Something I noticed with the Roadster.

[oyster]

I think it was called solo head for a reason, but I can't explain why

anyway, I like my rhythm tone to be my lead as well and the only mode I've had problems with is the modern mode, but i really like the vintage/tube rec/bold for leads/solo tones. Its not your usual lead sound either but I really like it.

+1

Thinking outside the box (the preconceptions from music you hear being recorded with these amps) and get some nice tones. Use your ears! If it sounds bad, change it DUH.

another hint for smoothing out the recto sound is to do as I am, use an integrated quad of 2x6V6 combined with 2xEL34 or 2xKT77 in the power section (you can get a quad like this and use it with EL34 setting, call eurotubes and explain what you want & they will send it out). Nice...

 

[RoadsterAbuser]

Alright guys, I got it all figured out.
CHANNEL 3 IS A TONE MONSTER

Check these settings out for a smooth, violin like sustain (**** am I glad I didn't screw up and made a mistake and send this amp back for something else)

This is all on CHANNEL 3 with VINTAGE switch
Presence=9:00
Bass =10:00-11:00
Mid =3:00
Treble =10:00
Gain =3:00

I couldn't believe the tone I got out of this thing. Now I see why Mesas are said to be sensitive in the EQ dept. you really have to tweak them. I had no idea Channel 3 was such a killer channel since I got caught up in the "gain hype" and was strictly using channel 4 with Modern switch on.

There's nothing wrong with my amp and the Mesa Trad 4x12s I have with it are a killer match. This amp is worth the $1900 tag for Channel 3 alone. I was able to get both Rectified and Marshall tones out of it but better and more sustain than any Marshall. It's incredible smooth and buttery now. The closest I could describe would be Yngwie's tone on Marching Out. I nailed both his tone and SRVs tone out of this thing (SRVs out of channel 2) You just have to play with it alot and don't be scared to leave channel 4 and try the others but the real beauty is channel 3.

I use channel 4 to screw around when I feel the need for brutal gain and rythmn only beause I do scoop it but if I use the same settings above and turn the gain down on channel 4 it is still nice. I love this amp now. I almost fucked up big time and took it back and was getting an Egnater but I'm glad I didn't. In case you guys haven't noticed about these Mesa amps, they have a sustain unlike any other amps that make them unique. I tried the Egnater which is a monster in it's own but there was something missing and the Mesa grew and grew on me.

Sound clips are coming later..my SM57 was put to sleep.

 

[RoadsterAbuser]

I had everything cranked on it, the gain and bass but the treble was at around 1:00. That got me a little worried and might get rid of this thing if it really isn't for lead playing.

Yo bro. Sorry to sound like a dick, but what imbecile turns the bass and gain to 10 on a DR and expects to get excellent lead tone? That would be muddy as sh!t. That's unadvisable for rhythm tone as well (unless you like that Limp Bizkit mudhouse rock). Not only that, Mesa's are not designed to crank the output that high (there's a guy on here that did that with a Stiletto and melted internal components, BEWARE!)

Rule #1 with Mesa amps: Read the manual.
Rule #2: rule #1
Rule #3: understand the EQ interactions (treble knob being strongest over tone influence)

Don't complain until you've done those things.

You'll get better lead tones with el34 than 6l6 in my opinion and spongy setting w/ rectifier tube tracking.

Use ch3 for lead and ch4 for rhythm (or vice versa). There really is no need for any effects.

I posted a very decent lead setting on ch3 or ch4 recently on this forum with a RK1. check it out.

It's not a dick what you sound like..you sound like a "dee dee dee" that doesn't pick up on what he reads. So you live life according to manuals? I don't!

First time Mesa Rec owner and why not crank everything to 10 I always have on all my Marshalls and my Fender Hot Rods and never had the issue. It wasn't so much the tone I was talking about, why don't you settle down and re-read the post and try again skippy? Read specifically this part ("I was getting a strange reverb/flange/chorus type of sound")..or pay attention to it since you have an issue with ingesting what you read.

also show me where I specifically said I had the bass at 10? I said, "cranked" which was at about 7-8 and the Master to 9-10, Mids 7-8 I don't like Bass that high anyway. I concider that cranked. What I had all the way up was the gain but again it was the strange sound that I never heard before that bothered me. Not so much the tone.
Here just in case you miss it again:
I was getting a strange reverb/flange/chorus type of sound


I'm pretty **** sure that you will still miss it so:
I was getting a strange reverb/flange/chorus type of sound

Remember..the strange, chorus type sound was the real issue as I could've dealt with the not so good lead tone.

 

[scottkahn]

Wow. This was an amusing thread to read.

Anyone who can't get a gorgeous liquid lead tone from a Dual Rectifier amp like the Roadster just hasn't spent time dialing it in... unless you think players like John Petrucci have lousy lead tones, and he recorded a couple of Dream Theater albums with his Road King amps.

I saw the comment about just quickly messing with it, and another about turning up the knobs.... true Boogie players know that you will never get good sounds from a Boogie doing that. They are not instant gratification amps unless you really understand them.

Thes amps are VERY bass heavy. If you're turning the bass up past 2:00 you don't have a channel dialed in correctly. And the Trebble control most significantly alters the tone of a channel following the Gain knob.

