Switch to RKII?!?

[ricorocks]

I woul call sweetwater and see what’s going on… I would also stick with the Jute face with vent since the roadster does NOT have a cooling fan like a RKII and looks way cooler. But the important thing is VENTILATION here…- Mark V,-Lonestar and others have a fan. I wonder why they did not put a cooling fan on the roadster?!? Trying to economize?!? Hmmm…”And it makes me wonder”… as you stated once: “more openings are better” (totally agree) especially since this amp doesn’t have a fan. I wouldn’t worry about the amp being a newer version based on the RKII and the other on the RKI. I spoke with Mesa and they told me the Roadster is the same identical amp as the RKII (NOT RKI) without all the extra options. Because as I said, I was thinking of getting one used but I still wonder why they’re isn’t a fan?!? Plus used they still cost a LOT!!! So I’ll probably just buy new down the road if I don’t see at least a grand$$$ of saving man. I did love that heavy rhythm tone (Low end and highs) the King had , but couldn’t part with my V’s lead sound for it!!! That would have been a big mistake… but having both now that’s real cool… so the hell with the Rectoverb 25 LOL. I will go with a combo this time. Easier to place in a spot of the room… I always have an extension 1x12 closed back front ported and 4x12 Recto OS Salnt if neeeded.

 

[bandit2013]

I called sweetwater, they needed to contact Mesa to get a revised ETA. It was beginning to sound like it may be another month so I decided to change my order go with the standard diamond face plate since they had it in stock. The amp does have a vent above the tubes so I am not too concerned. Purpose of the fan on the Mark V? I am clueless. It really serves no purpose but may poorly stir the air to some extent. It never stopped it from overheating to the point I could not touch the chassis. Preamp tubes have shields so does not aid in cooling those. I believe it was intended to pass air on the transformer. The Mark IV has a huge fan, too big since it takes a long while for the power tubes to heat up. I always hear the glass expanding. At least with the Roadster, Road King and all of the other Rectifier amps, including the RA100 have the amp chassis on the bottom and tubes on top so you are not cooking the electronics. I believe the Roadster combo is fan cooled. The RA100 has a fan but it is required for the power soak resistor. Any type of amp that suspends the tubes below the chassis should have a fan of sorts. I was considering adding a CPU mini fan inside the Mark V since it gets so hot. The caps will boil and dry up. Since I changed to better tubes, it does not get super hot any more, could also be related to break in period, so the fan idea was not important. I should have it by the weekend. 8)

 

[bandit2013]

I also figured out what I am going to do with the Mark V head. I am going to convert it into a combo. Last night I played though the MKV head though the EV that I transferred in the Mark IV combo and it sounded just as loud as the 412 cabinet. The clean channel was awesome with an open back cabinet, the CH3 Mark IV mode never sounded better. Not sure the EV solution will fit a combo with the Mark V chassis due to the tube shields and their relative position from the front of the chassis. However, if the speaker is front mounted that is a possibility. I always have the Fane as a back up plan since the aluminum frame has more of an angle to it. Doing a front loaded conversion is a bit tricky since the grill needs to be modified, I did it once and will be easy to do again. Also the baffle needs to be opened up a bit with a rotary sander. Converted as a combo, I could still use the Mark V and the Roadster at the same time.

 

[ricorocks]

LOL you’re a Customizer… great, so you think I’ll be making the right choice with the Roadster combo eh…anyhow I think you did good with just getting the standard diamond face plate . I’d hate to wait another month…. It’s all good LOL …Let me know what you think of the Roadster when you get it!! As far as the combo is concerned the spec sheet says it has a FAN!!! so why doesn’t the head have one?!? What’s the reason for the combo having one and the head NOT??? Weird man… I don’t understand why they do all these strange moves . The RKII – Rdst. -RA100 as you said have the amp chassis on the bottom and tubes on top so you are not cooking the electronics. So why didn’t they do the same with the “V”?!? instead of suspending the tubes below the chassis!!! go figure, BOH…hey notice that no one chimes in on these topics, it’s like the Post is between us two…like we’re having a private discussion and nobody wants to interfere LOL…. Rock till you drop…

