Is $1500 a decent price for a Road King 2 head?

[tptb73]

Just ordered one from GC. Just wanted to try one out to see if I like it better than my Mark V. For some reason, they didnt charge for shipping so I can return it for a full refund if need be.

 

[knotts]

If it's in good shape, it's a good price. Good luck with it.

 

[Given To Fly]

That is a great price! However, since its from "Used Guitar Center" hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I hope it works out though! :wink:

 

[tptb73]

Yeah, GC can be hit or miss, however, I ordered a Mark V head from them about a year ago for $1200, and it was in brand new condition. Manufactured in 2013, and even smelled fresh from the factory. Hoping for another gem like that. Will let you know on Tue.

 

[tptb73]

Well, the amp itself seems to be in GREAT shape. Problem is that one of the 6L6s was bad. So, I temporarily replaced it with an unmatched spare I had. GC is going to give me a matched pair tomorrow. Played it and tweaked it for about 30 minutes. So far, don't like it as much as my Mark V, but I understand I have to spend a significant amount of time with it before I make any rash decisions. I also didn't get to take it too far above bedroom levels. It sounds kind of lifeless and sterile compared to the Mark V, so far. Brit mode is harsh and trebly as hell. I mean, the bass has to be cranked and the treble way down for it to sound reasonable. Also, channel one is very quiet. Hope it's not preamp tube related because that's a lot of work in terms of diagnostics. Tomorrow, I will put the new tubes in and let her rip. I can't believe how this thing DWARFS my Mark V. I never thought I would say this, but I think there may be too many features. Anyone know where to find the date of manufacture? In the Mark V it's written on the ceiling. Can't find it on this.

 

[Given To Fly]

These are John Petrucci's Road King settings. Whether you are a fan or not, they sound good and offer a good starting point. Also, the Road King manual has quite a few settings, more than usual, you can try too. If the amp is functioning properly with the proper tubes installed I would consider this a successful purchase from "Used Guitar Center." :wink:

Manual
http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/RoadKing2_v2.pdf

 

[tptb73]

These are John Petrucci's Road King settings. Whether you are a fan or not, they sound good and offer a good starting point. Also, the Road King manual has quite a few settings, more than usual, you can try too. If the amp is functioning properly with the proper tubes installed I would consider this a successful purchase from "Used Guitar Center." :wink:

Manual
http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/RoadKing2_v2.pdf

Thanks so much for this! It will definitely be helpful because there are just soooo many options. I am not a big fan of Petrucci's music, but his demo/settings of the Mark V helped me immensely on that amp.

I played the RK cranked this AM, and I have to say, it's going to be a tough decision deciding which to keep over the next 30 days

 

[discordance_axis]

Hi,

Congratulations on the great purchase price!

I also own a Mark V and RKII head. I switch between them depending on how I am feeling. It took me a short while to get used to the feel of the RKII after using the Mark V for a few years and after having both for a while now I'm still not sure which I prefer. For this reason I have come to the conclusion that I am going to keep both. It may seem ridiculous to some, but I honestly believe that owning both amps will save me a lot of money in the long run. I love them both. I even still crave playing them both when I'm away at work. Some days it'll be the RK, others the V. There is no need for me to gas for new gear, because I have it all right here.

Anyway, the Road King: I also started with Petrucci's settings in channels 3 & 4 and the thing that stuck for me was keeping the presence off and the treble below 12:00. Setting the amp this way made it easier for me to get used to the nature of the Recto feel and kept it feeling more compressed and smooth sounding, since that's what I was used to with the Mark V. A strange thing for me was that I always preferred the variac power on the MV, but at the same time I much prefer full power on the RKII.

I also find the Brit mode very bright, it's actually the only mode in the amp that I can't gel with. Once I think I find a light crunch sound that I'm ok with in Brit mode, I'll head over to Raw or Vintage to dial in a similar crunch sound and I always end up opting those modes over Brit, but you know what? That's fine! The amp is so ridiculously diverse that it's obvious that all of it's tones aren't going to be for me.

One last thing that I learned about the amp that may help is:

The Progressive Linkage settings do very little at lower volumes, don't get me wrong, I do think this amp can still sound good at low volumes, but aside from a small loss / boost in bass and volume, changing the tubes at these lower levels doesn't do much else. Since the power section isn't being pushed at these lower levels most of the tone is the in preamp tubes. Once the power section is pushed, That is when you'll start appreciating all the different tube configurations. Channel 3 Vintage with 2x 6L's and 2xEL's, Tube Rectified is just lush for lead sounds in my opinion!

 

[tptb73]

Hi,

Congratulations on the great purchase price!

I also own a Mark V and RKII head. I switch between them depending on how I am feeling. It took me a short while to get used to the feel of the RKII after using the Mark V for a few years and after having both for a while now I'm still not sure which I prefer. For this reason I have come to the conclusion that I am going to keep both. It may seem ridiculous to some, but I honestly believe that owning both amps will save me a lot of money in the long run. I love them both. I even still crave playing them both when I'm away at work. Some days it'll be the RK, others the V. There is no need for me to gas for new gear, because I have it all right here.

Anyway, the Road King: I also started with Petrucci's settings in channels 3 & 4 and the thing that stuck for me was keeping the presence off and the treble below 12:00. Setting the amp this way made it easier for me to get used to the nature of the Recto feel and kept it feeling more compressed and smooth sounding, since that's what I was used to with the Mark V. A strange thing for me was that I always preferred the variac power on the MV, but at the same time I much prefer full power on the RKII.

I also find the Brit mode very bright, it's actually the only mode in the amp that I can't gel with. Once I think I find a light crunch sound that I'm ok with in Brit mode, I'll head over to Raw or Vintage to dial in a similar crunch sound and I always end up opting those modes over Brit, but you know what? That's fine! The amp is so ridiculously diverse that it's obvious that all of it's tones aren't going to be for me.

One last thing that I learned about the amp that may help is:

The Progressive Linkage settings do very little at lower volumes, don't get me wrong, I do think this amp can still sound good at low volumes, but aside from a small loss / boost in bass and volume, changing the tubes at these lower levels doesn't do much else. Since the power section isn't being pushed at these lower levels most of the tone is the in preamp tubes. Once the power section is pushed, That is when you'll start appreciating all the different tube configurations. Channel 3 Vintage with 2x 6L's and 2xEL's, Tube Rectified is just lush for lead sounds in my opinion!

Thanks a lot for this very helpful info! My wife doesn't know this yet, but she does not like you at all. Now you've got me considering keeping both. I mean, what's the difference between having the amp or having the cash? I can always sell it if need be, right? ****, I love amps, I love playing them, reading about them, listening to clips of them, etc. I think you're right, with the RK and the Mark V, there's no reason to gas for amps anymore. Now all I have to do is tame my desire for a Parker Fly Mojo.

 

[GuitarPlayer]

I much rather playing on my mark IIc++ but I may get rk2 one day cause it looks badass. Love the looks with all LEDs turned on ;-)