Mesa/Boogie Road King Head

this amp boasts everything ,but in the end leaves much to be desired.

there is no "ONE" end all-be all amp that gets fender cleans, marshall gain, vox or hiwatt chime.
this amp misses the mark other than its own inherent mesa dark tone and crummy gain section.

the instruction manual reads like a flight book..
I suggest you take a hot bath and light some aroma therapy candles as youre in for a long read . if short on time and patience you'll need them as this is not a user friendly amp.

this amp is way to dark with a humbucker..in some cases sounds great with a tele.
overall typical mesa midrange tone....

the marshall gain is insulting to anyone that has a real marshall.

the old boogie marks are bullet proof, if you want fender type cleans with mocked up fender gain. buy an early mark series amp.

mesa has strayed from this since the 90s.

I'll give boogie this...unlike the ****** at marshall, where you wait months if not years for a response to the simplest of questions {I mean querries} [hey they do speak english over there correct?]

you will get a fairly quick and concise response from the guys at mesa.

32 years playing... I started young, real young.I own and have had more amps than memory or the collection pictures will provide space wise in this medium.

I am a vintage fender/marshall snob. super reverb, deluxe's please !.

marshall wise, you can keep the plexis... I am a master volume , jubilee series guy.

hiwatt sa 212's abound here !

vox , hey a vintage AC-30 is wonderful..

I have always kept an open ear to mesa as they for all intents are the united states only real amp builder other than the boutique knuckleheads that continually copy the aforementioned.

however, as mesa evolves I find they deviate from their initial mission statement....

mesa doing marshall, vox ? come one... modeling amps are a frigging joke !

if you tour, you bring more than one one amp for the sounds you need..

that being said... I hate kicking presets and fumbling through them to get lack luster tones simply in the name of convenience . the mesa roadking is an electrical nightmare and a problem waiting to happen on the road.
after hours of monkeying with this amp and its crazy footswitch .
I'll gladly A/B with the vintage amps that this amp misses the mark on.

2 sets of power tubes, and the bypassing/shutting them down is ridiculous in theory !

buy what you are after and you'll be happier in the end.. its only money !

The Road King 2 has four footswitchable channels with three voices each, five channel-assignable power amp selections (combinations including dual EL34 and up to four 6L6's) that allow from fifty to one hundred and twenty watts, tube or diode rectification, a slave out, an onboard variac, per-channel footswitchable tube reverb, a pair of effects loops, and two seperate or combined speaker outputs (4, 8, or 16 ohms). There is also a footswitchable volume booster, the "Solo" function. The included footswitch is longer than a Boomerang pedal or a POD Live!
What this all means is that each channel can be set to a different power amp, with or without effects loop, and sent to one OR two cabinets.
One of the lesser-hyped features is the ability to behave purely as a power amp. Among other configurations, I run a POD Live through the power amp. This is fun cuz I can send, say, a Marshall sound through a pair of EL34's, or even a Mark 2 C+ preamp sound through the dual EL34 and 6L6 power amp. Any preamp can take advantage of this function; one can even footswitch between different channels with different power amps, effectively creating up to four distinct power amps for your one preamp send.
All of this is very simple stuff once you get over the number of dials and switches on the front and back.
Tweakheads may lament the fact that the variac is global and on the rear of the amp, hence not too easy to switch on a dime. I don't mind, so no points off.

This head lives up to the price tag. Plenty of gain, plenty of clean volume. Turn the gain up past three quarters on the Modern voice of the third or fourth channels and yes, it will get noisy. That goes for any amp with a gain knob, right? Now, turn up the master volume and the loop volume to max, and then turn up the output a little; power amp distortion at low volumes. I swear to god, the Road King needs no attenuator. Unbelievable!
Now if someone could just invent a cabinet that produces speaker distortion at low volumes, us heavy guitarists would be truly blessed. And not deaf.
For the price, this amp better sound damned impressive. It certainly does.

The construction is solid. I'd worry about the switches and dials if it took a tumble; I can't say if they are recessed enough to survive. However, the number of tubes you'd have to carry around 'just in case' may be a bit of a drawback: 6 power amp, 5 preamp, 2 rectifiers. Luckily biasing is unnecessary with Mesa amps, so all in all- solid.
One point off for shear number of tubes. Heh.

Mesa is a busy company, so they'll be brief on the phone, but it is a courteous brevity.
The amplifier includes a five-year warranty and a list of authorized service centers.

Since acquiring the King, my Fenders have been collecting dust. I hope very much to never be without my Mesa.
Stacked against the competition, I suppose the Progressive Linkage and reverb drew my attention. Not many heads offer reverb for some reason, and nowhere else is selectable power amp to be found. I have to admit, knowing Master of Puppets was recorded using a Mark2C+ (which uses the power amp section mentioned above in Features) added some desirability. It boiled down to the ultimate Mesa head, or the ultimate Marshall head. The Mesa has so much more going for it, not the least the fixed bias. So it had to be the Mesa.
The one true drawback... the Road King is HEAVY! I wish it could float to the top of the stack. Oh, well. It screams. I love it.

The Road King is a very versatile all tube amp. I wont list all the features since they have been listed and they are on Mesas website. Some of my favorite features include the progressive linkage tube switching (6L6s and EL34s), channel specific effects loop assignment and the list goes on. The amps ranges from 30W (I think) to 120W so it is great for all venues.

I am using a variety of Ibanez guitars and a Gibson Lucille with a Boss DD-3 in effects loop 2 and a Boss GE-7 in effects loop 1. I play rock, blues, classic rock, heavy metal, hard rock and such. The sound quality of this amp is excellent! Mesa amps are not plug and play, they need to be played with for a while to get the sound you are looking for. And yes, the sound you want does exist in this amplifier, just need to be patient. The best way to approach the Road King is to determine what you want out of each channel and dial it in in terms of tube selection, rectifier, voicing, eq and etc. Reading the owners manual is highly recommended since it explains in great detail how adjusting one knob will effect others. Mesa offers great suggestions to get you started.

Great product with no problems. The tubes have been very reliable with no problems. The amp is very solid and as others have said, it is built like a tank.

I have contacted Mesa a couple of times with various questions. They are very helpful and stand by their products. They are very passionate about their products as most of us are about our music. With that kind of pairing, you cant go wrong!

I have been playing for 15 years. I have owned a Fender, Marshall, Peavey, and Vox and this is by far the best amp. If it were ever stolen, I would buy it again! Although, I may flirt with a Mark IV. I love countless tones I can get out of this amp. It should be the last amp I ever need to buy since it can cover all styles of music. This amp has the ability to grow with me over the years. The weight of the amp is a downside but helps keep my arms in shape! The cost is high, but worth it due versatility of the amp. I purchased my Road King with out ever having played one. I read the catalog over and over and I was finally sold on it. I ordered it, waited about 4 months and have been very happy ever since (5 years now). I tried an F series and a Mark IV (wasnt sure how to adjust it then). The F series was nice but lacked the features of the Road King. One thing I would have done differently would be to get the gold grill with the standard black covering. But the extra options add more money and at the time, the standard cost was enough. Someday, I plan to place the Road King chassis of my 2x12 combo into a beautiful hand made wooden cabinet!!

If you are looking at this amp review, then you already know what it is and its features. If not, visit MesaBoogie.com for specs and details

Typical Mesa sounding amp. Really, who needs four channels? I found channels 1-3 to be excellent and have great versatility and molding features, but channel four seemed weak compared to the dual and triple rectifier models I have owned. Channel four needs to be beefed up if you are looking for that Petrucci tone...I used a Tube Screamer and that seemed to do the trick...but it sill didnt feel right.

Lots of noise right out of the box....I guess that is typical for most mesa amps

Built like a tank....

Awesome support and customer service. Always return your calls within the hour.

I have been a pro musician for almost 20 years and tour with various major recording artists from rock to country. I own/owned several Mesa's, Bogners, Marshalls, 5150's (I, II, III), Engl and BadCat amps...If this amp were stolen or lost I would run the other way so whomever stole it didtn try to bring it back. I would suggest a 5150 III for anyone looking for a solid rock amp or the new Marshall JCM 410. Both KILLER amps with outstanding versatility in the same price range or cheaper. if you can swing a few dollars more, go for the Bogner Uberschall for rock or the Bogner 101B for overall perfection.

Dont get me wrong, its a great amp; just not for the pro player. Too many features, fragile sounding 4th channel, bad tube life, noisy and most of all, termpermental.

Ok lets get strait to the point this amp has More features than a deizel VH4 and other amp in it's class that also has four channels, but the road king has 2 effects loops, 3 different modes per channel, 50-120 watts , fixed biased amp which means plug and play with tubes. I could keep on going on and on, or you could just go to www.mesaboogie.com, but mine was made in 2002,but what sucks is when you dail in your tone for each channel you will probaly never use any other mode or any other feature on the amp, but this amp can cover any genre of music, and covers metal very well. Ans Im only giving it a 8 because you will never use all the options on this amp

I run this amp through a rectifier cab with v30's in it. And for the style of Metal that I play it sounds amazing. as for my guitar I have a ESP EC1000 satin black with EMG ACTIVE PICK UPS WITH a 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck, and for my other ESP IS A VIPER 301 WITH ZACK WYDLE PICKUPS IN IT with a 85 in the bridge and a 81 in the neck. So both of my guitars push this amp to the max with its potential sound barrier. But what I noticed is that if you keep the crappy Mesa tubes in it the sound is kinda muddy and buzz saw sounding but if you change the tubes to JJ BRAND TUBES AND BUY A HIGH GAIN KIT FROM EUROTUBES.COM. THIS AMP WILL DESTROY A LOT OF AMPS WITH TONE AND CLARITY. But the only other that I have heard that is just as powerful that has just little better clarity is a RIVERA K TRE HEAD, but the gain and power is the same because both amps have volume boost, and any ways the road king has so many more options than the K TRE HEAD. AND also I forgot to mention this head is a beast for Metal.

Well it's hard to tell Because I have only owned mine for a few months, the Road king that I was previous owned By Clint Lowery that use to play guitar for Seven Dust, SO that shows you just how rugged this amp is that is was toured with and the thing is still ripping out sounds just fine. And it still has the red marker on the channels where he had his presets at for each channel.

well this has everything that you could ever dream of having in a amp with features. Because you could pay well more than what I did for less features than the Road king has to offer. I have been playing guitar for 5 yrs and have played through a lot of amps, Rivera, Mesa, Peavey, Marshall, Randall, VHT. I have owned a Peavey Jsx before I got this and In my opinion it sounded so much fuller than the Jsx, After I changed the tubes in it to JJ tubes. But Also another reminder the older mesa heads sound a lot better than the series two and this one does not make popping noises while switching channels like the new ones. you either love a Mesa or you hate them I personally love them.

The features are deffinitally the great thing about this head, I have spent litterally 2 to 3 years trying out different ways to run this thing.And I am still working on it. There are thousands of different things you can do to change and fine tune the tone. 4 channels, 3 settings for each channel, 5 different tube variations for each channel, diode or rectifier selection, bold or spungy, pnetode or triode. and the list goes on.... everything you could ever want as far as features go.

I use a Gibson Les Paul custom, with alnico 490 humbuckers, I also use the roadking cab. For my style of music I am finding out that this amp just has too much. yeah, the features are nice but, even with all the options I still havent gotten a distortion tone that I am trully happy with. It's just too muddy and crackly and extremly icy. Dont get me wrong if you are looking for a great high gain metal sound... this is your amp. if your looking for a crisp and clean sound... go with a marshall... The clean channel is pretty close to perfect however. Just not exactly what I need for the style I am going for.

I have owned this head since 2004 and It has been through 2 tours and countless gigs,It has been very reliable. I did have a small problem with this amp because It was one of the first ones out of the factory and mesa added a mod to the later ones. So it would sometimes go to half power when the 6L6s were selected. But Mesa fixed it for free. So it has been very reliable

Very good customer support, I sent my amp to mesa and they fixed it for free what else could you want?

I have been playing for about 8 or 9 years. I have been through tons of amps and when I purchased this I thought I had struck gold. That I finnally had the perfect head. But 2 years later I am just plain sick of this thing. yeah the features are awesome. but the tone is just not that great. It's all about the tone.The roadking is just too much amp for me I guess. Like I said tho, anyone looking for a super beefy ultra high gain, meaty amp with unlimited possibilities this is your baby... but as for me, I am coming to terms with the fact that I like marshall tone more than mesa. thats just one mans opinion though.

