Help Me Pick an Amp!

[Jedro]

I figured who better to ask.

I'm amp-less right now but firmly in the market for a new amp. For the most part, Boogies have been my choice - I've owned a couple of 50 caliburs, one with el84s, so you know that goes back a while. Also, for years I was a Triaxis/395 guy. And I've owned both Subway amps and had a short but failed stint with a Stiletto Trident. Unfortunately some bad choices on my part and a high maintenance girlfriend left me with just a Subway rocket, which I recently sold to make room for a bigger, more versatile amp.

Enough about me.....

Well, here's more about me...

I mostly play at home, though I do get up with friends from time to time. Haven't played out for years, but I have hope to do it again someday.

My guitars are early-mid 80's Zion Turbo strats with Hum-Sing-Sing pickups. My main guitar has relatively high output Bare Knuckle pickups with a coil tap on the 'bucker. My "backup" has Duncan PAF and vintage strat replacements.

Tones i generally go for:

Clean: I love pristine, slinky Fender-y tones. 6l6s or El84s do it for me. Add a little gain for some Stones/Black Crowes rhythms.

Crunch: Pretty much old school here. AC/DC, early Van Halen, Randy/Jake era Ozzy, Scorps, Priest, old Squier. Am I the only one who thinks the early Billy Squier albums had just the greatest rhythm sound? Probably.

Lead: I want a big, sustained, singing tone ala Steve Lukather/Dann Huff. But I like to back off the gain and get more of an open, airy tone too. I really love Robben Ford's tone, too. That's my conservative side. When I had my Triaxis, I NEVER used the Red mode. Too grainy and fizzy.

I think what I am looking for is a three (or more) channel amp with separate EQ. And on the Boogies I really like the GEQ. I would like variable wattage. 100w with a band is one thing, but even though I can open it up in the house, 100w is a bit much.

Obviously, I can wait to see how the Mark V is going to be. But it's going to be $2000 and that's before I toss the Mesa tubes out and replace with JJ's. Maybe that's the way I'll go. But I'd like to hear from you guys who have played all the different amps on what you think of particular models. Mark IV? Nomad? DC series?

Thanks in advance..

 

[Old BF Shred]

Hello Jedro.

Welcome Back, so to speak... 8)
I don't mean to make this sound simplistic, but sounds like you need to find your closest Mesa dealer and play, play, play!

I know you've owned Mesa's in the past so you have a fairly good idea where to start.

A new amp has it's advantages (warranty, smells new, shiny, etc).
But there are deals to be found on used as well and you won't take the initial depreciation hit.

Also I bought my Ace new and had 15 months of grief from an intermittent problem. Yea, they finally fixed it, and this is rare for Mesa, but I think sometimes I should have bought used...... :?

Well, just food for thought here, hopefully I confused you enough. Good luck with your search.

Take care!

 

[plan-x]

What you described narrows it down to 2 amps at this juncture. Road King and Roadster. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked. Basically your foundation requires a "classic" rock tone. Found also in the Lonestar(classic). But the need for higher saturated lead tones, along with more than 2 ch's, plus a brit flavor, lands at the 2 amps mentioned. Because they have the LSC ch, plus alot more. I don't know anything about the Mark V, so thats my take.

 

[Jedro]

You would think that I would get down to GC and play through a few amps. I should. But I'm sort of under a feeling that what I need will be something that is out of production. Mostly what they have are Rectifiers and I do have some experience to know that they are not for me. It is really a **** shame that I had such a bad experience with the Stiletto. I saw some youtube clips of a guy with a Stage II and it sounded incredible - nothing like the one I had, which was a Stage I. And I think mine was a lemon.

I have played a Roadster. It was awhile back and I remember liking it, but don't remember being wowed by it. Of course I was in the gentle confines of Guitar Center fighting for space with neo-shredders.

From what I've read, the Mark V will be the amp for me. It would just be great if I could find a cheaper alternative. I am very excited by it. It's just a LOAD of money.

 

[lerxst88]

maybe a nomad 45 or 55. theyre more rock oriented than a recto and have a really nice clean sound. plus if money is tight, they can be a real bargain

 

[jdurso]

I would say look into a used mark IV or a new Mark V. The reason I say this is because while an amp like the Roadster can do the crunch and clean you described, I'm pretty sure it would be terribly difficult to get the kind of lead sound your looking for out of it. I know because I own one and have tried just about every tone in it using everything from NOS preamp tubes to different poweramp tubes (JJs as well), ODs and an GEQ in the loop. I think everything your looking for can be had in either the Mark IV or Mark V, especially if you wnat 3 independant channels and the GEQ.

Personally i'd just throw the money down for the Mark V because its layout is better, gives you more options (even though you may think you dont need them now) and you'll have that great warranty.

