Carvin V3 versus Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier ????....HELP!!!!

Zappafreak1963 · Sep 26, 2010

In the near future I am going to be buying a new amp,......I have been having a lot of trouble deciding on which direction I want to go in.........I like to play stuff like Zappa, Tony Iommi,........so obviously I like to have infinite sustain and nice crunch....however I do want versatility in case I want to play some clean blues or whatever.....I am wondering if there's anyone out there who has heard and/or played with both the Carvin V3 and the Mesa Dual Rectifier,.......I have been reading reviews on both amps and I'm still confused.......The price on the V3 is quite reasonable.......1200 for a half stack......it has 5 12AX7s in the pre-amp and 4 EL34s in the power amp.......it also has 3 channels.
........so if there's anyone out there that can give me some advice on this it would be greatly appreciated..... my email is [email protected]

ixoye777 · Sep 29, 2010

From what you said sounds like getting a Mesa DR is not the amp for you. DR's have crappy crunch and other then the Roadster/Roadking are also not very versatile. If you are looking into getting a mesa that will cover a decent range of tones including a good 80's/90's crunch go play the Mark V. The Mesa DR amps are mainly chunky chugga chugga amps.

EtherealWidow · Sep 30, 2010

Ask this question in the Electrodyne forum. I'm not an owner, but from the little I know about it I hear it's crazy versatile. Expresses are also really really awesome, just FYI.

srf399 · Oct 1, 2010

I owned a lot of the Mesas and I now own a Carvin Legacy II You should try one if you're leaning toward the MKV or the Electradyne

MrMason · Oct 2, 2010

I used to have a Carvin V3...really nice amp for the money, very versatile. That said: it can do any tone well, but it can't do any tone exceptionally. If you want super versatility, then the V3 is an awesome amp. I just don't think it has a lot of character to the sound, in my opinion.