Help me choose the right model Rectifier for max chunk

[Living_justice]

zen why not try some other brands than mesa?,

 

[Zen Guitar]

Hi Living_justice,

I've tried a lot of the amps out there that are well respected for heavy tones, including Deizel, Soldano, VHT, etc. Haven't tried Krank, though. However, I'm very much a tried and true Boogie guy. I've always loved Boogie above all else for gain tones, and I always come back to them for the tone, the durability, and the way they treat me like family.

Also, the exact tone I'm after is indicative of Rectifier tones that I've either heard in person or on record, so I'm pretty sure what I'm after. I just want to get the RIGHT Rectifier, so I'm not disappointed. I just don't have the personal experience with all the current and former Rectifier models that everyone shares here in such abundance, so I'm asking all my Newbie questions. :lol:

I very much appreciate all the response thus far!

 

[Elpelotero]

Thanks to everyone for the wealth of info!

I had the opportunity to play a 2 ch Recto last night for a bit. Sound was nice. This particular amp was a just a little loose, but I don't know how old the tubes were, what they were, and didn't have much time to tweak with the settings.

I guess, what I mean is that if I could have asked for a bit more bite, a touch more tightness, and even just a little of that Boogie fizziness, that's what I would have wanted. Almost like sharpening the focus on a picture... A little more detail and edge definition, if that makes sense. Probably the opposite of "smoother".

I also had the opportunity last week to try out a Single Rectifier Solo head that my buddy had (wasn't sure how old it was, as he got it used and they have always had just two channels) and it sounded AMAZING. No flubbiness in the low end, even with 7 string guitar and LOUD volume. It had chinese tubes (Boogie branded). He mentioned that every time his band, Zero Hour, gigs, he gets compliments on his tone with his 2 ch dual Rectos, but when he brings out this Single Recto, he gets an overflow of good comments. We both felt it sounded much better as well. I wonder if this is one is just a special head, or if SR's just have a sound more akin to what I might be looking for.

The Boogie catalog seems to make a point of saying that these have "...a truly usable power band with a bright, fast top end..." and "...the vibe of these mid power amps has always been brash and urgent..."

Sounds to me like a description that suited the differences I heard between the two amps... The SR being faster and tighter in the top end with more brightness and upfront presence. Maybe a bit more aggressive sounding. As I said, though, I have no idea whether this is a one-off comparision between two one-off amps, or if this categorically makes sense overall for comparisons in general between SR's and DR's. Anyone able to chime in here?

One other thought... I've heard some folks say that they loved the crunch tone of the Roadster, whereas these same folks were not impressed with the Road Kings. Interesting, as they are supposed to have the same tones in there, but I guess having the different power sections and other bells and whistles could obviously have an impact on tone. I've also heard some folks compare the Roadster to the older 2 ch Dual Recto's. Is this the consensus here? Roadsters sound similiar to older 2 ch DR's?

Thanks again!

it is very possible that the you had the "vaccum rectifier tubes" option flicked up on the dual recto instead of the "silicon diodes" option.

Single rectifiers only come in silicon diodes, which offer the tightest tracking a recto can get. Dual rectifiers have both silicon diodes and vacuum tubes. The tubes give a more vintage sagging loose feeling.

You also need to make sure to click the amp to "bold" so it gets even tighter.

My personal vote would be to go for an old 2ch dual or triple recto. These are the classic recto sounds we grew up hearing in the 90's.

 

[siggy14]

I second this motion. Having had a ROV Series II i can tell you the dual and the ROV was pretty much the same.

The power band they are talking about is, with 50 watts it is easier to make the power section go into power amp distortion.

Besides his suggestion of making sure it is on diodes and set to bold, I might also suggest yanking two of the power tubes and one rec tube. It is safe to do this with a dual recto, only thing is if your cabinet is 8 ohm, use the 4 ohm tap on the back of the head. You can do this by pulling the two center tubes and either one of the rec tubes. This way you will also get the power band that the single has.

Thanks to everyone for the wealth of info!

