Mark V 25 vs Rectoverb 25 AND cab preference

[RoadDog]

Hi All,

I'm looking into switching from my Express 5:25+ to a Mark V:25 or a Rectoverb 25 and can't decide on which and on which cab (and can't try one out where I live). For my Express I mainly live in the crunch mode. I'm looking for a warm classic rock sound (Limelight - RUSH, Alright Now - Free, etc.). I mainly just jam at home in a small room but occasionally jam with a band where the band members all kind of face each other (no drummer behind me for instance).

I've heard that the Mark V25 will give a better high gain sound at bedroom volume, is that true for a crunch sound too?
Or will the Rectoverb 25 be better at low-volume crunch?

For the cab, will the open back of the lonestar 19 be much better than the mini recto slant for a small room? The amp will be kept with its back to the wall. Or should I compromise and get the mini recto for jamming with the band?


Thanks!

 

[lordgoldwand]

I have both and I'll start off by saying I absolutely love both of them and I think you can't go wrong either way. I have never owned nor played through an Express 5:25 though so I can't offer any comparisons there. Your description makes me think of the Vintage mode on the Rectoverb. No doubt the Mark has those tones but it may take a bit more fiddling to find them. The Mark can be a bit more saturated and "stiff", with a much tighter and pronounced attack. With the standard rectifier 1x12 cab I have now can be a little shrill unless I keep the presence in the lower regions. The Rectoverb is a bit more raw and open. With reasonable settings, it sounds good almost no matter what. So far I've enjoyed the ROV cleans and pushed mode over the Mark, but I've had more time with it. I'm still figuring out the Mark.

If you want versatility and enjoy tweaking till you find your sound, and find the cab clone/headphone out useful then the Mark would be the way to go. Otherwise if you want something that just sounds good and are willing to give up some of the flexibility get the Rectoverb. Not that the ROV isn't versatile, but the Mark covers a bit more ground with its two extra channels and GEQ.

As far as the low volume thing, I heard the same thing and was surprised that there wasn't much difference between the two. If anything I feel the Recto can do whisper quiet a little bit better in Vintage mode on channel 2. :? My guess where that came from is people use the 5-band EQ as a sort of volume cut by lowering the sliders all the way. To me that sort of defeats the purpose of having the EQ as I would rather use it for extra tone shaping. So for me bedroom volumes are pretty close if not the same.

Sorry I can't really offer any suggestions on the cab as I have only used my Recto 112. I will say that I plan on picking up a 2x12 after using one in the local shop to test drive the Mark. It sounded huge!

 

[RoadDog]

Great! Thanks very much for the detailed response! Man I have some thinking to do...