I LOVE FAT GIRLS. (The story of how I almost sold my Recto)

[YellowJacket]

So you guys probably remember me bitching about my Recto and how I wanted an Electra Dyne. I was annoyed because the edge of breakup tones sounded thin and lifeless and the cleans, although good, were not really anything special.

Back over 10 years ago, I had put a $300 deposit on a Nomad 55 that did not come in for months. I was SICK of waiting four months later and when I went into my Guitar Tech's shop to get new pickups installed in my Godin LG, that is when I saw it. The blackface 2 channel Dual Rec. This was RIGHT when the 3channel heads just came out. I powered it up, took it for a test drive, then begged to my parents. They convinced me that 18% in store financing was STUPID and that a bank loan would be the best option. So I got a student line of credit at prime +1 and paid cash outright for my new toy.

I spent years and years fighting with it. I was never happy with this or that and it only sounded good when it was emitting wall crumbling decibel levels. In spite of it's warts, I always loved that amp. It simply sounded better than whatever everyone else was using.

I made the mistake of trying an Electra Dyne back in the spring of 2010 and by the summer of 2011, I had bought one.
The deal with my Wife was that I would sell the Dual Recto to make up for the coin I spent on the Electra Dyne. I had the Recto listed for sale here and for sale on Craigslist / Kijiji and I had a serious buyer looking into buying the head off of me when YOU GUYS convinced me to keep the thing. Cradlefish, the guy who I got the Electra Dyne, was particularly vocal about this but there were others who also counseled with similar advice. Basically, I was told to keep it because one day I'd go back.

I managed to convince my wife to let me keep the thing and I paid my dues by shoveling crushed granite for three weeks last summer. Well, I barely touched it for over a year. It just sat there, and sat there, and sat there. This summer I was thinking of selling it again but I never got around to it. I was talking to cradlefish about other options such as a Mark V (Out of my price range) or possibly a Mark IV. Something that was heavy but had better lead tones.

We ended up moving and my small bedroom studio with hardwood floors has since turned into a small studio with an exterior wall and carpets. I decided to power up the recto the other day and after some fireworks, a replaced fuse, and some swapped tubes, it roared to life with vigor. The wife was out with the toddler so I decided to raise hell.

HO

LY

****

Then, in a flash, the amp was staying. I sat there chugging for a whole hour with a stupid grin on my face. NOTHING on god's green earth sounds like a cranked Recto. The rhythm tone is just so huge, wide, and complex.

**GLEEEE*****



It may not have a great clean or lead tone, but what it does it does well!!! The Electra Dyne is still my #1 but when I want to get heavy and aggressive I know what amp I need. Time to get an ABY box for Christmas!!!

 

[Blaklynx]

Cool little story. Glad you found the mojo again...lol Only a recto amp sounds like a recto. Simple as that.

When I bought my Rectoverb I told my wife I'd sell the JCM800 (original) that I've had for 25yrs. Never happened. I bought a Mesa 2:50 to go with the Carvin Quad-X that I've had for 13years. Then came a Rocktron Piranha pre. I supplemented all that with a JSX head. Then came the Mesa Quad pre.....

Still have all this stuff....

I tell my wife "You buy shoes and bags, I buy music gear".... but we're not silly with the $$ TBH.

The recto needs help to get smooth tones and decent palm-mute-type to creamy-lead-tones but by gee, it's the only amp that sounds the way it does compared to my other amps.

Moral of story? Never sell anything that's good.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I really like Rectos, but the thing that really held me back was that with 2 channels it was either all or nothing (high gain or clean) with no option for mid gain. Yeah, I could dial back the gain by dialling back the volume on my guitars and that worked fairly well, but it's not quite the same as having a dedicated channel setup to provide the sound that I want.

The three channels never really appealed to me since I didn't feel the need for a second high gain channel. I had two high gain channels in my 2 channel and found I just dialled both in the same so it was pretty redundant.

The Roadster was a real saviour for me. Having the second clean channel that could be dialled in for driven clean sounds gave me exactly what I was looking for. It took me awhile to figure out what to do with the second high gain channel... eventually I discovered Raw mode and found out it gave me an option between Tweed and Modern. I probably use Raw more than I do Modern since it maintains the same basic Recto response while being a little less over the top with a bit more clarity.

