Roadster - out of production

[Eevil]

So I was just browsing the net and went to mesa page to find out the Roadster is out of production. Well... not so big surprise to keep the product portfolio somehow streamlined and the success of the pocket amps may diminish the need for this kind of monsters.

Yet it is still sad day to find out that neither of my amps is not in production anymore :roll: am I getting old or what?... well... maybe

 

[Given To Fly]

I have a Roadster 2x12 Combo and feel no sadness that it was discontinued. It is not the type of amp you stock up on because one is usually enough. :lol: I love that amp though and will hopefully enjoy it for years to come!
I trust Mesa knows what they are doing and their future will continue to be bright.

 

[tbonesullivan]

There have been many iterations of the Rectifier series that are no longer in production, and there will most likely be more in the future, as the marketplace changes. Also, some amplifiers, such as the Maverick, Rect-o-Verb, Tremo-O-Verb, don't have as much mass appeal, and they probably noted sales decline, so they moved onto a different specialized version of the rectifier series.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I'm surprised they discontinued the Roadster and kept the Road King.

 

[Given To Fly]

I'm surprised they discontinued the Roadster and kept the Road King.

I wonder how far in advance the decision to discontinue an amp is made? I suppose we could always ask Mesa. :shock:
The Road King does have its own line of speaker cabinets which are used by all three versions of the Road King. I imagine that makes everything surrounding that amp a little more complicated.

 

[Eevil]

I'm surprised they discontinued the Roadster and kept the Road King.

Maybe the RK gets price drop :lol:

Time to buy another Roadster for stereo setup

 

[Eevil]

I'm surprised they discontinued the Roadster and kept the Road King.

I wonder how far in advance the decision to discontinue an amp is made? I suppose we could always ask Mesa. :shock:
The Road King does have its own line of speaker cabinets which are used by all three versions of the Road King. I imagine that makes everything surrounding that amp a little more complicated.

...and Roadster is in a way poor man's Road King..

 

[silentbob]

So I was just browsing the net and went to mesa page to find out the Roadster is out of production. Well... not so big surprise to keep the product portfolio somehow streamlined and the success of the pocket amps may diminish the need for this kind of monsters.

Yet it is still sad day to find out that neither of my amps is not in production anymore :roll: am I getting old or what?... well... maybe

I don't think it's surprising or related to the success of the smaller amps at all. The pocket amps don't have anywhere near the flexibility of the Roadster, so it's unlikely that anyone wanting/needing what a Roadster has to offer would be satisfied with one of the smaller amps.

The minimal differences between the Roadster and Road King make eliminating one of them a logical decision in an environment where big amp purchases are declining. Obviously, the flagship product with unique options isn't likely to be the one cut in that situation.

 

[dlpasco]

There have been many iterations of the Rectifier series that are no longer in production, and there will most likely be more in the future, as the marketplace changes. Also, some amplifiers, such as the Maverick, Rect-o-Verb, Tremo-O-Verb, don't have as much mass appeal, and they probably noted sales decline, so they moved onto a different specialized version of the rectifier series.

This is a REALY good point. I'm still pretty stunned, though - most of the people that I know that have Roadsters adore them.

That said, I had the option to vote with my dollars and bought a JP-2C and a Triple Crown instead of a Roadster myself. Maybe the sales have just been cannibalized by their other models to the point where it made more sense to move on and focus on where the demand is.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Also there is the secondary market to consider. I mean, I've never bought a new Mesa Boogie amplifier. most of my guitars were purchased used. That can always be a consideration, combined with the new and exciting amps they have put out.

Mesa Boogie is the progressive rock of the amp market. They are always looking for ways to improve and redesign their amplifiers, and pack them full of features. You don't see many of the other major makers or boutique makers doing that either. Many are still obsessed with the idea of the perfect new VINTAGE style amplifier. Less controls are better, and that whole philosophy.

I'd much rather have a versatile amp that sounds great. Even Mesa Boogie's perceived "low end" offerings still have tons of features. The Express series all have multiple voicings on each channel, the legendary graphic EQ, and the ability to change out put power and run the amp in class A single-ended mode.

