Double Trouble

[grunge782]

So I'm FINALLY getting my Mesa Dual Rectifier (3 channel, I'm crazy enough that I like the 3 channel the most) on Saturday. I'm going to be pairing it in stereo with a Titan 100w through my Mills Cab. So here are the 2 questions that have been scratching at my mind.

1. What do you guys dial in on your Recto's to get your "heaviest" tone? I'm a huge lover of sag and I'm not trying to make a recto do something it shouldn't. I like the extremities a Recto brings compared to other amps and I want to highlight them. I'm thinking of going for a sound somewhere around Gojira and Amon Amarth.

2. Might be an old question, but I heard a Recto takes pedals quite well. What are your favorite OD pedals? Right now all I have is a Dan Electro Cool Cat Drive. I've never really had a need for OD pedals until now. Settings as well would be appreciated.

 

[grunge782]

Sweet guys, thanks for the advice :roll: . Seriously anybody? I know some people must be proud of what they made of their tone. Go ahead and brag a little :wink:

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

I use a Roadster, which is fairly similar to the Dual Rectifier. If you love sag, obviously go with the recto tracking mode. The harder you pick, the more saggy it gets. Also, I use a Keeley TS9DX Flexi 4X2 in front of my amp, just like how it interacts with my amp...

 

[grunge782]

I use a Roadster, which is fairly similar to the Dual Rectifier. If you love sag, obviously go with the recto tracking mode. The harder you pick, the more saggy it gets. Also, I use a Keeley TS9DX Flexi 4X2 in front of my amp, just like how it interacts with my amp...

Cool. What settings are you throwing through it though?

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

I use a Roadster, which is fairly similar to the Dual Rectifier. If you love sag, obviously go with the recto tracking mode. The harder you pick, the more saggy it gets. Also, I use a Keeley TS9DX Flexi 4X2 in front of my amp, just like how it interacts with my amp...

Cool. What settings are you throwing through it though?

It depends really. Sometimes I run it with a bit of gain with tweed mode to get that SRV type of tone. I also use the gain at 0 and level to taste with channel 3 and 4, but sparingly. I prefer the tone of running the EQ pedal in the loop to tighten the tone without making the tone itself sound too compressed...

 

[clutch71]

I prefered the TS808 RI when I had an older 2CH DR w/ EL-34's in the power section. Really tightened up a looser feeling amp. My settings were around noon on the tone stack and gain on the Modern channel, Bold, presence varied. Vintage, I preferred slight more gain say 1-1:30 on tube rectification. I always used Mesa Cabs(Still do to this day even though I currently do not own a Retifier) but have heard great things about the Mills.

As far as settings go there is or used to be a settings DB on this site. I would try other guys settings but found most that I preffered to be close to noon and tweaked from there. I'd stay start there and find your own recto tone.

Congrats on the new amp!

 

[grunge782]

I would try other guys settings but found most that I preffered to be close to noon and tweaked from there. I'd stay start there and find your own recto tone.

Thanks, but from what I have heard it is very hard to dial in this amp, so starting from 12 and going from there might be a slow way to go.

 

[clutch71]

I would try other guys settings but found most that I preffered to be close to noon and tweaked from there. I'd stay start there and find your own recto tone.

Thanks, but from what I have heard it is very hard to dial in this amp, so starting from 12 and going from there might be a slow way to go.

I think that is a relatively common misconception. I never found them to be hard to dial unless I was chasing tones that the amp was not capable of ie Marshall, Soldano, Diezel tones. It also depends on what you are trying to get out of the amp and the tones you want to emulate.

Another issue; and one I was gulty of with the two rectifiers I've owned, most guys get a DR and try to play it at bedrooom volume. Then they state it sounds buzzy or fizzy. IME this is an amp that is made to be cranked and tightens up with volume. Not that they can't sound good at lower volumes, it all depends on the amp and tube age.

Where you play is another factor. I've been through 4 amps only to learn all amps sound like ass in my basement due to the lower dropped ceiling. Move it to the garage or cathedral ceiling room and it sounds way different.

In general they are a looser feeling, naturally mid scooped amp. If you understand that going into it and that is what you want, dialing is easy. After all it's not a Mark IV or V

 

[grunge782]

I would try other guys settings but found most that I preffered to be close to noon and tweaked from there. I'd stay start there and find your own recto tone.

Thanks, but from what I have heard it is very hard to dial in this amp, so starting from 12 and going from there might be a slow way to go.

I think that is a relatively common misconception. I never found them to be hard to dial unless I was chasing tones that the amp was not capable of ie Marshall, Soldano, Diezel tones. It also depends on what you are trying to get out of the amp and the tones you want to emulate.

Another issue; and one I was gulty of with the two rectifiers I've owned, most guys get a DR and try to play it at bedrooom volume. Then they state it sounds buzzy or fizzy. IME this is an amp that is made to be cranked and tightens up with volume. Not that they can't sound good at lower volumes, it all depends on the amp and tube age.

Where you play is another factor. I've been through 4 amps only to learn all amps sound like ass in my basement due to the lower dropped ceiling. Move it to the garage or cathedral ceiling room and it sounds way different.

In general they are a looser feeling, naturally mid scooped amp. If you understand that going into it and that is what you want, dialing is easy. After all it's not a Mark IV or V

It seems to me that a lot of people just want to constantly "tighten" their Recto sound which is the opposite of what I want. I like it very loose and grainy. But the reason why it is hard to dial in is not a misconcpetion, its circuit and tone stack works very strangely, not like any other amp. That as well as on the 3rd channel having an insane value for its presence pot.

 

[YellowJacket]

Where you play is another factor. I've been through 4 amps only to learn all amps sound like ass in my basement due to the lower dropped ceiling. Move it to the garage or cathedral ceiling room and it sounds way different.

Ewww,
our jamspace in my parents place was awful for that. Everything sounded like bunk no matter what. I was always unhappy with my tone down there and I recall actually bringing a bunch of 4 x 12s home so I could A/B them. I swear John Petrucci couldn't get a good tone in that basement. Man, when we'd gig out places everything always sounded way better!!! The studio here is a little better. We still get those annoying highs bouncing around but there are a few sweet spots at least.

 

[Cleekster]

your tone will hit the treble first and how high or low the treble is determines how dominate/subtle the bass and mids are....keeping the treble in the 10:30-12:00 range will give you the thickest fattest tone IME. ithe lower you run the mids the looser the amp will be BUT your tone will be much more indistinct and LESS likely to cut through the mix.

 

[grunge782]

your tone will hit the treble first and how high or low the treble is determines how dominate/subtle the bass and mids are....keeping the treble in the 10:30-12:00 range will give you the thickest fattest tone IME. ithe lower you run the mids the looser the amp will be BUT your tone will be much more indistinct and LESS likely to cut through the mix.

Sweet, thanks for the advice. I've been enjoying the amp a lot so far, but I might have been overdoing the mids. I'll give dialing it down a shot.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

For instant sag, go with 50W, recto tracking, and spongy mode. I'm sure that will be saggy enough for you...

 

[grunge782]

For instant sag, go with 50W, recto tracking, and spongy mode. I'm sure that will be saggy enough for you...

50 watt? I have the Dual Recto Solo head.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

For instant sag, go with 50W, recto tracking, and spongy mode. I'm sure that will be saggy enough for you...

50 watt? I have the Dual Recto Solo head.

Woops, I got confused with all the threads, and thought this one was a Roadster or Road King II thread. Nevertheless, recto tracking still applies..