Advice on Mesa Boogie amps please?

[colinboy]

Hey guys,

i hope its ok to bring up this topic here even though its not EBMM related.im doing some research at the moment on mesa boogie amps.im looking for the perfect amp to fit all the various styles that i play.i contacted mesaboogie distributors in the uk for information and they recommended the 'Roadking' as avery versatile amp.
At the moment as most of ye know i play a BFR JP model but in the near future i plan to increase my ball collection with a Silo,ASS and maybe a Luke model too.i love all types of music from U2 to Dreamtheater,metallica to Bonjovi just to name a few so im looking for an amp that can handle beautiful clean tones to heavy rock/metal tones from the likes of metallica.

All advice is really appreciated

 

[Ang3lus]

the Roadking II is the most versatile amp ever made i think
6l6 tubes AND El34, AND you can link between them or choose 6l6 or el34, and of course rectifier tubes, so you can get mark distortion and also lonestar cleans (that's the difference between the road king I and II).
it's pricey too, but that's going to be my next amp.
i'm a metal guy and using a JP6, so it's a match made in heaven i think

 

[colinboy]

the Roadking II is the most versatile amp ever made i think
6l6 tubes AND El34, AND you can link between them or choose 6l6 or el34, and of course rectifier tubes, so you can get mark distortion and also lonestar cleans (that's the difference between the road king I and II).
it's pricey too, but that's going to be my next amp.
i'm a metal guy and using a JP6, so it's a match made in heaven i think

cheers fellai dont mind playing the extra for a good amp.it looks like its going to be my next purchase too.

 

[Spudmurphy]

The F50 will do it for ya - trouble is I bleeb they stopped making them.

GAK had them on offer not so long ago at a ridiculous (cheap) price!!

There is a new one in a store in Cardiff that they would cut a good deal on - ask for "Em" and say Spud sent ya!

 

[mikeller]

I have a 2-12 Maverick that I am quite pleased with...great cleans, great gain. But I must admit most of the gained up sounds I use I get from pedals. But, that is not to say the amp is quite capable.

 

[fsmith]

I recently bought the Road King's "little brother" the Roadster. Only difference being the progressive linking options with the Road King and the ability to run both 6L6 and EL34's together. The Roadster has a bias switch that allows you to drop EL34's into it though.

It has the same cleans as the Road King as in the Lone Star Special... Great cleans and when I need to have a little ooomph it's there. I had a Stiletto Ace which was a great EL34 based 2 channel amp that I sold in a fit of gas looking for something else. That deal fell through and I decided to come back to Mesa and bought the Roadster because it has so much flexibility. I didn't really need the progressive power options the Road King offered though.

I can go from sparkly cleans to tweed to brit to Marshall land to flat out brutal modern crunch all in one amp. It covers a lot of ground. If you like the heavier Mesa sound you have to check out the Road King / Roadster otherwise look at the Lone Star series. If I didn't have to have that "Boogie tone" for the times I just need to flat out scream I would have looked seriously at the Lone Stars.

Good luck in your search...

fred

 

[roburado]

I don't think that any of the Rectifier series really does the Mark tones. The ones I've tried are just too fizzy and buzzy. Either that or I just didn't know how to get rid of that. I'm not saying that the Rectifiers are bad amps. I think they're great and a heck of a lot better at getting that tone in my head. It's just not what I'm looking for.

I would hold off on buying any Mesas for now, if I were you. Reportedly, Mesa has a new amp in the works. It might be something worth checking out. Granted, it may not be what you're looking for, but if you can wait, it might be worth it.

 

[marantz1300]

I use a studio 50/50.It's very versitile,great clean switchable reverb(real spring) and eq.record and main outputs bright, fat switching and a dirty channel.The 50/50 has a half power and presence switch's. Best of all you can pick them

up for peanuts.

 

[Pittman75]

I don't think that any of the Rectifier series really does the Mark tones. The ones I've tried are just too fizzy and buzzy. Either that or I just didn't know how to get rid of that. I'm not saying that the Rectifiers are bad amps. I think they're great and a heck of a lot better at getting that tone in my head. It's just not what I'm looking for.

I would hold off on buying any Mesas for now, if I were you. Reportedly, Mesa has a new amp in the works. It might be something worth checking out. Granted, it may not be what you're looking for, but if you can wait, it might be worth it.

+1. Wait. Word is that there will be a new Mark V. Yes, not a typo, Mark V. If not, check out the triaxis, 20/20 combo. You don't get more versatile than that.

 

[Ang3lus]

yeah, but doubt it would be out before april next year
that's a long wait for GAS

even if you would be sorry after
which would probably happen

 

[Octavarius]

Ang3lus, the Road King does not give you the Mark distortion. It's a completely different amp and the fact that it also gives you the Lonestar cleans, has nothing to do with the progressive linkage. That is the power section, and of course it also has a lot to do with the tone, not to mention most importantly the feel and response of the amp, the main tonefactor is the preamp. And the distortion channels will always and only sound like a Rectifier. The clean channels are the same as the Lonestar, and that's what was added in version II.

