Mesa/Boogie Road King Head

2004 Model w/fan and other fixes from original model. I'll spare the details. Visit Mesa's site if you need info. There is NO other amp on the planet that does anything close to what this amp does.

Unbelievable! The tweed channel is amazing, the brit channel is awesome, the vintage high gain is awesome, and the modern high gain channel is bone crushing! I have owned the Dual Rectifier 3ch, Tremoverb, Bogner Uberschall, and various others. Mesa has finally cover all of the sounds we lost when we bought the dual recto. No need for other amps or ridiculous modeling garbage. So many possible configurations that you could spend a lifetime finding all of the sounds that this thing is capable of. I play the Road King through a 2X12 Bogner Cab w/V30's and use a PRS Custom Artist guitar with the HFS/Vintage Bass pickups. I can get anything from fender-like clean, to marshall mid-gain, to bone crushing modern metal. I am thinking about getting the Road King cab to go with it. No reviews here on the road king 4X12 cab yet. My favorites are:

Tweed - 4 6L6's
Brit - 2 EL34's
Vintage - 2 6L6's and 2 EL 34's
Modern - 2 EL34's and 4 6L6's

I would not give this amp a "10" if I didn't mean it. I have been playing for a while and have very high quality gear. The better quality cabs, guitars, effects you run thru it, the better the sound.

Just bought it. No problems with any other Mesa gear. I'm sure that this will be the same.

The best in the biz. Called them several times and they were very helpful and quick to respond.

Best amp ever made in my opinion. Suits all of my favorite musical styles. The price is very expensive but at least this time you get what you pay for. I would recommend this amp to anyone that could afford it. Truly Unbelievable! Great job Mesa.

No need to repeat what's already been said. Features wise have a look at the boogie site it's all listed there

I use an early blade RH4 loaded with a Custom Custom Seymour Duncan bridge pickup and Alnico II single coils, ebony neck and a PRS custom 22. Style wise I'm into fusion and Jazz blues. Tone wise I love Ford, Henderson, Stern, Carlton and Graydon?s sounds. Being a UK resident I did not have easy access to Two Rock, or Futch amps that if I did would have been on my top 'to try/buy'. I've owned a few boogies and used a Rivera S120 almost exclusively for Ten years. The Mark IIc lead sound is undoubtedly one of the best Boogie ever delivered but the clean was always left wanting. The Rivera Rake head is just fantastic but again discontinued so not easily available here. Hence In looking for a amp with some tonal characteristics similar to these. Well so far I have to say I've been completely knocked out by this amp. The clean is to die for (check out Lee Ritenour's Rit's House and you'll get an idea) certainly the best Boogie has ever produced. The lead sounds took a little longer to find for me but they're there. Certainly some of the best lead sounds in 3 and 4 are found in the vintage and raw modes using 2xEL34 and 2x6L6, although I found that initially I had a lot of trouble with these sounding too dark. All the 'Suggested' settings just didn't seem to cut. I found driving the middle and presence controls high worked a treat though and that wonderful boogie 'bark' started to appear and there's a wonderfull 'smokey' compressed feel here. I Initially had a lot of problems with effects though and have to say the head is very sensitive to certain effects units. I had a nightmare with the TC electronics G Major and resorted back to the Intelliflex. Since then I've had no problems at all.

To sum up no it's not a Rake, or Mark IIc but it damn there are some great sounds in this head and it's far more versatile than either of these could have ever been. Sure in and ideal world i would love to have a Twin, Dumble, Two rock, Mark IIc, Rake, and switch between them but I can't lug all that gear around let alone afford it! The Road king however offers so much versatility in one package it really is a killer amp for the price.

Boogies have never let me down. The only problems I've had have been with blown fuses, which I carry spares for.

Never dealt with Boogie Direct but all indications are that the customer service is second to none.

I've been playing for 25 years , and have owned various Rivera. marshall and Boogie gear over the years. The Road king as a package is the most versatile and overall great sounding amp of the lot.

2004 model bought in April'04.
This unit comes with the fan installed.
It is my 2nd Road King Head. I have this second one as a backup.

The feature I discovered these days and started using frequently is that I can use the RK without having to hook the Footcontroller up.

This is great because despite being a fantastic Footcontroller, it is too big and I don't always need more than 1 channel to rehearse with my band.

On Live presentations I always use the Footcontroller so that I can switch channels as needed.

