Road King "Output" question

[scott from _actual time_]

i played a RK II again today, in a local store. last time i bypassed the Loop and Ouput/Solo controls and used the channel Masters to control the volume.

this time i cut on the Loop & Output, and the tone got thin and lower volume, with no low end. when i turned the output knob, the tone went from buzzy to dark several times over the sweep of the knob, and the volume barely increased. i had to use the Solo function to get the volume up, and the tone still didn't have any low end. when i bypassed the Loop & Output again, the channels sounded fine.

my question: that ain't right, is it? i don't know these amps at all, but it sure doesn't seem right to me.

 

[mloiaco]

Are you sure it was hooked up correctly? I've been to several Guitar Centers and seen them select speaker "b" on the RK with nothing plugged into that speaker jack! It's amazing that they didn't blow the output tranny. You would definitely notice a thin sound if the speakers were not hooked-up correctly. There is a lot going on in the rear panel of the RK, so just make sure the store has everything configured the right way.

 

[Micah]

I noticed this too!! This seems whacky to me also!

 

[jbird]

It takes a good studying of the manual, for sure!

 

[Micah]

It takes a good studying of the manual, for sure!

Anything were missing that you could enlighten us on?? :wink:

 

[jbird]

Hey man, I own a two channel Dual Rec, and it still keeps me occupied, ya know what I mean? My knowledge of these Mesa effects loops is learned by reading the on-line manuals! If I were to buy or demo a Roadking, I'd buff up on the manual, that's all I'm saying!

 

[scott from _actual time_]

Are you sure it was hooked up correctly? ... There is a lot going on in the rear panel of the RK, so just make sure the store has everything configured the right way.

positive. because i hooked it up myself. both times i played it, before i even turned the amp on, i checked all four channel strips at the back. all the speaker outputs were set to A [it's a combo] and all the loops were turned off. i'd read the manual several times before i went to the store, and i even took it there with me [i'm anal like that]. and the Output knob still didn't change the volume level.

so something's busted, right? it shouldn't sound like that.

 

[jbird]

So, did you increase the channel masters? Don't they act as effects send levels with the loop engaged? And what about the mix knob on the back? Like you said, you probably went through this thing correctly, it could simply be a bad pre-amp tube!

 

[strumminsix]

Is the loop buffered on each side by a preamp tube (half)?
If so, that is likely the reason for the tone change.