Lastly, one of the nice things about the extra bottom end in the more modern Rectos is that they do lower volumes better than my 2 channel. Low volume still isn't outstanding by any means, but it's not as thin and buzzy as on my 2 channel.

 

[YellowJacket]

Cool little story. Glad you found the mojo again...lol Only a recto amp sounds like a recto. Simple as that.

When I bought my Rectoverb I told my wife I'd sell the JCM800 (original) that I've had for 25yrs. Never happened. I bought a Mesa 2:50 to go with the Carvin Quad-X that I've had for 13years. Then came a Rocktron Piranha pre. I supplemented all that with a JSX head. Then came the Mesa Quad pre.....

Still have all this stuff....

I tell my wife "You buy shoes and bags, I buy music gear".... but we're not silly with the $$ TBH.

The recto needs help to get smooth tones and decent palm-mute-type to creamy-lead-tones but by gee, it's the only amp that sounds the way it does compared to my other amps.

Moral of story? Never sell anything that's good.

So it NEVER ends, eh? Lately I've been wanting a Torpedo Live to remove stage volume headaches for certain kinds of venues. I've also wanted an axe equipped for metal either 7 or 8 string, or severely detuned, so I can play huge, deep, and phat chords. Of course, one can always use a jazzbox....

With all the talk of boosted Rectos I've been curious to try this out. I've always been a cable from guitar into amp kind of guy so the thought of complicating my setup bothered me. But ya, all the clips I've heard suggest that boosting a recto adds a mean bite / harmonic sheen on the sound and it really takes the amp to another world in terms of aggression.

I really like Rectos, but the thing that really held me back was that with 2 channels it was either all or nothing (high gain or clean) with no option for mid gain. Yeah, I could dial back the gain by dialling back the volume on my guitars and that worked fairly well, but it's not quite the same as having a dedicated channel setup to provide the sound that I want.

Exactly, the 'edge of breakup' tones sound either impossibly thin or kinda boomy, tubby, and farty. There is not any sort of seamless blend into breakup. Rather, it sounds like the amp is malfunctioning. Rather unpleasant.

The three channels never really appealed to me since I didn't feel the need for a second high gain channel. I had two high gain channels in my 2 channel and found I just dialled both in the same so it was pretty redundant.

When I discovered how great Vintage High Gain works for lead tones and Modern High gain works for rhythm, I would have killed for a clean channel. I got my 2 channel right when the 3 channels first came out in summer of 2000 and I did not have the funds for a new Mesa. Back then, a new recto was $2,500+ tax just for the head. By the time I would have been able to pick up one used, I had grown attached to the cosmetics of my head as well as the somewhat unique tone. (It was my brother who first noticed that my Recto didn't sound quite like all the other ones.)

Also, I was primarily a rhythm player back in the day. I was in a band and we were into heavy, high gain, palm muting style rhythm playing so the Dual Recto Halfstack suited my needs perfectly. I used the orange channel for picking clean passages or simple block rock chording and I used the red channel for the typical nu-metal crunch most guys dialed into these heads. When I would solo, I did not know enough about gear to really appreciate a dedicated lead tone.

At the time my biggest frustration was trying to get cranked recto tone at low volumes. This isn't possible and it really drove me crazy for many years but I'm kind of coming to terms with it now. At least I don't have to play through a $200 solid state amp like most guys!

When I started taking Cello lessons, it revolutionized both my left hand technique and my ideas of sustain, line, and phrasing. My playing changed rapidly and all of the sudden, I required a different tool to realize my artistic vision.

The Roadster was a real saviour for me. Having the second clean channel that could be dialled in for driven clean sounds gave me exactly what I was looking for. It took me awhile to figure out what to do with the second high gain channel... eventually I discovered Raw mode and found out it gave me an option between Tweed and Modern. I probably use Raw more than I do Modern since it maintains the same basic Recto response while being a little less over the top with a bit more clarity.

Ya, I recall you talking about this. I tested a Roadster out based on your recommendation and I seriously did not jive at all with channels 3 and 4. The voice was really a step away from the direction I wanted to go with my tone. Incidentally, channels 1 and 2 are both absolutely BRILLIANT and I could see where this amp is the ultimate tonal swiss army knife for gigging.

Lastly, one of the nice things about the extra bottom end in the more modern Rectos is that they do lower volumes better than my 2 channel. Low volume still isn't outstanding by any means, but it's not as thin and buzzy as on my 2 channel.

Weird, low volume on my 2 channel actually sounds pretty phat. I just have to bring the gain up a bit to compensate for the gain lost due to lower volume playing. BUT I do know that we both play with very different tones. I prefer more gain saturation which works better with low volume playing.

So for me, the amp switch was to the Electra Dyne. This amp has a WICKED crunch tone and the red channel really does do some mean crunch rhythm tones as well as molten leads with higher volume (Gain ) settings. The Vintage Lo channel is so responsive with a thick and beautiful low gain breakup characteristic and the Clean is absolutely astounding. It is my most favourite piece of equipment but it just doesn't sound HUGE like a Recto. It can sound plenty big but the Recto is the size of a house.

For the 2 Channel Dual, it was the orange channel that was the best kept secret. Orange to Vintage High Gain is really the best the Recto has to offer in terms of solo tones. It is far more thick, fluid, and elastic. For me, I think running an ABY box would be the best of all worlds. I can circumvent the unnecessary and forgettable clean tone on the Dual in lieu of a killer high gain fire breathing lead tone and use the Electra Dyne for cleans. Then I have access to the lighter and more British crunch in Vintage Lo and the punky / crunchy Orange-esque drive of Vintage Hi. I just wish I could have my band back now I have all the sounds I want!!! =-o

 

[screamingdaisy]

When I discovered how great Vintage High Gain works for lead tones and Modern High gain works for rhythm, I would have killed for a clean channel.

I tried that route, but I've almost always used my rhythm tone for my lead tone so it always felt unnatural when I dialled in each channel for a separate purpose.

Ya, I recall you talking about this. I tested a Roadster out based on your recommendation and I seriously did not jive at all with channels 3 and 4. The voice was really a step away from the direction I wanted to go with my tone. Incidentally, channels 1 and 2 are both absolutely BRILLIANT and I could see where this amp is the ultimate tonal swiss army knife for gigging.

Admittedly, channel 3 and 4 on the Roadster was really uninspiring when I first got it. I was pretty disappointed until I swapped the V1 tube out and was surprised by the improvement such a simple change made to the amp.

So for me, the amp switch was to the Electra Dyne. This amp has a WICKED crunch tone and the red channel really does do some mean crunch rhythm tones as well as molten leads with higher volume (Gain ) settings. The Vintage Lo channel is so responsive with a thick and beautiful low gain breakup characteristic and the Clean is absolutely astounding. It is my most favourite piece of equipment but it just doesn't sound HUGE like a Recto. It can sound plenty big but the Recto is the size of a house.

I find my ED sounds comparable to the Recto in terms of bigness, but I also typically run it through a Recto cab instead of it's combo cab so maybe that's the difference?

For the 2 Channel Dual, it was the orange channel that was the best kept secret. Orange to Vintage High Gain is really the best the Recto has to offer in terms of solo tones.

Orange cloned to red is my personal favourite. A little more depth than the straight up orange channel and more midrange meat than the straight up red channel.

For me, I think running an ABY box would be the best of all worlds. I can circumvent the unnecessary and forgettable clean tone on the Dual in lieu of a killer high gain fire breathing lead tone and use the Electra Dyne for cleans. Then I have access to the lighter and more British crunch in Vintage Lo and the punky / crunchy Orange-esque drive of Vintage Hi. I just wish I could have my band back now I have all the sounds I want!!! =-o

I tried that for awhile and the results were really cool. The amps pair up really well and the similar thickness means you can switch back and forth without feeling like there's a total shift in tone when you change amps. The drawback is the size/complexity. The Roadster's mid-gain isn't as nice as the EDs... but it comes in the same chassis as the high gain, thus eliminating a lot of gear.