I had the opportunity to play a 2 ch Recto last night for a bit. Sound was nice. This particular amp was a just a little loose, but I don't know how old the tubes were, what they were, and didn't have much time to tweak with the settings.

I guess, what I mean is that if I could have asked for a bit more bite, a touch more tightness, and even just a little of that Boogie fizziness, that's what I would have wanted. Almost like sharpening the focus on a picture... A little more detail and edge definition, if that makes sense. Probably the opposite of "smoother".

I also had the opportunity last week to try out a Single Rectifier Solo head that my buddy had (wasn't sure how old it was, as he got it used and they have always had just two channels) and it sounded AMAZING. No flubbiness in the low end, even with 7 string guitar and LOUD volume. It had chinese tubes (Boogie branded). He mentioned that every time his band, Zero Hour, gigs, he gets compliments on his tone with his 2 ch dual Rectos, but when he brings out this Single Recto, he gets an overflow of good comments. We both felt it sounded much better as well. I wonder if this is one is just a special head, or if SR's just have a sound more akin to what I might be looking for.

The Boogie catalog seems to make a point of saying that these have "...a truly usable power band with a bright, fast top end..." and "...the vibe of these mid power amps has always been brash and urgent..."

Sounds to me like a description that suited the differences I heard between the two amps... The SR being faster and tighter in the top end with more brightness and upfront presence. Maybe a bit more aggressive sounding. As I said, though, I have no idea whether this is a one-off comparision between two one-off amps, or if this categorically makes sense overall for comparisons in general between SR's and DR's. Anyone able to chime in here?

One other thought... I've heard some folks say that they loved the crunch tone of the Roadster, whereas these same folks were not impressed with the Road Kings. Interesting, as they are supposed to have the same tones in there, but I guess having the different power sections and other bells and whistles could obviously have an impact on tone. I've also heard some folks compare the Roadster to the older 2 ch Dual Recto's. Is this the consensus here? Roadsters sound similiar to older 2 ch DR's?

Thanks again!

it is very possible that the you had the "vaccum rectifier tubes" option flicked up on the dual recto instead of the "silicon diodes" option.

Single rectifiers only come in silicon diodes, which offer the tightest tracking a recto can get. Dual rectifiers have both silicon diodes and vacuum tubes. The tubes give a more vintage sagging loose feeling.

You also need to make sure to click the amp to "bold" so it gets even tighter.

My personal vote would be to go for an old 2ch dual or triple recto. These are the classic recto sounds we grew up hearing in the 90's.

 

[siggy14]

Did you try throwing an overdrive in front of the amp. Rec's sound the best with gain around 1 oclock with a over drive pedel in front. With the pedel you set the gain to zero, the level to full and adjust the tone to your liking. You will hear the rec in a whole new light, it screams this way.

Hi Living_justice,

I've tried a lot of the amps out there that are well respected for heavy tones, including Deizel, Soldano, VHT, etc. Haven't tried Krank, though. However, I'm very much a tried and true Boogie guy. I've always loved Boogie above all else for gain tones, and I always come back to them for the tone, the durability, and the way they treat me like family.

Also, the exact tone I'm after is indicative of Rectifier tones that I've either heard in person or on record, so I'm pretty sure what I'm after. I just want to get the RIGHT Rectifier, so I'm not disappointed. I just don't have the personal experience with all the current and former Rectifier models that everyone shares here in such abundance, so I'm asking all my Newbie questions. :lol:

I very much appreciate all the response thus far!

 

[vertigo_]

go with roadster...its the best recto out there now!

 

[vertigo_]

I have been in this forum around 1 month and I am tired of listening "THE MARK IV" song. Every single time, buy the mark IV.

This is getting boring.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

I have been in this forum around 1 month and I am tired of listening "THE MARK IV" song. Every single time, buy the mark IV.

This is getting boring.

+1000 there's more than one amp out there that sounds amazing.

 

[Johnson]

If you are looking for one really really great recto sound. I'd grab a 2 channel dual rectifier with the lowest serial number that you can find. There is one with a serial number in the 700's on ebay right now...starting at $900! Not a bad deal!