Just out curiosity have you looked into other amps outside Mesa. The VHT Sig:X might fit the bill and is in that same price range. Its a beautiful sounding amp that can do just about any tones from brutally heavy to wide open cleans to soaring leads. Rivera also makes some great amps and sport some of the best cleans around. Its always good to keep your options open... try every amp you can get your hands on and truly find what fits for you.

If your strictly looking Mesa though, give a the Mark V a lot of consideration.

 

[nemesys]

I've gotta +1 the Mark IV/V thing. I think you could get these tones out of a Roadster/Road King or Lone Star with a little work, but the Mark is going to give them up without too much trouble. Now is probably the *perfect* time to look for a used Mark IV, too.

 

[Jak0lantern01]

That "What amp should I buy" question is the worst thing you can ask here. Everyone is going to push their own amp. Go play some amps and make your own decision, it's the best way to settle this. Luv my Stiletto Deuce, though...... :wink:

 

[JW123]

This is really simple get a good Fender Twin and a distortion box for the Cleans and blues, a Marshall JCM 800 for your AC/DC sounds and then a Soldano SLO for Lead.

Im not a big fan of the Roadster and I own one, but it can get a pretty good clean sound with some serious tweaking and working the controls on your guitar. It can get spikey to me in a hurry.

Channel 2 can be set in Brit mode and gets those old AC/DC sounds all day long

Channel 3 for a cruchy vintage rec tone

Channel 4 for either a modern sound or dial in a good lead tone on it

As I said I have a Roadster and have mixed feelings about it, but it is a good all in one amp. Its got a certain fizziness to it that is hard to dial out.

Used in my area you can find them popping up in 1300-1600 range, I gave 1400 for mine.

 

[Jedro]

Hey, thanks for input.

Actually, I want people to plug their own amp. I want to know what they like about it, what they don't like about it. If someone said "you know, I like Lukather too and I can nail his tone with a Roadster", that doesn't mean I am going to buy a Roadster, because I can play one at GC. And have.

I can't tell you the last time I saw a Mark IV in a store. So I've never played one. Nor a Nomad, a DC-5, a Hearbreaker. You can't find these amps in Charlotte. The local GC is 95% Recto. Not for me.

Unless a used amp pops up somewhere and I can play it, it's either wait for a chance to play a Mk5 or buy a different amp from someone online. From what I hear, you pretty much have to put down a deposit on a Mk5. I think they'll go too quick to have one sitting in a store.

Jeez, this feels like waiting for a new gaming console, you know? You want the PS3 before Christmas but you know you'll never get it cause everyone is waiting to pounce.

Anyway, the main thing is that I am without an amp. That's a bit difficult.

Oh, yeah, buying a Twin, a JCM 800 and a SLO is not my definition of "a cheaper alternative".

 

[jdurso]

Jedro... one thing i will say about playing any Mesa in a store is its a good idea to check out the manual on line before hand and print out the factory recommended settings. It makes it much easier to find where some of the basic tones lie and let you adjust from there. far too many people sit infront of an amp like a Roadster/Road King or Mark IV and get turned off because they can't find the tones in the amp... maybe they dont understand the Mesa eq controls or aren't used to the amount of bass and gain on tap. Whatever the reason i've walked up to Roadsters, DRs and Stilettos before and saw some attrocious settings which is no wonder why people complain about Mesas.

Anyway I still think for what you're looking for you should get the Mark V or a used Mark IV. I myself have a Roadster but have pretty much played/owned every Mesa out there with the exception of the Mark V and Mark IIC+. The Roadster is a great amp and COULD do what you're looking for but i don't think it would be nearly as easy to than with a Mark V or a Mark IV. A DC-10 wouldnt be a bad choice either but you loose the flexibility of a 3 channel amp, plus they're hard to find to play before you buy.

 

[Jak0lantern01]

Okay, if you want me to plug my preffered Mesa amp, I will. I have both a Recto and a Stiletto Deuce, and I would say that a Stiletto would be perfect for those AC/DC and old school metal sounds. These are pretty much the sounds that the Stiletto will give you. I myself am also playing newer metal with mine and have no issues. As for the cleans, I think the cleans on this amp are pretty amazing and blow away my Recto. The Mark series are good, too, but when I think Mark, I think (newer) Metallica, not Randy Rhodes or Angus Young. Just my take.

 

[dodger916]

You would think that I would get down to GC and play through a few amps. I should. But I'm sort of under a feeling that what I need will be something that is out of production.

Funny...I was thinking the same thing! Mark IIC or C+, probably a C+. Great cleans in Channel 1. For heavier stuff, set Channel 2 to taste, lower guitar volume for rhythm, and crank it for leads. Pure uncompromising bliss!

If you want more flexibility, try a Mark IV or V.