 

[YellowJacket]

I tried that route, but I've almost always used my rhythm tone for my lead tone so it always felt unnatural when I dialled in each channel for a separate purpose.

I find I like less gain for chording and rhythm to eliminate mud but I like more gain for solos to get endless gobs of sustain. It's annoying since complex chords require less gain whereas chugging and single note work requires more gain. Of course, the volume knob can be manipulated too but ya, there is just SOMETHING about hitting the Recto's preamp hard for getting those aggressive high gain tones. I find a good rhythm tone is brittle and thin for leads. In the case of the Electra Dyne, Vintage High Gain is both an amazing lead and rhythm tone, especially with higher Volume (gain) settings. BUT, I need less gain for bigger chords.

Admittedly, channel 3 and 4 on the Roadster was really uninspiring when I first got it. I was pretty disappointed until I swapped the V1 tube out and was surprised by the improvement such a simple change made to the amp.

Oh, I don't recall you mentioning this. You tried a Tung Sol, right?

I find my ED sounds comparable to the Recto in terms of bigness, but I also typically run it through a Recto cab instead of it's combo cab so maybe that's the difference?

OH, I know what the difference is. I always run the Electra Dyne in 45watt mode because I love the tone / response / feel of the amp in that mode. It definitely sounds bigger / heavier / more modern in 90watt mode. My Recto runs through my homemade 2 x 12 and the Electra Dyne runs through a matching 27" extension cab. If I was to acquire another 4 x 12 I'd get the Traditional Recto / Stiletto / Traditional Recto cab since I find the Recto Standard cab to be too scooped and boxy without the necessary round mids I like so much.

But, the Electra Dyne at it's meanest still isn't as thick, biting, angry, and aggressive as the Recto. The Recto really turns a power chord into an event. BUT the Electra Dyne will always sound creamier, smoother, and crunchier.

Orange cloned to red is my personal favourite. A little more depth than the straight up orange channel and more midrange meat than the straight up red channel.

****, I need to try this!!

I tried that for awhile and the results were really cool. The amps pair up really well and the similar thickness means you can switch back and forth without feeling like there's a total shift in tone when you change amps. The drawback is the size/complexity. The Roadster's mid-gain isn't as nice as the EDs... but it comes in the same chassis as the high gain, thus eliminating a lot of gear.

Fun in the basement but not on the back for any practical situation, right? If I was to gig I'd take the Electra Dyne for most situations. If I needed ONLY a clean and a super huge rhythm tone, then I'd take the recto.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I find I like less gain for chording and rhythm to eliminate mud but I like more gain for solos to get endless gobs of sustain. It's annoying since complex chords require less gain whereas chugging and single note work requires more gain. Of course, the volume knob can be manipulated too but ya, there is just SOMETHING about hitting the Recto's preamp hard for getting those aggressive high gain tones. I find a good rhythm tone is brittle and thin for leads. In the case of the Electra Dyne, Vintage High Gain is both an amazing lead and rhythm tone, especially with higher Volume (gain) settings. BUT, I need less gain for bigger chords.

This is where the solo boost has been a blessing for me. That jump in volume thickens the tone without the need for a totally different voice.

OH, I know what the difference is. I always run the Electra Dyne in 45watt mode because I love the tone / response / feel of the amp in that mode. It definitely sounds bigger / heavier / more modern in 90watt mode.

45w is definitely cool. I find it has a touch more sag and is a little thinner in an authentic/vintage sounding way. In most amps I find half power mode is just a weak version of full power, but Mesa somehow managed to get both the sound and feel correct in the ED.

The Recto really turns a power chord into an event.

Never heard it put that way before, but the description is dead accurate. :lol:

Fun in the basement but not on the back for any practical situation, right? If I was to gig I'd take the Electra Dyne for most situations. If I needed ONLY a clean and a super huge rhythm tone, then I'd take the recto.

The thing that's tied my hands with the ED is it's volume and my comfort at dialling it in at various volume levels. I don't get to play out very often these days so when I do I've been more comfortable playing with amps I have more experience with (Rectos and Marks).

