Roadster 1x12 combo has landed!! UPDATED - Clips ADDED!

[Barry]

whats up??? to my knowledge the only tube you can run solo is the rectifier tubes..However; I've used the 2 KT77's + 2 6v6's = GZ34s and discovered that in 50watt mode you used the TWO outside tubes only which in my case with this kit were the KT77s---killer for Brit Mode!!!!!Ive just ordered my Stilleto Ace head today---stocked!! I already have the Roadster head. I plan on running them both through my Stilleto 4x12----NOT AT THE SAME TIME!!! I'm gonna run a Radial Headbone Amp Switcher.This way my Roadster is all 6v6 and the Ace is El-34s..I'm gonna be slaying some dragons dudes!! When it arrives I'll send pics of the complete setup!!

I use the headbone switcher between my RK and Stiletto . Very nice unit .

 

[tele_jas]

Can that be done? If you can, what are the advantages or disadvantages to running one tube and how does it only use one tube?

I think by one tube, he meant one kind of tube - EL34 or 6L6.

 

[cant play pool with a rop]

my bad !!!!!! Whats up Tele Jas you ya brew up some tones on that Roadster with Brit yet???

 

[tele_jas]

my bad !!!!!! Whats up Tele Jas you ya brew up some tones on that Roadster with Brit yet???

Not yet, probably this coming Saturday..... I got some EL34's and tried them, but it's not as nice as my Road King was - The Roadster is to brittle. That's the only downer about this amp...... But the other 3 channels make up for it.

 

[cant play pool with a rop]

did you happen to crank the mids???

 

[Mr_You]

I got mine this past Saturday. Still tweakin and learnin about the amp...

But I agree at first I thought channel 2 was worthless (I don't agree its a clone of channel 1, seems to have a midrange spike?), but I found a REALLY sweet jazz tone from the fat mode on channel 2. I also LOVE the tone from the gain cranked on the tweed mode on channel 1. Lovin the recto channels too. Sweet amp. From what I understand, one of the main reasons this 1x12 combo amp is so bassy is because two speakers cancel one anothers bass frequencies more so compared to a single speaker.

Recently acquired the Gibson ES-137 which is a really nice guitar but I think I'm gonna go with a couple Agile Les Paul copy guitars next year: solid-body (w/ rock pickups) and chambered (w/ jazz neck and blues bridge pickups).

Will try to offer some clips sometime. Pic (the white one is a cheap LP copy):

 

[tele_jas]

wow. I really like the gold grill!!!! :shock:

Looks very classy.

 

[francric]

Nice looking roady Mr. You........where in Greensboro did you get it?

 

[Mr_You]

Yeah I like the gold grill and the amp will look better when the black diamond plate dulls a little. [EDIT: Updated with super sized pic:]



I got it from Jacksons Music in Winston, they are good sales people.

I'll tell ya what though... I'm really freakin bummed. Came home, turned it on, and no sound coming from the boogie. Probably a tube or something, it got cold in this room last night, who knows, I'll figure it out and let y'all know. Maybe they have a bad batch of tubes or somethin. Miss her already.

 

[francric]

That's where I got mine too they have have a pretty good selection there.........Had the same thing happen. Got home no sound. It was a tube..........

 

[hal9000]

Can that be done? If you can, what are the advantages or disadvantages to running one tube and how does it only use one tube?

I think by one tube, he meant one kind of tube - EL34 or 6L6.

LOL! Yeah, that was a typo. What I meant was one tube type at a time since the 50 W switch only uses one of the pairs. Of course, if EL34s didn't do it for you on their own, perhaps an integrated quad won't either. Maybe there are some darker, bassier EL34 variants out there that will work for the Roadster?

 

[JAZZGEAR]

This came right out of the RK II manual regardin EL34 types:

"The fatter U.S. type (also known as 6CA7) produce a sound that has some of the characteristics of the 6L6 and they too sound like they look, fatter and beefier"

 

[enigma]

I was at GC and played through the Roadster with a LP. And, boy it was fun going back and forth with 4 channels!

I really liked Channel 1, and the way it broke up - just sweet vintage!
Channel 2 had to be dialed in, but OK. Channel 3 was excellent with awesome texture, and the channel 4 in the mod mode was fantastic - tight attack with warmth.

Now the headspinning questions is what to do with 4 channels w/ 3 modes each with a guitar, i.e., PRS 513 (13 tones), Gibson Blueshawk (18 tones) . . . you get the picture.

The potpurri of tones are confusing the hell out of me. I don't know what I like anymore :shock: :lol:

I envy the days when Hendrix just stuck a Strat through a Marshall!!! 8)

 

[JAZZGEAR]

"The potpurri of tones are confusing the hell out of me. I don't know what I like anymore"

It's easy.... find one you like and call it a day :lol:

 

[Mr_You]

Swapped out some preamp tubes tonight. I believe it was the first one. Fixed my problem.

