Gigged with my Rectoverb 25 last night

[elvis]

Finally got my RV25 to a gig! It was great. I didn't mic it or go direct (which I usually do via my Radial JDX) and it was plenty loud in a small bar with acoustic drums and a big vocal PA. I could have gotten a lot louder, and I still had plenty of headroom on the clean channel. It had just a bit of bite and sparkle. I use a boost in the loop, and got some boost, so the power tubes still had room.

I was struggling with it in rehearsal (see my review of it Here: http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=65813&p=455307&hilit=rectoverb+review#p455307). I wound up putting a V30 in it because I was having a tough time dialing it to match my Mini Recto. I had still been unhappy with it, but spent a good couple of hours A/B-ing it with my MR (into a vertical recto 2x12). I couldn't nail it, but I got close enough. The low-end is good, but there is no way it can match a big 2x12. Interestingly, I get great scoop with the MR/2x12 combo, so that there is a lot of sparkle in the high end and a beautiful low-end push, but not much mids, even with the mid control about 11:00. For the RV25 I had to push up the treble and presence and kill the mids completely and it still has a bit of mid in the voice.

Either way, it sounds good, though there is still a bit of life in the MR/2x12 that I can't quite capture. I will likely try the Fillmore again just to see how it sounds with my new settings.

On the plus side, I stumbled on a really nice tone for the clean channel.

 

[KiwiJoe]

Glad to hear the new combo is working out for you.

What kind of music do you play and what kind of guitar are you using where you have the mids scooped so low (and are you talking about clean or dirty)? With my MR and the 1x12 I set the bass around 10:00 and the treble, presence, and mids around 2-3:00. I find anything anything with the mids less than noon just too muffled and gets buried in the mix.

 

[dbagchee]

Glad to hear it held up live. I'll be me using mine live for the first time this Saturday through a 4x12 (just picked it up a couple weeks ago). Should be plenty loud based on how well it is cutting through in rehearsal. I'm loving this amp so far!

 

[elvis]

I play rock, blues, R&B and hair metal. Mostly using a Telecaster and a Jem. I like a very strong transient punch and a fairly upper mid/treble-heavy tone with a solid low-end thump. Cuts though nicely but doesn't sound thin, even with the tele. I use an OD808 to get more punch and a BB Pre to get liquid lead tones, both set pretty conservatively. For flat-out gain I run OD808 - BB Pre - Lead channel.

MR settings with recto 2x12 cab
Clean - very clean, no grit
CLEAN
Gain 12:00
Treble 12:30
Mid 10:00
Bass 1:00
Presence 12:00
25 Watts

Lead - moderate drive, punchy
VINTAGE
Gain 11:00
Treble 12:30
Mid 12:00
Bass 3:00
Presence 12:00
25 Watts

RV25 1x12 combo (V30) Settings for very similar tone
Clean
CLEAN
Gain 1:00
Treble 2:00
Mid OFF
Bass All the way up
Presence 10:30
25 Watts

Lead
VINTAGE
Gain 12:00
Treble 2:30
Mid Off
Bass All the way up
Presence 1:00
25 Watts

It's totally scooped, but sounds good. Even a little more mid-heavy than I'd like. Probably due to the cranked bass. This does not come out bass-heavy, more evenly balanced between high and low, with high winning a bit.

I tried cutting the bass and adding more mid, but I lost the very low frequencies and it had too much mid honk.

Maybe if I put the Fillmore back in I could dial back the bass a little and up the mid.

 

[KiwiJoe]

I play rock, blues, R&B and hair metal. Mostly using a Telecaster and a Jem. I like a very strong transient punch and a fairly upper mid/treble-heavy tone with a solid low-end thump. Cuts though nicely but doesn't sound thin, even with the tele. I use an OD808 to get more punch and a BB Pre to get liquid lead tones, both set pretty conservatively. For flat-out gain I run OD808 - BB Pre - Lead channel.

MR settings with recto 2x12 cab
Clean - very clean, no grit
CLEAN
Gain 12:00
Treble 12:30
Mid 10:00
Bass 1:00
Presence 12:00
25 Watts

Lead - moderate drive, punchy
VINTAGE
Gain 11:00
Treble 12:30
Mid 12:00
Bass 3:00
Presence 12:00
25 Watts

RV25 1x12 combo (V30) Settings for very similar tone
Clean
CLEAN
Gain 1:00
Treble 2:00
Mid OFF
Bass All the way up
Presence 10:30
25 Watts

Lead
VINTAGE
Gain 12:00
Treble 2:30
Mid Off
Bass All the way up
Presence 1:00
25 Watts

It's totally scooped, but sounds good. Even a little more mid-heavy than I'd like. Probably due to the cranked bass. This does not come out bass-heavy, more evenly balanced between high and low, with high winning a bit.

I tried cutting the bass and adding more mid, but I lost the very low frequencies and it had too much mid honk.

Maybe if I put the Fillmore back in I could dial back the bass a little and up the mid.

Where is the master volume set?

 

[elvis]

Master is set wherever I need it :lol:

Actually I have the Clean and Lead masters set for appropriate relative volume, somewhere in the 10:00-12:00 range. I use my Multi-Effects unit in the loop to set the actual volume. Usually pretty low, as I keep a low stage volume and run a Radial JDX to FOH. I do like to push it up a little, as the EL84s respond very nicely to a bit of volume. This amp is definitely not ALL preamp compression.

For the last gig I had the volume pretty high as there was no FOH and the drummer played the venue's acoustic kit. Last night I gigged with it again and went direct. I definitely like the amp a little louder, but it's way better for the venue if I go direct and we keep the overall band volume under control. Normally we have an electronic drum kit and keep things pretty quiet. Owners like us a lot because we don't start with an acoustic drum kit and a 100W Marshall and then turn up from there :shock:

 

[djw]

Hey Elvis, where do you play? I'm in the East Bay. 8)
Thanks for the report!

