Rockerverb Tone: 50 Watt VS. 100 Watt, etc.

[Orange Sunshine]

Hello All,
Thanks for being here. This is my first post. I plan to record at home and have a lot to learn. I'm interested in the Rockerverb MkII and III but can't easily try them. I've done some reading and watched videos, but would like to ask a few questions. Two things I've been wondering are:

What are the tonal differences of the 50 vs. 100? Do the 100 sound more aggressive, more compressed, etc. when fully cranked? I don't need loudness, but can record loud. I would buy a 100 if it had something to offer tone-wise.

How do the clean channels of the MkII and III compare break-up wise?

OS

[thejay]

Welcome. Personally I'd go with the MKIII as it has more features and the 100w if it were me. 100w gives you more clean headroom if you want or need it... Chances are though 100w isn't needed at all for your application. I think the MKII sounded more fender like in the cleans were there is more of a vox-y tone in the MKIII. Ch 2 sounds exactly the same to me... As far as the reverb is concerned it's much more tame and "normal" in the MKIII, the MKII was a little more spacey sounding. I did a comparison video on my YouTube channel.

[Hubaxe]

I agree. Even if most of people would recommend smaller amps, the headroom and bass response is much better with 100W, even at low volume.
I've tried to scale down to 50w in studio, but after a few minutes, all was back on 100W setup.

[Les Paul Lover]

Whilst the 100w will have more headroom and more low end...... It is possible the drive the 50w clean channel into natural overdrive more easily in the 50 watter.

It's a totally different overdrive flavour, very much power valve based, and would probably be a great option to when recording. And to be honest, the 50w model has plenty low end thump already.

[Bensnake]

For studio sessions I'd recommend the Mklll. The attenuator feature is great and makes you get the Clean channel to break up, even with the 100 watter.

[Borderline Productions]

I got my RV 50 MKI because of the sound on the clean channel as the power tubes began to saturate. To get the same sound with the 100W the volume needed would have the neighbors calling the police. An attenuator may avoid this. I also did not see me playing in venues where 50 watts would not be enough.

[Mr. Satchmo]

I've been using my Rockerverb 50 MKIII for almost a year. I have used it in many situations and love it. For most of its life, I was running it through a PPC112, and only ran it at 25 Watts. It's a fantastic amp and that attenuator makes it even better for use. I just got a PPC212 OB and now run it at 50 watts and it's even better.

In my opinion, get a MKIII in 50 watts.





To me, the 50 watt version is perfect for many sized auditoriums, I have played some small shows at tiny halls, and the bigger halls with no issues whatsoever.

[Orange Sunshine]

Hello Folks,
It's been a while since I started this topic but I'm finally ready to spring for a Rockerverb MkIII. I'm going to use it for recording and am looking for info on the 50 vs. 100. I'm wondering if the 50 has a smaller output transformer and would break up earlier and more thoroughly. These amps have been out for a while. Has anyone played them both? If so, please tell me how they compare. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

The on-line seller I deal with told me I could order both the 50 and 100, and take 45 days to return one, but I'd like to avoid that. If I had recording gear it would be tempting to do a recorded comparision, but I've been too busy with amps and such to buy recording gear. This is the last amp I'm going to buy though before getting recording gear.

I'm looking for a high gain head to more or less complete my small collection. I have 13 amps, 2 are '70s OR120 (non-master), 1 is a late '70s OR80M. Two are modern amps, an AD30TCH and CS50. The rest are vintage, a '70 Laney 60, '65 Selmer T&B 50, '67 Marshall Plexi, '78 Ampeg V4B, '70s Sunn Sentura II, '65 Supro Thunder Bolt, '59 Gibson Skylark and a Johnson Millennium 150.

I'm also wondering what the Bax Bangeetar would do for me. From what I've heard in videos they sound amp like. I get some good sounds using a treble booster into my AD30TCH but still find myself wanting a high gain head. I might order a Bax tomorrow.

Thanks in advance, OS

[D|C|M|E]

Hello Folks,
It's been a while since I started this topic but I'm finally ready to spring for a Rockerverb MkIII. I'm going to use it for recording and am looking for info on the 50 vs. 100. I'm wondering if the 50 has a smaller output transformer and would break up earlier and more thoroughly. These amps have been out for a while. Has anyone played them both? If so, please tell me how they compare. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

The on-line seller I deal with told me I could order both the 50 and 100, and take 45 days to return one, but I'd like to avoid that. If I had recording gear it would be tempting to do a recorded comparision, but I've been too busy with amps and such to buy recording gear. This is the last amp I'm going to buy though before getting recording gear.

I'm looking for a high gain head to more or less complete my small collection. I have 13 amps, 2 are '70s OR120 (non-master), 1 is a late '70s OR80M. Two are modern amps, an AD30TCH and CS50. The rest are vintage, a '70 Laney 60, '65 Selmer T&B 50, '67 Marshall Plexi, '78 Ampeg V4B, '70s Sunn Sentura II, '65 Supro Thunder Bolt, '59 Gibson Skylark and a Johnson Millennium 150.

I'm also wondering what the Bax Bangeetar would do for me. From what I've heard in videos they sound amp like. I get some good sounds using a treble booster into my AD30TCH but still find myself wanting a high gain head. I might order a Bax tomorrow.

Thanks in advance, OS

I haven't played a MKIII 50W but I own a MKIII100. For my money, the best tone available in that amp is running 4 tubes at "half" power on the standby switch which they say is effectively 70W. It has the best high gain break up on all points of the Gain dial and has only slightly compromised bass thump compared to running at 100. But running at 100 doesn't have a quite as sweet of a gain breakup as the 70W power setting so I can just dial in a touch more bass on the EQ and retain that extra sweetness. I'll try running my head at 2 tubes/full power (50W) and compare it directly to the 70W rating later tonight if you're interested in the comparison.

I've played the Bax once and I was really impressed with it. However, I will say that seeing as how it is basically a Rockerverb type gain structure in box but with WAY WAY WAY more EQ fluctuation potential, a video I saw which did a comparison between the RV100 and the Bax into a clean amp (I think it was the clean channel of the same Rockerverb it was being tested against) made the case for me that the gain was more impressive directly out of the amp. As an EQ junkie however, I do love all the excessive mid gain and frequency control on the Bax. It would be awesome if they would make a RV with THAT full EQ on it. I have been able to dial in plenty of wonderful sounds using just the basic BMT EQ on the drive channel however...now that my V30's have broken in.

[Orange Sunshine]

I'll try running my head at 2 tubes/full power (50W) and compare it directly to the 70W rating later tonight if you're interested in the comparison.

Thanks for the info. I'd be interested in reading more.