 

[bandit2013]

Yes, I like to customize. The Roadster I am getting is a head. The Mark V I currently have is a head as well. However, since I do not intend on buying another 412 or other cabinet, I can easily convert the V to a combo. Historically, Mark amps were offspring of Fender conversions (sort of) but have been combo's from the start. Since the chassis of the Mark series was made for combo use (angled control panel) it is difficult to invert like the other models. Royal atlantic, all of the Rectifier series were conceived as head units but since they have a flat faceplate, all that is required is to invert to build a combo. Road King would require a fan due to the dual power section (4x6L6 and 2xEL34). EL34 run much hotter than the 6L6. Having 6 power tubes, add the rectifiers, etc... a fan is necessary to keep filament transformer within safe operating range. If the Mark V was designed for a head only, tubes on top, it probably would not need a fan. I have driven the combo speaker of the Mark IV with the Mark V head and really liked the change. Converting it to a combo seems like a good plan, I can still drive two 412 cabinets if I desire. In essence, the Roadster Head is replacing the Mark V head. I still like the V and want to keep it, so combo conversion seems to be the best choice.

 

[ricorocks]

Agree with you 100%. I’m gassing for roadster Combo now LOL… you gave me the bug... :twisted: :twisted:

 

[bandit2013]

For a second go around with a Roadster, I am impressed with it. (first experience is when I went to buy one in 2012 and came home with the Mark V head instead). It will not replace the Mark V but does sound great. I was able to dial in some similar tones in the 4 channels, considering I am using the stock tubes for the break in period. I was right with my thoughts that the Roadster would be killer with the EV speakers. It was not bad through the V30, but it was not spectacular either. So far, the only amp I own that is killer with the V30 is the Royal Atlantic.

The Roadster would make a great combo but expect it to weigh in around 100lbs. I believe the RA100 and Road King Combo's are at least that if not more in weight. Nice thing about the combo, you can still get it loud but also obtain similar tube saturation at lower volume levels.

 

[ricorocks]

I spoke to the dealer about the Roadster combo and he said since you have cabs get the head, which is a lot more versatile. (I already knew that…LOL) I’m just torn between deciding combo and head because I like the idea of “Grab and Go” along with the fact that I can just place it anywhere without having to bring a 1x12 cab and speaker cable … but if it weighs that much I’m Not to sure. I would really like a combo since I already have the “V” as a Head. We’ll see what happens. Rock On… :roll: :roll:

 

[bandit2013]

It all depends on what you plan to do with it. Combo can be used as a combo, or it can be used to drive a stack (half or full).
There was a point in time I was considering trading in the Mark IV combo for a Mark V combo and still have the Mark V head. I am glad I did not do such. However, I recently bought a Mark V combo shell with reverb tank and MC90 (includes all the goodies except for the amp chassis and top mounting hardware) I am going to convert the MKV to a combo, already have an EVM12L waiting (took it out of the MKIV since the Fane was a better match for that amp).

I guess that would make it hard to decide. I would definitely try the Roadster Combo first before taking the plunge. I looked at the Mesa website, it appears that the combo is a 4 ohm 2x12. So that would mean two 8 ohm speakers in parallel. If they had used two 16 ohm speakers in parallel, that would be 8 ohms. Reason why I am mentioning this,,,, if the combo had an 8 ohm speaker load, you would be able to use the combo speakers with a 412 that is 8 ohms (combo and 412 plugged into 4 ohm jacks) that would become a 3/4 stack. I do not have confirmation on the actual impedance of the combo, however the picture on the web site is almost suggesting it is 4 ohm. Makes it harder to use the combo speakers with other external cabs at the same time.

