just got my EQ pedal for DR-and I'm blown away

[cheameup]

And all I can say is holy shizer . My distorted amp sound is finally exactly where i want it .


After reading up here about the MXR 10 band on the rectos I grabbed one on ebay with some paypal credit I've had for a while .figured I'll just sell it here in OZ for more than i paid US if it didnt do anything .

Got it yesterday , put all sliders at 0 except +6 on 125Hz and -6 on 250hz in the loop (which I read about here).

I have been really happy with the DR since I got it but was always only 90% happy with the palm mute chug definition . It is absolutaly brutally powerful and defined now. I actually lost 3 hours of my life just chugging rifs in drop D.


Fricken awesome. If you have a DR the EQ pedal in the loop is a must and keep in mind I have been stoked with my sound but this is just icing on the cake

 

[Spewnz]

nice

 

[Blaklynx]

Hey..... Fellow Aussie! Where abouts are you? I'm in Melbourne, western suburbs.

That MXR 10 band is great. Got one in the loop of the Rectoverb. Big difference.

Currently experimenting with various tones, trying to push mids through whilst retaining some good, tight, bottom end definition. I still have to try balance the top end a little.

I'm not going for the typical recto mid-scoop, heavy-as-hell tone. I want to pull away from that tone and find a more balanced sound that I can use for a range of music. I'm trying to get a good lead tone and rhythm tone (with some help of pedals), as I'm wanting to branch into rock fusion type stuff. Recto for this style of music? Why not! So far, I'm happy but not quite there.

Here's the link to my setup at this stage, although still experimenting (scroll halfway down, I have two posts there):

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19660&start=45

 

[Chris McKinley]

An EQ is the single most powerful thing you can do to control your tone. It's the difference between buying a suit off-the-rack or having it tailored to fit you. An off-the-rack suit can be made with just as good materials, but the same suit custom-tailored is always going to fit better.

 

[YellowJacket]

I'm contemplating getting an EQ for my Dual. I can always get great cleans with it, but I'm never happy with the gain tone. I mean I know a lot of this is due to playing in rooms with unfavourable acoustics but I tried an Electra Dyne about two weeks back and I can't shake the feeling that it is simply the right amp for me. I just can't afford one atm. In some ways an EQ would seem like admitting defeat but hey, some mesa amps come factory equipped with these things.

I'm definitely considering a pickup swap in my Gibson but aside from that, I'm thinking an EQ could give me more of that 4 x 12 spread using other cabs. It wouldn't be the same but it could be in a similar ballpark. Thoughts.

 

[cheameup]

Hey..... Fellow Aussie! Where abouts are you? I'm in Melbourne, western suburbs.



Hey dude

I'm in sydney eastern suburbs . got family down in melbourne though

 

[Chris McKinley]

Yellowjacket,

Since you asked for thoughts, I'll give you one. You stated, "In some ways an EQ would seem like admitting defeat but hey, some mesa amps come factory equipped with these things.".

I have to mention, I'm continually puzzled by this kind of sentiment. You simply don't find that kind of thinking in the professional recording world where everything gets tweaked to the Nth degree. I'm not picking on you....rather, I'm encouraging you not to entertain such a silly idea any further. It's your sound. Create it as you will.

What the "EQ's are admitting defeat" line of reasoning requires is that we all accept that one-size-fits-all when it comes to tone. Are we supposed to accept that just because Randall sends the amp out of the factory a certain way that his ears are better suited to judge our desired tone? Randall himself would be the last guy on earth to support that notion. He puts out amps that: a) he likes, and b) he thinks we'll like, with a much heavier emphasis on the latter since he must think like a businessman. Creating the legendary Recto tone certainly means he's managed to get "b" pretty much correct.

But not necessarily for everybody, and certainly not 100% once-and-for-all-time, either. For example, let's say that, for whatever reason, you actually found the Recto tone precisely perfect tone-wise as it came out in '92. It's now 2010. Are we to conclude that just because Mesa is still producing the Recto today that if you think you might like to change up your tone a little after 18 years, somehow you're selling out? I don't think so...it's that kind of thinking that was going on with Marshall amps that led Randall to create the Recto in the first place.

Rectos have always been tweakers' amps. If you want off-the-rack plug-and-play, you buy a Marshall, or one of a myriad of other amps out there. Recto owners are going to tweak their tone, almost constantly, in search of exactly their own individual tone. EQ's simply represent another, more powerful way of providing even more control over the tone profile of your particular sound. Just because a Recto can sound fantastic without any other effects doesn't mean it can't be made to sound even better with judicious use of the right tone-shaping tools.

 

[cheameup]

I'm contemplating getting an EQ for my Dual. I can always get great cleans with it, but I'm never happy with the gain tone. I mean I know a lot of this is due to playing in rooms with unfavourable acoustics but I tried an Electra Dyne about two weeks back and I can't shake the feeling that it is simply the right amp for me. I just can't afford one atm. In some ways an EQ would seem like admitting defeat but hey, some mesa amps come factory equipped with these things.

I'm definitely considering a pickup swap in my Gibson but aside from that, I'm thinking an EQ could give me more of that 4 x 12 spread using other cabs. It wouldn't be the same but it could be in a similar ballpark. Thoughts.

I wouldnt worry about the cheating/defeat thing thing . Every recorded recto tone you've ever heard on an album has been EQ'd and mastered .
I'd try the eq in the loop thing . i was a doubter and I'm blown away how useful it is .

 

[elpingua]

The MXR does not appear to be a true bypass pedal - does it suck out some of the tone?

Or do non-true bypass pedals not suck tone when in the effects looop? I'm confused!

 

[RectoStudioGuy]

An EQ is the single most powerful thing you can do to control your tone. It's the difference between buying a suit off-the-rack or having it tailored to fit you. An off-the-rack suit can be made with just as good materials, but the same suit custom-tailored is always going to fit better.

HUGE +1!

 

[YellowJacket]

Yellowjacket,

Since you asked for thoughts, I'll give you one. You stated, "In some ways an EQ would seem like admitting defeat but hey, some mesa amps come factory equipped with these things.".

I have to mention, I'm continually puzzled by this kind of sentiment. You simply don't find that kind of thinking in the professional recording world where everything gets tweaked to the Nth degree. I'm not picking on you....rather, I'm encouraging you not to entertain such a silly idea any further. It's your sound. Create it as you will.

What the "EQ's are admitting defeat" line of reasoning requires is that we all accept that one-size-fits-all when it comes to tone. Are we supposed to accept that just because Randall sends the amp out of the factory a certain way that his ears are better suited to judge our desired tone? Randall himself would be the last guy on earth to support that notion. He puts out amps that: a) he likes, and b) he thinks we'll like, with a much heavier emphasis on the latter since he must think like a businessman. Creating the legendary Recto tone certainly means he's managed to get "b" pretty much correct.

But not necessarily for everybody, and certainly not 100% once-and-for-all-time, either. For example, let's say that, for whatever reason, you actually found the Recto tone precisely perfect tone-wise as it came out in '92. It's now 2010. Are we to conclude that just because Mesa is still producing the Recto today that if you think you might like to change up your tone a little after 18 years, somehow you're selling out? I don't think so...it's that kind of thinking that was going on with Marshall amps that led Randall to create the Recto in the first place.

Rectos have always been tweakers' amps. If you want off-the-rack plug-and-play, you buy a Marshall, or one of a myriad of other amps out there. Recto owners are going to tweak their tone, almost constantly, in search of exactly their own individual tone. EQ's simply represent another, more powerful way of providing even more control over the tone profile of your particular sound. Just because a Recto can sound fantastic without any other effects doesn't mean it can't be made to sound even better with judicious use of the right tone-shaping tools.

First of all, thank you for such an insightful and well worded post. I think you are right about tailoring tone to fit specific needs. After all, the sound of the recto is influenced by guitar choice, by pickups, and by the speaker enclosure and speakers in that enclosure. If the recto is tuned for a Standard 4 x 12 with v30s, if you use a different cab it will change the tone. Basically, having an EQ allows one to get that exact tone they hear in the head without compromise. I'll definitely consider this further.

 

[Blaklynx]

Yellowjacket,

Since you asked for thoughts, I'll give you one. You stated, "In some ways an EQ would seem like admitting defeat but hey, some mesa amps come factory equipped with these things.".

I have to mention, I'm continually puzzled by this kind of sentiment. You simply don't find that kind of thinking in the professional recording world where everything gets tweaked to the Nth degree. I'm not picking on you....rather, I'm encouraging you not to entertain such a silly idea any further. It's your sound. Create it as you will.

