Ok so here it is

[BrentSSL]

Keep the Rev F or get a 3 channel or roadster? Keep in mind I don't really use fx except wah for Bodies by Drowning Pool and Chorus pedal for Enter Sandman intro. So I do need a clean channel and use slightly over driven sounds for some blues rock.

Love the Rev F best rectifier tone in my opinion but cleans are meh to none series fx loop I only really have channel maybe 2 if I want to get 100 percent of the amp. But I could be selling or trading away a piece of history that could go up in value and hard to replace buy oh so juicy tone.

3 channel (non multi watt) easy to replace cheap to maintain sounds similiar to the Rev F but has a clean that can be decent when used right. You can set up each channel for different tone and it's simple to use I know that amp very well channel 3 was my heavy channel 2 was my rock tone. Buuuuut it's no Rev F

Or the roadster which sounds dark recto style and more like a Mark series to me the a dual. Has the series f x loop and all kinds of bells and whistles which are improvements from the 3 channel better cleans reverb a sort of useful 2nd channel but a ridiculously huge footswitch for a pedal board and not as simple to maintain as its recto cousins. Aaaand it's no RevF.

Thoughts and opinions please

 

[Silverwulf]

If you only need 2 channels and like what you have, no need to spend the time and $$ changing IMO.

I think the Rev F cleans are underrated. They're no Fender, but certainly bold and usable. If you need more power and want them a little clearer, clone the Orange channel to Modern, turn the bass and mids OFF, and keep the gain in check (10-11 o'clock).

 

[screamingdaisy]

I have a Roadster and a Rev F. I mostly use the Roadster as I find it a better match for my playing/style. I don't generally channel switch much. I pick a channel for the tonality I want and use my guitars volume/pickup selector to go from clean to mean. I find the Roadster reacts better to my guitars volume knob than the Rev F does (Rev F thins out more when cleaning up).

I also get a lot of use out of tweed mode. I don't really use a true clean sound, so tweed covers me when I need to sit in that clean to edge of breakup to crunchy region.

The solo boost is handy since it enables me to solo at any gain level. I like being able to selectively dial in reverb for for clean/lead use. I like that I can kick on a lead delay any time I want. I like that I can have a tuner mute without having a tuner in the signal path. The footswitch is big, but I can leave the tuner and delay sitting on the amp and control reverb, mute, loop, and solo from the ground and only have it and a wah at my feet.

I like that I can have Modern on the solid state rectifier and Vintage on the tube rectifier.

I like both amps and both sound great, but the 2 channel makes me feel like I have one hand tied behind my back.

 

[RPercival]

I have a Rev G, a 3ch Triple, and a Road King. That being said...I wouldn't sell a single one of them. They all sound great and much different. Saying the RK has the DR lead channel is just not true. They do all have different tubes in them, but the overall feeling is just not the same. I know I'm not really helping here, but the moral of my story is...have both.

 

[afu]

If your can't afford to keep the F, the Reborn might be the right one, actually. In a band context, the differences between models (except the RK or Roadster being darker) are mitigated. The Clean is better than the 2001 model and Channel 3 has a ganged Presence pot to make Vintage and Raw the same as Channel 2 when they are selected. If you don't need the Road Series' extra clean channel or the additional clean modes, and want to pay less than a Roadster, the Reborn is a good choice. You also get the improved FX loop, just in case you change your mind about effects later on, and channel assignable rectification.

I wish I had channel assignable rectifier selection on mine........

 

[BrentSSL]

Haha I know right but the multi watt is all fizz what to do what to do jk Also the 3 channel I tried out today was wierd the guy had some rack reverb in it when it was plugged in worked fine except the reverb was on every channel and it had no power when we un plugged it unless the loop was bypassed what was that all about?

 

[afu]

Haha I know right but the multi watt is all fizz what to do what to do jk Also the 3 channel I tried out today was wierd the guy had some rack reverb in it when it was plugged in worked fine except the reverb was on every channel and it had no power when we un plugged it unless the loop was bypassed what was that all about?

It sounds like the loop was set to "On" and would affect every channel. If the reverb was powered off or removed and the amp ceased making sound, the amp has been probably been modded to have a series loop. In that case, it has to have a feed from Send to Return to work. That's normal for that mod.

 

[BrentSSL]

Wait so if it's series the master knob doesn't work unless something is plugged into it?

 

[afu]

When the loop is modded to be series, regardless of the actual mod, there is a break between send and return that needs to be bridged by an effect or just a cable from one to the other. The dry, parallel path is removed, leaving just the wet connection going out of the Send jack.

The Output control will not work when the connection is broken, because it lies just after the Return amplification stage; There's no signal to control if no signal is coming into the Return jack.

