Mesa 2 channels DR vs Uberschall/Power Ball/Krankenstein

[danvortex]

I had all of these amps with their matching cabs in the same room. 2 of my friends, who are metal musicians and gear freeks, and i ran A/B tests with all of them and tried all the head/cab combinations. The 3 of us agreed on almost everything :
1.Best head for a big heavy rythm tone (crunch/attack/compression/etc) is the uberschall but the recto was a close second, we could say they played in the same league. The uberschall is smoother, the recto is a bit more agressive. The Krank = too much mid scoop in the voicing and a bit of a "solid state" kind of tone. The Engl = very good attack and crunch but has a smaller/thinner tone than the mesa and Bogner
2. Best cab = mesa recto. I'll put it simply, it enhanced the quality of ALL of the 3 other heads when plugged instead of their matching cabs. The bogner sounded way better in the recto cab, same for the Engl and Krank.

So to our taste, we all agreed that the best tones we could get where
FIRST Uberschall head with recto cab
close SECOND Mesa 2 Channels DR Head with recto cab

We found that the mesa and bogner where very close and it could be a matter of taste when it comes to tell wich of the 2 is the best metal amp. But we all agreed that the Uberschall is smoother (very good natural compression) and it has more crunch. The mesa is brighter, has a little more attack, is more agressive and a bit tighter than the bogner.

We ran those A/B tests 2 times in an interval of 2 weeks and both times we ended up with the same conclusions.

I though some of you guys could be interested in this. I'm pretty sure not so many people have had the chance to compare all of those amps and cabs at the same time in the same room and with the same guitar and equipment.

 

[Elpelotero]

i guess the Bogner part comes down to personal preference. Never played one so I wouldn't know...the coolest part I think is how the recto cab beat out the design of the uberschall cab. The bogner cab is one cab I've always wanted to try out...

How do you think a Diezel would fit into all this?

also remember bogner is el34...mesa 6l6

 

[danvortex]

My DR is loaded with EL34

I've never heard or played a Diezel before so i couldn't tell.

For all of the tests we did i played a Gibson Lespaul through an MXR Zack Wyld OD and a Boss NS2 in front of the amps.

 

[danvortex]

the bogner cab is not has thight has the recto, there is a big difference. It is also darker and not as agressive. Don't forget we were looking for a metal tone so these qualities are important. Someone who plays the blues could desagree...

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Interesting findings!

I'd love to do something similar myself....but in my experience, I've NEVER liked the recto cab...ESPECIALLY with a Rectifier....it always founded muddy to my ears....

 

[zeeman]

danvortex,

You did not specify...

Was the Recto cab the full sized Recto cab or the traditional Recto (now known as the Stiletto 4x12 cab)?

If it was the full sized Recto cab, was it the slant/slant, the straight/straight, or the straight/slant?

Thanks.

zeeman

 

[Elpelotero]

Interesting findings!

I'd love to do something similar myself....but in my experience, I've NEVER liked the recto cab...ESPECIALLY with a Rectifier....it always founded muddy to my ears....

pre-500...pre-500...pre-500

Keep saying it until you repeat it in your sleep! You will see why Randall Smith designed that cab the way he did.

 

[KhaosMonster]

Interesting findings!

I'd love to do something similar myself....but in my experience, I've NEVER liked the recto cab...ESPECIALLY with a Rectifier....it always founded muddy to my ears....

I know im the minority but i cant get a good tone IMHO out of recto cabs either.... i think its the v30's, they sound very shrill to me. I much prefer Marshall 1960A but i think its more the speakers (G12T 75's) that i like.

hmmm wonder what G12's would sound like in A oversized recto cab...never tried that one.

 

[danvortex]

the cab is a full sized straight/slant.

Actually i always wondered if i would prefer the staight to the slant but i never had the chance to compare them. My guess is i would prefer the straight. I bought the slant because i had it used from a friend of mine

when my pre-500 arrives i will let you know how it compares to the one i used to do the testings

 

[danvortex]

One of the 2 guys who were with me sold his recto cab about 6 mounths ago to buy the bogner and the Engl. to us the recto was so superior that now he is trying to get is old recto back from the guy who bought it.
ha ha

 

[FullMontySmurf]

I had a similar, but still different experience.
I always found Engl amps perfect sounding for early 90-ies tight metal riffage, but to me they lack some character and warmth for other types of high gain tones.
I think the Bogner Uberschall is one of the best high gainers around when it comes to pure heavy tone, but I think Rectifiers can come REALLY close (however do sound completely different) when dialed in properly and in combination with a good cab. However, the features made me go the 3 channel DR route, which does everything I need, except maybe buttery leads, but I have a Marshall for that. And I suck at leads anyway

When I tested the Rectifier oversized 4x12, I did not really like it. Sounded to scooped and hollow to me. Boomy lows and piercing highs. I compared it with a Bogner 2x12 oversized, and that's what I liked best.
Much more balanced, 'wooden' sound and really brings out that Recto thickness in the low mids whithout sounding boomy if you keep the bass knob at a reasonable position. I actually thought the Mesa was a good cab, but not as impressive sounding as it's size and price tag may suggest (in Europe they are more expensive than Bogner, Diezel, Orange and other high end cabs). I do have to admit that I had more time when testing the Bogner, so maybe I just needed some more tweaking time with the Mesa.

I think the Bogner 2x12 is a really sweet deal if you stop thinking it just has 2 speakers. More volume than you'll ever need and imo it blows a lot of 4x12's out of the water soundwise.

 

[fireonhigh]

quoteThe mesa is brighter, has a little more attack, is more agressive and a bit tighter than the bogner.end quote ............... **** glad i got a dual,,i still want to try the uber :twisted:

 

[Russ]

My sentiments exactly.

 

[danvortex]

I love the DR but the Uberschall is really something, i've never heard as much crunch and natural compression from an amp. Both are really good.

 

[Russ]

Have you tried a MarkIV? It seems like it has more compression to me compared to my Dual Rec. It certainly seems to have more crunch too.

 

[danvortex]

no i never tried a MarkIV but i'd like to.

 

[Russ]

BTW which rev was that 2 ch DR?

 

[danvortex]

serial # 11750, i'm not an expert but i beleive it is a G from somewhere around 1997-98

i bought #406 and it has been shipped last friday, can't wait comparing it to 11750.

 

[Elpelotero]

serial # 11750, i'm not an expert but i beleive it is a G from somewhere around 1997-98

i bought #406 and it has been shipped last friday, can't wait comparing it to 11750.

use the same tubes and settings to make it fair...

 

[stadidas]

Excellent test, wish I could have been there. I'd love to try out the Rectifier, Uberschall, Power Ball, Rivera Knucklehead, Diezel Herbert, and the Orange Rockerverb all at once...

Hey, we can all dream!