NAD Roadster with pics!

[blackoutshred]

It's amazing guys, nuff said!

First impresions...

I order the Roadster Jude Grill I month and a half ago from Sweetwater (one of the best customer service around, period). I live in Costa Rica so yeah, have to wait a hell lot of time. It finally came and begin ripping it as quick as a can to get it out of the box. Perfect packaging, all neat, great way to start a long term relationship. That new amp smell! oh. my. god :lol:!
The amp came perfect in every way posible... the quality is simply outstanding, never seen an amp like this (blackstar is very good tho), well yes, the Mark V.

sounds and initial setup:
Test it with a Marshall 1960A-DM signature cab with custom celestions v30. Don't get why people said this is a tough amp to dial, I connect every cable, guitar, blah blah... put all knobs at noon and 10m later I had a sound to die for in every channel but the 2 one. Channel 1 - Tweed (clean and fat are good but just not the same to me), Channel 2 - Nothing of my taste yet (it's voiced too muddy for me - can't get along with the BRIT, even tryed it in recto-tracking and 50w and nothing), Channel 3 - all of them kick ***!, Channel 4 - More towards the Modern but everything sound good to me. At first dial all channels at 100w - reverb at noon to 2 o'clock- fx on in the modes - and bold. After an hour and a half or so turn the hard bypass on and God, it sounds even better, :shock:!
I've read lots about this head and basically know what to expect and its functions. Yes, pops (incredibly annoying) the first time changing channels but no lag at all after near 4 hours of blast.
I tryed the amp at lower volumes first and guys, it's amazing... more than an usable and huge sound for home (equal or better than the JVM). And of course, with the master at noon in channels 1 - 3 - 4 and the output at 9 o'clock brace yourselves, hell is coming!

Question time!
1- I've notice a quick spring rattle or an initial big hum ("booooommmmm") as soon as I turn the amp on and then dissapears but I can still hear a vibration that can be because of the reberb tank or some tube maybe (doubt it)?
2- The reverb works OK but I notice that it does not affect all modes and channels the same way... in context, channel 1 and 2 in clean and fat works normal (can be too much) but in tweed and brit not so much even with the level all the way up. channel 3 and 4 works "normal", I guess it's ok, but is not the best feature of the amp for sure. I've notice that in order to hear and feel the effect enough the mix needs to be dial in between 12:30 - 3 o'clock.
I've read somewhere that all of this is normal, can somebody confirm it? :?:

Sooo, some pics shall we?!

 

[SonVolt]

As for reverb, I think that's by design. Tweed mode on my Mark V drops the reverb to basically nothing, even with it maxed out.

 

[blackoutshred]

oh ok, cool! Man it's a beast almost in every way... completely in love with the tone. The quality is outstanding. But yeah, not perfect, I've spend 4 days with it and found things that I'm not crazy about. All desing "flaws" I think, correct me if not please.

1- switching pop
2- reverb does not affect every mode/channel tha same way
3- Carbon Copy delay for some reason is sucking a bit of signal, when activated it the sound become muddy/less defined (used for months with no issues in the JVM)... for some reason tweed and brit are the more affected ones.
4- when I have a loop on (on the tc ditto X2) and switch between channels the signal been reproduced changes, in context... play the loop on channel 4 modern and the sound of it is huge, if I do it in ch 3 vintage not so much, is like the sound adjust itself to the mode and channel I'm at. In the JVM the loop signal recorded (in the fx-loop) was always the same in whatever mode/channel I switched into, any ideas?
5- there is a huge pop (more than the one related to switching on ch 3) when I activated the tuner mute in the footswitch...
6- I've notice a quick spring rattle or an initial big hum ("booooommmmm") as soon as I turn the amp on and then dissapears but I can still hear a vibration that can be because of the reberb tank or some tube maybe (doubt it)?

So, any feedback would be much appreciated... IMO this are more about getting used to a complete analog circuit than issues related but we never know.

 

[bandit2013]

oh ok, cool! Man it's a beast almost in every way... completely in love with the tone. The quality is outstanding. But yeah, not perfect, I've spend 4 days with it and found things that I'm not crazy about. All desing "flaws" I think, correct me if not please.

1- switching pop
2- reverb does not affect every mode/channel tha same way
3- Carbon Copy delay for some reason is sucking a bit of signal, when activated it the sound become muddy/less defined (used for months with no issues in the JVM)... for some reason tweed and brit are the more affected ones.
4- when I have a loop on (on the tc ditto X2) and switch between channels the signal been reproduced changes, in context... play the loop on channel 4 modern and the sound of it is huge, if I do it in ch 3 vintage not so much, is like the sound adjust itself to the mode and channel I'm at. In the JVM the loop signal recorded (in the fx-loop) was always the same in whatever mode/channel I switched into, any ideas?
5- there is a huge pop (more than the one related to switching on ch 3) when I activated the tuner mute in the footswitch...
6- I've notice a quick spring rattle or an initial big hum ("booooommmmm") as soon as I turn the amp on and then dissapears but I can still hear a vibration that can be because of the reberb tank or some tube maybe (doubt it)?

