The Glorious Mesa Boogie Roadster

[SavageRiffer]

Oh man! I can't believe I've forgotten how badass the Mesa Boogie Roadster is. Sadly, I've got the GAS for one now. I had one for a few months but it's a pretty big head and I wanted to get smaller gear at the time, but it was a regrettable sale. I'm a big fan of the 2010 Dual Rect, but the Roadster still has the best sounding channels overall. I was playing one today but pressed for time and didn't want to turn it off. What a magnificent amp. That's one amp that you don't hear about enough these days.

 

[cecilbag]

I agree. I love the roadster. It's nice that they are becoming priced the same as a regular dual rec lately. A lot of bang for the buck

 

[jsp]

I miss mine.

 

[jc986]

Great amp, but I actually prefer the reborn Rectos.

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

A little dark for me... But the Triple multi-watt is killer.

 

[SavageRiffer]

A little dark for me... But the Triple multi-watt is killer.

Not all the channels, and a lot of people try to EQ it the same as a Dual Rect, but it works a bit differently from my experience.

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

A little dark for me... But the Triple multi-watt is killer.

Not all the channels, and a lot of people try to EQ it the same as a Dual Rect, but it works a bit differently from my experience.

That's true... But I mostly only used the 4th channel in modern mode. It's a cool amp, especially with all the features... But the Triple works better for me. Brighter and tighter.

 

[braintheory]

I like the roadster a little better than the reborn rectos, but the old Rev F model still sounds way better than any of the later model rectos. It sounds more raw, organic, ballsy and open. I never got to try a rev C, D, or E though. That being said, I got the chance to AB a Rev F with my Mark IIC+ HRG and for my taste it beat the Rev F in every way; tighter, bigger bottom end, more articulate, better leads and single notes, slightly more growl. The Rev F still sounded terrific though and was similarly raw and organic (few amps today can match that rawness and organic quality, but the Helios is very close)

 

[acalaf]

Take off all the tubes covers from the preamp tubes and the grill that covers the power tubes from the newer rectos and you will have a sound that is almost indistinguishable from the older 2 channel rectos. The old ones didn't have tube covers or grills. Those tube covers affect the sound in a negative way. They make the amp sound like a can of bees. Also the mesa str 440 power tubes are not doing the newer rectos any favors. and yes, the roadster is great.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Take off all the tubes covers from the preamp tubes and the grill that covers the power tubes from the newer rectos and you will have a sound that is almost indistinguishable from the older 2 channel rectos. The old ones didn't have tube covers or grills. Those tube covers affect the sound in a negative way. They make the amp sound like a can of bees. Also the mesa str 440 power tubes are not doing the newer rectos any favors. and yes, the roadster is great.

I'm pretty sure that's not a factor on the head version. Never tried the combo version. However, I've compared the Roadster head side-to-side with a Dual Rect just yesterday and there are definitely differences that are distinguishable.

 

[Fox77]

I owned the 2x12 Combo for almost 4 years. Great amp, super versatile and sounded great overall. But I always fought with the high gain sounds. Like any Recto, I found that the bass was nearly uncontrollable and undefined without using a boost or an EQ. And I do not like using either.

But the cleans and break-up sounds were stellar.