What the "EQ's are admitting defeat" line of reasoning requires is that we all accept that one-size-fits-all when it comes to tone. Are we supposed to accept that just because Randall sends the amp out of the factory a certain way that his ears are better suited to judge our desired tone? Randall himself would be the last guy on earth to support that notion. He puts out amps that: a) he likes, and b) he thinks we'll like, with a much heavier emphasis on the latter since he must think like a businessman. Creating the legendary Recto tone certainly means he's managed to get "b" pretty much correct.

But not necessarily for everybody, and certainly not 100% once-and-for-all-time, either. For example, let's say that, for whatever reason, you actually found the Recto tone precisely perfect tone-wise as it came out in '92. It's now 2010. Are we to conclude that just because Mesa is still producing the Recto today that if you think you might like to change up your tone a little after 18 years, somehow you're selling out? I don't think so...it's that kind of thinking that was going on with Marshall amps that led Randall to create the Recto in the first place.

Rectos have always been tweakers' amps. If you want off-the-rack plug-and-play, you buy a Marshall, or one of a myriad of other amps out there. Recto owners are going to tweak their tone, almost constantly, in search of exactly their own individual tone. EQ's simply represent another, more powerful way of providing even more control over the tone profile of your particular sound. Just because a Recto can sound fantastic without any other effects doesn't mean it can't be made to sound even better with judicious use of the right tone-shaping tools.

+1x10^6. Well said.

 

[YellowJacket]

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MXRM108

S0 this is the little sucker here, eh? I find it interesting that Volume and Gain can be controlled as well as all other tone shaping options. So basically, this thing can run as a boost pedal too if necessary? I have to say, I am very intrigued with the tone shaping possibilities, especially for gain sounds and I am curious how the volume and gain work in conjunction with the amp signal.

As for my earlier comments, I feel I didn't articulate myself clearly. I was wondering if I was considering a band-aid solution when maybe I was lying to myself all along and I didn't like this amp. I was wondering if I was honest with myself, I actually like the Electra Dyne much more and I've really been fighting with my Dual all along trying to make it something it is not. I do know a large part of my tone frustration has been playing my rig in an acoustically unfavourable situation i.e. the sound of the room I was playing guitar in sucked and accentuated certain high frequencies. The Spiky nature of it makes guitar tone sound terrible. This has happened to me before. Back in the day, my parents basement make every piece of guitar gear sound like absolute bunk. I discovered that playing outdoors was a far better indicator of how tone sounds.

That being said, I'm sure an EQ would help shape things a lot. I know what sort of tones I hear in my head and I do know that I dial in a gain tone that is very similar, no matter what amp I'm using. If it is flexible enough, I will always find 'that' tone. The issue with the Electra Dyne is that it nailed something very close right out of the box which is intriguing to me. I think the Dual can also do it with a little help. After all, it has such a huge and beefy crunch that I love so much.

I also think part of the problem is the pickups in my Les Paul. The stock BurstBuckers are too different from one another tonally to be used simultaneously on any given amp channel. Furthermore, the neck pickup is thin and trebly and doesn't really beef up until running with fairly extreme gain settings. I'm thinking of swapping the stock PUPs for a SD Pearly Gates in the neck and maybe a SD Custom 5 or Custom Custom in the bridge. I want to try this and see if it smooths out the tone before trying anything else but the 10band is definitely on the list. I'm really curious to see what I can do with it. In the least, I could run it as a boost out front and get another distinct tone from the amp.

 

[Blaklynx]

I'm not a LP user but I have read that the Burstbucker pickups aren't that great, this is from other users.

I have a SD Custom Custom in an Ibanez Roadstar series II (yep, a fantastic guitar with good P/U's....YMMV) and I must say that it's a very good pickup, for me anyway. It cleans up nice, too. I can dial in a high gain tone and roll the volume back on the guitar and it practically cleans up. It does the same with a boost in front of the amp (with gain level turned down on the amp a little). This P/U in a LP, I really can't tell you how it'll behave/sound.

As an example, I can run a Zoom Tri-metal into a MI Audio Tubezone pedal (on at the same time) into the front of the amp and I can clean up the signal pretty darn clean by turning down the guitar volume. The Zoom is an all out heavy metal mother of a pedal, too. Of course, the gain level isn't set too high on the Zoom (about 9oclock), the output level is at unison or a little higher and the Tubezone is set to give me good a good crunch tone when run on it's own into the amp (with volume and gain turned up on this pedal, too).

