Strange things happens with Roadsters!

[c.t.d-nicke]

I guess if the amp doesnt suit you

WTF... I hope that was irony!

 

[Nitrobattery]

I think that this is unacceptable for a high-end company like Mesa. It practically makes the amp useless for professional use. I wish we could have a formal answer from Mesa regarding this problem.

Yes this is supposed to be an amp for professional use and I would like to stress the sentence "It practically makes the amp useless for professional use" 'cus this really is one of the strongest reason why Mesa should straiten this out.

I have owned a couple of "low-cost" amps plus rack stuff over time and NEVER encountered this kind of surprising faulty issues that as mentioned makes the amp pretty worthless for professional use.

Just a picture... imagine your favourite guitarist (with a Roadster rig of course) at a live venue (maybe it is you). The song progress to the solo section and you close your eyes to fully enjoy the solo and..... well, your hero slammin' the solo channel and the first 2-3 seconds of the solo is cut out. Likewise when he/she ends the solo and switching to another channel for the rest of the song, the lag ... get it?!

I seriously LOVE this lill' piece of monster (sound and versatile- wise) so I lay my hope in the hands of my Mesa tech.


nicke

This is why I'm considering ditching the Roadster. I LOVE the amp, but my band is slowly gaining some recognition and we're playing more and more shows with signed bands, and moving higher and higher up the bill on those shows. We're going to release a CD at the end of the summer and after that we'll be booking tours left and right (short tours mind you, but tours none the less). I can't be hearing lags and cuts in volume while I'm playing in front of bands that I really look up to. That's amateur stuff, and honestly I'm really disappointed that Mesa made such a killer amp but can't make the thing switch channels smoothly. That's just ridiculous to me.

 

[Metaltastic]

Does anyone know if this is a problem on the Road King? I would think since it's similar to the Roadster but with even more **** going on in it to generate heat (and no fan either, AFAIK), the problems would be as present if not more so...

 

[rich]

i'm sure they'll do another revision and fix the problem...which never really helps the early adopters (usually the best customers)

 

[Melodyman]

I wonder if any Roadsters are currently on any national touring rigs or if the majority of them are studio queens. I would imagine most touring rigs it would be in a huge racked roadcase with midi switching though lol.

 

[MetalMatt]

Is the Roadsters lag really a few seconds? That is ridiculous!!!

Does anyone know if this is a problem on the Road King? I would think since it's similar to the Roadster but with even more sh!t going on in it to generate heat (and no fan either, AFAIK), the problems would be as present if not more so...

My Road King II lags but its a very, very short lag. It's almost instantaneous, and I ran my RKII for hours in a small 9'x14' room with 3 other peeps and I never noticed it get worse.

 

[Metaltastic]

I wonder if any Roadsters are currently on any national touring rigs or if the majority of them are studio queens. I would imagine most touring rigs it would be in a huge racked roadcase with midi switching though lol.

I remember seeing some Trivium live rig pics where they were using Roadsters...not like I'd really care if I got to miss 2 or 3 seconds of Trivium guitars due to channel switching lag though

 

[Elpelotero]

why don't you install a fan in there?

 

[c.t.d-nicke]

Is the Roadsters lag really a few seconds? That is ridiculous!!!

My Road King II lags but its a very, very short lag. It's almost instantaneous

Ridiculous indeed..

The switching is instantaneous when the Roadster is "cold" (lack of better description). The lag appears (at least on mine) when the amp is "hot" (lack of better description) after about an hour or so of mangling at gig volume..

nicke

 

[Melodyman]

Out of newer production multi channel amps the 5150 III seems to have the fastest switching apparently.

 

[c.t.d-nicke]

why don't you install a fan in there?

I thought of that... BUT.. It's like you bought a brand-new-bags-of-dough-worthy-luxury-car and you had to stick your hand out in a intersection 'cus the turn signal stopped to work due to overheated engine. Bad comparison, I know... I hope you get my point :roll:

nicke

 

[Nitrobattery]

I should clarify, at least MY amp doesn't lag for a few seconds between channels, but it does sag for one second....which is one second too long.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

I've found mine to have a little latency, but never 3 to 4 seconds of latency but...

 

[Fotis]

The switching is instantaneous when the Roadster is "cold" (lack of better description). The lag appears (at least on mine) when the amp is "hot" (lack of better description) after about an hour or so of mangling at gig volume..

