Roadster + 2x12 Stiletto. Good for Low to Moderate Volume?

[jtroska]

A music store by me is offering a really good package deal on a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Roadster in a beautiful red crocodile leather with a matching crocodile 2x12 Stiletto cabinet.

I don't really need an amp. I already have a perfectly good Line6 amp that is perfect for my bar cover band. But those digital modeling amps are almost like family minivans--very practical but not as fun.

A beautiful red crocodile Roadster is more like a 2-seater sports car with no trunk--A lot of fun but not as practical (when compared to the flexibility of a digital amp).

So I'm tempted but trying to weigh its worth sensibly. (BTW: I would keep the Line6. It's just way too sensible of a working man's amp to part with.)

Do you think I could play that Roadster package at lower volumes? Obviously, I can't crank it in my bedroom. And a lot of the bars we're playing in are strict about us keeping the volume down. The Line6 is great for that because it sounds the same at any volume. I sure a full recto cabinet is out of the question. But I'm wondering if a Roadster and 2x12 Stiletto cab could sound decent at low to moderate volume.

 

[jtroska]

I should clarify... It's a Roadster head (not a combo). And the cabinet is actually a Roadster cabinet (I had thought it was a stiletto cab).

Here's a cell phone snap shot of it...

So I'm wondering if this set up would sound decent at low practice volumes. I have a bigger cabinet I could use when more sound is needed. But I'm thinking I could keep the big cabinet out in the garage ready for the bigger shows and use this little setup for the bedroom and bar gigs where high DBs are a no-no.

 

[rectofried]

i think i just jizzed my pants when i saw that..lol

i dont think you would have a problem, in smaller clubs i just turn my cab away from the crowd.
but as everbody is well aware of..they sound better loud.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I like playing my Roadster at low volumes...not nearly as good as cranked, but still fun. The 2x12 will definitely help as well...I only own 4x12s :lol:

Eric

 

[thejay]

If you get a good price I would go for it and like Eric said it sounds good at low volumes but better cranked

 

[Old BF Shred]

If you like it, buy it. It will smoke the Line 6. And I mean that in a good Christian way! ( :lol: ).

If you want to talk about a working man's amp, that is Mesa all the way! They are meant to be turned up! And will absolutely shine when they do. Yet, they will sound **** good when turned down too...just even better loud.

Don't get me wrong; I ain't trying to dis the Line 6. I have a POD XT and A Crate Power Block and it still amazes me how good it sounds for a solid state setup! :wink:
But it's just for backup. My Mesa amps will always sound meatier and more lively especially at gig volume.

The only real problem you may face is how to keep the dust off of your line 6! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Good luck!

 

[jtroska]

It's gonna be mine.

I called the store and left a credit card deposit so they'll hold it for me until I can grab it next week.

I've been looking at Mesa/Boogies for almost a year now. After trying them all out enough to surely drive the sales guy nuts, I decided the Roadster was the best one for me. Then they had a good deal on this really nice custom crocodile leather Roadster. So after over-thinking it for a week, I finally concluded that it I pass up this opportunity, I may as well give up on the whole quest.

I have a great Paul Reed Smith guitar and it'll be nice to have a special amp to go with it. Sometimes it's not about what you *need*. Sometimes it's just about enjoying something special.

 

[thejay]

Nice man! Let us know when you get it how you like it. I have been very pleased with my Roadster

 

[zakkfaerum]

Man, that is awesome. You are going to LOVE that amp. I have had 3 Roadsters and every time I get rid of one, I miss it and need another one, haha. I have a Roadster 2x12 cab on the way and I can't wait to try it out.

That is one beautiful amp you have there man and you are definitely going to enjoy it!! CONGRATS!!

 

[donuts]

i had that exact same setup

it was actually pretty awesome for low volumes but didnt sound that good when cranked.. something about those roadster/stilletto 2x12's i really didnt like that much

they sounded REALLY boxy and congested

it wasnt a bad cab for its size though.....i used to get awesome bedroom tones with my roadster head through it

 

[lyman]

whoah. i'm pretty sure that amp earns some $$$ on the weekends moonlighting as a pimp.

looks awesome! enjoy your new rig.

 

[pokerrules47]

You will love it. I went through my "modelling" days and spent quite a few cycles trying to find that "perfect" sound with the flexibility to do cover tunes. I couldn't do it with Line6 or Digitech stuff. It was diverse enough, but getting that meaty sound was always out of grasp at jammnig/gigging volumes.

I always had tube amps in my life, mostly mesa, a few marshalls, and some other brands. The thing I hated about most tube amps is that they had no diversity, until I met the roadster. It's got 4 great channels... and when I say great, I really mean it. Mesa spent a lot of time working on the setup, pulling most of it from the roadking.

When i started looking at the roadster, I realized that my basic guitar tone consisted of 4 base sounds. Clean, bluesy dirt clean, crunch and lead. Adding some basic effects (reverb, delay and chorus) finishes off the sound. My roadster sounds great at lower and higher volumes but really shines when pushed. I suck at guitar, but my guitar tone carries me. This amp is as diverse as I would ever need.

