Road King II with single coils on high gain?

[gorgorsan]

Hi, guys! Is anyone using this beast with a Fender strat and single coils on full blast? Can't find any clips of this combination. I wonder if it sounds kinda weak as is usual the case with single coils on high gain.

Thank you

 

[elvis]

I doubt it would be weak. Just turn up the gain a little more. The Road King has plenty. I think your bigger problem would be noise.

I run a telecaster into my Mini Recto and it SCREAMS.

You can always gain up in front with a boost or OD as well.

 

[gorgorsan]

I doubt it would be weak. Just turn up the gain a little more. The Road King has plenty. I think your bigger problem would be noise.

I run a telecaster into my Mini Recto and it SCREAMS.

You can always gain up in front with a boost or OD as well.

Thanks, Elvis! By weak I also mean like thin (especially when palm muting) and not just less gain. You got any clips with your tele/mini recto? I see you also possess studio preamp. Which one you prefer for higher gain with tele?

 

[bendo]

I doubt it would be weak. Just turn up the gain a little more. The Road King has plenty. I think your bigger problem would be noise.

I run a telecaster into my Mini Recto and it SCREAMS.

You can always gain up in front with a boost or OD as well.

The noise issue can be mostly resolved with a Noise Gate. My Strat is a bit noisy, I never notice it with the gate on. With it off, oh yeah. She purrs a bit.

I have had good luck with the Smart Gate from MXR.

OP Single coils are no issue at all with any Rectifier, though humbuckers are preferred (noise). Just turn the gain up, it will scream. But, if you are looking for palm muted metal, you really need a humbucker equipped guitar. Not saying it can't be done with a single coil, but a humbucker produces a much more preferred tone when in overdrive.

 

[Misery Signals]

When I play rock I often play with my guitars with humbuckers on split modus on ch2 and ch3 on the Roadking. Does perfectly the job. Bright powerful sound with good attack. Not realy hum and hiss... And it still doesn't need a lot of gain.

MS

 

[elvis]

I don't have any clips handy. For sure the tele sounds like single coils, though most people would call the tone "glassy" or "twangy" rather than "thin". It is what it is. You can dial the tone controls for more low-end and less bite. Personally I like the bite. My humbucker guitars sound dull by comparison. Teles are definitely twangy.

But it's true that the chugging is not as solid with the single coils. Humbuckers definitely help there. You could also try a BB Preamp set for a bit of bass boost and/or a bit of treble cut. That fattens up the sound a lot, and I use a BB Pre a lot, especially for leads to get a Mark tone. I also use an OD808, but that actually adds more bite. Between the two I get a lot of variation, and can keep the recto gain a bit lower for good definition. Too much gain = less punch and clarity.

One thing that Mark players often do is cut the preamp bass and bump up the low frequency post-gain with the EQ. You might try to emulate that with an EQ in the loop. The single coils should be able to maintain clarity and bite and stay tight with a lot of gain, and then you can dial up more thump with the EQ.

You can also look at alternative pickups. If you have '50s style low-output pickups that are designed for a lot of quack and clarity, you might swap in a higher output, twangier pickup for more punch.

I definitely use the recto a lot more than the Studio Pre. I prefer the grainy, punchy recto tone to the smooth Mark tone, and get close enough to Mark tone when I want it with the BBP. I do love the SP, though, when I want smooth-sustain-for-days...