Just another Mark V vs Rectifier thread ...

[alexmusicman1987]

Hello everyone,

I'm stuck between this two amazing amps and want to choose something for a mainly home usage (occasional repetitions with friends).

I've played Triaxis with 2:90 and it did't blew me away. I was disappointed in some kind. Sound wasn't nowhere near as I imagined (considering Mark series). Yes, it was tight as hell, but I could not get a feel that it was kinda "thin" not thick. My LP Std sounded like a strat at some point. I've been waiting to get a juicy "wall of sound" as Petrucci said, but didn't get it.

On the other hand after playing Recto (non multi watt) with Maxon OD808 I was amazed with it's brutality and enormous low end. But that was it! There wasn't very good clean and solo wasn't quite brilliant at all. Also in order to get THAT tone it had to be cranked up (above 9-10 at least). It's not quite great choose considering home usage.

I have a choice (considering cash that I can spent) between Mark V: 25 and Recto Reborn (all used of course). I play mostly fast paced metal with occasional blues, and instrumental satriani stuff etc. Bands like Metallica, Alter Bridge, KSE, Dream Theater, Trivium, As I Lay Dying are my favorite ones. The main question is can I get that type of "modern" type tone out of Mark amp. I like tightness and the thing that it is good almost at everything (lead, clean, crunch). The only thing that stops me from buying Recto (do not have any idea how multi watt sounds in comparison to non multi-watt) is the thing that it must be loud enough to open and that it's not universal amp.

Waiting for your advises.

Rgds,
Alex

 

[Nicklotsaguitars]

I've no experience of recto amps. I played a Roadking once.
From what I've heard, and it's quite a bit. The dual rec doesn't do much that you couldn't get out of a regular class a/b amp. With a bit of boosting.
The Mark V does everything but that. Not being funny but if you're going to play a multitude of styles then the Mark is the way to go, in my opinion. Yeah you can't get that massive bass end on it. And the thing is a sod to get used to dialling in. But the amp the Mark series owes itself to, you can't get a massive bass end from and it's a case of dial good, do nothing else with those controls affair.

I thought about adding a rec a few times. Each time I look at my KK and say "what's the point, that does high gain better than anything". It's a one trick pony. But it does that trick superbly. Yeah I've messed about with it.

 

[jb's 52]

I own a Mark V and a Roadster.

The former is a lot more versatile and gets 95% of the play these days.
With that said, if you crave that bottom end recto sound, there's nothing
like a recto. Sure, I can come close with the Mark V but, in the end, they
are just two different animals.

 

[alexmusicman1987]

I own a Mark V and a Roadster.

The former is a lot more versatile and gets 95% of the play these days.
With that said, if you crave that bottom end recto sound, there's nothing
like a recto. Sure, I can come close with the Mark V but, in the end, they
are just two different animals.

I've read a lot of posts saying that Roadster does have LoneStar preamp circuit (meaning that multi-watt Recto have it also), but does it comperable to Marks clean in terms of quality ?

 

[LesPaul70]

Honestly, you can get more than enough versatility out of a Mark V... or a Roadster.... or a Road King II. They are all quality amps and incredibly versatile tone machines, you should be able to play just about any style on any of them. Or if you can't, don't blame the amp.

The big issue is the amp feel. That's where they differ a lot. Rectos are thick and loose with lots of low frequencies, Marks are kind of narrower, tighter and more midrange-focused. Many players tend to bond with one type and hate the other. You need to figure out which side of the fence you sit on. This is really the most important factor when choosing which one to get.

Also, don't be afraid to try an OD pedal with these amps. With a Recto, you don't use it to increase the gain - a Recto will have more gain than you will ever need (I never need to turn the Gain pot on the Vintage/Modern modes of my Recs past 1 or 2 o'clock) - but to tighten up the gain structure by cutting the excess lows (for tight riffing and lead playing). With a Mark V, you don't really need an OD on channel 3, but adding one to channels 1 and 2 can give you sweet vintage rock/hard rock sounds.

And yes, the Roadster and the Road King II use the Lonestar preamp circuit for their clean modes. However, they still don't sound or feel exactly the same (because of different power amp stages).

As for volume, let's just say none of them are bedroom amps. You can get some decent or nice sounds at low volume, but don't expect to get the best tone until you open up the volume a bit.

 

[bandit2013]

I would have to say it, the multi-watt recto does not have a reverb. The Roadster and Road king are one of the exceptions in the rectifier series along with the recto-verb 25. I have two RA100's (head and combo), Roadster and Mark V. In terms of reverb characteristics, the Roadster is by far the best as it is not too rich in reverb (Mark V) or too staturated (RA100 will saturate and compress if reverb is set too high).

The Mark V can be a bit harsh on the top end of the frequency spectrum but will settle some after a few years of use. I bought mine new about three years ago. I have battled ice pick tone and other issues and now actually love this amp since I have converted the head to a combo and found the right speaker (actually I am torn between two: Celestion Cream ALNICO 90W which is currently in use and the Jensen Jet Blackbird 100W ALNICO I recently removed). The Roadster on the other hand is thick and juicy and at times can be too thick or bottom heavy. If I run it through a new 412 cab it is great but the old cab is a bit muddy (was muddy as I had changed two speakers to EVM12L now it is tight and authoritative as it should be). Both Mark V and Roadster are quite versatile in their own right. I feel the Roadster has a better sounding tweed mode than the Mark V. On the flip side the Mark V cleans are really good other than the tweed. The amps are that much different and would be difficult to compare. If you opt for EL34 (or KT77) I think the Mark V sounds better but will run the tubes much hotter than the Roadster. As for the EL34 I would choose the RA100 (reason for having two) I am a huge fan of all three amps: Mark V, Roadster and the RA100. I would love to get a JP-2C head one of these days as I prefer a class A/B power tube amp vs the simul-class. Since I could not decide which amp to get as I was originally after the Roadster, came home with the Mark V head. I found it much easier to dial in vs the Roadster and I was already familiar with the Mark Series amps (mk III blue, mkIVB). To be honest, I am very happy with my Roadster as well as my Mark V. Love the RA100 too. Perhaps my response to your question was not help at all. Note that I do not use any boost or OD with my amps as I prefer the natural tone I get. However, the RA100 does respond well to OD.

 

[Gizzorge]

Both are stellar!!!

I own (and love!) a Mark V and A Triple Rec.

The Mark V is far more versatile than the rec. They don't seem to cross sonic paths much in my opinion though, because I really have not been able to make either amp sound like other.

I say get a Mark!

 

[jb's 52]

I own a Mark V and a Roadster.

The former is a lot more versatile and gets 95% of the play these days.
With that said, if you crave that bottom end recto sound, there's nothing
like a recto. Sure, I can come close with the Mark V but, in the end, they
are just two different animals.

I've read a lot of posts saying that Roadster does have LoneStar preamp circuit (meaning that multi-watt Recto have it also), but does it comperable to Marks clean in terms of quality ?

The Roadster clean, to me, is a little more rounded on the top end. It is really pleasant for sure, but if you need that "ice-pick" type of clean I don't think gets as sharp and shrill as the Mark V can get.

 

[Gizzorge]

I only find my Mark V to have high shrill issues when I use single coil pick ups.