picked up Dual Rectifier.. what a heap of crap!

[StoneOfFire]

i went to mesa/boogie hollywood and got the worst deal evar!

tried out the triple and found i prefered the dual?!
tried out an old versus the new
and found i prefered THE OLD???

so i got the old one even though=

the treble control on the bottom channel is effed up
its oversensitive and cuts off after 3:00
i cant get the treble exactly where i want it
they did say to bring it back and they would replace it..

its not chrome like all the others..
from far it looks like black
but when i look close i can see it is actually dark purple
i am thinking i should spray the plate with krylon flat black?

its not even a head
its rack-mounted,
so now i have to buy this metal-chassis/frame???

on the back, right, it says R-015833

on the back, left, i notice just now three of four 6L6GC tubes are lit on standby
arent all four supposed to be lit?

the two 5U4G are lit
but not as bright.


it sounds like loose gravel at low volumes with my stock RG7321 pickup
at the store i was using some guitar with EMG 81.. WOW!

i told him about you guys suggesting Maxon808, TS808, OCD,
he said that those pedals are for marshalls
and using them on the Recto would cause me to lose.. what did he say?
then he said the OCD is a good pedal though.. and thats why he's out of them at the moment. he did have the others mentioned.

instead of an OD he used an EQ pedal and OMFG

METAL!!!

at home, though, i am using a Boss Metal Zone in front with the settings just like you guys said; level UP, gain DOWN
the tone is worse but **** the gain and noise and sustain, Wow!!
looks like i have alot of little things to get.
suggetions?

i am thinking a set of 6L6GC tubes or something else in their place to start off?

 

[Elpelotero]

whoa slow down man! that's a lot to take in. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. Do you have pics?

 

[StoneOfFire]

 

[StoneOfFire]

what year is this thing?

how many were made?

 

[vic]

try a new cab.it looks to be a very late 90's or early 2000 one with the serial num into the 15000's

 

[phyrexia]

-or-

you bought a used, broken amp you didn't know anything about without checking to even see if it operated right, and then you complain about the store you bought it from?

 

[fitz8005]

well that whole bit about the od pedals being for marshalls is crap. you can use an od pedal for any amp, and certain ones especially sound good with mesas. i have the maxon od808 and i love it with my single recto. as far as the tubes not all being lit, maybe you should consider replacing the whole set, preamp and all. that could also solve the other problems you have with getting the tone you want. and as far as i've heard, the 2 channel racktifiers sound awesome, so hopefully you get all of that sorted out so you can fully enjoy it.

 

[fireonhigh]

you funny

 

[StoneOfFire]

well that whole bit about the od pedals being for marshalls is crap. you can use an od pedal for any amp, and certain ones especially sound good with mesas. i have the maxon od808 and i love it with my single recto. as far as the tubes not all being lit, maybe you should consider replacing the whole set, preamp and all. that could also solve the other problems you have with getting the tone you want. and as far as i've heard, the 2 channel racktifiers sound awesome, so hopefully you get all of that sorted out so you can fully enjoy it.

yeah, i thought it was strange he would say that when i know i have seen so many of you guys using an OD as a boost. after all, i read about it on the boogie board, not the marshall forum. for now i am using my Boss MT-2 haha i havent really used it since high school.
i will try out at least all of the pedals mentioned on this board.
and ****.. have any of you tried that eq pedal?
that **** was amazing.

i was going to replace the four preamp tubes asap anyway,
but it sucks that i cant have a working amp until then.
i spent all the cash i had and even $22.67 from my drummer
(i cant believe they wouldnt let go $22 and change!!)
a friend of mine said JJ front end.. ???
it does work though.. and it does sound better than the other amps
if the tube was blown wouldnt it not work at all?
why doesnt that one of four light up???

you bought a used, broken amp you didn't know anything about without checking to even see if it operated right, and then you complain about the store you bought it from?

yes.
the plan was to go with $200 more sometime next week and buy a new one
but my friend was going to check out 2:90 versus 2:100 so i went with him and happened to find this amp

i knew the rectifier was the foundation for the sound i want to have
and i found i prefered the old red channel to the new red channel.
i didnt try out the other channels, why would i?

i found the instruction manual online and have learned to clone the red to the orange so i can use the top channel to dial in that treble. when mesa fixes the bottom treble i can have two reds.. one for rhythm one for lead.. great feature!!!

they said they would replace the treble potentiometer, so i bought it anyway. i didnt notice the one tube that doesnt light up until i looked behind to get you guys the serial #


can i use the loop active master to play at a low volume even with the pre and post at noon? im not at my drummers right now, and the amp doesnt sound as good without the master cranked..

 

[Elpelotero]

It's normal to like dual over or triple Some people like the triple more because of the headroom and tightness.

Most people prefer the older 2channel amps because they sound a lot warmer. In your case, you have a very early 90's racktifier which is considered to be one of the best rectos ever put out. I'd keep it if I were you :wink:

The controls being broken is not Mesa's fault. The previous owner or whoever played it in the store must have treated it poorly and broken them. The tubes are definitely old and you should change them out. I would not recommend JJ entirely because they can sound pretty dark. If anything, buy one and put it in the V1 slot to see if you like it.

There's no way it can be purple as Mesa never released a purple chrome panel. Take it to a different light and it should appear black. Black on black was common back in the 90s.

You don't have to buy a rack for it if you don't want to. Racktifiers were a limited run in the early to mid 90s and then got discontinued. They were made for touring artists or players who desired a simple way to carry their recto. You can just carry it in your hands without a rack.

All four tubes are supposed to be lit. Your tubes seem old and dead, so I would get them replaced. It's normal for the 5u4's to be not as bright.

