# Mesa Rectifier Roadster, Laney Ironheart or Randall Thrasher?



## beersponge (Feb 26, 2013)

Just looking for an extremely high-gain combo to jam around the house, piss off my stupid rapper neighbors with their annoying "BOOM BOOM" bullshit, & recording in a home studio (old school 80's & early 90's hardcore punk + some thrash/speed metal thrown in just because...) I have no problem buying a Hot Plate or Rivera Rock Crusher, or a Jet City JetDirect box if need be. It'll be with an Agile 830 or 828 thru a BBE Sonic Maximizer in the loop & a few stompboxes....I just need a combo that could peel paint off my car, yet be o.k. to record with. An isolation cab isn't out of the question either..any ideas from anyone would be very cool.. I'm leaning towards the Boogie for that Rectifier sound, but the Laney has the watts control.......I don't know.


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## Seanthesheep (Feb 26, 2013)

roadster for sure IMO


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## SmashinWithTone (Feb 26, 2013)

Those are all 3 totally different sounding amps, and also huge price differences. I too would go for the roadster out of those. It's a 4 channel versatile beast that can play anything you throw at it. It's a little pricey, but is well worth it in 10+ years when it still is melting faces. Good luck


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## sage (Feb 26, 2013)

Roadster. 

And go meet your rapper neighbours. You never know, maybe you could get some sweet Anthrax/Public Enemy shit going on.


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## TRENCHLORD (Feb 26, 2013)

sage said:


> Roadster.
> 
> And go meet your rapper neighbours. You never know, maybe you could get some sweet Anthrax/Public Enemy shit going on.


 
Or, they could get to know you and your routine and use the info for an easy rip off when you're at work.
Always be extra cautious getting to know neighbors because they are always right there when you don't want them to be .

Mesa for the win IMO.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 26, 2013)

If you want versatility, the Roadster.

If you want versatility for cheaper, the Ironheart.

If you want instant br00tz, the Thrasher.


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## Andromalia (Feb 26, 2013)

-Basic choice: get the Laney.

Buy the roadster only if you want and can use its versatility, if you just want to imitate a recto sound...get a recto.  
I think you could get a used recto *and* a Laney if you can pick good deals for the price of a new roadster.


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## Aftertheburial13 (Feb 26, 2013)

No experience with any at all but the thrasher sounds heavy as hell. Might have to get one soon.


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## guitarfishbay (Feb 27, 2013)

I own a Roadster head and an Ironheart IRT120h.

To cut it short, the Roadster has the most tones in it, and it will do the Recto tone. The Ironheart is tighter without a boost, but some might think it lacks gain/thickness, it is a very different sounding amp. FWIW I think the IRT120h has a perfect amount of gain but if you love really saturated it doesn't do that without a boost. It is solid in the lows, but does not have the same thump as a Roadster. If you want to knock through walls with bass response, Mesa is the obvious choice.

However, my Roadster is in my home studio and I still use my Ironheart with my current band... We're a two guitar band and honestly the Ironheart sounds better for the tone I need in that band to cut against the other guitarist. However, if I was the only guitarist, or the other guitarist changed his sound I'd use the Roadster as I love it. I'm an amp GAS fiend, but I'm pragmatic too... you've got to use the right tool for the job (but owning loads of tools is great fun too). The Roadster does cut, but it cuts in a slightly different way. I'd describe it as more 'roar' than 'bite', and I need to use a more biting, slightly narrow/dry sound to work with this band and the other guy's gear.

The price difference is huge, I bought both used and I could've bought 3 Ironheart heads and still had a fair bit of change for the price of one Roadster head at the prices I paid.

If you go for the Ironheart, try to go for a head and use a different cab to stock. The only complaints I've heard are from people who have the 2x12 combo with stock speakers. The people I know using the head through 'better' cabs have mostly on balance loved theirs.


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## Max_SMW (Feb 27, 2013)

I have sold my Diezel Herbert to buy a Roadster two years ago, and haven`t looked back since then.

The Roadster can do everything, though i mainly got it for the Recto sound. I have a Xotic BB Preamp in front of the amp and also a Sonic Maximizer in the FX loop, and it simply kills.
I didn`t go for a Rectifier mainly because the Roadster is only about 200 Euros more than a Dual Rectifier here in Germany... and you get another channel and Reverb for that, it was a no brainer.

It`s a lot of money but it`s totally worth it if you want that Recto sound and also a lot of flexibility.
I don`t have to say that the build quality of these amps is outstanding.


