I have just received my Dual Rectifier! Some questions!

[Sorg]

I bought mine used and have no manual.

1. If I want a good metal distortion.. Is bold og silicon diodes the most normal choices (most used) for that?

2. Can somebody tell what sort of function slave out and Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34) have? What should I choose when playing metal?

3. When I play at low volumes the sound sort of changes.. the bass and treble goes a bit back and forth.. Any reason for this?

4. I tried to run my Pod xt in FX loop. Should i not also then be able to control volume from the amp and not only from the pod?

5. Are channel 2 and 3 identical?

 

[siggy14]

You can download the manual from Mesa's site, just note they have for the two channel and three channel version, so make sure you download the right manual. Here is the link. http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/user_manuals.htm

I bought mine used and have no manual.

1. If I want a good metal distortion.. Is bold og silicon diodes the most normal choices (most used) for that?

2. Can somebody tell what sort of function slave out and Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34) have? What should I choose when playing metal?

3. When I play at low volumes the sound sort of changes.. the bass and treble goes a bit back and forth.. Any reason for this?

4. I tried to run my Pod xt in FX loop. Should i not also then be able to control volume from the amp and not only from the pod?

5. Are channel 2 and 3 identical?

 

[domct203]

Hello and Welcome to The Board !!

I bought mine used and have no manual.

Download one from Mesa Boogie before you go any farther.
http://www.mesaboogie.com/manuals/user_manuals.htm

1. If I want a good metal distortion.. Is bold og silicon diodes the most normal choices (most used) for that?

Usually yes, and mostly with the Modern modes.

The Bold/Spongy switch drops the incoming voltage in the Spongy setting to give more sag and compression. The Silicon Diode/Vacuum Tube switch lets you choose how the amp converts the incoming AC voltage (from the wall plug) into the DC voltage needed for the tubes with Silicon Diode being the "tightest" setting. Vacuum Tube setting uses the 5U4GB tubes. Be sure to experiment with both to get an idea of how they work. They really change the feel of the amp.

2. Can somebody tell what sort of function slave out and Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34) have? What should I choose when playing metal?

The Bias Select switch MUST match the Output Tube type you are using. If the other big tubes (4 of them) say 6L6GC then that is where the Bias Select switch MUST be set. This switch gives you the ability to choose your output tube type (either 6L6GC or EL34). The Slave Out is normally used to feed a "wet" amp setup or mixer. It's settings have no effect on the amp.[/quote]

3. When I play at low volumes the sound sort of changes.. the bass and treble goes a bit back and forth.. Any reason for this?

This is normal for a tube amp, especially the Rectifiers. The amp is designed to perform at stage levels, lower volume settings will require different EQ settings. A 100 Watt tube amp IS NOT for the bedroom.

4. I tried to run my Pod xt in FX loop. Should i not also then be able to control volume from the amp and not only from the pod?

The Output control should control the overall volume of the amp unless you have the FX Loop Hard-Bypassed. There are too many variables here (signal levels, channel masters etc.) so this is where the manual is priceless.

5. Are channel 2 and 3 identical?

Almost. The Presence controls effect different frequencies. Ch 2 is tweaked for Vintage sounds and Ch 3 is tweaked for Modern sounds.

The amp has alot to offer, be sure to download the manual and get to know all the functions of the amp.

Dom

 

[Sorg]

I will read the manual tonight

-Btw.. Are there any switches/dings/dots I can not use if I do not turn off the amp first (don't want to harm anything..)`?

-I see I have 6L6 so I will set that one to that. Big difference with EL34 btw? What is normal?

-About the FX loop thing... I ran it through "Loop" and not return... I should probably use return I believe? Or does that only depend on whether I want the power from the amp or not?

-I feel the treble is a sounding way to...... can't really find the word.. is a very distinct sound and I do not like it that much... I feel it is very difficult to change the character in the treble... but maybe tweaking around with the presence would do the trick? my plan was to buy an equalizer pedal to change that, but then the guy in the store said I would not need it and that I just have to spend more time with the amp... Anyway.. I like to have a lot of treble (not talking fizzy Black Metal sound)... and when I crank it up this special character in the treble is very loud.. anybody who knows at all what I am talking about?

 

[Sorg]

and btw.. I have no Mesa Boogie cab yet, so I am using a 4x12 Marshall now and that might affect the sound of course..

 

[jgk723]

-I see I have 6L6 so I will set that one to that. Big difference with EL34 btw? What is normal?

You SHOULD NOT play around with this switch. It is not just another switch to tweak your tone. It is to tell the amp what type of tubes you have in it. If you have it set to the wrong one, you could damage your amp. Keep it on 6L6. EL34's sound great in a Dual Rectifier also, but I've never tried it myself. Some other people here can comment on that I'm sure...but don't touch that bias switch ever again! :wink:

-About the FX loop thing... I ran it through "Loop" and not return... I should probably use return I believe? Or does that only depend on whether I want the power from the amp or not?

