New Mini Rec owner, wow, mega impressed. Now gigged.

[Nick79]

HI guys, just picked up a Mini Rec, and wow, everything i had heard about these is true - awesome little thing! I'm not new to Boogies, i've just let my trusty F50 go. The F50 was great but this Mini is way more my thing.
But i have a couple of questions. I'm trying to decide what cab to get to run this through. I gig quite a bit so i'm thinking maybe a 2x12 or 4x12. I actually have a 4x12 at the moment on loan which i can have for a great price (its UK made, 16mm marine birch, Eminence Governer drivers, its a solid thing - and heavy) My question is will the Mini drive the 4x12 as well as a good 2x12? My band is not quiet, and whilst i'm confident the Mini will have enough juice i figure helping it out regarding the best cab combination wouldn't hurt.

Second question, the 4x12 i have access to is currently wired at 16 ohms. I understand that Boogie's will safely power this using the 8 ohm output but will i lose much volume/tone doing this? I have a band practise this week where i will be using it like this, i can rewire the cab to 4 ohms if i decide to keep it but i'll have more of an idea of this after i used it in anger.

Sorry for the essay guys, and thanks in advance for any info.
Nick

 

[elvis]

I love my Mini too!

The amp doesn't drive the cab, it drives the impedance. It will drive 4 or 8 Ohms no problem, no matter how many individual speakers. The difference between a 2x12 and 4x12 of the same impedance is that for 4x12, each individual speaker will dissipate less power, so they will not break up as much (or at all).

I found that if you run a higher impedance from a given output (like 16 Ohms from the 8 Ohm output), it's a bit easier for the amp to drive, so you can get more low-end. But the overall volume will be slightly less.

I'd rewire for 4 Ohms or put two 16s in parallel.

 

[Nick79]

Thanks Elvis, very clearly put and it makes sense now.
I know its probably difficult to say but do you think i will get much less volume using the cab at 16 ohms? If i decide to keep it i'll rewire it to 4 ohms but i don't want to do that until i know i'm keeping it. And i won't know that until i use it at practise tomorrow night.

Also, any hints and tips on dialing in some great tones? I've already had some fun with it (albeit at VERY low volume in the house) and i'm sure that at higher volumes it will really come alive but any help i can gather would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,
Nick

 

[UnderJollyRoger]

I use mine (yes, I've bought a used one over christmas) with a Bogner 1x12 Cube which sounds amazing. I have not gigged or practiced with it yet, but it gets plenty loud if you need, especially in modern mode.

The Bogner is 16 Ohms, I also have a Mesa Mini Rec 1x12 that is 8 Ohms and the difference in volume is negligible, at least at the volumes I tested (Master for Modern mode between 9:00 - 10:00). The amp needs a little volume to shine. Might be a good time to mention that I like the sound of the Bogner much better than the Mesa. The Bogner sounds fuller, heavier where the Mesa tends to be a little stiff in the mids, has harsher highs and is prone to more feedback when I sit in front of the cabs. Not a bad cab and I could propably EQ it to sound better, but the Bogner overall just slays, but then I specifically bought it because it is a big sounding 1x12 which together with the Mini Rec gives "the sound" at medium volumes.

Setting wise, I would keep the Gain around noon or probably even a tad lower, the mini seems to have more gain on tap than its bigger brothers, or maybe it's the EL84 contributing. Apart from that, I like to slightly boost Treble, cut Presence a little, Bass around noon (depending on the cab and guitar you can cut or raise a little) and I usually scoop the mids quite a bit to around 9:00. Sounds better to my ears ...

 

[Dreamtheaterrules]

It should sound good with that cab. I like Eminence Governors better than regular V30s. They sound closer to the Mesa V30s, with about a 3dB reduction of the ice pick spike the regular V30s have. A 2x12 Mesa Vertical sounds GREAT with that amp (I have the amp and the cab). But the cab you have access to should sound really good as well.

 

[Nick79]

Thanks again guys. I took the Mini to band practice last night, first off i switched to channel 2 modern and its no exageration to say we were all floored by how good it sounded - Aggressive is too weak a word. From that moment i was sure i had made a good choice 8)

I didn't really get much chance to play around with it too much but i did manage to go through all the modes. I was just on the verge of running out of clean headroom, it was starting to get a bit hairy but i think playing around with the eq a bit will get me where i need to be. I'm used to the seemingly endless clean headroom of the F50 but i think i can make this work.
I'll also get the cab wired to 4 ohms which hopefully might give me a bit more power to play with but i'm not banking on it.

So yeah, i'm really impressed with it - Its everything i had hoped it would be, and whilst i liked my F50 it never got the tones i really wanted in a year of using. The Mini Rec got me there withn 2 minutes. :lol:

 

[Dreamtheaterrules]

Yeah, clean headroom-wise, it's not going to run with an F50. Those things get LOUD LOUD for a 1x12 combo!!!

 

[Nick79]

They sure are. I liked mine but i just couldn't get it sounding how i wanted. Great amps though.
Guys can i pick your brains regarding clean tones - How are you eq'ing yours and what volume are you running?