 

[KiwiJoe]

Master is set wherever I need it :lol:

...I do like to push it up a little, as the EL84s respond very nicely to a bit of volume. This amp is definitely not ALL preamp compression.

I know what you mean, kinda why I asked and is that is one of the many things I love about the amp. I really like to push the mains as I find the amp really breathes and sounds very "open" and uncompressed when the ELs are up on the pipe (above noon for me). I tend to leave the gain around 9:00 and push the master to noon-2:00 on the red channel, 10W (been finding a lot of love with the modern setting lately). Plenty of grunt, sustain, etc. without the saturation and compression, and the dynamic response is great so it lends itself to rolling guitar volume.

For the last gig I had the volume pretty high as there was no FOH and the drummer played the venue's acoustic kit. Last night I gigged with it again and went direct. I definitely like the amp a little louder, but it's way better for the venue if I go direct and we keep the overall band volume under control. Normally we have an electronic drum kit and keep things pretty quiet. Owners like us a lot because we don't start with an acoustic drum kit and a 100W Marshall and then turn up from there :shock:

Yeah, the clubs in my part of NZ are pretty small, and they frown on big volume, too.

It's great to hear the ROV/Mini Rec are pulling duty all over the place in many applications.

 

[dbagchee]

Played my first gig with the Rectoverb 25 on Saturday. Sounded great - we play hard rock/metal (my band Asyst is based in the Monterey Bay Area) and I literally had all the knobs at noon on the modern setting plugged through my Line 6 Vetta 4x12 cabinet. I'm so so happy with this amp! 8)

 

[elvis]

Sweet! Do you use the internal speaker too, or just the 4x12?

 

[dbagchee]

Right now just the 4x12 with the band, though I might try using the 4ohm inputs and running both - might as well right? I may try the next show with just the combo - that would save hauling the 4x12 around, but I think the added speakers help give some volume headroom.

 

[elvis]

I doubt you will get more volume or headroom with the extra cab. It may extend the tone, though.

I am curious how you find the 1x12 vs. the 4x12. I imagine the 4x12 sounds huge.

 

[paulg2uk]

Are you using your G system with the Rectoverb 25 Elvis? I have the head version of the rectoverb 25 and was playing it with my g sys the other day. It sounded killer. I can't get over how loud it is. Chan 2 wasn't even up a quarter of the way and was only on 10 watts. I'm tempted to use the rectoverb next week at rehearsal instead of my mark v. If it wasn't for the fact we have some clients coming to see us play and are seeing if we are good enough to play for their wedding I'd take the rectoverb in a heart beat. Decisions decisions lol

 

[elvis]

Yeah, I'm using the G System. Works beautifully with the RV.

I hear ya' on the decisions. Two really great amps.

What cabinet are you using with your RV head?

 

[paulg2uk]

Yeah, I'm using the G System. Works beautifully with the RV.

I hear ya' on the decisions. Two really great amps.

What cabinet are you using with your RV head?

Just my wide body 1x12 I use with my mark v. Pic's at the bottom for you all.

I'm planning on buying a new 2x12 later on in this year. This time I'm going for a Zilla Cab. They are custom made over here in the UK. They have a 2x12 called a "Fat Boy" and a "Super Fat Boy" They are built slightly bigger than a normal Boogie 2x12 which I find quite dark sounding anyway. They are suppose to be on par with a 4x12. You guys have probably heard of them? I think I'm gonna go with the greenback speakers inside for a change.

 

[elvis]

Nice!

Be careful with the Greenbacks. They are 25W, so a 2x12 won't handle the Mark V at full power.

What is the TC Electronic box in the lower right of your rack?

 

[paulg2uk]

Nice!

Be careful with the Greenbacks. They are 25W, so a 2x12 won't handle the Mark V at full power.

What is the TC Electronic box in the lower right of your rack?

Interesting I didn't know that about the greenbacks. Do you think I should just stick with V30's then? I always found them to bit quite dark sounding in the 2x12 boogie I had. Or any other suggestions speaker wise? Maybe EV's?

That's just a Nova Drive on the lower right of my rack. I use it for a couple of tunes that have less gain like a bit of U2 or A bit of Footloose.

 

[elvis]

It's my understanding that the stock Celestion V30 is voiced differently from the Mesa V30 and is a bit brighter. There have been posts about that, I'm sure you could find them with a search.

There are also other pseudo-"green" versions of the V30 that may take more power, stuff like Hellatone.

 

[polaris20]

Elvis, cool to hear about this, since my ROV25 head will be showing up any day now. Side question- as a user of the JDX, are you at all interested in the new Radial Headload? Seems like a great recording device (load/attenuator+JDX+Phazer).

 

[elvis]

Polaris, I actually hadn't heard about it until you mentioned it. I already have a Rock Crusher, so I doubt I would go the attenuator/load box route again.

I read the press release, and it was about getting lower stage volume. In my own experience with a power attenuator, the speaker has a minimum volume level, below which it loses transient response. So it is a balancing act to set up the speaker volume so that it is enough, without overwhelming the stage volume. To me that is the real trick.

Once you find that level, THEN the amp becomes the next thing to address. If you MUST use that 100W monster, then you will need to use an attenuator to allow it to cook the output stage. With a 25W amp, I haven't had the need. The output stage is in pretty good shape at the volume I need. Were I using my Electradyne, even in 45W mode, I would use the Rock Crusher for sure. That amp really depends on pushing the output stage much more than the Rectifier does.

I do really like the JDX. I have used both it and my Rock Crusher for recording and the JDX gave me much better results.