It's a 50/100/120 watts switching amp. Lots of nice features like cabs switching, 2 different rectifier etc etc.. but they seem to not be very friendly to handle. The amp has 4 channels and it's versatile enough for the styles I play, blues, jazz, rock, funk, metal.

I play Suhr, PRS, EBMM. Totally the amp sounds kinda modern. Though the clean channel has 3 modes and sounds really nice and has enough headroom, it's not blackface style clean.
The overdriven(ch2) sounds warm, but lacks dynamic IMO. And you need
need to tweak the treble knob all the way up in order to get some overdriven sound. If you tweak more, it sounds too compressed and muddy, if you tweak less, it lacks dynamic and does't have enough drive.
If you are into Sanata, Larry Carlton's clean and drive, maybe you can't go wrong with this amp.
The high gain sounds more like a dual rectifier with more dynamic, bite and highs.

I use it on a gig with the dual rectifier as a backup because the amp sometimes(random) barely audioable after 30-60 minutes playing. Everything is good except the above I talked.

They will answer your question by phone and reply your email but seems not very helpful. They just ask me to take the amp to the local dealer. After I took the amp to the local dealer, they needed a test with the amp. After the whole afternoon test, they just gave me two words, no problem.
I still can't figure the issue out.

I have been playing almost 10 years. I own a couple of nice gears such as cae od100, boogie mark4 etc.
If it were stolen, I willnot buy it again. The dual recto is enough, if you think it doesn't clean up well, just to get a fender super reverb than A/B them.
I bought it because of John Petrucci's tone. For sure I love the tone of the roadking , but I can't love any issues and their customer support! Lots of roadking users from the boogie board have the same issue, not figure out yet!

this amp is simply amazing. It really can sound perfect for about anything you need. The power linkage is just profound flexibility at your fingertips. The only thing that could be improved in my opinion is the reverb...it sounds good but not great. I'm just used to fender reverb and this while good and usable seems to saturate differently. But overall feature wise, out of this world. You really have to play with these for a while to discover all the cool things you can do.

I have played strats, and teles on it but primarily my LP standard and my explorer. It always sounds fantastic no matter which guitar I use. The sounds are amazing everything from vintage Fender and Marshall tone all the way through to Mesa rectifier metal tone. the only thing that is a bit disapointing is that it is very easy to distort the clean channels (1&2) when trying to balance the output against the much higher gain channels (3&4). I will play around a bit more and probably find a solution though.

this is a hard question, because this is actually the third RK in my posession. I originally bought a floor model @ guitar center and it would randomly not work so I exchanged it for a new one in the box but since they didn't have one on hand, it was going to take 3 months to get one from mesa. In the meantime I had shows so they let me have a loaner. The loaner was reliable but the fx loops were messed up. When my amp came in and I traded it back, I have never been happier. Each one sounded great, but slightly different as well. the only problem I ever had with my new one was the main power switch went out. But no biggie because Mesa fixed it for free. I do have a back-up amp, but I really don't need it and it can't even begin to do what my RK can.

never used customer support.

I have been playing guitar for 14 years and this amp for 8 months and am still learning new things and love it to death. I've played blues, classic rock, country, pop-punk, emo, death metal and Hardcore on this amp and all of it sounds simply amazing.

This amp was made in 2005.
I play mostly melodic rock which varies from soft clean style to heavy distorted metalcore style. This amp does everything I need and then some. With 4 channels to choose from, I have been able to dial in the exact sounds I need for every song. On top of having 4 channels, you have 12 separate combinations of preamp and poweramp modes to choose from. I use the Rectifier-Tracking mode to assign a set of 12AX7's for use with 2 6L6's for my clean channel. This sound is absolutely amazingly clean when set to the 'clean' mode for the channel. I use a Rocktron Intellifx processor for all my clean tones and this amp has THE best feature for you effects lovers. EACH channel has a switch to enable/disable FX loop 1, and loop 2. So when I switch from my distorted channel (no effects) to my clean channel it automatically enables the effects loop without the need to press the FX loop button on the footswitch. To me this is by far the best feature this amp has. No more tap dancing on stage. Additionally for you tone nuts, the cab switching feature is awesome. Set your clean channels to run through a 3/4 back Road King cab and your distorted channels to come through a closed back Recto Standard. Best of both worlds... no sacrificing tonal clarity in either mode!

I currently use a Godin LG with the stock Tetrad style pickups. These pickups aren't the greatest and seem to pickup a lot more ambient light buzzing than others. Despite that, the sound that this amp delivers is nothing short of amazing. I play lead so my distorted channels are slightly less chunky than you would normally hear from a Dual Rec. Although I have set it up just to see how it handled a rhythm task. INSANE. As always it delivers true over the top Dual Rec style crunch. With diodes enabled and 4x6L6's with 2xEL34's selected you get a total of 150 bone crushing watts on tap. This is my channel 4 'chorus' setup. For my lead riffs I have Rectifier-Tracking with 2xEL34's. Not only does every single note come through clearly even when hitting sweeping arpeggios, but strummed chords and palm muting sounds fat and solid as well.

I haven't had a chance to take this amp out to a show yet as I just received it roughly 3 weeks ago. So far it has behaved quite nicely in our practice space. I've used it to lay down some tracks and everything went without incident. I have a feeling (from talking to other RK and Dual Rec Solo owners) that this amp can be used without a backup... providing you don't toss it around carelessly. As I don't have another 1700USD (got it on sale BRAND NEW) the first time out this will be the only amp in the truck.

I haven't had to contact Mesa for anything regarding this yet. Let's hope it stays that way.

First off, I paid 1700USD for this brand new on a rare Mesa authorized sale. Even for the full 2700USD price tag this amp is a bargain. I have played quite a few amps in search of the tone and feature set I want, and this wins hands down. I even had an Ashdown Fallen Angel 180 shipped just to play test. I've played Bogners, Marshalls, Crates, Peaveys, B52s, Fenders, Riveras... you name it, I've played it. I can safely say that for the music we play and the method in which I personally play, this amp will never leave my gear list. If it breaks I would go out the very same day and buy another one.

This RK Head was made in 2004.
4 channels with twelve modes

I used Fender guitar for all music style. At the first week I purchased this amp, I don't like the sound and I am about to sell it. After that I met a professional guitar player at Guitar Center in Hollywood CA. He is a Teacher at Musician's Institude, he told me that he also own this RK head too. This head is very good but you have to spend time to dial-up to get good sound, Not easy as other amp. So I do what he told me, after that this amp is the best sound and is the killer tone.

The Road King Head of the year 2000-2002 have to do some update mode. But mine don't have to update. Because it was the new model.

I have no problems with it.

I been playing guitar for 17 years.

I bought the Roadking when it first came out. I play mostly hard rock and this amp is good for that. This amp has a ton of features---4 channels, 100 watts, reverb, cabinet switching and power tube switching for each channel, parallel and series effects loops, etc. It would have been better to have a MIDI connection and memory instead of the external jacks for each channel. The Diezel VH4 I recently bought has this and it is a world of difference. I just hit the Midiboard and select the amp channel and hit "store" and it would switch to that channel whenever I was on that preset. The RoadKing on the other hand is a nightmare to setup on a MIDI footboard as most guitarists are not familair with MIDI programming.

I use a PRS Custom 22. The head is not that noisy and I use high gain settings. You may have some feedback issues if you use high output pickups, but that is normal when the gain is cranked. Here's my opinion of each channel:
Channel 1
Pretty decent clean sound, not spectacular by any means. It's seems a slightly overcompressed to me and seems to distort a little bit at higher volumes. It's nothing to complain about and nothing to write home about.
Channel 2
This is probably the best channel on the amp although I didn't use it as much as the others. You can get a really good moderate distorted sound kinda like ACDC. It's really very good!!!
Channel 3
This channel is really terrible in my opinion. The mids are too much, the gain has a certain buzzy overtone, and it is really over compressed. I used this for my lead channel (solos and non-metal sounding rhythms) and since this is what I use the most, I had to end up getting a different head.
Channel 4
I used this for high gain stuff with almost no mid and high treble and bass. It's a good channel for this purpose. It's a little over compressed and could be more focused. Its one of those things where it alters, to a small degree, the sound of your guitar instead of complimenting it.

I've had some problems with it but it was a new model amp and the bugs weren't worked out yet. It totally died at practice one day. Mesa has since had factory updates to address the issues though. The handle is tearing but Mesa said they would send me a new one for free. If you have a MIDI footboard, the external switching is a real pain. I had some switching problems at gigs, mostly my fault, but the way you have to set it up is complicated and alot can go wrong. I've had tubes die several times and there are alot of tubes on this thing. It would be nice to have an indicator for each tube like the Diezel VH4 has.

I've dealt with them on the recalls and took it to the Mesa repair guy a few times. They are pretty good and get the problem fixed in a reasonable amount of time. These are pretty complicated amps to work on and the repair guy I took it to had to have Mesa support in CA to help him. My amp still needs more updates but they wanted me to send it to CA but I didn't feel like sending it since I have a new head.

I've been playing 15 years and have had alot of equipment. This is a good head but in my opinion there is too much to it and there are other amps in the price range that are better. Bogner and VHT make some nice amps so I would suggest trying some of them before you buy the RoadKing. The Pitbull and Shiva are great amps. I did not but wish I would have. I now have a Diezel VH4 head and that thing is absolutely unreal. It will cost you, but it is worth every single penny. I go thru alot of gear but there are 2 things that I will never willingly part with: PRS Custom 22 (great guitar but u should definetly change the pickups) and the Diezel VH4.

I liked the look of this amp. So I thought I'd buy it.

I liked the sound of this amp. I had only been playing guitar for a week so I didn't know much about guitar amps and so I asked the guy in the shop what the most expensive amp was that he had in stock. He pointed me in the direction of this. I played it. I ould only play three chords, but it sounded great. I used the clean channels and it made the chords sound nice to my ears and so i thought that it must be a good amp. So i decided to buy it

I have only used it once and that was in the shop. Once I got it home it sat in the box in the corner of my basement for a couple of weeks and by that time I had given up playing the guitar. That was a year ago, I think it still works. I guess that an amp that cost me that much is meant to last a long time.

I must say that I have only found out now that the person in the shop overcharged me, as I can see here that people have only payed 2500 dollars. I think I may have been taken advantage of as the shop owner knew i was a new player. It cost me 6000 dollars and when i got home and opened the box it was only then that i realised that there was no speaker. I didn't realise that when you bought an amp you had to buy the speaker aswell seperately. I went back to the shop and the shop owner told me that i ahd bought a head and that i needed a speaker. He did not tell me this the first time. I payed for 4 speakers. He charged me 1999 dollars for this and when i got it home i couldn't connect the speakers up as i didn't have any jacks. I felt silly to say the least. I promised myself that i would go and get some the next day but i forgot and from then on i just put it off and so i have had them both for a year. I do not mind being ripped off as there is not much i can do about it now but i think it is a lesson that you should shop around for the best deal.

The warranty said it was 5 years transferrable. That is good of the company to give good service.

I had being playing a week and it sounded nice. I thought that perhaps buying it would make me a great player but i never got the chance to play it as i gave up after two weeks of playing. the amp looks good though. I am actually thinking of using it as a display piece in my mansion and building up a roomful of novelty items. It will certainly fit in. Whenevr i have guests, i can show them round my room and show them my amp that cost me a total of 8000 dollars. It is great!

(see my amp review on 08/15/2002 08:50)

(see my amp review on 08/15/2002 08:50)

Playing a Mk-III since '91, a Mk-IV since '98, a RK-Head since 2002 and an Rk-Combo since 2003. The first 2 amps got just new tubes sometimes an a cloth, of course. The other ones are very reliable, but just with one exception....

.... be careful!
A design flaw may crank down your hot-loving amp immedeately: I decided to switch and my TC G-Force and my RK-head with an exef-Midi-Swicher/Looper-Footpanel. The swichting of 4 Channels occupied all 4 of the exef's switching relays, so if you want to use the RK's Solo feature you'll be missing a switch. So I decided to use this Midi-Setup parallel to the King-Kontroller-Footpanel and plugged it in at the same time. If you do this, it's possibe e.g. to choose ch1 on the King-Kontroller an ch4 on Midi/Switch simultaneous. Both channel-indicators glow - but not for long... The result leads directly into a blowed rectifying diode-pair in the power-supply-section :-(

It would have been very nice, that if you plug in Midi-cables at the amp's back, that this action disables switching of that Midi-assigned channel on the King-Kontroller to avoid damaging the amp.

