OK I'm not new to this site but I just became a member so bare with me,I have a express 1x10 so today I tried a Roadster combo 2x12 man the GAS has set in. The funny thing is its more quiet than my express what's up with that. Anyway I've read a lot of post here on the Roadster so I'm thinking about buying one but not until I try it as a head & 1x12 cab. The combo may be to heavy even with castors and yes I do use my amp a lot meaning 3 time a week at home then on Saturday for at least 2 to 3 hours where we practice, also now then we do small gigs. We play a lot of Blues,jazz,and some good old rock & roll and I tend to play lead guitar most of the time so would this be a good choice. :mrgreen:
Tried a new Roadster 2X12
- Thread starter JC 1911
- Start date
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TheBlackman
Well-known member
The roadster will cover all the styles you mentioned although a clean boost for leads is usually a good idea to add some sustain. I use an OCD or a Crybaby Q-Zone for my leads, but others here swear by the maxon od for boost, never tried it myself but i'd recommend you try a few to see what suits you best. As for the cabinet and head, i use a 2x12 at practice (which is about on par weight wise with the head so good for balance) and i find the head and cabinet sound better than the 2x12 combo which i used to have. oh, and with a 4x12 it sounds just awesome!
jdurso
Well-known member
JC 1911 said:
The roadster is a fantastic amp... able to cover almost any ground. I would however take a look at either the new Mark V or the Stiletto Ace. The reason I say that is because you said you tend to play mostly leads and I know a lot of lead players prefer the Mark series or Stiletto as they have more mids, importantly the upper mids, which cater more for leads. I have yet to play the Mark V but from the little I've heard on the net and after talking to the guys at Boogie Hollywodd about it, it sounds like it would be right up your alley. Killer cleans, awesome mid-gain and bone rattling high gain.... Not too different from what you get from the Roadster, except the voicing would be more fit for a lead player. The stiletto is more of your suped up Marshall, very good for rock and roll and killer for leads. The cleans are also very nice as well. Its just a matter of finding what amp's voicing is the best fit for you.
Yes, voicing. I feel a lot of people when giving suggestions to others seem to leave this most important aspect out. It's just voiced completely different and it may or may not be for you. I love love love the Mark tones but it just wasn't for me.
jdurso
Well-known member
Elixir said:
Yeah lots of people tend to overlook an amps voicing or character. For instance the classic recto vs mark... both lines have great qualities, both do the high gain thing, both (at least now) have great cleans, both can do the mid gain thing, both have some nice bells and whistles. The main difference is in the overall voicing of the amp... the Mark has its voice, the Recto has its voice. If they sounded too similar then why have two different lines?
So getting back on topic, JC if your still not totally bought on a particular amp I would go out there and play as many as you can find. I wouldnt limit yourself to Mesa either because there are some great, quality amps out there (VHT, Bogner, Splawn, ENGL, etc.) which might be the amp for you. I'm not by any means trying to disuade you from the Roadster, hell if anything I could go all day about how much i love mine, but at the end of the day when making a $2000+ investment you should purchase with the confidence that this is THE amp (or at least THE amp for now).
Definitely check out the Mark IV or V, the Stiletto, and I would even say check out a DC-10 or DC-5 if you can find one used. Those amps have great cleans and a killer lead channel, and are pretty affordible on the used market. As far as non-Mesa amps I love the VHT Sig:X, its not for everyone because the VHTs have their own voicings but I love that type tone. Also the Splawn Nitro is killer too... very much a super up Marshall, but in my eyes everything a Marshall should be, quite like the Stiletto. Both the Nitro and Sig:X are right in the same price range as the Roadster, Mark V and Stiletto.
jdurso ,
First thing thank you for your reply,I can tell that you have spent a lot of time around different types of amps and not all mesa, but you still play a mesa.I fill with another mesa I probably will not be disappointed. So with that in mind I'm going to take some of your advice and try a Stiletto but which one would you recommend and why. :mrgreen:
First thing thank you for your reply,I can tell that you have spent a lot of time around different types of amps and not all mesa, but you still play a mesa.I fill with another mesa I probably will not be disappointed. So with that in mind I'm going to take some of your advice and try a Stiletto but which one would you recommend and why. :mrgreen:
jdurso
Well-known member
JC 1911 said:
Well if your dead set on a combo all you have is the Ace, which is a great amp. 50 Watts, awesome cleans and a killer lead channel. I dont know how into Marshalls you are but to me the Stiletto and the Splawn amps are what Marshalls should sound like. To me they have the same bite, they're chock full of mids but also have this great width that I think Marshalls lack. The Stiletto Ace packs a big punch in a relatively small package. I prefer the Duce or Trident for the extra head room but then your talking going to a head/cab type setup, which i prefer anyway. So if i were you i would find both an Ace and either a Duece or Trident to play through and see how you like it. The great thing is I've seen Stilettos floating around craigslist and forum for around or under $1000 so you could save yourself some $$$.
