Turning Roadster to Mark V...;)

[kryho]

Hi, I've read a few opinions \haven't had a chance to play Mark so far \ about sonic differenties between these two babies, Mark - tighter, more compressed, Roadster - opposite.
Did you guys try to make your Roadster sound and response like Mark V? Using stomps like overdrives or compressors.... especially hi gain channels.
That would be great to have Roadster\Mark V 4 channel version on one step

 

[Hendog]

They are sonically different for sure. But both are very "Mesa".

The Roadster has that amazing Recto crushing rhythm tone you cant get out of the Mark V and the Mark V has that amazing liquid lead tone you cant get out of a Roadster.

Ideally, I would own both. No amp on the planet (that I have played) has the awesomely powerful chugging capability of the Roadster. And the cleans are just beautiful. The cleans on the Mark V are beautiful in their own way, but I think the Roadster edges it out for the win.

Both are very, very versatile. I dont miss having a 4th channel on the Mark V. And the Mark V does have 3 "modes" per channel so you can find just about any sound you want.

I dont really think one amp is better than the other. Just different. I chose the Mark V because I have always loved the Mark tone. 3 of my favorite guitarists use Mark's and the Recto's are a little better suited for modern metal (I am generalizing) where as the Mark's do it all. That is in particularly true with the V. It can do light jazz to metal. Something very few other amps can accomplish.

 

[ESP123]

I'm going to go with the Mark on this for a few reasons. The Rectifier sound is its own sound and its well recognized but when you hear a Mark V tone, you stop and pay attention. Its unlike anything else and until you sit with it and use your ears, you might not know the difference. I've played Rectifiers for years and loved each one but when I spent a very short time with a Mark V before buying one, I was at a loss for words all day trying to comprehend its tonal superiority. You just keep hearing how clean and tight the distortion is in your head and it only gets worse once you own one. With each Dual or Single or Recto-verb that I owned, I kept seeing and hearing the same thing. The fuzz and loose definition at low volumes. I put an OD in front of it and it helped dramatically but I could never get the tone I wanted unless I was using crushing volume at a show or band practice. The Mark V sounds incredible at any volume and let me say that from cranking it for over 6 hours yesterday with two different bands at very loud volumes, this amp also gets it done in the right way when pushed. The usable features on the Mark are easy to get into and everything just feels right and in place. Take that with the tone it produces from over the last 40 years of being Mesa's flagship amp and you hear and know why.

Both amps are very good and you simply cannot go wrong with either but from one professional guitarist to another, the Mark is in a league of its own.

 

[kryho]

And the Mark V does have 3 "modes" per channel so you can find just about any sound you want.

So does Roadster. Hmm...give me Mark for a test! :twisted:
Ok, I can always go back to Roadster anyway even I don't like Mark, which is probably impossible... :mrgreen:

 

[pathos45]

i find rectos way to fuzzy and loose i could never get a good tone outta any dual or roadster. Yet the mark v has that tight compressed true guitar distortion, to my ears atleast. I just find any marks just being so perfect for either a lead player or rythym the crunch and low end tightness you get from the mark v is just unbelivable. I sold a vht pittbull cl100 to get the mark v and i could not have ever been happier in the past year with my mark.

 

[SteveO]

I fought with my Roadster to get a decent lead tone out of it that I liked, tried overdrives, compressors, and the EQ in the loop trick... Once I picked up the Mark V the Roadster went bye-bye.

 

[Mark Fore]

What you explained in your OP is exactly what I did. I've been playing Mark's for years and bought a Roadster. I realized I was adding stompboxes to make it sound like a Mark... thank God I didn't sell the Marks to get the Roadster. For me, the Mark is always the first option if possible.

 

[kryho]

thanx guys now I know what to do :mrgreen: