Improving Lead Tone on my Roadster

[guitarbloke]

So I've had my Roadster head for about 18 months now I guess, and whilst I love the rhythm tones I get, I've never been able to get a good enough lead sound.

I find that it feels 'difficult' to get notes out - especially in faster runs. It doesn't sound or feel as fluid or as smooth as I'd like, and the note sustain that I need just isn't there.

My band plays 70s-80s rock, and in small pubs/bars so I can't crank the amp much past 10-11 o'clock in most venues. I've tweaked the amp for what feels like years, and after banging my head against a wall I got fed up and settled for a lead tone which I'm only about 60% happy with. I mainly play a Les Paul loaded with Suhr Aldrich pickups - so that shouldn't be an issue.

Is there anything I can do to try and get this sorted out? Is an OD pedal the answer?

I tried a Suhr Riot some time ago but sold it on as it just didn't seem to cut it.

The other guitarist in my band plays through one of the 'Reborn' recto's and his sound is killer. Puts mine to shame that's for sure!

 

[LithiumZero]

The Roadster should be able to pull off anything that the reborn can do. That said an OD pedal will get you where you want to be. I use a bad monkey pedal with mine which works very well. No need to spend a lot to get the desired results.

 

[Old BF Shred]

Have you tried swapping any tubes? Especially preamp tubes...
Even though they "work" it does not mean one isn't a bit "wimpy".
Perhaps get a spare and try swapping out each tube, one at a time, starting with V1.
If you want the most gain, I can suggest the Tung-sol reissue 12ax7. I have found them to have a strong output.

But......
Can't imagine a Mesa that can't get enough gain and sustain. :shock:

Sounds like something is not 100% up to snuff.

Good luck!

 

[guitarbloke]

Thanks guys, I've already got a Tung Sol reissue in V1, but I'll try swapping it out just in case it's a dud.

Failing that I'll experiment with another OD clean boost and see what happens!

A few people have mentioned to me that the presence control on the rectos has a lot to do with the problem I'm facing, but try as I might I just can't seem to find a sweet spot

 

[knotts]

You're not alone. I know what you're talking about. For me, I can get a great classic rock tone on channel 3. To get the tone I want I keep the gain settings relatively low, but crank up the master for the channel. Presence is up around noon. It sounds great for rhythm but when I need it for a solo, it doesn't quite have the sustain I want. To compensate, instead of using the solo feature, I use a compressor / sustain pedal set to sustain (obviously). I set the level that it gives me the volume boost too. I use the Forest Green by Mad Professor.

Don't get me wrong, switch to CH4 and there is gain and sustain for days, but it doesn't give me the lead tone that I want. I've changed my entire preamp section and it's helped me get closer to what I want using only the amp. The sustain pedal bridges the gap.

 

[Given To Fly]

Copy the Channel 3 settings over to your Roadster and start from there. I'm a Petrucci fan, some people aren't, but there is no denying he knows how to dial in great tones on Mesa Boogie's!

 

[LesPaul70]

The Roadster should be able to pull off anything that the reborn can do.

Well, not quite - they are voiced differently. You cannot exactly reproduce the high gain sounds of a 3-channel Recto (or even a 2-channel one, for that matter) on a Roadster but you can get awfully close. So close that in the OP's case, I suspect that the bigger difference comes from the other guitarist's chops and fingers.

Other than that, this question ought to be FAQ material for Rectos.
No, a Recto, on its own, will not give you that liquid lead tone that a Mark amp can. But add a pedal in front of your amp and you will get reasonably close.
An OD pedal, as suggested already, is the easy way to start. Not to drive the preamp harder but to tighten up the sound by cutting the lows, which tend to be all over the place in the Recto sound.
More experienced users may want to experiment with EQ pedals in front. Again, the same principle: cut the lows before they hit the preamp.

As for compressors - I dunno, I personally don't like them for leads. Yes, I have used one a time or two when an amp was new to me. But once I got used to my amp and made it sing for me, the compressor started sounding like nothing but a crutch that masked my sloppy playing. The compressor also took away some bite and balls, which I very much like to have in my sound.

 

[LithiumZero]

Turn up the presence on the roadster and it sounds just like a reborn in my experience.

 

[Shemham]

Whether you need a boost pedal with Rectos really depends on your pickups and guitar type in general. If you don't have at least moderately hot pickups, a boost pedal can be beneficial - especially on lower volumes. I use PAF type lower output pickups (~7, 5Kohm) so boost is really useful in my case in order to hit the amp's frontend sufficiently hard.

My favorite lead tone settings are: vintage mode bold/tube rec, bass all the way off while turning both treble and mids past 1 o'clock. Presence around 10-12 o'clock and gain to taste/whatever suits the input level. Try it, even if it may seem somewhat unorthodox.

 

[Eevil]

So I've had my Roadster head for about 18 months now I guess, and whilst I love the rhythm tones I get, I've never been able to get a good enough lead sound.

I find that it feels 'difficult' to get notes out - especially in faster runs. It doesn't sound or feel as fluid or as smooth as I'd like, and the note sustain that I need just isn't there.

My band plays 70s-80s rock, and in small pubs/bars so I can't crank the amp much past 10-11 o'clock in most venues. I've tweaked the amp for what feels like years, and after banging my head against a wall I got fed up and settled for a lead tone which I'm only about 60% happy with. I mainly play a Les Paul loaded with Suhr Aldrich pickups - so that shouldn't be an issue.

Is there anything I can do to try and get this sorted out? Is an OD pedal the answer?

I tried a Suhr Riot some time ago but sold it on as it just didn't seem to cut it.

The other guitarist in my band plays through one of the 'Reborn' recto's and his sound is killer. Puts mine to shame that's for sure!

In my limited experience, after owning the Roadster for 6 months, I've figured out that the amp produces best lead tones when the pick-ups have less low-end. If the guiter pushes too much low end to amp it will produce muddy and undistinct tone. IMHO my strat with JB jr. in bridge gives a bit clearer and easier to play feeling than my LP with JB.

My answer to this "feature" would be to lower the pick-ups and raise the pole pieces a bit. Other solution, or an add-on to previous, could be to use a booster or OD. I myself decided to use a booster also when needed to tighten up the tone (or when i want to mask my poor chops :lol: ) (I use VoodooLab Sparkle drive).

 

[knotts]

As for compressors - I dunno, I personally don't like them for leads. Yes, I have used one a time or two when an amp was new to me. But once I got used to my amp and made it sing for me, the compressor started sounding like nothing but a crutch that masked my sloppy playing. The compressor also took away some bite and balls, which I very much like to have in my sound.

I want to clarify my point because I agree that a compressor is not the way to go. I have one that has a switch that can change the dynamics of the pedal to act as a compressor or sustain pedal. If I flip it to the compressor setting, it is absolutely the worst thing for any lead tone. If I flip it to sustain, it does enhances the amount of sustain without drastically altering the tone. Sounds great.

I'm curious to also experiment with an EQ. Waiting to find the right one.

 

[LesPaul70]

Yeah, I see your point, knotts.

For me, personally, though, the sustaining function of a compressor also counts as a sonic "crutch". Since it will sustain for days even when I don't hit or fret those notes particularly well, I can do some pretty lazy legato runs, without picking a single note, and sound like Eddie Van Halen.
I prefer having my fingers work harder instead of letting a pedal do the hard work for me. When I can pull off the lick on an acoustic guitar, I'm happy. Compressor pedals just encourage lazy and sloppy lead playing...

All this just IMHO, of course. :lol: