I'm Hating My Triple Rectifier

[C.O.A.]

Okay guys i bought a triple rec because at the time i was really digging the tone. but after about a week, i am now hating the way this thing sounds and feels. i'v heard that mesas take a while to learn how to EQ properly and all that, but i am finding myself wanting to sell this thing and get a fireball instead. the triple rec just doesn't respond to my picking like i want it to. Can anybody help me out in my quest to find an at least "usable" tone?

My setup is:

Carvin DC200
Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier (three channel) Head
Mesa Boogie 2x12 Cab (i'm not sure which model)

The type of music i play is heavy metal. like death metal and grind.

 

[guitarmaster]

:!:

 

[CudBucket]

Ah, the "Grass is Always Greener" complex. I think we all go through this. Usually, the issue is with the player and not the gear. There must have been something you found in the amp that made you buy it.

Recto's aren't hard to dial in. I'd suggest a closed back cab though. And I'd also ask you what volume you're trying to get a 150 watt head to sound good at.

Also, if you don't like the "feel" of the Triple I don't know that you'd like the Fireball any better. I found Engl's to be very stiff and unforgiving feeling amps.

I've sold many amps because I'd end up feeling like you do. I gave that up though and decided I'd stick with the amp I have now and figure out how to get a tone I'm happy with.

Plus, tube amps can sound different from day to day because of humidity, temperature, etc. Take a break from it for a couple of days. Go out and play other amps in stores and then come back to it. You sometimes just need to improve your perspective and realize the grass is pretty green on your side of the fence too.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

What pickups are you using?

What volume are you playing at?

A lower output passive (like the Carvin stock pups) are not going to work the preamp very much at all.....makes getting a tone at lower volumes even harder.

Keep at it. For feel, I found that swapping the stock rectifier tubes for JJ GZ-34s was a HUGE improvement!

 

[RoCk4souls]

It sounds like to me that you are looking for a "tighter" feel and a faster pick responce with more articulation. The Fireball, and all ENGL's from what I've read, are supposedly very tight almost solid stateish feeling and sounding amps.

But I've heard Recto's that sounded almost as tight if not as tight as some ENGL's.

Some things that may help are:

Boosting the front end with some type of boost or OD pedal or eq pedal. Level all the way up, gain all the way down and tone to taste.

Keep the bass reasonable on the amp. Recto's have a tremendous amount of low end.

Use less gain. It may take some getting used to but try it.

Try the silicon diode rectifier. It tightens the amp up a lot more than the tube rec with stock tubes. I don't know about the new JJ GZ-34. I'm going to try them in the near future.

Try Bold power setting. It sounds more dynamic than the spongy setting to me.

Someone has already mentioned EMG's. Try the 81 in the bridge. To me it sounds tighter and more articulate than the 85 but the 85 sounds warmer and fatter.

Try different preamp tubes. Doug at dougstubes.com can recommend a combination that will help tighten things up a bit.

I'm currently going through the same thing you are with my triple rec. I use the standard (oversize) Mesa 4x12 so I think my problems are compounded by that fact. The oversize cab sounds huge for chording and chugs like no other when palm muting but when you start some fast palm muted alt picking the notes seem to run together. I may be going to the smaller Traditional cab.

Let us know if you get things worked out. I'm 100% confident that the Triple Rec can do exactly what you are looking for but it's going to take some trial and error unfortunately.

 

[Reese Bobby]

bold setting in the back, hotter pickup's, closed back cab, higher volume cause it's not a bedroom amp...that sounds like the solution to me. that and spending some quality time with the eq.

 

[MesaENGR412]

EMG's or Duncans would probably help, 81(b)/85 combo or even the new Livewires, or take your head to a store and hook it up to aRecto Standard or Traditional cab, and see if they'll let you turn in up psat a wisper for a few minutes. you wouldn't believe how cabinet design and speaker choice will effect the tone. Also, with the volume less than about 8:30-9:00, the amp isn't going to sound very "tight" because it's not made to be a low volume amp. I gig with mine and keep the masters and Output around 11:00 and it sounds wicked. Cuts through any PA system, or in some cases, no pa at all, all while going up against a Stilleto Duece and a Krank Rev 1 from other members in my band. Sure, it took me about three months to really stop messing with the eq, but man, when you find the sweet spot, look out. Trust me, it's there, just gotta find it. haha. Good luck bro

Also, try the Bold Variac setting and silicon diodes, like everyone else is saying as well, really focuses the bottom end more, giving it a "tighter" feel. Just some thoughts...

-AJH

 

[guitarmaster]

:!:

 

[Gameshred]

I have a Single Rectifier and I use EMGs and a drive pedal in front. I've tried EL-34s and 6L6s both. Yes, volume needs to be fairly high. Defintely not a bedroom amp. Honestly though, while all of those suggestions will tighten up the bottom end and it will track better, it still doesn't sound as tight to me as a Krank, Engl, 5150 or a Mark IV for that matter. That's not good or bad, it's just seems to be a looser amp. I've had mine a couple of years and I'm selling it, but maybe take their advice and sit with it awhile longer. You might find you love the amp. Good luck.

