Ok I Give in time to buy a Mesa!

[super6]

Ive been playing guitar for about 13 years now and have had my peavy Bandit for most of this time. Over the past six months I have been looking to buy a new amp that is alot more versatile than what i have and uses Valves!!! :lol:
My questions are these Im pretty shure I'm going to get a roadster as this seems the most versatile (I play anything from funk,blues to full on thrash metal) would you agree?

Secondly i cant decide over going for a head and seperate cab or going for the combo instead.

If any of you guys could help with this i would be really greatful as mesa pricing in the uk is realy high and i wanna make sure im getting whats right for me.

Cheers

 

[Platypus]

Welcome

The Roadster is a lot of amplifier, especially for your first tube amp. Have you played one before? It may be a little daunting to go from a Peavey to something like that. It can certainly do all of those styles you mentioned but then again a lot of Mesa amplifiers can. It's important that you find one that you bond with as they're all different.

That said, the combo/head thing depends a lot on how you play. Are you going to be gigging with the amp? The combo is VERY heavy.. something to think about if you're moving it around a lot. You also get a lot more cab options if you go with a head in addition to it being a lot easier on your back to move.

 

[jdurso]

Ive been playing guitar for about 13 years now and have had my peavy Bandit for most of this time. Over the past six months I have been looking to buy a new amp that is alot more versatile than what i have and uses Valves!!! :lol:
My questions are these Im pretty shure I'm going to get a roadster as this seems the most versatile (I play anything from funk,blues to full on thrash metal) would you agree?

Secondly i cant decide over going for a head and seperate cab or going for the combo instead.

If any of you guys could help with this i would be really greatful as mesa pricing in the uk is realy high and i wanna make sure im getting whats right for me.

Cheers

well the roadster is a killer amp and IMO can cover all the ground your looking for.... the one thats always very subjective is the trash metal because for me i think Master of Puppets which has the Mark IV tone.... i think the roadster does thrash very well but not exactly that MOP type tone...... being from the UK, have you checked out the ENGL products? for trash metal i think they're the "it" company because the ENGL high gain sound is very very tight but with more saturation than say a Mark IV.... in the States the ENGLs are very pricey but in europe the tbales might be switched around with the ENGLs being cheaper than the mesa's.... i'm just trying to think outside the box because its hard to know exactly what someone means by funck, blues and trash because for different people that means different tones.... i would, before you drop the $$$ on the roadster take a look at the ENGL SE because those amps can do just about any tone.... if that doesnt do it for you then i think the roadster might be your amp

 

[vertigo_]

Ive been playing guitar for about 13 years now and have had my peavy Bandit for most of this time. Over the past six months I have been looking to buy a new amp that is alot more versatile than what i have and uses Valves!!! :lol:
My questions are these Im pretty shure I'm going to get a roadster as this seems the most versatile (I play anything from funk,blues to full on thrash metal) would you agree?

Secondly i cant decide over going for a head and seperate cab or going for the combo instead.

If any of you guys could help with this i would be really greatful as mesa pricing in the uk is realy high and i wanna make sure im getting whats right for me.

Cheers

well the roadster is a killer amp and IMO can cover all the ground your looking for.... the one thats always very subjective is the trash metal because for me i think Master of Puppets which has the Mark IV tone.... i think the roadster does thrash very well but not exactly that MOP type tone...... being from the UK, have you checked out the ENGL products? for trash metal i think they're the "it" company because the ENGL high gain sound is very very tight but with more saturation than say a Mark IV.... in the States the ENGLs are very pricey but in europe the tbales might be switched around with the ENGLs being cheaper than the mesa's.... i'm just trying to think outside the box because its hard to know exactly what someone means by funck, blues and trash because for different people that means different tones.... i would, before you drop the $$$ on the roadster take a look at the ENGL SE because those amps can do just about any tone.... if that doesnt do it for you then i think the roadster might be your amp

+1000000 what jdurso said. I don't want to hijack the post, but on a sidenote - I have always seen jdurso giving great suggestions and advices. Good job jdurso and thanks from a forum reader for ur insightful postings.

 

[jdurso]

Ive been playing guitar for about 13 years now and have had my peavy Bandit for most of this time. Over the past six months I have been looking to buy a new amp that is alot more versatile than what i have and uses Valves!!! :lol:
My questions are these Im pretty shure I'm going to get a roadster as this seems the most versatile (I play anything from funk,blues to full on thrash metal) would you agree?

Secondly i cant decide over going for a head and seperate cab or going for the combo instead.

If any of you guys could help with this i would be really greatful as mesa pricing in the uk is realy high and i wanna make sure im getting whats right for me.

Cheers

well the roadster is a killer amp and IMO can cover all the ground your looking for.... the one thats always very subjective is the trash metal because for me i think Master of Puppets which has the Mark IV tone.... i think the roadster does thrash very well but not exactly that MOP type tone...... being from the UK, have you checked out the ENGL products? for trash metal i think they're the "it" company because the ENGL high gain sound is very very tight but with more saturation than say a Mark IV.... in the States the ENGLs are very pricey but in europe the tbales might be switched around with the ENGLs being cheaper than the mesa's.... i'm just trying to think outside the box because its hard to know exactly what someone means by funck, blues and trash because for different people that means different tones.... i would, before you drop the $$$ on the roadster take a look at the ENGL SE because those amps can do just about any tone.... if that doesnt do it for you then i think the roadster might be your amp

+1000000 what jdurso said. I don't want to hijack the post, but on a sidenote - I have always seen jdurso giving great suggestions and advices. Good job jdurso and thanks from a forum reader for ur insightful postings.

no problem man.... i love this forum because i've learned so many new "tricks of the trade" which has really grounded me with my roadster... there was a few months in the last year where i was almost dead set on another amp but low and behold i tried some different settings, an eq pedal and bam i got the tone that was in my head.... as far as advice i like to be unbiased especially when its involving dropping a lot of $$$ on an amp.... so if it sounds like another amp company (which there are many) has a better fit then why not suggest it

but seriously i really enjoy this forum because we dont have the idiots that seem to float around HC or the snobs on some of the other forums (VHT, Line6, Fender, etc.)