 

[bandit2013]

I am having a difficult time deciding which cabinet sounds better with the Roadster. If you like that traditional tone of the Rectifier V30's would do the best job. The EV's appear a bit darker. Running both cabinets at the same time is perfect. If you decide on the Roadster or Road King, the V30's should be a good marriage with that amp. As is the case with my Mark V, the v30's were ear piercing and I could not stand it. I hated them so much I wanted jab a screw driver into the cone while pushing a full load just to get satisfaction.... I am happy that I did not do such since they are good quality speakers, it mainly depends on the voicing of the amplifier. Cabinet size does matter too. I am going to stick with the oversized cab with the EV and the Roadster. At least I can use the other cabinet too. I do know if I sold the Mark V I would miss it. If I was willing to spend more money on a speaker I would probably take a gamble with Jensen Jet Black Birds. The Alnico driver and the Mark V sounded incredible (I have a copy of the Jensen which is a WGS Black Hawk HP100 which is now residing in a Carvin V3MC, I believe the 100W rating of the WGS was an overstatement, probably a peak rating and not continuous program). I just thought I would make the comment on the Roadster with V30. Another point, V30's sound terrible in an open back cabinet. I tried one in the Mark IV for S & G. One exception, I did put one in an oversized 1x12 (same width as the wide body Mark 1x12 but much deeper with a 3/4 back. Now that sounded great.

 

[bandit2013]

I am beginning to form a conclusion with the Roadster, it is nice in all respects, sounds great in all channel modes but just does not have the essence to replace the Mark V. What the Roadster boils down too is a simple basic boogie tone in all 4 channels. Each channel having its own range of gain capabilities. Each channel being more than the next and there is overlap between channels (gain wise). Ch4 being the darkest channel which is almost similar to the Mark I mode of the Mark V (set to normal). The Mark V models the previous Mark series amps which in its own way makes the amp a valuable tool. My favorite tones of the Mark V are the CH3 Extreme, CH3 Mark IV, CH2 Crunch, CH2 Mark I, CH1 clean and CH1 Fat. If I were to compare only CH1 of the Mark V to CH1 of the Roadster since it shares the common voicing (clean, fat and tweed) I would say the Roadster has the better sound thought the same speaker enclosure than the Mark V. The big issue with the Mark V CH1 tweed is the tendency to become brittle with ease. I do like the Normal to bold switch for the CH1 on the Mark V. The Roadster does not have this option and does not seem to need it. When it comes to Rectifier tracking, the Roadster is really nice. It seems that there is a slight volume reduction when using the rectifier tracking in the 45W mode of the Mark V. I can get more sag in the Roadster which really enhances the blues and jazz style. On to Ch2 of the Mark V. Edge, Crunch and Mark I. Ch2 of the Mark V gets its overall tone from the Mark I circuit (V2 plays an important role in defining the tonal character of the channel, I prefer a Shuguang Vintage Mesa 12AX7A with square getter in V2 which enhances the mids) My favorite is the Crunch mode with silicon diode tracking in 90W mode with the gain set to 2 o'clock. CH2 does not sound as good in the lower power settings except the 10W. My next favorite of the Mark V in CH2 is the Mark I mode. Both of these tones can be found in the Roadster but with less mid range enhancements. CH2 Brit is as close as it gets with the Mark V crunch. Actually there are two other modes that cover it well in the Roadster which is CH3 and CH4 Vintage voicing. CH2 Brit mode is the brightest of the three. I generally do not use EQ on CH2 of the Mark V but if I do, it is set to the preset and not the sliders. The Mark I sound may be in the Roadster as well but I have not explored that possibility. CH4 has that dark tone to it that comes close in Modern and Vintage settings. When it comes to the CH3 of the Mark V, the Extreme mode can easily be dialed in on the Roadster. CH3 modern or CH4 Vintage it is lurking in there. Keep in mind that CH3 of the Roadster is like using CH3 of the Mark V in triode mode, Ch4 of the Roadster is similar to CH3 of the Mark V in pentode mode. This is just a rough comparison. So there are some similarities but they are not identical such that one amp could replace the other. Now that I have three of the popular amp series. Royal Atlantic (vintage tones) Roadster (vintage to modern) and Mark V (modern). I had stated either in this thread or in the NAD thread, the Roadster is the bridge between the RA100 and the Mark V. All three amps are similar and yet different. Eventually I will do a full tube roll on the Roadster, however, out of the box this amp sounds great as it is. The Mark V needed some considerable tube changes in order to cut the brittleness down ( it is still there but is a side effect of a hotter bias on the power tubes ). The only amp that has a bias adjustment that I own is a Carvin V3MC. When I got it, it suffered the brittle tone issue. It sounded like a four letter word commonly used. It was all in the bias as it was set 150% over the recommended setting. I set the bias below the required value and the amp got darker, at its nominal setting it is well balanced and the high gain channels are tolerable. Basically a hot bias tends to push the tube into saturation early which will generate the higher octave (order) harmonics. Beyond the 4th order (4th octave) the tube amp will sound great if there is considerable roll off of the higher frequencies, with a hot bias the tone will become brittle as the clipped signal is more square (8th octave or above) which means the roll off is pushed to a higher frequency.

