How much of a wuss does this make me?

[guitarrhinoceros]

I'm starting to contemplate moving on from the Royal Atlantic. Not because of anything that has to do with the amp's sound though. The RA is a really magnificent Mesa offering and very easy to use. My gripe then? The amp is just too unforgiving and stiff for my tastes. I really need something less immediate, with a little more sponge to it. I'm still mulling it over in my mind though. I've gigged with the Royal and it has performed dutifully. At home though, I don't get that inspired playing it though due to what I consider to be stiffness from the amp. It really does require you to be perfect all the time. Sadly, I am not that type of player. I'm accurate and even in my strokes, and I practice like crazy, but I can't stand every little slight flub being pronounced and obvious to my ears.

Any suggestions?

 

[J.J]

Have you tried turning the stiffness control down (otherwise known as mids) ? :wink: I have had similar issues and after spending what seems like hours adjusting everything, I am always surprised that turning the mids down takes the edge and stiffness away.

 

[guitarrhinoceros]

Hey JJ:

Thanks. I usually just use the mid control to appropriately dial in how my amp sits in a certain room environment. I know the RA is a very mid-focused amp, so perhaps I'll try turning them down. In general though, I usually roll with the mids at around 10:30-11:00.

Thanks. I'm going to try out the compressor trick as well later today.

 

[guitarrhinoceros]

Hey JJ:

Thanks. I usually just use the mid control to appropriately dial in how my amp sits in a certain room environment. I know the RA is a very mid-focused amp, so perhaps I'll try turning them down. In general though, I usually roll with the mids at around 10:30-11:00.

Thanks. I'm going to try out the compressor trick as well later today.

 

[Hollis]

Have you tried a good analog delay in the loop to smear the tone a bit? I've been gas-ing for an RA-100 since they came out, but I've heard this complaint many times about this amp. I was thinking it was due to the high headroom, clear gain that the amp has. It doesn't get mushy as the gain goes up. What about the clean channel, do you have this problem there?

 

[CoG]

Get better :lol: kidding. I'm not a super-clean player, but yeah, the RA is not exactly a cuddle bunny.

Are you playing through a cab with V30s in it? I *really* don't think that's a good match.

Other thing is that the attenuator does provide a fair bit of compression and I think the amp sounds better with at least -3db set. I run the mids around 1:30 most of the time and I wouldn't describe the amp as stiff. Don't just use the attenuator to cut volume, figure out the difference it makes and work with that.

 

[Heritage Softail]

A little analog delay, a decent compressor, and mids a little lower than you think you need. Record what you play on a boom box. Play a few times and record the same thing to see if your ears are correct, maybe you don't feel 'bonded' with the amp but you are playing fine.

For me I can feel like I struggle but people will say I sound normal or good or whatever... Sometimes we get it in our head we are struggling. Recording a few practice sessions will give you some facts to listen to.

Cleans on a high headroom amp usually feel best to me with single coils.

It is probably mostly in your head.

 

[MBJunkie]

Not to worry OP....send it to me free of charge and I will be delighted!!

Seriously, I haven't even had the opportunity to see the RA-100 let alone hear one or play through one! I don't think that Mesa Boogie is promoting this amp nearly as much as many others. Why???? I dunno.

Anyway, I am not a great player by any stretch......but seriously want to play through this amp! I haven't even had the opportunity to see it yet!

 

[guitarrhinoceros]

Get better :lol: kidding. I'm not a super-clean player, but yeah, the RA is not exactly a cuddle bunny.

Are you playing through a cab with V30s in it? I *really* don't think that's a good match.

Other thing is that the attenuator does provide a fair bit of compression and I think the amp sounds better with at least -3db set. I run the mids around 1:30 most of the time and I wouldn't describe the amp as stiff. Don't just use the attenuator to cut volume, figure out the difference it makes and work with that.

Ha ha! The cab I have has a V-30 and a Black Shadow in it. I actually like the V-30 in the cab a lot. I think it works well with the ported back of the combo. V-30s have a very immediate bass response that is somewhat diminished by the port.

You are right though -- the attenuators do make a difference in the overall feel of the amp. I was running the treble sort of low on the gain channels, but I messed around with higher treble settings (2:00) and found the amp much more to my liking. I have the gain @ 1:30, mid @ 11:30, bass @ 4:30, and the attenuators at -12db. The amp actually sounds very good right now, more in line with a Dual Rectifier (except much tighter in the bass and the overall attack). I am using the Fulltone OCD in the LP mode to get me a lightly saturated gain tone that is heavy in the lower midrange. It reminds me of a low gain/medium gain Mark V tone -- slightly dark and not muddy.

I think the attenuators are really the key to getting the amp sounding just right. I really find the clean channel to be fairly easier to dial into as well. The gain channels are much more difficult to get set to my liking. I think turning the bass up helps a lot as well. I messed around with lower bass settings and found the 3:00-4:30 range better suited for a modern rock sound. Turning up the treble, no matter how counter it seems, appears to really help focus the gain sound a bit more as well. The jury's still out though. With attenuators in use, turning up the treble is a must.

I am going to mess around with my delays (TC NOVA Delay iB Modified and a Boss DD-6) and my Eventide Space to see if I can get some more "give" from the amp. I'll post my results later today. I will also mess around with my compressors (although I must say that I am not a fan on compressors in general).

Thanks for the posts, everyone!

 

[guitarrhinoceros]

Not to worry OP....send it to me free of charge and I will be delighted!!

Seriously, I haven't even had the opportunity to see the RA-100 let alone hear one or play through one! I don't think that Mesa Boogie is promoting this amp nearly as much as many others. Why???? I dunno.

Anyway, I am not a great player by any stretch......but seriously want to play through this amp! I haven't even had the opportunity to see it yet!

Yeah, Mesa's promotion of the amp is weak. To have The Refused (which I love) and Lamb of God as the primary faces of the Royal Atlantic line is a bad move. I would think they would be trying to push the amp to more lighter rock acts (Jimmy Eat World, blink-182, Coldplay, etc).

On the other hand though, the economy and the vast amp market also don't help matters any. If I were Mesa, I'd probably do more to promote amps like the Express Plus and the Mini-Recto.