rocknroll9225 said:
damn. if you had blindfolded me and told me to guess what i thought hat amp was, i'd probably say marshall or something.
speaking of which, it seems to me that mesa, despite how big of a name they are, are kind of the unsung heroes of guitar amplification. i've heard lots of stories about how so many big names play concerts and tours with dummy marshalls on stage for the rock n' roll look, and then backstage they have hidden boogies that they play through that no one sees - leading a lot of people to believe that many of the classic tones they've heard came from marshall when that may or may not be true. apparently Angus Young even used Boogie poweramps around 1990ish. my whole world felt turned upside-down when i heard that.
i just cant stand hearing people rip mesa apart because all they've heard from them is the 90's dual rectifier sound, so they assume that's all they know how to do.
True points. I don't get how Mesa is ripped on by a lot of guitar players. Their amps nowadays are more versatile than ever. That video goes to show that even some of the inner divisions between Mesa fans really come down to personal tastes. I often will hear things like, "the Roadster is too dark, or the Mark V is too tight, the Stiletto is too bright, this amp is best for this, etc ..." Personally, I've spent a good amount of time with the Roadster and the Mark V and find both amps to be equal in being good tonal options for various musical genres. Back in the day, Mesa made some great high gain amps and clean amps, separately, each serving fewer and more limited purposes (unless of course you were highly original and could cop many desirable sounds from their earlier amp's limited tonal offerings). I really feel that the Lonestar was a turning point for Mesa, and really helped them create amps that are great dirty and clean and everything in between. Listening to Quentin Hope of Andy Timmons is a perfect example of how good their clean tones are nowadays. There is little gain to hide behind -- just pure, good tube tone.
There will always be people who make assumptions about Mesa that are not qualified by real experiences that serve to clutter internet forums and confuse prospective buyers. Case in point, my Roadster took me a LONG time to figure out, learn, and feel comfortable with. That is probably the biggest challenge for newcomers to any of Mesa's offerings. They are complex and dynamic. Most of the good clips online show off the Roadster's high gain capabilities, but rarely the amp's other options so clearly.
In the hands of someone who can actual play, Mesa's in general (and Roadster's in particular) are capable of many great tones. Yes, Roadster's are naturally darker -- but dialed in correctly, they don't have to be. Turn up the treble some, set the presence and gain accordingly, and roll down the volume knob on your guitar a touch and I really feel that any player can get the Roadster to fit appropriately in any mix. To me, its nice to have that type of warmth right off the bat.
Mark V, Roadster, Stiletto, Royal Atlantic, ED -- its all about what inspires you to play and buy one. They are all great, versatile amps, voiced to adhere to the many instinctual leanings that all players have gravitated to. Being a '90s baby, the Recto has always spoke to me in ways other amps don't. The Roadster gives me the flexibility to have the Recto sound, with other sounds that I also have come to desire to a lesser degree.
The best reason to post a video like this one is that the amp's capabilities speak for itself. This is a clear video of the amp, in a mix, playing a variety of different musical styles from different points in history. I've read the pros and cons about the Roadster, with some of the critiques seemingly coming out of "left field" per say. This video, IMO, clearly dispels some of those erroneous judgments. Is the Roadster a great live amp, with versatility to boot? Clearly it is. Is it a substitute for other specialized amps, in terms of studio work and audio recordings? Maybe, but probably not for some players in studios where there is a collection of historically great amps. The question then becomes, what are you going to by using the amp for? Recording or playing out? For the gigging musician, the Roadster is tough to beat.