Hope your experience mirrors my own!

 

[Heritage Softail]

Man,

That is one cool pimp daddy looking amp. Now you just have to have a guitar with enough cajones to plug in to it. You need to put it on some sort of box to raise it up to broadcast better and of course, be seen by all!! I don't need an amp either but probably would have bought that if I saw it....

 

[jtroska]

Thanks for the replies, everybody.

I had the store ship it t me to avoid paying taxes. Even though I live only 3 or so miles from the store, I'm technically across the state line.

UPS tried to deliver it Friday but I wasn't here. So I have to wait until Monday and can't play it over this weekend.

Man,

That is one cool pimp daddy looking amp. Now you just have to have a guitar with enough cajones to plug in to it. You need to put it on some sort of box to raise it up to broadcast better and of course, be seen by all!! I don't need an amp either but probably would have bought that if I saw it....

I have a 10-Top Paul Reed Smith to go with it. (Another thing I certainly didn't need :lol: ) So I officially have better gear than sense (or talent).

You will love it. I went through my "modelling" days and spent quite a few cycles trying to find that "perfect" sound with the flexibility to do cover tunes. I couldn't do it with Line6 or Digitech stuff. It was diverse enough, but getting that meaty sound was always out of grasp at jammnig/gigging volumes.

I always had tube amps in my life, mostly mesa, a few marshalls, and some other brands. The thing I hated about most tube amps is that they had no diversity, until I met the roadster. It's got 4 great channels... and when I say great, I really mean it. Mesa spent a lot of time working on the setup, pulling most of it from the roadking.

When i started looking at the roadster, I realized that my basic guitar tone consisted of 4 base sounds. Clean, bluesy dirt clean, crunch and lead. Adding some basic effects (reverb, delay and chorus) finishes off the sound. My roadster sounds great at lower and higher volumes but really shines when pushed. I suck at guitar, but my guitar tone carries me. This amp is as diverse as I would ever need.

Hope your experience mirrors my own!

That sounds like me. I have a Line6 Vetta, which has more amp and effect models than I can remember. But I only actually use about 4 sounds anyway. I'll just miss the programable routing. There's always one or two songs that require something special and the digital amps are great because I can store odd-ball patches as presets and recall them instantly without complex wiring.

i had that exact same setup

it was actually pretty awesome for low volumes but didnt sound that good when cranked.. something about those roadster/stilletto 2x12's i really didnt like that much

they sounded REALLY boxy and congested

it wasnt a bad cab for its size though.....i used to get awesome bedroom tones with my roadster head through it

I haven't had much luck with closed 2x12s, overall. I'm hoping it'll be good enough for home or small bar gigs where a 4x12 would get me fired. But my current closed 2x12 (not the Mesa/Boogie cab) has an annoying nasal quality that I can't get rid of no matter what speakers I use or how I dial my tone. I'm hoping the Mesa/Boogie Roadster cab I'm getting doesn't sound like that. It's hard to tell in the store because I'm not mixing with other instruments.

I'm wondering if I could remove the back panel and use it like an open 2x12. I've had better luck with open 2s12s than with closed.

 

[davidfloyd]

[/quote]
I haven't had much luck with closed 2x12s, overall. I'm hoping it'll be good enough for home or small bar gigs where a 4x12 would get me fired. But my current closed 2x12 (not the Mesa/Boogie cab) has an annoying nasal quality that I can't get rid of no matter what speakers I use or how I dial my tone. I'm hoping the Mesa/Boogie Roadster cab I'm getting doesn't sound like that. It's hard to tell in the store because I'm not mixing with other instruments.

I'm wondering if I could remove the back panel and use it like an open 2x12. I've had better luck with open 2s12s than with closed.[/quote]

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The smaller Roadster closed-back cab with Vintage 30's in it IS going to have that "annoying nasal quality" unfortunately. Even the larger Recto 2 x 12 has it, but the difference being that the larger-sized cabinet makes up for it somewhat with deeper low end to fill the sound.

I don't think opening up the back is going to be the solution to this one. Yes, you'll disperse some of the sound to the back walls and get some interesting phase and reflective things going on with the high frequencies, but your low end will be terrible in that cabinet and it'll sound like the mids are more pronounced.

If you're going for a big sound out of a small cabinet/box, you'll need a speaker that is naturally tuned to be able to produce bigger highs and lows with less mid emphasis. For me, that meant changing the speakers to Celestion G12K-100's in my 2 x 12. Best "modification" I've made to my Roadster rig and it sounds great at ALL volume levels.

An alternate 2 x 12 that indeed sounds good too across all four channels is the 3/4 back 2 x 12 w/C90s. This is a nice all around cabinet and speaker setup for the Roadster as well IMO. Maybe not in the budget to order one of those in that custom croc tolex, but if you ever have a chance to at least plug into the 2 x 12 3/4 back, I definitely recommend you try one with your head.

David
www.legendarytones.com