Rock Standard Review

[VHTStark]

Thanks,

Any idea if the 3 way toggle is the same between some of the amps when that option is installed?

I have this three-way on my vintage classic and it’s awesome. It changes the gain up, though I don’t know the values.

That would be a question for @WizardSouth-JP as I know he has owned the older RS when Rick started making them.

I wanna say, from playing around with one on a VC, it varies the bright cap + gain and I think it is similar on the older RS and w800....both of which did away with the 3 way switch.

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

The toggle was related to bright caps, Rick changed the design to have just a simple pull for bright. I own a 2025 EL34 50w Rock Standard and it will do any tone you can imagine in your head - assuming you’re not averse to boost pedals.

 

[Corey James]

I think mine also adds gain.

Check this out at about the 30 to 40 second mark when I change the three-way switch. Definitely more than a bright cap unless I just don’t know any better.

I did email Rick, but he did not wanna provide any feedback once he knew that I bought the amp used!

 

[rocker]

100%. The RS has upper mid kerrang more like the w800. The cool thing though, is you can use the "sweep" control to go from Marshall mids to more lower mid focus, kinda like a Bogner.

Thanks man.

 

[VHTStark]

Thanks man.

Absolutely. I will let you know when I compare/contrast with my MCII.

 

[rocker]

Absolutely. I will let you know when I compare/contrast with my MCII.

Have you got the time to compare the Wizards?

 

[VHTStark]

Have you got the time to compare the Wizards?

Ahh I totally forgot about this! I had all the Wizards out over the Holidays, so I did get to compare them.

So: MCII Vs w800 - with the rythm boost and black kat mod, they definitely can get very close in feel and tone. A bit more upper mid kerrang from the w800...but pretty close.

RS vs w800: the RS can absolutely be dialed in to do what the w800 does, tone wise. A bit more saturated gain structure in the RS.

RS vs MCII: Rythm boost and black kat and the RS without bright/boost, some eq'ing and the sweep up can get similar tone wise. Again, the RS in these modes is a bit more naturally saturated.

Notes/provisos: When I say "a bit more saturated, I am literally talking 5% more. Just a little bit more that may/may not matter to a player. The RS is still a fairly "dry" amp.
- The RS, with its versatile eq section, can do some tones my MCII and w800 cannot. It has more give in feel (bounce, chew...however you describe it) and with tweaking the sweep and bright, you can get some really cool Bogner-esque tones that retain the signature punch and clarity. Pretty amazing!!

Actually, I have decided I may move my beloved w800, due to the overlap with the MCII rythm channel and RS. Never thought I would consider that, because I really do love it, but the MCII And RS can get close enough to what it does and I am kinda hankering for a MTL or maybe even a Hellrazor.

Hope that was helpful!!

 

[rocker]

Ahh I totally forgot about this! I had all the Wizards out over the Holidays, so I did get to compare them.

So: MCII Vs w800 - with the rythm boost and black kat mod, they definitely can get very close in feel and tone. A bit more upper mid kerrang from the w800...but pretty close.

RS vs w800: the RS can absolutely be dialed in to do what the w800 does, tone wise. A bit more saturated gain structure in the RS.

RS vs MCII: Rythm boost and black kat and the RS without bright/boost, some eq'ing and the sweep up can get similar tone wise. Again, the RS in these modes is a bit more naturally saturated.

Notes/provisos: When I say "a bit more saturated, I am literally talking 5% more. Just a little bit more that may/may not matter to a player. The RS is still a fairly "dry" amp.
- The RS, with its versatile eq section, can do some tones my MCII and w800 cannot. It has more give in feel (bounce, chew...however you describe it) and with tweaking the sweep and bright, you can get some really cool Bogner-esque tones that retain the signature punch and clarity. Pretty amazing!!

Actually, I have decided I may move my beloved w800, due to the overlap with the MCII rythm channel and RS. Never thought I would consider that, because I really do love it, but the MCII And RS can get close enough to what it does and I am kinda hankering for a MTL or maybe even a Hellrazor.

Hope that was helpful!!

It was very helpful. Thank you so much

 

[mermer]

Ahh I totally forgot about this! I had all the Wizards out over the Holidays, so I did get to compare them.

