need some opinions on what to do with my 3CH Triple Recto

[turmoil]

i've always been slightly unhappy with my 3 channel triple recto.
I tried tons of tube combinations; El-34L's, JJ 6l6GC's, GZ34 rectifiers, Tung-sol and JJ preamp tubes and for a while i was slightly satisfied with the tones i was getting out of it. I also used a Maxon OD-808 for a while with some pretty alright results but in the end i was still slightly unsatisfied.

I plugged in over the weekend after not having used it for a few months and man it sounded bad. Just super fizzy and overly boomy. I tried it with both my oversized Mesa 4x12 with V30's and my Engl Pro 4x12 with V30's and got similar results.

The thing is, this amp was a gift from my father so it has a lot of meaning to me and i really do like some of the tones i can get out of it but overall it just seems like every other rectifier i hear sounds about 100 times better.....at least.

So here's what i'm thinking. I want to keep the amp because i like the recto sound but i think maybe it could use some modding.

The parallel loop, IMO, is awful and i've never been a fan. I think it could use a serial mod. thoughts??

The amp has ALWAYS had a popping between channels two and three and nothing has ever solved this. can anything REALLY be done??

Now, the biggie. It seems like Voodoo amps and FJA are the only two places i've come across that mod rectos and both mods sound interesting. I'd love to hear some opinions for both companies because i've done research behind both and i'm really torn between the two.

I know this was a long read but i would appreciate any responses

 

[Elpelotero]

what tones are you trying to achieve that you don't get out of it?

If you don't like the rectifier sound, I don't think a mod will change that much. The mods, even as said by the company owners, are meant to enhance the amp if you already like it. The mods don't change the amp completely...

It may be worth saving up some money and trying to pick something up while the market is soft.

 

[turmoil]

well i said i DO like the rectifier sound it's just mine doesn't sound nearly as full as other rectifiers i have heard.
I've had the amp for a few years so i've had plenty of time to tweak it and i feel like a lot of the older recto's just sound better IMO.

like this one from FJA sounds really great
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSpB2ho5s8A&feature=related

 

[fishyfishfish]

+1. Hang on to the amp for sentimental reasons and go shopping. Triples are a beast of an amp, and I feel that way about my Dual sometimes. As far as the Mods go I can't really give any advice there but it sounds like it might be the way to go.

 

[stompboxfreak72]

Have you tried an EQ pedal in the loop ? I have a three channel DR and I was never tickled with the sound until I put an MXR EQ in the loop.

If I get a chance this week I'll throw a youtube video up. I think an EQ in the loop can do more for a Rec than an OD pedal or an expensive mod IMO.

 

[sleepingtiger]

I felt the same with a tripleI had,but found it was because I couldn't crank to the sweet spot. I traded straight-up for a dual & was much happier!...until I got my RKII. I would suggest pulling 2 power tubes &/or talking to Dad & seeing how he feels about it. He'll probably be just as happy if you sell the amp & use the cash for what you DO like. It will still be from him, more or less.
Just a thought...Good Luck!

Tony

 

[coppa]

I doubt you have ever got the 150watts that it has cooking properly. my recto sounds like *** unless the output is on at least noon.

 

[turmoil]

thanks for all the great input guys

yeah, i know 150 watts is a lot of amp to get moving so what do you think about getting an attenuator?

I would really like to try an EQ pedal, so what would you recommend??

 

[turmoil]

Have you tried an EQ pedal in the loop ? I have a three channel DR and I was never tickled with the sound until I put an MXR EQ in the loop.

If I get a chance this week I'll throw a youtube video up. I think an EQ in the loop can do more for a Rec than an OD pedal or an expensive mod IMO.

yeah, if you could put up a YouTube video sometime i would love to see it
i'm mostly going for some heavy tones but feel free to show off any clean/low gain stuff as well!!

 

[JW123]

My Triple I pulled 2 power tubes and use a 100 watt Weber Mass Attenuator, currently I have EL 34s in the amp (Mesas), Im not sure what preamp tubes Ive got in there.