My biggest issue with buying a new mesa boogie is that I simply could not decide which one to get. That and MIDI controls. Never been able to wrap my head around those.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I'm surprised they discontinued the Roadster and kept the Road King.

I wonder how far in advance the decision to discontinue an amp is made? I suppose we could always ask Mesa. :shock:
The Road King does have its own line of speaker cabinets which are used by all three versions of the Road King. I imagine that makes everything surrounding that amp a little more complicated.

From what I understand, because Mesa's are typically made to order they'll keep making something until they run out of parts. I suppose lead time to discontinue depends on how fast they were consuming parts.

With regard to the RK, I've seen very few out in the wild or on the internet... and I think I've only ever seen one or two people on the internet who actually got the matching cab. If anything, the feature set on the Roadster is more inline with what people would actually use, which is probably why it became popular.

But, from what I've been reading the musical instrument industry is taking a sh*tkicking right now. The baby boom is going bust and many millennials came of age post MTV. Mesa has to adapt to a changing market place, and in my particular scene I'm not seeing a whole lot of 100w amps and 4x12s. Having the Dual, Triple, Roadster and RK all trying to take a bite out of that same market is pretty redundant.

That said, I'd love to see a three or four channel Mini-Recto.... or a one channel Mini-Recto with programmable settings.

 

[silentbob]

or a one channel Mini-Recto with programmable settings.

Mini-Recto with Tri-Axis level flexibility.

 

[Nick79]

A 4 channel mini Recto would be my ideal amp.

Regarding the Roadster, i've never even seen one in the flesh. Here in the UK Mesa's just aren't that common. I gig a lot, and also go to watch a lot of bands, and it's very rare that i see anyone using a Mesa. If i do it's usually a MK of some type or a big Rectifier.

 

[screamingdaisy]

A 4 channel mini Recto would be my ideal amp.

Regarding the Roadster, i've never even seen one in the flesh. Here in the UK Mesa's just aren't that common. I gig a lot, and also go to watch a lot of bands, and it's very rare that i see anyone using a Mesa. If i do it's usually a MK of some type or a big Rectifier.

I think the Roadsters are more common in North America because they're still somewhat affordable. I think I paid about 2g for mine.

 

[Nick79]

That would probably be why. Over here anything with a Mesa badge is big money. Current retail for a Roadster 2x12 combo is £3,350 - That's about $4300.

Mini Rec's are £1200 new, i bought used and paid £500, which in Mesa land is a bargain.
A buddy of mine bought a 40w combo brand new for less than that, he just couldn't understand why i paid more for a lower watt head - Until he heard it :lol:

 

[screamingdaisy]

I've found that you generally get what you pay for.

 

[Nick79]

Definitely. I work in a guitar store and get to try loads of different amps, for me none of them match up to a Mesa, both in sound quality/feel and build quality. Occasionally some get close but nothing tempts me.

 

[Cali_Cave_Man]

I was surprised to see no Roadster info too. I also noticed the Triaxis is not displayed on their site any more. I have both, and I'm glad to have them.

 

[bandit2013]

I love my Roadster a great deal. I may not be surprised that the Roadster has been discontinued. Usually what follows is a rebirth at some point in time. Optimistically the may be an indication something new is in the works for the Rectifier series. That would be cool to see the Midi function and other features migrate into the Rectifier line up. time to keep a watch out for what may be next.

 

[LesPaul70]

IMHO, the biggest advantage a Roadster has over a Road King is the weight. Every time I grab my RKII head, I just don't believe how heavy it is. Pretty much ideal for one-arm bent over rows, though, if only it weren't so big...Glad I didn't get a 2x12 combo.

Progressive Linkage is (for me) the best reason to get a Road King instead of a Roadster. I absolutely love it, wouldn't want to be without it. The rest of the Road King bells and whistles, cab switching, extra fx loop, aw never mind, those are total dead weight to me.

Interesting development, in any case. The probable reason for this is that their sales declined, which is kind of surprising considering that it has been the amp of choice for many players who want the Recto sound and flexibility at an affordable price. Are those potential buyers now attracted to other (slimmer?) Mesa models or other manufacturers?

(Of course wishing I'm totally wrong and they'll just come up with a Roadster II soon...)