I also have Danelectro Daddy O that's on all the time (use this for my standard boost at all times). The other two pedals I kick in (usually one pedal) when required for solos or for a really heavy tone.

Amp gain is set at around 10.30oclock, give or take.

You'd think that it's overkill and over the top. Let me say it sounds great. I'm trying to do the 'cascading' gain type of trick with multiple pedals, but only kicking in the required pedals when necessary. It's a balancing act on all pedals between output level and gain.

Anyway, getting back on the pickup, to me, it's a good one.

 

[YellowJacket]

I wouldn't doubt that the Burstbuckers aren't that great. The tone of the guitar is killer so it makes sense that even a decent pickup is capable of good tones when it is mounted in wood like that. Still, I want to take my axe to the next level since it 'should' be able to compete with my $800 Godin.

Yes, I have a Custom Custom in the bridge of my Godin LG which is a Mahogany body / neck and a rosewood 24 fret fingerboard. (sounds like a strat crossed with a Les Paul) I absolutely LOVE the sound of the Custom Custom in that guitar. As for the Les Paul, it is a warmer, clearer, and richer sounding instrument so I'm wondering if the Custom 5 (which sounds muddy in my LG) would be a better pickup for that instrument. (i.e. more ballsy and rich distortion) I think I'm leaning to a Pearly Gates for my Neck since it sounds clearer and balanced which will go nicely for my cleans and rich solos.

 

[cheameup]

I wouldn't doubt that the Burstbuckers aren't that great. The tone of the guitar is killer so it makes sense that even a decent pickup is capable of good tones when it is mounted in wood like that. Still, I want to take my axe to the next level since it 'should' be able to compete with my $800 Godin.

Yes, I have a Custom Custom in the bridge of my Godin LG which is a Mahogany body / neck and a rosewood 24 fret fingerboard. (sounds like a strat crossed with a Les Paul) I absolutely LOVE the sound of the Custom Custom in that guitar. As for the Les Paul, it is a warmer, clearer, and richer sounding instrument so I'm wondering if the Custom 5 (which sounds muddy in my LG) would be a better pickup for that instrument. (i.e. more ballsy and rich distortion) I think I'm leaning to a Pearly Gates for my Neck since it sounds clearer and balanced which will go nicely for my cleans and rich solos.

I've got a custom 5 in the brige and a 59 in the neck on one of my guitars and I think its a great combination

 

[lesterchopper]

I'm not a LP user but I have read that the Burstbucker pickups aren't that great, this is from other users.

I have BB's in my 05 R8. kick *** pickups if you ask me. Higher output than PAF but very smooth.

 

[RectoStudioGuy]

I'm not a LP user but I have read that the Burstbucker pickups aren't that great, this is from other users.

I have BB's in my 05 R8. kick *** pickups if you ask me. Higher output than PAF but very smooth.

Not to stray too far off topic but in one of my LP's I went the Al Di route and loaded it with Super Dist's 2&3's and the other I went with Duncan SH8/SH6. Both sound great through Recto's.

 

[YellowJacket]

I'm not a LP user but I have read that the Burstbucker pickups aren't that great, this is from other users.

I have BB's in my 05 R8. kick *** pickups if you ask me. Higher output than PAF but very smooth.

Burstbuckers are very different from Burstbucker Pros. BBPros have an Alnico V magnet and are wax potted. The neck pickup is boomy in a Les Paul and the Bridge one is thin and bright, but it pushes high gain tones in style. It loves the recto Red channel but that is about all.

I looked at the tone chart at Seymour Duncan's site and I noticed that all the pickups I like have a very similar EQ for the tone values. It doesn't really matter if they are hot or moderate output, as long as they are around those particular values.

'59 6/3/8
Alnico Pro II 7/4/8
Seth Lover 6/4/8
Pearly gates 6/5/9
Custom 5 6/3/8
Custom Custom 3/7/7 (The only one that is different. GO figure)

 

[EleventhHour2139]

An EQ is the single most powerful thing you can do to control your tone. It's the difference between buying a suit off-the-rack or having it tailored to fit you. An off-the-rack suit can be made with just as good materials, but the same suit custom-tailored is always going to fit better.

Chris! Long time no see! I missed reading your posts, you always seem to post some very insightful and knowledgeable material.