Poll: Roadking 2 vs. Mark V

I posted this in the Mark V forum and guess what the results are? Soooo.... Tell us all why you like either amp more and then list pros & cons.

You can pick 3 options in this poll.

I picked RK2, and here is why.

Essentially, if you like the rectifier sound over the mark sound, you will like the RK better. If you like the mark sound better then the rectifier sound, then you will like the mark V better.

But then that would just be a rectifier vs mark thing.

So I played it as the rectifier and Mark tones being equal but different.

That being the case, you are left with features and versatility. And in this case the RK2 is the clear winner.

I would personally tend to use the Mark slightly more though just based on my style.

The only thing debatable IMO (at least for my purposes) is which has the better clean channel. The clean on the RK II being from the LSC is gorgeous and probably even better...as is the clean on the Mark V.

The Recto flavors of the other channels are not my cup of tea...so I guess my opinion is bias'd.

And I did own a RK II (2x)....tried to like the other channels. But in the end couldn't keep such an expensive amp for only 2 ou of the 4 channels.

Rectos and Marks are awesome. I would like to see how this would end up the Rectifier section. :lol:

Road King 2 winds this hands down.

More options. More versatile. Sounds like something from this century as opposed to 1985 *** metal. And if *** metal is what you need - you can certainly dial in a Mark IV tone with any number of drive pedals using the Recto channels on the RK2.

Also - people debating whether the Mark 2C+ is authentic enough or different enough than the the other settings on channel 3 of the Mark V are really picking gnat **** out of pepper. The average listener will never tell the difference in a band context between those sounds. Maybe the Extreme setting is slightly more "in your face" or closer the the "recto vibe" as some have put it. Either way the RK2 is my pick.

I would like to know of any modern music that is not *** of God or Dream Theater that uses a Mark anything amp. And don't say that moldy stoner Santana who plays the same Dorian riffs in every goddamn song. If anyone can name a band right now using a Mark amp with a song on any music chart at all - I will send you a cupie doll.

The only thing the RK II wins hands down is in the amount of engineering in the design. Here, the RK II is the clear winner with things such as, progressive linkage, speaker switching, # of channels and modes.

In the sound the department.....only channels 1 & 2 on the RK II are on par with the MK V tonewise (again, I don't like the Recto sounds...so I admit I am bias'd)

petruccimustacheride said:

Road King 2 winds this hands down.

More options. More versatile. Sounds like something from this century as opposed to 1985 *** metal. And if *** metal is what you need - you can certainly dial in a Mark IV tone with any number of drive pedals using the Recto channels on the RK2.

Also - people debating whether the Mark 2C+ is authentic enough or different enough than the the other settings on channel 3 of the Mark V are really picking gnat sh!t out of pepper. The average listener will never tell the difference in a band context between those sounds. Maybe the Extreme setting is slightly more "in your face" or closer the the "recto vibe" as some have put it. Either way the RK2 is my pick.

I would like to know of any modern music that is not *** of God or Dream Theater that uses a Mark anything amp. And don't say that moldy stoner Santana who plays the same Dorian riffs in every goddamn song. If anyone can name a band right now using a Mark amp with a song on any music chart at all - I will send you a cupie doll.

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Nice, I can see you've never stepped away from following the crowd before. Did you ever stop to think that the reason you don't hear of any bands using Mark amps is because they haven't been made for years?

Chevelle uses the Mark IV....and they're on the charts...and who gives a **** about that?

My Mesa dealer told me that he's never seen demand for an amp like he has for the Mark V....and considering his store is voted the number one dealer for a few years in a row now, I'd believethat. With that in mind, you might want to check the charts after the Mark V becomes trendy enough for you.

petruccimustacheride said:

Road King 2 winds this hands down.

More options. More versatile. Sounds like something from this century as opposed to 1985 *** metal. And if *** metal is what you need - you can certainly dial in a Mark IV tone with any number of drive pedals using the Recto channels on the RK2.

Also - people debating whether the Mark 2C+ is authentic enough or different enough than the the other settings on channel 3 of the Mark V are really picking gnat sh!t out of pepper. The average listener will never tell the difference in a band context between those sounds. Maybe the Extreme setting is slightly more "in your face" or closer the the "recto vibe" as some have put it. Either way the RK2 is my pick.

I would like to know of any modern music that is not *** of God or Dream Theater that uses a Mark anything amp. And don't say that moldy stoner Santana who plays the same Dorian riffs in every goddamn song. If anyone can name a band right now using a Mark amp with a song on any music chart at all - I will send you a cupie doll.

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You have to take in mind this Mark vs Recto debate has been
done in so many forums over and over again, I see your a recto fan so feel the need to bash mark series amps well let me say this ive played both and have played live with both, Roadkingss are great amps for rythm and has a gorgoues clean where as the mark series ( I own a IV) Has the best lead channel ive ever heard, also i love the rythm its very clear and has a organic compression to it. Apples or orange if you like one dont bash the other.

I'm going to go with the Mark V and here's why, I own both amplifiers and have tested both extensively. I love the fact that the RKII can switch tubes on the fly as well as speaker sets but I also love the 5 band eq and the ability to switch between triode and pentode in the Mark V. Personally though I like the the clean and crunch channel in the Mark V a little better than the RKII. Also I prefer a tighter distortion than what the RKII can offer. Both sound absolutely amazing and I couldn't ask for better amps but out of personal preference the tight directed sound of the Mark V works better for my style of playing. To me the Road king doesn't feel as powerful in the upper register of the guitar. Personal preference ik.

Side note: I also switched out the 6l6's in my Mark V for El34's.

I have owned both. I owned the RKII for 4 years before selling it to fund a PRS. I kept the MV. Both amps are excellent amps. The overall voice on the MV suits my style of play completly. The clean channel is slightly brighter on the MV which helps cut in the mix. IMO I do miss progressive linkage, cab selector and two effect loops though.

petruccimustacheride said:

And don't say that moldy stoner Santana who plays the same Dorian riffs in every goddamn song. If anyone can name a band right now using a Mark amp with a song on any music chart at all - I will send you a cupie doll.

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hahaha... wait... HAHAHA... roflao...

best I've read in days!!

so true!

:lol:

+1

nicke

While I think both are great amps I chose the mark V. For me it is the most versatile simply because of the graphic. So many amps today sound the same. Many of them are made close enough to each other that the main differences will be build quality and component tolerances. Then comes the differences of using different tubes. But the voicing of the amps is really what gives them their identity. The voicing is usually dictated by the preset eq curve the amp designer decides to apply to each model. Thats where I think the mark V genius comes in. With that graphic added (and its a great sounding unit BTW) It adds the abbility to constantly morph the voicing and dial in what would seem to be an infinite amount of tones. Especially if your willing to use your ears and not your eyes, and preconceived notions of how it should be set. To me this makes it a much more powerful shaping tool than being able to run integrated tubes. Dont get me wrong I think the roadking is a great amp, but for me the mark has the edge. Now if you were to slap that graphic on the road king and you would have something that was truly un beatable.