Mini Rec and Used Dual Rec same price...

[APEMAN]

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[soundchaser59]

I like both amps but for me the DR has a lot more to offer....switchable fx, 3ch (if you want), rectifier tubes (!!!), solo boost .... and it sounds massive! This massiveness is somehow what recto means to me - the MR is different and for people who are in love with the sound of el84s.

Maybe it helps to think that way: If you play in a 'louder' rock band with a DR and you have to play without PA, you will probably never regret not to bring your MR to do the job

Yup, all the switchable stuff and 3 channels is awesome.

Yup, if.....IF.....if you need to play a big venue loudly without a PA, then yeah everybody grants that a good 100w amp is the way to go. I don't think that many of us play in those situations. But I agree, if I needed it, then I would want a 100w killer amp too.

But for the nickel and dime stuff I'm doing, this Mini Rec is the perfect go to amp. Slightly lesser feature package than your 100w rec or mark, but the tones that are in this thing are quite superb. The MR is not a toy amp, it's not a bedroom amp, and it is nothing to sneeze at. It sure puts all the other "lunchbox" amps to shame, that is beyond question.

 

[Adambomb]

I like both amps but for me the DR has a lot more to offer....switchable fx, 3ch (if you want), rectifier tubes (!!!), solo boost .... and it sounds massive! This massiveness is somehow what recto means to me - the MR is different and for people who are in love with the sound of el84s.

Maybe it helps to think that way: If you play in a 'louder' rock band with a DR and you have to play without PA, you will probably never regret not to bring your MR to do the job

Yup, all the switchable stuff and 3 channels is awesome.

Yup, if.....IF.....if you need to play a big venue loudly without a PA, then yeah everybody grants that a good 100w amp is the way to go. I don't think that many of us play in those situations. But I agree, if I needed it, then I would want a 100w killer amp too.

But for the nickel and dime stuff I'm doing, this Mini Rec is the perfect go to amp. Slightly lesser feature package than your 100w rec or mark, but the tones that are in this thing are quite superb. The MR is not a toy amp, it's not a bedroom amp, and it is nothing to sneeze at. It sure puts all the other "lunchbox" amps to shame, that is beyond question.

+1 what he said. The Mini is extremely loud anyways and Iike the tones even better than the Duals and Triples. This amp keeps surprising me with more great tones everyday.

 

[KiwiJoe]

I like both amps but for me the DR has a lot more to offer....switchable fx, 3ch (if you want), rectifier tubes (!!!), solo boost .... and it sounds massive! This massiveness is somehow what recto means to me - the MR is different and for people who are in love with the sound of el84s.

Maybe it helps to think that way: If you play in a 'louder' rock band with a DR and you have to play without PA, you will probably never regret not to bring your MR to do the job

Yup, all the switchable stuff and 3 channels is awesome.

Yup, if.....IF.....if you need to play a big venue loudly without a PA, then yeah everybody grants that a good 100w amp is the way to go. I don't think that many of us play in those situations. But I agree, if I needed it, then I would want a 100w killer amp too.

But for the nickel and dime stuff I'm doing, this Mini Rec is the perfect go to amp. Slightly lesser feature package than your 100w rec or mark, but the tones that are in this thing are quite superb. The MR is not a toy amp, it's not a bedroom amp, and it is nothing to sneeze at. It sure puts all the other "lunchbox" amps to shame, that is beyond question.

+1 what he said. The Mini is extremely loud anyways and Iike the tones even better than the Duals and Triples. This amp keeps surprising me with more great tones everyday.

+1 what the Bomb and the Chaser said. For the stuff I'm playing and where I'm playing, lack of volume is not an issue. I find myself having to watch my levels - and I'm using the 10 watt setting. I am in total awe of my Mini, and I've had bigger amps in the past.

 

[APEMAN]

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[Adambomb]

Mesa could have built the Mini in a regular sized Recto head and called it an EL84 Recto 25 and charged $1500 and they STILL woulda been a hit. Lol. But naw seriously, I haven't had this much fun with an amp ever, that's why I keep praising it on the forums.