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## guitarguyMT (Feb 27, 2013)

Just recently got a Mesa Triple Rectifier myself. I'm absolutely in love with the tones I've created coming out of that thing. It is, however, the only one of the others you mentioned that I have any experience with...


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## beersponge (Feb 27, 2013)

I'm leaning toward the Boogie (nice cleans--DESTRUCTIVE GAIN)...I just wanted to see if anyone has done a comparison of sorts. No doubt the Laney & Randall are monsters, but I played through a Triple Rec a few times..I'm sold I think.
As far as the rappin' neighbors go, they don't care for me---my teeth aren't chrome-plated & being of Scotch/Irish descent, the only drive-by I could do is with a potato gun!!! Aye? Thanx guys!


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## Garfish (Feb 28, 2013)

I suggest you look at a Diamond Nitrox before you decide. There aren't any justifying clips on youtube. But basically it has the bass and low end that we all love from the mesa's yet it has the marshall mid top which would give you that 80s trasher sound. But you can dial in both mesa sounds or marshall sounds.

Otherwise I would sugest a mesa amp, I haven't tried the others


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## TMM (Feb 28, 2013)

this is like that Sesame Street song... "One of these things, is not like the others..."

Seriously, if you're deciding between these, and can afford to get any of them, there's really no excuse for not getting the Roadster.


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## beersponge (Mar 2, 2013)

Mesa it is !!!! Rivera Rock Crusher, Agile 8 string, ART mic pre, Sonic maximizer, etc....As for the rappin' neighbors,the Anthrax/Public Enemy thing might be o.k., but I prefer the Ludichrist rap @ the end of "Green Eggs & Ham". NOT LUDACRIS THE RAPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm talking old school NYC hard core w/members of Crumbsuckers, Leeway, Mucky Pup, Murphy's Law, etc.........Thank you guys---THRASH, CRUSH, DESTROY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Yianni54 (Jul 29, 2014)

Garfish said:


> I suggest you look at a Diamond Nitrox before you decide. There aren't any justifying clips on youtube. But basically it has the bass and low end that we all love from the mesa's yet it has the marshall mid top which would give you that 80s trasher sound. But you can dial in both mesa sounds or marshall sounds.
> 
> Otherwise I would sugest a mesa amp, I haven't tried the others



Im in same boat as OP. Only im trying to decide between Roadster, Triple rec, Thrasher and Diamond. I really like your description of the Diamond as that is what im after. Randall is new and made in China at that price point I would expect better. 

I play rhythm so i dont care too much about cleans. At this price point im sure all the amps have decent cleans. I care more for the hihg gain stuff. I dont want to use pedals. I try and hust use the amp alone. Roadster is certainly most versatile but I kinda would rather have simple. I hat tweaking just want to play. What do you guys think? Im going after the Metallica, 5FDP, Megadeth sound.


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## Thaeon (Jul 29, 2014)

I have a Thrasher and it's built like a tank. Mike wouldn't put his name on something that was poor quality. The Fortin it's based off of is more than double it's price tag. Made in China to keep manufacturing costs down. Mike gave the final thumbs up. Good enough for me. Still going to own a Mesa at some point. Probably sooner than later. I love the triple recto sound. Since they've evolved the cleans and the gain channels a little and added multiwatt, I'm sold on one.


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## tripforks (Jul 29, 2014)

My Roadster has served me very well. The 4 chhop isels rock for getting a variety of great tones to piss off your neighbours with 

And BTW, soloing over rap and hip hop is thoroughly satisfying. Especially so with more complicated beats, but riffing to The Motto is a helluva good time

Cheers, and rock on!


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## cardinal (Jul 29, 2014)

Yianni54 said:


> Im in same boat as OP. Only im trying to decide between Roadster, Triple rec, Thrasher and Diamond. I really like your description of the Diamond as that is what im after. Randall is new and made in China at that price point I would expect better.
> 
> I play rhythm so i dont care too much about cleans. At this price point im sure all the amps have decent cleans. I care more for the hihg gain stuff. I dont want to use pedals. I try and hust use the amp alone. Roadster is certainly most versatile but I kinda would rather have simple. I hat tweaking just want to play. What do you guys think? Im going after the Metallica, 5FDP, Megadeth sound.



Really, these amps aren't cheap. It's worth a road trip to track some of these down and play them before buying (or I guess mail-order them from somewhere with a return policy). But if you really can't play them first, I'd go with either Mesa. The have the tried-and-true Recto tone that's become legendary for a reason: it's awesome. Roadster is darker than the Triple, and the Triple will be a bit "faster" and brighter than the Roadster (I have a Triple and played a Roadster for a bit). The Thrasher and Diamond may be cool amps. But how many great records have been recorded with them? How easy would they be to sell if it turns out you don't like them? Neither matters if you do like the amp, but both are big warning signs to me if you're looking at spending $$$$ on something you've never played.

That said, if you really don't want to use a pedal with a Recto (I'd reconsider! A Recto with an 808 is cliche but damn, what crushing metal tone), I'd look into a Mesa Mark III/IV/V instead. That will be tighter and more in line with the bands that you listed, though an unboosted Triple Recto can get very close to Hetfield's tone on Load (tones that I really like, but I don't think that's what most mean when they say they want Metallica tones...).


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## Yianni54 (Jul 29, 2014)

cardinal said:


> Really, these amps aren't cheap. It's worth a road trip to track some of these down and play them before buying (or I guess mail-order them from somewhere with a return policy). But if you really can't play them first, I'd go with either Mesa. The have the tried-and-true Recto tone that's become legendary for a reason: it's awesome. Roadster is darker than the Triple, and the Triple will be a bit "faster" and brighter than the Roadster (I have a Triple and played a Roadster for a bit). The Thrasher and Diamond may be cool amps. But how many great records have been recorded with them? How easy would they be to sell if it turns out you don't like them? Neither matters if you do like the amp, but both are big warning signs to me if you're looking at spending $$$$ on something you've never played.
> 
> That said, if you really don't want to use a pedal with a Recto (I'd reconsider! A Recto with an 808 is cliche but damn, what crushing metal tone), I'd look into a Mesa Mark III/IV/V instead. That will be tighter and more in line with the bands that you listed, though an unboosted Triple Recto can get very close to Hetfield's tone on Load (tones that I really like, but I don't think that's what most mean when they say they want Metallica tones...).



Great info!!!! I definately want a darker sinister sounding amp. I wont buy anything w/o trying. 5FDP uses tbe diamond and i love Zoltans sound. 

So the Roadster is darker than the the triple? I thought it was the other way around. Ya when I say i love JH to e im thinking MOP and AJFA. If you ever watched through the never, that is the tone I want live. 

I ddnt mea. Any disrespect to the China Randalls. It doesnt exclude it as an option I just would have piked it to be made elsewhere for that kind of money. 

I did have a Fireball 100 but it just sounded to sterile too me. Not bad by any means but I didnt love it. 

Im gonna either look at Roadster or Thrasher/Satan. Anyone know what the differences are between the two Randalls?


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## Eliguy666 (Jul 30, 2014)

Now, there's a big difference between "dark" and "sinister". Generally, dark means that it's more based in the low frequencies, generally with slower response and less harsh. There are some exceptions, of course.

Generally, in terms of metal, a 5150 is bright, while a Mesa is dark. I like bright amps much more, because they sound much heavier with low tunings and are generally harsher.

For an 8 string, out of those three, I'd definitely say the Randall thrasher. Another good option, though, if you have the chance, would be to check out Fryette stuff. The Ultra Lead is revered by a lot of rhythm guitarists, and is notoriously tight (which is definitely a plus for rhythm).

General rule: if you run a lot of treble, you want a brighter amp. If you run less, you want a darker amp.

Nails use relatively bright guitar stuff, while bands like Dragged Into Sunlight use super dark guitar stuff. Both are heavy, but sound totally different.

Bright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX8Pm465Nj4&channel=TheGrindShow1
Dark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl3dgsbOx9E&channel=ProstheticRecords


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## Shask (Jul 30, 2014)

Yianni54 said:


> So the Roadster is darker than the the triple? I thought it was the other way around. Ya when I say i love JH to e im thinking MOP and AJFA. If you ever watched through the never, that is the tone I want live.



A Mesa Mark V might be a better choice than a Recto then.....


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## Yianni54 (Aug 1, 2014)

Thaeon said:


> I have a Thrasher and it's built like a tank. Mike wouldn't put his name on something that was poor quality. The Fortin it's based off of is more than double it's price tag. Made in China to keep manufacturing costs down. Mike gave the final thumbs up. Good enough for me. Still going to own a Mesa at some point. Probably sooner than later. I love the triple recto sound. Since they've evolved the cleans and the gain channels a little and added multiwatt, I'm sold on one.