That's my case too! I'm really disappointed as I love the tones I get from my Roadster. Eventually, I will have to gig using just one channel...

 

[vitor gracie]

...ok, 1/2 a second to 1 whole second, yes indeed there is a mute in the channel switching or "lag" to prevent the pop you would hear between channels. This was really awkward to get used to when I first got my Roadster. My first Recto was an older Trem O Verb and I purchased an old 2 channel Recto after the TOV and used both at the same time and no lag between switching at all. The newer switching systems are more complicated it seems. HOWEVER, 3-4 seconds something is seriously wrong especially if it's heat related. The chances of you getting two units with the same issue is really spooky. I feel for ya...

The Mesas are professional amplifiers built for professional use. As with any electronic device, (such as my beautiful Macbook pro) there can be some issues. I have been using Mesas for a looooooong time and almost all of them have had very few issues. The issues I have had where due to wear and tear (ie: dropping my TOV on it's face in the studio) I am sure that there is something weird going on with those two amps and they both need to be serviced.

I can attest to the Roadster's reliability and swear by them. Best amp I ever played. I have also looked into the new "Fender" EVH 5150 III amps and indeed there is absolutely no lag whatsoever in the switching between all three channels. I was impressed with the tones of the amp but just like the others made by Peavey, Eddie seems to regard an amp's clean channel as an absurd customer necessity. I felt as though (after playing the amp for a half an hour) the only reason it had a clean channel at all was because "Ya can't make a all dirty amp!" "Guys wont buy it." The clean, to say the least was completely unusable to any one even remotely interested in "non-high gain" sounds. An Orange Tiny terror has a WORLD CLASS clean tone compared to that amp. lol

Back to the Roadster. don't give up on it yet... maybe it'll come back from the shop sounding right as rain.

 

[Fotis]

c.t.d-nicke what's you amp's serial number? Mine is VR-00143. Regarding the Roadster service advisory, it was repaired in the factory and before it was imported to Greece where I bought it. I'm asking this because I wonder if this has to do somehow with the advisory as it is an early Roadster. Maybe, after all mine was note modded at the factory and it needs to be serviced.

Thanks,

Fotis

 

[6stringer]

c.t.d-nicke what's you amp's serial number? Mine is VR-00143. Regarding the Roadster service advisory, it was repaired in the factory and before it was imported to Greece where I bought it. I'm asking this because I wonder if this has to do somehow with the advisory as it is an early Roadster. Maybe, after all mine was note modded at the factory and it needs to be serviced.

Thanks,

Fotis

Where can you ask the Roadster service advisory?

Does yours also have this problem ?

 

[Fotis]

c.t.d-nicke what's you amp's serial number? Mine is VR-00143. Regarding the Roadster service advisory, it was repaired in the factory and before it was imported to Greece where I bought it. I'm asking this because I wonder if this has to do somehow with the advisory as it is an early Roadster. Maybe, after all mine was note modded at the factory and it needs to be serviced.

Thanks,

Fotis

Where can you ask the Roadster service advisory?

Does yours also have this problem ?

Info on the service advisory: http://www.forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6291&hilit=mesa+advisory&start=15

Yes, my Roadster has the problem of switching channels with latency and a volume loss which gradually (3-4 seconds) gets back to normal.

 

[6stringer]

c.t.d-nicke what's you amp's serial number? Mine is VR-00143. Regarding the Roadster service advisory, it was repaired in the factory and before it was imported to Greece where I bought it. I'm asking this because I wonder if this has to do somehow with the advisory as it is an early Roadster. Maybe, after all mine was note modded at the factory and it needs to be serviced.

Thanks,

Fotis

Where can you ask the Roadster service advisory?

Does yours also have this problem ?

Info on the service advisory: http://www.forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6291&hilit=mesa+advisory&start=15

Yes, my Roadster has the problem of switching channels with latency and a volume loss which gradually (3-4 seconds) gets back to normal.

Thank you for the quick reply!

Guys, if I want to test mine, is it ok to set the volume to higher volume and leave the amp for an hour or so, with guitar UNplugged? will the amp as hot as I was actually playing it?

 

[c.t.d-nicke]

c.t.d-nicke what's you amp's serial number? Mine is VR-00143...

Fotis

Mine and the Roadster I'm borrowing now while mine is at the tech has both higher serial numbers then 00669.

Thanks for the link btw. I'll forward the post to the tech but I think he already is informed.

nicke