RKII

[azazelsmight]

Is it really worth the money? I loved the tone i got out of it messing at the guitar store. Brand new running 2400+ for just the head

 

[Boogiebabies]

I can live on channel 1 and 2 alone. The tube reverb is a great improvement over the RK I, but I suddenly realized that with a 92 DR, I don't use channel 3 and 4. I had the RK I, RK II and now have the RK II version II and have about 2 hours on it since I got it in January. For heavier tones I constantly lean to the IIC+'s, III, IV and 92 DR. It's a $ 2400 paper weight, but it's a nice one.

 

[nathan28]

I have had mine since November and I love it, very versatile, and you can dial in about any sound you want.

 

[CJG]

Boogiebabies,

I remember You saying that the RK II sounded better than RK I in another post.
If I remember correctly You said that ch 3 and 4 was also "tighter" than on RK I. So, You really heard a difference on those channels as well?

Take care
CJ

 

[JoeEllison]

Think you guys can talk my wife into it?

 

[jamme61]

don't do it unless you don't have to sweat the cash. If you're going to be hard pressed to raise the cash you'll be diapointed. I could never be happy after spending $2000 on an amp that dosen't do it all, and IMHO the RII doesn't do it all, I don't think any amp can. The RKII is like fools gold, it tricks you and sucks you in and then you find out it's a jack of all trades, master of none. It looks awesome to the eye but to the ear its nothing special IMHO. My MKIV kills it tone wise, and even better then that, is my Express 5:50. Yes I owned a RKII for only 2 weeks, but I ran back and bought my MKIV (way better tone IMHO) I just wish the express was around back then. This is just my opinion and a lot of guys love the RK I,II but to me for the money, no way, nothing special tone wise.

 

[abecon5]

Boogiebabies, sounds like you would have been better off with a Lonestar and your marks.
for me the RKII V2 is the ultimate amp!
I paid $3k for the amp since i had it custom made and it is still worth every penny!!! Iwill get buried with this amp!

 

[CudBucket]

The RKII is like fools gold, it tricks you and sucks you in and then you find out it's a jack of all trades, master of none.

This might be the most utterly ridiculous comment about the RKII in the history of man. If you like your Mark IV that's great. But the RKII is awesome and does things the Mark IV can't.

My MKIV kills it tone wise

Well that's your opinion. He was asking if it was worth the money. Which is also a ridiculous question. Go play the amp. If you like it and can pay for it. It's worth it.

and even better then that, is my Express 5:50. Yes I owned a RKII for only 2 weeks,

The Express is great. Especially the 5:50. But there are tones the RKII does that the Express will never do. You're comparing apples to oranges.

 

[jamme61]

The RKII is like fools gold, it tricks you and sucks you in and then you find out it's a jack of all trades, master of none.

This might be the most utterly ridiculous comment about the RKII in the history of man. If you like your Mark IV that's great. But the RKII is awesome and does things the Mark IV can't.

My MKIV kills it tone wise

Well that's your opinion. He was asking if it was worth the money. Which is also a ridiculous question. Go play the amp. If you like it and can pay for it. It's worth it.

Sorry I was not into the RK II, I tried to love it but I couldn't. To be honest the money was a big part of it. It's tough for me to spend that kind of cash and when the amp didn't do it for me I had to bail. I think the recto sounds on the RKII were a waste for me, but your right those tones are not in the MKIV, still there's other heavy tones in the MKIV that I like more. The RKII has more tones available, just not what I like . Sorry just my opinion but if you love it, that's all that matters, right? I just try to keep people from getting burned by jumping in to fast (like me) and losing a ton of cash. that's why if your on a money diet, (like me) buy a used MKIV or a new express, in the end all boogies and all killer tone.

and even better then that, is my Express 5:50. Yes I owned a RKII for only 2 weeks,

The Express is great. Especially the 5:50. But there are tones the RKII does that the Express will never do. You're comparing apples to oranges.

Yes right, but, how much? express 5:50$1200 RKII $2500? or more? worth it? maybe to you? that's cool.

 

[jamme61]

The RKII is like fools gold, it tricks you and sucks you in and then you find out it's a jack of all trades, master of none.

This might be the most utterly ridiculous comment about the RKII in the history of man. If you like your Mark IV that's great. But the RKII is awesome and does things the Mark IV can't.

Sorry just my opinion.

My MKIV kills it tone wise

Well that's your opinion. He was asking if it was worth the money. Which is also a ridiculous question. Go play the amp. If you like it and can pay for it. It's worth it.

