All hail the king....

[edgar_allan_poe]

Damn, I am at a loss for words. For years I have used my Fargens for my amps. Until I played this. Long story short, I sold my EL34 Fargen and bought a Trem o verb so I could get a little extra cash. I figure I would use the Trem o verb for all of my live work and pocket the extra $700 from the sale of my Fargen. WRONG!!

I really dug the Trem o verb. I was shocked because I have *not* been a Boogie fan. Their amps always sounded sterile to me ears. Well, the Trem o verb changed that. I was able to get sweet clean sounds. This blew my mind because I have always *hated* Boogies clean tone. I knew the OD channel would be nice, but again, this thing is really alive. It is articulate, responds well to volume control on the guitar, and has a really lush tone.

ANYWAY

I have heard guys raving about the Road King so I decided to go out to the local GC and see what the deal was. Well, they had a Series I Road King for me to play. I was completely blown away. There wasn't a single sound that I couldn't get. I could cop about 90% of my EL34 Fargens tone, and that was just scratching the surface. I was completely overwhelmed. I also realized that the amp would eliminate the need for all of my pedals. No need for a boost on this amp, and I can run all of the effects through the loop and control them from the Kontroller. Hmmm....interesting. I started to do some math and realized that I could get the Road King for minimal cash if I sold all of my pedals along with the Trem o verb. I speak with "she who must be obeyed" and she agrees that it makes sense. The dude at GC starts talking to me and tells me that because this was a Series I Road King he could cut me a sweet deal. These are $2500 new. I walked out the door with a new Road King I for under 2K. No brainer. My pedals and the Trem O verb cover this and then some. I get it home and run it through my Cajun Cannon and it shook the friggin foundation of the house. LOL!!! Never one to leave well enough alone, I decide to put some new tube in there to see if I can really get things cooking. It now sports the following tubes....

V1,2,&3 have NOS Mullards

V3,&4 have NOS Tesla E83CC

El34s have NOS Sylvania 6CA7

6L6 have NOS Phillips 7581As

Good lord.

So here it is. The most versatile, sweet sounding, bone crunching, bitch slapping amp I have ever heard. Perched on top of the best sounding cab in the world. I had to make some speaker mods to the cab though. This was way too much amp to put into a 60 watt cab. So I got hold of some Emi Wizards and now have a 150 watt cab. It isn't as sweet sounding as it used to be, but it thumps like no other.

I really want to thank Mobbie for talking to me about this and letting me know what the Road King was all about. It really helped me make my decision and I couldn't be happier.

[Mobster]

Glad I didn't steer you wrong and you enjoy the amp-feel free to give me a call anytime with Boogie amp questions, bro.

Can't wait to hear you got into the cabinet switching....

[MCChris]

Nothing inspires quite like the "right" amp.

So did you sell the Tremoverb already? Please say no; I don't need the temptation.

[DavidE]

Does it come in a 50 watt combo?

[HamerHokie]

I thought you had to use Boogie matched tobes. Is the Road King not self-biasing?

[edgar_allan_poe]

I thought you had to use Boogie matched tobes. Is the Road King not self-biasing?

No. They just have to fit into Boogies range. These do. It sounds great. You can call most of the big tube places and tell them you need power tubes for a Boogie and they normally have stuff that fits. I know lots of guys that use JJs and Tads for their power section.

Besides..biasing, like intonation, is for pussies. LOL!!

Please say no; I don't need the temptation.

The Trem o verb is still here.

[silentman]

The tremoverb is a nice sounding amp. Needs to be cranked on the gain side to get rid of the buzz, IMO.

I was looking at the Road King and the Roadster, but decided on a Triaxis. It has all the Mesa tones that I like and fit right in with the setup I had. The MK IIC+ setting is sweet.

[sw686blue]

Now imagine what it would sound like with Hamer guitars instead of those crappy Hubers.

Goota run....

[SteveB]

now if only they could make the RK in a package the size of the Mark Short Head.

[BTMN]

That's a Big Dawg right there. WOOF! WOOF! Enjoy the "noise".

[edgar_allan_poe]

Does it come in a 50 watt combo?

Yes.

I have a choice of any tube combination on any channel. You can choose to have all 4 channels run at 50 watts if that is what you want. You can also choose which power tubes will run on each channel. I currently have channel 2 and 3 set up as 50 watt EL34 channels. Channel 2 sounds *damn* close to the 1972 50 watt Marshall I bough off of Kiz a few years ago. Channel 3 sounds like the baddest assed modded 50 watt Marshall on the planet.

[SteveB]

anybody know if the RK can get a Mark Style lead tone?

[hamerhead]

Dammit, Poe! I really LIKE my current rig.