Glad I kept my NOS tubes over the years (last used in a Triaxis I was playing)... So now I'm running NOS GE 5751s in positions 1,4,5, and 6 and NOS Philips 12AX7WA in 2 and 3.

I really like 5751s in the clean positions. If anyone is interested in finding a new 5751, only Sovtek is making them right now. They make a gold pin one for Electro-Harmonix. Excellent clean tube. By itself or overdriven its a little dark, low gain tube.

This amp is addictive, specially Channel 1 in Tweed mode with the gain cranked all the way. Its definitely got all the tones I was looking for.

 

[enigma]

OK, I've decided that I am getting the Roadster, the head that is. I played it for almost an hour, and found awesome tones on each channel:

1) Tweed;
2) Clean;
3) Raw or Vintage;
4) Modern

The local Mesa distributor recommended 2x12 over 1x12 as 1x12 gets too bassy whilt the 2x12 is tight and crisper.

The head through the 4x12 was fantastic!!!

I'm having the store put both my Stiletto Trident and Lonestar up on Ebay - they get 20%. Many were looking on this site, but no good offers. Hmmm . . . .
Anyhoo, the Roadster is one sweet, versatile tonal machine 8)

 

[ursinus]

[Channel 2 is the only disappointing channel on the amp, more specifically the BRIT mode. On my old Road King, channel 2 Brit mode with EL34's was one of my FAVORITE channels and I was hoping it would be the same with the new Roadster......... It isn't!! I even went out and bought some EL34's to run in the amp on Saturday night and I can't get it to sound like my Road King's BRIT mode no matter what I do - I think the EQ is voiced differently. On my RK, I ran the gain and trebble at 100% and the rest of the settings around 11:00...... on the Roadster, with the trebble at anything above about 1:00 is too bright and ice-picky and with a single coil, the brit mode just won't get in to that "Marshally" tone the Road King could get in to (didn't have a Humbucker guitar with me to try). I woked on it for almost 25 minutes and finally put 6L6's back in the amp (I liked channel 1 better with 6L6's).]

I have a suggestion for channel 2 Brit mode. I use a HBE DOS MOS pre-amp to push that channel and it get as nasty (in a good way) as any AC30 or old Marshall, give it a try. I love my 2x12 Roadster except for the weight, should of gotten the 1x12 combo, oh well, the tone makes up for the weight....

 

[enigma]

Ursinus, I think you made the right choice with 2x12 despite the weight. I too found the Brit mode nearly useless, but I would use ch. 2 for Clean, and ch.1 for tweed which is great.

I'm thinking of putting my "future" Roadster head on top of my Stiletto head (Brit crunch) and get the best of every possible tone.

 

[mesa jedd]

This dude recons the cleans are nicer and the reverb is better,there the fricken same as the rk2, did he get rid of it because it to heavy or he wants reall likes the roadster better lol. Is 112 better handling than 212 soniclly?

 

[tele_jas]

This dude recons the cleans are nicer and the reverb is better,there the fricken same as the rk2, did he get rid of it because it to heavy or he wants reall likes the roadster better lol. Is 112 better handling than 212 soniclly?

If I could have afforded a Road King II head and cab, I would have done that in a heart beat... but with my Road King I only bringing around $1700 (after shipping), I couldn't come up with $1000 more for a series II combo or $1500 more for a series II head and a cab I liked. I needed an amp with better cleans, but basically the same functions as the Road King but close to - or with little money out of my pocket, and then I found this Roadster 1x12 combo and it answered all my questions in one amp: 4 channels, Recto distortion, GREAT clenas, 1x12 closed back, V30 celestion, fan on tubes, solid construction and casters to top it all off.

As for the 1x12 vs the 2x12, with the different speakers and the 1x12 being a closed back it's hard to compare. I know the 2x12 RK combo had a fuller stage sound because I could hear the sound bouncing off the wall from behind the amp and filling the stage up more. The 1x12 cloded back projects forward a lot more and is just as loud, but the stage volume seems lower since it's all being pushed out the front and not the back. The 1x12 Roadster has a deeper low end thump to it and the cleans can rattle the windows in my house with the bass up past 1:00 - The Road King never did that unless I had the volume at "ear bleeding" levels. The closed back also sounds just as full when I set it up on an amp stand or a box, where the RK sounded thinner.

The weight difference is about 30 or 40 pounds, but the Road King was easier to handle with the 2 side handles. The Roadster only has the one handle on the top - which wasn't too smart on Boogies part since this amp still weighs in at over 80 or 90 pounds.

I'm completely happy with the Roadster 1x12 combo in comparison to my Road King 2x12 combo, even after 2 more gigs (4 total with it)..... I don't have to bring my AC30 to every show now just to have a nice clean/country tone...... Unless I just want the added versatility of 2 amps.