 

[ricorocks]

Sorry for getting back so late but I’ve been buisy as hell lately. Yeah you’re right about the fact that it boils down to what I plan on using it for. I basically want to use it as a quick “grab and go amp” and still have awesome tone for practicing or pub gigs. Without having to haul an extension cab. BUT… the issue is weight here!!! so I think head would be “BEST” for my needs. Also as you pointed out, if the combo is actually “4 ohm 2x12” I would NOT be able to hook it up to my 4x12 (8 ohm) if required… and it would be heavy as HELLLL…But I highly doubt that it’s 4 ohm! I should call Mesa and ask them to be sure! I believe all their amps are wired to 8 ohm speaker loads. Hope so….

 

[ricorocks]

Glad to hear you finally got your Roadster and to know that it sounds great with V30’s… I don’t understand why you aren’t diggin’ them with the “V”??? I mean JP and Vai just to name two Pro’s use V30’s JP uses V’30’s in his Recto with his “V”. but then again, it is a Straight version Not OS Slant as mine!!!, of course that doesn’t mean that you have to like them because they do. Tone is ALWAYS subjective... But I feel if their good enough for them then hey … who am I to know any better… JP has a lot of knowledge, that’s for sure …but then again you have to go with your ears and not your eyes to hear what tones you’re seeking and diggin’. GREAT REVIEW ON THE Roadster - Mark V comparison. Nice to hear that it can’t replace the “V”. makes me feel good about my decision on NOT having ordered it when I tried the KingII (I felt the same) that it could NOT replace the “V” s solo voice.. but I will def. get one (Roadster) in the future (hopefully) . my fav. tones In the “V” are also CH3 Extreme. I love it for Modern metal soloing tones. CH3 Mark IV , killer for that liquidy sustained tone, CH2 Crunch (man you gotta try it with a BB pre-amp, by xotic-fx. It is KILLER, you will never play it without a BB again!!! Trust me…) , CH2 Mark I mode but I have very hard time dialing it in properly, it’s got so much low end that it tends to fart… with to much bass, what the ( 4 word) LOL …even having the bass totally off (7). Can you please give me some setting suggestions?!? I would LOVE a Santana singing Lead Tone…have no idea how to get one LOL.. I just can’t get it, so most of my playing is on ch 2 Crunch with a BB . , CH1 clean for Pink floyd stuff and clean crisp funky tracking riffs, but I LOVE CH1 Fat, can’t beat it for FAT blues tones. Yeah I agree that CH3 of the Roadster is like using CH3 of the Mark V in triode mode and that Ch4 of the Roadster is similar to CH3 of the Mark V in pentode mode. That’s how I felt when I demo’ed the KingII. I love that defined, articulate, mid heavy tone and immediate response of the pick attack on the strings that Pentode delivers when soloing ( Be aware you need to possess an extremely accurate alt. picking tecqhnique to shred on Extreme)...otherwise you will hate it. Thus you will prefer to play Mark IV mode… (More forgiving, more looser sounding) The amp gives you back what you throw at it in Extreme mode Pentode setting . I like the gain set at 1:30 – 2 for great articulation and definition. I feel it actually tracks better than mark II c+ mode. Call me crazy but as I say one man’s meat is another man’s poison… I love these modern tones that the “V” has… No hiding behind the gain here like Marshalls. NO Mush here. Rock on… :wink: :wink:

