I'm currently playing through a Fender, and...

[alagow]

I'm looking for an amp to suppliment it. It's a Super Twin Reverb, and it's great for what it does. However, it doesn't do it all. I don't own anything Mesa, but I like every Mesa amp I've tried.

I like to play jazz, blues, classic rock, and modern rock. My favorite bands are Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, and Tool.

It will be used for practice, recording, and small to medium gigs, which leans me toward something like a 1x12 rectoverb with an extension cab. Should I rule out getting a head and 4x12 cab unless I'm going to be doing big shows?

I'd greatly appreciate any comments, guidance, or cynicism.

 

[Johnson]

What is your Price Range?

 

[BigMac5]

I had a Fender 65 Twin Reverb RI. I sold it and got a Lonestar Classic 2X12. Better cleans and reverb than the fender IMHO. Channel 2 is awesome for that crunch sound.

 

[alagow]

Something for around $2500 would be nice, but I'd be willing to spend more if the sound was right.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Well, with that price range- Road King, Roadster, Dual or Triple Rectifier, Mark IV, or Lonestar will all get you those sounds, just a matter of trying them out and seeing which one fits you best. The Triaxis and a 2:90/20:20/50/50 will work as well. Steely Dan, Zeppelin, and Tool are a bit diverse to really narrow it down, but I'd say the Road King or Roadster would be the best bet followed closely by the Mark IV.

 

[alagow]

Any thoughts on getting a combo vs a stack?

 

[123thefirst]

For a Fender amp I use "The Twin" usually known as "The Evil Twin" because of its menacing gain
with a very powerful and clear low bass extension. It's occured to me that Mesa might have
drawn from that design as a basis to develop the Rectifier because I hear many similiarities
though the Rectifier gets suitably heavier.

But as I understand it, the Rectifier certainly won't give you the cleans you get from the Fender.
You need to go to either The Lone Star Classic, The Roadster or The Road King. All of those
should not only meet the expectations of an equivalent Fender Super Reverb clean but exceed
them for punchiness, spank, bounciness, clarity, fullness of tone and ability to achieve a
wide variance of tone. I say this because I also use a Recto Preamp which is the lesser
equivalent of all of those and yet it provides exactly what I said. You might lose a smidgeon
of the old school vibe, but that's a given if you're switching anyway, right? The advantages
you get with the Mesa's should more than compensate unless you're a super-stickler.

Some here are infatuated with the Mark IV. That may well be a fantastically good and versatile
amplifier but from my experience it can't provide an authentic Fender tone.

All of those amps should also give you a decent gain sound. The Lone Star will need
supplementation for really heavy things. The other two excel at gain sounds and should,
within reason, be able to cop any sound you 're likely to require. I've ordered a custom
Road King which should arrive any day now. When it does I'll post sound clips that should
explore its capabilities and limitations.

There are two advantages to the Road King. One ís that it has not only 4 6L6 power tubes like a
Super Reverb but 2 additional EL34's like a Marshall. And you can configure what combination
you want to use for each channel. You can also choose within each channel among two speaker
cabinets. If you want to authentically reproduce a twin, you need this to set up an open back cabinet
versus another closed back cabinet which you will use for gainier settings on another channel. The
half stack Road King cabinet contains both a 2 x 12 closed back and 2 x 12 open back chamber.
There is also a 1 x 12 open/1 x 12 closed cabinet which might be a good option for smaller clubs
or more restrained performances. That is the top of the line and is of course a bit expensive.

 

[alagow]

Thanks for the advice. I'm not really expecting to match the tone I get from the Fender. If I use one amp for some things and the other amp for other things, that's fine. But if I can find an amp that can pretty much do both, that would be fine, too. ha.

So a head and 2x12 cab is pretty managable in smaller settings? If it is, I might go that way instead of getting a combo. I'd just hate to get something that I can't play without waking up the neighborhood.

