ixoye777
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 2, 2009
- Messages
- 171
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I got my Roadster head back in Jan and I got caught up in the brand name not in the tone. I kept telling myself that it was an awesome amp because it was a Mesa Boogie, not just that but a Roadster to boot - therefore it is awesome. But for my tastes it really wasn't. I really liked channels 1 & 2. They were warm, robust and had a ton of excellent tones.
Channels 3 & 4 were what drove me insane though. The harmonics were aweful, terrible note clarity, very flubby bottom end and just muddy and undefined overall. I tried everything to "fix" it. A complete retube, OD808, TS9, 10 band EQ, boost up front, SD Blackouts, new cab - everything I could think of. I spent a ton of dough but in the end I just found myself being frustrated by the loose and muddy high gain tones. Now I know a lot of people love that and want that tone but it just isn't for me.
The tone I had in my head is a hybrid of a high gain solid state amp with a really tight bottom end and the warmth and compression of a cranked tube amp. I found it today in the amp I traded my Roadster for:
The EVH 5150 III is exactly the tone I have been hearing in my head. It is SOOOO thick and tight and the harmonics are amazingly clear and sharp. The clean channel is good but not in the same league as what the Roadster has to offer. Channel 2 on the EVH has some great blues and rock tones but channel 3 is where this amp lives.
I am posting this because some others PM'd me asking for advice after seeing my threads about new tubes and how to tighten up the Roadster's high gain channels. I deleted the PM's and can't get in touch that way. For those of you with the same frustrations I was having - do yourself a favor and go test drive the EVH 5150 III before you spend more money trying to "fix" your Roadster like I did.
And finally, a HUGE thanks to guys like jdurso and Nitrobattery who always offered their advice to me.
Channels 3 & 4 were what drove me insane though. The harmonics were aweful, terrible note clarity, very flubby bottom end and just muddy and undefined overall. I tried everything to "fix" it. A complete retube, OD808, TS9, 10 band EQ, boost up front, SD Blackouts, new cab - everything I could think of. I spent a ton of dough but in the end I just found myself being frustrated by the loose and muddy high gain tones. Now I know a lot of people love that and want that tone but it just isn't for me.
The tone I had in my head is a hybrid of a high gain solid state amp with a really tight bottom end and the warmth and compression of a cranked tube amp. I found it today in the amp I traded my Roadster for:
The EVH 5150 III is exactly the tone I have been hearing in my head. It is SOOOO thick and tight and the harmonics are amazingly clear and sharp. The clean channel is good but not in the same league as what the Roadster has to offer. Channel 2 on the EVH has some great blues and rock tones but channel 3 is where this amp lives.
I am posting this because some others PM'd me asking for advice after seeing my threads about new tubes and how to tighten up the Roadster's high gain channels. I deleted the PM's and can't get in touch that way. For those of you with the same frustrations I was having - do yourself a favor and go test drive the EVH 5150 III before you spend more money trying to "fix" your Roadster like I did.
And finally, a HUGE thanks to guys like jdurso and Nitrobattery who always offered their advice to me.
