Please Help me choose between my Roadster and a new Mark V.

[giantstepjoe]

Let me start off by saying I like my Roadster alot. It's really versatile and I love the clean sounds which was the main reason I chose this amp over a Mark IV(My Roadster is an 08 and the Mark V wasn't out yet). I prefered the high gain sounds of the Mark IV but prefered the lonestaresque cleans of the Roadster. I like the distortion sounds of the roadster but just don't find them tight enough in the bottom or liquidy enough in top- I've tried the eq in the loop and it helps a lot but it still doesn't sound smooth tight and aggressive all at once like a mark. I've used an od in front too- but who wants to step on channel select switch and pedal at once to get the sound you want-Its got to be simpler than that. I suppose I could make do with it- it is a great amp but I think I just might be Mark guy and not a recto guy. I would love to keep the Roadster and get the Mark V(best of both worlds) but I have a 20 month old son and another on the way so owning both is just not realistic for my finances at the moment.
Should I sell the Roadster and buy the Mark V? I keep going back and forth weighing the pros and cons. Will I miss the fourth channel on the Roadster? The way I see it probably not if I have three dialed in perfectly. The Guitar Center near me is currently out of the Mark V so I have been unable to try one. I'm afraid if I order it without trying it first the cleans won't be as good as the Roadster and I'll have buyers remorse. Can anyone offer some advice from their own experience that may help me make up my mind. If it helps at all I play mostly rock and jazz some of my favorite players include Shawn Lane, Guthrie Govan, Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Allan Holdsworth, John Petrucci, Pat Metheny, Jonathan Kreisberg, Steve Vai, Joe Pass, and EVH.

 

[fluff191]

Based on your words, I would keep your Roadster.

Based on your playing styles, I would say get the Mark V.

Don't let the lack of a 4th channel fool you, the Mark V is a very versatile amp. And based on what you are looking for in actual tone, I would just sell the Roadster and get the Mark V. No boost needed, and can be butter smooth if you want it. But that's just my opinion.

Eric on here could probably give you a better opinion. He owns both of those amps. Or did anyways. It's April, right? Yeah he probably still has the Mark V. :lol:

 

[LesPaul70]

I don't think you will necessarily miss the Roadster channel 4 that much. While the Mark V has one channel less, that does not necessarily translate to fewer sonic options - the 9 modes are very different from each other, and then you have the graphic equalizer (which the Roadster doesn't have) that will broaden the sonic palette even further.

You said it yourself, you are not using the Rectifier distortion as such anyway, you are trying to carve it into something else with a pedal. So I don't think you will miss it that much. As for the clean tones, the Mark V cleans are not the same as the Roadster Lone Star cleans - but that said, I truly love the Tweed mode of Mark V and I don't think it will disappoint you.

FWIW, I was having a slightly similar dilemma roughly two years ago. I was tempted by the huge palette of sonic options in a Roadster but was less than impressed with the distortion sounds. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't coax the Rectifier distortion into the kind of sound I needed in my band projects. So I gave up on the Roadster, and then Mesa released Mark V. I now have a Mark V and I know it is the right amp for me. Great cleans, great rock sounds. Even great metal tones - not as huge and modern as the Recto tones but much better focused, more balanced, and tighter. The Mark series distortion has that beautiful singing quality I want in my guitar leads - something I couldn't get from the Recto distortion. For reference, my current band projects are mainly 1970s/1980s style rock/hard rock/metal, and I find that the Mark series sounds fit that kind of music infinitely better than anything Recto-based.

As a general guideline, I would suggest that if your ideal distortion sounds are from the 1980s bands or older bands, you will probably like the Mark V better. On the other hand, if your ideal distortion sound is the massive wall of sound you hear on 1990s bands and newer bands use, you will probably like the Roadster better. And if you can't decide, get both!

 

[Spewnz]

i own a Roadster and I've tried a mkv and i can say if its cleans your after you wont be disappointed by the V at all very glassy and nice. also if your not after angry low mid growl distortion-gasms. you will be very satisfied with the five. the attack is strong and things like string rakes and palm muting even with mild "classic rock" level distortions is sexy to say the least. its strong and aggressive but not mean that's the best way i could put it,so if you dont need super mean go for the V.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

I would say overall, you probably would prefer the Mark V. Note that the cleans on the Mark V wouldn't be as big and also be quite a bit stiffer than the Roadster, or at least that's what I found when comparing them...

 

[giantstepjoe]

Thanks for all the input thus far. I still haven't made up my mind yet but I'm pretty sure I will getting the Mark V- I just want to try one out. How much can I expect to sell my Roadster for? It's in mint shape no scratches or tears, works perfectly, and comes with footswitch, covers and paperwork. It has three years left of warranty.

 

[Spewnz]

i would say you could sell it for 1,600 or so easily

 

[GD_NC]

Chalice or Grail? Tough choice.

There is only one way. Get them both and A/B them till you figure out what you like. Both amps can do just about anyting, but they don't sound the same at all.

Sell the looser and take the loss. (or buy a used V and don't take a loss)

 

[guitarzan1143]

Buy a mark IV instead :wink:

 

[eudaimonia02912]

Using a combination of boost pedals and the graphic EQ, it's very easy to make the Mark V act like a 6 channel amp.

I have mine set like this:

Channel 1: Fat mode: nice, fat, shimmering cleans
Turn on a TS808 with some grit--> instant blues

Channel 2: Crunch mode: mid-gain JCM800 sounds
Turn on an OCD as a clean boost --> Marshall metal, or sustaining Marshall leads

Channel 3: Mark IV mode: tight, aggressive, but smooth metal
Turn off graphic EQ (which has a V shape): fatter lead sound
Or use a boost and neck pickup: fatter lead sound

I spent about 4 hours playing Roadsters because I was considering them, but I was unable to get what I'd consider a good lead guitar tone out of it. In about 10 minutes, I had two good lead guitar sounds (a MB and a Marshall sound) out of my Mark V.

I wouldn't mind having a 4th channel, though, just to get the Recto sound. If I could make any change to the Mark, it would be to add a Dual Rec channel to it, for when I want to do bottom heavy, droptuned groove metal