......but THAT is so cool. Now I have AAS.

[BadJaxx]

i haven't tried a Road King as it's more amp than i need, but they make some great amps...i have a 4x10 Blue Angel and a Lonestar Special and primarily use them clean (even though everybody knows Mesa doesn't do a good clean?)...have read good things about the Trem-o-verb...

[DavidE]

i haven't tried a Road King as it's more amp than i need, but they make some great amps...i have a 4x10 Blue Angel and a Lonestar Special and primarily use them clean (even though everybody knows Mesa doesn't do a good clean?)...have read good things about the Trem-o-verb...

I recently sold my Blue Angel. Nice clean sounds, great reverb.

[seeker]

I could cop about 90% of my EL34 Fargens tone, and that was just scratching the surface. I was completely overwhelmed.

So I got hold of some Emi Wizards and now have a 150 watt cab. It isn't as sweet sounding as it used to be, but it thumps like no other.

You're an evil man, Poe. I love my EL34 Fargen and now you got me thinking. LOL.

Try replacing one of the Wizards with a Governor. It has a bit more depth and should sweeten it up a bit. Imho, just a good combination.

[edgar_allan_poe]

I have a Private Jack that would probably sweeten things up a bit, but I will lose that whollop on the low end. I am OK with this, it sounds great.

As far as the Fargen goes, let me make this perfectly clear.

The best two amps I have ever heard are my 6L6 Fargen Bordeaux and my EL34 Fargen Bordeaux. This does not replace them. I can get close, but not there. The problem with the Fargen was the fact that my band plays such a wide variety of music, I was being forced to use a clumsy pedal board to achieve the sounds I needed. Couple that with the fact that we have been booked at a place that will require us to play some seriously heavy stuff, and the Fargen just couldn't do all of that. To be fair, it really isn't designed for that. This Boogie simplifies my life greatly, *and* provides outstanding tone.

If I had to choose one amp to take to a deserted island, it would be the Fargen Bordeaux. But I wouldn't be playing in a cover band that does everything from K.C and the Sunshine band, to The Cult, to Seals and Croft, to Godsmack and Megadeth on a deserted island.

Can't wait to hear you got into the cabinet switching....

LOL!! You know me too well. I need to get cajunboy off of his LAZY ASS and make me the 4x10 I have been BEGGING him to build!! ROTFLMAO!! I love him and curse him all at the same time. He has spoiled me. May the fleas of 1000 camels infest his armpits.

[seeker]

I have a Private Jack that would probably sweeten things up a bit, but I will lose that whollop on the low end. I am OK with this, it sounds great.

The Governor is like the PJ, but -has- that low end wallop too. I've had both. But if you're happy with the Wizards, they're definitely outstanding speakers!

[edgar_allan_poe]

The Governor is like the PJ, but -has- that low end wallop too

Ahhh, I see. According to the Emi site, the Wizard is a combo of the Gov and the Private Jack. Maybe I need to find a used Gov to try it out. Thanks for the tip.

[straightblues]

I think that is the most knobs and switches that I have ever seen on an amp!!

[thecajunboy]

LOL!! You know me too well. I need to get cajunboy off of his LAZY ASS and make me the 4x10 I have been BEGGING him to build!! ROTFLMAO!! I love him and curse him all at the same time. He has spoiled me. May the fleas of 1000 camels infest his armpits.

Yo dicksnot. You just gotta tell me what you want. Or can I just send up a pubic hair covered pressboard 4X10 and you'll like it?

[jisham]

Rectos kick ass...all of them in their own special way IMO.

I found a great tip on the Mesa Forum for getting a good clean tone from a Recto -- ALWAYS cank the master volume up to at least half, then back off on the gain channel volumes. Ever since I started doing that I'm getting great head room from the clean channel.

As for the two gain channels on my Triple Recto, yeah I use the third channel for the Godsmack type stuff but I spend 80 percent of the time on Ch. 2's vintage setting. Love it love it love it.

[edgar_allan_poe]

Checkerboard....or anything else you think would be cool. Embossed leather? yeah...that sounds good as well. Let me know what you can get and work with. I just want a 4x10 semi open back cab, 8 ohm...cajun style. Instead of the Cajun Cannon, we will call it the Cajun Howitzer. LOL!!

[seeker]

Instead of the Cajun Cannon, we will call it the Cajun Howitzer. LOL!!

Or name it after that frightfully loud, fearful, Russian Multi-rocket launcher, the Stalin Organ.

Ladys and Gents, The Cajun Organ!

[pesocaster]

The Kin's Little brother Roadster isn't a bad little amp either.... he he he .... Pretty much the same thing minus the EL34's and cab switching.... I've been more than impressed with this amp.... Good score Poe!