If you want gorgeous Mesa/Boogie tone with one of their amps, you have to spend a few days reading the owner's manual and re-reading it until you get a good feel for understanding how the amps work. They're not simple "turn a few knobs and go" amps.

I had to chime in here in case anybody got the absurd notion that you can't get among the finest sounding lead tones of any amp from a Roadster.

Whew!


Scott

 

[RoadsterAbuser]

Wow. This was an amusing thread to read.

Anyone who can't get a gorgeous liquid lead tone from a Dual Rectifier amp like the Roadster just hasn't spent time dialing it in... unless you think players like John Petrucci have lousy lead tones, and he recorded a couple of Dream Theater albums with his Road King amps.

I saw the comment about just quickly messing with it, and another about turning up the knobs.... true Boogie players know that you will never get good sounds from a Boogie doing that. They are not instant gratification amps unless you really understand them.

Thes amps are VERY bass heavy. If you're turning the bass up past 2:00 you don't have a channel dialed in correctly. And the Trebble control most significantly alters the tone of a channel following the Gain knob.

If you want gorgeous Mesa/Boogie tone with one of their amps, you have to spend a few days reading the owner's manual and re-reading it until you get a good feel for understanding how the amps work. They're not simple "turn a few knobs and go" amps.

I had to chime in here in case anybody got the absurd notion that you can't get among the finest sounding lead tones of any amp from a Roadster.

Whew!


Scott

Yes, I found out after spending time with it. The thing is that I kept reading that they weren't great "lead tone" amps but it's just not true you really have to learn them. I just never had an amp like this one or even played one that was so responsive with the treble and gain.

I really came close to blowing it and almost took it back. Glad I didn't because now I know how great of an amp this is.

Are you sure Petrucci recorded some stuff with a Road King?

My next step will be Mesa or VHT poweramp with a Triaxis. I have to find out if a rack is as good as a head once and for all. To see if it has the same feel.

 

[scottkahn]

Yes, I found out after spending time with it. The thing is that I kept reading that they weren't great "lead tone" amps but it's just not true you really have to learn them. I just never had an amp like this one or even played one that was so responsive with the treble and gain.

I really came close to blowing it and almost took it back. Glad I didn't because now I know how great of an amp this is.

Are you sure Petrucci recorded some stuff with a Road King?

My next step will be Mesa or VHT poweramp with a Triaxis. I have to find out if a rack is as good as a head once and for all. To see if it has the same feel.

He first recorded with the Road King on Train of Thought, and then most of Octavarium, but he brought back some Mark IV on that one, too. He talks about it in part of my conversation with him (the upcoming interview). Interestingly, he recently added a Lone Star for his cleans, but he never got his hands on the Road King II, which might have simplified his setup. The original Road King, which he uses, didn't have nearly as good cleans, and he typically got his clean channel from either the Mark amps or a Formula Pre in his rack.

I'm glad you spent more time with the amp. Boogies are the worst amps to demo in a big music store because so much is involved with dialing them in, particularly with a Roadster or Road King II which have so many options for tube and voicing configurations on each channel... but there's a reason why so many of the best players in the world play them.

I played a Triaxis rig for many years -- it's an amazing sounding preamp, and I would use it with a Mesa/Boogie power amp if you want to stick with pure Boogie tone. It gets heavy quite nicely, but its tone is more like a Mark II or Mark III -- I switched to the Road King II because I needed Rectifier tones more than Mark series tones.

The rack gear will have the same tone as a head, despite what many people claim. Whether your preamp stage and power amp stage are in two separate boxes or in one (head) has nothing to do with the sound. The "feel" will be different only in that the interface is quite different than your amp. The Triaxis takes a little getting used to interface-wise, but it is quite amazing, and sometimes, I miss my big rack.

Scott

 

[Botch]

IMHO, using settings as you've described really defeats the whole purpose, but to each his own? Really though, your not utilizing the most "useable" ranges of each control when maxing things out!

+1

Maxing the bass and the gain is going to get you nowhere. With Recto's there really is no need. I often run mine with the mids around 3:00, the bass around 10:30 and the gain no higher than 2:00. With these settings in Bold Mode I still get a heavy sound for my chugging but i cut thru the mix and it sounds good for leads. This is using the modern channel on a two channel Rec.

I should imagine with a roadster on the vintage channel you'd be able to get awesome lead sounds with the right EQ setting. Seriously, turn the bass and the gain down and get those mids up.

 

[scolli]

I was able to get both Rectified and Marshall tones out of it but better and more sustain than any Marshall.

Happy to here you got it worked out. What settings did you use for the Marshall-ish tones?

Thx

 

[RoadsterAbuser]

I was able to get both Rectified and Marshall tones out of it but better and more sustain than any Marshall.

Happy to here you got it worked out. What settings did you use for the Marshall-ish tones?

Thx

I basically gave it more mids and "Vintage" with "Spongy". I find that "Bold" gives me too much of a razor sharp gain. I can control it with the Treble and Mids but it's not as buttery or smooth. I use very little Presence if at all.

 

[scottkahn]

Many players never experiment with the Spongy/Bold switch, which adjusts the sag characteristic of the tube amp. Running in the Spongy position transforms the amplifier's performance and response into extremely great vintage behavior. If you want that classic hard rock or blues sound, it's killer.