MArk IV vs. Road King

[VIE777]

Alright, I'm new here and have been combing through these forums for the proper answer, but I always end up getting mixed feelings. I have the opportunity to buy a Road King Series I Head with a Road King 2x12 Cabinet or I could get the Mark IV Head with a Road King 4x12 Cabinet. The type of gigs I play are venues with 500-2000 people. Sometimes outdoors, but mainly indoors. Also, I have to make a decision by this Thursday. Does anyone have any suggestions or need any more information to conclude my dilemma?

P.S. I look forward to becoming a proud Mesa owner and contribute as much as I can to this site.

 

[ytse_jam]

Hi VIE777, it really depends on the tone you like most. If I were you I would go with the Mark IV since you're talking about the RK Series I, because the RK II is a great improvement.
But you must rally try them both and follow your tastes. Good luck

 

[Bullen]

That´s a hard one.

It really depends on which type of tone you prefer. The focused midrangey sound of the Mark IV or the big bottomed, scooped, slightly buzzy gain of a rectifier.

They sound very different.

For versatility the RK might be better, and it has great cleans, semi dist, sweet lead tones and that famous recto tone. The ability to use different power tubes and wattage and a good footswitch.

The Mark IV is also pretty versatile. It´s capable of a lot of different sounds and also has the ability to use both 6L6 and EL34 tubes and different wattage.

I prefer the mark series to the recto´s. But both are great. Try them out to see which one you prefer. Be sure to try the Mark IV with a 4x12 before you decide, makes it sound a lot bigger.

 

[VIE777]

How much more expensive is the Road King Series II than the Series I and if the case is that it is still affordable for me would you recommend the Road King?

 

[VIE777]

Well, you see, I am absolutely 50/50 torn between the two. My band plays originals that sound something between Rush and Dream Theater and everything in between. There's a lot of technical riffs, sometimes metal chugging, glistening leads, and I'm looking for a good middle ground. Don't think it's all metal, too. I just want a nice amp that will get me through my gigs with reliability. The RK appeals to the metal element and the MKIV appeals to the more "norm" rock elements. Just from personal experience, what would you recommend and what do you like?

 

[Bullen]

The Mark IV has a great metal sound, that I actually prefer to the recto´s big grind. It´s much tighter and more focused. Very Metallica or Dream Theater sounding. Great for leads and rhythm. Good clean ch to, although the RK II might have better cleans.
The Mark IV´s 2nd ch might work well for those Rush tones.

I would get the Mark IV.

 

[VIE777]

Ok, but does the Mark IV achieve the same volume as the RK? And what would you think the best Mesa cabinet to use would be?

 

[Bullen]

The RK, when using all the tubes (120-150w), will probably be louder, but the Mark IV is very loud. Even though it´s rated at 85 w at most, it´s louder than most 100 w amps I´ve tried. It´s also very easy to tame it. You can get it down to 15 w (Class A, triode, tweed power) for some power tube clipping. You can get the perfect power for any venue.

I love the Mark series with my two recto cabs. I have a horizontal 2x12 recto cab and a Traditional (now called Stilletto) 4x12 cab. The Trad cab sounds really good, tight but still huge low end and a very smooth midrange and a nice, never harsh top end. Very solid tone. Great cab.

 

[VIE777]

Yeah, well I think I'm pretty set on the Mark IV. I'm definetly much more into the prog crazy riffage and runs than the Korn grinding. I just need to find the right cab. Thanks for all of your advice. Keep it coming.

Rabies, I'll definetly say hi to LOG for you (literally). Sometimes I run into Adler and Morton at the mall. My friend served him ice cream once, too.

Thanks

 

[disassembled]

Are you micing the amp? If you mic the amp then you could essentially use a 5 watt amp without any worries of being loud enough. The MarkIV is a max of 85 watts of simul class power and I haven't heard of anyone having volume issues when played through a good 412. As far as speaker cabs go you could do the cliche Mesa cab with V30's but I would personally go for some theile cabs with EV's loaded or some older 212/412 mark series cabs with the MC90's and EV 12L's loaded. I personally use a Triaxis with 20/20PA into a mark series 212 cab with an MC90 and EVM 12L. It has a ton of low end (especially for an EL84 power amp) due to the EV speaker portion being ported and great sound dispersion from the open backed top speaker. I wouldn't put my rig against a triple rec for low end and sheer volume but it will hold it's own in tone and produce more than adequate volume levels. I don't believe in punishing the audience with a blaringly loud amp just because you can.

Check out ebay there's a Mark IV with an old mark style 412 cab to get an idea what i am talking about. I think they look mean but the 80's vibe is really present there. It might be in your best interest to cover the metal grill with some mesh material to have a more conservative look.


Greg

 

[6L6C]

My advice for what’s its worth! If you can!!

Grab your favorite guitar and A/B the amps and go with your gut. Because as everyone has said its taste. Bottom line they are different amps but both sound great they are also very versatile in setup. The RK has more bells and buzzers.
Me personally I lean towards the IV.

 

[jcalabro]

MARK IV
I run the Mark IV with a recto and road king cab.
Completely in love

 

[VIE777]

I got the Mark IV and it is simply incredible. I will post pictures ASAP. Anyone got any good tones?

 

[trem]

You know if you had asked this question in the "modern" forum, you'd get a completely different answer. They'd also tell you to run a pedal in front of your recto to get a good lead sound.

Just some weird things I have observed so far. :lol:

~trem

PS: Welcome to the club of Mark IV fans.

 

[ytse_jam]

I got the Mark IV and it is simply incredible. I will post pictures ASAP. Anyone got any good tones?

wow, you really took a fast decision!

 

[electrickn]

I got the Mark IV and it is simply incredible. I will post pictures ASAP. Anyone got any good tones?

wow, you really took a fast decision!

lol...I was going to wite the same thing. He wasn't playing around.

 

[VIE777]

I simply had to make the decision by thursday. The sooner the better. I went to the music store tried them both out again, and decided I liked the Mark IV better. I'm under serious time constraints for my bands weekend gig this weekend.

P.S. We're playing at the venue where the Mars Volta got signed.

 

[jcalabro]

Congrats!!

 

[electrickn]

I simply had to make the decision by thursday. The sooner the better. I went to the music store tried them both out again, and decided I liked the Mark IV better. I'm under serious time constraints for my bands weekend gig this weekend.

P.S. We're playing at the venue where the Mars Volta got signed.

That's good that your local music store had them both too. I had to travel ~70 miles to try a MArk IV.

 

[VIE777]

I got the thiele 1x12 by the way too.