 

[bandit2013]

The trick about Mark I mode is in the treble and the presence. I no longer use stock tubes in my V since I did not care much for ear piercing tones it delivered with the Mesa Branded JJ tubes. I have spend many months tube rolling the V just to get a really great tone and gain structure. For starters, My V will burn up stock Mesa 6L6GC tubes, as well as Tung Sol 7581, Svetlana (sovtek) 6L6GC. I went though several sets of Mesa Tubes and finally decided to try the SED =C=. Now I have used SED =C= for a full year without issue, I recently bought new SED =C= tubes before the inventory got depleted as they are no longer producing them. Bummer.
As far as the preamp section.
V1, V3, V4, V5, V6 = Mullard Reissue long plate
V2 = Vintage Mesa (Shuguang Chines with square getter, enhances the mids in CH2)
V7 = Sovtek LPS.
Rectifier = EH 5U4G (same as the Mesa Branded tube)

The Mullard preamp tubes provide a smoother tone, more high end roll off which keeps the gain from becoming brittle.
I honestly believe the fixed bias on my amp in particular is a bit too hot, still have to get a bias probe meter socket to verify.

With Mark I mode, gain set to about 2 o'clock, MV set to 11 o'clock, presence set at 3 o'clcokl, treble set to 3 o'clock, mids at 10 o'clock and bass set to 9 o'clock and it rips awesome. Mode switch set to normal. I was watching the video of the Mark V that showed a demo of the Mark I mode with a bass setting. So I tried it. If it seems too rich, drop the gain. Either use preset or no EQ. Not sure if it is a combination of the tubes I am using, or the speakers, I can actually set more bass without it sounding like mud. Also depends on what type of guitar you are using. Single coil strat type with super hot pickups in the bridge (lace sensor Hot gold Bridge pickup actually sounds like a hot P90, also has a resonant peak frequency of 2.5kHz which is very warm for a bridge pickup).

I am actually learning that you do not need to set everything at max, especially the guitar volume control.

I did revisit the Mark V again to compare clean channel vs Roadster clean. I had to use the silicon diode to get a close tone. I believe the Mark V has a nicer clean tone than the Roadster. I may have stated it the other way. It is a toss up really. The Mark V through an open back combo enclosure and EV sounds incredible. I would say the Extreme is my favorite too. The Roadster and the RA100 share a common trait to the Mark V extreme. They are so precise and responsive that your picking technique and playing style will reveal any mistakes or blunders. I have become very fond of the RA100 as I believe it made a better player out of me. The Roadster is just as precise.

You could still get the Roadster combo and drive a 412 cabinet. There is no problem there. However the combo speaker load is 4 ohms, you would not be able to run additional speakers with it unless you unplug the combo speaker (picture on web side made me think it was on how it was plugged in) I even looked at Sweetwater to see if it was listed in the spec of the combo. It would be awesome if it is an 8 ohm load. Just an extra 2x12 or on top of a 4x12 would be killer. The combo would fit perfectly on a straight 412.