Other features are already described on other reviews.

I was very happy because my 2 RKs sound exactally the same. That
is great. I can use one or the other with no adjustments at all!!

It can be used for absolutely every style of music.
This version comes with the fan. When you turn the amp on you can hear the fan (very low sound indeed). Nevertheless I have never ever had a problem with heating or any other kind of problem with my 1st Road King which has no fan.

I use it with 11 different guitars combined with either Mesa 1x12 Thiele or Mesa 2x12 Rectifier Cabs. My guitars are Gibson Les Paul Custom, Peavey Wolfgang Standard, Ibanez JS 1000, Jem, Jackson USA, OLP, Zaganin, Fender YJM, others.

I just got the Fender YJM and I am amazed because I could get with the YJM and the RK the Malmsteen like type of sound.

This amp is not noisy at all. You can plug your gtr directly into its input and start playing.

- I Use 4 6L6 and 2 EL34 on Channels 3 and 4. Wonderful tone.
- Use 2 6L6 on Ch 1 and get very sparkling cleans.
- Use 2 EL34 on Ch 2 and get that British Beatles type of sound.

I hook the RK up with the GT-6 with the 4-cable connection.

Never ever had any issue. I believe I never will.
I use it live with no backup. I rehearse every week with the RK.
I always carry some spare Mesa tubes though. Never replaced any.

Mesa's support is the best I've always got in touch, really amazing. I lived in the US and moved back to Brazil, where I was born. I brought the 1st RK with me with no extra precautions. It got here perfectly. I think I was lucky.

I brought the 2nd RK to Brazil on my last trip to the US. This time I removed the power and rectifier tubes for a safer transportation.

When at home I called Mesa and they helped me reinstall the tubes. They were kind, patient, answered my phone call immediately and instructed me with the tubes order because I was concerned with the matched pairs.

I dealt with them many other times and was always a pleasure. I always feel I am talking to a real specialist, very knowledgeable technician. I don't see that with other companies.

I'd buy another in a heartbeat if stolen. As mentioned I bought a 2nd RK, just to have it as a backup.
I compared it with Bogner Ubershall, Mark IV, Nomad 100, Marshall DSL and TSL, Triple Rectifier. None of these beat the RK.
You quickly find the tone you want, very versatile, loud, quiet, built like a tank.

My amp was made in January 2004. Its a extremely versatile amp. I play lots of different covers in my band so the amp is perfect for me. I play Rock, R&B,, all sorts of stuff. I wont list all the features, theres too many, but they are all very useful. Look them up at www.mesaboogie.com ( Get the Road King cab to go with it. I have the RK 2X12 cab)

I use reissue strats and teles with stock pickups. You dont need any hot pickups with this baby. Its all there. It has four channels and each channel has a toggle switch for three modes each. I have a clean sound in channel 1 (check out the tweed voicing there, very sweet)I use 4 6L6's there. Channel two I have a crunch sound with a Brit voicing using two EL 34's. Channel three I have a bluesy lead sound with two 6L6's with a Raw voicing. Channel four I have a very agressive lead sound with 2 6L6's + 2 EL 34's and a vintage voicing. This amp has so much vibe !The amp is very quiet.Its also fan cooled !

Ive used the amp for two months on gigs and it has'nt let me down, having said that I did have a problem when i still had it at home tweaking it . Channel 3 & 4 lost power and I had to send the amp back to have some updates. The amp has worked perfect ever since and Mesa paid for all the shipping and got it back to me quickly. Check out my comment on customer support. I think the Road King is completely updated now and would be a safe investment of your hard earned money.

I have used Mesa gear exclusively since 1980 and this is the first time I've ever had a problem. Pretty good track record in 24 years in my estimation.When they found out there was a problem I had a phone call from them in five minutes time telling they were having UPS picking up the amp the next day. I had calls from them almost on a daily basis keeping me updated and also sent me a customer care package of tubes, shirts, caps, etc.. If you are about to buy an amp I would consider the customer service you will be getting with your amplifier company of choice. It may become a very important factor down the road for you. I was treated very well by these guys. Very impressive. You will be hard pressed to find customer support like this anywhere else. You don't see that sort of service in the world these days. Their customer service is second to none.

I rate this amp a 10 because it does what Mesa claims it will do. I would definately buy another if it were stolen. I just love the voicing of this amp, its just sings. Its sweet ! I'm not at all put off by the little problem I had because I've used Mesa gear for 24 years with only ONE problem and they handled very quickly and the amp is working lika gem.

