Help with my Roadster/Mark IV Stereo Rig!

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Hey guys!

I recently put together a stereo rig consisting of a Mesa Roadster and Mark IV...each running to its own Mills Acoustics 4x12.

LOVE the setup....layering the different sounds of the heads is really a cool thing to do!

I was curious on what you guys would do with it effects wise. What I'm really looking at here is Delay.

At the moment, on my clean and lead sounds, I'm running the Mark IV dry, and the Roadster with Delay (an MXR carbon copy).

I was curious if this pseudo "wet/dry" setup would be the best way to do it?

Plan B, if at all possible, was to grab a stereo delay, and run a side of the pedal through each of the loops of the amps...good idea? Better than the first?

Finally, the Roadster has built in reverb, while the Mark IV does not. Would you say it would be better to run a Delayed Lead on the Mark IV, and a reverb one on the Roadster? So both wet in some way? Or is the one amp 100% dry and other running effects a better setup?

Thanks for the input!

Eric

 

[bduersch]

I've been experimenting with this a bit in my Mark V/Roadster stereo rig... so far my favorite has been to use the Mark V's reverb only on the clean channel (no effects on C2/C3) along with digital delay + reverb (TC Nova System) on the Roadster. Seems to maintain the best mix of Mark V definition with background effects for ambiance.

I tried a similar setup with stereo delay + reverb units (both the Glass Nexus and G-Major 2) and thought I was losing too much definition on the distorted tones on the Mark V.

--B

 

[dwsabianguy]

Personally, I'd have some sort of specialized rack thing set up (don't ask me how to do this; I don't know at this time) to switch/blend the preamps for whatever sound you're looking for. Personally, I would have the delay set up in stereo (I'd have the whole thing set up in a sort of permanent stereo - that is, any stereo effects possible would be in stereo), and have the preamps switchable between settings.

For instance, I'd have the Mark IV set up for leads (at least, the Lead channel would have the potential for a searing creamy lead tone, perhaps set up for a nice high-gain rhythm and have a boost or OD set up for a little extra gain or leads, like I have my IV now) and the Roadster set up mainly for rhythm stuff (probably put a lead setting in there as well), then have the preamp settings switchable via MIDI. I'd definitely have the delay working with a mono input (namely the IV), which would then send the stereo delay signal back to the amp switcher, to the two power amp sections. So yes, you'd end up using both power amps.

Rhythm settings would have both amps working in tandem one way or another. Like I said, I don't know how it all works, but it would be really awesome to be able to pull from each preamp at will and be able to blend them.

And for reverb, I'd opt for some sort of digital reverb and just use that. I tend to prefer reverb when used as a special effect (like using a lot of modulating digital reverb), and the best way to accomplish that would to get a standalone digital reverb unit.

My two cents' worth of rambling.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Not a bad idea, but I have the rick setup for the most part...just looking to see what the best way to do effects is.

Both amps are running all the time...

I'm just curious if:

a) I should run effects on both amps (delay on one and reverb on the other) for cleans and leads, or just run one amp dry and the other wet?

b) Run delay stereo, or just through one amp?

Thanks much!

Eric

 

[fluff191]

I would keep one amp dry. Just seems like it might be a little much if both have delay and/or reverb.

Thats just me.

What about getting one of those Ernie Ball stereo pan pedals (they look like a volumes pedal) so you could control just how wet or dry the amps were for the given situation? Or to add the delay to the dry amp just for leads? Just a thought.

Either way good luck and let us know what you do!

 

[spanny]

I am running a Roadster/Mark IV stereo rig as well, good choice! What I do instead of running one head with effects and the other dry, I run both wet. I have been using a Line 6 echo pro for delays, both through the effects loop and it sounds great for cleans, and distortion. I have a carbon copy, and to me at least, its noisy in the effects loop, and if you put a delay infront of distortion, it sounds way to muddy.

 

[joe web]

first of all, stereo rigs are cool! but only if you are the only guitarplayer in the band.

i run my roadster / dual recto setup in stereo all the time.
using the RJM RG-16 so select the preamps (each preamp has its own loop), and after the preamps i go to the g-major input. from the stereo output i go back to both poweramps.
but you´ll have to isolate one amp with a line-isolator - otherwise you will get a lot of hum.

next step will be a A/B/A+B switching. what is really complicated to wire it up - but i have a solution now....