. I went through every stage with my Triple Rec, and within three weeks of fuking around with it for ages, looking on ebay for new amps, i dialed in such a sweet tone. Patience is the key!

 

[MrMason]

The wait is excruciating! :? It hasn't even been a month, and I was quoted 6-8 weeks. I'm jonesing for this amp bad Part of me wishes I had gotten a floor model, but the sensible part of me didn't want to buy an amp that has been trashed by teenagers from GC. :lol: