To trade or not trade

[JAMz]

Hi folks, I’ve been toying with an idea for some time now and wanted to get your vibe about this. I currently own a roadster 1x12 combo in beautiful cocoa bronco. The amp is great but I find myself always tweaking the thing to get a sound that fits my particular taste. The matter of fact is that most of the time I gravitate towards my marks, (I have a IIb, III & IV). It’s clear I prefer mesa’s mark line over the recto line, so I’ve been thinking about trading my roadster for a mark v. Now pros and cons of a possible trade;
Pros:
1. With a MkV, I could expand on my collection on the mark series.
2. With a Mk V, I’ll have the sound I like.
Cons:
1. There are several MkVs around (I mean in the musicians circle where I live), so there is really no novelty here.
2. There not too many Roadsters around and mine is even nicer with the custom tolex and single 1x12.
3. As a boogie lover, I think it is nice to have at least one recto in the collection.
So what do you think? Thanks!

 

[Dr.StrangeNote]

keep the roadster if you like it. since the marks are all around you and you won't have any trouble getting one later down the road, then sell some other odds n ends to get one.

 

[UglyBunny]

It sounds like your pros for getting the V are more substantial than your cons. At the end of the day, your tone is what matters; not having a novel piece of gear. This is okay rationale for a pedal or vintage guitar, but for an amp, my vote is to trade. But then again, I generally don't get too emotionally attached to most gear - just that one piece here and there Good luck!

 

[bandit2013]

The Roadster head was the amp I was after when I went to GC to try it out. It seemed a bit unfamiliar to me but it sounded good. I just could not dial in a sound I wanted. Sitting right below it was a Mark V head. I asked to give that a try to see if it would surpass my expectations. (I went with a bias for the Roadster since the available video on Mesa web site for the Mark V was not all that great but the Roadster video was much better.) Sure enough I felt comfortable with the tone and sounds I was able to achieve with the V. I really liked CH2 crunch the best. I explored CH2 extensively in the showroom since my Mark IV RH2 channel just seemed mundane. Came home with the V!

Early this year before GC dropped the Mesa line, I did try out a Mark V combo. I was not overly impressed. A good 412 cab brings this amp to life. I experimented with the combo in the event I would sell off or trade in the Mark IV combo. Recently I changed out the MC90 for something with more capacity and better performance. Perhaps I would consider the Mark V combo if it had a different speaker in it that is capable of keeping up without flubbing out. Fane Studio or Medusa would be a good option for a combo amp. I had my eye on the anniversary combo I saw in ebay. If I get the V combo it will have to be one of the hardwood versions. Changing the speaker would be the next option.

 

[Demon Of The Fall]

Get the Mark V and keep both !!! best of both world, don't you think?

 

[bandit2013]

I have been really interested in the RA100. Will definitely keep both Marks though. Just do not want to part with them.
The V and IV have some great tones but lacking in the Classic Brit arena like the RA100.
I do find myself using the Crunch mode in CH2 more than anything lately.

Nothing wrong with having more than a few amps. I have to date not found an amp that does it all. Each of them have their own characteristic to them. The V does come into the Rectifier territory since it is the first Mark to have a tube rectifier (not sure what was done in the past before the Mark III series so my comment may not be accurate.)

To me the amp is one thing, the speakers are also very important as well. I am very pleased with EVM speakers in my 412 cab. They have not disappointed me yet. The Fane speaker I recently got is living up to its reputation as well. May be building another 412 with those and skip on the extension cab for the Mark IV. Either way I look at it, that will give me a different tone than the EV's and would be more suitable for the RA100 if I decide to get it. By the way both EV and Fane will bring the house down when you push them without flubbing out making a turd out of your tone. Actually I think the Fane may be a better speaker, we shall see.

As for the Roadster combo, does it have the MC90 in it? I thought the Roadsters were only available in a 2x12 combo.
Ask yourself if you would miss it if you made the trade.