NAD: Roadster

[elvis]

I've wanted one of these for a long time. Found a really clean one for $1100. This thing is ridiculous! I'm just starting to figure it out. Any suggested settings are welcome.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Bypass the effects loop and turn the master on any channel above 10:00 and hit a couple of power chords... then you'll understand what that amp is all about.

 

[Blaklynx]

Congrats. Such a great setup...... but I'm biased because I have the exact same setup

I sold my Rectoverb and haven't had a great deal of time to setup my Roadster, so no real advice at this stage. All I can say is that when the Rectoverb was loud (Channel and Master at 12oclock or more), it absolutely rocked with the Winged C EL34's. My Roadster amp has TAD El34's (I prefer EL34's) but they do sound different to the Winged C's. I'd prefer Winged C's but they're not made anymore

Also, the Rectoverb's C90 speaker vs the V30 sound different, so I need to adjust for that.

I'd say Screamingdaisy's advice is pretty much spot on. Turn it up and follow some settings in the manual and start from there.

 

[jb's 52]

Congrats!!
I'm still trying to figure mine out as well. I'm noticing that the heavy bass at home doesn't translate well in a band mix. I have to turn the bass down and the treble/mids up when with the band.

 

[LesPaul70]

I'm noticing that the heavy bass at home doesn't translate well in a band mix. I have to turn the bass down and the treble/mids up when with the band.

True.

This is how I see the Middle pot on Rectos:

Middle (in home use) = Meh pot
Middle (with a band) = Meat pot

 

[andross182]

Any update now that you've had you roadster for a while? Does the head have the fan that the combo does? I find my self rarely playing my roadster combo due to fan noise.

 

[Blaklynx]

Any update now that you've had you roadster for a while? Does the head have the fan that the combo does? I find my self rarely playing my roadster combo due to fan noise.

The Roadster head doesn't have a fan.

Since the valves are sitting on top of the chassis and heat rises, the heat simply escapes through the top vent and also out the rear edge of the head shell. The head shell is open enough for the heat to escape. The head still gets reasonably warm across the top, though, because the top vent is actually closed off by the reverb tank. I guess as the reverb tank heats, the heat will then escape through the top vent preventing the reverb tank from getting too hot.

In a combo, since heat rises, the chassis and all it's components will heat up. Since the chassis is large (acting like a heat sink), natural venting just isn't good enough, hence the fan.

 

[elvis]

Sadly I've been out of town, so I haven't played it much at all. I still find it a bit intimidating as well. Might get some time in on it tomorrow.

 

[elvis]

Well, the Roadster went back today. It was an impulse purchase and it was just too much amp for me to roll with at the moment. I'll probably buy another when I am ready to deal with it.

 

[andross182]

What tipped you over the edge to take it back? I fired mine up tonight and had a little fun. I am a glorified home player and it is way too much amp for me but I still love it. I generally stick to my Rectoverb 25 head and 1x12 cab. I wish the volume roll wasn't so extreme on these amps sometimes.

 

[bandit2013]

I found the Roadster a bit difficult to dial in. The low end seemed a bit more abundant than I wanted. However, easy way to cure the bottom end is to roll off the gain. Keep in mind that the tone controls are post not pre gain. I found the suggested settings in the manual very useful. Keep the bass where they suggest but roll off the gain and the amp will shine though the mix. This will hold true for the Modern voice on CH3 and CH4 and works well with humbuckers. For single coil guitar I find the higher gain setting to be ideal. There are other tricks too, an EQ pedal in the loop with an inverted V pattern, or you can add one in front of the amp for use as a pre gain tone control and use the 3 band EQ on the amp as the post gain tone control. My preference is to run the amp as is and may occasionally use a delay in the loop.

 

[andross182]

I have noticed the abundance of bass as well, I have generally set my tone controls with my pickup selector in the "middle position" on my CU24 and my Tremonti as soon as I go to the neck pickup on either guitar the bass goes through the roof and it turns to mud, my gain is at 10-11 o'clock or less on channels 3 and 4.

I am a glorified bedroom player so it is quite possible that the roadster is just massively overkill for what I do, Modern sounds great but with the volume jump its unusable for home playing. I can't even use Modern on my RV25 head/1x12 cab without incurring the wraith of my wife! :lol:

 

[jb's 52]

I found the Roadster a bit difficult to dial in. The low end seemed a bit more abundant than I wanted. However, easy way to cure the bottom end is to roll off the gain. Keep in mind that the tone controls are post not pre gain. I found the suggested settings in the manual very useful. Keep the bass where they suggest but roll off the gain and the amp will shine though the mix.

I'm finding this as well when I'm playing with the band. The bass is heavy and it needs to be dialed down or else I'm in the same frequency range as my bass player and I get buried. The gain needs to be dialed down quite a bit as well or else my sound seems to "disperse," for lack of better word.

