Since moving to the center of nowhere in NC, there are no music stores or guitar shops that are local (all that can be found are pawn shops or low budget music stores). The closest Mesa Dealer to my location is at best 2 hours away. There is Guitar Center in Raleigh with Sam Ash across the street which is about 1.5 hours drive. I decided to take 4 hours of my time for the return trip to check out The Music Loft in Wilmington NC. Next time I go down I will have to bring one of my guitars. They had a few Electra Dynes, perhaps two Royal Atlantic combos, Mark V head, TA-15, Lonestar combo and a few Rectifier amps and one Royal Atlantic Head 8) which is what I was after. They set me up through an Orange 412 cabinet (they did not have any Mesa 412 cabs at the time I was there).
First impressions, are not much to mention. Most of what I heard were at the 50W power setting and at bedroom levels. However I liked what I heard. I messed around with the tone controls, gain, etc... I was the only one playing though and amp so there was no need to keep pumping up the volume just to hear it. The clean channel seemed to be lacking. I expected more from the amp. That was until I noticed the small toggle switch for the power soak was set to "on". I tried to get a look at the back of the amp to check the settings but it was too dark to see anything. What I though was going to be a Roadster experience (can't dial in a tone I liked and came home with the Mark V) changed immediately after I turned off the attenuator. SWEET this amp can sing! The Hi-Lo channel is no disappointment at all. Quite different than a Mark Series gain channel, I did not hear the signature overtones but then again I was still at bedroom levels. Another aspect of the RA that I prefer is the Class A/B power section. Definitely not the same as the Simul-Class (extended Class A) which is common topography used with Mesa, especially with the Mark series amps. I have played my Mark V with EL34 for a while so I am familiar with the tone, the RA sounded better! I really liked the difference in overall tone from the RA100. It may be similar but sounds nothing like any of the Mark series amps I own, or the Rectifier amps I had considered to buy. Definitely worth the investment. Soon I will be taking one home with me.
First impressions, are not much to mention. Most of what I heard were at the 50W power setting and at bedroom levels. However I liked what I heard. I messed around with the tone controls, gain, etc... I was the only one playing though and amp so there was no need to keep pumping up the volume just to hear it. The clean channel seemed to be lacking. I expected more from the amp. That was until I noticed the small toggle switch for the power soak was set to "on". I tried to get a look at the back of the amp to check the settings but it was too dark to see anything. What I though was going to be a Roadster experience (can't dial in a tone I liked and came home with the Mark V) changed immediately after I turned off the attenuator. SWEET this amp can sing! The Hi-Lo channel is no disappointment at all. Quite different than a Mark Series gain channel, I did not hear the signature overtones but then again I was still at bedroom levels. Another aspect of the RA that I prefer is the Class A/B power section. Definitely not the same as the Simul-Class (extended Class A) which is common topography used with Mesa, especially with the Mark series amps. I have played my Mark V with EL34 for a while so I am familiar with the tone, the RA sounded better! I really liked the difference in overall tone from the RA100. It may be similar but sounds nothing like any of the Mark series amps I own, or the Rectifier amps I had considered to buy. Definitely worth the investment. Soon I will be taking one home with me.
