finally getting frustrated with dual rec.

[tempest1226]

no worries im not going to bash the amazing tones these produce. Im just frustrated with the parallel loop. Im trying to run my g major. Even mix at 100% isnt doing it. Ive talked to alot of people at mesa and at tc electronic and they all say G major is def better off teamed up with a series loop. I could easily get the mod done as ive already had mesa send me the schematics to give to my local mesa repair shop BUT.........Ive heard that you lose the solo function as well. THe problem with this is I HATE THE CLEANS ONTHE DUAL REC. You cant get enough volume out of the good ol green channel before it gets distorted. I had a good set up having the gcx audioswitcher turn on the solo external switch when im playing cleans so that the solo knob serves as a second volume for all my clean channel playing which allowed me to have the gain and master down on the clean channel. But if i get the fx loop mod, i will then hopefully get resolution and equal volumes with the g major on and/or off but will then lose the dual rec solo feature that got me my crystal clear cleans. I understand that there is volume boosts in the gmajor but they dont go as high as needed for me to get a nice sparkley clean. Sorry if this is pointless to you guys but i wanted to vent and get some opinions/recommendations or hear if anyone has had simular issues. Ive thought about just saying to hell with the dual rec and getting a roadster since i believe it has a series loop but i still hear that the cleans arent as good as say a roland 120, etc. Ive thought about getting a seperate head for cleans and running both heads and a/bing them. But i was trying to find an all in one solution. Take care friends.

 

[Silverwulf]

I'll look around and see if I can find my settings for when I used to use the G-Major with my Recto with a parallel loop. I honestly don't remember having any problems with it at all.

And if you're looking for another head for cleans, I still have a Roland JC-120H available at the moment... :lol:

 

[tempest1226]

i have a random question for anyone. haha. If i was to keep my dual rec and get a lonestar head for just cleans, can you hook up two heads to one cabinet if your only using one head at a time?

 

[Platypus]

i have a random question for anyone. haha. If i was to keep my dual rec and get a lonestar head for just cleans, can you hook up two heads to one cabinet if your only using one head at a time?

Just buy a Roadster if you're going to go that route.

 

[tempest1226]

i most likely am, i was just curious if you can do something like that or if you have to have seperate cabs. Also. If i was to have a lonestar/dual rec setup along with a gcx setup could i share a g major between both heads?

 

[djw]

i have a random question for anyone. haha. If i was to keep my dual rec and get a lonestar head for just cleans, can you hook up two heads to one cabinet if your only using one head at a time?

Here's a lazy, unresearched answer for you: I'm guessing not. Although things like a hotplate and other output limiters/power soaks can sit in between your amp and speakers, I think switching output on and off like that would be inadvisable. It'd have to be a pretty fancy piece of hardware to ease the load up and down like that, for two or more heads; you probably wouldn't get anything like a nice, snappy switch out of it either, since the amp you're switching to will in a way be coming up from a standby state. (I know this is not precisely true, but the effect would probably the same.)

I'm happy to be proven wrong, but that's my guess. I agree with Platypus, just get an amp that will do both.

 

[tempest1226]

what if i was to get use seperate cabs for the lonestar and the dual rec. Kind of like petrucci does. Lonestar for cleans and rectifier for dist.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

You can run 2 heads to a single cab with something like this

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Radial-Headbone-VT-Amp-Head-Switcher-for-Tube-Amps?sku=153911

And if you love your distortion tones from the DR I would suggest getting a lonestar to compliment it, the Roadster is great, but doesn't sound identical to the 3 channel. The GCX will allow you to use the G-Major with both or either/or heads and change channels for you as well. I would suggest running seperate cabs with both though, that way you can get the cab you want for the lonestar and the cab you want for the DR, but if you like the same cab for both then the radial headbone will work perfectly.

This is a bit more expensive (understated a bit) than getting a roadster in place of the DR and also more of a pain to drag around to gigs and such, but you'll have 5 completely independent channels as well as your choice of multiple setups. I'm getting a lonestar to compliment my DR and Quad, but I only ever use one at a time live (in the studio it's another story).

Figure out exactly what you want from your setup, do you want a single unit or multiple units, do you want a single cab or multiple cabs, etc. Map out the tones you want and what you're in need of to finish the lineup compared to starting over. Whatever you decide on, make sure you're happy with your decision and that you don't regret getting rid of something for something else.

 

[LG]

Tempest, I would agree with you about the lack of volume balance between the clean and the crunch/lead channels of the Dual Rec. I've never been able to get the clean levels up to match the others. In my 2002 Dual Rec, I run what's called an integreated quad-all JJ's. 2 6L6's on the outside and 2 EL34L's on the inside. This was a compromise between the 34 tone that I love (also own a Marshall JVM) and the huge low end that the Rec's specialize in. It helped with the Rec's clean channel some, but the problem still persists. Now I know tone is a very subjective matter but trust me on this one, the Marshall JVM cleans absolutely destroy the Rec's. It and the MIDI capabilities (I use a Ground Control Pro and A GCX switcher) are what sold me on the amp. Before you get into the Rec's loops and the external switching jacks, I would suggest contacting Mesa. I lost the use of my Boogie's external switching when I was setting up my GC pro and contacted them. They said to speak with their tech's once my amp was repaired about properly configuring the switcing jacks. Hope this helps a little!
LG
02' Dual Rec,07'Marshall JVM,Line 6 Spider 2x12, Gibson Les Paul 04' Custom Shop Standard,Gibson 95'LP Standard, 93' Washburn Padauk N4, Warwick FNA,Intellifex (blackface),Voodoo Lab GC Pro and GCX,3x Marshall 4x12's 75 watt, 1xMarshall 4x12 25 watt Greenbacks, cases by Crown and NGM
Pics of my rig:
www.myspace.com/fftlg

 

[jdurso]

i have a random question for anyone. haha. If i was to keep my dual rec and get a lonestar head for just cleans, can you hook up two heads to one cabinet if your only using one head at a time?

yes i did this for a while with a dual rec and fender supersonic head..... i also did it with a triaxis/290 and a vetta head... always going into a mesa 4x12.... actually sounded pretty cool when i had both heads going at the same time (one dry and heavy, and the other somewhat clean with fx)

 

[jab]

I recall the same issue on my DR, clean channel not very loud. What about a clean boost pedal like from Seymour Duncan or the Xotic RC? That seems to give volume without coloring or distorting the tone much?

 

[jdurso]

if you decide to go down the 2 amp setup (which i would recommend if you get the mod done) i would highly recommend a roland jc-120... best cleans out there and they get loud as hell... a little extra equipment to lug but definitely worth it in terms of tone

 

[123thefirst]

I'd go with either the 2 amp/2 cabinet route or buy a RK with the RK cabinet. If you are picky about the clean sound you will find that an open back non-V30 cabinet is required for beautiful, organic clean sounds.