 

[YellowJacket]

This is where the solo boost has been a blessing for me. That jump in volume thickens the tone without the need for a totally different voice.

No joke, I think the features we take for granted on Mesas are really things that have gone miles into making gigging really simple for guitarists. It's simply amazing the amount of features that are packed into some of these high end tools! Personally, I think the Recto Reborn would be a great fit for me as a guitarist, as a tool to handle the heavy stuff!

45w is definitely cool. I find it has a touch more sag and is a little thinner in an authentic/vintage sounding way. In most amps I find half power mode is just a weak version of full power, but Mesa somehow managed to get both the sound and feel correct in the ED.

Yup. The 90 and 45 watt modes are far more about feel and tone than they are about power.
With a Recto, I generally don't like fifty watts because it robs the amp of the depth, power, and thickness that defines the tone. With the Electra Dyne, the extra power and punch actually bothers me because it contradicts the elastic feel and vintage vibe of the amp.

The Recto really turns a power chord into an event.

Never heard it put that way before, but the description is dead accurate. :lol:

Exactly. Find me another amp where it is as gratifying to hit two or three note chords over and over again for two hours or more. There is a reason why my lead / soloing chops lagged several years behind my rhythm playing! As Pavlov would say, I got punished for playing leads and reinforced (rewarded) for playing rhythm. When I play my Electra Dyne, I just want to tear on it. I want to solo to hear the howling lead tone and and play complicated and interesting passages, making use of the subtleties and dynamic response of the amp. This is especially true of Vintage Lo mode when it is fed by a coil tap or single coil pickups. When I play the Recto, I just chugga chugga and play drop D power chords all day. Oh how I long for a 7 or 8 string guitar for this head. This amp is the embodiment of Nu-Metal and it was really exactly what was needed by players during its heyday!

The thing that's tied my hands with the ED is it's volume and my comfort at dialling it in at various volume levels. I don't get to play out very often these days so when I do I've been more comfortable playing with amps I have more experience with (Rectos and Marks).

True to Mesa's design philosophy, the Electra Dyne is a champ at gigs and it is super easy to dial in. Personally, my practice settings are the EQ at 12 noon with the volume at 3:00 and the master almost off. The Gain Trim switch is set to clean. When I start playing gigs with the amp, I roll the bass back to 10:00 or even lower, I punch up the mids slightly, and I roll the volume back to around 1:30. The Gain Trim switch is set to normal.

Then I switch the amp onto the Vintage Lo or Hi modes (either works) and I bring the master up slowly until it balances with the rest of the band. From there, I switch to the clean mode and use the Clean Trim pot to balance the clean level with the two crunch channels.

If you don't have the gain trim switch and the clean trim pot, I strongly suggest you have them added to your amp. They INFINITELY increase the playability, useability, and tones that you can get for the amp. As risk of having this thread moved into the ELectra Dyne forum, I can say there are 3 sweet spots on the amp: Volume at around 9:30 to 10 ish with the Gain Trim switch set to 'Hi low'; volume 12 - 1:30 with the Gain Trim Switch set to 'normal' and; volume at 3:00 or so with the Gain trim switch set to 'clean'. The first option is great for blues and edge of breakup tones. The second is great for classic rock and the third is better for heavier tones.

My friend was over today and he wanted to see my gear so I gave him a quick demo of everything. Even though he sounded better while playing through the recto, (Wimpy right hand) he said he liked the tone of the Electra Dyne better. In fact, many people including my wife share this sentiment. It is rather odd considering that the Recto is one of Mesa's flagship amp, has defined several genres of music, and has been featured on countless hit records. Meanwhile, there has been an Electra Dyne head that has been sitting on the floor at the Steeles Long and McQuade in Toronto for over two years now.
Weird.

No matter what my friends say, when I want to record or play a larger than life rhythm tone, I reach for the recto...

 

[greatmutah]

If you guys think Orange (Vintage High gain) is sweet, try it on a Trem O Verb. I lived in that channel when I had my T-Verb. Seriously one of my favorite lead sounds ever.