This RK has more features than I know what to do with yet. Look at the mesa web site for all of them. Even thought there are a mulitude of switches, and knobs, I found it very easy to make changes to the configurations, and find the sounds I was looking for. It did not take long to master the setup. It looks daunting, but really isn't.

Just bought this amp yesterday, but have been played a friends RK before, and have been hanging out at the local Guitar Center playing it, and drooling over this thing for a year. I like surf guitar, classic rock, blues, and some new metal stuff. I love the channel 1 tweed setting with 2 6L6's and my PRS CU22 set to single coil mode, I can get the twang I need for my surf sound. Channel 2 with EL34's and the gain cranked way up is definately AC/DCish, and the like. I like the thickness of channel 3 with 2 EL34's and 2 6L6's. The EL34's just give it so much character, and with humbuckers I love that tone, and channel 4 is insanity, I am still trying to find a happy medium, it's just too radical for my tastes. I tried the 4 6L6s alone, but my ears were in pain from the high treble, I added the EL34's because it seems to smooth it out. It does have a killer sound though. All in all, I love this amp. I don't know why there are some really bad reviews about it. Who cares if it does not sounds exactly like another amp makers sound, or if it does not sound exactly like the a particular rock band. I am not saying that it doesn't, because I think you can get any sound out of this thing. All I am saying is, it gets the sounds I want to hear, screw everything else. I am giving it a 10+

I have owned several Mesa's in the past, only had one issue on a Tremoverb I had. Very high quality, that why they cost so friggin much.

I called Mesa once, and they are very helpful. They called me back until they got a hold of me to help out. They rule!

Started when I was 14, played for a couple years, then started again when I was 27, played for ten years off and on, but with in the past year or so have really gotten serious, and have been playing evryday. I have a PRS Custom 22 Brazilian Ltd., a Ibanez RG540, and a Ovation Legend acoustic. I do not use many effects, but do have a Digitech multi effects processor. I still have my first Boogie a DC3. I like this Road King, it was a lot, but you get what you pay for.

If you're reading this, you know this amp has more features than any other amp in it's class. 12 preamp possibilites to be matched with any of 5 power amp possibilites to be matched with one of two or both external speaker cabinets, and don't forget bold/spongy on the power or the triode pentode switch for the EL's. Wicked features.

This thing obviously crushes as a recto should, but it also does very nicely as a bluesy amp and really has some fantastic clean settings. Like any Boogie, you do need to fiddle a little (just a little, not a lot) to get the tone you're looking for. Once you've found one or two (or a hundred with the RK) you'll understand what all the fuss is about.

I've had this puppy for a little more than 6 months with no problems. I had another Boogie for years with no problems. You've heard it said before, they are built like a tank. A guy I know told me his fell off his 4x12 at a show and hit the ground. It never skipped a beat!!! This aint no flimsy plastic s**t. This is Mesa Engineering.

This is another category where Mesa blows the socks off the competition. Real people. Every time. No email. No web support or do it yourself FAQ crap. Just real people that know the product that have a great attitude and want to help you get what you're looking for out of your Boogie. I just received a courtesy call from them out of the blue to make sure everything was going well with the new head. You'll never get that from Marshall, or Peavey, or Fender. That's for sure. Mesa gets an A+++ for their service.

This is by far the most incredible piece of guitar gear I've owned in the 20 or so years I've been playing. I can't help but grin every time I look at it. It has all those features and it sounds amazing and it's not synthesized bulls**t. It's all real. It's all good. I love this thing. I'm done. I've always been a gear head, but this time I'm done. I seek nothing more. I have found my grail of guitar amps.

You all know the features....If you are not familiar with them, go to the Mesa website or catch an earlier review. I love to futz around with amps & guitars & this has some great features.

A couple of things I would love to see...
1. Simulclass - True class A would be awesome out of the EL-34s
2. Stereo operation - like the Diezel amp. would be very cool, but would make an already expensive amp even pricier.

Love the dual effects loops & variable power & tube types.

First off, as far as the sounds go.....IF YOU DONT OWN THIS AMP, DONT REVIEW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You cannot make an accurate review trying this amp out at Guitar center on a few occasions for 20 minutes apiece. Also this is not a Mark IIc+.... so dont try & compare it. Why dont you compare a fender twin to a IIc+? Thats just as ridiculous. Compare a Mark series to a mark series. Dont be an IDIOT! Dont compare apples to oranges. & youre not impressing anyone by stating you own a IIc+ anyway, If you actually even own one in the first place...