And, in addition very annyoing, there is no hint in the RK's manual, that simultaneous using of both features (Midi-Switching and King-Kontrolle) leads into damage :-(

This should be completely redesiged or added in the manual.

I got rid off this problem using a Nobels MS-8 Midi-to-Switch for all amp-switching-functions and removed King-Kontroller and relay-cables form the exef-mapper.

Another possibility coulde be to use the swiching jack for the "Solo" feature with a separate swich and put the rest on the relays.

(see my amp review on 08/15/2002 08:50)

(see my amp review on 08/15/2002 08:50)

4 independent channels (unlike Marshall Mode Four), Reverb (nice), Solo, series & parallel loops, & best of all 'progressive linkage' power amp selection.

My favorite feature (besides the power section switch) is the series loop. I run all my delay, chorus, etc. effects on the loop (after the pre-amp section) and keep the wah & OD before the pre-amp. With this setup I get 10 times better tone than just running all the effects straight from the guitar.

I was skeptical when I read the reviews that you can get almost any sound out of this amp, but "you can get almost any sound out of this amp"!

I like to play all styles of music and I wasn't happy with my Triple Rectifier's clean tone. I used to A/B my guitar signal and run the cleans through an old Marshall and the distortion through the triple. Now all I use is the Road King. I still get the Triple distortion on CH4 and I get an even better CH1 sound than with the Marshall.

If you're looking for a specific sound (ex. blues or metal) then I would suggest getting an amp that is built for that sytle (such as the Triple Recto for metal).

Haven't had the Road King very long, but I've owned Mesa amps for a long time and never really had a serious problem. I have gone through several sets of tubes though, but I guess that comes with the territory. Just wish Mesa tubes weren't so expensive.

By the way two of the Road King heads I tried out at different stores were set up wrong(no shorting plug on B output) and already had tube noise problems. You can really damage the amp if you don't know what you're doing. I insisted that I get a brand new in-a-box unit, which has had no problems.

These guys are knowledgeable, friendly (not condescending) and they actually call you back! Most of my "problems" were tube related, however they walked me through several troubleshooting steps instead of just saying "you need new tubes" right from the start.

I give this amp an overall rating of 8 only because of the price tag. I'm gonna be paying for this amp for a long, long time. I'm glad it comes with a 5 year warranty.

Amp was made 4th QTR 2004
Very versitile amplifier. I play classic rock Alternative,Punk,EMO,Metal,Goth,NuMetal etc.
4 channels. I use it as such: 1)nice fenderidsh clean 2)clean,but can get some brit grit. 3)vintage (can get it to sound similar like the bogner XTC EL34's) 4) Recto heaven, sounds like the a mesa rectumfrier signature sound. I am very happy with the sound of this amp. Plenty of features and very versitile. I use it for jamming with drummer and studio recording. Plenty of power.

I play it with a les paul gothic and a fender strat plus w/ hotrail.
The amp is wonderful for all styles. Nice sparkling clean, gritty
marshall type sounds, bogner(ish) vintage sounds and Bone Crushing
heavy Recto Metal type. Unit is average as far as noise goes. Some pops while changing channels, but I think it is acceptable considering my gains are set pretty high. I got the Standard straight Recto cab with V30's and It sounds amazing!

This is my 3rd RK amp.
1) unit was floor model 2002 needed updates (relay dropout)
I was not too concearned cause I knew I was getting a newer unit with
all the updates.
2) 4 months later got the new unit, But it had a problem w/solo knob
3) 9 months later finally got a replacement that is perfect so far.
I am very happy now. I think maybe I had bad luck..3rd times a charm.
I dont expect to have any more issues, seems like a solid and quality built amp. Sh*t happens.

Support was responsive, supportive and very helpful while talking on the phone. The guys at Mesa are very nice and pleasant to talk with.
I do have a complaint though. I think if your Brand New top of the line RK is a "DOA" tech support should not suggest you take it to the Authorized Service Center to get it fixed. I know this is standard procedure for most companys nowadays, but I think it is in bad taste to do so considering this is my first impression of Mesa after dreaming of owning one for 16 years and buying the top of the line model and paying a substantial amount of cash for the Head.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase and believe Mesa will treat me right in the future if I am in need of thier support.
I like the 5 yr warranty!

Been playing for 16 years. Own a bogner XTC half stack, Line 6 flextone HD2 half stack(I find the thing useable sometimes)
I cannot say It is better than my Bogner. Y'all know the Bogner
XTC is a killer amplifier. I can say that I like it as much as my Bogner and that they keep each other good company.
If it was stolen..(Amen) after I got out of prison I would buy
another for sure. I seriously considered the Uberschall while buying the RK. I wanted a Mesa since I already have a XTC. I'd love to have a Uberschall too, but I have more than enough amp to keep me happy
for the time being.
Thank You Mesa for offering such a wonderful product!

C'mon 4 channels with a different tube set per channel. This thing ROCKS!!!

I'm using a Peavey Wolfgang and a Schecter PT Custom.
This amp has so many tones available. Is it a Marshall, very close but so useable. I now have 4 channels of great tone available.
All the sounds are great.

It's a great value considering all the tonal possibilities.

This Amp has everything you could ever need.....read the rest of the posts or go to Boogie's website if you want details. It's almost too much at first, but remember you don't HAVE to use everything at once. It's nice to know the options are there if you do need it eventually though.

I'm playing throgh a PRS Custom 24 and Fender Standard American Strat, although this amp is brand new to me and I've only had enough time to test it with my PRS. Honestly, when I first got it (after 3-4 months of waiting) I was kinda let down by the sound I was getting. The common criticisms of Mesa's being too bassy and muddy seemed to be true. Since then, I've spent about 9-10 hours each weekend for the past 4 weeks experimenting, and it's really paid off! The RK is not your typical amp, and spending 20 minutes at Guitar Center or whatever is NOT going to give you an idea of what it can really do. I've now got everything from a beautiful, shimmery clean sound to a fat blues sound to a nice gritty rhythem sound a la The Rolling Stones.

This amp has it all....it's in there believe me! A lot of people have posted specific settings here, but the thing I found that helps the most is playing with the volume and tone knobs on your guitar....if you're the kind of person who leaves your guitar at '10' all the time, you're going to get some pretty cheezy sounds. Backing off on the volume really helps to get those "middle crunch" sounds people think are lacking from this amp. I think the rectifiers are unfairly known as nu-metal amps for this reason. This amp definitly has a high learning curve, but so many possibilities once you get into it. I expect even more great sounds once I start playing with my Strat too.

I'm giving the RK a 9 for now, cause it's not the best sounding amp I've ever heard. However, it keeps getting better and better the more I play with it, so this rating might change in the future. It's definitely inspired me to play more in the meantime.

Build like a tank. I have my own studio, and don't move it around much, so I expect it to last forever. Everything feels very rugged and solidly built.

Don't know cause it's too new, although almost everyone who writes about their support says positive things.

Overall, this is a great product. I don't plan on buying another amp for a long long time after this, and I think I'll be fine until then. The only reason I could see someone being dissapointed with this amp is if they were expecting this amp to sound exactly like a fender or marshall or something else. Even though it has all those tubes in there, it sounds like a Mesa. Nothing more and nothing less. In a way, I think Boogie shot themselves in the foot by advertizing it as "a fleet of great old tube amps" ie. fender and marshall. They should of advertized it as "the most versitle and flexible tube amp" out there.

Too many.

Have no desire to follow the crowd.

Everyone should know by now, that amp is nothing but problems. Amp techs will tell you the truth. As far as I'm concerned, Mesa has taken a HUGE dive. You know , I have old Mesa literature in which Randall says- and I quote- "I saw no need to add to the clutter of musical products which come and go as quickly as clothing fashions. Instead I set out to innovate a classic design that would EARN it's place as a legitimate musical instrument. How? By offering new and FAr better performance. I wanted to make the best and never cared about selling the most. Other companies can fight for that distinction. Creating a Mesa BOogie is like building a Ferrari; it's a satisfying experience because it requires the skills of a master craftsman...etc. etc." They can't even supply the right tubes for their old amps any more- another one of the selling points back in the early 80's. So what happened Randall??? To get the tubes that were put in my Mark 3 and Strategy 400 is $100 a piece now. Mesa doesn't even offer them. Once again - from the Mesa catalog- and I quote - " More power, more punch, more sustain and better tone from the strongest, longest lasting, quietest and most reliable premium tubes. It's simple: Mesa-Boogie builds uncompromising amplifiers. So naturally we understand better than anyone else what tubes work best. And we make them available separately with this promise: They are the BEST. Period....etc. etc.....You can find tubes that cost more, but if they worked better we'd be using them." So....what happened Randall??? The old school str 415's (or whatever they're calling them nowdays) are available - but not from Mesa. I guess all the people who supported Mesa in the beginning and made him a very rich man don't really matter any more. What happened? Did he sell the company or something. I told my friend if he wanted a great amp to buy a boogie. He went out and bought one brand new and never had anything but problems with it. I felt like a jerk. I'm not saying they sound like the ROAD KING, but try an older marshall JMP if you don't have the quid or stick out the waiting period and go with a Bogner Uberschall if you want real service and a LIFETIME (to the original owner) guarantee. If I could afford one - that's what I would get. Two channels is enough. It records excellently. The mic does not lie. Try using your volume and tone knobs on your guitar for a change. Seems like Eddie VH poisoned a generation with the one knob thing. Try investing in some decent CTS pots and 1% or 2% tolerance tone caps and stop relying on gain to cover up lack of technique.

I'm just angry at Mesa for taking such a huge dive. Answering the phone does not eqate to great service. All that means is that they can pay someone $10 per hour to answer a phone. Back in the day, if something minor went wrong - like a pot or switch or something - they would send it to you free. Now they charge you even for the most minor piece if the amp is out of warranty. We're talking full retail price. Some of their service centers don't know how to fix some of the models and they don't even send them any info or anything unless specifically requested. I called them to ask about retubing (the old ones lasted over ten years by the way) and they are no longer available. All they have is the newer russian ones. If you've ever held them side by side with the older ones, you can visually see that the new ones are not even close to being as beef.

probably all you need

I'll go by what the survey is asking me by
1) I have a MusicMan John Petrucci 7-string signature and there's DiMarzio Pickups in there in case someone didn't know.
2) I play mostly rock and I sometimes try to play a jazz and some fusion and it basically does both very nicely
3) The RK is indeed noisy but not noisier than any other tube amps. but in order to get good tone, there must be some kinda sacrifice.
4) The RK suprisingly does not sound like a Rectifier, though I did buy the amp because I thought the RK could make the Rectifier sounds in addition to the other sounds, but it just has the 'Road King' sound, so if you're looking for an amp that could make sounds of different amps, the Road king is not it.. buy a Line 6 or somthing
5)The clean channel can both be distorted and not distorted depending on the tube choices on the 'Progressive Linkage'. The more tubes you use on that channel, the less distorted it gets because of the headroom the tubes give to the amp.
6) The Distortion, though it doesn't really sound like a Rectifier, it has gain as much as the Rectifier, maybe because I own the amp, but I just like the RK distortion better than rectifiers, I think it has a less generic rock sound than the Rectifiers.

I haven't really used it for gigs yet, I've owned this amp for about 5 month now. nothing wrong yet

they helped me with some confusion about the amp. since this was my first professional amp, I didn't know much about the f/x loops and stuff, but the guys helped me figure it out.

I've been playing for 5 years and used to use a Gt-3 and a Roland amp before I bought this amp, now I just have a couple pedals with the amp like a wah and whammy and volume pedals.

If it were stolen, I would really cry because this is really expensive compared to many amps, yea, Im not really sure if this amp is worth the price, but I like it.

I just love that I have a really good sounding amp, I know many people might disagree with me but I like the sound so you can't really say anything about that . Though I do hate that it takes time and a lot of tweaking to get the right sound. But don't all good sounds come from a lot of tweaking? i think it does.

It is a lot more expensive than a lot of other amps, but I actually think it's worth and I could actually find my sound in this amp.

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.

See other reviews or go to mesa's web cite to many to sit here and type them all out, but with that being said it's over the top!