 

[ricorocks]

Thanks for the great Mark I settings. Awesome it does RIP man…. the only thing i did was roll off a bit the bass and gain and it was pure bliss… Finally I can get to play this mode the way it’s supposed to be set.... in any case I’m getting the Roadster as a head down the road since the combo has 2 speakers and that’s way toooooooo heavy … I have a widebody 1x12 - C90 closed back, front ported mesa cab to couple it with if I want a combo set up... So I’ll have a “combo quarter stack” haha. Only thing is I think it will look funky cause the Roadster is longer than my speaker cab . When stacked it will look like a “T” LOL….unless I place it on my Recto 4x12 (then it will look awesome). Maybe I’ll have to (Hide) the head LOL, place it far from the 1x12 cab with a longer speaker cable so it doesn’t look funky… Rock on

 

[bandit2013]

This is what I did to solve the problem. And it sounds amazing either by itself as a combo or combined with the extension cab. I do not mind that the cab is not Mesa, Neither is the cab that is under the RA100 (however the V30's are the original from the Recto Cab).

The EVM12L Black Label speakers I have in the Mark V Combo and extension cab were one's I bought on Ebay 2 years ago to complete the 412 cab. They did not come with the EV logo on the dust cap. Almost thought they were re-coned speakers. I do recall when the Zakk Wylde was promoting the Black Label speaker, there was no logo on the dust cap. Now the new ones have the EV logo. No big deal, they sound the same. I also do not mind that there are no casters or caster plates on the combo cabinet I also obtained on Ebay. The only thing the cab was missing was the amp chassis and mounting bars and screws which were borrowed from the head. I may do something with the MC90 that came in it, it looks like new. At least I can still drive either or both 412's with the Mark V. Converting it to a combo did not mark the end of its days. Tone of the open cabinets is incredible, that oversized 1x12 (deeper than it appears) delivers the low frequency punch and vibrates to room to no end and yet still delivers the full spectrum of sound. I had unplugged the extension cab when I took the picture of the back of the set up (it was in the 4 ohm jack above the combo plug). Now the Mark V is far more versatile that it was as a head. I will keep the head shell for the time being. I doubt I will ever use it again so I may sell it later on.

 

[ricorocks]

Wow that’s a great job you did to your Boogie head. Your set up is Awesomeeeee, Droolin….. 8) Nice to see your Roadster sitting atop of your 4x12! Just Outta curiosity: Why do you have the send level set to (12) on your “V” :?: I keep it off (7)…Ciao Man.

 

[bandit2013]

There is no reason for the send level to be at any level since I am not using it. I normally keep controls that are not in use at lowest possible. However, the send level is derived from the output transformer, makes no difference what it is set too. May have been moved during the rehabilitation of the Mark V. When I got the Mark V combo shell, I could have just swapped the amp into it since it came with a mint MC90. I was not overjoyed with the MC90 and the Mark IV so I did not bother and jumped to the front mount conversion with the EV. If I had gone the T-nut route, I would be able to swap speakers without removing anything except the front grill. I had issues with those in the past so I did not use them in this project.

I spent a few hours ignoring the other amps and focused on the Mark V. I ran both 412 though it at the same time as a full stack and was in Mesa Heaven (reason for being in the center). Later on in the day I focused on just the combo by itself and combo with the extension cab. Before wrapping it up last night, the Roadster was calling for attention. I would definitely get the Roadster as a head and convert the Mark V to a combo any day. During my like or dislike trial of the Mark V I decided to change things with the preamp tubes. The Mullard reissue tubes did a great job in rolling off the high end for driving a 412, but as a combo it was not necessary. Since I had 5 of the Preferred Series 7025, they were installed from V1-V6. V2 is still the vintage Mesa (Chinese) tube. The 7025 are slightly less gain than the Mullard at certain frequencies. Gives me less clip on the clean channel and really wakes up the Mark IV mode in CH3. What I really like, all I had to remove was the back panel, with the amp on its side, I was able to get to the preamp tubes with ease. I still had to remove three of the power tubes to get my hands in there but not a problem since I did that anyways. Took me less time to remove the shields, swap a tube and install the shields. Normally as a head, I would spend more time trying to get the shields back on due to lack of space (main reason why I used to pull the chassis out, plus you do not need to wait for the power tubes to cool down to do a complete tube roll. I will still do that for tuning purposes if needed. Removing the chassis and installing it is a bit different in Combo form. ) Case with the Roadster, I can access the V1 tube easily. The extra long shield is a bonus in that amp, it was a curse in the Mark V. I have removed the chassis of the Roadster just to see what was inside. Quite a simple layout compared to the Mark V. The RA100 has more complexity to it too. For ease of tube replacement, the Roadster wins. The RA100 is easy but there are many parts that have to be removed from the back to gain access to the tube section. The Roadster is quite similar to the Mark V in terms of cascaded preamp tubes. However what is a bonus, the Roadster does not split the reverb circuit between two tubes and share the other half with a gain stage like it does with the Mark V and the Mark IV. It is similar to the RA100, one tube for send/return, one tube for effects send/return. 3 first tubes are the gain stack for all channels, RA100 uses first two as the gain stack for the Hi/Lo gain channel, and 4th and 5th for the clean channel.

Either way you go when the time comes, the Roadster or Road King would be an awesome addition to your arsenal. The Mark V is a great amp too. I wish it was a Dual Rectifier like the Roadster, Rectifier tracking at 100W is nice 8) , with the Mark V you get stuck with diodes at 90W, that is not a bad thing, however CH2 would benefit in crunch mode with tube rectifier tracking at 90W. There is so much to explore with these amplifiers. As for tube rolling, the Mark V can easily be altered with different tubes which tends to be perplexing at best. The Mark IV and Roadster do not seem to be altered much with different preamp tubes (at least it is not as dramatic as it is with the Mark V). The RA100, that is a different story.

 

[ricorocks]

Great to hear from you as always. i am so buisy lately painting my house that I haven’t got time to play… Su?ks man…. I think I got a lot more to paint than I expected ****.. can’t wait to finish and start playing again. Great write up as always, I am learning a hell of a lot from you, thanks man. I thought I did the right thing when I bought the “V” Head, but now you got me wondering?!? “ Should I have gotten a Combo” LOL. But I guess NOT, due to weight issues. Agree 100% that with teh “V” you’re stuck in “Diode Land”….Rectifier tracking at 90W would have been friggin awesome in Ch. 2… never realized that the “Roadster does not split the reverb circuit between two tubes and share the other half with a gain stage like it does with the Mark V”. good to know. I’m NOT a Tech “I’m a guitarist” LOL… you know I’ve been using a BB Preamp which is just amazing in Ch1 (Fat) for SRV Sounds/Tones and Ch 2 (Crunch – Mark I ) for classic Rock and Rock blues and it’s absolutely amazing… I was thinking do you think it would be a good idea to use it in Ch3, in ( Mark IV – Extreme modes) ?!? or would it be over the top , in the sense that : the signal levels will be too much, and could cause oscillation!!! But then I think J.Petrucc’ and others all got a Tubescreamer or an OD pedal in their 3rd Channel right! So what can I risk “Tubes at the most” and if so , I’m sure it will take a while before I do burn them correct? Thanks and Rock till you drop.. Ciao man

 

[bandit2013]

Have fun painting.

I usually do not use pedals. You could always try it, if it is too over the top with MKIV, try it in Extreme. It does no harm to experiment. Overdrive pedals only increase the amplitude of the signal to get more clipping on the input stage. Not quite sure on lifespan of preamp tubes with hot input signals. The power tubes on the other hand, matters what mode you are in (45w) and how loud the master volume is set too. The higher the volume, the more current will flow and eventually shorter life. That is the nature of tubes.

Mark V head is good, nothing wrong with that. I only did the convert since I would use two amps at once. At first I thought of getting a rack for all of the heads (reduces vibration in the tubes) and plug in which amp I wanted to use with what cabinet. However, the combo made more sense to me. It still does not limit my use of the cabinets either.