No one can give an honest review of this amp without at least owning it & putting in the time needed to get to know it well.

Anyway, with that off my chest, Ill get into the sounds of this monster...
I used to own a 3 channel Dual Rec. Liked it alot. Ex wife stole it & everything else. Needed a new main amp & these had just come out.....This thing absolutely kills my old Dual Rec!!!!

Let me preface this by stating that Ive owned my Roadking head for a year now... & have had plenty of time to tweak & find my ideal settings. In a years time I have just begun to tap its potential...Lets take it channel by channel...

Channel 1
Awesome! Love it! Best clean on a rectifier series. I use the "Tweed" setting mainly. I can get nice & glassy or warm or dark. Whatever Im looking for... Its not fender twin twangy clean. If you want that, buy a fender twin. Its the best Mesa clean Ive yet heard short of the studio pre. Very useable for many styles. Sounds great in many different tone configurations with humbucking or single coil pickups. Also sounds great with my piezo equipped shadow guitar. Very acoustic & natural sounding. I dont even need an acoustic amp now!!!

Channel 2
This sound is pure AC/DC & the like. easiest of all the channels to dial in, too. Just crank everything to max. Except the bass (just dial that in to taste & depending on volume & cabs used) I hate to use amp comparos (this is a Mesa & not some other brand), but this is sooooo old school Marshally that its almost creepy!!! I used to hate this type of sound, as Ive always been into 80s & 90s hair band & this type of sound never had enough sustain or gain, but Im expanding lately & trying some new styles... I still think there should be a bit more gain on tap for this channel. Just a tad more. It does help to crank it up though.

Just a note...If you are familiar with Mesa amps & Rectifier series in particular, this channel throws all Mesas rules out the window... We all know that Mesa tone controls are very sensitive & interactive - opposite of a Marshall (where sometimes you wonder if the controls do anything at all!) On channel 2 set to "Brit" & using 2 EL-34s it is very Marshall like in the tone section. Remember the old Marshalls -- the JTM, Plexi & even the 800 series -- you had to crank the tone controls to "11" to get a decent sound? Well this Roadking in "Brit" mode works the same way. On any other Mesa or Rectifier amp if you even attempted to do this, you would end up with something really disgusting & not at all musical. Try it, & adjust the bass as needed.

Channel 4 (what happened to channel 3 you ask...Im saving it for last!)
This is the "Creed sound" that made the Rec series famous in Modern mode. No need to go too much into this... I do like being able to customize the sound with the different tube configurations. I like to use 2 EL-34s & 2 6L6s at the same time. I think it adds something to the sound. 6l6s are great for clean, extreme glass on top end, & bottom thump, but the 34s add much needed character. Classic Mesa Rectifier tone -- no problems here, works as advertised.

Channel 3
This was the channel that kicked my ass for the better part of a year! I was able to get an acceptable sound out of it, but never a great sound. I try & keep my channels separate

It sounds corny... but, ITS A MESA!!!!
This is my third Mesa amp & never had a problem with any of them. Had a Rocket 44, Used 3-channel Dual Rec, & the new Roadking. The Dual rec had scratchy pots on clean channel, so I called Mesa after I got it home & they sent all new pots for channel 1 at no charge at all to me. On an amp bought used! Very cool.
No probs otherwise & the scratchy pots could have been the old owners fault.. who knows? no probs with Roadking either over the past year. Its only used at home though. Brought it to Vegas to show some friends a while ago. It sat in the front seat while I drove. Made an almost 600 mile round trip just fine, though.

Always been good & always call back. Do have one complaint, though... I have a Roadking that does not have the fan/diode update. I live in the middle of nowhere & nearest service center is 8 hours away from me in phoenix. Vegas is closer at only 3 hours away, but no service center there...One mesa employee said he would mail me parts & let me do mod myself (Im fully capable). When I tried to get parts coming, another told me no way. need to ship amp or drive to service center. Does he have any idea how much it is to ship amp? Ill almost guarantee itll get damaged too.

