Roadster heads, any comments?

[Symmetry2170]

Especially you guys that own the roadster heads, what's your impression(s)?

I'm away at school right now and can't really get to a store to play alot of amps so I've had to resort to the internet and reviews from other users.


What can their clean channels do? Are they similar to the Dual Rectifier solo? Does the clean channel break up at higher volumes?

 

[MusicManJP6]

clean channel is based on the Lonestar's cleans so they are the best cleans you can have in a Mesa. They blow the Single Rec's cleans away needless to say... I loved the cleans on my Roadster when I had it...

 

[Symmetry2170]

I'm glad to hear that. I checked out a clip on youtube and it sounded very muffled and very dirty. Not clean at all. It was very bassy and what not.

I always come back to my opinion about mesa's being a scooped mid's amp is that you can always fix that with an EQ pedal, am i wrong about that?

 

[mcsdude]

What are new roadster heads currently going for at places like GC? Can I really save much $$$ holding out for a used one to show up on here or ebay?

Is it true that places like GC are not allowed to negotiate on prices with boogie amps?

 

[Kaz]

I just bought one from GC a week or two ago, the going rate is 1,999.99 plus tax (which in CT came to a total of 2100+ for me). It's very pricey, and they're not allowed to negotiate. I found it marked with last year's price (1899) and asked about why it was marked 100 bucks up and the guy gave me a hassle lol saying "we can't sell it to you for that b/c....bubablah"

imho it's worth the money. New with warranty and all that does make a difference to some people. I was originally going to go on ebay for it, but I needed the amp at the moment, not later.

Best of luck!

 

[mcsdude]

Cool. Thanks kaz.

 

[wildrat666]

the cleans are great on the roadster head. it is so many options in this head. better cleans and better hi gain channels too. the hi gains seems to be more tight and focussed then the dual head. i really recommend this amp

 

[Symmetry2170]

thanks for the help guys.

i heard that their clean channel is modeled after the Lonestar, but then I read on Mesa's website that it's modeled after the Mark 1 clean channel?

either way, if it's great it's great.

 

[Laskyman]

i heard that their clean channel is modeled after the Lonestar, but then I read on Mesa's website that it's modeled after the Mark 1 clean channel?

Actually, the Clean and Fat modes on the Roadking II and Roadster are from the Lonestar. I dont know if they mention it on the Roadster page, but a Roadster is a Roadking II minus a couple options (1 loop instead of 2, speaker options, EL34s on board).
I absolutely love my Roadster head, and it has been 8 months since I got it (not a "honeymoon" review...).
It is capable of **** near any sound you want, in any gain range out of the box. The clean channels are in a league of their own, and when you turn up to a reasonable stage volume, the amp literally comes alive.
It took me a while to get into my Roadster($$$), but it was (and is) well worth it.
This is an amp really is more of a companion to my playing than the "latest rig". If I would have known how pleased I would be with this head, I would have put all of my resources toward bringing it home earlier.
My $.02
YMMV
Laskyman

 

[Symmetry2170]

i heard that their clean channel is modeled after the Lonestar, but then I read on Mesa's website that it's modeled after the Mark 1 clean channel?

Actually, the Clean and Fat modes on the Roadking II and Roadster are from the Lonestar. I dont know if they mention it on the Roadster page, but a Roadster is a Roadking II minus a couple options (1 loop instead of 2, speaker options, EL34s on board).
I absolutely love my Roadster head, and it has been 8 months since I got it (not a "honeymoon" review...).
It is capable of **** near any sound you want, in any gain range out of the box. The clean channels are in a league of their own, and when you turn up to a reasonable stage volume, the amp literally comes alive.
It took me a while to get into my Roadster($$$), but it was (and is) well worth it.
This is an amp really is more of a companion to my playing than the "latest rig". If I would have known how pleased I would be with this head, I would have put all of my resources toward bringing it home earlier.
My $.02
YMMV
Laskyman

Thanks alot for the advice, Laskyman. Really helpful. I'm maybe halfway, MAYBE 3/4 of the way to having the cash for the Roadster. I have about $1,400. So, I'm saving and saving every little penny I can find.

 

[jdurso]

its worth the dime... no tube amp under 2000 can do what the roadster does and very few (RK, VH4, ENGL SE) over 2000 can do it better.... the one precursor i think you should consider is whether you like the recto tone.... while the roadster is a little darker than your typical DR, its still a recto.... if you like the recto sound (which is more or less half the amp) you'll love the recto... if your more a marshall type guy go with the stiletto and if your a mark iv kinda guy go wth a mark iv

 

[mcsdude]

good point jdurso... to take that one step further... If you like the recto stuff but want to be able to kick in that sweet marshall tone from time to time consider the road king instead. Being able to dial in the el34s can get **** close to the marshall tone. I was a marshall guy through and through and getting my road king had me worried about losing what I loved about marshalls. I can get close enough to a marshall tone with the el34s I don't miss my marshall at all.

 

[kissing]

Have any tried the Roadster head with a Roadking 2X12 cab? I was hoping to get it in this combination.

 

[Symmetry2170]

I do like the gain and the sound that dual rectifiers have. however, i think that alot of people who play them, play them poorly or just play a bad genre of music. Bad in my eyes being not my taste (ie-nu-metal, metalcore, etc). Bands like Between the Buried and Me, A Whilhelm Scream, etc all use Dual Rectifiers and i love their tone(s).

I don't care for marshall's at all, never really did. I was hoping to find an amp that could do what the Dual Rectifier did distortion wise but still had a great clean channel and kept clean at higher volumes.

 

[Kaz]

A friend of mine just bought a Hughes and Kettner Triamp Mk. II today over a Roadster, said he couldn't dial in a lead tone on the RS. I'm kinda convinced he didn't give it a shot from the get go.