Mesa Road King Opinions needed

[dinkyjacksonman]

I am thinking to buy one later this year.
I have checked other threads about Road King but I need more opinions from people who own or tried them.
Please post your opinions about the amp.
and if you have pics of your amp or setting(with cabinet), please post here.

Thanks! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

i think you'd be happier with a dual or triple rec Trem-o-verb, personally. but hey the road king is sweet!

[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

Road King is a sweet amp...but it's a bit too busy for my liking. Gotta question how practical it will be to have all those switching capabilities.
Like Dreamland mentioned...you'd be JUST as happy with a Dual or Triple Recto.

[Fragle]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

well, i dont know where you live, but if you live in europe save your money and get a regular rectifier...you wont be able to switch el34/6l6 etc, but hell, just go and try out what you like better and stick to it...for the 2000 euro you'd save you could even buy another rectifier lol

although it's not as drastic in the US, i still think you should go for an usual rectifier and save money

[tonemonster]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

I own one. they are terrific amps. I can t stress enough the importance of you going to try one out yourself. as far as my settings, well you may think that my settings sound like ass. Tone is a very subjective thing as we all know. What I may consider great tone, you might think sucks and vice versa so I think its best you spend a while to dial in a sound. I do agree with the owner manual that the best sounds are all in the 10:00 to 2:00 range. I truly dont think a dual or triple recto is a good comparison. the Recto verb combo is more like it. Its got the reverb where hte dual and trip dont. Plus the dual and trip are just voiced different. even boogie will tell you the are differnt sounding amps. The roadking is a recto, but its very different than a dual or trip so you cant judge it by that. The RK is its own beast. go try one out, I cant imagine it not pleasing you. But keep this in mind: you have to have some patience with it. It takes a while to dial in a sound, but once you get there, you got gold baby!!

Let us know what you find out when you play one. [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

Toru, I'd go out and play one and see how it sounds to your ears. Since they are not cheap in price, I'd also go and try out amp/heads in the same price range, even ones that you haven't heard of or played before. I like Mesa/Boogie stuff and can't believe I waited so long to get one (little DC-5 combo used) just recently

I'm having a bogner woody at the moment and need to quit checking out the mp3s on the site or I'm gonna gave to fork out some cash that I really don't need to spend [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] http://www.bogneramplification.com I like the XTC and Shivas

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

Hi thank you everyone!
First of all, I used to own Dual Rectifier and Tremverb combo version as well.
I loved them and the reason I wanted to go with Road King is I wanted to get even more than what these amps(Dual and Trem) I used to own can do.
I thought of having choices of power tubes will be great.
EL34s are my favorite tubes for soloing and 6L6 for heavy power chords..
Also mixing the power tubes for even cooler tone..

I wanted to go heavier stuff with amp and I thought this amp is it.
I am not inerested in just buying Dual or triple Rectifier.
I needed something more.

I will PM you Tonemonster!

[eaeolian]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

Mr. Crooks is out of town, so I'll throw in some for him:

The RK is a very flexible, and very good sounding amp. It's got a couple of major advantages over a regular Recto: The clean channels are MUCH better, and having your choice of power tubes really helps with flexibility. I'm a 6L6 for rhythms kind of guy, but I like the EL34s better for leads - so the RK would play perfectly into that.

I just used both of his - how excessive is TWO RKs? - to record our forthcoming album, and got a really good Dual tone out of it for rhythms, and a nice, singing-but-still-aggressive lead tone, too.

If you need four high-quality sounds for live performance, this is the amp for you. If you don't need four different sounds, it's probably overkill. I couldn't justify the price jump from my TRec, so I didn't trade it in on one, but for people who need the flexibility, it's the perfect amp.

Mike

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a 6L6 for rhythms kind of guy, but I like the EL34s better for leads - so the RK would play perfectly into that.

Mike

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you Michael!
You and Matt are always helpful.

WHat you said above is exactly what I have been thinking of.
I love the way 6L6s sound for the heavy Rhythms but I always want the EL34s for the Crunch(or British type in your face crunch I would say) and Lead.
I didn't want to buy Dual or triple just for the 1 sound.
So this Road King seems like I can do more than just 1 sound I love.