Thaeon,

How does the Thrasher compare to the Mark V and rectifiers for 80's thrash/Metallica? Thanks


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## skydizzle (Aug 3, 2014)

I loved my Roadster, but it was just too muddy. But I used an MXR 10 band EQ in. The loop, and it tightened it up nicely. The Ironheart sounds amazing, and I haven't tried a thrasher yet.


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## jc986 (Aug 3, 2014)

Mesa Mark V will completely nail the tone from MOP and AJFA, as well as any other thrash sounds from that era with ease. No pedals required.


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## Thaeon (Aug 3, 2014)

Yianni54 said:


> Thaeon,
> 
> How does the Thrasher compare to the Mark V and rectifiers for 80's thrash/Metallica? Thanks



It's tight like a Mark. But much drier. It doesn't saturate much. Completely a different animal than a Recto. Rectos have that characteristic sag and the rasp on the top end. The Thrasher sounds like 80's thrash. It can get close to the Mark sound. Which is the early metallica sound. Rectos didn't really get big till the 90's. The Thrasher has a little bit of a Marshall character to it. It doesn't sound like a Marshall. But there are some similarities.


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## The Scenic View (Aug 4, 2014)

Roadster all the way. The recto's are a little awkward to tweak, but you just have to give it some time; letting your ears to the work and not your eyes.


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## Yianni54 (Aug 7, 2014)

How about Thrasher vs Satan? What is the tone difference here?


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## Thaeon (Aug 7, 2014)

Yianni54 said:


> How about Thrasher vs Satan? What is the tone difference here?



The Satan is a little more aggressive in the preamp. Voiced slightly different. Though I don't know why you'd need it. From what I understand Ola wanted to do as little processing in his DAW as possible. I'm not really a fan of his tone. It's not bad. Just not inspiring to me.


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## Yianni54 (Aug 7, 2014)

Thaeon said:


> The Satan is a little more aggressive in the preamp. Voiced slightly different. Though I don't know why you'd need it. From what I understand Ola wanted to do as little processing in his DAW as possible. I'm not really a fan of his tone. It's not bad. Just not inspiring to me.



What does more aggressive pre amp mean and how does the change the tone? Also for 80s thrash/heavy metal stuff which would be better? Thanks


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## KiD Cudi (Aug 7, 2014)

TRENCHLORD said:


> Or, they could get to know you and your routine and use the info for an easy rip off when you're at work.




Wow......


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## KiD Cudi (Aug 7, 2014)

I played a Roadster in the amp demo room of guitar center for about 2 hours when I was in high school a couple years back and from what I can recall, it was really easy to dial in a good high gain sound. Very tight but HUGE low end, "musical" midrange, fast single note lines and big chords sounded nice and clear, but I do remember channel 3 being a little dry for lead work. Nothing an overdrive couldn't fix I assume... Nonetheless, to this day the Roadster is my dream amp. If I was in a position to buy it I sure as hell wouldn't hesitate so if you're willing to spend that much, go for it. 

But even with that being said, from what I can tell by clips on the web the Laney is an incredible sounding amp especially at its price point. I'm actually considering the 30 watt Ironheart combo for my dorm this semester.


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## tscoolberth (Aug 27, 2014)

Yianni54 said:


> Im in same boat as OP. Only im trying to decide between Roadster, Triple rec, Thrasher and Diamond. I really like your description of the Diamond as that is what im after. Randall is new and made in China at that price point I would expect better.
> 
> I play rhythm so i dont care too much about cleans. At this price point im sure all the amps have decent cleans. I care more for the hihg gain stuff. I dont want to use pedals. I try and hust use the amp alone. Roadster is certainly most versatile but I kinda would rather have simple. I hat tweaking just want to play. What do you guys think? Im going after the Metallica, *5FDP*, Megadeth sound.



Zoltan says buy signature amp from Diamond !!! http://youtu.be/a8Gcsz54PVI

On a smaller level I'm in the same boat .. I have the Laney IRT Studio .. so I need a Diamond Assassin .. but I may bump up to that F4!


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## xero7 (Aug 30, 2014)

I had a thrasher and it does any high gain tone well. Plus has an awesome clean. For at home jamming its perfect at super loud band volumes with bass and drums it lacks the fullness that the recto has but cuts like a knife


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## antuni (Sep 2, 2014)

Boogie!


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