New Road King II arrives 2 days - any Tips?

I've been playing a Dual Rec 3ch for over five years som I'm pretty up with dialling that in and the rec sounds to be had from it

Just upgraded to a RK2 which arrives wednesday ... Cant wait to play with the power amp tube options ... Along with all the other features

Any tips from anyone out there ? - any settings do's / dont's ?

Thanks in advance!

Congratulations,

I have a 2008 RK2 head and really like it. it is an extremely versatile amp. I am being forced to sell mine due to an inpending divorce. The tube selection and mixing is something I will miss.

I am sorry but I have no advice except read the manual several times.

Well it arrived, I had two or three hours playing with it in my rehearsal room, then took it out and gigged it the next night....

All I can say is wow, wow, wow and .... Probably one more wow!

It rocks. I don't know if the circuitry on ch3 is supposed to be the same as the DR, or if its just fresher tubes, but it blows it away. The sound is so rich, reactive, ballsy and beautiful. It cut through the mix without being harsh or overpoweringly loud... But sounded huge and warm and mean without being dark. We were gigging in a marquee ... So no walls, wooden floors or walls to bounce the sound around.... And I could crank it so it sang (the whole band's volume was up)

I'm blown away by it. All four channels were used .... The cleans sang and sparkled, ch2 purred around a soft clipping bluesy ragged clean, ch3 simply rocked and ch4 took no
prisoners with a mighty punch that was mean as hell and in your face without fizz.

I wish I'd bought one years ago. Set as it is, it's also so beautifully reactive to the volume and tone settings on the guitar (LP) that it was able to give so many colours to the sounds just with a few adjustments to the dials on the guitar. I played through a Marshal 4x12 which I've always felt are underrated due to their heritage, history and sales success. (the stack of rock cliche!) .... But wow, wow and wow.

I sold a Mk5 to justify the purchase to myself ... Which is a great amp, but I've confirmed I'm a rec fan through and through.... And I've fallen head over heels in love with the RK. So very very versatile ... I don't play much real metal (rock covers from Metallica to T Rex, to the Foos, to Pearl Jam, to The Stones and Lenny Kravitz kind of vibe.... And although I know the recs have a metal reputation.... This thing is so versatile, it out Marshall's the classic overdriven Marshall sounds, gives warmth and a whole spectrum of sheer 'in your face' sonic heaven on command. I believe it even out does Fender on the clean channels. It tracks well diodes, and seduces with feeling on rectifier tubes.

A beautiful amp.... Well done Boogie ... And if anyone is thinking of getting one like I had been for years ... My advice is DO ! .... I doubt you'll ever look back.

I can't describe how much I have fallen for this amp! It has a million combinations of how to dial it in for your sound, but if you can dial in a rec or Mark ... You can dial this in easily. And its so much fun going through the endless sonic possibilities when doing so...

Thanks to everyone at Boogie!

(ps. The reverb ain't bad either!)

One of the greatest, most versatile amps ever made, IMO. I've owned so many amps over the years and there's no way I'll ever get rid of my RK II v2. Best of luck w/yours as well!

If you're not in love with the EL34s, a set of Yellowjackets W/EL84s can open up some new tonal doors for you. I love the tones I get that way!

Tony

Play the heck out of it! Congrats man! One thing I would say is, try Vintage mode on channels 3 and 4 if you are a Modern mode guy. I swapped a couple years ago and haven't gone back (and I play metalcore :shock: ). You can really make ch 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 sound different with the power tube choices as well, even when they are cloned settings wise. The possibilities are endless, and so is the footswitch! Rock on dude! Post some pics of the whole family once it comes in!

-AJH

cool. I used a RKII for a while. Great amp. it's voiced a little darker than your rectifier but a fun amp to tweak for sure. I ended up keeping my rectifiers over the RK because the RK is just too heavy for a gigging amp...for me

Thanks for the replies ... Several gigs and rehearsals in and I'm still in live with the amp

It is heavy - but not that much heavier than a dual rec --- I just love those four channels and variety of sounds from it. It has so much punch too.

I did donmy back in lifting a bass bin out of the van last gig! - so I hear you tegaing weight.

I lug a Marshall 4x12 around as well so I'm used to it!

Hey Fleeced, how is like with you Road King II?

BostonRedSox said:

Hey Fleeced, how is like with you Road King II?

Click to expand...

Huh?

Ha, ha, ha! I meant to write, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, how do you like your Road King II?

That post, sounded, well ...

A few months in .... And still totally in love with the amp

So versatile, so many sounds and flavors in one amp. I've gigged, rehearsed and recorded with it and it rocks.

It makes me smile every time I switch it on, wait for the tubes to warm ... Flick it off standby and hit those first notes ... simply Beautiful!

One thing I have noticed over the dual rec, is that it's much more responsive to the volume on the guitar, - I can get so much more variety of tone just by backing off or increasing the volume on the guitar than before (much like a Mark V in this respect)

I love it.

And I WILL get around to posting some pics... ;-)

Thanks guys

And several months on now .. Much gigging, a bit more tweaking and the love affair is still going strong and growing ever more blissfull. I now use a well giigged boogie 4x12 with nicely played-in vintage celestions (man that is heavy to lug around .. But the road king head has already built up the muscles to help cope!)

I love gigging with it - still the best amp I have owned or even heard anyone else use, even just playing for a couple of hours on my own to blow off some steam and luxuriate in those tones leaves me smiling and relaxed for hours afterwards. If the myriad of tones available from the four channels combined with differing volume settings on the guitar (it's so reactive and the most versatile amp I've ever played) .. Add in a modded TS9 or tremelo or a nice analogue chorus or delay or phaser ... And a few combinations of all and I'm in heaven.

Channel 4 took a bit of tweaking to get it there, but it's now nailed ...

I've still got stock tubes in it and it's the first amp I've had where I have no desire to experiment

Simply fantastic / brilliant / wonderful and as close to amp perfection as I can imagine!

(you may have guessed from these posts i quite like it! ... If there's anyone out there wondering whether to take the plunge ... Do it, it's the best musical thing I've bought!)

fleeced said:

And several months on now .. Much gigging, a bit more tweaking and the love affair is still going strong and growing ever more blissfull. I now use a well giigged boogie 4x12 with nicely played-in vintage celestions (man that is heavy to lug around .. But the road king head has already built up the muscles to help cope!)

I love gigging with it - still the best amp I have owned or even heard anyone else use, even just playing for a couple of hours on my own to blow off some steam and luxuriate in those tones leaves me smiling and relaxed for hours afterwards. If the myriad of tones available from the four channels combined with differing volume settings on the guitar (it's so reactive and the most versatile amp I've ever played) .. Add in a modded TS9 or tremelo or a nice analogue chorus or delay or phaser ... And a few combinations of all and I'm in heaven.

Channel 4 took a bit of tweaking to get it there, but it's now nailed ...

I've still got stock tubes in it and it's the first amp I've had where I have no desire to experiment

Simply fantastic / brilliant / wonderful and as close to amp perfection as I can imagine!

(you may have guessed from these posts i quite like it! ... If there's anyone out there wondering whether to take the plunge ... Do it, it's the best musical thing I've bought!)

Click to expand...

I've had mine since September, and it KICKS ***... gigged it a couple of times, and it REALLY exceeds in what it does!