I got a Mark V so what's the next best thing?

[barryswanson]

I have had my Mark V for awhile now and absolutely love it. I want to buy another amp to complement it by running it in stereo with the Mark V. I have been thinking about the rectifiers from the dual to the Road King, Royal Atlantic, Triaxis/2:90 and The Axe Fx. I really crave some really chunky low end and I'm unable to try any of these amps because I live in a small town in Northern Australia.

I will be however going on four week holiday in States soon and plan on buying a new amp whilst I'm there. What would you guys recommend that would give me the extra oomph I crave?

 

[LesPaul70]

Well, if bottom end heaviness is what you are after, a Recto would be the logical choice. Start with the Roadster - rouhgly the same complexity, versatility and price range as your MkV but completely different sound - and see if that fits the bill. If you find that you don't need that much versatility (e.g., you are planning to always use it in stereo with your Mark V only to add the traditional Recto distortions to your sound), get a used 2ch Dual Recto instead. Killer tone and much cheaper than a Roadster. OTOH, if you think you really need even more options than your Mark V and a Roadster give you, check out the Road King.

 

[Given To Fly]

I put together a Mark IV/Roadster stereo setup and while it sounds good in theory, I spent the majority of my time tweaking knobs, troubleshooting FX loop problems, and having little overall success. Once I finally got it right, I decided it wasn't worth it. The V30 and C90 speakers do complement each other well though. Mesa makes the Road King 2x12 cabinet with both speakers which is an ideal configuration in my opinion.

What type of stereo setup do you want to run? L/R? Wet/Dry/Wet? A Roadster would work fine if you just wanted to use an ABY box but I'm guessing since you have Mark V you want to do more than simply use an ABY box. As for a Mark V/Road King II stereo setup, isn't the Road King II stereo by itself?

 

[elvis]

My experience with rectos is a lot of midrange buzz or grind. I like it, but as a companion to a Mark V, I think it will be too much going on in the mid. And there is no getting rid of it, as it is the characteristic recto sound. For heavy low-end I'd pair the MV with an Electradyne. Super heavy with a lot of headroom, and very clear as it is not all preamp drive. Should sound HUGE and also very clear.

 

[boardn10]

Get a BFG Amplification modified Dual Rectifier or 20th Anniversary Bogner Shiva, and you will end up selling your Mark V.

 

[barryswanson]

Thanks for everyone's input but I decided to go with a new Dual Rectifier. I picked it up in Dallas before flying back home to Australia the other day.

I must say I'm very impressed with the amp, I thought it was more bass heavy from what I've read but it's as tight as my Mark V even with tube rectification. I'm not sure why everyone complains about buzzing its easy to dial out by winding back the gain and treble. Maybe the older models where different, I'm not sure? With it running in stereo with my Mark V it sounds very impressive.

The Rectifiers tone is very aggressive in modern mode which I like and with the other channels incredibly versatile. The cleans are great!

I was using a Boss Ch-1 chorus pedal to run the two Mesa's in stereo but had a ground loop issue but I purchased a Radial Bigshot ABY switcher and that eliminated that problem but I miss my chorus and enjoy the ability to switch amps with the Bigshot. Is there a way to use the chorus in the FX Loops using both amps? Any help would be appreciated I have searched all day on the net and haven't had much luck on how I could set it up.

 

[SonVolt]

Put the chorus out front before the Big Shot. I think chorus sounds better upfront anyway.

 

[barryswanson]

Yeah I have tried that but I was just wondering if there was a way doing it in the FX loop buy using the stereo outputs of the chorus pedal. I also tried a wet dry setup and that sounded pretty cool.

 

[kyldh]

Enjoy the Recto! I've had Single, Dual, and Triple Recs. Finally took the leap to a Roadster and I love it. I highly recommend it if you decide to grab something similar to the Dual, but with more "voices." Although... with you also owning a Mark V, you're probably going to be just fine in that department.

 

[boardn10]

Mark V I found too thin sounding. The new Multi Watt Dual Rec is a step up. Even better, take any recto amp to Brian at BFG amps and have him do his Rectifier Mod. It will then be the best amp you have ever played, period!

 

[Jackie]

I must say I'm very impressed with the amp, I thought it was more bass heavy from what I've read but it's as tight as my Mark V even with tube rectification. I'm not sure why everyone complains about buzzing its easy to dial out by winding back the gain and treble. Maybe the older models where different, I'm not sure?

Yep, everything negative I'd read about the Rectos was fixed in the Reborn 2010 version - the buzz, the cleans... I was so stumped I actually asked if I had played a dud :lol:

 

[barryswanson]

What blew me away is the amount of gain, it is just insane! 12 o'clock is like my Mark V at full gain! This is one cranky amplifier :evil:

 

[LesPaul70]

What blew me away is the amount of gain, it is just insane! 12 o'clock is like my Mark V at full gain!

Actually, it's more that a Recto puts all of its preamp gain behind just one knob, Gain. To unleash the full preamp gain a Mark V has to offer, you will have to use the channel EQ pots in conjunction with the channel gain knob. The Treble pot in particular is actually more of a 'treble boost' knob than a tone knob, for channel 3.

I have a V and Dual Rectos, and I don't think the V is that much behind in the amount of gain on tap - once you figure out how to use the channel tone pots to boost the preamp gain.

 

[bandit2013]

I have tried to run both Mark V and RA100. I do love both amps but they do not complement each other as I would expect. However, running my Mark IV and Mark V simultaneously is a joy to behold. Note: Mark IV combo with Fane on board, EV 1x12 extension cab (not exactly a thiele but close).

I am currently waiting for a new Roadster to arrive. To be honest, I did not like it when I tried it out 2 years ago, but after owning the RA100, there is more to like about an true A/B amp compared to Simul Class. I know the Roadster can deliver, just figuring out how to dial it in.

Also, Have not tried the dual amp setup with Mark V and RA100 now that I have the 5 band EQ for the RA100.

What I do like, Mark V through 2 412 cabs. (one with EV and the other with V30, not the same with a single cab with both speakers in it)