The "loop" jack is not for your effects. That jack is for plugging in a footswitch to turn the fx loop on and off. Don't worry about that jack for now. In order to use the fx loop, you want to run a cable out from the SEND jack into the input on your first pedal in your chain, then run a cable from the end of the pedal chain into the RETURN jack. You only want to use "wet" effects in the fx loop, such as chorus, phaser, flanger, delay, etc. Wah pedals, compressors, or overdrive pedals you want to run into the front of the amp right after your guitar.

... and when I crank it up this special character in the treble is very loud.. anybody who knows at all what I am talking about?

Looks like you have a 3 channel version. These are the ones made after around 2001. They have a different voicing than the Dual Rectifiers from the 90's, as these newer ones have more of that "fizzy" treble sound that I've never been able to get rid of when playing high notes on the guitar. The "fizz" blends into your sound wonderfully if you're playing heavy power chords though, so if you're not playing any solos, I'm sure you'll love the amp. In situations where I need to tame the treble in an amp when its cranked (very common in modern amps) I like to put an EQ pedal in the fx loop the turn the high frequencies all the way down. Then I use the treble and presence knobs on the amp to put some reasonable treble back in. It works better this way. Optimally, an EQ into the front of the amp AND one in the fx loop would be great, but I've never owned two EQ pedals either...

 

[FullMontySmurf]

-I feel the treble is a sounding way to...... can't really find the word.. is a very distinct sound and I do not like it that much... I feel it is very difficult to change the character in the treble... but maybe tweaking around with the presence would do the trick? my plan was to buy an equalizer pedal to change that, but then the guy in the store said I would not need it and that I just have to spend more time with the amp... Anyway.. I like to have a lot of treble (not talking fizzy Black Metal sound)... and when I crank it up this special character in the treble is very loud.. anybody who knows at all what I am talking about?

If you are using channel 3 (red LED) on modern mode, set the presence control for that channel really low. Using modern mode on channel 3 makes the presence control really agressive, so tweak your amp to that.

 

[Sorg]

-About the FX loop thing... I ran it through "Loop" and not return... I should probably use return I believe? Or does that only depend on whether I want the power from the amp or not?

The "loop" jack is not for your effects. That jack is for plugging in a footswitch to turn the fx loop on and off. Don't worry about that jack for now. In order to use the fx loop, you want to run a cable out from the SEND jack into the input on your first pedal in your chain, then run a cable from the end of the pedal chain into the RETURN jack. You only want to use "wet" effects in the fx loop, such as chorus, phaser, flanger, delay, etc. Wah pedals, compressors, or overdrive pedals you want to run into the front of the amp right after your guitar.

Hm.. Now I am not sure what you're saying here.. Because there is a special hole for the foot switch cable (not the Loop hole).. I attach my foot switch into there..

- I also thought that I should only use return when using Fx loop. What is the difference when I use Send also? That I also use the Preamp in the amp?

... and when I crank it up this special character in the treble is very loud.. anybody who knows at all what I am talking about?

Looks like you have a 3 channel version. These are the ones made after around 2001. They have a different voicing than the Dual Rectifiers from the 90's, as these newer ones have more of that "fizzy" treble sound that I've never been able to get rid of when playing high notes on the guitar. The "fizz" blends into your sound wonderfully if you're playing heavy power chords though, so if you're not playing any solos, I'm sure you'll love the amp. In situations where I need to tame the treble in an amp when its cranked (very common in modern amps) I like to put an EQ pedal in the fx loop the turn the high frequencies all the way down. Then I use the treble and presence knobs on the amp to put some reasonable treble back in. It works better this way. Optimally, an EQ into the front of the amp AND one in the fx loop would be great, but I've never owned two EQ pedals either...

I actually bought a BOSS GE-7 EQ in the US this summer also. I completely forgot that.. So should I put it in the loop or like this: Guitar - Eq - Amp?

 

[clutch71]

I'm not familiar with the POD XT but I have an old J-Station which is similar. It's "out" plugs directly into the return and then I plug the guitar directly into it. This bypasses everything but the volume on the amp and the presence. Don't forget that that you'll need to make sure the return knob is turned up as it affects output volume as well. The level or master volume on the pod also effect the output volume.

These are not quiet amps. I spent the last 6 month's trying to tame mine, and while I love the features on the DR and nothing sounds better cranked, it's just not a practical amp for my current usage. It's kind of like trying to tame a wolf. Just when you think you have them eating out of your hand, they up and bite your face off. I pulled tubes, added OD's, tried different tubes, and ran my J-station into it. At the end of the day my options were limited to having it modified or adding a attenuator which supposedly suck tone and cost between $300 and $600 bucks. Dom, Russ, Cvansickle, and Platy will probably read this and say "See we told you so."

I don't want you to think that you made a bad choice. If I lived in the country with a pole barn or exterior garage (as my next house will be) I wouldn't have sold my DR. I just pass this on so you don't waste money trying to keep the thing quiet.

 

[Sorg]

I am not trying to keep it quiet. I will play loud with it for sure! It's only at home now during Christmas that I had to play on low volumes (because there are other persons in the house)..

 

[Elpelotero]

put the eq pedal like this: guitar--amp--pedal in efx loop

Don't use it right away though. Get used to the sound of the amp without it first. Then use it when you are ready to tweak your tone to the next level.