Which amp, MKIV or RKII, is more different than my amps?

[newfinator]

I know this is an odd question but I feel the need to ask anyway. Which do you feel is more distinct than my current two main amps a Mark IV or Road King II? Currently, I am running both a 5150 and a Legacy.

I expect that the Mark IV is closer to the Legacy due to the mid focused tone and that the RKII is closer to the 5150 due to both the 5150 and Rectifiers being based of of attempts at copying part of the SLO. The thing is, I'm not sure which boogie would add to my tonal options more as a third amp. I'm hoping to expand my sonic options.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if either the MKIV or the RKII would relegate what I'm running now to being dust collectors.

Opinions would be appreciated.

 

[brianf]

I have both a Mark 4 and a Roadking 1st version. I cannot tell you how they compare to your other amps as I have played neither.

I can tell you that my 2 amps are different beasts.

In a nutshell the mark 4 can do clean Jazz to almost metal. A pedal will help you to the real metal area.

The Road King will take you beyond metal and the clean is very good. The R.K. 2 makes the clean excellent.

The R.K. may just be one of the most versatile amps around.

Saying all that my Mark 4 gets more use. I play mostly classic rock. nuff said.


brianf

 

[MrMason]

I'd definitely say the RKII. The Mark IV is pretty similar to the Legacy (with 6L6s).

 

[jdurso]

I know this is an odd question but I feel the need to ask anyway. Which do you feel is more distinct than my current two main amps a Mark IV or Road King II? Currently, I am running both a 5150 and a Legacy.

I expect that the Mark IV is closer to the Legacy due to the mid focused tone and that the RKII is closer to the 5150 due to both the 5150 and Rectifiers being based of of attempts at copying part of the SLO. The thing is, I'm not sure which boogie would add to my tonal options more as a third amp. I'm hoping to expand my sonic options.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if either the MKIV or the RKII would relegate what I'm running now to being dust collectors.

Opinions would be appreciated.

let see if i have the question right.... your looking into either the mark iv or the RK to add to your 5150 and carvin legacy.... ok if thats right i would lean towards the RK II because it covers a lot of ground and has some of the most versitile tonal options out there.... you could compare it to the 5150 in a sense that both get super heavy but i think they're way different monsters to which i obviously prefer the mesa.... and let me clarify by what i mean by cover more ground because the mark iv covers a lot of ground... the RK II has some of the best clean mesa has to offer (better than the mark iv IMO), it can go from really brit sounding crunch, to slight overdriven bluesy tones, to super clean cleans, to metallica era crunch, to more modern hi-gain (killswitch engage, unearth).... the fact you can also go between and combine el34s and 6l6s, that you can do cab switching, and multiple fx loops to me makes it more versitile if your willing to put the time in

the mark iv like the RK II has a ton of tonal options again if you put the time into the amp.... like previously said it can go from super jazzy clean to face burning gain.... i think it has as much if not more gain that the rk II but its a different type... its a lot tighter and with an OD in front its been known to peel the paint off walls and slay small animals and children.... the rk II has the typical sag of the recto series which makes the biggest tonal differences IMO.....at the end of the day they're both killer amps and there is no wrong route.... i guess it all depends on what your looking for.... what kind of tones are you after?

also its always worth looking outside mesa too.... i highly recommend the ENGL SE (the most versitile amp i've played), the VHT line (UL, CL, Sig X), and the Splawn Nitro.... if your set on Mesa also check out the Roadster (RK's little brother), the Stiletto for a more Marshall vibe (but better), a Lonestar for a more fender vibe or wait for the new rumored mark V.... in any case the best way to find your next amp is to try as many as you can

 

[LEVEL4]

I can get my Single-Recto and 6505 to sound nearly identical to each other. The Recto's better, but they sound too similar to own both (I own both). Although, it is nice to run both the Recto and the 6505 for double-amped, wall-of-sound rhythms. But, get the Mark IV—it's far more versatile than either the 6505 or a Recto, and, very different-sounding. Most here would agree, the Mark IV has tons of gain, and is extremely capable of doing all types of metal. The Rectos just do that scooped sound better (but, that's kinda all they do, IMO). Just beware, you cannot get a Mark IV to sound like a Recto. But, you still have the 6505 for that. Never heard the Carvin.

 

[newfinator]

Thanks for all the replys. I picked up my Mark IV the other day and I must say, it's very impressive.

The problem is though I find it covers very similar ground as the Legacy in terms of lead tone and even rhythm. I guess it really resides between the 5150 and Legacy in that it has the aggression of the 5150, singing lead of the Legacy and cleans similar to that of the Legacy. This is very good combination of qualities to be sure thing but being I already have those two amps it seems somewhat redundant.

I'm thinking I may return it and go for a Road King II instead. I suspect it can get tones that are distinct from what I can currently get from the Legacy and 5150. In terms of lead tones I'd be hoping that it could deliver something equally as good as the Legacy but in a different direction. I'd assume leads would sound a bit thinner or weaker than those from the Mark IV.

The funny thing is I've always heard that the Mark IV was the king for solos but, as great as it sounds, I'm not sure it's any better than the Legacy. It seems more focused on the upper mids where as the Legacy seems to push the lower mids a bit more but I wouldn't say that the Mark IV had better dynamics or more of a singing quality than the Carvin. Probably equivalent but not better. That rather surprised me to be honest.

 

[jdurso]

I can get my Single-Recto and 6505 to sound nearly identical to each other. The Recto's better, but they sound too similar to own both (I own both). Although, it is nice to run both the Recto and the 6505 for double-amped, wall-of-sound rhythms. But, get the Mark IV—it's far more versatile than either the 6505 or a Recto, and, very different-sounding. Most here would agree, the Mark IV has tons of gain, and is extremely capable of doing all types of metal. The Rectos just do that scooped sound better (but, that's kinda all they do, IMO). Just beware, you cannot get a Mark IV to sound like a Recto. But, you still have the 6505 for that. Never heard the Carvin.

i'm sorry but the RKII while sharing the same lineage as the Single Rec is nothing liek the single rec. The tonal possibilities in a RK II are immense and to boil it down to saying all it does is a scooped sound well is way off base man. It true a recto cant do a mark iv sound perfectly but the mark iv cant pull off nearly the amount of tones the RK II has in it.