On mine, I could use the FX Loop switch on the pedal as a mute. When I use the tuner in my TC Electronic Nova System (which is in the loop), it mutes the signal itself and the amp becomes silent, because nothing is going to the Return jack. An added bonus is being able to run the signal out of the Send jack and direct into something else. As long as the speaker jack is hooked to a cab to maintain the load needed for the output transformer, the head is fine and I can do things quietly.

 

[BrentSSL]

That's really cool so you basically have a direct out sorts? Also on my rev F when I have a series does it need the jumper cable?

 

[afu]

F models have a series loop using stereo jacks. One output from the stereo jack is for the loop and the other is tied to the same tab on the return jack for dry. When a cable is inserted into the Send, it disengages the dry connection to allow the wet path to function in serial. If nothing is inserted into the Return, it will be silent, because the Return is still only accepting the dry signal (though a tiny, little, bit of leakage could happen). In this way, a Recto designed with a series loop can be used as a slave out or direct out.

Edit: (Removed part about Return jack)

I believe revisions C to F, the Road Series, and the Reborn all have that basic design and function the same. I've noticed it on many Mesa amp schematics and it seems to be a signature of their series loop designs.

 

[BrentSSL]

Ok that's good info but I'm not sure that answers my question

 

[BrentSSL]

I have a Roadster and a Rev F. I mostly use the Roadster as I find it a better match for my playing/style. I don't generally channel switch much. I pick a channel for the tonality I want and use my guitars volume/pickup selector to go from clean to mean. I find the Roadster reacts better to my guitars volume knob than the Rev F does (Rev F thins out more when cleaning up). Thats a nice set up first of all secondly what amp do you think has better tone?

I also get a lot of use out of tweed mode. I don't really use a true clean sound, so tweed covers me when I need to sit in that clean to edge of breakup to crunchy region.

The solo boost is handy since it enables me to solo at any gain level. I like being able to selectively dial in reverb for for clean/lead use. I like that I can kick on a lead delay any time I want. I like that I can have a tuner mute without having a tuner in the signal path. The footswitch is big, but I can leave the tuner and delay sitting on the amp and control reverb, mute, loop, and solo from the ground and only have it and a wah at my feet.

I like that I can have Modern on the solid state rectifier and Vintage on the tube rectifier.

I like both amps and both sound great, but the 2 channel makes me feel like I have one hand tied behind my back.

 

[afu]

Ok that's good info but I'm not sure that answers my question

No. That's what the talk about stereo jacks was for.

 

[BrentSSL]

Ok then I'm still confused for sure I'm a little slow on this subject I guess lol

 

[afu]

I was partially wrong, but here's the thing: Instead of using a stereo jack as left and right, they are for dry and wet and it is designed to work as a simple switch. This is only used on the Send jack. If the loop is active, engaged, and nothing is plugged in, one end of that dry prong is touching the part receiving signal (tip). The other end of the dry prong is run to the Return jack's input.

With a 3 Ch, that sort of connection is often made on a modded loop by plugging a jumper cable in, because there is no easy way to replicate the old serial circuit.

On the F, inserting a plug into the Send lifts the dry prong away from tip, breaking the connection to the Return tip, leaving just the wet track active to send the signal out of the Send jack and the connection is made by plugging the signal back into the Return after effects. That still allows the amp to work silently as a preamp if the signal goes somewhere other than the Return.

That part in the post above above about the Return having a stereo jack was incorrect. It's just the Send.

I need to stop attempting to go by my memory....... On top of having memory problems, C1 and my skull were slipping and swollen when I wrote that stuff and my head and neck were killing me and messing with my limbs. Me write funny when sick, unga.

 

[BrentSSL]

So basically if I'm having that happen with my rev F then there's an issue with the fx loop

 

[afu]

Are you using a jumper cable?

 

[BrentSSL]

No not currently but I'm going to try it

 

[afu]

You shouldn't have to. I was just explaining that the way the serial loop works will allow it to be slaved to a power amp and silence the cab. If your dry connection cuts when you activate the loop and nothing is plugged into it, an electronics cleaner needs to used on a plug and then inserted several times, or you need to spray into the jack itself with a light spray and wait 10 minutes, or open it up and do it. Amp needs to be unplugged for any of that work.

My apologies for taking this so far off topic. My original point was to show that that particular 3 Ch you tried may be modded and perfectly fine. Then I volunteered the info about the F loop.

Perhaps you should retry the 3 Ch and see if the loop is fine when jumped. If so, it has a tonal advantage over a stock amp. With the dry gone, there is no chance of comb filtering and that mix pot isn't affecting the signal in any way.