Roadster ch3 & ch4

[Holy Diver]

Hi all,

having used ch4 modern for metal rhythm sounds and ch3 modern or vintage for lead more or less since i got my roadster a couple of years back i decided to swap them around and tried ch3 for rhythm and ch4 for lead. it appears that to my ears ch3 is superior for both and i don't have a whole pile of use for ch4 (for high gain stuff at least). it just seems to be a lot more rounded and less gritty

is the only difference between the two channels the presence pot value? if i switch out the pot in ch4 to match the one in ch3 will they be identical or are there other differences?

i prefer two seperate channels for lead and rhythm as i like to eq them differently etc.... i'd also prefer not to have a redundant 4th channel....

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

Seems to be just the presence sweep that's different. Channel 4 is meant to be higher in presence than channel 3...

 

[Holy Diver]

has any one here replaced the ch4 one with one the same as that in ch3? did it result in ch4 sounding exactly like ch3?

 

[Holy Diver]

No-one???

 

[jdurso]

Hi all,

having used ch4 modern for metal rhythm sounds and ch3 modern or vintage for lead more or less since i got my roadster a couple of years back i decided to swap them around and tried ch3 for rhythm and ch4 for lead. it appears that to my ears ch3 is superior for both and i don't have a whole pile of use for ch4 (for high gain stuff at least). it just seems to be a lot more rounded and less gritty

is the only difference between the two channels the presence pot value? if i switch out the pot in ch4 to match the one in ch3 will they be identical or are there other differences?

i prefer two seperate channels for lead and rhythm as i like to eq them differently etc.... i'd also prefer not to have a redundant 4th channel....

Channel 4 has more gain and bass as well. I actually prefer channel 4 for lead, not for the extra gain but for the difference in the presence pot. For whatever reason i can never get a smooth lead out of channel 3 without sacrificing some presence. With channel 4 i find the presence even set to almost off has enough presence to pop and yet be smooth. I also use a boost for leads as i like keeping my gain on the low side.

 

[Holy Diver]

hmmm - i might give ch4 a second chance for lead so before i go changing out the pot. to be fair i didn't spend much time dialling it in the time i used it - the presence was quite outragous though - nearly took the ears off the other lads.... I definitely will be staying with ch3 for rhythm from now on anyway. definitely works alot better than ch4 with E34Ls anyway. possible moreso than with 6L6s

 

[Spewnz]

I Found a similar issue i was using channel 4 for high gain rhythms and channel 3 for mild crunch tones but i realized when i played around that channel three wins for rhythm channel 4 has that strange "Round" quality that i think is best suited for crunch or lead.

 

[nemesys]

Aside from the presence pot, ch4 also removes all of the negative feedback from the power stage, which gives the amp a looser, more out-of-control feel. That's probably what you're noticing. I like it well enough for grunge covers and garage-band stuff, but I tend to stay on ch3 for most heavier sounds.

 

[budlovesaly]

The only way I really enjoy channel 4 modern is with the factory settings (Recto Modern) as a base. This setting sounds very, very good -- a well balanced hard rock/punk tone, with a lot of compression. The only problem I have with this setting is that you have to keep the master relatively low to achieve that tone, which makes channel 4 considerably quieter than the other channels. The extra compression doesn't help either, but it sounds so, so good. I feel that vintage and raw are much easier to duplicate from the two high-gain channels. The modern setting on 4 has way too much bass to even compare. The recto chunk takes on new meaning in this channel. Instead of only feeling it low, you can physically feel the chords and muting in your high mids too -- even with my Orange PPC212 and Avatar Contemporary 212. Channel 4 modern is awesome for the palm muting in All my Life by the Foo Fighters -- almost to the point of overkill!

 

[jdurso]

I Found a similar issue i was using channel 4 for high gain rhythms and channel 3 for mild crunch tones but i realized when i played around that channel three wins for rhythm channel 4 has that strange "Round" quality that i think is best suited for crunch or lead.

Fully agree... actually to me channel 4 modern is the hidden gem of the amp for lead tones. Like i said before i tend to keep my gain sort of low (10 o clock) but with a OD setup as a volume boost infront and the presence almost all the way off i get some great lead tones. The best way i can describe it is like its guiness... bold, thick and suprisingly smooth

 

[Holy Diver]

Hmmm - was messing around with ch4 modern for lead and i have to say i just couldn't achieve anything like the tone i'm getting from ch3. Seems to be just missing something

 

[jdurso]

Hmmm - was messing around with ch4 modern for lead and i have to say i just couldn't achieve anything like the tone i'm getting from ch3. Seems to be just missing something

settings?

 

[Holy Diver]

hmmm - i'll have to get back to you on that.... I'll take a few notes next time i'm at the amp.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Idk...I get a brutal rhythm tone on Channel 4 modern, and a really liquid smooth solo tone on Channel 3 vintage...no pedals.

If I want RIDICULOUSLY fluid tones for lead, I boost with a Maxon OD808, but it does fine alone too....

I think the amp is better suited this way...keep dialing, and don't be afraid to use 'crazy' settings...the Roadster seems to work best for me with settings I'd never think you use on a recto.

Eric

 

[Holy Diver]

i also had a brutal metal tone on ch4 but i now have a more brutal one on ch3.......

yeah - i never had a problem getting really fluid leads on ch3 either

 

[jdurso]

i also had a brutal metal tone on ch4 but i now have a more brutal one on ch3.......

yeah - i never had a problem getting really fluid leads on ch3 either

Maybe they designed my Roadster's channel 3 and 4 backwards? :?

But i actually think thats the cool part about a good amp... you can get a various amount of people to use the same amp in a different way and it'll still get the job done