Considering selling my Road King II to buy a Mark V:25

[prskier17]

I've had my Road King II listed in the classifieds here and locally on Craigslist for awhile after deciding to downsize to a lower wattage amp and hearing all the rave reviews for the Mark V:25. I'm really surprised at the low prices the Road King II are actually selling at these days and I'm second guessing my decision to sell.... so I thought I'd get some opinions from the experts here. Following are the reasons I am considering selling the King:

1. I have two young kids now and honestly have not played the Road King II more than a few hours over the last three years. Part of the reason is that I'm in the process of finishing our basement and currently don't have a room setup for playing. Most of my playing has been through headphones. I plan to finish the basement over the winter and there will be an office/spare bedroom that I plan to also use as a guitar room, so that will help.

2. I don't play in a band anymore. I was previously playing in a rock / hard-rock cover band and the Road King was awesome in that setting. I've been contemplating auditioning for one of the worship bands at my church and I certainly don't need a 1/2 stack for that, in fact they probably wouldn't want that large of an amp on the stage. I could purchase a smaller cab (either a 2x12 recto or 1x12), but the head alone is 57 lbs according to the specs. The 16 lb Mark V:25 would certainly be easier to haul around.

I love the sound of the Road King II and honestly would rather keep it AND buy a Mark V:25, but of course I don't currently have the finances for that...... I found a local buyer that appears ready to do the deal and now I'm getting cold feet. What would you guys do?

 

[elvis]

I've learned to be ruthless with equipment. If it's just sitting, I flip it. It's often a good idea to keep unused equipment, but if I always did that, I'd have 20 amps.

You might try a V:35...

 

[screamingdaisy]

Audition with the RK, and if you get the gig and the V:25 is more appropriate then swap amps.


Also, factor in that the V:25 isn't a particularly quiet amp, and that the RK on 50w and spongy mode puts out around a little over 30w.... with a better master volume.


Long story short, try before you buy.

 

[prskier17]

Thanks guys,
I'm going to keep the Road King.... at least for now. I might look for a 2x12 cab which would make it much easier to move around and maybe I'll end up getting a Mark V:25 someday.

 

[barryswanson]

With V 35 now out i'd say you might pick up a V 25 for a good price with everyone stepping up.

 

[siggy14]

My church has a big band/show for the first 15 minutes of service, I sometimes think they are living out their fantasy of being rock stars up there as they pretty much do that. With 3 services playing to about 500 or 600 people they are doing better then most rock bands LOL.

With that being said they all use some kind of modeler up there on stage, Honestly I would look for a used Line 6 HD500 or a used Eleven rack for that gig.

 

[prskier17]

I love how you guys are all giving me reasons to buy more gear!!! Thanks again!

 

[Given To Fly]

I love how you guys are all giving me reasons to buy more gear!!! Thanks again!

To make a car analogy, we don't want you to sell your Ferrari Enzo to buy a Honda Civic just because its easier to drive around town. If the praise band has a drummer, your Road King II would work for the praise band. If you take away all prejudice against big amps, the appearance of big amps, and the congregations opinion of any instrument/gear that does not blend in with the wallpaper, you'll realize the Road King II would work.

But I also know convenience is important. Perhaps using a CabClone on your Road King II head is a solution, but I am not familiar with your church, nor the band, PA system, and the people running the PA system.