So from home to rehearsal, gain goes from 3 o' clock to noon on channels 3 and 4 using vintage and modern respectively. Plus, the bass gets dialed back from noon to 10 o' clock.

What's nice though, is I found that I can get right up to where the bass leaves off so I can retain a little bit of that spongy recto bottom end where I don't get buried. With my Mark V I can't really sidle up to the bass as such. It's more a defined line.

I've yet to gig with it though so that should be an adventure.

 

[elvis]

What tipped you over the edge to take it back? I fired mine up tonight and had a little fun. I am a glorified home player and it is way too much amp for me but I still love it. I generally stick to my Rectoverb 25 head and 1x12 cab. I wish the volume roll wasn't so extreme on these amps sometimes.

I just wasn't ready to deal with it. I do want one, and ran into a good deal, but I don't have time to come up to speed on a new amp, especially one this complicated. I would have to significantly alter my pedal control for channel switching, and after playing it a little, it seemed like it was way more a metal amp than I really want for what I am doing now.

I just wound up staring at it and thinking "I don't have time for this." And I really don't have the money for it to sit idle. That's when the tipping point happened.

It did sound badass.

 

[andross182]

While rectifiers do have many knobs they really aren't all that complicated when it gets down to it.

I always set the back panel for the channels before moving to the front. Being that I am a home player my settings are kind of cookie cutter I think and can quickly bounce between two. I would love some suggestions from others with roadsters to see what they like as well!

"Loop in" settings

Master volume: 10 o'clock
Solo: not used

Back Panel
Channel 1: 50w/loop off/tube rectifier
Channel 2: 50w/loop off/tube rectifier
Channel 3: 50w/loop off/diode rectifier
Channel 4: 50w/loop off/diode rectifier

Front Panel
Channel 1: Tweed; Gain: 9 Treble: between 10-12 Mid: 7-9 Bass: 9 Presence: 2 Master: 9
Channel 2: Clean; Gain: 9 Treble:between 10-12 Mid: 7-9 Bass: 9 Presence: 12 Master: 12
Channel 3: Vintage; Gain: 10 Treble: 1130 Mid: 9 Bass: 1030 Presence: 230 Master: 9
Channel 4: Modern; Still trying to find a decent "quiet volume" setting, which seems impossible

For "Loop Out" I basically use the same settings except the master volumes come down...alot :lol:

 

[bandit2013]

When I was ready for the Roadster in 2012, I went to GC (no longer a Mesa dealer now) and played though one. Something did not click with me and it seemed like the first DR I tried when they came out long ago. I tried the Mark V head and it seemed so familiar to me (had a Mark III for 24 years along with a Mark IV for 12 years) so I ended up with the Mark V as my next Mesa purchase. 2 Years later, still had the itch for the Roadster and ordered it though sweetwater. Now, the Roadster is one of my favorite amps next in line with the RA100. I barely use the Mark V as much (Mark III and Mark IV were sold). I do have two of the oversized Recto slant cabs, one to match the RA100 with the stock V30, the other I bought with the Mark IV and swapped the speakers with EV since they sounded better with the Mark V. To my amazement, the Roadster sounds much better with the EVM12L Black Label than the cab with the V30's. The Mark IV was killer either way (EV or V30). I just could not tolerate the Mark V though the v30. Cabinet and speaker will make a difference. The V30 sounds a bit muffled or muddy with the Roadster but it rocks with the RA100. Same applies to the EV, Roadster is killer though that EV stuffed cab but sounds a bit boomy with the RA100.

Now that I have a complete Bass rig, few bass guitars, as well as a drum set (still learning the drums and bass) I have made several recordings with lead, rhythm, bass and drum. The Roadster does not get lost in the mix at all and it cuts though quite well. It actually sounds better than the RA100 in recordings. The only issue I have is getting a good recording of the bass since it seems to blend in with the drums and some of the guitar but if I kill the bass track you will notice it missing. In a live setting, Bass, Drums and Roadster did not seem to pose an issue either (I was playing bass, someone else on drums and the other playing thought the Roadster). I will definitely have to compare the Roadster to the Mark V. So far the Roadster is top dog but have not tried playing in an open space (outside) as it would disturb the neighbors.

Once you figure the Roadster out, it is a great amp. If the bass seems to be too much, switch from silicon diode to tube rectifier which will sag the bass a bit so it is not as dominant as it would be with the silicon diode. I generally run at 100W most of the time.

