Roadster....first impressions from Noob

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Southdakota

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Not new to tube amps....just got my first Mesa today. It's a 2010 Roadster. So fired it up over my lunch break today and immediately loved it! I did a lot of research so before I even turned it on, I set everything how I envisioned it based on what I have read and seen. Really worked well! Just 2 issues. First, a lot of crackling tube noise when I first turned it on. Lasted several minutes and then was fine. I have not had it to this extent on other tube amps I own and really not a big deal I guess. Second, when playing in channel 2,3 and 4 and then foot switching to channel 1, I get a huge amount of reverb that lasts for a few seconds before tapering off. This is not noticable going from the clean to any of the dirty channels. Just curious if that is normal??

Otherwise, experimenting with Bold Vs Saggy and so far, I like saggy. Will be running all channels in 50W mode through a 2x12 to keep stage volumes reasonable. I like recto for channel 1 and 2 and diode for channel 3 and 4. A good friend and Mesa user recommended placing the main output very high and then adjusting each channel master as needed. I'm not sure if this will get the tubes cooking a bit more or not on this amp like on others??? Or will it just introduce more noise (hiss)?? Thoughts??
 
Setting the Output between 10:00 and 1:00 and then adjusting the Masters is the way to go. It can help keep the FX loop from overdriving due to high channel volume and the power amp is loud enough to sound like it was designed to be.
 
Agreed, i like my master output at about 12 oclock. This allows me to bring the master down or up for whatever circumstance i find myself in. I do not have a roaster so cannot comment on the switching issues
 
About your reverb problem: it's not normal. In normal conditions you should experience 1-2 second of delay before the reverb is mixed with the dry signal.

About crackling noise: I had a similar problem with hard bypass off. A resistor replacement in the fx loop solved the issue.

50w vs 100w wont change noticeably the overall volume of the amp. Expect mostly a change in your tone.

Recto vs diode: dont know what sound you're looking for but 1) diode will give more headroom (so I suggest to use diode rectification with clean sound) 2) tube rectification will give less headroom and more sag

Overall volume: mine is fixed to 12 o'clock.
 
I've tried both ways. Channel masters way up and Output set at 9:00 and then Output set to noon and the channel masters set to a level that balances each channel with the other channels. I prefer the latter method. It sounds better to my ears. I also run CH1 and CH2 at 100 Watts (diode) and CH3 and CH4 at 50 Watts (recto). I like bold and chose an attenuator to manage the volume.

Congrats on the purchase and enjoy.
 
I appreciate the replies. I only have a few hours on the amp and already have 4 good useable tones going. I have some experimenting to do with diode vs tube and bold vs saggy. So far I'm preferring saggy and tube across all channels but that may change. Also considering kt77's as that is what I prefer in my x100b. Thanks again.
 
Good Lord am I loving this thing! I have it dialed in perfectly. Such a sweet, smooth tone. I play mostly classic rock in my band (Johnny Cash to ZZ Top to hair metal to Megadeth) so 90% of what I play has more of a EL34 British sound but I was easily able to EQ all channels to fit all of my needs. Channel 2 is on Brit mode and it gives a great old school AD/DC, Bad Company kind of gritty tone. Channel 3 (vintage) will be my go to for anything from Blackfoot to hair metal and will be used the most. I did set channel 4 to modern for a few songs and leads and I'm loving it. I was concerned that my home built 2 x 12 would be too big and boomy compared to the compact Mesa cab but I must have got lucky and have the right speaker combination (WGS Retro 30 and Reaper) because it has just the right amount of low end but is still tight. I am a Mesa believer!!
 
congrats - have had my roadster for about 3 years and love it as much as the day I got it -
 
I just got my first Roadster yesterday and LOVING it. Two things I've noticed: keep the Reverb button always on, even if your channel doesn't have it engaged, and click through the 4 channels in Standby mode before turning on. LOVE this amp!
 
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