Elli87 said:
Hello guys im using a Mesa boogie dual rectifier roadster 2x12 combo and i need some help to get more bottom end and basically more tighter sound.
Which one primarily? The more bottom end you have, the less tight your sound tends to get. That said, I could suggest a couple of things to try.
1) Tweak your amp
Unfortunately, I don't have a Roadster combo, I only have 2-channel Recto heads, so I cannot suggest any exact settings, they might not translate well to your amp and, more importantly, to your taste. But I know that those old 2-channel heads already have an incredible array of different sounds in them, and a Roadster should have tons more. The dream tone you are after might be lurking just around the corner, you just need to tweak some more to unlock it. Use your ears. For tight metal sound with thudding bottom, channel 4 Modern with diodes sounds like the place to start.
2) Use pedals to sculpt your tone
The traditional solution for tightening up a Recto is to add an OD pedal in front. That will typically cut the low frequencies before the preamp where they turn into mush, and then you can later bring them back with the Bass knob or an EQ in the loop. I haven't used the Zakk Wylde OD, so I don't know how different it is from the usual Tube Screamer pedals. A typical TS-808 at least ought to work very well here.
However...
If I didn't have any pedals currently and was trying to achieve the same thing as you are, I wouldn't get an OD. I would get
two EQ pedals instead and stick one in front of the amp, and the other in the loop. I'd basically use the first one to sculpt the distortion character of my amp, i.e., remove the mush, tighten up the tone, add some grind and bite. Since this pedal is in front of the amp, it will have an effect on how hard the different frequencies hit the preamp and distort, and can virtually transform your amp into a different one. Then, I'd use the second EQ pedal (in the loop) to finetune the final sound, for example, add some more bottom end if I feel like it.
I like MXR 10-band EQs for either purpose, some people swear by their parametric EQs. Just stay away from the Boss 7-band EQ (and its copies), it will color your tone way too much, makes it sound cheap and plastic.
3) Try different pickups
You didn't specify which EMG's you have but some of the symptoms you describe - hiss, lack of punch, lack of clarity - sound like very typical EMG active pickup issues to me. I would suggest trying some quality passive pickups instead - I currently have Bare Knuckles in my guitars and couldn't be happier - but switching from actives to passives is not as trivial as one might think. In addition to changing the pickups, you would need new pots etc.
4) Try a different cab
More bottom end? An oversized Recto 4x12 is the typical solution. However, you already have a big, heavy, unwieldy 2x12 combo, and an extra oversized 4x12 cab is not something you want to carry
in addition to that. A 2x12 extension cab might be a better solution for roadability. But for tight bass, some people swear that 4x10 is the way to go.
5) Try a different amp
The final solution. Maybe a Recto simply isn't for you? The good news is that these days, unlike a few decades ago, there a tons of excellent high-gain amps by various manufacturers to choose from. But I wouldn't recommend this until you've exhausted all other options. Your amp is perfectly capable of incredible tones, you just need find a way to coax them out. Give it more time, play more, and experiment, experiment, experiment.