So: MCII Vs w800 - with the rythm boost and black kat mod, they definitely can get very close in feel and tone. A bit more upper mid kerrang from the w800...but pretty close.

RS vs w800: the RS can absolutely be dialed in to do what the w800 does, tone wise. A bit more saturated gain structure in the RS.

RS vs MCII: Rythm boost and black kat and the RS without bright/boost, some eq'ing and the sweep up can get similar tone wise. Again, the RS in these modes is a bit more naturally saturated.

Notes/provisos: When I say "a bit more saturated, I am literally talking 5% more. Just a little bit more that may/may not matter to a player. The RS is still a fairly "dry" amp.
- The RS, with its versatile eq section, can do some tones my MCII and w800 cannot. It has more give in feel (bounce, chew...however you describe it) and with tweaking the sweep and bright, you can get some really cool Bogner-esque tones that retain the signature punch and clarity. Pretty amazing!!

Actually, I have decided I may move my beloved w800, due to the overlap with the MCII rythm channel and RS. Never thought I would consider that, because I really do love it, but the MCII And RS can get close enough to what it does and I am kinda hankering for a MTL or maybe even a Hellrazor.

Hope that was helpful!!

This is super cool. I would like to try a Rock Standard, maybe it replaces my Friedman

 

[VHTStark]

This is super cool. I would like to try a Rock Standard, maybe it replaces my Friedman

I love the RS, man!

I have only owned a couple Friedmans myself: a BE100 and an SSV2. Both good amps. Have also played a JJ, Smallbox and JEL.

I can say with 100% certainty I prefer my RS over both that I owned. It will always have more punch and clarity, which is part of the Wizard thing with all their amps, and will certainly be less compressed and have less overall gain. Using the bright control, presence, treble, pull-tone shift and sweep knob, you can make the RS do a darker, more low-mid type tone....all the way to a bright kerrang that the Friedmans just don't really do.

 

[Corey James]

I love the RS, man!

I have only owned a couple Friedmans myself: a BE100 and an SSV2. Both good amps. Have also played a JJ, Smallbox and JEL.

I can say with 100% certainty I prefer my RS over both that I owned. It will always have more punch and clarity, which is part of the Wizard thing with all their amps, and will certainly be less compressed and have less overall gain. Using the bright control, presence, treble, pull-tone shift and sweep knob, you can make the RS do a darker, more low-mid type tone....all the way to a bright kerrang that the Friedmans just don't really do.

You are not helping

 

[mermer]

I love the RS, man!

I have only owned a couple Friedmans myself: a BE100 and an SSV2. Both good amps. Have also played a JJ, Smallbox and JEL.

I can say with 100% certainty I prefer my RS over both that I owned. It will always have more punch and clarity, which is part of the Wizard thing with all their amps, and will certainly be less compressed and have less overall gain. Using the bright control, presence, treble, pull-tone shift and sweep knob, you can make the RS do a darker, more low-mid type tone....all the way to a bright kerrang that the Friedmans just don't really do.

Man this sounds great, not for my wallet, but you get it.

I am very curious how it will compare with the Rhtyhm channel of the MTL. With black cat and boost on it’a definetely on hard rock territory. I am playing mainly with my les paul custom with early 70s TTops. With a higher output pickup it can be bit more fun. It does not have much give under the fingers, rather dry and very open. Some bounce and spongy feel under the fingers would be nice but it’s not designed for that kind of stuff, I understand. So I am not sure if the next one should be a Rock Standard or a MCII.

In the clips online MCII sounds similar to MTL, then RS. So I am closer to RS.

 

[VHTStark]

Man this sounds great, not for my wallet, but you get it.

I am very curious how it will compare with the Rhtyhm channel of the MTL. With black cat and boost on it’a definetely on hard rock territory. I am playing mainly with my les paul custom with early 70s TTops. With a higher output pickup it can be bit more fun. It does not have much give under the fingers, rather dry and very open. Some bounce and spongy feel under the fingers would be nice but it’s not designed for that kind of stuff, I understand. So I am not sure if the next one should be a Rock Standard or a MCII.

In the clips online MCII sounds similar to MTL, then RS. So I am closer to RS.