Currently playing a shecter C1+ w/ stock P/U's, yes I know it seems kind of stupid to play a $500 guitar on a $2600 amp, but this is my second Boogie and the way I see it, It's better to buy a great amp and skimp on the guitar untill I can aford to buy a great guitar (the amp put me in the pore house). Not that the shector is a bad guitar it just needs a little help in the electronics department. Tone wise this amp seems to be very good, Im still working with it and so far I'm happy with what I have found tone wise it's definitely not a one show pony. I have come to know the color of confusion when trying to shape the tone of this amp it is very different from a Marshall or fender or any other amp for that matter and probabley not a fair compairson eather but there is so much that you can do with this amp it is mind boggling and will take time for me anyhow to realy be fluent in - shall we say tuning this amp. But the bottom line is the sound of this amp works for me I wanted somthing that was different then anything else out there and it had to be a tube and it had to be versatile and it had to be of great quality. I think this amp has all of thoes listed, the Clean's are warm and the distortions can be thick and brutal if needed.

I have talked to mesa reguarding the first boogie that I had which was a simal 295, I called it the brick because it weighed so much, it was built in 89 and was still going stong when I sold it. This amp I suspect is going to do the same. Everything that boogie builds is rock solid. Allthough I do have reservations about the little switches on the back of the amp but this is kind of petty.

Out standing - they return rour E-mails in a timly manner and they actually have time to talk to you on the phone, considering how many professionals use boogie I like the fact that that they have time for the little guy.

I have played for 30 years now on and off and I have owned this amp now since April of 03 and I have used it every week consistly since than and have had no problems. I think if I were to recomend an amp to someone I would have to know what type of music that they were into. Every amp is different even the same type, as far as sound and tone and everyone has there owne taste so it all boils down to what YOU like. So to dog another amp in favor of another is purly ones opinion and we all know the old saying. So hers myne This amp works for me and I like the Versatility and the tone that it provides I play Rock, Hardrock, old Metal and Blues I don't like the price or the weight but you do get 4 chanels each w/3 voices and a grip of power configuerations....not bad! if it were stolen I don't think I would drop the cash for another.

I bought my roadking last year novemeber in 2002 it does have a built in fan to keep everything cool,of course it has alot of features its a 4ch amp that has 2 effects loops,2el34s 46l6 tubes and 2 rectotubes. it pretty much has everthing the diezal amp has except for the midi thing. ooh yeah the roadkink also has progressive linkage,the most impotsnt thing and I almost forgot.

This beast sounds awwwwsome, I use to have a tripple recto until I traded it in for the roadking. you can get so many good sounds out of this amp,it was money well spent. I use to run the amp threw a 5150 cab and it didnt sound bad,but when I got the recto cab it sounded 100% better so I give the Recto cab a 10. my set up is pretty simple just the way I like it. I use a peavey wolfgang with emg85 as my main guitar, a dunlop 535Q wah. the only fx I us in my amps fx loop are a 7band eq just for a tad more bass,and a delay for my clean ch thats it.

I know for a fact that my road king was built like a tank cause just last mounth I accidentaly tipped over my half stack. My roadking feel face first on the floor I all most shit my self. I picked my amp up thinking to my self im fucked. I plugged it back in and everything was fine just like the day it came out of the box thank god.

I havent had to deal with mesa yet

This is a damn good amp, not only does it sound good but it can also take a beating,

2003 Road King Head. Features have been covered however I want to comment that the newest Road King amps have improvements incorporated to resolve issues brought up in previous reviews. I received mine in the beginning of October and came with the factory installed fan. The fan is very quiet and does an amazing job of cooling the amp. I usually play the amp for approx. 3 hours at a time and when I go to turn it off it always amazes me how cool the chassis and tubes are. The reverb must also have been improved because mine is way sufficient in volume and can get very dense when turned up... it also sounds very good on all four channels. Channel switching on this Road King head is also much much quieter than on the 3-channel dual and triple rectifier models currently being made... If I can base that on the fact that I compared this head to three triple recto's and one dual rectifier in the store and the Road King after one static discharge channel switch did not produce any further popping. The other recto's continued to produce the very loud popping noise when switching channels.

I play this with a Jackson USA PC1 (DiMarzio's) and a USA Dinky (EMG's). The amp sounds great with the PC1 for clean and mid gain tones and the Dinky sounds amazing on the high gain channels and settings. I don't understand many of the reviews that are so dissatisfied with the tones of this amp. I've previously owned a 2-channel dual and triple rectifier a Mark IV short head. This amp definitely covers all the tones available on those amps and goes much further in producing tones none of those amps could produce. Some settings and tones definitely sound better with the amp running open than trying to subdue it with the effects loop curcit on and utilizing the 'Output' control. If you don't like the tones of this amp then you don't like Mesa tones. If you do... this IS the holy grail of Mesa tones as advertised since they are all there. I can even get tones that sound exactly like the Maverick Class A tones in Channel 1 + 2. This amp however is also much much much quieter with the gain turned up when compared to the 4 other dual/triple models I tried.

I have every confidence that this amp will be extremely reliable. The cooling fan works wonders and keeps the amp from running hot. It is always just mildly warm. This should keep reliability very high. But, the amp does have alot of relays which can go bad every now and then so I will give it a 9.

I haven't spoken with them in a long time.

More than satisfied with this amp. It has all the Mesa tones in one amp and quite a few additional tones. All the extras come at cost of an extra $900 over the triple rectifier models. It is well worth it to skimp somewhere in your gear purchases to invest that cash in the Road King. The amp came with a 5 Year transferable warrantee. So I feel comfortable... and if I ever decide to sell it, I can arrange for my buyer to benefit from the remainder of the warrantee. This is a terrific point as it will help the new Road Kings keep there value by giving the second owner peace of mind.

This is a follow up to my other reviews. I have a Road King head; got it from Mesa Hollywood and those guys do a killer job of taking care of their customers and asnwering questions.

This amp is extremely versatile and I can get pretty much any sound I want out of it. The footswitch is big, but lets me select any of the 4 channels at the drop of a hat and bypass either of the effects loops. I think this is the closet you can get to a Bradshaw type system without talking to old Bob (not Terry, I'm Browns fan) himself.

My setup for playing covers is like this:
ch1 is used for clean, ch2 is used for that volume sensitive semi-clean from the Sheryl Crow, the Stones to SRV; ch3 is my rock overdrive channel and ch4 is the metal station.


Ch1: I just love this channel. The choices and sounds are mind boggling...I use 2 6l6 when I want a tad bit of drive on the clean channel and 4 6l6 when I want headroom and clean clean.

ch2: Best rolling stones overdrive and SRV tones I've ever heard. With a bridge humbucker and a little boost you get the ac/dc thing happening fairly well.

ch3: fat rock overdrive; think old aerosmith, bad co., and all the other classic rock stuff. To me it sounds killer.

ch4; High gain rythym...this is the best high gain sound I've ever heard, but, I have not played a Bogner so can't compare.

on all the setups above, I use a reissue Ts-9 to boost for leads and the amp loves that drive from the Ts-9.

I really wanna give this a rating of 8.5.

Well, I can't speak about anyone but myself. I've used this 2 nights a week, every week since April '03...many many 4 set nights have been kompleted with the king and I have no complaint. Inside, outside, 100+ Inland Empire temperatures and humid clubs and no problems so far. Nothing is a 10 though. I give it great reliability marks up to this point.

Again, the salespeople and amp guys at Mesa Hollywood are helpful and easy to deal with.

I love this amp. It takes time to get used to it and understand how to tweak the EQ. I find the bass setting needs to be 4 or less for my taste on all channels. You have to choose the right speaker cab based on your playing situation...for lower volumes and smaller clubs I recommend greenbacks and have had great luck with one of the reissue marshall cabs. For louder situations, I like the Legacy cab with v30s.

This amp has just about every feature known to modern man,mesa boogie's flagship all singing,all dancing gigging machine,just one important feature I wish it had-tone.

I used a variety of guitars through this amp,singles,hums,all sounded very average through 3 of the channels,the exception being ch.2 which sounds excellent in the brit mode with 2 el34's.When this channel is cranked it reminds me of a marshall 800,nice biting distortion with a bridge humbucker.Me being a classic rocker it brought a big grin to my face playing a few ac/dc riffs,nailed the tone bang on.
After working with this amp for 5 months and trying to gig with it,I have yet to find any useable sounds in channels 1,3,and 4.Ch.1 is the clean and sounds sparkly with s/c's at low volumes,but breaks up unmusically at gig volumes,the 2 high gain channels(3&4)sound thin and harsh to my ears.I am giving this a 4 because of a great sounding ch.2

never had a problem

dealt with mesa before with previous amps,they have always been very helpful

Been playing 25 years, had a shedful of quality amps including 6 other boogies which were all better than the roadking.
After paying a lot of hard earned cash this amp was a major disappointment,I thought mistakenly that this would be the ultimate gigging tool-how wrong I was.The only redeeming feature is ch.2 but you might as well buy a JCM 800 to get that sound and save a lot of cash.I really wanted to like this amp after spending so much time and money on it, but I finished up gigging and just using channel 2 set to crunch,backing off on the guitar to clean up and stepping on a fulltone pedal for solos.The footswitch is huge,totally impractical, and the amp is very heavy.
I have come to the conclusion that no amp can do it all and I am perhaps better off using 2 amps-one for clean,one for mean and using an a/b box to switch between them.The roadking is going to be sold.If it were stolen I would be very happy because I could use the insurance money to buy 2 or 3 quality amps with better tone.I am giving this category a 3 because of the one excellent channel it has.

So i saved every penny i had for this piece of crap. Finally went to the local music store and bought it. What a huge mistake!

The amp has a wide variety of bad features. Here is some: The knobs on the back are cheesy and weak, the switches are delicate and this amp weighs a ton. The effects loop jacks squeal like crazy if you use professional heavy cables on them. I suppose it is versatile if you like loud annoying buzzing in between your playing on channels 2,3,& 4. I spent a good 6 months with this amp, tweakin over and over and it still suks. The idea was great but the execution/design is very bad. This amp is no where near live ready. Out of the past 6 times I gigged with it, I wanted to smash it 8 times. Noise Noise Noise. Try to trouble shoot 4000 buttons/knobs on a dark stage in the middle of the your set, when they are supposed to work in the first place. It took me 3 gigs to find out that the effects loops jacks squealed like hell when you applied pressure to them..i.e. a cable hanging from the input jack. See "customer support" for what mesa said! It has plenty of power..but what is power when the amp doesnt work right. I gave it a four for the four times I kicked it at my last gig.

I use a variety of axes including Ibanez Universe 7 strings, Washburn x series, a les paul, and even a fender American tele. I play a wide variety of covers and originals from heavy as hell to jazz/blues. This amp is so f***ing noisy on Channel 4 that I unplugged it and went direct on my last gig. I can not believe Mesa did not correct this huge, huge problem. Even with the gain turned way down, there was a huge buzz. This amp can make a variety of unpleasent and nasty sounds when you are not playing. When u are playing however, it sounds ok. Just ok though. The clean channel 1 is pretty good. No complaints here, but I'm sure it could be better. Channel 2 is ok too, I guess. 3 and 4 totally suk. It is a typical mesa distortion on 3 and 4, except with a noticable hum/buzz in the background.

Ehh...yeah...6 gigs...6 major complications. Do the math.

So i call them because of the effects loop prob and buzzing prob I was having. They were very knowledgable and friendly I must say. Go Mesa! But what they told freaked me out. They said in so many words "Yeah...sorry bout that...we know there is a problem...try suspending your effects loop cables when you plug them in, so the dont put downward pressure on the jacks." " And as far as the buzzing....try turning the gain down...but we know it buzzes quite a bit on Channels 2, 3, & especially 4 in MODERN mode."

I was like "Thanks for nothing!" I figured that out a month ago!

All in all the guy on the phone was cool and I can't blame him.
I give him, and all the other "I'm just doing what I'm told" employees a 10 for putting up with customers like me and dealing with a terribly designed product.

Suk Suk Suk!!! Im going back to my Rocktron Gainiac and my power amp.
I would actually pay someone to steal it.
The best thing about it is that it is worth so much, that i can get a complete rig of Line 6 stuff and hopefully be happy.
I hardly would recommend this amp to even the bands in my area that do the same thing as we do. (i.e. our competition) It was a collosal screw up, and will eventually show up on the History Channel on the show "Greatest Musical Blunders"

Feel free to contact me if you are gonna make a bad decision and purchase this amp! Peace.