 

[siggy14]

When I was ready for the Roadster in 2012, I went to GC (no longer a Mesa dealer now) and played though one. Something did not click with me and it seemed like the first DR I tried when they came out long ago. I tried the Mark V head and it seemed so familiar to me (had a Mark III for 24 years along with a Mark IV for 12 years) so I ended up with the Mark V as my next Mesa purchase. 2 Years later, still had the itch for the Roadster and ordered it though sweetwater. Now, the Roadster is one of my favorite amps next in line with the RA100. I barely use the Mark V as much (Mark III and Mark IV were sold). I do have two of the oversized Recto slant cabs, one to match the RA100 with the stock V30, the other I bought with the Mark IV and swapped the speakers with EV since they sounded better with the Mark V. To my amazement, the Roadster sounds much better with the EVM12L Black Label than the cab with the V30's. The Mark IV was killer either way (EV or V30). I just could not tolerate the Mark V though the v30. Cabinet and speaker will make a difference. The V30 sounds a bit muffled or muddy with the Roadster but it rocks with the RA100. Same applies to the EV, Roadster is killer though that EV stuffed cab but sounds a bit boomy with the RA100.

Now that I have a complete Bass rig, few bass guitars, as well as a drum set (still learning the drums and bass) I have made several recordings with lead, rhythm, bass and drum. The Roadster does not get lost in the mix at all and it cuts though quite well. It actually sounds better than the RA100 in recordings. The only issue I have is getting a good recording of the bass since it seems to blend in with the drums and some of the guitar but if I kill the bass track you will notice it missing. In a live setting, Bass, Drums and Roadster did not seem to pose an issue either (I was playing bass, someone else on drums and the other playing thought the Roadster). I will definitely have to compare the Roadster to the Mark V. So far the Roadster is top dog but have not tried playing in an open space (outside) as it would disturb the neighbors.

Once you figure the Roadster out, it is a great amp. If the bass seems to be too much, switch from silicon diode to tube rectifier which will sag the bass a bit so it is not as dominant as it would be with the silicon diode. I generally run at 100W most of the time.

Lower the bass on the roadster and you will hear the bass guitar better.

 

[domct203]

When I was ready for the Roadster in 2012, I went to GC (no longer a Mesa dealer now) and played though one. Something did not click with me and it seemed like the first DR I tried when they came out long ago. I tried the Mark V head and it seemed so familiar to me (had a Mark III for 24 years along with a Mark IV for 12 years) so I ended up with the Mark V as my next Mesa purchase. 2 Years later, still had the itch for the Roadster and ordered it though sweetwater. Now, the Roadster is one of my favorite amps next in line with the RA100. I barely use the Mark V as much (Mark III and Mark IV were sold). I do have two of the oversized Recto slant cabs, one to match the RA100 with the stock V30, the other I bought with the Mark IV and swapped the speakers with EV since they sounded better with the Mark V. To my amazement, the Roadster sounds much better with the EVM12L Black Label than the cab with the V30's. The Mark IV was killer either way (EV or V30). I just could not tolerate the Mark V though the v30. Cabinet and speaker will make a difference. The V30 sounds a bit muffled or muddy with the Roadster but it rocks with the RA100. Same applies to the EV, Roadster is killer though that EV stuffed cab but sounds a bit boomy with the RA100.

Now that I have a complete Bass rig, few bass guitars, as well as a drum set (still learning the drums and bass) I have made several recordings with lead, rhythm, bass and drum. The Roadster does not get lost in the mix at all and it cuts though quite well. It actually sounds better than the RA100 in recordings. The only issue I have is getting a good recording of the bass since it seems to blend in with the drums and some of the guitar but if I kill the bass track you will notice it missing. In a live setting, Bass, Drums and Roadster did not seem to pose an issue either (I was playing bass, someone else on drums and the other playing thought the Roadster). I will definitely have to compare the Roadster to the Mark V. So far the Roadster is top dog but have not tried playing in an open space (outside) as it would disturb the neighbors.

Once you figure the Roadster out, it is a great amp. If the bass seems to be too much, switch from silicon diode to tube rectifier which will sag the bass a bit so it is not as dominant as it would be with the silicon diode. I generally run at 100W most of the time.

Lower the bass on the roadster and you will hear the bass guitar better.

+100

And if you still have flub, use an EQ in front to tame it.

Dom

 

[brettsticker]

another one sounding off for the roadster. I had a dual rec for a few years, loved it, but wanted a bit more versatility. Roadster is hands down my favorite head i've played through.

 

[TruthnSound]

Were you guy's able to dial out the "Dark" or blanketed sound? I am really having a hard time deciding to get this or the 3 channel Dual Rectifier. I watched the video by haggardty music and it was kind of a turn off. Is it as aggressive as the Duel Rectifier? is there too much bass in this amp? I tend to have Bass turned to 7:00 Mids to about 4:00 and Treble to about 2:00. I don't like a massive bassy sound. That's what bass guitar is for.