Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Road King Amp Owner's Manual page 9

CHANNEL MODES:
CHANNELS 1 & 2: CLEAN This is the lowest gain circuit of the Road Kings' twelve modes and is optimized for producing balanced
pristine clean sounds. This mode is duplicated in CHANNEL 2 as it is extremely useful for many different applications. For the best
understanding of how to achieve a great sound in this mode, please refer back to the GAIN control section of
this manual. However, a great place to start is 12:30 or so on the GAIN control with more sparkle available
CLEAN
below this and more warmth apparent above...from there adjust according to your guitars individual response.
FAT
Because of its more traditional architecture this mode also works extremely well for vintage style drive sounds.
TWEED
By turning the gain all the way up, a beautiful old school solo sound is possible...especially with neck single coil
pick-ups. The TREBLE and MIDDLE controls can also add gain and sustain to this sound ( reduce Presence to
blend highs ), but you will probably want to run the BASS control below 10:30 to avoid flubbiness and preserve
CLEAN
a focused attack.
FAT
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CHANNELS 1 & 2: FAT
This mode comes from our original Mark 1 Boogie and puts emphasis on the low mid and bottom end and as a result the top strings
of the instrument have more girth and width. This mode is duplicated in CHANNEL 2 is very useful for a variety of sounds. The
difference is wonderful for clean single note soloing where you need more body and warmth behind the notes.
Because this mode is very different from the CLEAN mode, it requires that you reset the controls for balance.
CLEAN
We suggest running the BASS control a couple notches lower, especially for chording.
FAT
It also helps to use the GAIN controls' tonal influence (refer to GAIN in the controls section of this manual) to
TWEED
achieve the best results with this mode. We like to set the GAIN somewhere between 10:30 and 12:00 for
chording as this brings out the sparkle and improves the headroom.
CLEAN
For single note clean soloing you can run the GAIN up around 1:00 – 2:00. If you are going for a pushed rhythm
FAT
sound with the GAIN all the way up, you will likely have to run the BASS below 9:30 to avoid flubbiness and
boom.
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CHANNEL 1: TWEED
This mode appears in CHANNEL 1 only and is a variation on the CLEAN that appears in both channels. Here we have emphasized
the elastic, bouncy character of the low gain clean circuit to achieve a more vintage feel that has an element of sag built in. This mode
feels easier to play and you would swear there is less resistance on the strings...almost as if you were using a
lighter gauge set of strings, but it is just our treatment of the signal.
CLEAN
This characteristic can be enhanced even further by assigning this mode to the 2 x 6L6 power section in
FAT
CHANNEL 1's Channel Strip. The bubbly nature of this lighter, brighter power feel mates perfectly with the
TWEED mode enhancing what is already a rubber band joy-ride to achieve one of our favorite sounds in the
TWEED
entire amp.
CLEAN
And if you like this approach to clean sounds, be sure to check the beyond vintage feel by taking this scheme a
FAT step further and selecting SPONGY on the A.C. POWER SELECT switch and knocking the A.C. down for a truly
soupy vibe. Whether you choose to utilize TWEED for these lower headroom retro applications or, you want a
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high headroom sound with just a bit more resiliency, this mode is a wonderful voice for any style of clean
playing.
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