This is my 2nd review of this head.
Please see my other review.

This is my 2nd review of this head.
Please see my other review.

I have to say that it is very quiet.

I've been playing around (small gigs) and rehearsing frequently with it. I either use Mesa 1x12 Thiele Cab, or Recto 2x12 Cab. It works very well with both.
I was told by Mesa Boogie that there are some updates to be done on these amps (mine is #000716).
1 of them is a small Fan that comes installed on the newer RK heads. As I live in Brazil, I'll have to install it myself. I never had a problem though, but it concerns me, because other owners may have had issues.

Deserves 11, 12, 13... never seen better Customer Service in my life. No matter the industry. Mesa's CS is one of a kind. Awesome.
Of course, being a foreigner, you have to speak good English when talking to them over the phone.
They sent me the fan (no charge) by mail with instructions (really simple to instal).

Please see my other review. Still very valid.
I have a Recoverb Head as well (bought new in July 2003) which is an amazing amp too.
The RK is still the best sounding amp I've ever heard. It is a multiple orgasm!!!! Very very powerful.

great features

channels 3 and 4 are awesome

this is the third road king head i have had in less than a year. they have sent me new ones but on channels 3 and 4 when played for a long period the amp starts cutting in and out. it is a problen that comes and goes and i dont think they have got it figured out yet

they have sent me new amps but the problem persists

i love the amp it sounds great but i am worried about it being so new there are problems yet to be solved and i hope as they find these problems, rich duvall from mesa boogie will call the customers that have had a record of these and will do a follow up to ensure that my $2500 for the head and my $700 for the cabinet was not a mistake. but when its there it dont get much better

Almost everything you could ask for.

Lots of clean headroom. From fender-ish clean to vintage marshall crunch to fat "brown sound" leads to brutal metal. All delivered quite well. The high gain sounds could have a little more punch. Sounds damn good straight out of the box without any effects. A sound guy told me a couple days ago that it sounded "freakin' huge, like a mountain."
Used with a Les Paul Standard with SD'59 in the bridge running through a pair of Mesa Recto 4x12 cabs.
Sounds great but for the price could be better.

I've had mine for like a year and a half and its broke down on me twice. Diodes keep burning up. This is unacceptable, especialy for an amp in this price range. A working musician does not have the time to deal with this crap.

One year limited warranty doesn't do much good. Closest authorized service center is three hours away.

Doesn't matter to me how good it sounds if you can't depend on it. Ironic that an amp called the Road King isn't road worthy. Also the covering isn't very durable and the switches on the back seem rather delicate. Sould have been called the Studio Queen.

I'm a marshall guy, specifically jcm800. So the other night at a show, when i went to turn my amp on the thing was just putting out static. My amp is a hotrodded one with features done by trace at voodoo amps and what happend was the gain switch that he put on it broke off... bummer.. so luckly i have a friend that ownes a roadking.. When i picked it up from him all i thought was jesus christ i'll never figure it out. If you have a decent knowledge of amps, you'll probably be able to figure it out because mesa did a pretty good job trying to keep it as simple as possible. But its got more features than i'll ever need and more buttons on the footswtich than knobs on my jcm800.

I play a gibson les paul studio with a jb in the brdige and i had this amp running through an old jcm800 4x12 cab. My band (www.theacademyrock.com) has a posthardcore sound but we use as much clean in our songs as distortion.For an amp at this price you'd expect it to sound like everything you'd ever want. It actually sounds really good but it also isnt all that. I think the 1st clean channel was a bit bright, and if ou put it on the fat mode it was just too muddy and i i messed around a little with the tube selection.. but i found it to be pretty good for that crunchy brite clean. I thought the 2nd channel had a pretty good clean, it was alot warmer and i thought had a little more balls to it. I kept it on the brit mode but with alot of mids and presence. The clean channels were pretty quiet though, i had both masters around 3 oclock and then the main volume at 6 or 7 and it was just loud enough for the show. I was a bit disappointed with the distortion. If you're a gain freak, you'll love this amp, but in my opinion the gain channels were not very musical. Both are VERY buzzy and you have to turn the gain waaayyy low to get rid of it. I actually liked the 3rd channel but i kept the gain at about 9-10 oclock but had the presence and mids way up so it'd cut through more. The 4th channel i thought just sounded waaayy too harsh. I play music in the genre of thursday and glassjaw, so we're somewhat heavy but i just thought the 4th channel was ridiculous. The amp is versatile, but almost too much, and a to me the 4th channel is useless

Mesa does really good at building their stuff to last. This amp is solid and i'm sure it'll stay that way until it blows up. These heads are really heavy, like really heavy. The only thing i'd be worried about is the tubes. theres sooo many tubes in there and if the amp fell off something or anyhing like that, you're looking at some serious damage. I dont even want to think about how much it would be to replace all those tubes. As far as construction goes, A+

i dont know. I know that they usually do warrenties though

I've been playing for close to 5 years and i'm in a pretty well respected upcoming rock band from chicago and i'm really picky about my sound. This amp is cool and all, but for the money i'd rather get something a little more worth while, like a bogner or a rocaforte. It really isnt a bad amp at all but again.. a little excessive. I'm not just all about jcm800s, i do like mesa stuff but i tend to think its a bit over rated and not very musical. If you're all about switches and knobs and gain, then this is your amp. I thought it was cool, but i'm not really all that impressed with it. It you want a mesa, get a dual recto solo or a tremoverb. If you have the money then go ahead and get the road king. But i really dont think its that great of a value, or that great of an amp

this amp has tons of features. all the things you would want on an amp. i play a lot of ac/dc and not the newest kind of rock. you choose from 4 channels. if the features sounded good i would be happier but they suck! i play at big clubs, parties, and tons of other gigs. the power is ok.

i use a jackson with hot rails seymour duncan pickups. it sounds great to me. i play lead guitar and it isn't as good as there other amps. the channels are not that great as i said before and the reverb sucks because it has delay and for an amp which is so EXPENSIVE i would expect a little more. the clean channel is pretty good in high volumes. when you hit the distortion it has a brutal punch to it. when u put reverb on it it cuts down the distortion too much.

i have has this amp for 3 months and it hasn't had many problems. i would use a back up if u are going to play on stage though. first of i wouldn't even use it on stage. the crowd would boo you off. i gave mine to my cousin who is just starting.

i havent ever called them.

i've been playing for about 11 years and i own a marshall jtm 45 plexi. if it broke or got stolen i wouldn't buy it again. i hate mostly the sound of the channels and the reverb but it looks awesome.

Purchased brand new in june 2003. This amp features 4 channels, each with 3 modes, plus an assignable power amp section that enables you to select either EL34's, 6L6's or both and assign your desired combinations to each seperate channel. it also features auto rectifier tracking which calls up the perfect rectifier combo for your selected power amp configuration...either one 5U4, two 5U4's, Silocon Diodes, or all three.
The amp has two FX loops, one series, one parallel, both switchable on each channel, reverb, also switchable, and the option to even assign different cabinets for different channels i.e open back 2X12 for the clean and a closed 4X12 for the dirt....the roadking does so much more as well, too much to list here. Put simply its the most versatile amp i have ever encountered, having used a Hughes and Kettner Triamp amongst others, and the possiblities for tone seem limitless. im a pro musician and also a lead singer, so the versatility matched with the ease of use is a major selling point to me, allowing me to perform without having to think too much about gear!

Im using a Gibson Lucille and a Gibson SG Custom, both stock guitars with Gibson PAF's in them. Im gonna be experimenting with pickups in the coming months, but i do actually like the stock pickups. Im playing original material that i would consider to be rock n roll in the vein of stone temple pilots/foo fighters - if u had to name-check other bands - but its pretty unique stuff. The road king offers the perfect sound for my needs as a ballsy rhythm guitar player. Its loud (130 watts when all 6 poweramp valves are combined) but not too noisy. I do use a rocktron HUSH pedal in the roadkings series FX loop to keep things a little tighter, but thats mostly to do with using the semi-hollow bodied Gibson Lucille. The sounds range from pristine clean to the filthiest death imaginable. Any sound you have in your head is in this baby somewhere. I also own a dual rec, a mark 4 and a triamp, and this roadking sounds better than all of them put together. One tiny niggle is the huge volume differance between the modes on channels 3 and 4. It seems strange that u have to wind the volume up so much for one sound mode and the other bites your head off. it makes me worry a little bit about power tube ware...but that really is the only thing im not mad about. im still gonna give it ful marks though because the tone, irrespective of volume differences, is awsome!

i haven't owned the amp long so i cant really say how reliable it is, but its built like a tank and is fully flight-cased (not included) and with the options of swithing power tubes via the rear panal rocker switch, if some go down, u could just switch to the others. The other Mesa's i own have NEVER given me a problem, so im gonna judge this as i have judged them. Slightly hard on power tube ware, but more or less faultless

Never had to deal with Mesa direct, but the shop i buy all my gear from are official dealers and they have always been super helpful. The full waranty is one year (6 months for tubes) but i dont envisage having to call upon it.

Ive been playing guitar for about 11 years and have used all sorts of gear in that time. I have swapped a 20 unit rack full of stuff for this amp, so i guess that shows just how versatile i consider it to be.(i still have the rack, just saving it for the studio...plus im a gear head and can't bare to part with equipment)Im gonna buy a back up at some point, not that i think i'll need it, but touring at the level i will be in a little while, u gotta have spare everything. Im just using the amp with its footswitch, a rocktron hush pedal and a electro harmonix small clone in the fx loop, and thats my sound. I love it and i comend Mesa for creating another benchmark that the rest of the industry is gonna have to catch up to. It IS and expensive amp...particularly given UK import taxes, and some would argue its overpriced. Personally i dont mind paying for this kind of versatiliy and build quality.

Brand new in 2003, 4 channels, to many features to list. Really all you'd every need.

I use PRS and Charvel. I play all styles (or try to!) from 50's to current. Amp is quiet except for high gain settings which is normal. Amps sounds range from pretty clean to pretty brutal. I really wanted this amp to work for me, but I tweaked and tweaked and nothing really blew me away. This amp MUST be cranked to get any presence and cut. I mean CRANKED! Not practical for me. Also I could'nt dial out that annoying rectified buzz when distorted. I didn't mind that sound (we do play some Creed) but I wanted to get rid of it for most of my sounds. Channel 1's clean was good but not great. I used the 4 6L6's for clean to get maximum headroom. Sound is clean but not real rich, you know, like a .....Fender Twin. I know, you've heard that before! Sorry. But they do sound nice. Not a bad channel. Channel 2 is pretty good for clean and overdrive (think Vox) and had a very musical midrange thickness to it. I set it to "Brit" and used the EL34 by themselves. Good natural breakup, no buzz on this one. My favorite. Channel 3 was my next favorite. Still, it didn't blow me away but it was good for rhythm and the best for lead in my humble opinion. The rhythm overdrive was good, but here's where that buzz starts creeping in. It's not overtones or richness, just buzz. If you go light on the drive on this channel it's good, just not smooth. In fact, I ran it with the drive dial barely on and it was close but not quite there. You can't seem to get what you'd think should be between Channel 2 and 3. Marshall. (sorry again) A light breakup with warmth AND cut. Leads sound pretty good with the drive on 12:00 and the treble at 2:00 for cut. Take the presence to 9:00 to smooth out the sound. Use the EL34's again, or mix them with the 26L6's. It will fatten the sound but loosen the top end with the 6L6's a little. (that buzz) At low drive settings, (12:00 and under) the channel is very musical. Channel four. This one was the famous Creed, Limp Bizkit sound you hear a lot these days. It's good for that, and I do like it, but not all the time. You can get a good lead sound, but it takes patients. When I got the sustain I wanted, the buzz started to creep (Creed) in. Very annoying and frustrating. I used the EL34's (again) by themselves to get a more even breakup to the sound. When mixed with the 6L6's you get more bass but it becomes very splattered on the high end. I truly hated the 6L6's by themselves when the amp was distorted. When at the highest (3:00) gain settings using the 6L6's, the massive amount of overtones will smooth it out somewhat but by then your Tremonti again. Not a bad thing, just limited. If you rethink the way it's layed out it can be useful. Mesa's intention seemed to be like this: Channel 1 - clean, 2 - crunch, 3 - overdrive, 4 - lead. For me this amp would have worked if I could get more out of channel 2. Then 3 could be my lead and 4 would be Tremonti. For 3 grand I couldn't make that compromise.