Now, to give you my opinion, Colin, I find that the Marks are the most natural, dynamic and responsive amps from the Mesa line. Especially concidering the distortion. The Rectifiers are great, especially for heavy stuff, but all the gain and fizzyness kinda cover up the natural response of the instrument, in my opinion. While the Marks are more midrangy and "growly", and they do low-gain stuff really well, too. They really let the instrument "come through". When I play through my Mark IIC+, I feel that I hear the guitar through the amp, not the amp itself, if anyone's getting what I'm saying.
And I also find that Marks are far way more versatile. Hope I'm not getting too technical here, but the versatility lies in that the tone controls (parametric EQ) are placed before the gain stage, which makes them far more irregular in their travel than if they were placed post gain (like on Rectifiers and most modern amps). Plus they're in series, so if you for instance set the Treble control very high, the Bass and Mid controls will have less and different effect on the tone, if the Treble was set low in the first place. This may sound somewhat clumsy and complicated, but it actually leads to thousands new ways of different tone combinations. Not to mention all the pull functions on those controls too. And it all finishes up with a Graphic Equalizer that also adds great versatility to the tone. No problem to approach that Recto feel with the mids almost completely scooped out! The Recto's are a bit of a one trick pony for me, personally. It's still a great sound that I love, but I feel that they don't do much more than only that sound. It's always a Rectifier, to put it that way. But I find that I have no issues of going from smooth hollowbody jazz to havy DT rhythms on my IIC+, on the other hand.
In the end, it's all a matter of taste, though. I strongly recommend for you to try them out for yourself. Just remember to give the Marks some time. They can sound great, but they're hard to tweak right, and it's easy to make them sound like crap.

Yes, the Road King is versatile, but more in it's bells and whistles, if you ask me; with loop assignment and cabinet switching, progressive linkage also, etc. In my opinion, the Marks are more versatile in all the tones they can produce, which is what matters most for my part. I haven't sat too long with a Road King, however, so don't only take my word for it. If you want debates on Recto vs. Mark and stuff like that, check out the Petrucci Forum, and for more in depth responces, check out The Boogie Board.

My ideal thing would be Mark + Lonestar. Regarding Marks, I'd wait to see how the new Mark V will be. Randall Smith said a future Mark V would probably have more simpler control layouts etc. The Mark IV, as well as the Mark I reissue have both now been officially discontinued. But if I were in a hurry to get a Mesa amp now, I'd go for the Lonestar. But it won't give you those heavy Petrucci rhythms, mind that.

If you want a good idea of how a Rectifier sounds, check out Dream Theater's Train of Thought. Octavarium was also recorded with a Road King. For Mark rhythms and leads, check out Scenes From A Memory and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (minus The Glass Prison and The Great Debate). Awake was also recorded with both a IIC+ and Dual Recto mixed together, and Falling Into Infinity has a lot of Mark tones as well. The Lonestar cleans can be heard on Octavarium and Systematic Chaos (plus lead on Repentance).
Regarding live stuff, Live In Budokan was done with Road Kings, and Scenes From New York, as well as 5 Years In A LIVETime was done with mostly Marks for rhythms. (but a Dual Recto's in there too). And if you've been on a DT concert from the latest Chaos In Motion tour, he's using two Mark IV's and a Lonestar there.

 

[Karl Hungus]

My vote would go to either a Roadster, or a Mark IV.

Both fantastically versatile amps, and they sound amazing, you really couldn't go wrong with either.

 

[ScoobySteve]

The roadking series 2 has a lonestar based clean channel. Which is absolutely fantastic, and gain channels similar to the Mark IV.

Just think Lonestar + Mark IV, and that's what the roadking 2 is, kinda. (oversimplification really)

Get an ENGL or Bogner. =P

 

[MusicManJP6]

I'm very happy with my Rect-o-Verb combo! You can't go wrong with any of the Mesas really...

 

[TNT]

I'm waiting for a "Mark V" myself - the "pinnacle" of Mesa Boogie!!

 

[petruccirocks02]

The Mark IV, as well as the Mark I reissue have both now been officially discontinued.

The Mark IV is not discontinued. The Mark I is being discontinued, but I spoke with a few people at Mesa Boogie the other day (one of them being Michael Wolf) and all that is being discontinued are the Mark I amps, and the Mark IV short heads. All the other Mark IV's will still be in production for a some time.

-Phil

 

[joe web]

...
It has the same cleans as the Road King as in the Lone Star Special... Great cleans and when I need to have a little ooomph it's there....
I can go from sparkly cleans to tweed to brit to Marshall land to flat out brutal modern crunch all in one amp. It covers a lot of ground. If you like the heavier Mesa sound you have to check out the Road King / Roadster otherwise look at the Lone Star series....

well said!

the roadster is really a great amp, with a lot of features. i like the option that you can select recto-tracking / diodes per channel. that is an awesome feature.

the orange and red channels of the roadster are different from the dual recto!
but it starts with the sound of the poweramp-section - the roadster has more mid-sounding character as the dual recto.
the roadster is more an allround amp, it doesn´t have the ultra brutal dual recto sound, you can get very close, but it´s different.
i would say the roadster has the sweeter sound with more feeling in it.

this is what i recognize everytime, i compare my two amps.

 

[fuzzracer]

try Engl.......better and cheaper than Mesa

 

[roburado]

Yeah, if I get another Mesa, it'll be a Mark V, I think. More likely, though, I'll get an Egnater Mod 50.

 

[ruso]

try Engl.......better and cheaper than Mesa

Cheaper? Maybe. Better? Well, that's only a matter of opinion... and even then, they are two totally different sounding products so one can't really be better than the other, unless you are comparing long term reliability traits, etc. If you are saying that Engl sounds better than Mesa amplifiers, then that is only your opinion because many will disagree or agree.