So, any feedback would be much appreciated... IMO this are more about getting used to a complete analog circuit than issues related but we never know.

I can comment on a few questions. My answers may not be very accurate since I am new to the Roadster myself. If at all appropriate I may reference some of the other Mesa amps I have or have owned. Do not take my opinions as absolute either. I hope many other Roadster owners chime in to offer suggestions, experiences, and how they may have overcome any issues you may discover with the amp. I will say, I like the Jute Face ! Also like the Marshal Cab too. Looks like you need another 412 to accompany the JVM. Wonder what both amps would sound like running in parallel.... :roll:
Switching pop, changing channels and tuner/mute: It should only occur once the amp is turned on. Typically caused by voltage change and capacitive charging which results in a high inrush current. Remedy is to switch all channels including the tuner/mute when you first power up the amp, this will eliminate the surge current (resulting pops) when changing channels and such. You could try powering up with the mute active and turn it off after taking out of stand by. The only two Mesa amps I have that do not pop are the RA100 and the Mark IV. Both Mark V and Roadster do this. One exception, the Mark V makes a huge pop sound when shutting down the amp by switching into standby first. The Roadster shuts down with grace like the RA100.

You are correct on the Reverb being different for each channel (as well as the voice for each channel). CH1 and CH2 in the clean and bold settings will have the most reverb effect. The reverb circuit is attenuated for the higher gain channels CH3 and CH4. This type of attenuation was a carry over from older designs (both Mark III and Mark IV) will use different filtering and attenuation for the reverb driver tube when using the higher gain channels. Note that the Mark III and Mark IV have a single reverb signal control. The Roadster, RK, and Mark V (not sure about the other amps) use separate reverb signal controls, one for each channel. The RA100 uses a common or single reverb setting and can appear to be too much for the high gain channel (yes, the RA100 uses a totally different circuit for the reverb tank when compared to the other Mesa amps). One big note on TWEED and BRIT. Reverb is attenuated almost out of the signal path. TWEED mode is intended to emulate a Fender TWEED circuit similar to a 1965 100W Fender Twin Reverb. A friend of mine has one of these. When he gave the Roadster a try, his favorite channel was CH1 in TWEED, his comments were "It sounds exactly like my 65 Fender Twin when using the Normal input. I will take his word for it. BRIT also attenuates the reverb effect as well. It is designed to sound like the old UK amps from the 60's. However, to be more accurate in tone, EL34 should be used. Also have to crank the gain all the way. I like it better with 6L6's. When you really compare the channels, BRIT cranked up is very close to RAW mode of CH3. There seems to be more headroom in the BRIT mode and may seem a bit brittle, perhaps that is what BRIT stands for? you need to dial out of the treble and reduce the presence to make it sound good. I can get some good tone from the BRIT voice with a single coil guitar with the volume on the guitar turned down. It actually sounded great with my friends Fender Strat (has much lower output than my guitars including my two superstrat Carvin Bolt C's with Lace Sensor pups).

If I have CH1 set to clean, and CH2 set to bold, I can get the boooom with the rush of reverb ramping up. It does not happen often but it is noticeable with no signal from the guitar. When there is no guitar signal on the input of the amp, the reverb attenuator and ramp up can be noticed. Mesa began this trick when the changed from using Varactors to JFET switches. Not sure what the exact reason was, and how would it sound without the reverb delay is uncertain.

For the Effects loop, you may need to adjust the volume of the loop on the back of the amp. The manual has more information than I could post here. Page 14 and 15 has information on the effects loop and characteristics that may be noted between channels, respective sensitivities, etc..... To be honest, I have not read the manual in all sections so there may be more details than I am aware of. I am tempted to try using the Roadster as a power section only just to see what else this amp can do. I have used the FX loop with a Line 6 DL4 with great results. I have left the signal level set to the mid point. If I use the loop in the effect and play over it, the loop will reduce in volume but the signal being dubbed over it will not be. When compared to the hard bypass on the effect pedal, there is a notable volume difference. Check to see if your effect is attenuating or clipping the input signal. It may have an auto or active attenuation to prevent signal clip or unwanted distortion. Maybe there is a trick to adjusting the send level and compare to effect on and in bypass. I usually do not use the loop much except for the Master volume and boost functions.

 

[blackoutshred]

cool... informative as always.
As I said, I probably need to get used to a analog circuit and deal with the compromises, no real issues to report (knock on wood). I don't need another 4*12 like I need a 2*12. The JVM (as much as a like it) have to leave... lost the confidence in the brand several months ago, the quality just isn't there anymore (maybe I'm being a bit hard on it cause most of the issues I encounter were caused in a way, or not!). The plan is saving for a Rectoverb 25 + Mesa cab 2*12 to carry around in the next follow year.
great dude, glad you like it... the cab screams with the new guy on top, yesterday I opened the eq with a bit more presence and Wow! I've not found anything I dislike to report, like you did, with the v30 speaker. For my taste this cab tights the low end (maybe because it is a custom voiced or something) + having EMG... no flubby responce for me at all (bedroom levels for now |master at 1 and output at almost 9 o'clock|). Is going to be quite a while until I explore every posibility on it, could I be more excited? probably not.

 

[bandit2013]

One thing to consider about your cab, it is a traditional size 412. That makes a huge difference with a V30 type speaker. Reason why I have an Egnator cab, it was cheep and it sounds great with the Mesa V30's in it. Eventually I will get a custom cab built to match the RA100 and install the V30's in there so I can ditch the Engator cab or keep it with the 16 ohm Celestion Elite speakers and use it with my Carvin V3MC (they did not sound all that bad, perhaps it may be worth keeping.)

 

[blackoutshred]

First week update... Better that the first impressions, love it. :wink:

This amp is definitely a swiss army, only in power and voicing settings (bold/spongy - 100/50w - tube rec/diodes) you've got a entirely palete of options, can't imagine not finding something you like.

Ch 1: Tweed - It's the best clean I've heard "live", love mine with a touch of breakup, not pushed but with sparkle... can't ask for more really, is warm, rich, liquid, lots of headroom, great response and articulation, just beautiful! (Bold-100w-tube rectifier- EQ. GAIN:12-TREBLE:1-MID:10:30-BASS:12-PRESENCE:1)
Ch 2: Brit - Take back all bad things said about this mode. At first didn't like at all, harsh, with no defenition, muddy... no spirit. Now, well, wow! I've got it sounding like a pushed/very low gain crunch tipe, maybe is not the sound that was intended but how cares, is everthing a was looking for, period. (Bold-50w-tube rectifier- EQ. GAIN:1:30-TREBLE:12:30-MID:10:30-BASS:1:30-PRESENCE:12)
Ch 3: Vintage - My basic lead ch like most of you set it up. I found it a bit dry sometimes (all minimun mistakes are thrown to your face) but guess you have lots more control and accuracy. I agree, maybe it's not THE "traditional" lead players mode/amp but it can do the job easily, notes and mids that cut, definition, control... really like it! and if you throw a OD/boost pedal (TC spark in my case) in front, there you have it, a liquid kick *** lead tone mode that is hardly exceeded. (Bold-50w-tube rectifier- EQ. GAIN:2-TREBLE:12:30-MID:10-BASS:1:30-PRESENCE:1)
Ch 4: Modern - is huge, punchy, ferocious, METAL! what else do you need? it's brutal! (Bold-100w-tube rectifier- EQ. GAIN:2-TREBLE:1-MID:10:30-BASS:1:30-PRESENCE:1)

Things to notice:
The amp works great at low volumes (specially on 50w of course), take my word on that. I would say equal (or even better maybe) than the JVM (that has a good reputation on the matter). All the options, modes and price |compare it with a JVM 410H that cost $250 more with no advantge in almost any way other than the Marshall legacy, if that's any|) avaliable makes this amp one of the better and killer designs on the market, no doubt.

So, I rate it 9/10 (as reference I gave the JVM 210H a 7/10 - the Rectoverb 25 a 8/10 - the Blackstar Series one el34's 7.5/10 ). Can't be happier with it, hope everthing goes without issues, best purchase so far!

Alan

 

[bandit2013]

Do you still like the Roadster ? I cannot be happier with mine

I see the Mark 25 has got you hooked with many others. I can wait for it to come out but I am in no rush for a mini anyting at the moment. However it does have some features that are tempting.

 

[blackoutshred]

:lol: of course dude... this thing does it all! one of the best amplifiers out there.

I posted that thread like 10m after the mark v 25 was introduced just because... everyone needs to know!

At first (3 months ago) I was looking for a mini amp for home use, I already had the JVM so, why more? Can't tell what happened in that time frame and before I realized it, my new 100w head arrived...!

I still want a mini amp but that have to wait a bit, spend every penny on the Roadster. A friend o mine have the new Rectoverb (that I play in regular basis) and my God, what a beast. The mini mark have to be incredible in real live to be really worth if for me (now I would buy the Rectoverb mini head, a complete gigable amp).

Love how the mark sounds on the demos so far but I think I'm biased to the dual rec series...