Did you sell your Royal Atlantic? Why?

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LesMesa

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Jan 6, 2010
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I'm seriously considering this amp and have read many reviews. I think I've got all of the positive aspects down but I'd like some input on what led to some selling this amp. What should I be aware of?

For example I loved my ED but had no idea how hard it was to get a good tone at a manageable volume. Does the RA have any quirks?

What do you think?
 
My only gripe with the amp (and I have the combo) is the weight. The amp is very large and awkward to carry, especially up and down stairs. This has not caused me to sell it, although the thought has crossed my mind. I find it easy to get a good tone at reasonable volumes. The amp was designed with this in mind.

I will add that it does take a little time to dial in, depending on the tone you are going for. For instance, I have been trying to find a decent Rock & Roll tone, e.g. Chuck Berry and Brian Setzer. It took some time, but I found it on the clean channel with the master cranked and the gain at about 1:00. The bass was turned down below 9:00 and the treble was at 2:00. I know that as a general rule, Mesa amps take a lot of tweaking to find your sound. However, I thought the RA100 was an exceptions to this rule. I wouldn't call this a gripe, but knowing this might have saved me from some initial buyer's remorse. Overall, I am happy with the amp now that I figured out how to get the tones I want.
 
If this was a true 3 channel amp instead of a 2 channel + boost amp, I would have kept it. I also wished that the footswitch let you select each channel independently. I would really love a separate eq section and gain control for channel 3 and a footswitch similar to a Bogner Ecstasy.

I sold my Royal Atlantic and bought a Diezel VH4, but I still miss my Royal Atlantic. I hope they update it to be a true three channel amp. I am pretty sure that would be my ideal amp.
 
Thanks for the replies. Those seem like things I can live with - I think.
 
I bought geese_com's RA-100 combo and, although I haven't had as much playing time as I'd like, I love this amp! It is right up there with my Mark V. I haven't been able to crank it (just got it Saturday) but it sounds fantastic at low volumes and the reverb is splendid. If you see a Royal Atlantic below MSRP -- and you like the sound -- buy it now! If you want something that you can quickly turn around and sell, hold off... but this is one hell of an amp. \m/
 
I for one like the 2 channel (2 OD mode) format. I also really dig the small 2 button footswitch. I was coming from a Roadster which had footswitchable everything and just never used it all. Mostly I stay on one and roll back guitar volume for semi cleans the old school way. Love the low end thump it has compared to the Stiletto Deuce I had. This is the amp I was hoping that would be.
 
Well I took the plunge without being able to play the amp first. It arrived yesterday (head version) and I got to spend a few hours with it last night. So far so good – I really like it. Already I wondering if I’m using the right speakers though. I’m using a 2*12 cab with a WGS Vet 30 and an ET65. Given how upper mid focused and bright the amp is, I’m not sure the Vet 30 is the right match. I have another cab with a Scumback H75/M75 mix that I need to try tonight.
And even without the soak, the master is way better than the ED. Why didn’t Mesa put the RA’s master on the ED. It works great.
 
geese_com said:
If this was a true 3 channel amp instead of a 2 channel + boost amp, I would have kept it. I also wished that the footswitch let you select each channel independently. I would really love a separate eq section and gain control for channel 3 and a footswitch similar to a Bogner Ecstasy.

I sold my Royal Atlantic and bought a Diezel VH4, but I still miss my Royal Atlantic. I hope they update it to be a true three channel amp. I am pretty sure that would be my ideal amp.

I prefer less channels, not more. My best amp would be a volume, tone and gain and use my guitar volume and some OD pedals for all I need. I think that is part if why I prefer the Electra Dyne.
Even for a variety of cover gigs. :)
 
boardn10 said:
geese_com said:
If this was a true 3 channel amp instead of a 2 channel + boost amp, I would have kept it. I also wished that the footswitch let you select each channel independently. I would really love a separate eq section and gain control for channel 3 and a footswitch similar to a Bogner Ecstasy.

I sold my Royal Atlantic and bought a Diezel VH4, but I still miss my Royal Atlantic. I hope they update it to be a true three channel amp. I am pretty sure that would be my ideal amp.

I prefer less channels, not more. My best amp would be a volume, tone and gain and use my guitar volume and some OD pedals for all I need. I think that is part if why I prefer the Electra Dyne.
Even for a variety of cover gigs. :)

I only sold mine because of the weight of the combo. I love the Royal Atlantic so much. Did I buy another? No. I got tempted with going with a Morgan. Would I buy another? Ab-so-fric-ken-lute-ly!
 
It was a great amp, but after owning a Mark V for so long it never reacted as quickly as the V, nor was it as tight as I would have liked. The tone saturated too quickly as I turned the gain up making it too spongy for my tastes, same issue I had with the ED. Even with a clean boost I never got it to sound like I wanted. I love it at first (as i have posted before) but as soon as i tried the V again after playing the RA I immediately missed my V. If I strictly played crunch and clean tones, it would be ideal. The more aggressive tones (which are what I most commonly use) never quite sounded like I wanted. I find that if you have to "hoax" tones out of an amp to get remotely close to your liking (especially with a simple layout like the RA) chances it's not the amp for you.
 
I actully have mine on e bay as we speak...I love the amp...I hate to part with it...it is an awesome amp.
Tons of sweet tones
BUT
The venues that I am playing now do not match this amp. I am playing smaller venues and need a smaller amp.
I just got my lift-off style road case in for the RA-100 head too, but the decision to part with the RA-100 was made before the case was delivered.
Check out the Boogie Classifieds on this site (or go to e bay) and get a great deal...the amp head and road case for less than the amp head alone.
 
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