WHY DOES MY S-2 ROADKING SOUND SOOO BAD??????????

[jack3331]

alright so i bought a mesa road king strait from the factory and it came about a month ago and Ive been having troubles getting a good sound out of it sense. and don't think that im just trying to get a impossible sound out of it, i cant even get a decent recto metal sound out of the thing. its not like im bothered by the high end fizz or other standard recto distortion properties, it just sounds really weak , fuzzy, and a sound that is almost like the speaker cone is buzzing. i really need to find out whats that problem but i dont know where to start??? im running the head into a cab i built that is an exact clone to a mesa 2x12 recto cab, same wood, speakers, ect.... could it be the tubes, speakers, wires???? any help would be much appreciated.


to put it in perspective, right know my peavey valve king is owning the road king on most of the sounds..........(lame!!!!)

 

[phyrexia]

could it be the tubes, speakers, wires???? any help would be much appreciated.

Yes, and you should check them all.

have you read the manual? Are you certain everything is set and hooked up correctly?

 

[jack3331]

im sure i have everything hooked up. i have the head connected to the cab with a 14 gage speaker cable, and the guitar with a good instrument cable. thats about it.

 

[chriz_batman]

it must be because my road king series 2 so GREAT to me. :twisted:

 

[jack3331]

im tired of my 2999$ sounding like a 350$ amp :\

 

[Chris McKinley]

First, and simplest, thing you should do is to take your Mesa head and go play it through a Mesa cab instead of something you built yourself. That's the most obvious culprit, given that there are so many possible things that can go wrong with building equipment yourself, no matter how good a builder you may be. Even if that's not it, you should still rule it out as the first order of business.

 

[jack3331]

is there a sound difference between normal v30's and mesa v30's?

 

[kingster911]

I'm surprised no one said this yet: Check ALL switches in the back of your head - Cab Assignment, Loop bypass, etc.

 

[jack3331]

im pretty confident in the inital setup of the amp. i have all the switches set properly, and all wire hooked up correctly. ive read the manual for this amp like 50 times already durring the period when i was waiting for the amp. it sounds the worst on the distortion channels , but it also sounds verry sharp and slightly clippy on clean channels also.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

How loud do you have it turned up?

The problem with most Mesas, and ESPECIALLY the rectifier series, is that they need to be LOUD to get the metal sound they're known for.

If you're not playing it at gigging / full band practice volume, that amp just isn't going to give the goods.

 

[Bill11]

it sounds the worst on the distortion channels , but it also sounds verry sharp and slightly clippy on clean channels also.

Hi jack3331,

I hear what you are saying about this being a new amp, but one of my new Road King's 12ax7 tubes failed about 8 months after the amp was new/manufactured and after not very many hours of playing, so I never rule tube issues out. I attributed it to shipping; tubes are fragile and some of the newer tubes are not that reliable to begin with, no matter who they are purchased from but I will never really know why it failed.

My Road King 2 is awesome, and there is probably a simple reason why yours is not what you expect.

If you haven't called Mesa yet, do consider it. They are great to work with and may have some technical insight that could provide a simple solution.

Good luck, don't give up and let us know what you find.

 

[Elixir]

Do you guys recommend a THD Hot Plate to get that maximum sound without blowing the roof off your house? I hear sometimes it can suck tone?

 

[primal]

Have it checked out by a tech.

I have a Roadking 1 that I think just brings the house down.

A few months back I went to guitar center and tried out a RK2.

It sounded awful. In the sense that something was obviuosly wrong with it.

The Roadking 1 and 2 have the same channels 3 and 4. This thing sounded nothing like my amp on those channels. Weak fizzy distortion with no balls at all.

Something was absolutley wrong with the amp.

I told the GC guys and they said they would check into it. I have since gone back and they still have that broken amp on display.

I would imagine anyone who plugs into it would walk away thinking the Road King blows.

Honestly, the Roadking is a Kick *** amp.

Have a tech check it out!

 

[R_ADKINS80]

I was in the same situation with my new Triple Rectifier. Sounded like utter **** next to other Rectifiers in comparison. A full retube and it was kicking ***. I just don't think that current Mesa Tubes are up to snuff, with the exception of the STR447 EL34's.

 

[Barry]

alright so i bought a mesa road king strait from the factory and it came about a month ago and Ive been having troubles getting a good sound out of it sense. and don't think that im just trying to get a impossible sound out of it, i cant even get a decent recto metal sound out of the thing. its not like im bothered by the high end fizz or other standard recto distortion properties, it just sounds really weak , fuzzy, and a sound that is almost like the speaker cone is buzzing. i really need to find out whats that problem but i dont know where to start??? im running the head into a cab i built that is an exact clone to a mesa 2x12 recto cab, same wood, speakers, ect.... could it be the tubes, speakers, wires???? any help would be much appreciated.


to put it in perspective, right know my peavey valve king is owning the road king on most of the sounds..........(lame!!!!)

Get a new preamp tube and try replacing them one at a time starting with v1 . If there is nochange with v1 put the original back in and follow the procedure through all preamp tubes one at a time . Plug guitar staight into the amp with no effects . There is no change try the sam with poer tubes and finall your rectifier tube . Why not call Mesa artist relations ? 707 778 6565 Mon.- Thurs 9:00 - 5:00 PT

 

[jdurso]

agree with the tube change comments. I always find my #1 culpurits are either my tubes or my strings. New strings and a properly setup guitar plays a huge factor (but i'm not questioning your guitar just mentioning it because no one else has).

Also agree with the cab comments. Do not under estimate the effect the cab has on your overall sound. There is a reason Mesa cabs are highly regarded as one of the best in the industry. I would highly suggest (if the tube change doesnt do the trick), bringing your RK to a GC, a local music shop or a friends house and plug it into a high quality cab (Mesa, VHT, Orange, Bogner, etc.). I think you'll hear the difference immediately.

I'm not questioning your cab building skills but a lot of times just because you build something to their dimensional specs, doesnt mean its the same cab. Every company has to keep some secrets to themselves and i believe Mesa has their own when it comes to their cabs.

 

[jack3331]

thank for the suggestions guys, im goinna take it up to a local music store and try out a couple of different cabs, ill also call mesa and check with them.

thanks

 

[R_ADKINS80]

Be advised that I would try a Mesa cab before you call Mesa because they gave me the B.S. that my Triple was sounding bad because my Randall cabs weren't "up to snuff to handle the low end of a triple rectifier". Bull ****!! I like the tone of My Randall cabs waaaaay more than the Mesa cabs. Lord knows what they'll say to you if you tell them you played it through a home-made cab.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

First - Try a different cab.
Second - Call Mesa.
Third - Don't start buying new tubes (non-Meas will void warranty) out of your own pocket. They are covered by Mesa for at least 2 - 3 months after date of purhcase.

Good luck and let us know what happens -

 

[R_ADKINS80]

That's why you always keep the original OEM tubes on hand.....if you would honestly send your amp in for warranty work with non-factory parts in it then you deserve to have your warranty voided. Only a TOTAL MORON would leave aftermarket tubes in an amp when taking it to a tech under warranty.