3 channel recto sound to 2 channel sound recto mod idea.

[Anonymous]

i had both 2 and 3 ch mesa drs. there is no difference. its all hype as far as i am concerned. i said it before if the 2ch were really any better mesa would still be making them. i know some will disagree but thats my thoughts. i have no problem making my 3ch sound like my 2 ch. but the 2 ch cant make some of the tones the 3ch can.
the 3 ch eq is by far the most trickiest to handle though.
rock on 3ch owners!!!!! 8)

I know I'm pulling this one up from the dead, but I think it's worth it.

Ironic how Mesa - so they say - have gone back to the old 2 channel circuit with the Reborn Rectifiers!

I came here to say this, though. I've been testing and I think I know how to make make current / Rev. G rectifiers sound like earlier revisions. First, change the gain pot to 1M. However, as GNZ pointed out, this creates mud. So, at the plate of the 2nd gain stage, change the 10nF cap to ground to 5nF. You'll get a tighter response.

As for the 2 vs (old) 3-channel debate, I believe there's one part that is needed to make the 3 channels sound (nearly) identical to the 2 channels. See that same 10nF cap from the plate of V2A to ground on a Rev. G? It's missing on the older 3-channel amps. That cap takes away just a little bit of high end fizz. Although, there's more than just that; I don't know how much the 100 ohm resistors in parallel with the 1.8uF at the cathodes affect tone, but my guess is not THAT much.

And of course, if anyone has direct experience working with a Pre-500 Rectifier, it would be great to get your perspective!

 

[APEMAN]

-

 

[JCDenton6]

Awesome info guys, wonder if anyone has fully modded other 2 ch revisions to sound like a revision C :?
Been digging into this myself for a while but haven't turned up much.

 

[TremoJem]

Looking forward to sound clips...

 

[Anonymous]

Looking forward to sound clips...

I've got the whole day to record, actually. I'm going to do side by side comparisons with the same cab and mic setup; start off stock and then swap parts. For guitars, I've got an R9 with a BKP Abraxas set and an Explorer with EMGs tuned down. For cabs, I've got a Bogner 4x12 with Scumbacks (don't think I'll use it though today) and a Recto 4x12 straight cab with stock V30s.

Any requests?

 

[JCDenton6]

^Anything you put together would be a godsend
Haven't heard too many comparison clips, especially between the different revisions.

 

[Anonymous]

^Anything you put together would be a godsend
Haven't heard too many comparison clips, especially between the different revisions.

Ask and ye shall receive!

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=58838

 

[Anonymous]

Over the past week I've built and have been working on another Rectifier clone.

I'm out of money and selling my Tremoverb, unfortunately, but before it goes out the door just yet, I've been going back and forth between the two and haven't quite been able to get them to sound the same. Both sound really damn good, but the clone has slightly more upper mids and a stronger voicing, where the Tremoverb maybe is a little darker and slightly more compressed.

I'm not too concerned with making them sound identical, but I think the LDRs that control the cathode bypass caps really do make a difference. That and, of course, the OT. I used almost all the same parts and have the same voltages. Same tubes, of course. These are the only big differences other than the reverb circuit (which I'm sure makes at least a small change).

I didn't really expect the OT to change the tone quite as much as it is. The clone has Mercury Magnetics and the Tremoverb is stock, and while I like the Mercury, I wouldn't call it an upgrade necessarily. Then again, I haven't cranked it yet. :twisted:

By the way, do transformers break in? Or are they pretty much set from the beginning?

 

[JCDenton6]

Good question... :?

 

[Third Age Amps]

Output Transformers tone will ever so slightly change when they are pushed hard, but once they reach that saturation they are solid. I don't think it's like tubes, though. You may not even notice a change in it.

I think one of the main factors splitting opinions in this thread is changing the Recto tone. Mesa's choice of components and layout is what gives it it's wonderful tone, and it is VERY distinctive. But I would prefer to shape the tone a bit to my taste and make it more mine than the stock amp can do. That and I'm addicted to solder fumes, so I have to get my fix. :mrgreen:

There are a number of ways to re-create the 2Ch tone and tearing into the guts isn't necessarily the best option, but it is fun. So far I think TheMagicEight has it figured out with his mod. As far as the buzzy high-end, I have found that if you add a .01uf cap in parallel with R242 (470k grid stopper into V4B) it will pump up the high-mids a nice amount and that has the illusion of cutting the fizz down.

 

[VisaL]

I have not been truely satisfied with the dual i have. I’m able to track with it however and after the usual post processing one does (LP, HP, 1k boost) is sounds like a recto. But in a band contex it just was too woofy, compressed, lacks any clarity and is lost in the mix. It also makes bass guitar disappear. This is especially true with 7- strings. So i havent used it much in several years apart from tracking certain guitar parts. I’ve had rectos before but not 3ch dual. I also thought these are not the greatest of amps. But like the OP, i was looking at the schematic to figure out the differences. These are not that different.

I biased the amp hotter. That made it way more present and powerful sounding. Today I didnt have better things to do so I changed the gain pot. Original reads 170 kOhms. I replaced it with 500k as i didnt have 1 meg. I was really surprised how much it changed the tone. There’s a lot more mids now, which does 2 things, makes the amp way way less bass heavy/woofy and what was fizzy top end now sounds just aggressive. This is more the Rectifier tone i remember having 20yrs ago. Gotta order some 1 meg pots and continue the testing.