Mesa has a good repution but this amp has a lot of features that could break. In between all my tweaking that my band endured the reverb quit intermittantly, and a couple of times when I went to channel 4 for a lead it was gone! Pretty embarassing. Remember, the reverb is supposed to delay a couple seconds before you hear it. That's normal on this amp. But it isn't supposed to go away!

One call and no call back. They forgot I guess. From what I heard this is rare but it happened to me. I took the amp back so I didn't follow up.

I've been playing for 25 years. Just like a lot of players I'm always looking for "my" sound. For me it's somewhere between a Marshall JCM 800 and the older Mesa like 70's sound of Santana. Like I said, I thought this was the most amazing amp I've ever seen, and I really wanted it to work for me. Maybe the whole rectified thing is the problem - I thought ALL amps have rectifiers to convert the current though? I swear, ALL of the Mesa line that are "rectifiers" (and I've played all of them) sound way to harsh for the medium volumes that I use. Maybe I'm expecting to much from tube amps at lower volumes. But the problem really wasn't volume, just cut. The sounds seems to come from the back of the amp. If you can give my some insight on this I would really appreciate it. The only amp by Mesa that I have'nt tried is the Mark IV. I'm hoping that it's voiced differently but not drastically.

I'm very critical...see my previous reviews

Around 20 gigs and not an issue yet...

Guys at Hollywood store are great.

As a heavy user of the Road King, I gotta tell ya the the thing with the reverb is not something I can even hear at stage volumes (clubs). I think my biggest complaint is the 8 - 16 Ohm speaker output...I'm only guessing, but I think it is fixed at 8 Ohms and when I plug my 16 Ohm cab in it seems like I'm not getting full power...which would be the case if the tranny is fixed at 8 on that output.

As a Mesa owner myself, I feel compelled to add my two cents. A couple of reviews down is one by "Phil", and he sounds like a very unhappy tyre kicker in terms of the low reverb level/reverb switching delay on the Road King he test drove.

I'll share what a Mesa support tech told me in response to my question about the reverb delay:

"Reverb cutting out for a couple seconds is normal. It has to do with the muting mechanisms in the amp (LDR's). They bring the reverb in slowly so there is no 'backwash' of reverb that can be less than pleasant to the ears."

In terms of low reverb level - most, if not all Mesa amps are like this. If you don't like it, there's an easy solution: don't use it, or don't buy it in the first place. Mesa reverb is very subtle and beautiful. If you need more reverb, buy a pedal/rack/Fender amp.

Updated from my last review

Was using a Marshall 4-by with G12T-75 speakers and decided that was not right for Mesa stuff...Bought a Legacy 4by with the Vintage 30s and it made a big difference....the grain is gone and the sound is fatter. Rock and Metal sounds improved big-time for my ears.

Not sure yet...8 gigs so far with no problem.

Expensive but worth it. Check out my band, 303, (www.303rocks.com) if you live in SoCal to hear the Road King first hand...It is the type of amp that takes time to learn and use...definitely worth it and an amp that could be your last if you put the time in

just played a road king head at the guitar center. a brand new one that was just put on the floor. i was drawn to the road king because of its versatility, 4 channels, reverb. feature-wise its packed... but it has its flaws. but for general features that it HAS it gets a perfect 10

its got all the settings i would ever need for playing live and studio work. it got me wanting to sell my coveted 94 tripple... till i played with it

i played my parker fly deluxe through the amp. i played with both the magnetic and piezo pickups. and the piezo pickups easily distort the input of the amp it sounds like. i have to turn the piezos way down so it doesnt distort.

it fits my style punk/rock/emo/metal stuff...

i can get a ton of sounds out of it, and it has the brutal distortion ive come to expect out of my tripple rectifier. but in this category came the deal breaker for me. i REALLY REALLY wanted reverb on the clean channels. it HAS reverb but it sounds really weak, and when you switch between channels, it takes 3 or 4 seconds before the reverb kicks in. how boogie let something this major slip by is beyond me because it sounds HORRIBLE going from full-on distortion to a clean, then the reverb kicking in late AND weak on top of that. blah. with reverb on 10, you cant even tell its there on the dirty channels.

this rating is based on my knowledge of the tripple rectifier. a 5 being what im used to... and anything else above and beyond that is added to with the road king. in this case it gets a mere 6 because the reverb is completely useless to me with the switching lag.

the only thing really improved over the tripple rectifier is more channels and the novelty of cab switching

the first road kind head i ever played MANY MANY months ago blew fuses like crazy. i blew two fuses at the guitar center while testing the amp on two occasions. i wasnt even up very loud. i heard that they recalled some of the early road kings due to some of these problems. my father repairs amps for a living and he told me that the volume and tone pots that mesa uses now are HORRIBLE compared to the older ones.

so if i ever DID get this amp i would have to play it in extreme circumstances for the guitar center 30 day return period to make sure it doesnt have problems.

but from what i hear, the problem with the fuse blowing is now fixed but the cheap-o pots... come on.

the only thing that keeps this rating at an 8 is that the cab/output/rectifier switching on this amp is SEAMLESS. the guy at the guitar center didnt have the footswitch hooked up so i had to switch it by hand on the back. i though "the switching probably lags on the tubes and cab switching and they dont want people to tell until they buy it"... but i got the footswitch and that all switched perfectly in time. its a shame about the reverb though.

never dealt with boogie.

ive been playing for 11 years, own a mesa tripple rectifier, two marshall 4x12s, 3 parker flys, ESP horizons, tons of pedals. this amp would have enhanced my range of sounds in a nice way. i could have switched between cabs with the channels, but like i said, the crap reverb sound and switching killed it for me. if youre going to do something, do it right. the reverb seems tacked-on and half-assed.

but if boogie ever made ANOTHER version with THICK (im talking fender/surf-level) reverb, id pretty much be sold. but right now the moderately attractive ability to have 4 channels is the only thing it has going for it, and thats just not enough for me to sell my hard-to-find chrome chassis rectifier AND shell out 2500 for a new one, or TRY to find an older one and hope it doesnt have the fuse blowing problem.

This is my first foray into the world of user reviews!! the reason?
This monster amp has successfully yanked me away from my beloved '85 JMC800!

Already covered elsewhere; take time to go over the manual, it's time well spent!

I'm using '70 Les Paul Custom, '79 Anniversary Custom, 2002 Les Paul Std, 1995 Les Paul Classic, '86 Fender Strat, '78 Hamer Sunburst,
Ibanez RG760 w/ EMG's. All sound awesome!!

Mesa Boogie has a solid reputation; don't expect any problems.

So far so good; no need to reach them yet! :)

I've been playing for 27+ years; owned lots of gear; this by far is
the best amp i've ever played through. Well worth the $$; if you play
covers.. do yourself a favor and consider this pup!! you'll need good lowerback strength; it ain't light!!

Features covered well before me...The fact is, if you play in a regular gigging cover band and play styles from funk to Metal..this amp will cover the bases...I needed one head that could give me Clean, Keith Overdrive, Angus Rock and Eddie Metal. This amp does it for me..it gives me the gain structures I need...

I needed 4 footswitchable sounds...here they are rated.

1. CH1: Clean: Endless possibilities...awesome tones...pushes air nicely..I think I'll never be in need of a clean tone..this one is a 10!

2. CH2: WOW: GREAT CHANNEL..I get everything from a killer SRV tone to a Stones overdrive..and that's what I needed this channel for...anything that needs overdrive with absolute clarity and depth...another 10 for this channel

3. CH3. Rock: I'm struggling with this channel but getting close o finding the sound I hear in my head..I need that Highway to Hell/Can't Get Enough/Too Hot Too Handle Rock tone here...It can be very grainy w/o punch if you get crazy withthe presence and treble. I know the sound is there..I just haven't nailed it yet. 8

4. CH4. Lead/Metal...This cannel get's it done..but needs some tweaking to get rid of recto buzz and find the sweet spot. 9

So 37/4...Overall sound rating ~ 9

No question here...awesome

If you live in SoCal area..check out my band, 303 (www.303rocks.com), to hear the tone first hand...It's luscious...I get nothing but praise about the tone of the Road King...I'm a nut-ball when it comes to my tone and will spend whatever time is needed to get what I want from this beast..Like I said the cleand and overdrive are really perfect..the rock and metal will take time to dial in.

I wont elaborate since others have already in this review section. Features I like:
4 channels with seperate tube combinations on each channel, 2 effect loops, and you can assign the effect loop to stay on one certain channels, etc. This can come in handy. There is a boost function for lead solos... this is very cool, no more relying on the sound man or if you don't have a sound man stooping down to turn your amp up on leads! (I've done that before). This alone makes it the most versatile amp for playing out I have ever used. You can assign different speaker cabs for different channels, which is very cool. Say for example if you wanted to use an open back 2x12 on clean and then a 4x12 or 2x12 closed back on the two dirty channels... it works flawlessly. I have grown to like the clean and distorted both through the 2x12 closed back though... easiler than carrying around multiple cabs. I have tried different cabs with this unit, and it's just magic with the 2x12 or 4x12 cab.

Extremely Versatile. This is not a modeling amp. It sounds like a Road King, which I like... it's different, but totally awesome. You can nail the Dual Rect sound identically. I use it with a 2x12 Dual Rec. cab which matches my setup perfectly. I like the straight into the amp sound, but when I need effects I use one effect loop with a Korg A3. One of the best things I love about this effects loop is when you crank the amp the input levels don't change to the A3... on most effect loops when you crank the amp it's time to re-adjust all the levels, etc. Because it's a dual rec, you can't really pull the Mark IV sound out of it... this amp is much meaner, in ways I really like it to be, especially low end. The clean sound is awesome also, it took me a while to get use to adjusting it to keep up with the distortion channel, but I now have it mastered. The sounds are endless.

I would give it a 100 for now, I have had Mesa products in the past with no problems. I had a Mark IV 1992 version with the tube sockets handwritten on the chassis... it had the original tubes and sounded awesome when I sold it last year. (Sold it to get the Road King of course!)

I have never had to deal with Customer Support.

I have been playing for over 10 years and I have never used a amp of this status. If this amp was stolen, I probably wouldn't be able to afford another one.. that's why there is insurance on it! I love everything about it, the only thing I will hate probably is when I replace all the tubes in it! "What's in your wallet!?" I compared this to a pletora of other amps, but none had the features I wanted with the plug into the amp sound quality, and I'm not into modeling amps at all right now... maybe when their better. Write me if you have any questions, I would even be willing to send sound clips if needed.

See the Mesa website.
Mine is the 79th one built.
Nice pedal.
Looks great. (mine has a tan grill cover)
More features than I've used so far.
Plenty of power for live playing.
Well written manual.

I use this amp in my studio. It sits on a Boogie 4x12 90w Celestion Black Shadow, slant,half back speaker cab. I mainly use a customised Strat with EMG active pickups, and a Les Paul with Dimarzio's. When looking for an amp for my studio, I was of course looking for great sound, but also versatility. This amp definitlely has both. You really have a lot of tonal possibilities. It has plenty of low end, and can push a lot of air if you want it to. It sounds better as you turn it up, but you don't have to crank it. Low volume distortion sounds fine for practicing. The amp is also very quiet. I'm not crazy about their reverb. It's good, but not like my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Clean sounds are punchy, not too bright. If you want loud with headroom, just switch to 4 6L6s. If you have it on two 6L6s and crank it in the clean channel, you'll get a nice breaking sound. It has a nice medium crunch sound for rhythm playing. It's got plenty of balls for any style of rock. You'll need to turn it up a little to get decent feedback.
Bottom line: This amp's got all the sounds you may ever need, but you will need to take the time tweaking different settings. It may take you a while to get "that" tone you're looking for, and you can understand that when there are so many variables and options available to you in creating your sound. I've had the amp for five months and I know I've just scratched the surface.

I've had this amp for about 5 months. No problems. This is the 3rd Mesa I've owned. Never had problems do to quality.

Never called them.