Sorry I was not into the RK II, I tried to love it but I couldn't. To be honest the money was a big part of it. It's tough for me to spend that kind of cash and when the amp didn't do it for me I had to bail. I think the recto sounds on the RKII were a waste for me, but your right those tones are not in the MKIV, still there's other heavy tones in the MKIV that I like more. The RKII has more tones available, just not what I like . Sorry just my opinion but if you love it, that's all that matters, right? I just try to keep people from getting burned by jumping in to fast (like me) and losing a ton of cash. that's why if your on a money diet, (like me) buy a used MKIV or a new express, in the end all boogies and all killer tone.

and even better then that, is my Express 5:50. Yes I owned a RKII for only 2 weeks,

The Express is great. Especially the 5:50. But there are tones the RKII does that the Express will never do. You're comparing apples to oranges.

Yes right, but, how much? express 5:50$1200 RKII $2500? or more? worth it? maybe to you? that's cool.

 

[Boogiebabies]

It's not as tight as the 92. I think I have reached my limit. Too much crap laying around. I might flip it on E-Bay and buy a nice toupee.

 

[jamme61]

It's not as tight as the 92. I think I have reached my limit. Too much crap laying around. I might flip it on E-Bay and buy a nice toupee.

+ 1 great idea!

 

[azazelsmight]

Im kind of thinking of selling my Triple rec because when i played the RKII i fell in love with it, but now that i put new tubes in the Triple Rec, it sounds AMAZING on channel 2 and 3. i havent really tried 1.

would it be worth it to get a RKII over my triple rec?

 

[JAZZGEAR]

Im kind of thinking of selling my Triple rec because when i played the RKII i fell in love with it, but now that i put new tubes in the Triple Rec, it sounds AMAZING on channel 2 and 3. i havent really tried 1.

would it be worth it to get a RKII over my triple rec?

Absolutely!

 

[azazelsmight]

Really?

I remember when trying out the RK at a local sam ash, the guy was telling me that the RK could use differnt combinations of tubes, but i really didnt understand what he was trying to tell me back then.

what would be the Pros and Cons of the RK compared to the Triple rec.

 

[123thefirst]

My MKIV kills it tone wise

Hmmm. The only sound clips I've heard of the Mark IV that I thought were impressive are the very heavy gain metalish ones. I admit that that type of distortion is very nice - kind of a light, clear beautiful but somewhat brutal sound. I would be a convert if I played mostly heavy stuff like that and that was the only sound I needed at one session.

However, that type of thing has nothing whatsoever to do with tone. I think what happy Road King owners understand is true tone. The Road King excels in vintage sounds - both tone-based and gain-based. As I heard someone (a pro I believe) recently say: "The Road King will out-Fender a Fender"

So maybe that's the key with the Road King. You have to be happy with traditional amp architectures (of which a Recto is one) and work forward from there. Naturally there are specialist niche sounds that require additional outboard gear to get.

 

[123thefirst]

would it be worth it to get a RKII over my triple rec?

The RKII is obviously a serious investment. You may be quite happy to go on the next 30 years playing what you play now with a TR. If you feel the need to grow as a musician and want to develop and experiment with different forms of music and want the tools to help guide you through with intensity then there is no question that the RKII is worth it.

 

[jamme61]

My MKIV kills it tone wise

Hmmm. The only sound clips I've heard of the Mark IV that I thought were impressive are the very heavy gain metalish ones. I admit that that type of distortion is very nice - kind of a light, clear beautiful but somewhat brutal sound. I would be a convert if I played mostly heavy stuff like that and that was the only sound I needed at one session.

However, that type of thing has nothing whatsoever to do with tone. I think what happy Road King owners understand is true tone. The Road King excels in vintage sounds - both tone-based and gain-based. As I heard someone (a pro I believe) recently say: "The Road King will out-Fender a Fender"

So maybe that's the key with the Road King. You have to be happy with traditional amp architectures (of which a Recto is one) and work forward from there. Naturally there are specialist niche sounds that require additional outboard gear to get.

Look, it's just my opinion, which is worth what? I have one and you do too, right? It's all good

 

[123thefirst]

Quite frankly your posts and those of IbanezForLife sound a bit heavy-handed and off-balance. It sounds like you guys have a chip on your shoulders or something...

 

[jamme61]

Quite frankly your posts and those of IbanezForLife sound a bit heavy-handed and off-balance. It sounds like you guys have a chip on your shoulders or something...

I was very disappointed in the RKII, I wanted to love it and I guess I just expected to much. But you might be right about the chip. I am a little upset about $3000 amps that don't do IMHO what people say they do. To me when you try to do so much it ends up being a compromise in tone. There's no way around that IMHO. I think we all get a little excited sometimes (me included) when we first get a new amp and go on to soon about how great it is. The RKII promises a lot and IMHO doesn't deliver, tone wise. Again just my opinion I would just hope that if your not rich and work hard for your money, read all these posts and get an idea, but don't buy until you can spend some time with the amp, if possible. This forum is for the all opinions, good, and bad, of all the amps. It's for the` reader to decide and figure out what's best for them. I think it's a lot easier for me to just right how awesome an amp is (and I do) but this is a lot of money for an amp that I don't like, so I posted my opinion.