Mesa Boogie Throttle Box EQ Pedal with Rocket 44 amp

[sumpe]

Hi guys,
I am considering the Throttle Box or something similar to add up to my Mesa rocket 44.
I love the rocket44 but the issue is dialing tones both clean and heavy with the single Trebble Mid Bass knobs. Seems I can get it right for one but not the other. Also, I thought I could use a bit of distortion for my clean channel.

My questions are:
Is the the Throttle EQ pedal over the top - is the a simpler and cheaper solution?
If I do this would it be like throwing away the Lead/Contour channels of my amp, which I obviously would regret as I got the amp with both clean and heavy tones in mind?
Any thoughts if the Flux Five would do better and where to put either box. I was thinking in front of the amp rather than parallel loop but I wonder how this would impact the lead/countour sounds

cheers :!:

 

[Nick79]

I have a Throttle box eq and its great to be honest. It will nail that Recto tone (or as close as i think anything other than a Recto can get) but its also very flexible. I use mine for 2 different sounds - Lo channel with no eq for classic rock crunch, then Hi channel with eq engaged for the heavy stuff - and **** it can get heavy...

Contrary to what most reviews on the net say it is pretty versatile, i can get mine sounding 'MKish' by playing with eq. It's expensive (especially here in the UK) but in my opinion worth it if you want that Mesa high gain sound.

i wouldn't say you would have to not use all the channels on your amp, think of it more as adding 1 or 2 more. I used mine with my F50 until i recently sold it (the amp, the pedal is staying!) and i was able to cover a huge range of sounds by using the pedal and the amps channels.

 

[sumpe]

thanks. that is very helpful!
i think the EQ alone is what i need but still it wont give me the flexibility of two settings like the throttle or the flux plus eq pedals.
the things is, i can get crush sounds with an overdrive or distortion (or both) in front of the amp on clean mode, but the metal sounds i can get with the rocket 44 are nice to me, however i would like variety on tap for live use (not using it live yet though, so using my imagination here).
i think the pedal would be great if i sold the rocket 44 and got another amp but wanted the high gain mesa sounds - however i am far from that. i like the amp too much to part with it so i need an eq based solution, but ideally one with multiple options - unfortunately my boss me70 is giving me problems all around, but i could still use the eq settings there to flavour the sounds for metal, if i had to

 

[Nick79]

You are kind of limited with having shared eq settings but it's definitely possible to work around this.
I ended up using my Throttle box instead of channel 2 on my F50, i just couldn't get a usable heavy tone unless it was cranked up loud - too loud for most gigs. I was a bit hesitant to start with as like you i thought it a waste but i soon realised just to do what works for me, and it most definitely worked and sounded great.

Another option is to run an eq pedal in the loop set up for your high gain tones. The Mesa one is great, there is also the MXR which is a bit cheaper. Or even 2 eq pedals.....
Also don't forget that a tube screamer can work wonders in front of an amp - push a clean amp into clipping, drive a driven amp a bit further or tighten up a metal tone. The fun is in the trying!

I play in a classic rock/metal cover band so i need a few different sounds, short of buying a Roadster with 4 channels i need to make use of pedal's to get what i need.