 

[clutch71]

The reason I recommend the Roadster over the Roadking is, for me, it was just too many bells and whistles and pricey. For me I just couldn't justifiy it.

You haven't mentioned the price range. Or if so it was way back in the post, and I've since forgotten.

For the price the, Single Rec is one of the best bangs for the buck. You can find them used for about 800 bucks for the most part. They are stripped down versions of the DR and offer the same low end.

I think it's one of the most over looked amps out there. I know when I was looking for a rectifier before I joined this board, no one pointed me toward the SR. Nie thing is you could buy one used. Try it, find what you like and then resell it if you see that you want more options of another rectifier and not lose anything price wise

 

[wildrat666]

I have a 3 chan dual recto and driving it with a maxon od 808 in front. and I have el34 s in it. tight gainy recto tight metalman

 

[Zen Guitar]

I just got back from auditioning the new 3 channel Dual Rectifier Solo head and the new Roadster head, both into Recto 4x12 cabs.

As mentioned in my earlier posts, I had the opportunity to recently play a 2 channel Dual Rectifier Solo head (this one was a blackface model) as well as the Single Rectifier Solo head (of unknown production date).

My conclusions may go against the grain here a bit...

For what I am looking for (hyper tight, heavy chunk) I preferred the 3 ch DR to the 2 ch DR. It seemed tighter, brighter, more present, and crunchier. It stayed plenty tight, even on the low B of my seven string (Ibanez Prestige RG type with Blaze and Air Norton 7). The 2 ch I played seemed less crunchy (some may say smoother, or less fizzy), darker, and less focussed. Amount of gain was about equal. I could see someone looking for a lead sound out of the amp gravitating towards the 2 channel DR that I tried, but for tight, staccato riffing, this one was more of what I was after. It had a similar tone to the SR that I played that I really was in love with.

The Roadster seemed to be voiced quite a bit darker. I can see why some folks here on the Board liken it to the 2 channel DR's as it seems to be similiar to what I remember the 2 ch DR I played sounding like. Ch 3 and ch 4 of the Roadster are quite a bit different to my ears. I preferred ch 3 for my purposes. Ch 4 was too dark for my tastes. Also, I typically am not a fan of using the Vintage mode for the chunk tone that I have been discussing (although it is nice for lead), however switching Ch 3 to Vintage brought out a lot of the missing clarity and presence that I had been looking for. This was odd, as typically switching from Modern to Vintage has the opposite effect, to my ears. Switching to Vintage on Ch 4 (or on Ch 2 or Ch 3 of the Dual Rectifier) seemed to have the more expected result of smoothing and darkening the tone considerably, but, for whatever reason, doing this on the Roadster's Ch 3 had the effect of brightening and tightening the sound. Has anyone else found this to be true?

So, I guess it just goes to show that tone is subjective. For what I am after, the newer 3 ch Rectifier is perfect, which obviously makes finding the right amp a little easier.

The Roadster is a very cool amp, but overkill for what I need (just the one sound) and less ideally voiced for what I am looking for. For those looking for a sound closer to the 2 ch Rectifiers, my very limited experience suggests that this may be the way to go if an actual 2 ch Rectifier is not available to you or does not offer all the features that you need. For those trying to get the most vicious crunch out of the Roadster, try ch 3 over ch 4 and experiment with both the Modern and Vintage modes, even though this may seem counterintuitive.

Of course, please take whatever I've written here with a grain of salt and be sure to use your own ears.

Thanks again to eveyrone for all the shared info and opinion!!!

 

[Elpelotero]

congrats on the find...

goes to show everyone has different tastes and that mesa has an amp for everyone!

 

[fdesalvo]

Honestly, the DC will get you that ultra-tight and fat chunk you are looking for with tons of saturation.

I traded my DC10 for a JSX and subsequently sold it as fast as I could. It just wasn't the same...great lead amp, though.

Now I am sure my quest's end for fat and tight chunk will rest in the hands of the VHT UL. This amp with it's matchng cab is absolutely punishing.