I just got rid of 3 extra cabs I had and probably my VHT combo soon.
I just can't wait to have an amp that has both EL34s and 6L6s and able to switch in between.
I have never thought of doing that by just 1 amp.
That's a tone heaven [img]/images/graemlins/drool2.gif[/img]

[Imayeres]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

from what i have played i have liked the road king, i'ma mesa purist for the most part

[eaeolian]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm a 6L6 for rhythms kind of guy, but I like the EL34s better for leads - so the RK would play perfectly into that.

Mike

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you Michael!
You and Matt are always helpful.

WHat you said above is exactly what I have been thinking of.
I love the way 6L6s sound for the heavy Rhythms but I always want the EL34s for the Crunch(or British type in your face crunch I would say) and Lead.
I didn't want to buy Dual or triple just for the 1 sound.
So this Road King seems like I can do more than just 1 sound I love.

I just got rid of 3 extra cabs I had and probably my VHT combo soon.
I just can't wait to have an amp that has both EL34s and 6L6s and able to switch in between.
I have never thought of doing that by just 1 amp.
That's a tone heaven [img]/images/graemlins/drool2.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Glad to be of help. I'm a Mesa endorser because I love their products - certainly not because they give me anything! - and I like to see people find the tone they want.

This should be the amp for you. Since I already had a TRec, it wasn't worth the extra money to me to go to a RK just for lead sounds live - but, then again, I can use Matt's any time I want in the studio.

Mike

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

[ QUOTE ]

I'm having a bogner woody at the moment and need to quit checking out the mp3s on the site or I'm gonna gave to fork out some cash that I really don't need to spend [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] http://www.bogneramplification.com I like the XTC and Shivas

[/ QUOTE ]
Shawn, Thank you for the input.
I've owned Bogner amps.
My first one was a modified Marshall amp that I ordered at a store in North Hollywood in 91 or 2 where Bogner was taking orders of modification.
I brought this old beatup late 70's JMP that I bought for $350 and Bogner added pretube and effect loop for like $500.
I asked them to have Lynch/Sykes lead tone and it sounded killer.
I love them.I've owned couple of Marshall mod by Bogner,couple of XTCs and a caveman combo.

This time, I don't want something I already had before.
I sold them for reasons.I wasn't totally happy with Bogner.
I didn't dig the darker tone of Bogner.
So I am not going back to what I used to have.

There are some amps I would love to have and Road King is on the top list.
If I would go back to Marshall type sound, I would simply grab a older Marshall and send it to John Suhr for 2CHs modification with booster,Effect loop and Depth knob.

[LRGman]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

Play it first. Listening to you talk about amps, I definately don't think you'll dig a recto. I have a 3ch-triple(had 6l6, now el34's) and all the modes and channels are BS. You will find one sound and have a one channel amp, and the effects loop is not that great the clean sucks.Its a muddy amp rhythm wise.No reverb. Don't get me wrong its a decent amp for the price.

The road king is probably more versitle cause of the different power section capability. I just think all mesa's 9 or 12 modes adverising is BS. All the modes are are varying levels and amounts of gain present in the full gain mode.

I am looking at getting a VHT. A friend has one of the old cl 100's and it sustains for days at talking levels-unreal.

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

LRG, thank you for your opinion.
That's funny I am getting rid of VHT Classic Combo to buy a Mesa and you are looking at getting CL100.

For me, it is about the time to try something different.
I do love Mesa Rect as I owned coupel of these before.
I still own a Rect cab that I will keep for a very long time.

Let's see what will happen.
I am not in a hurry to buy one as I need to save up some money.
I am looking arround before Christmas maybe..
[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[LRGman]

Re: Mesa Road King Opinions needed

[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Yea I know we get fickle about our gear. I must admit I am sort of intriqued about the Road King. I always thought the old simuclass boogies were awesome. Now I will have to go play a road king-

Anyone want to comment on the cleans sounds out of a RK. I like the cleans out of the Mark Series. One thing about my boogie is I haven't had one problem-its a tank.