I dont really see myself needing the mod, as I think its only for the most extreme conditions, but it would be nice. I wont hold this against them...... MESA BOOGIE - if you read this, You need more service centers!!!!!!!!!! No service center in Vegas area is friggin stupid!
Mesa has helped me out & sent free parts for an amp I bought used in the past. They have always been friendly & know thier stuff.
You get to talk to a real tech who builds these things & loves them & not just some stupid customer service bimbo with a talk path(cheat sheet) & no real product knowledge.

I started playing guitar in 86. Stopped playing in 1990 for about 10 years & started back up in late 2000. Owned a few other Mesas & many other amps. Im a gear junkie! Prior to my evil ex-wife, I had about 5 amps & several cabs & 18 guitars. Now I have the Roadking, a Mesa 50/50 awaiting either a Studio Pre or Quad Pre, GK-ML250 amp (love it!), Pod XT with foot switch going thru the 50/50 into a Genz-Benz George Lynch stereo 2/12 cab. Also have about 6 guitars ranging from 88 Kramer Nightswan (signed by Vivian Campbell, to Custom 87 Ibanez RG, early 90s shadow, Kramer Proaxe(Better than the Nightswan - believe it!), Peavey Generation Tele, Fender/Heartfield Talon.

What I love about this Roadking, is that each guitars character shines through & differences in body woods or pick up brand & type are easily heard. This amp does not make all guitars sound the same like so many other amps do ( my Pod XT is a prime example of this ).
I use my Roadking set to spongy power using the tube rectifiers with all channels except channel 4 and it sounds amazing!
When shopping for a new flagship amp for myself, I also looked at Bogner ecstacy & Soldano. Both were good. In fact the Soldano has my favorite distortion of any amp Ive ever heard. But the mesa won out for versatiliy & channel selection among other things. Besides, my Pod XT does a pretty good Soldano SLO-100 which is kinda wierd, because the POD rectifer sound sucks so bad. Bogner was good too, but I really liked the fact that the Roadking has separate controls for every channel & that I can choose my tube configuration & if I want tube or solid state rectification(it really makes a big difference).
Again, Id like to see it as a stereo head & have true class A power too. & I wish that the "spongy" variac was available for each channel like the other options, but this is all nit-picking.
This is an incredible amp. A true work of art. A lot of thought went into the design of this amp. It is no gimmick -- its a tool to use for the accomplished musician who needs a pallette of tones to choose from. It may not do fender clean perfectly, but it has an awesome clean that is all its own. It may not do Marshall crunch as well as the purists would like but its damn good.

This amp is made to be a money saver. At $2500.00 + that can be pretty hard to believe, but think of the big picture....
A fender for cleans or bogner has an incredibly fendery clean too..
A old(unreliable) marshall head for classic crunch..
A Dual Rectifier for modern hi gain..and ONLY Mesa can do this.
An amp of your choice for 80s rock & metal..

Add it up & the Roadking is a bargain. Maybe each sound isnt exactly like its classic counterparts, but they are very close & extremely useable. This is the ultimate tour/ club amp!

Is it worth it to finally - after almost a year - to find an excellent channel 3 sound. To me, yes. Some might say its ridiculous to have to search for a good sound in an amp. To those people, I say this amp is not for you. This amp is not about getting the "Mesa rectifier sound" I can get that in channel 4 in ten seconds. Its about searching for a tone & achieving that tone even if it takes a while. Most sounds are in here. You just have to look for them.

Cant really say that I hate anything about this amp. I do wish that they had added an extra mode to channel 3....say maybe a IIc+ mode with less grain built in. That would be the ultimate! Channel 1 clean is very reminiscent of the mark IIc+ & studio pre. This is basically a rectifier series amp & it still Kills all comers, BUT....It is the ROADKING & it would have made it the most complete amp ever. If boogie could have even gotten 90% of the IIc+ sound in channel 3 they would have sold so many more of these things.
As it is, my channel 3 sound is kinda reminiscent of the mark IIc+. I managed to get high gain & avoid too much graininess(buzz).

I've owned this amp for over 1 year. More features than any guitar player will ever need for any gig.
It can be used for absolutely every style of music on the planet.
I have the version without the fan, and have never ever had a problem with heating or any other kind of problem.
I do prefer this version because I have no Fan sound when playing at home at very low volume, and believe me, the RK sounds great at low volume too!!.

I use it with 10 different guitars combined with either Mesa 1x12 Thiele or Mesa 2x12 Rectifier Cabs. My guitars are Gibson Les Paul Custom, Peavey Wolfgang Standard, Ibanez JS 1000, Jem, Jackson USA, OLP, Zaganin, others.
I play Pop, Hard, and Heavy Rock. I play some R&B too. Again, the RK sounds great with all the styles I play.

