New to the Forum, and looking for Road King I advice...

[jcs3663]

So I have a RK I, and I have to admit I'm frustrated...it's been about 3 years, and I feel like I'm continually wrestling with it to dial in my tone, especially when I'm recording.

It's seems to be a general problem that follows me from channel to channel and on all the various settings.

Anyway, without describing what I don't like too specifically, (yet), I was wondering if anyone out there has done any RK I mods or has checked out any tubes other than Mesa's (I've already been there) that they've really felt improved their tone in any way.

I'm on the verge of selling it, but I really want to exhaust all other options, because the potential versatility alone makes me want to really fall in love with this amp. As it is, I've made some preamp tube changes that have been a step in the right direction, but nothing that's really opened it up for me.

Any suggestions at all would be much appreciated!

 

[jdurso]

well i'll be honest with you... without knowing what kind of tone your after or what you dislike about the RKI it'll be hard for anyone here to offer advice.

first off what are you using with your amp (ie guitar, pickups, cabs, fx, etc.)? second what "solutions" have you already tried aside from preamp tubes? what are your settings for each channel? and ultimately what are you trying to get out of the amp?

i will say off the bat that many of us here seem to like using an OD infront of the amp to get the preamp nice and hot, a graphic eq in the loop to refine the preamp signal, and depending on what tones we're into, using different power amp tubes to taste. again it all depends what your after.

at the end of the day the solution might be a different amp and there is nothing wrong with that. i hear where you coming from in terms of wanting to exhaust every option before deciding the RK is just not for you... so with some input from you i'm sure we can help you out.

 

[jcs3663]

You bring up an excellent point...I think I was brain dead during my first post, and found myself being totally inarticulate when trying to describe my issues.

After giving it some thought however, I think I can offer a better idea of what I'm having trouble with:

For the most part, I am talking about channels 3/4, which is where I'm spending most of my time, often depending on rolling back my volume knob to clean things up a bit if need be. My gain usually hovers between about 8:30 and 11:30, and I'm usually set to Vintage...that said, in terms of the amp controls (both front and back panels) I've explored thoroughly and have tried every combination on every channel.

To describe what it is I'm not liking is a little trickier...I guess I am finding the amp in general to be a bit dark and muddled, especially when I throw a mic in front of it for recording (usually a 57, I've also tried a 421 a couple of other things). I feel the amp lacks definition and clarity. I've tried to get it to feel more percussive (if that makes any sense?) in terms of how it reacts to my playing, but it just doesn't seem to want to cut through the way I'd like it to.

I dug around on the forum for hours yesterday, and found some references to turning down the effects loop helping to open up the tone...and I think that's exactly what I want to do: Open up the tone.

I'm going to go try the effects loop thing as well as a couple of different preamp tubes right now...in the meantime, if anyone can offer any advice, especially in the tube related department (I've only every used Mesa tubes in the power section) that could help open this amp up for me that would be greatly appreciated. If it helps at all, I recently played through a 2 Channel Dual Rec and loved it...as well as as 1980 Marshall JMP...both felt way more articulate than the RKI.

Thanks!


Oh yeah, and here's what I'm playing:

'63 Gibson Melody Maker with a Bartellini P-90 copy
PRS CE 22 with stock pick ups
Line 6 DL4 (straight into the input)

 

[jdurso]

For the most part, I am talking about channels 3/4, which is where I'm spending most of my time, often depending on rolling back my volume knob to clean things up a bit if need be. My gain usually hovers between about 8:30 and 11:30, and I'm usually set to Vintage...that said, in terms of the amp controls (both front and back panels) I've explored thoroughly and have tried every combination on every channel.

well what kind of sound are you going for and where are your master and output knobs set to with the gain at those levels? i ask about the style just so i can try and imagine what your after... also knowing what your going for could help with tweaking the bells and whistles in the back. the gain is pretty low if your going for anything super heavy but would definitely do a good rock tone. have you tried the sample settings in the manual? i find they're a great place to start, and then tweak from there.

To describe what it is I'm not liking is a little trickier...I guess I am finding the amp in general to be a bit dark and muddled, especially when I throw a mic in front of it for recording (usually a 57, I've also tried a 421 a couple of other things). I feel the amp lacks definition and clarity. I've tried to get it to feel more percussive (if that makes any sense?) in terms of how it reacts to my playing, but it just doesn't seem to want to cut through the way I'd like it to.

again i'd say consult the settings in the manual and see if there are any good starting points there that get you somewhat close to what your looking for. what are your other settings in terms of mids, bass, treble and presence? what i found for articulation in my roadster was using a graphic eq in the loop, as it will let you eq the amp with more precision. also i found adding an od infront tightens things up a bit which may be what your considering as articulate. also what kind of cab/speakers are you using (im assuming its a head)... if its a combo what speakers are in it. cabs can play a huge part in getting the type of articulation your looking for.

I dug around on the forum for hours yesterday, and found some references to turning down the effects loop helping to open up the tone...and I think that's exactly what I want to do: Open up the tone.

are you running any fx in the loop(s)? if not also try setting the amp to hard bypass mode which basically takes the loops out of your signal. I find the tone in that mode more pure as there is less going on internally.

I'm going to go try the effects loop thing as well as a couple of different preamp tubes right now...in the meantime, if anyone can offer any advice, especially in the tube related department (I've only every used Mesa tubes in the power section) that could help open this amp up for me that would be greatly appreciated. If it helps at all, I recently played through a 2 Channel Dual Rec and loved it...as well as as 1980 Marshall JMP...both felt way more articulate than the RKI.

you may want to check out kt77s inplace of your el34s and at the very least trying a different el34 may yield a better tone for you. also different brands of 6l6s could make a difference. i like jj power tubes, but thats my preferance. at the end of the day it may be that the RK is not for you. There are so many great amps out there within mesa and outside that you have a lot of options.