Looking to get a Boogie. Mark V or Roadster???

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stueyd

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Hi All,

After years of playing "other amps" i've finally decided it's time to try a Boogie.
Apart from awesome tone, high on my wish list is 3 or 4 channels which is why I started looking at these amps and from reading reviews & watching youtube clips and I believe either a Mark V or a Roadster may fit the bill.
Ideally i'd like to sit down in my local guitar store with both amps and do back to back comparisons but even though i'm near Birmingham none of the shops have these in stock, need to order them in & require 10% deposit, etc, etc.... So it's just a bit of hassle so I was looking for a bit of guidance from those who have experience of both amps before pursuing this further.

Main reason for liking the Roadster is that it's got 4 channels and with that I can cover all the sonic territory I need for a gig with all those tone options and i imagine i'd set it up as
1. Sparkly clean
2. Mild O/D
3. Rock!
4. High Gain.
Admittedly I tend to spend most of my time with mild O/D and Rock sounds but it's nice to have the option of stomping on the button and also getting the clean and high gain sounds without any messing around like I have to on my current 2 channel amp.
Also it appears the Roadster 1x12 combo is cheaper than the Mk V 1x12 combo. Bonus!

However, the Mk V appeals because it has the ability to drop down to 10w power which could be useful if you want tone without huge volume and i've read it's about 10kg lighter.

So..... My preference at the moment (not just from the above but also reading reviews and listening to sound clips) would be the Roadster, mainly because of the 4 channels.

What do you prefer Mk V or Roadster and why?

(FYI - My band covers all sorts of rock and pop from 60's to present day with the emphasis towards 70s & 80s rock.)
 
I could not decide between the two and I also was considering a Marshall JVM410H. I could only demo the two Mesas but could not spend very much time trying them out so in the end I went with the Roadster. The four channels sold me on the amp but I find I only end up using two channels in live settings. I am still not happy with my solo sound but it could be that I am still switching out tubes, effects...just not being very consistent or making too many changes. Still wonder if I made the wrong decision for my needs but then again the grass is always greener...

Not much help but I am curious what others have to say.
 
Thanks for that Big_Al.
Yeah, from what i've read you really do need to invest some time "tweaking" your Boogie to find the best sounds for your particular guitar(s) and effects, but i'm used to that as i've owned Line 6 gear :lol:

I've been reading some more reviews and i've found what looks like a bit of a deal breaker with the Mk V. Unless i've misunderstood, it looks like the single EQ works globally across all 3 channels so that you could be in a situation where for example you get the perfect sound on channel 2, but then switch to channel 1 or 3 and it's unsuitable and needs adjusting.
For me the whole deal is setting up the sounds I want individually on each channel and then being able to switch between them without further adjustment.

So i'm leaning further over to Roadster ownership rather than Mk V at the moment.
 
Go to mesaboogie.com and read the owners manuals for both. It sounds like you don't understand how the Mark V works so the manual should fix that.
 
stueyd said:
Unless i've misunderstood, it looks like the single EQ works globally across all 3 channels so that you could be in a situation where for example you get the perfect sound on channel 2, but then switch to channel 1 or 3 and it's unsuitable and needs adjusting.
For me the whole deal is setting up the sounds I want individually on each channel and then being able to switch between them without further adjustment.

So i'm leaning further over to Roadster ownership rather than Mk V at the moment.
Click to expand...
The Mark V has one graphic EQ, which can be used in every Channel.
For each Channel you can decide wether you want to use the sliders of the EQ or the Preset Control. The Preset Control lets you dial in the amount of a EQ set to a V-Curve to the Channel.
This means, you can have the sliders set up for one EQ-Curve. This Curve can be used on every Channel. OR you can use this Curve on one (or two) Channel(s) while the other Channels can use the Preset Control.
You can´t have separate Slider-Settings on each Channel since the Faders had to be motorized, but with the Preset Control, which can be set up differently on each Channel, you get big flexibility.

Roadster has no 5 Band EQ at all.

Besides that, i love the multi watt feature of my Express 5:50+.
In my opinion, the switching ability of the Mark V (90 Watt / 45 Watt / 10 Watt) is much more usable than the 100 Watt / 50 Watt switching of the Roadster.

And:
Mark V has Simul Class.
 
I love my roadster, but making the decision depends on what you plan to do with it. Are you planning on playing out? 50 / 100 Watts is a lot of power. I play my roadster through a 4x12 so I can't say that I've heard it through a 1x12 so I can't speak to that. I find my roadster to be a monster in a good way. I mostly play channels 2 and 3 and a few songs command channel 4.

If you are planning at playing mostly at home, you might definitely wants something with lower power settings. If you can crank it, I say get the roadster.
 
Oh my God, it's full of tone!

I got to test drive a Mark V today.
I spent last night going through the owners manual so I was pretty prepared when I got my hands on it and spent over an hour playing and tweaking.
There are just soooo many options you can cover pretty much any sonic territory you desire.
It is easy to get a real shitty tone too, but if it starts sound rubbish then just put the knobs back to where it sounds good, what's the big deal?
I really fell in love with this amp, however I still want to compare it to a Roadster and I'll report back once i've got my grubby hands on one for a test.
What a chore....... NOT ! :D
 
stueyd said:
Hi All,

After years of playing "other amps" i've finally decided it's time to try a Boogie.
Apart from awesome tone, high on my wish list is 3 or 4 channels which is why I started looking at these amps and from reading reviews & watching youtube clips and I believe either a Mark V or a Roadster may fit the bill.
Ideally i'd like to sit down in my local guitar store with both amps and do back to back comparisons but even though i'm near Birmingham none of the shops have these in stock, need to order them in & require 10% deposit, etc, etc.... So it's just a bit of hassle so I was looking for a bit of guidance from those who have experience of both amps before pursuing this further.