This amp is not noisy at all. You can plug your gtr directly into its input and start playing. No need for Noise Supressor devices.

Very easy to find great sounds, despite the maybe intimidating numerous buttons the RK has (I do enjoy the numerous controls... they all are there for a good purpose). The controls are well placed and are really intuitive.

- I Use 4 6L6 and 2 EL34 on Channels 3 and 4. Wonderful tone. Rectifier distortion... brutal, more than enough.
- Use 2 6L6 on Ch 1 and get very sparkling cleans.
- Use 2 EL34 on Ch 2 and get that British Beatles type of sound.

Btw, I hook the RK up with the GT-6 with the 4-cable connection.

This is still the best sounding amp I've ever heard.

Totally dependable. Never ever had any issue. I believe I never will.
I use it live with no backup.
I always carry some spare Mesa tubes though. Never replaced any. My tubes are still the stock ones.

Fantastic. Mesa's support is one to benchmark, really amazing. I lived in the US and moved back to Brazil, where I was born. I brought the RK with me.
I also have a new Mesa Rectoverb head. I modded this head myself. I changed the Fx Loop from Paralel to Series, because Series is much better if you use the GT-6 and the 4-cable hook up.

I spent a couple of hours talking to the guys at Mesa and they were kind, very helpful educating me on how to do the Mod on the Rectoverb. They told me very clearly pros and cons on doing this mod.

It works very well Modded. Now I am happier than ever because I use the Boss GT-6 exactaly the same way with both amps (Road King and Rectoverb).

I've been playing since 17. I am 36 now. I'd buy another in a heartbeat if stolen. I am considering buying another RK in my next trip to the US, just to have it as a backup.
I compared it with Mark IV, Nomad 100, Marshall DSL and TSL, Triple Rectifier. Easy comparisson. Easy to find the tone you want, very versatile, loud, quiet, built like a tank.
The only thing is that it weights a lot... and I don't have roadies. If you have the money, buy this amp. If you don't, save and buy this amp.

First off i want to say that i don't own this amp but have played it more than 3 times for at least 20 minutes so i think i can add something. I was looking for the Mark IIC+ sound in a more versatile package, i was letdown!
Features have been covered below, lets just say it has more than anyone could need.

I can usually tell quickly if i will like an amp or not. You can tweak and tweak but the overall feel and vibe of an amp will still be there. When i played the RK i often switched different modes and used varying amounts of gain.
Channel 1 is nice and clean with lots of headroom, much better than other Boogies i have played.
Channel 2 added some gain and is slightly crunchy, i used this channel and got a nice sound for open chords, it's a little tame for lead playing but a Tube screamer could change that. Overall this channel wasn't bad but your NOT going to get a great mid gain tone like a cranked Fender.
Channel 3 is a high gain channel. I only liked it in vintage mode. The modern gain just sounded very harsh to me, it sounds like it's all about preamp gain here like other Rectos i have played, it doesn't seem to get that really sweet overdriven power tube distortion. Channel 4 was similiar to channel 3. Overall i didn't like these 2 channels very much. I own an 84 Mark IIC+ which has the EQ and i was trying to get similiar tones out of the Roadking. Forget it! The MarkIIC+ just has this singing sustain which Boogie hasn't been able to match. I hope they are not fooling people into thinking the Roadking has eclipsed the IIC+. If i did i would have bought it. The IIC+ is still the best Boogie.

Boogie has been good to me on the products i have owned from them.

Well Boogie has a great versatile head with a nice clean and some pretty good medium gain tones. I just didn't like any of the high gain tones and the lead tones are a letdown for me, just like every other Recto. My 2 heads i own are a VHT Pitbull UL with EQ and the 84 MarkIIC+. They are both better than the RK, the UL is almost as versatile but has much better tone, the high gain from the UL are CLEAR and articulate but it has killer gain and bottom and the IIC+ is just such a great lead head. If the dial the Roadking in with some better gain tones I'll be the first to buy it.

More features than any guitar player will ever need for any gig regardless if it is in the studio or at the Forum. It can be used for absolutely every style of music on the planet. I have the version without the fan, and have never had a problem with heating. That problem is most likely to occur in the combo version since there is less ventilation. I have used this amp in small clubs like the Roxy, and large outdoor stadium events. The amount of power is tremendous. I choose to bypass the FX loop section, and just use the individual channels for the master volumes. I have found that I get a cleaner setting much easier than using the output master.