Rythm channel with BlackKat boost is more like the w800. Which i also own. Not exactly, but pretty close in vibe.

The MCII and MTL are pretty closely related, with the MTL capable of more gain and low end and the MCII capable of a bit more raw agression in the midrange.

My RS, especially now after owning and playing for awhile, is a bit different. While I would say my MC1, MCII and the MTL mkII I have played are more Fryette like in feel, my RS feels more like my father's 71 Superlead dimed through my Powerstation; punchy as hell and still very immediate, but more of that give/sag that you can feel.

So ya, same control topology as the MTL....but absolutely not a "MTL lite". Different amp.

 

[mermer]

Rythm channel with BlackKat boost is more like the w800. Which i also own. Not exactly, but pretty close in vibe.

The MCII and MTL are pretty closely related, with the MTL capable of more gain and low end and the MCII capable of a bit more raw agression in the midrange.

My RS, especially now after owning and playing for awhile, is a bit different. While I would say my MC1, MCII and the MTL mkII I have played are more Fryette like in feel, my RS feels more like my father's 71 Superlead dimed through my Powerstation; punchy as hell and still very immediate, but more of that give/sag that you can feel.

So ya, same control topology as the MTL....but absolutely not a "MTL lite". Different amp.

Thank you for the explanation, I really appreciate it. It sounds like MTL + Rock Standard would cover more gorund than MTL + MCII. All the give and sag also sounds promising on RS, this is the feel that I would like to have from the next amp

 

[VHTStark]

The MCII is a great amp. Really the quintessential Wizard and the one I would recommend to most players if they were going have say, one Wizard in the arsenal.

But ya, a MTL and RS could cover everything the MCII can, plus the more aggressive end of the spectrum with the MTL and more vintage side with the RS. Although the RS can certainly do some really awesome high gain sounds on its own!

Feel wise, ya, the RS feels amazing to play. It did take some playing time I felt to break the amp in, but I would say it is as easy to play (maybe more so) than my Bogner Ecstasy....and that is an easy amp to play!!

 

[mermer]

The MCII is a great amp. Really the quintessential Wizard and the one I would recommend to most players if they were going have say, one Wizard in the arsenal.

But ya, a MTL and RS could cover everything the MCII can, plus the more aggressive end of the spectrum with the MTL and more vintage side with the RS. Although the RS can certainly do some really awesome high gain sounds on its own!

Feel wise, ya, the RS feels amazing to play. It did take some playing time I felt to break the amp in, but I would say it is as easy to play (maybe more so) than my Bogner Ecstasy....and that is an easy amp to play!!

RS it is then. There are not many videos online but I get the idea from your descriptions.

It helps me a lot man. Thanks again

 

[no.mids.brando]

yesterday i walked into a Guitar Center and a fucking Wizard Rock Standard was sitting in the live room for $3600. i have a clip here of me playing thru it with an MXR classic overdrive that they let me demo. def the best sounding mids ive ever heard, the feel, transient response, everything just smokes anything else ive heard (which isnt much, an old Mark III red stripe that’s sounding tired from lack of service, a 6505+, and a PRS MT15. nicest amp i’ve ever demoed besides this is a Friedman Dirty Shirley combo)

heres some Kill em All riffage, i still can’t believe how good this amp sounds, thru a regular old modern 1960A at that. this voice memo taken on my phone dosent do it justice but wearing headphones will give you a better idea:

 

[Corey James]

yesterday i walked into a Guitar Center and a fucking Wizard Rock Standard was sitting in the live room for $3600. i have a clip here of me playing thru it with an MXR classic overdrive that they let me demo. def the best sounding mids ive ever heard, the feel, transient response, everything just smokes anything else ive heard (which isnt much, an old Mark III red stripe that’s sounding tired from lack of service, a 6505+, and a PRS MT15. nicest amp i’ve ever demoed besides this is a Friedman Dirty Shirley combo)

heres some Kill em All riffage, i still can’t believe how good this amp sounds, thru a regular old modern 1960A at that. this voice memo taken on my phone dosent do it justice but wearing headphones will give you a better idea:

Which guitar center?

 

[no.mids.brando]

Which guitar center?

Hallandale in South Florida