Mesa combo for metal

[riku]

Hello all,
Just discovered this wonderful forum.
Here's the situation I have. Currently buying a house and my Engl Fireball half stack is too big so I'm looking for something more in the way of combo size to have at home. Been looking at the Express and F series Mesa's.
I mostly play de-tuned metal. (Meshuggah, Fear Factory, etc). I'm looking for something that I can have at home to play and record with.
Any suggestions?
Rik

(I did have a Studio Pre, but decided that I had too many amps and sold it, that was a stoopid decision)

 

[fishyfishfish]

Rectoverb combo, Stiletto are the two that come to mind. I have a F30, and you could do metal, but it would be better to get a good pedal and use the clean channel.

 

[riku]

I've played rectifiers before and I've never been that impressed with the distortion.
I might try and find a DC3 or Normad to try.

 

[jdurso]

I've played rectifiers before and I've never been that impressed with the distortion.
I might try and find a DC3 or Normad to try.

Playing and owning are two different things though. Boogies, especially Rectos, need some tweaking time for you to find the real tone gems. Also most people that are coming from different amps dont really know how the eqs on a boogie work, especially the Recto. Now you will never get the super compressed sound of your Engle out of a Recto without some help, but once you throw a clean boost and/or eq in the loop it will blow your mind how heavy it can get. Quite frankly if your into bands as heavy as Meshuggah, i dont think an express or f30/f50 will cut it even with a boost.

If your still not sold on the recto I would say look into a DC5, DC10 or a Mark IV combo. I would stay clear of the DC3 because of those el84s, which while the amp sounds fantastic, for what your looking for I'm not sure if it would fit. The DC5 and DC10 on the other hand can breathe fire. They sit somewhere between the Mark IV and Recto as far as gain (think gain structure of Mark IV with the low end of the recto). Throw a boost on top of that and your in heavy chugging heaven. Mark IV would be the same deal, except less bottom end than the DC10 or DC5 and an extra channel. Also the Mark III is no slouch, that could be an option as well. But for the $$$, I think the DC10 is probably the best bang for your buck and might be the best fit for what you need it for.

 

[clutch71]

I agree with JD. I guess my question is what kind of "metal" do you play/like. Sooo many sub genres.

Once you know how to dial they can be fun. I recently played and F-30 and it didn't jump at me. Nitro battery still might have some clips on here with a DC-5 he used to play. The Mark IV is also a great amp. When I tried one it seemed a bit much for the bedroom, but I believe old Platypus (where in the hell you been man?) still uses one around the house. That's one of the few amps I'd never run an OD out front of.

I'll be honest too, I always want at least 2 speakers running. 4 is even better for me but I like the portability of a 2x12. Never found a single speaker combo I've liked on it's own.

Best of luck

 

[dodger916]

I agree with Platypus. I find the Mark IV gets great tones at very low volumes. When I'm able to run volume I'll crank up a Mark II, but when the family's home and I need to get quiet, the Mark IV's the way to go.

Of course, Mark IV's also sound great loud! :twisted:

 

[injected]

I've played rectifiers before and I've never been that impressed with the distortion.
I might try and find a DC3 or Normad to try.

Playing and owning are two different things though. Boogies, especially Rectos, need some tweaking time for you to find the real tone gems. Also most people that are coming from different amps dont really know how the eqs on a boogie work, especially the Recto. Now you will never get the super compressed sound of your Engle out of a Recto without some help, but once you throw a clean boost and/or eq in the loop it will blow your mind how heavy it can get. Quite frankly if your into bands as heavy as Meshuggah, i dont think an express or f30/f50 will cut it even with a boost.

Actually if I'm not mistaken Meshuggah recorded an album(can't think of the name right now) with a .50 Caliber+. Those have about as much gain as the f-series if not less i believe..

now they use line 6 vetta's.. lol

 

[Chris McKinley]

It's also something to keep in mind that those super-low-tuned bands take lots of tweaking to get them to sound good in the studio. Put simply, you aren't going to exactly replicate that sound with any amp in the world with just guitar and amp. Therefore, get one that gets a tone you enjoy, and that gets as close as possible to the heaviness you're after, then use things like OD's, EQ's, clean boosts and compressors to get you the rest of the way there. Also, keep in mind that the multi-layering that happens in the studio can be an important part of getting a big heavy sound. That's something you're just not going to be able to replicate live without a co-guitarist.

 

[jdurso]

I've played rectifiers before and I've never been that impressed with the distortion.
I might try and find a DC3 or Normad to try.

Playing and owning are two different things though. Boogies, especially Rectos, need some tweaking time for you to find the real tone gems. Also most people that are coming from different amps dont really know how the eqs on a boogie work, especially the Recto. Now you will never get the super compressed sound of your Engle out of a Recto without some help, but once you throw a clean boost and/or eq in the loop it will blow your mind how heavy it can get. Quite frankly if your into bands as heavy as Meshuggah, i dont think an express or f30/f50 will cut it even with a boost.

Actually if I'm not mistaken Meshuggah recorded an album(can't think of the name right now) with a .50 Caliber+. Those have about as much gain as the f-series if not less i believe..

now they use line 6 vetta's.. lol

Well to me its not about how much gain is on tap as much as it is the characteristics of the gain. Thats the biggest difference between an amp like the Mark IV and a Recto... with that said The .50 Caliber is voiced in such a way that when you boost it and eq it right it will tear your face off :twisted:

Anyway they've been using POD Pros direct for years now.... like Chris said, the key to their sound and any band tuned that low is massive amounts of eqing.