 

[trendkill1168]

Try these settings :

All are in the o'clock position:
Channel 3 set(Modern)
Solo - 9
Output - 10
Presence - 7
Master - 10
Gain - 1
Bass - 12
Mids - 11
Treble - 1
Bold (back panel) - On
Rectifier (vacuum tubes back panel)- On
Bias switch (back panel) -6L6

the triple has more headroom than the dual, to boost your sound you have to set volume loud. The settings I have suggested are the same used
by a guitarist I know that use triple rectifier. Remember : the gain, presence and treble must not be set at maximum levels!!!! Some people
here like to set presence and gain too high, this combination produces an unwanted buzz, solid state sound (I tried personally, also if I don't have the triple at home, I used it in studio ) . My advice is also to try different combinations with back panel options : EL34-6L6, vacuum tubes-silicon diodes,spongy and bold ( some people forgot that Triple back panel has some options) . Another suggestion : Use guitars with EMG pickups, passive pickups are not good for these amps but if you don't like the rectifiers, try MarkIV (I have had one in the past), it's a real good amp for metal.

+1 on that......I am using almost those same settings on my 2 channel Dual Rec. I run mine as follows:

Channel volume: 9:00
Bass: Noon
Mids: 11:00
Treble 1:00
Prescence: 11:00
Gain: 2:00 - 2:30
Variac: Bold
Channel: Red
Set to Recto Tubes
Effects Loop: On

I found that mine sounds pretty muddy if I dont utilize the effects loop master. I run my channel volumes real low at like 9:00 and then use my effects loop volume knob as a master volume and run that between 1:00 & 2:00. This starts to get the power tubes cooking and the amp tightens right up. It's like night and day compared to running it the other way around. It also provides more sustain and harmonics. I learned this from a previous post in this forum and it works great. Use some decent pickups too. I'm running EMG 81/85's. I also noticed that the EQ's on these amps are totally different than most amps. The Recto's have tons of bass and have almost a scooped tone already. I started out trying to scoop my mids out of habit and had to relearn how to EQ and introduce more mids and keep my bass at 12:00 or below. With most amps I have ran my bass at like 2 or 3:00. I read an interview with Mark Tremonti and he uses both a Bogner Uberschall and a Triple Rec and stated that the Triple was his favorite amp and liked it better than the Bogner. I would put the time in and mess around with it for awhile, I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

 

[jbird]

Ya know, not to knock Carvin or anything (I actuall still own my 1st electric, an'83 DC150!), (and once owned a '00 DC200), but they're pickups leave a lot to be desired! Not only that, but there was always a "plankiness" in the tone to they're guitars, I'd say most notably to the're neck-through designs! I tried replacing pickups in my DC200, with no avail! It was shortly after that, that I bought my 1st PRS! I've owned seven since, always played through my Dual Rec, and will never play anything else! At least try that Carvin with an Engle or whatever, it may not be the Mesa that your missing!

 

[guitarmaster]

:!:

 

[C.O.A.]

okay guys.

first off, thanks for all of the help. i ordered a BBE Sonic Maximizer pedal and it helps a little. right now i am running it in front of my amp. i've heard that you should run it through the FX loop though. is this true? if it is i am not sure where to plug it in and which settings to use (the dials basically) in the back of the amp. any help?

 

[BigMac5]

+1 on that......I am using almost those same settings on my 2 channel Dual Rec. I run mine as follows:

Channel volume: 9:00
Bass: Noon
Mids: 11:00
Treble 1:00
Prescence: 11:00
Gain: 2:00 - 2:30
Variac: Bold
Channel: Red
Set to Recto Tubes
Effects Loop: On

I found that mine sounds pretty muddy if I dont utilize the effects loop master. I run my channel volumes real low at like 9:00 and then use my effects loop volume knob as a master volume and run that between 1:00 & 2:00. This starts to get the power tubes cooking and the amp tightens right up. It's like night and day compared to running it the other way around. It also provides more sustain and harmonics. I learned this from a previous post in this forum and it works great. Use some decent pickups too. I'm running EMG 81/85's. I also noticed that the EQ's on these amps are totally different than most amps. The Recto's have tons of bass and have almost a scooped tone already. I started out trying to scoop my mids out of habit and had to relearn how to EQ and introduce more mids and keep my bass at 12:00 or below. With most amps I have ran my bass at like 2 or 3:00. I read an interview with Mark Tremonti and he uses both a Bogner Uberschall and a Triple Rec and stated that the Triple was his favorite amp and liked it better than the Bogner. I would put the time in and mess around with it for awhile, I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

Do you guys have any settings you can give me for Channel 2 in Vintage mode?

 

[dufe36]

Hey man, give yourself some time, from what I understand, you've had the amp for a week only! I'm still tweaking my amp and I've been playing guitar for more than 20 years! Some gigs, you think you sound so huge and other gigs everything you do sounds bad. Tube amps are like this, they breathe and they sometimes sound like ****. You should have gotten a 50 w head, Triple Rec is way too much power, you will never be able to crank it and make those tubes work like they should. I got a 2:90 and I play on the half mode and I still think it's insanely loud. When I bought my first tube amp (it was a Mesa), it took me more than 1 year to fully be able to tweak it at will. Give yourself some time. Maybe it ain't the tone you're looking for.

 

[eaeolian]

+1 to a lot of the suggestions here, and I'll add one thing:

For a really tight metal sound that "jumps" out of the speakers, try putting an Ibby TS-808 (or Maxon OD-808) in front with the drive off, level to match, and tone to taste. I didn't used to use one, but I've become a believer.

Mostly, though, spend a lot of time with the amp - I wasn't really happy with my tone (well, I'm NEVER happy, but... ) until I'd had it about 6 months.