 

[123thefirst]

You can play the Mesa's at a reasonable volume but you probably won't be inspired by the tone.
They getter better sounding when louder. The Recto Pre is an option to be used live with a power
amp. That has a built-in simulation circuit for modeling the amp to cabinet coupling and
is designed to be plugged into a mixing board or computer sound card.

I've lugged around 2 or more amps one too many times so for my own preferences, I'd choose
an amp that handles most everything itself. And since the Super Reverb is a potentially valuable
vintage item, maybe you want to spare it the rigors of the road?

The combos are darn heavy, so a separate cabinet is an advantage IMO. There's nothing to compare
with the full and smooth power of a 4 x 12, but those are heavy too (about 100 lbs.) If I played
out a great deal I'd probably choose a smaller cabinet to couple with the head. All of the suggested
Mesa amps should be load enough even with a 2 x12 unless your drummer is a maniac :lol: :shock: :lol:

 

[ToneAddictJon]

a 2x12 will pretty much cover any venue, and if it doesn't that venue better have a pa and mic your amp. I just use a 1x12 thiele live, and I play with a couple of loud drummer, and I can never get my DR above 4 and my Mark IV above 3. I've had a couple places that mic'd everyone's 4x12's before us and not mic my 1x12 and I just laughed at there back pain!!! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[alagow]

Ok, I can see that this is going to take quite a bit more amp trying to make a decision. How would you compare a 2x12 combo with a head of the same type and 2x12 cab?

 

[Mr_You]

I've been playing the Roadster combo. If I had a head I would keep it, but I'm going to sell my combo and most likely run the following multi-amp rig:

- Mesa Lone Star Head w/ 6V6s for Vintage Tones
- Splawn Pro Mod Head w/ KT88s for Modern Marshall Tones
- Optional: Mesa Roadster Head w/ 6L6s for Modern Mesa Tones

Each head going into 1 or 2 Mesa 3/4 tuned back 1x12 w/ Celestion 90s (for now).

 

[Elpelotero]

the problem with limiting yourself to one amp here is that Led Zeppelin used marshalls and Tool used rectos for a long time.

To really nail the led zeppelin sound, you need a lonestar or a stilleto.
To nail the Tool sound, you need an old rectifier or a diezel.

My hunch would say go for the road king, but I really don't know how well it can get you that led zeppelin marshall sound. The stilleto and lonestar can get it though.

You're going to have to compromise something somewhere.

 

[alagow]

I'm not expecting to find one amp that can match any tone out there. If it existed I guess all the other manufacturers could stop making amps. Everyone would just buy the One. I like searching for my own tones, while being guided by the tones of artists I like. I'm just looking for some suggestions on things I should try.

 

[clutch71]

I'd recommend the Roadking head and 2x12 Roadking cab. It's extremely versatile, too much so for me but I really had fun with them when I've had an opportunity.

I would think brit or raw mode with 2 el34's selected with the progressive linkage would give you that Zepplin esq marshall sound. Vintage w/ the tube rectifiers selected also give you a nice Zeppelin tone as well. Tool = Bold/Silicone diode/Modern.

Let's also not forget that Jimmy used Orange amplification OR130 heads as well as old plexi's; watch the Song Remains the Same. Now I've never played one but the newer Orange heads (Rockerverb series) are hi gain and go from Marshall esq to Hi gain very well. Great cleans too. Not the greatest for Tool though.

Remember trying stuff out is half of the fun!

 

[BigMac5]

the problem with limiting yourself to one amp here is that Led Zeppelin used marshalls and Tool used rectos for a long time.

To really nail the led zeppelin sound, you need a lonestar or a stilleto.
To nail the Tool sound, you need an old rectifier or a diezel.

My hunch would say go for the road king, but I really don't know how well it can get you that led zeppelin marshall sound. The stilleto and lonestar can get it though.

You're going to have to compromise something somewhere.

Good point, thats why I am going to get a Stilleto Ace to complement my Roadster. I plan on using a Radial Headbone VT to swith between both heads.