This is an amp which taunts you to play it. It draws you to it when you enter the room. It will also ultimately make you play better. You will have to adjust your technique to it. You'll need to be a little more deliberate to bring out the best in it. (and you). I've been playing for 25 years, this is the best amp I've ever owned. It is very expensive, but it is four amps in one. If it were stolen, I might shop around a bit more, but I wouldn't be suprised if I ended up buying another. Some have made the comment that they hate the sound. I really can't understand that. It's ballsy, versitile, sounds great recorded, (stands out in the mix) comes from a reputable company, etc.. I will say that when I tried it out for the first time at New York Professional Guitar Center in Poughkeepsie, I was not blown away by it. But I bought it on the strength of the manufacturer and it's features. You do have to spend time with it, but it's time well spent. The more you use it and become familiar with it, the more you'll love it and appreciate the work and craftsmanship that went into it.

This is the amp I've been waiting for allmost a year.
what a crap....................................................
i own the heartbreaker, mark 2b, both blow the roadking away.
shore it has a lot of features, my wife dishwasher has less.
what are features whit a bad sound?

my basic guitars are prs customs.
this thing sounds like shit in a iron pipeline, all the 4 channels sucks.
It has 4 channels, i give fore every channel 1 point, that makes it 4
in total.

cant tell for this piece of crap, but all other boogies are built like a tank.

never had contact with them.

4 for the sound
8 for the looks

after waiting for a year its a big dissapointment.

This is the amp I've been waiting for. I've owned 17 other Mesa amps
Marshalls, Line 6 and others
The TriAxis was the only other way to get the versatility that I
personally like. 4 preamps 12 modes 5 power amps.This thing is incredible. I have the head and the combo version.
Mesa is so good about making everything extremely user friendly.
They think every little detail through, and build it like a guitar player would, not a computer programmer.

I use Andersons, PRS's Gibsons, and Ibanez guitars. Lexicon rack gear
a digital music corp. switching system for all of my pedals
and this amp sounds absolutely incredible!!! The older Boogies took a lot of tweaking to sound good, but the Rectifiers are impossible to get a bad sound out of, and this one is no exception. From warm or bright cleans to semi-gritty to fat and warm singing leads to massive crushing distorton, this thing does it all in ONE AMP!!!!

Like I mentioned earlier, I've owned 17 Mesa Boogie amps, 19 including the Road Kings. and I've never had any problems. I've just changed a few tubes. and with the Mesa's there's no taking it to a repair station for biasing like other tube amps (Marshall, Fender)
Just plug them in and go!! These amps are built like a tank!!

It's been a long time since I've tlked to them. They were very helpful
in telling me how to configure some rack gear so that my TriAxis could control it.Stuff they don't get paid for.

If you desire more than 2 sounds and want an amp that is dependable, this is a great choice. It is expensive, but you get what you pay for. This is an amp that will inspire you to play, and inspire new ideas, and isn't that what it's
all about?

Too many, however, some highlights:
- 4 channels - totally independent from each other
- 3 totally different modes per channel
- 5 tube combinations per channel (progressive linkage)
- Spongy/Bold switch (makes the sound very rich in harmonics even at low volumes)
- 120Watts RMS
- Cabinet switching assignable per channel
- 2 assignable effect loops (per channel)
- 9 button footswitch (no delay when changing channels)
- Auto-rectification (adjusts automatically the preamp tubes depending on the power tubes combination chosen)
- light indicators of channel, tube combination, loops, solo, auto-rectifier

I use it for almost everything: practicing in my bedroom, live shows: small and large stages, rehearsals, home recording (mic'd). I can't use it only in very small places such as my kitchen, bathroom.

I use several top line guitars and some simple ones (Wolfgang Standard, Jem 7VWH, Jem 10th, JS1000, Jackson Soloist, Gibson Les Paul Custom, OLP MM1). The RK sounds MORE THAN PERFECT with any. I play Heavy Metal, Hard Rock and Rock'n'Roll, such as Satriani, Journey, Van Halen, Malmsteen, Dream Theater, Steve Vai, Dio, Ozzy, Gary Moore, Beatles. This "BEAST" is so versatile that does a fantastic job on everything.

This is the sound I've always wanted!! I am so happy!! I don't even need to add a little more drive to it with a pedal or a rack. It has plenty of overdrive on channels 3 and 4. I'll add some delay sometimes, and when necessary, effects like chorus, flanger, phaser... but that's all.

I've had Marshalls, Peavey, Line 6, Crate and Mesa Boogie. The Mesa Road King is by far the best. I think this is the BEST AMP EVER, the ULTIMATE AMP !!!

Clean can be clean even at high volumes or distorted. It is up to you. Distortion is brutal... awesome. I play 1 chord and feel like I'm having an orgasm !! This amp is like having sex with a fantastic beautiful, great in bed woman... who gives me endless orgasm.

I still have some amps and use a Lexicon MPX-G2 with them. The Lexicon sounds good with my stuff, but with the RK I don't need to use its overdrive or its EQ anymore. I may sell the Lexicon.

Looks to be solid like a rock.

Never dealt with them.

Bought new in Oct'02, at Guitar Center, North Carolina. Expensive? Maybe, but worths every cent. I'd pay even more for it. I've been playing for 15 years. If lost or stolen I'll cry, get some money and buy another. I am not from the US, I live in South America. If it get's stolen, I will travel again to the US just to buy another. I sexually LOVE its sound, and its progressive linkage feature with which you can change the amp's sound completely. This is the Real and Perfect thing. There is nothing I dislike about this amp. Actually... I dislike the weight... no major issue though. I wish Mesa Boogie had a Soft Case with casters to make it easier to transport.

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I did not buy this amp. I tried it out in the store with my PRS guitar and asked the salesman to set it up to give me a fendery clean sound, ac/dc sound, in between distortion sound and a classic rectifier sound. He then left me to play for a while and I tinkered with all of the settings and could not even get a rectifier sound. I tried a 2x12 model that sounded much better. I can get better rectifier sounds from my johnson millenium

Before buying a new amp I tried bogner uberschall (good clean and heavy distortion but only 2 channels), bogner ecstasy (similar story, could not personally or via salesman get a good sound), engle savage 120 (good clean and super distorted sounds, but other 2 channels so so), peavey XXX (excellent clean and distorted channels and much cheaper), soldano hotrod 50 (totally unimpressed), fender cybertwin (aweful), peavey 5150 (didn't sound as good as my johnson millenium). I wanted to try VHT , engle savage 120 SE and engl powerball , but dealer could never get them in. I went with a Diezel VH4 and it was an easy decision. The only things even worth considering of the ones listed above were the engl, XXX, or uberschall. I just simply could not get a good sound out of the roadking. A roadking 2x12 sounded much better, so maybe it was just this one head.

2001
I've never seen an amp this versatile, (nor a head this heavy.)
Four channels x 3 three voicings each. Channel switching, effects loops, speaker output selector and more! i can't think of a feature they left out except maybe a Vulcan mind meld system to autmatially read my mind's tonal thoughts and automatically flip the right switchces and adjust the numerous knobs.
I use this amp whereever because I'm attaching a THD Hotplate to permit me to control volume.

I use different guitars and have not found one that the RoadKing can't handle. Like I said, it's vesatile. While it has a Mesa nameplate, it offers so much more in tonal variety thanks to the multiple voicing personalities on each channel. If you cna;'t find the tone you're looking for, you must be pluggin in an accordion.

Only had it a short time, btu so far, so good. It's built like a tank and everything looks to be realiable. i think you have to judge Mesa products to be consistently excellent.

No experience. That's GOOD.

I have avoided Mesa Rectifiers because of the singularity of the Mesa tone. My first Mesa was the Blue Angel because that was Mesa's first amp to branch off into other areas. I love that amp, and the Road King explores other avenues. If you appreciate true tube tone, but wished for a choice of tone from a singel amp, you can't go wrong with either amp, but the Road King will give you the power you need to play live in any venue. Why does it rate the highest value score at this price? Awe-inspiring sounds and versatility you can't get from any other tube amp make it a fantastic value.

Too numerous to cover, but here's the key: You CHOOSE:
- From five different combinations of 6L6 and EL34 tubes,
- From three different "shadings" for each of the four channels. That's just the beginning of the choices, but no tube amp offers more flexibility (period).

Let's see, so far, 6 reviews list 9's or 10's and one lists a "1"?? Maybe the store where the unhappy reviewer tried it out forgot to install the rectifier tubes or something. It's an aberration. Here's another 10, and there's a good reason seven out of 8 reviewers are providing glowing reports: each of the multitudinous individual tones in this amp is as good as, if not better than, any tone available today from the famous giants or the boutique amp makers, and no other tube-amp company offers this range of great tones in one unit. However, I think Mesa holds a double-edge sword with their Road King-modelling-amp-comparison marketing. Yes, if a guitarist wants to cover a lot of tonal ground, the modelling amp has been the only choice, and the Road King changes that with a better-sounding alternative. But there isn't a "Marshall" patch or a "Fender" patch inside the Road King. And, anyone looking for that will be disappointed. What there are are simply more wonderful and usable choices of cleans, browns,crunch, blues, rock and metal than you'll find in any other tube amp. Plus, it's definitely not modelling hi-fi sounding: it's in your face and real. I too own other Mesa amps and others -- new and old. If I could set them all up at a show, I would. Each offers a distinctive personality. But, the Road King has multiple personalities, and you'll want to get to know all of them. Mesa did a great job with this amp!

With multiple Mesa amps under my belt, I can attest to their amps' reliability.

I've never had an issue to use customer service.

I'm a long-time player -- measured in decades, not years. I have owned and still own many guitars and amps. This is a great era to play -- guitar and amp quality is better than ever by more and more companies. Yet, thre are only a few standouts who have proven, over the long-term, to deliver excellent products across their ENTIRE line, not just their Custom Shop offerings: That's why I own PRS, Anderson, THD, Dr. Z, Victoria and Mesa products. There are other companies,and I'll have fun finding out about them. Meanwhile, the Road King adds to the Mesa legacy for excellence. Yes, it's expensive, but it does something no other tube amp does...and it sets the standard for the rest of industry. If you need its inherent flexibility, this is a "Fantastic Value".

Received my Road King 3 weeks ago - it's really great!
4 different channels in 3 modes on 5 combinations of powertubes on two different sets of cabinets - any sound is possible!!! The headroom in any of the 4 channels is more than anyone needs. It has very much attack and is really loud.

I use Strat-, ES335- and Paula-Types. Any sound comes authentic with absolutely no noise or hum. The two clean channels cover any sound from absolutely clean over fat, tweed and british. The 2 Lead-Channel suit every taste - from Vintage Blues to naughty Modern High Gain sounds.

Just 3 weeks ist quite short measurement ;-) But since I use another Mk-III and a Mk-IV and they never let me down.

The legal warranty is 2 years. Anything was in quit good shape at my local dealer and my registration via email to Mesa was reanswered short but very quickly.

This is the best amp I've played in 23 years - no doubt.

Go to mesaboogie.com - too much for me to type. 4 channels X 3 modes each X 5 power tube combinations X 2 switchable effects loops.... you do the math. I'd like to give it a "12"

I use a Les Paul and an Ibanez RG. Both sound f#@%in' killer. All stlyes covered with ease. Country, blues, jazz, funk, bebop, classic rock, punk, ska, thrash, black metal.... good lord.
Very quiet at high gain high volume in a small rehersal space. Louder than my drummer.
The clean channel will distort if you want it to or you can crank it and stay clean. High gain produces totally sick death metal. I love it.
The only effects I normally use are a wah pedal and a Furman parametric eq.
One and only drawback is a pretty weak reverb which i don't use much anyway.
This amp has a unique character and a voice of its own that I fell in love with. While it's not a modeling amp it totally nails that Malcom Young rawk tone night after night.
I wonder if the guy who said this thing sucks smokes crack. Not to put anybody down but I fail to understand how anybody couldn't like this amp. The sound is awesome and I don't drop that word lightly.

This is the only amp I take with me to gigs and rehersals. I've had it for like 8 months without any problems.
If you plan on hauling one of these around be prepared for some lifting - 65 lbs! Thats a pretty heavy head.

Haven't had to deal with anybody yet.

I've been playing for 10 years and I own quite a bit of gear. This amp is taking the place of my tired old and abused Peavy Triumph 60 which is a killer amp but needs to be retired respectfully before it just dies.
I shopped around for years looking for the amp that made angels sing from the skies and screamed "take me home." 5150's, Marshalls, Bogners, Fenders, even other Mesa amps. None of them had exactly what I wanted. This is the one for me. Overall I give it a 9 because it cost so much. It was worth it though.