I use mostly Gibson Les Paul's, a couple of PRS std 24's, and an ESP M2. They all sound very different through this amp, which is what makes up a good amp. The Paul's are very loud, and have more of a dark tonality to them. They sound great through the Brit mode and the high gain channels. The PRS guitars sound much smoother with all of the channels. Less edge than the Les Paul, but more brightness in the cleans. Great overall blend. The ESP has a thinner sound than the other guitars, but still sounds great. It does not produce as much feedback as the Paul's, but has more edge than the PRS with the high gain. I have heard Strats through this head, and they sound great through channels 1+2.
The clean channel is simply incredible. I went from using a Studio Pre to the RK, and was completely floored by this first channel alone. Even though I play in a hard rock band, I practice at home mostly with this channel.
The second channel is again, amazing. The Brit mode with the 2 EL34's simply kicks ass. As amazing as this is, I still do prefer the Plexi mode of the Bogner Ecstacy 101b. They are both different, and both incredible.
The third and fourth channels are basically the same except you can choose different voicings for each. I run channel three with the Vintage mode with 2 EL's and 2 6L6's presence at about 11:00, bass at 0, mid at about 2:00, treble at 1:00, and gain at 3:00. The sound is so smooth that I don't miss my Studio Pre at all. It is great. My channel four setting is with 4 6L6's on the Modern voicing. It is very aggressive and amazingly clear.
The Road King is very quiet, even at outdoor levels. There is no buzzing or hissing anywhere unless you put the gain on ch 3+4 past 3:00.
When you first turn it on the channel switches make a popping sound, but that goes away when you select different channels a few times during warm up.
The Reverb has a delay that is explained in the manual, but is hardly noticed while playing a live show. It has a very nice balance with each of the channels, but does not replace the clarity of a quality rack mounted processor like a TC M2000. Since I really don't use the reverb, I don't have much more to say about it than it being more than good enough to do the job.
I have had four different LA sound guys tell me that the amp sounds the best of anything they've heard before. It has a bit different character than the Triple Rectifiers, I'm guessing because of the availability of options for each channel. I don't use all of the tubes together because the sound is too harsh for my taste. I do prefer the Spongy mode in the output section of the amp. I makes the strings on the guitar feel looser, but is still punchy enough to throw the crowd against the back wall of any room. That is something I prefer for my sound.
This amp was designed to produce pretty much any sound available, and it can. If you can't find it, try a different guitar or a different cab, because they are all in there.

I have used many Boogies in my 17 years of guitar playing, and only had a problem with my Rectoverb 50 when it first came out. A wire that switched between the clean and the rhythm channel came loose, and only the clean channel would work. I took it straight to John at the Hollywood store and he had it fixed and ready to go the next day. That is what I call great service. Since the amp is a tube amp, don't expect 100% reliability all of the time. Maintenance is a big part of keeping your amp working at all times. Change your tubes often, and keep extras with you for gigs. There is no biasing involved with Mesa amps, so don't make a fuss about changing tubes. It's that easy.

I consider Mesa Boogie to be at the top with customer service. The guys at the Hollywood store are very honest, and know everything about their product line. I had a Soldano before, and they were also amazing. Can't say the same for VHT, when my call was returned over a week later. Great amps though.

Besides me getting the amp for less than half of the new price, it is worth every penny to get one even at full price. It covers every sound imaginable in one head. I owned over 16 amps in the last four years including a Triple Rec, Carvin Legacy, Soldano Decatone, Bogner Triple Giant, Studio Pre, VHT Pittbill CLX, Triaxis/2:90, and I forgot the rest. They were all incredible amplifiers, but I can say that I'm most satisfied with the Road King. I really love the Bogner Ecstacy 101b and the Uberschall. If I had the money, I would get both and a/b them because I would use all of the channels from both amps. What prevented me from getting the Ecstacy was it not having the punch of the Uberschall on the high gain channel. What prevented me from getting the Uber was the lack of versatility for a $2400 amp. Both together would work for me, but the Road King provides the tones I need for both modern and classic sounds. It is really worth getting, but give it time before you make a final judgement on it. If you are a skilled player, you can make this amp do anything. Thanks.