Rectifier Select With Tube-Tracking - Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Road King II Amp Owner's Manual

REAR PANEL CONTROLS & FEATURES

RECTIFIER SELECT with TUBE-TRACKING:

further and allows the tube rectifier circuit to track the PROGRESSIVE LINKAGE switchable power and provide the correct amount of
rectification for each power section.The original choices of TUBE or SILICON DIODE are still in place but here, when RECTO TUBE-
TRACKING is selected in each Channel Strip, rectifier tubes are selected depending on the needs of each of the 5 power sections.
This means that you can tune each of the Channels' power feel to the preamp sound you are dialing.You might want
2x6L6
2xEL34 4x CHANNEL 1 running the DIODE with 4 x 6L6 for high headroom clean work while CHANNEL 2 runs TUBE-TRACKING
2x
EL34 6L6
2x
2xEL+
with 2 x EL34 for a loose edgy roots rhythm sound. For the Lead Channels, you might want CHANNEL 3 VINTAGE
6L6
4x6L6
PROGRESSIVE
pumping TUBE-TRACKING through the 2 x 6L6 + 2 x EL34 for smoldering single note solos and DIODE pushing 4
LINKAGE
CH 4
A
DIODE
x 6L6 for the tightest of CHANNEL 4 MODERN grinding crunch rhythm sounds. Countless choices are possible with
the many different combinations and they all have their place for specific sounds. There are Front Panel LED indica-
B
TUBE-TRACKING
SPKR
RECTO
tors labeled RECTIFIER STATUS that keep you currently informed of your Channel Specific choices of Rectifier style.
Here is an explanation of how the two choices work;
DIODE:
calls up the silicon diode rectifier, which offers more punch, a tighter attack with more brightness and substantially more
headroom. This rectifier choice provides the highest power and therefor the tightest rectification. This setting would be best for any
application where maximum headroom is needed or tight bass response is called for. Situations that usually require this are clean
rhythm playing or extreme high gain crunch rhythm sounds.
RECTO TUBE-TRACKING:
those early days of amplification the only rectifiers available were tubes. Unbeknownst to their creators, these sweet sounding amplifiers
would someday become relics as the demand for higher volumes and more power per package led to the abandonment of the tube
as a rectifier, in favor of the five cent silicon diodes' greater efficiency. With this decision went much of the sweetness and soul and by
the late '60's most amps were bold, loud and efficient...but unfortunately sometimes lacking that earlier soul. We sought to bring that
magic soul, personality and feel to the Dual Rectifier Series, and the resurrection of this age-old circuit does just that.
In the Road King it was a little more of a challenge however, because each of the 5 power sections would require a different amount Road King it was a little more of a challenge however, because each of the 5 power sections would require a different amount
Road King
of rectification to put out its full power potential. And beyond that, each channel would have to be able to have these two interrelated
circuits pre-assigned specifically and independently! This led to the concept of RECTIFIER TUBE-TRACKING. In this innovative
circuit a rectifier tube, or pair of rectifier tubes, is selected to correctly match the power tube choices you select. Here is a list of the
matched sets;
You will notice that when all six power tubes are in use, the rectification type matched to this high horsepower string is the silicon diodes.
Tube rectification is not available or possible for this power harness and there are two reasons for this. First, the choice would rarely
be used if it were available because the whole point of this extreme power section is very high volume applications such as in large
venues or extreme heavy styles of music. In these two arenas the slower, looser tube rectifier would be out of its league and begin
sagging-out before the power tubes reached their potential full output. We have confirmation of this by polling our Triple Rectifier
Artists and players that use this mighty amp to its full volume potential in large venues and they uniformly use the Silicon Diodes even
when they do have the choice of do do have the choice of
specific programmable features possible, including six power tubes, that there was literally no room to include one more 5U4G which
would be needed to properly rectify this harness. After spending time with these choices you will find – like we did - that you use the
highest power all-six-at-once section for exactly what it was designed for, and is best at...loud, crushing volumes and super tight at-
tack. Two applications that are at the sonically opposing end of the spectrum from the characteristics of tube rectification.
This amazing feature takes our patented Dual Switchable Rectifier concept a step
takes a power section walk down memory lane, paying tribute to those vintage gems of yesteryear. In
Rectifier / Power Tube Combinations In TUBE-TRACKING
2 x 6L6 ~ 1 x 5U4G
2 x EL34 ~ 1 x 5U4G
2 x 6L6 + 2 x EL34 ~ 2 x 5U4G
4 x 6L6 ~ 2 x 5U4G
2 x EL34 + 4 x 6L6 ~ Silicon Diode
TUBE RECTIFIER. Second, the Road King is supremely packed with circuitry making the channel
(Continued)
were were tubes. Unbeknownst to their creators, these sweet sounding amplifiers
Road King is supremely packed with circuitry making the channel
Road King
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