A Triple is way to big for anyone to use these days. I love mine but its too much. I have experimented with a quartet of Yellowjackets which puts EL 84s in the amp. I kinda like it but if you are a sloppy player these give the amp that class a feel and all your little mistakes just ring out very loudly, its also an expensive option if you are hurting for money.

Realistically some sort of 30 to 50 watt amp is all you could ever need, if you insist on keeping the amp get an attenuator, it will be the best money you could ever spend.

 

[Elpelotero]

thanks for all the great input guys

yeah, i know 150 watts is a lot of amp to get moving so what do you think about getting an attenuator?

I would really like to try an EQ pedal, so what would you recommend??

MXR 10-band or the Danelectro fish n chips. Boss is not as popular because it can be pretty noisy.

 

[turmoil]

thanks for all the great input guys

yeah, i know 150 watts is a lot of amp to get moving so what do you think about getting an attenuator?

I would really like to try an EQ pedal, so what would you recommend??

MXR 10-band or the Danelectro fish n chips. Boss is not as popular because it can be pretty noisy.

Are either of those true bypass and do they add/suck any 'tone' at all??

What do you guys think about modding the effects loop to serial? I prefer the serial loop on my Powerball and i never use the solo boost function on the rectifier anyway.

 

[turmoil]

also, what brand of Attenuator would you guys recommend from experience?

THD? Weber mass? Ultimate? something else??

 

[Elpelotero]

thanks for all the great input guys

yeah, i know 150 watts is a lot of amp to get moving so what do you think about getting an attenuator?

I would really like to try an EQ pedal, so what would you recommend??

MXR 10-band or the Danelectro fish n chips. Boss is not as popular because it can be pretty noisy.

Are either of those true bypass and do they add/suck any 'tone' at all??

What do you guys think about modding the effects loop to serial? I prefer the serial loop on my Powerball and i never use the solo boost function on the rectifier anyway.

I would definitely mod to serial loop. It's very easy to do, even for a rookie. There are instructions and pics on this site somewhere.

 

[tetsubin]

EQs only work with serial loops. No use getting one, before having the loop modded!

 

[turmoil]

i tried searching for some diagrams of the mod but i couldn't find them.

anyone have them??

 

[R_ADKINS80]

I was able to cure those exact symptoms with tube changes. I run TAD 6L6GC STR power tubes from www.thetubestore.com. In the preamp I run an old Svetlana silver boxed pate in V1 (the boxed plate looks chrome), a Tungsol RI in V2, Sovtek LPS V3, EH 12ax7 V4 and a balaned EH 12ax7 V5. For rectifier tubes I run EH 5U4GB's or Mesa 5U4 big bottles. I run tube rectifiers on spongy or bold and with the way my EQ is set it crushes without being fizzy or flubby. I run a modded TS9 in front of the amp for a clean boost as well. try running it with the loop switch to hard bypass....I finally realized that when running nothin in the loop, not having it bypassed actually hurts the tone.

 

[Elpelotero]

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=9703&highlight=effects+loop+vol+drop

 

[turmoil]

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=9703&highlight=effects+loop+vol+drop

once again sir, thank you 8)

 

[coppa]

attenuators really destroy your tone if you attenuate too much.

attenuators are a compromise period.

If you want to try an non compromise way to get it cranked at a low volume

I would do:

Get a load box like the hotplate or something similar

Use the "line out" from the hotplate into a small ss poweramp

drive your guitar cab with the little power amp.

this allows you to turn up you amp until it or the hotplate explodes, but the volume coming out of your guitar cab is controlled by the ss power amp. so basically you can have the power tubes running as hot as you want at any volume you want by adding 2 extra pieces of gear. At this point the only thing influenced by the wattage of your guitar amp is how hot the hotplate will get.

Its a very different way to explore an amp's tone this way you can really push it right to its limits. And if you don't like it after that when you tried every knob in every position. NEXT.

Confusing?.. look at my rig in my signature.