Main reason for liking the Roadster is that it's got 4 channels and with that I can cover all the sonic territory I need for a gig with all those tone options and i imagine i'd set it up as
1. Sparkly clean
2. Mild O/D
3. Rock!
4. High Gain.
Admittedly I tend to spend most of my time with mild O/D and Rock sounds but it's nice to have the option of stomping on the button and also getting the clean and high gain sounds without any messing around like I have to on my current 2 channel amp.
Also it appears the Roadster 1x12 combo is cheaper than the Mk V 1x12 combo. Bonus!

However, the Mk V appeals because it has the ability to drop down to 10w power which could be useful if you want tone without huge volume and i've read it's about 10kg lighter.

So..... My preference at the moment (not just from the above but also reading reviews and listening to sound clips) would be the Roadster, mainly because of the 4 channels.

What do you prefer Mk V or Roadster and why?

(FYI - My band covers all sorts of rock and pop from 60's to present day with the emphasis towards 70s & 80s rock.)
Click to expand...

Ha, there are a number of Boogie amps that fit the bill here.

Do yourself a favour and try both the Royal Atlantic and the Electra Dyne. Both can get to high gain but really excel at the mild OD / Sparkly cleans / Rock crunch you're talking about. The Electra Dyne is particularly exceptional at this while the Royal Atlantic has a bit more of a gnarly clean not to mention channel specific attenuation. The Royal Atlantic is even more mid focused than the Electra Dyne, which is wider and phater, and the RA has much more gain on Vintage HI. The Vintage Lo mode is comparable between both amps.

Additionally, the Recto Reborn will hit the sparkly clean and the OD / Rock crunch in 'Raw' mode on channel 2 and 3 but the high gain on this amp is decidedly more bright and brutal than the others. The voice is just different, more scooped and guttural by default. Compared to this amp, the Roadster is darker overall.

When I tried a Roadster I was underwhelmed by channel 3 and 4. Channel 1 & 2 are awesome though and I get the impression this is where you will do most of your business.

At the end of the day, they are all equally great amps and I'm sure you'll be able to find out which flavour you like best. Just do yourself a favour and check out the less 'popular' amps since they are a more unique sound and some guitarists, such as myself, don't want to sound like everyone else ;) Best of luck in your search!
 
I bought a Roadster Combo because I got a great deal and thought it would be good to won a tube amp. What I really bought was the most incredible amp I've ever played! Every channel is not only usable but worthy of being an amp itself. You can't go wrong with a Mark V because Mesa Boogie doesn't make junk. But 4 channels, 3 modes per channel, 50/100 watt switch on each channel, diode/tube rectification switch on each channel, and Bold/Spongy operation leaves very few tonal "stones unturned!"
 
Decisions, decisions....
I still haven't had the opportunity to test a Roadster yet but I see on a well known auction site there is a used Road King currently for sale a LOT cheaper than a new Mk V or Roadster.
Now i've read the reviews and read the manual and the Road King is far more amp than I could ever want for, but if the price is right?
I really loved the Mk V I got to test drive, but I really do like the idea of 4 channels......
 
I thought the Road King was more than I needed so I got the Roadster but now I wish I could switch between 6L6/EL34 along with the two effects loops. Should have held out for the Road King.
 
Are you looking for a head or a combo? One overlooked issue with Mesa combos is - weight. I'll bet the Roadster combo goes around 100lbs and WILL try to take you out going up and down stairs. I have 13 years of experience with this. Mesa 2x12 combos should come with a crane, chain-fall, come-along and a gravity belt. The MK V goes around 65lbs.

Good luck on the hunt. - Pat.
 
+1 on the weight. My Lonestar combo was 85lbs and I couldn't take it anymore. If it had side handles it would be more manageable. I built a shell for the chassis and separated amp mind from amp body. The other reason why I did it was because the thing is so heavy, your going to use the casters to roll it. I think all the bumps along the way reduced my tube life. It seemed that I was replacing power tubes much more frequently. Spend the extra cash and get a head and cab. You can always mix and match cabs too.

Combo's are great when they are small light and convenient. That just about rules out all Mesa 2x12 combo's for my future.
 
Thanks for all the wise words, i'm pretty much decided i'll be getting a head & cab now as i don't need a hernia :D

I'm off to test a Road King II tomorrow!
 
If you mainly play the mild OD/Rock stuff then be sure to experiment with the Roadster/Road King "raw" mode on channels 3 and 4. You can set it up to have 3 footswitchable channels for low to medium gain in that mode.
 
Well i've gone and done it...... :D

Originally I thought I wanted a Mk V or Roadster but when a used Road King Head & Cabs (yes plural) turned up at an attractive price..... The test drive sold it to me, the owner had already dialled in similar tones to what I was looking for.

I look forward to few days reading the manual and learning exactly how to drive the thing now.

Thanks to all those who left comments. Cheers!
 
Nice purchase. I'm pretty sure you'll gonna have a lot of fun over the next few weeks.
 

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