Road King II Head -vs- The Eleven Rack Mesa Rectifier Sim

[VaiSatchAtrucci]

Ok now before I get flamed to death here let me say that I LOOOOOOOVE my Road King, but it's time for a change and I am able to get the same (actually a tad clearer) tone from the Mesa model on the Eleven Rack. I more than anyone was blown away and the first time I compared the two was on this video and I think you can hear the dismay in my voice as I stumble all over my words in excitement... LOL

Anyway you can check it out here and I do have a Road King II for sale to purchase a power amp to compliment the 11R - more specifically a 2:90 or a 3rd Power Amps SV3015.

Also, I know nobody will believe me, but I swear with my hand on a stack of bibles that the 11R dynamically & feel wise is identical to the setting I use on the Road King (ch3) - but you HAVE to use tube power - solid state won't get it done I don't believe, and the tone is slightly better even but it's splitting hairs...

Check it out and let me know what you think and also let me state for the record, if I COULD afford to keep it, I would, but there's no reason to keep it as I haven't used it in over a year and a half - literally...

I'm still a Mesa guy through and through until I die and in NO WAY am I suggesting the 11R is BETTER than the whole Road King head because it's not but for the sounds I use, it is AS true to the original as you can possibly get in my opinion. Can it get EVERY possible tone the Road King can get - hell no, but can it get every tone I use? Yes hence the reason I am actually able to sell it. There's no way if it wasn't identical that I would sell it otherwise I can assure you. I'm telling you it's freakin' crazy...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfEjY_75Io

Let me know your thoughts! and there are other 11R vids on my YouTube page as well as all my Road King ones... <sniff sniff>

Thanks!

 

[pokerrules47]

Again, like the Axe-FX, these units are beginning to really start to sound good enough to really use, in the studio and live. The stability and consistency of these units are their strong point for sure. As they get better in the tone dept, they will become the obvious choice for a lot of musicians.

I think it really depends on what you pump these through for the sound you will get.

Your particular tones sound very genuine... and any non-guitar player would not be able to tell any difference at all... I couldn't tell the difference, but it was obv recorded through a cam mic.

I would definitely consider one of these units as a backup unit.

 

[Jacko123]

Very cool. I figure I'll go down the sim highway in a year or two. We'll see where the market is heading. Where can you find a list of amplifier it simulates?

 

[VaiSatchAtrucci]

Very cool. I figure I'll go down the sim highway in a year or two. We'll see where the market is heading. Where can you find a list of amplifier it simulates?

If you go here: http://www.zzounds.com/item--DGDELEVENR and scroll down on the left under the 'description' tab it lists everything it does and gives a great amount of detail on the amps which I actually have never seen anywhere - LOL I completely bought it solely on the Avid YouTube videos with Sean Halley and honestly REALLY bought it for ProTools and the zero latency recording and re-amping because using Logic Pro and my Apogee Duet just introduced enough latency to make it really annoying to me and the amp sims in Amplitube just didn't FEEL like an amp to me - they SOUND great but the Eleven Rack has just been a joy and an inspiration beyond what I expected. I never even intended to take it out and use it live, but wow - so easy and consistent (depending on the skill of the sound guy of course).

Let me say though it's not like it's without cons either... The FX are 'lacking' and not particularly 'robust' like the AxeFX - although not really an issue for ME personally as I just supplement the FX it lacks with my Nova System and/or G-System so I'm covered there regardless plus they act as a midi controller so its like killing two birds with one stone although the G-System is more flexible as it can send midi CC#'s and turn any FX or anything on / off and control whatever, whereas the Nova can really only change presets and cannot send midi CC#s - or if it can, I haven't been able to figure it out but I'm 99.999% sure it can't.

I will say when I first plugged it in, I wasn't blown away AT ALL and I think that's when most people just go "Ewww!" and send it back thinking that it should just blow you away out of the box and maybe for some people they do, but it sounds like all the presets were designed with a Strat with single coil pickups only. The presets just don't work with my EBMM JP6's and the pickups in there - they sounded really lifeless and thin but after a month or so of learning the nuances of everything, it's a keeper and SO glad I didn't let my first impressions affect my decision to keep it or not. It's not unlike the same experience I had with the Road King II when I got it - it took me a good two weeks to dial it in but it's so ridiculously flexible it only stood to reason and again, glad I kept it although I don't think I could have returned that one?

Anyway - for what it's worth they are about to be coming out with their first real major firmware update (barring beta testing) which we're all hoping has some new goodies

Thanks for checking it out brother(s)

 

[VaiSatchAtrucci]

Again, like the Axe-FX, these units are beginning to really start to sound good enough to really use, in the studio and live. The stability and consistency of these units are their strong point for sure. As they get better in the tone dept, they will become the obvious choice for a lot of musicians.

I think it really depends on what you pump these through for the sound you will get.

Your particular tones sound very genuine... and any non-guitar player would not be able to tell any difference at all... I couldn't tell the difference, but it was obv recorded through a cam mic.

I would definitely consider one of these units as a backup unit.

Thanks! Yeah what I figured though is even though it's recorded with a cam mic - it's the same mic and same controlled environment so whether I recorded it with a $2000 Royer into ProTools or via the cam mic, you're still able to tell that the tones are still the same which I can definitely attest to having been IN the room. Clearly as you are alluding to, a mic'd cab would sound a hell of a lot better and "true" but I don't believe that would expose much if any major tonal variation. I'll mic it up if I don't sell the head before I get a chance and record it this weekend. My wife is getting her hair 'did' so that's always my main window of opportunity to just rock-the-house literally! LOL Would be a more definitive test for everyone else for sure.

Thanks for the feedback sir!

 

[ryjan]

Thanks for the clip. I've had my eye on the 11r since I first read about it in GW or something 2 years ago. Nice alternative to an Axe FX for half the price.

 

[VaiSatchAtrucci]

My pleasure!