 

[kissing]

I would give 2 thumbs up to Jon too.
He gives one of the best advice ever.
By the way, i was also in the same predicament as you do when thinking about my first Mesa and i am still in one...
but i guess here is the best way to seek for the "way"

 

[rvschulz]

while i don;t play the same range of tones that it seems you are looking for ... the Roadster and Roadking are extremely versatile and expensive to get all of your tones from one amp. you get what you pay for.

i play more blues and clean than distortion, so i went with a Lonestar - it still has many basic tone combinations - but sometimes i put a pedal or two in front to really get loud and raunchy. i think that might be a different option to explore ...

i would consider what percentage of your music needs distortion and how often vs. bluesy/clean - those are different tones to me. from a Peavey to a Mesa is a SERIOUS jump - i'm not speaking against it, just for the investment you need to make the right one at that level unless you are sickeningly loaded with money ... a screwup will cost you $$$ potentially.

good luck and welcome.

 

[Zoomzilla]

Here is the great thing about Mesa. Go to Fleabay or some other place and buy what you want, try it out and if you don't like it, about the only thing you will lose is shipping costs. I bought a Dual Rec from ebay and I love it, but if I decide to get a Mark IV some day, I can probably sell the DR for pretty close to what I paid for it.

Good luck on the purchase. I bought the DR because I like the way it sounds and I am not a professional. The DR is PLENTY for me. When I have more money and more time to play, I may upgrade but for right now, my DR does everything I want.

 

[super6]

Many thanks for all the advice guys and i go along with the other responses this is a blinding forum with realy genuine advice.

I have played alot of different tube amps before as i used to work in a major guitar shop in London and played around with the Mesa's in there and was impressed with what i heard.

With regards to Engl amps it is alot cheaper and i know some one with a powerball wich sounds incredible but the only thing missing from the amp is the fact that there is only two EQ's shared across four chanels. The other thing i have heard is build quality is not up to the same standard of the Mesa's.

 

[fishyfishfish]

Try out a F-50. I have seen some used for a great price. Real good entry tube amp that will last as longer than any other "New Brand" out there. Do a lot of shopping and trying out before you buy. Before I got my Duel Rec, I made everyone crazy trying amps out and learning how they sound with different guitars, pedals, volumes ext. If it's your money spend it wisely!

 

[jdurso]

Many thanks for all the advice guys and i go along with the other responses this is a blinding forum with realy genuine advice.

I have played alot of different tube amps before as i used to work in a major guitar shop in London and played around with the Mesa's in there and was impressed with what i heard.

With regards to Engl amps it is alot cheaper and i know some one with a powerball wich sounds incredible but the only thing missing from the amp is the fact that there is only two EQ's shared across four chanels. The other thing i have heard is build quality is not up to the same standard of the Mesa's.

ive heard the same thing about the build quality but that was also from some diezel and bogner snobs on the HC forum...... ive never owned one but iver really never heard horror stories just more hearsay..... the diezel guys claim the design is flawed because of the way the tube sockets connect to the board (or something along those lines).... but again ive never heard horror stories..... but the thing i can attest to is aside from changing my tubes once or twice ive never had any issues with any mesa ive owned..... at the end of the day the best way to pick your amp is get to as many guitar shops as you can and try everything and anything till you find what fits.... also researching a bunch of different amps doesnt hurt because if you find yourself trying one, knowing how that amp works is a huge plus.... half the people who hate rectos and mark IVs just dont understand the amp..... ive heard people sware the mark iv cant do heavy tones yet those same people (2 of them) love lamb of god and petrucci's tone.... go figure... good luck with your search

i know this is a long post but as far as mesa amps i'd take a look at:
- road king or roadster for their shear versatility ... tone wise they have their own niche that shares qualities of the lonestars and rectos which for players who like a lot of different tones and enjoy the recto tone, they are the best amps out there

- if your more of a plug and play the stilettos are killer... they're way more than a suped up marshall... they have their own tone

- another plug and play are the dc series.... to me they're a bridge between the mark iv but with more of a high gain that lends itself to a recto/mark hybrid

- there is of course the tone machine known as the mark iv..... it can pretty much do any tone if you tweak it enough and do them well... awesome liquidy leads ( think petrucci) and can produce some of the tightest rhythm tracking out there (think Master of Puppets, lamb of god, chevelle)

- i also very much like the triaxis/2:90 rack setup.... again since its based on the whole mark series you can do anything you want..... i'm big into having a lot of different tones so i love being able to bank settings.... and i love repeat love the dynamic voicing control which basically replicates a 5 band post-eq... as you adjust the control your scrolling through preset eq curves... some dont like it but if mesa could add a knob like that onto my roadster i'd be in heaven (well maybe if it programmable)

there are many more amps in the mesa line that this post could take up a while page so i'll let the others chime in
-

 

[krankitup]

- if your more of a plug and play the stilettos are killer... they're way more than a suped up marshall... they have their own tone

Exactly, a marshall on steriods with a hint of recto