Ch 3 & 4 Modern; Gain; Controls Gain - Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Road King II Amp Owner's Manual

CHANNEL MODES:
CHANNEL 3 & 4: MODERN
rebellious of all modes and appears in its original form in CHANNELS 3 & 4. A take no prisoners, crushing assault of top end cut
RAW
VINTAGE
MODERN
MASTER
RAW
VINTAGE
MODERN
CONTROLS:

GAIN:

This control adjusts the predominant gain stage in each channels' circuit with the function and taper being optimized for each
individual channel. Remember that your Road King is really three separate multi-mode amplifiers built onto one chassis, so though
CLEAN
FAT
TWEED
GAIN
CLEAN
FAT
BRIT
1) By itself the GAIN control has basically three tonal regions -
Low ( 7:00 - 11:00 ) provides the cleanest, least saturated sounds and in this region the sound will be brighter and contain more
upper harmonics lending a three dimensional character to the sound.
Middle ( 11:15 - 2:00 ) enhances the saturation and replaces some of the upper harmonics with a richer, warmer quality and a fuller
bottom end response. Not yet fully saturated, this region is the easiest place to get a great sound in all three channels. This region
contains many of the Road Kings' best sounds...especially for soloing due to the crucial blend of an expressive attack combined
with ample sustain.
High ( 2:15 - 5:00 ) saturates the signal and enhances low and low mid frequencies.While this region provides the maximum satura-
tion and therefor sustain, it also compresses and softens the attack characteristics. For this reason we suggest using this higher
region of the GAIN control sparingly and only when maximum sustain is needed.
(Continued)
Aggressive. This is the word that best describes the menacing power of the Road Kings' most
and lightning fast response creates a sound of unparalleled aggression that has set a new standard
for hard core sounds.
The added tightness of the low end response combined with the radically more present top end keeps
the MODERN mode tracking accurately even at extreme gain settings. Keep in mind that when using
MODERN in CHANNEL 3 you will have to run the PRESENCE control almost all the way up to ap-
proach the lower range of the PRESENCE control in CHANNEL 4.
This lack of extreme top end can be a benefit when searching for single note solo sounds in the
MODERN mode as the more compressed nature of this tamer presence range in CHANNEL 3 tends
to warm things up.
Road King is really three separate multi-mode amplifiers built onto one chassis, so though
Road King
each channel looks identical, the GAIN control for each channel comes in a different place and
adjusts a different point in that channels circuit.
In most guitar amplifiers, and especially in all-tube circuits, the GAIN control is the most powerful
control in the preamp. It shapes the overall style and character of the sound and is responsible for
whether the sound is clean, overdriven or anywhere in between. In your Road King, the
control is even more powerful. It not only determines the amount of drive, but also acts as an
integral part of the tone control string as well.
To simplify the GAIN controls' role in shaping the overall tone of the sound we will look at it in two
ways - 1; alone and 2; in conjunction with the tone controls.
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GAIN
Road King, the
Road King