An OD pedal would tighten up the loose bass and make your lead solos sound much smoother. An EQ pedal can do anything. He most likely cut out all the mids to make it sound huge, but in a band setting you will not hear yourself if you do this.

6l6gc tubes are good and are what the amp was designed on.

 

[jman7272]

Check this out.......

This guy goes into a music store and blows all of his cash on an a boken amp he hates...

Sounds like a joke, right?

 

[StoneOfFire]

Check this out.......

This guy goes into a music store and blows all of his cash on an a boken amp he hates...

Sounds like a joke, right?

i dont know why you would say that
one tube doesnt light up
and one pot is crap they said they would fix
its scuffed and has rack rash..
(im kinda liking it beat-up)

that has to tell you i really liked its sound over the new dual and triple



Elpelotero,

i wished i noticed the headroom and tightness
but i did notice adding mids on the rack dual sounded better
and i usually remove mids..
and adding mids on the new dual or triple didnt sound the same

between the dual and triple,
i think the dual had a saturation to it that the triple didnt get unless it was REALLY REALLY cranked.. haha.. maybe even too loud for drums?

Mesa was selling it through "consignment"
so they wouldnt negotiate the price nor would they if it belonged to them (they say)

i liked it and i didnt know if i would ever be able to get that sound again,
so with a grumble and a frown
i paid what i thought was too much for it.


now i cant think of anything else but playing it, getting tubes, a better pickup.. even practicing more.. the better i sound the better IT SOUNDS!!

 

[Elpelotero]

Mesa never allows negotiating on prices. It's company policy. I agree that the Triple needs to be cranked to sound good, which is why most folks opt for a Dual. Older rectifiers were wired differently, so most folks also agree they sound better.

 

[clutch71]

With a serial number or 15XXXX it's probably as someone said closer to 98-99. Mine was 141XX and it 3/98.

What kind of cab did you have that thing hooked up too? That could be part of your problem.

Low volume? DR's don't do quiet well at all. They can be tamed but you are going to get a certain amount of fizziness/fuzziness. I tried everything short of an attenuator. Nothing sounds better cranked though.

What struck me as funny was the "OD's are for Marshalls comment." A true salesman would have said "OD? Step this way young man, most guys run two!" Some stores that offer consignment will call the individual and at least give them your offer, some don't, so that might not have been BS.

Be patient, get the thing working as it should. I'd retube it with Mesa tubes (as it was designed around) and get used to the amp before trying all kinds of tube combo's.

 

[Elpelotero]

Man, in that case, it's interesting to see a small logo on a late 90's rectifier. It's got to be a late revision G with parallel loop.

 

[StoneOfFire]

With a serial number or 15XXXX it's probably as someone said closer to 98-99. Mine was 141XX and it 3/98.

What kind of cab did you have that thing hooked up too? That could be part of your problem.

Low volume? DR's don't do quiet well at all. They can be tamed but you are going to get a certain amount of fizziness/fuzziness. I tried everything short of an attenuator. Nothing sounds better cranked though.

What struck me as funny was the "OD's are for Marshalls comment." A true salesman would have said "OD? Step this way young man, most guys run two!" Some stores that offer consignment will call the individual and at least give them your offer, some don't, so that might not have been BS.

Be patient, get the thing working as it should. I'd retube it with Mesa tubes (as it was designed around) and get used to the amp before trying all kinds of tube combo's.

the cab at the store was a Mesa
i dont know which 4x12 it was.

at home i have a Peavey 412MS
the speakers are mentioned in my sig below

id like to get a fancy cab to match
but probably after tubes, a pickup,
maybe even after a preamp and or eq
this pickup really is the worst ive ever heard.

i now have the red cloned to orange
so i can use the working treble control
vacuum tubes instead of silicon diode
effects loop on both channels
masters around noon
loop active master as volume control
and *sometimes* this sh*tty BOSS MT2 with volume max, gain min

i still havent REALLY cranked it.
cant wait to get it to my drummers

another thing about talking me out of the Maxon and Tubescreamer,
THEY HAD THEM THERE IN STOCK..
at the Mesa store!!
now if they are a Marshall thing..
why would they be sold at the Mesa Hollywood outlet???
i will ask this when i go back to have the treble (POT #592738) replaced
and then try them out

when i found the 12AX7-A tubes,
i noticed V1 is covered in some metal shield
and the rest are not..
wtf?


ill put up a pic of the back as soon as the camera comes back.

 

[Gibbyage]

I'd like to get my hands on a Ractifier. How much did you pay for it?

 

[StoneOfFire]

i had $1600 with me
i planned on showing up next week with $1840 to buy a new dual or see if i would keep saving to get a triple

but i had to get this one
even if i had to borrow $22.67 from my drummer

 

[disassembled]

i had $1600 with me
i planned on showing up next week with $1840 to buy a new dual or see if i would keep saving to get a triple

but i had to get this one
even if i had to borrow $22.67 from my drummer

I don't mean to burst your bubble but they sell for like $1200 on the bay. You just bought a regular REV G dual recto (i bought one for $800 in near mint condition last june) so it's really not all that special. At this point it wouldn't be worth it to sell because you would probably lose a good deal of money so you should definitely get it fixed, get a rack case for it, and plan to save for a retube and whatever other things you want to buy in the future.


Greg

 

[clutch71]

The tube your refering to is a SPAX-7 for v-1. I think it's a balanced tube for V-1.

Sorry I missed the Peavey cab in your sig. Not sure what's in there as I only have experience Sheffields in a 5150 Combo.

You've got a great amp there. Mesa Hollywood sounds like they kind of took advantage of you a little. I'd see if you can get some Mesa tubes out of them in addition to the Treble pot, and then I'd never buy anything there again. But that's just me!

Good luck