This is a brand new "custom" head. I ordered it with the "gold" grill plate(interwoven black and tan). I've been shopping for a new gtr. head after selling my Dual Recto Rkmt. a year ago. I checked out the Bogner line and though they too make great amps, the Road King is in a league by itself. It's a 4 channel amp with "no" shared knobs and features galore. Just read the product lit if your not familiar with it.

I use a Tom Anderson Koa Drop Top w/Floyd with H/S/S pickup configuration. I play funk, r n b, blues, pop and metal. It nails them all. I also own 2-4x12 Recto cabs and 1-2x12 Recto(which I'm using 1/2 backed for "clean" tones. They finally delivered a great clean channel! And as always, QUIET, even at extreme gain levels.

It's a Boogie. This is THE touring/gigging amp, period. I've owned Boogies since the Mk III back in the 80's. They're built solid. All things American should be built this well.

Phone support as always is A1. They always call back. And the same lady's been answering the phone as far back as I can remember.

I've been a player since 1979. I'm also a studio owner. If my RK got stolen I would definately buy another(insurance folks!!!).

In summary, this is a great amp and will no doubt achieve "classic" status at some point. In this world of amp emulators, there's still nothing like the real thing. This is it. A "true" recording out would have been really nice but that's what a nice ribbon mic is for.

Road King is a great sounding amp/s loaded with tons of features, all which add to the amp's versatility. It doesn't sound like other amps but it really doesn't need to. If your looking for a certain sound of another amp make, then get that amp(no brainer) but you'll probably want the RK for all it's other sounds too.

Enjoy!

I don't need to reiterate what others have said or what you can read on the Boogie web site. I have tried (and owned) other amps that attempted this level of flexibity they failed - but this amp pulls it off! It is a beautiful design! Also, I am against the "grade inflation" that results from comparison to other amps that got "10s." Everything can't be a ten. My 10s are serious.

I play rock/fusion/jazz, mainly using PRSs. I have had 6 other Boogie amps over the years but I got tired of the characteristic sound. My other amps include Bogner and Soldano, so I'll use them for comparison. My ideal amp would be something like my Shiva and HR+XL in one box for 4 amazing channels.

Well, the Roadking has the 4 channels and they sound great but how would they do in a channel-to-channel comparison to my dream amp (Shiva and HR+XL)?
Channel 1 versus Bogner Clean
Roadking is more Fendery (Twin Like)
Channel 2 versus Soldano Ch. 1 crunch
Smoother breakup and tonal balance but not as much gain
Channel 3 versus Bogner lead channel
Roadking sounds like a Mark VI, Bogner a mid-60's modded Marshall
Channel 4 versus Soldano lead
Roadking Recto buzz versus 70's modded Marshall

Bottom line: this amp is quiet and sweet sounding but it DOES sound like a boogie and nothing else. The reason I emphasize this is that no matter what option you dial in you get Boogie sounds. However, the clean and crunch are better than ever.

Just got it, but Boogies are generally built like tanks

I've dealt with them before and they are good and personalable

I don't usually write into things like this but I just wanted everyone to know that this is a really great amp and well worth the money. On a bang for the buck basis it blows everything else away. If price is not an issue, and you can lug a bunch of amps around, then I'd pick the pure tone and responsiveness of the Bogner and the purr and growl of the Soldano over it.

This amp has every feature you can imagine. Knobs galore, close to the same number as my Mesa Mark IV. Multiple power sections, all switchable, a huge footswitch, tons of options. Read the Mesa website, it really has a LOT of options!! I mean a TON.

Wow, does this thing sound like crap. Thousands of sounds at your fingertips and every single one of them sucks horribly. It's like a party in my mouth and everyone is throwing up. Seriously, it sounds that bad. For jamming around I use a little Peavey Rage 158 I picked up for around a hundred bucks Canadian and a used POD I got super cheap and it gives far better tones than this EXPENSIVE amp. This thing really sounds AWFUL, words can't describe it. I could be judging it a little harshly, but considering it's $5000+ Canadian price tag, I'd expect it to sound decent; but it doesn't. The clean sounds are kinda spanky and spongy, but have that sterile sound you get from plugging a guitar straight into a PA or a very cheap amp. The distortion channels are very hairy; they remind kind of the Peavey XXX, which also I'm not a fan of in the least. This amp does not produce warm tones of any sort. The distortion sounds are widevaried, but no matter how much I twiddled knobs, I couldn't get out a sound that I liked. I honestly gave it a shot, I'm a big Mesa/Boogie advocate and I wanted to like this amplifier, but I just couldn't.

It has loads of power, more than most musicians will ever need, and I sure wasn't able to test how loud it could go on the clean channel without distorting. Either way, I think it sounded brutal.

It's a Mesa/Boogie.

Mesa/Boogie has downright legendary customer service.

First off, I did not buy this amp. I went in with intentions of buying it, but decided not to after playing it. I am a repeat Mesa/Boogie owner and I LOVE their service and most of their products.. but I think this thing was a huge mistake. Mesa had some great ideas going in, and they really went whole hog. This amp has everything including the kitchen sink.. but they forgot the TONE. It sounds as sterile as a hospital operating room.

I thought it might have just been one bum amp, or maybe something was wrong with my ears the day I tried it (I'm just getting over the head cold to end all head colds) but the general consensus with everyone I've spoken to is that Mesa/Boogie caught too caught up with making tons of features that they forgot about the tone. Do NOT buy this amp sight unseen! I've considered buying amps blindly in the past just because of my faith in certain manufacturers (Rivera, Mesa/Boogie, Bogner, Soldano) but I never actually did. I'm glad I waited for the local store to get this thing in stock before making a down payment, because it sounds TERRIBLE!!! YUCK!! BAD!! If someone can figure out how to coax a pleasant sound out of this thing, please post settings, because it's simply beyond me. I love my Mesa/Boogie Mark IV, I've had the patience to tweak out it's oodles of knobs, so I don't think it's a settings issue, but you never know.

This amp is a four channel monster of an amp head. I have owned it now for over two months...so I feel that I can now give an accurate review. The front has the usual controls per channel that you would expect...Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, and Volume. These controls are per channel, so it appears to be a lot of knobs, however, you need them all. This amp also has two Master Volumes to allow you to boost any channel for a solo by the footswitch. (Nice feature) The four channels have three mode options selected by a toggle switch. Channel one has clean, fat, and tweed options. Channel two has clean, fat, and brit. Channel three and four have raw, vintage, and modern modes. The amp comes with 2 EL34's, 4 6L6's, and 2 5U4G's tubes. This brings us to the back of the amp. At first the back may look intimidating...but the controls allow for many incredible tones. The back has controlable reverb, a diode or tube rectification switch, an effects loop one switch, an effects loop 2 switch, a parallel effects mix knob, and a whether or not you would like additional cabinets selected switch...ALL PER CHANNEL. In addition there are selection knobs to select combinations between 2 EL34's, 2 EL34's and 2 6L6's, 4 6L6's or 2 EL34's and 4 6L6's...PER CHANNEL. You can not have more versatility on a tube amp period. Oh, and there is a footswitch that allows you to switch between channels, turn on or off reverb, turn on or off each effect loop, and a solo boost button.

I use a PRS CE22 and a Gibson Les Paul. I use a G-Major through the series effects loop for subtle effects on a few songs. I play in an original rock band that utilizes four distinct sounds in a performance. Clean, British Rock, Modern Rock, and a unique solo tone. This amp allows me to dial in four incredible tones exactly to my liking. This is not a modeling amp, it is an array of amplifier tones that you can choose from that are incredible. The amp is quiet, and there are no popping sounds even when choosing between tube selections. The clean is Fenderish (especially in the new tweed option)...the Brit tone is very similar to a Marshall JTM 45, and the Modern tone IS THE DUAL RECTIFIER. Brutal gain tones from channel 3 and 4. When you switch to a pair of blazing EL 34's (now 50 watts) in Brit mode...you won't believe you are playing a Mesa. I use 4 6L6's (now 100 watts)for extra head room in the clean. I use a pair of EL34's combined with the 6L6's (100 watts) for the modern and lead tones that create the best gain tones I have ever heard.

Too new to evaluate. Previously I had a Mesa 90/90 power amp and a Triaxis that I never had problems with...and the company has a good reputation. However, this is a new line of amplifer and the amp is brand new...so I can't really rate this.

I called them with setup suggestions...and they gave me great advice.

I have been playing for 11 years and play live regularly in L.A. clubs. There is simply no better amp on the market right now, if you are looking for versatility and heavy amp tones from one head. Here are the drawbacks...it is expensive (although it is a value because of the four quality tones you get with one head), it is very heavy to lift, and the reverb quality is merely average. People who buy amps on reverb quality...or who despise dual rectifier tones will not be able to utilize this amp to it's fullest, and thus, should probably look elsewhere. Beware of trying this amp in stores without doing some basic set up! People that don't understand the contols mindlessly switch buttons leaving you with tone crap. Here is a way to set it up in one minute: ON the back: Turn off all effects loops and cabinet switching, and turn the parallel effects loop to 12 o'clock on each channel. If you have the parallel effects loop at a different setting it DOES effect tone due to the way the amp is designed. Turn reverb to 9 o'clock on channel one...and turn all the rest off. Select tube rectification for all channels, but channel 4. Lastly, select 4 6l6's for channel one, 2 EL34's for channel 2, and 2 EL34's with 2 6L6's for channel 3 and 4. This takes all of one minute...and then you are set to jam. Select tone controls to taste, remembering that the gain on channels 3 and 4 shouldn't go past 2 o'clock (the recto rule). On the new Brit channel, however, CRANK the gain and treble and rock out! My favorite modes are Tweed, Brit, Vintage, and Modern in that order per channel. For those that are afraid of tweaking, let it be known that I tweaked my Mesa Triaxis for a year to get decent tones...and with this amp head I was totally satisfied with my setup in less than a week. They have really created the ultimate amplifier for an array of amazing tones. My hat is off to Mesa!

I received my Road King last week. They just started shipping last week, so I've got one of the first ones. This amp is like a few amps in one. It's so versatile, I won't be able to do it justice here. It's got 4 channels with assignable power tubes, cabinet switching, diode or rectifier tracking, 1 or 2 effect loops, and reverb with separate intensity; this is all PER channel!! No, it's not TOO complicated to figure out. I had it one evening and used it in 2 different bands the next 2 nights and was up and running; just starting to scratch the surface of the tonal possibilities. The amp comes with a 9-switch footswitch: ch1,2,3,4,reverb,external trigger,loop1,loop2,solo. By the way, the Road King has 2-EL34's, 4-6L6's, and 2-5U4 tubes. They can be assigned as an EL34 pair, a 6L6 pair, an EL34 pair and a 6L6 pair, or all 6 together-PER channel.

I use it with 3 different guitars per band. It seems to be suited to any kind of music I can effectively play. With 4 channels, and a few different qualities per channel, the tone possibilities seem endless. It also comes with an overall output knob, plus a solo knob, which sets the level for the 'solo' footswitch to boost the particular sound you may be using for lead work. I've never heard anything like this amp with all of its possibilities until now.

I've been playing through Boogie amps since 1983: MkIIc, MkIV and now the Road King. Whenever I've had a problem with previous Boogie amps, the factory (20 miles from here) was VERY prompt with repairs, customer service, etc. I've replaced tubes in previous Boogies, but never had any tube related problems.

Great service. Very helpful and friendly. I live 20 miles from the factory, so I've never used a service center.

I've been playing electric guitar since 1963. I still have my other Boogie amps. I use the Road King with a Carvin Vai Legacy 4x12 cabinet with Celestion Vintage 30's, and a Mesa 4x10 open back cabinet with 4 Jensens. I currently use 6 guitars; 3 per band. I'll use a Gibson DC Standard, Gibson SG Supreme and a Carvin Bolt with my original music band. These are all strung with 8 to 38mil strings. For my cover band, I use a Carvin DC 127, a Carvin TL60 and a new Fender American Strat; all strung with 9 to 42 mil strings. All of these instruments sound great so far through the Road King. I've been used to using the Boogie Mark IV amp since 1991. I thought it was the ultimate amplifier. It was so tweakable and delivered great tone. Now, Mesa/Boogie and Randall Smith have outdone themselves with this new 'marvel' of an amplifier. I've just never seen or heard anything like it. I highly recommend that anyone who loves great tone, and lots of it, and who can afford something like this, please check it out. You won't be disappointed. I'm certainly having a great time so far with it.