I'm sure it's been done to death, but D. Recto Vs. Stiletto

[wannabweiland]

...what are the major differences in your opinions. Which one is superior?

I have a Stiletto Deuce, but the 3-channel footswitch operation (major selling point being the FX loop button on that huge switch) of the Dual Recto has me wondering. (Along with the recent malfunction of my channel switching capabilities on my Stiletto).

Once again, I apologize for beating this dead horse allegedly, but it can't hurt to ask.

 

[prsman88]

I have had both.

The Stiletto Deuce (Stage 1) I had first and really liked the clean channel. It was really warm and round sounding. The Dirty channel on tite gain was nice as far as gain but not as full as the dual rec (IMO) it was a bit thin. Great for Classic rock or hair metal but not what i wanted as far as rip ur face off metal.

The Fluid drive would have been great as a lead channel (which is what if was for) but i had to use it as my only distortion channel so it was hard to set it to be crunchy and gain, it was a bit too rounded.

Bear in mind this was my first amp and i was going for a aggressive high gain head. I didn't try a boost or eq. also i was using a prs se custom, not the best pickups


The Rectifier I am not as sold on its cleans yet. I don't like them as much as I liked the Silettos. The Cleans on the recto don't balance well with the distortion setting i run either. i have to run the solo to get them loud enough. The 3 channels is great because i use channel 2 for lead (fat on the single notes with great harmonics and gain) and channel 3 for rythum aggressiveness. I like the distortion better on the Recto for my style.



Conclusion - Stiletto has great cleans and is a great lead head. Can probably hit the high high gain with an od can can have some added fullness with the use of a eq pedal. Great for classic rock, blues, anyting clean oriented or more marshally distortion (EL-34s)
Rectifier has a slightly darker (maybe is the word) clean channel. Great for high gain, great for versatility, can do classic rock as well, has some good pushed clean settings. Good for about any style but better for me for the heavier stuff. More of an aggressive rounded sound (6L6)


All of this is my opinion from my expierence. Bear in mind also i use an ec-1000 with emgs on my dual rec with an od and eq. However, i do like the sound i get without them better for distorion than the stiletto.


Stiletto also was more plug and play, instant gratification, and more mid-ranging, cut real well. The Recto took some work, always tweaking, and sometimes find myself tone shaping more than playing. (may just be a phase)


Honestly it all comes down to style.

 

[wannabweiland]

How 'bout along the lines of features?

I have a Stiletto Deuce II and it sounds fantastic, but I just got a look at a DR footswitch and that FX loop button is REEAALLY tempting.

 

[songrider]

I must have gotten a GREAT Dual Rec when I got mine. My clean sounds fantastic! Nice and full. Not quite as glassy and perfect as the Stiletto but nice all the same.

I to have had both the Triple channel Dual Rec & a series 1 Trident.

Both are fantastic amps. The Dual Rec just has a more agressive sound to it that I really like.

The loops are totally different.. series vs parallel. THATS a huge consideration between the 2 amps.

The dual Rec is going to only give you like 90% thru the loop whereas the Stiletto with give you 100%.

If you GOT to have 100% then you might want to consider a Roadster or Roadking.

The Roadster is a nice bridge to me... Fantastic cleans with the series loop and the Dual rec over the top gain with a tighter bottom more like the Stilettos. But still voiced as a Rectifier!

 

[wannabweiland]

Do you guys talk prices on here? Most forums don't, but if so, how much do the Roadster heads usually run?

My band is a more progressive/indie/rock style. My other guitarist has an early Mark IV and is always giving me flack for my clean channel 'cause his is so... well.. perfect. I didn't want to do the cliche thing and get a Mark IV--they're too expensive, even the used ones are horrifically priced.

 

[jdurso]

Do you guys talk prices on here? Most forums don't, but if so, how much do the Roadster heads usually run?

My band is a more progressive/indie/rock style. My other guitarist has an early Mark IV and is always giving me flack for my clean channel 'cause his is so... well.. perfect. I didn't want to do the cliche thing and get a Mark IV--they're too expensive, even the used ones are horrifically priced.

around 2k... so if a used mark is expensive 2k might be out of the quatesion. If your looking for an affordible hi gain amp look into the DC-10. You can find them used around $700-800 and they sound like a mark iv/recto mix with a better clean than both amps. If you have the money though, the roadster is a killer amp with a clean that will blow your buddy's out of the water :wink:

 

[wannabweiland]

Do you guys talk prices on here? Most forums don't, but if so, how much do the Roadster heads usually run?

My band is a more progressive/indie/rock style. My other guitarist has an early Mark IV and is always giving me flack for my clean channel 'cause his is so... well.. perfect. I didn't want to do the cliche thing and get a Mark IV--they're too expensive, even the used ones are horrifically priced.

around 2k... so if a used mark is expensive 2k might be out of the quatesion. If your looking for an affordible hi gain amp look into the DC-10. You can find them used around $700-800 and they sound like a mark iv/recto mix with a better clean than both amps. If you have the money though, the roadster is a killer amp with a clean that will blow your buddy's out of the water :wink:

I did look into the DC-10. Almost bought one, 'cause the consensus was that the Dual Calibers were a pretty good buddy to the Mark IVs, but I suppose that money's not really a big thing, so I think I may be trading my Stiletto back in toward a Roadster head.

 

[jab]

I've owned both DR and Stiletto. Differences that stand out are:
- DR is a bigger, fizzier, more brutal sound in general. Stiletto cleaner and more articulate. You'd have to think about which fits your style of music.
- DR gets lost in the mix as it's so big and airy sounding. Maybe not a bad thing, but my other bandmates would keep telling me to turn up because they couldn't quite tell what I was playing. I don't have that issue with Stiletto. DR was more like a wall of sound live vs. a guitar being cleanly heard in a mix.
- Stiletto more versatile - especially with cleans.
- Stiletto somewhat identifiable with a Marshall DSL 50 on steroids. DR is DR - I've never heard anything else like it.
- DR more flexible with the 3rd channel, but I've found a high quality OD or use of your guitar volume knob can create that 3rd channel in Stiletto too.

 

[Jak0lantern01]

Jab hits it pretty well. I own both a Rectoverb and a Stiletto Deuce, which is now my main amp. In a single guitar situation, the recto might be more preferable. But if you're going to be playing with another guitarist and playing leads, you definitely want to look at the Stiletto. The recto is a great rhythm amp, but the Stiletto is definitely for a lead guitarist. I just posted my first real results with my Stiletto in a band situation, it did not disappoint. The song I worked with is not my style by any means, but the Stiletto definitely proved its worth.

 

[srf399]

+1 on the touch response.... Change your pick attack on a Stiletto and the sound changes. If you're light in the picking you can clean it right up.

It does the Hendrixy type stuff ala Andy Timmons really good.