 

[Nick79]

Well i finally got round to trying out the cab rewired to 4 ohms, and i think i can safely say i'm not going to run out of headroom, especially on channel 2. Set to modern, gain about 2 o' clock and i had the master at about 10:00. Very loud, very punchy and loads of bottom end. And that was with a loud drummer and a second guitarist going through a 40w combo.
Cleans were good too, just starting to get a bit hairy but perfectly usable.

I also played around with channel 2 pushed, max gain at 10w and that was awesome. I'm extremely pleased with this amp, its certainly living up to the high expectations i had.
For the record i'm running it through a 4x12 cab wired at 4 ohms with a mix of Eminence Governer's and Celestion G12 75's.

 

[elvis]

Glad it's working out for you!

I love my Mini Rec, it's a fantastic amp.

For cleans, I actually like the MR clean channel better than the MV:25 and a few other amps I've tried. I also really like the pushed setting, though with moderate volume at 25W. Just a wee bit of push. Super nice live.

If you get to the point where you just can't get enough volume, I used a Radial JDX to send a feed to FOH. Worked very well. Alternatively, you can mic it. Or, get a second (I did this a couple times) and a stereo FX pedal and run one side to the FX return of each amp. Two MRs together are as loud as a 100W amp.

 

[Nick79]

Thanks Elvis, i wasn't aware of the Radial JDX - Look's a very useful tool. I might get one just to keep in the gig bag just in case.... Do you find it emulates the sound of a cab pretty good?

 

[screamingdaisy]

But i have a couple of questions. I'm trying to decide what cab to get to run this through. I gig quite a bit so i'm thinking maybe a 2x12 or 4x12.

Clips kind of suck but I think they get the point across.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFCjj5a3HrA&list=PLP4MOQ4yFq8NEuZNz_EiMadAm7WCJz8wz&index=4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWk0nz5i8I8&index=3&list=PLP4MOQ4yFq8NEuZNz_EiMadAm7WCJz8wz

 

[elvis]

Thanks Elvis, i wasn't aware of the Radial JDX - Look's a very useful tool. I might get one just to keep in the gig bag just in case.... Do you find it emulates the sound of a cab pretty good?

I thought it was awesome. Unfortunately it requires power, so you have to get speaker cables in and out plus a power connection, but I think it sounded better than any other solution I've used for that purpose.

 

[Nick79]

screamingdaisy, thanks man - Those clips definitely show there is a difference in the low end. Glad i chose the big cab now, although i think in time i'll grab the Mesa 1x12 just for home use/small gigs.

Elvis, thanks mate - I'll look into picking a Radial up, just to sling in the gig back in case it's ever needed.
Had another band practise last night, still can't get over how good this little Rec is. Cleans were good again, gain at 12, volume at just under 12, definitely enough headroom. It's just starting to break up a tiny amount on chords but it's good enough for me.

I guess my only problem is i can get ace tones from all 4 modes, would be great if it was a 4 channel amp :lol:
Could always add another i guess....

I also experimented with running my Marshall Guvnor through the clean channel - Sounded fantastic for AC/DC type crunch.

 

[Nick79]

Just an update...

Gigged last night for the first time with the Mini, and i'm even more in love with it now. It was a loud show (we are a loud band..) but there was no way i was going to run out of headroom. Clean channel was gain at 11 o clock, and volume at 1 o clock, that was crystal clean. I run a 6 band eq in the loop for a solo boost that worked perfectly so there was headroom to spare.

Channel 2 was on modern and i didnt get the volume up past 9 o clock, which i was surprised about, i was expecting to have to turn up more.
This was going through a 4x12 with very efficient speakers though, i think if i was running through a 1x12 the wick would have to be turned up a bit more.
I was 99% happy with my tone although listening back to some recordings i maybe could have turned the bass up a bit to give my sound a bit more depth - Tone was at 1, mids at 9, bass at 10.

This amp is killer, Mesa have really scored big. Its a keeper for sure, but i am starting to hanker after a Mk5 25.. Maybe a 2 amp set up... That would be awesome.

 

[1bluzman]

Hey nick79 , just put my order in for a mark V 25
Should be here this week, can't wait to get it and start messing with it. Sounds like your happy with your mini , Great !

 

[Nick79]

I'm a bit jealous mate! Enjoy, i'm sure you will love it.
I think one might have to be my next amp, it won't replace the Mini Rec but i'm thinking of pairing it with one for gigging, 4 channels of Mesa goodness..

 

[elvis]

Not only four channels, but you can run the two power amps in stereo and get more headroom plus stereo effects.

 

[Nick79]

Now that sounds like fun......

As an aside, i've been experimenting with my set up, particularly with my cab. Its a 4x12 and i was finding it very directional - Stand 20 feet in front of it and it sounds great, but off to the side or behind (where our drummer usually is) and it can't be heard over the band.

So i whipped off the back and made 2 new sections so it's now a 1/3rd open back. And what a difference. It now sounds more open and bigger, but it has also opened up the low mids, and given it a really nice 'throaty' quality that sounds great.
Speakers (for reference) are a mix of Eminence Governers and Celestion g12-75's.

 

[elvis]

Nice job!

That is a common experience. I liked the RA 2x12 cab because it has just a bit of porting, so you get a good combination of the openness of an open cab plus the thump of a closed cab.

Steve Morse used to run a 4x12 slant cab on its side to widen the sound field.