Roadster vs Roadking

  • Thread starter Thread starter Techdeth
  • Start date Start date
Christian Kohle has a video comparing the Roadster and his Rev F and trying to dial the former in to get close to the sound he gets from the Rev F for metal and while it is not the same it definitely sounds very good. The catch is you end up dialing the Roadster in quite a bit differently to get to the same territory.

Personally I kinda like the setup of the Roadster at least in theory. I like the idea of the 4 channels with tonal options split up a bit more throughout them. There’s a dude with one for sale for only $1k in the Atlanta market but its one of the massive 212 combos and even worse he’s South of Atlanta and I’m an hour and a half north, otherwise I’d be hitting him up. I’m very intrigued by these.
 
Tone Junkie said:
Never had RK but it seems V2 is more sought after.
Click to expand...
V2 is definitely more desirable due to the revoicing of the clean channels. Also the V2B has the most latest revision of all three improvements. I think it is by far the best amp they produced, given it's flexibility, tone, range of use and capabilities.
 
Yeah I got mine like two years ago. Clean and guy wasn’t playing it as he had like 20 other amps.
I think they are very underrated and compared to most recto amps a little more versatile. I’ve got a buddy who talked me into selling it for 1600. I’ve been playing through it a bit and having second thoughts ?. Especially since they’re no longer made.
I’ve got other rectifiers too. It’s more subtle but options with footswitch and effects make it worth the money.
 
Tone Junkie said:
I have a Roadster. Cool amp lots of tonal choices from clean to mean. Not as brutal as a dual but can get close. Unless your into ultra heavy metal channel 4 good without boost.
Never had RK but it seems V2 is more sought after.

Click to expand...

Looks cool too
 
I always wanted to find a good deal on a RKII but once I got a Tremoverb it ended my recto GAS. I really like the tweed setting for rock on the RK. The Brit setting is Ok but nothing to write home about for a more Marshall tone. It is cool though that you can both setup to have 6L6’s on clean/tweed, have it feed an open back 2x12 and switch to Brit or recto with 34’s and feeding a closed back cab, at the touch of a button. God forbid something goes wrong in the amp that involves moving or lifting boards because a I bet not many techs would want to work on it.
Over time I’ve gotten other Mesa’s that do the clean/tweed thing and Marshall thing better than the RK, so to own one would just be for novelty. If I wasn’t a big Mesa guy and just wanted one, the RKII is a pretty amazing sample plate. Grab a studio Pre or quad to feed the loop return, give yourself a 5th channel that’s Mark series glory.
 
IMG_0342.JPG

Not bad at all.... Don't over think it. I have seen a lot worse.
 
Strange said:
View attachment 216799
Not bad at all.... Don't over think it. I have seen a lot worse.
Click to expand...
Liking the flying leads for easy pot replacement. Shame they couldn’t do it on the rear as well. Must be a pretty labor intensive amp to wire up. I know OG 5150’s used to have trouble sometimes with the ribbon cables passing power. Wonder if they ever run into that in these amps? Around 2013, my local GC had a used, blacked out RKII head and a 101B in purple head shell. It was killing me that I couldn’t justify the expenditure on either one at the time. Even for 6 months no interest they were too much for a frivolous buy.
 
angelspade said:
Both these amps look great...Are the newer multi-watt rectos really considered to be tighter and more aggressive than previous versions?
Click to expand...
Some people think so others domt . I’ve watched guys make clips and the clips are not drastic . The way I boost any of the Rectos I always get the same tone anyway lol
But my Hermanson one is tighter and aggressive . I would definitely consider getting one . I’d take it over any mesas but that’s me
 
angelspade said:
Both these amps look great...Are the newer multi-watt rectos really considered to be tighter and more aggressive than previous versions?
Click to expand...
They are, but it is subtle. If you are playing fast stuff or downtuning, you are probably still going to want to boost a MW Recto. That said, just like all Rectos, they really come alive and breathe fire when boosted.
 
Techdeth said:
Some people think so others domt . I’ve watched guys make clips and the clips are not drastic . The way I boost any of the Rectos I always get the same tone anyway lol
But my Hermanson one is tighter and aggressive . I would definitely consider getting one . I’d take it over any mesas but that’s me
Click to expand...
I agree. I actually emailed back and forth with him regarding modifying a Roadster that friend as offering to me at a very good price, and I like the idea of the 4 channels, assignable reverb, etc. Unfortunately, he is not interested on modifying Mesa Roadsters or Road Kings at this time. Can't say I blame them as they are more difficult to work on...And he probably has more Marshall and Mesa requests than he can handle already. I may still send him a standard Triple Rec when I grab one locally. The only domestic options that interest me is Jerry at FJA (his sound great), and perhaps Trace at Voodoo Amps as he once did a custom mod on 5150 II for me that sounded unreal. That said, neither of those seem (from the clips) to have the tightness and outright aggression (while still retaining character and tone) that I hear in the Hermansson clips...So it may be worth the time, cost and trouble to go with him.
 
angelspade said:
I agree. I actually emailed back and forth with him regarding modifying a Roadster that friend as offering to me at a very good price, and I like the idea of the 4 channels, assignable reverb, etc. Unfortunately, he is not interested on modifying Mesa Roadsters or Road Kings at this time. Can't say I blame them as they are more difficult to work on...And he probably has more Marshall and Mesa requests than he can handle already. I may still send him a standard Triple Rec when I grab one locally. The only domestic options that interest me is Jerry at FJA (his sound great), and perhaps Trace at Voodoo Amps as he once did a custom mod on 5150 II for me that sounded unreal. That said, neither of those seem (from the clips) to have the tightness and outright aggression (while still retaining character and tone) that I hear in the Hermansson clips...So it may be worth the time, cost and trouble to go with him.
Click to expand...
Definitely my fav amps
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top