Roadster or Mark V

[spawnofthesith]

If you play at home, Mark V no question. Quiet Mark V > quiet Recto

 

[rika_gd]

yeah..MKV sounds amazing on 10w..of course cranked its better

 

[fjk1138]

I had the Roadster for 1.5 years, and just traded it for the Mark V last Friday. There will be some things I miss about the Roadster (Ch 3 Vintage, in particular) but I won't miss the weight and size of the head. The FX loop also had a slight hum to it (at least mine did).

If it helps any, my initial reactions to the Mark V are that the clean channel is better and the size and weight is a little easier to manage. I also find the knobs and switches to be more solid for whatever reason. The Mark V also seems to really shine on high gain tones with the neck pickup, versus the Roadster seemed to be better on the bridge pickup. You have 4 channels on the Roadster, but only 3 on the Mark V. So far, I am not finding much use for the CH 2 on the Mark V and would rather have two of Channel 3 IMHO so I could set one at Mark IV and one on Extreme.

Additionally, it seemed a lot of Roadster users were debating about what OD pedal to put in front of the amp as it was supposed to help smooth the tone out. To me, the Mark V seems to be more of that type of sound (not exact, of course). But I will say that the Mark V sounds more focused and like the notes are "right there" when you play, and you may find that your playing style might have to adapt to this "tightness" if you do get one.

So for me, it's sort of mixed feelings. Ideally, I would like to have both.

 

[eudaimonia02912]

FJK: If you want a second high gain channel on the V, try using a boost with crunch mode on channel 2. A $20 used TS7 (in hot mode, a little dirt, and a little volume boost) can turn crunch mode into a metal sound. I can't quite get it to sound like Mark IV mode, but I can get it to sound like the illegitimate child of a hot-rodded JCM800 and a Mark III.

 

[fjk1138]

FJK: If you want a second high gain channel on the V, try using a boost with crunch mode on channel 2. A $20 used TS7 (in hot mode, a little dirt, and a little volume boost) can turn crunch mode into a metal sound. I can't quite get it to sound like Mark IV mode, but I can get it to sound like the illegitimate child of a hot-rodded JCM800 and a Mark III.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[giorikas81]

The Roadster is the way to go for heavy chugga-chugga music, the Mark V is good for pretty much everything.

I beg to differ i can nail anything to meshuggah to slipknot to tool to floyd sh!t all with the mark v.

I agree, the MKV can get plenty heavy for those tones, but I've been a Recto player for 9+ years and nothing does drop tuned chugga chugga like a Recto.

It really depends on what you want out of the amp. I don't understand how anyone could give advise on which amp without asking a few simple questions first.

What type of music will you primarily be playing?
Are you more of a rhythm player or a lead player?
Will you be playing with a band or mostly in the bedroom?

Dom

Good for you. I'd prefer playing on lynyrd skynyrd tribute bands than havihg to play metal with a recto-type amp. P.S. I can riff without a ton of gain.


HATE the recto sound!!! Long live the marks.

 

[microwerx]

The Mark 5 is great and so is the Roadster (well I have the Road King II--basically the same thing). I think the Mark 5 has more of a classic sound and a metal sound. I think the Road King II has more of a modern rock sound to it. I love em both and they are very different amps (albeit with their own signature Mesa sound). The Roadster/Road King are loose and got lots of bass while the Mark 5 is tight and has lots of dynamics.

Ultimately at the end of the day, I have both so I don't have to pick...so I'd evaluate what sound you are really after and then go for the one that closely matches your needs. There isn't anything on the Road King II that I couldn't basically get on my Mark 5. But you can't really go the other way around since the Mark 5 is so fast/articulate.

If I had to pick, it would be hard but I'd probably go with my Road King II. That being said, the Mark 5 is amazing and it really is a dynamic amp. The beautiful thing about the Mark 5 is that it demands to be played well...i.e. if you sound amazing, it will sound amazing. I've had my Mark 5 for a little while now and I've already noticed my playing is way better than it used to be.... =D

 

[screamingdaisy]

The Mark 5 is great and so is the Roadster (well I have the Road King II--basically the same thing). I think the Mark 5 has more of a classic sound and a metal sound. I think the Road King II has more of a modern rock sound to it. I love em both and they are very different amps (albeit with their own signature Mesa sound). The Roadster/Road King are loose and got lots of bass while the Mark 5 is tight and has lots of dynamics.

Ultimately at the end of the day, I have both so I don't have to pick...so I'd evaluate what sound you are really after and then go for the one that closely matches your needs. There isn't anything on the Road King II that I couldn't basically get on my Mark 5. But you can't really go the other way around since the Mark 5 is so fast/articulate.

If I had to pick, it would be hard but I'd probably go with my Road King II. That being said, the Mark 5 is amazing and it really is a dynamic amp. The beautiful thing about the Mark 5 is that it demands to be played well...i.e. if you sound amazing, it will sound amazing. I've had my Mark 5 for a little while now and I've already noticed my playing is way better than it used to be.... =D

I agree with the above.

If I'm doing modern rock I prefer my Recto. It's a little darker, a little bigger and a little looser sounding, yet it also punches hard and produces a lot of intensity if you manipulate it well.

For classic rock and/or modern metal I prefer my Mark 5. Channel 3 is a little brighter and a lot tighter while the other two channels can give classic Fender and Marshall type tones (and boosted Fender/Marshall with an OD pedal).

The Mark V is a tight amp. Whoever the guy was who first said high gain covers up poor playing technique has never played a Mark.

 

[Spewnz]

In my a/b of the two i found that my favorite was the roadster. yes the mark V is tighter and as a great response, but when i was playing it i kept leaning towards it wanting "more". Maybe i just like the big recto sound but for me it was the roadster though, as stated before both would be amazing. also a stiletto and roadster would be awesome as well.

 

[microwerx]

I agree, I love the way the recto sounds. It has plenty of lows, really saturated hi-gain, and the looser feel makes it a joy to play through. I just remember listening to my favorite artists using rectos--Art Alexakis from Everclear, Kevin Griffin from Better than Ezra, and Mike Turner from Our Lady Peace [Clumsy Album]. I just fell in love with that sound. On the other hand, that smooth boogie lead sound and crunch sound you'd hear on lots of classic rock albums from the 70's and 80's...all the way to Metallica and other modern metal bands just make me excited about the Mark 5. I love the IIC+ mode--absolutely amazing lead channel.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Interesting the OP never got back in this discussion. Just raised some old beat down topic and left?? :roll:

FWIW, I think the guitar you use is equally important. Active EMG's or Blackouts seem to love the Roadster to my ears. You can get great blues tones out of a Strat on a MKV. And a MKV and a Rec mix is awesome. So you need both! For someone that does not know which they like and may use a forum as the only input, I would say neither. Too much money to spend and not know what your ears like best.