 

[Adambomb]

...ok, I didn't try the MR in a band situation... but for rehearsal the 10Watt modes of my MarkV are really not (loud) strong enough to compete.... 45Watt sound good, but there is no possibility to add something for a solo => so I'm always in the 90Watt setting.
But my DR feels by far louder to my ears, so maybe the 25Watt/10Watt MR is stronger too. A few years ago I combined a Mesa V-Twin with a Peavey classic 50/50 (= 100W mono) poweramp, it has 8 el84 in it - later I combined it with a Bogner XTC-Preamp... but it never sounded right for me - not that I didn't like the el84 character... but in the mix it didn't have the punch where I needed it. Going back to 6l6 with my DR changed that completely..... I really think it is about you loving the el84 sound.

Did anyone try to put the DR preamp into the MR poweramp or vice versa? How different do this two preamps sound? (I would love to hear that from haggertys.....)

Well as stated by Mesa in the manual and videos, the Mini has the same preamp of the big Rectos. Mesa also says it handles and puts out way more watts that what it's rated for (10-25). EL84's have a more vinatge warm sound to my ears and that's exectly what I didn't like about my big Dual, it was a little to harsh and bright for my ears even with the highs dialed back. Just different strokes. You really can't rely trust popularity to be your tone, everybody likes a different tone. I plugged the Mini into a 4x12 and 2x12 bottom yesterday and blasted the Modern mode, man it was really tight and smooth. I couldnt get the volume past 10 o'clock without the hairs on my eardrums curling up. I've had my loud metal band days, not I just play in a hard rock, classic, and 80's metal cover band... No need for more than 25 watts. And I'm gettin lazier by the years. Hate carrying even my 2x12. We have a really good soundman with a good ear (why we pay him band cut $200 a night) so really the Mini is a blessing for me. Still love my heavy as hell Mark V though, but I can get good tones outta that amp even on 90 watts, the Duals and Triples I never could get good tone without killing everybody on stage. It all depends on what band your in and venues I guess.

 

[screamingdaisy]

One thing I've really grown to like on the Dual Recto over the six months or so is the variac mode. I used to dislike it but I forced myself to use it for a couple weeks and once I adjusted I grew to really like it.

I primarily use my Recto in 100w, variac and tube rectifiers on. From what I understand this drops the headroom down to around 60w. It bleeds off some top end, shifts the midrange around a bit and introduces a harmonic swirl that I don't get in full power mode. Full power to me has become all about the gut punch rhythm response, whereas sagging the **** out of the amp produces all these cool overtones and textures that I've really grown to love. Plus the amp doesn't have to be nearly as loud to get the sound I want.

One of these days I'd like to try the Mini-Recto but the 2 channel thing is kind of limiting to me. That said, I think it'd be cool if sometime down the road Mesa produced a full-size, full-featured 3 or 4 channel Recto with 4xEL84s in it.

 

[KiwiJoe]

...ok, I didn't try the MR in a band situation... but for rehearsal the 10Watt modes of my MarkV are really not (loud) strong enough to compete....

It all depends on what band your in and venues I guess.

^^^^THIS^^^^
What you play, who you play it with, and where you play are all going to determine what are acceptable/required volume levels. If one is playing with a bass, drums (sometimes using brushes if that tells you anything), another guitar, and occasionally a Hammond B3 and sax, a 100 watt anything is just overkill. The Mini clips at such acceptable levels, and, well, like Adambomb, I love the myriad of tones I can get without my ears bleeding in the process. The amp is just plain fun and enjoyable.

 

[APEMAN]

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[screamingdaisy]

But somehow I doubt that its the same preamp.... all the recto preamps sound a little different... 2CH, 3CH, RK, Multiwatt, Rectopre.... there were always little differences. I was wondering if its only the new designed el84 poweramp that makes it sound tighter or if they reduced the bass in the preamp (because for example the new poweramp could not handle it or something like that). Does anybody have a Schematic of the MR or compared them?

The dude has a point.

I usually point to changes in the FX loop design, power amp, power supply, or the addition of reverb when people start talking tone change over the years, but it's pretty obvious that the preamp circuit itself hasn't stayed the same all these years (revoiced cleans, deletion of channel cloning, additional modes, not all the amps have the same additional modes, etc).