Question for DC/Dual Rectifier owners

[boatright]

Does anyone here have experience with both? My band is flying to Austin for a show this weekend and since I can't bring a DC I'll have to work with a provided backline. There's a Dual Rectifier in the backline, and while I've always disliked triple rectifiers, I actually don't mind the dual rec.

What I really need to know is how to get close to the DC in tone on a dual rec. My settings on the DC are gain:8, treble:7, mid:6, bass:2, presence:5. Graphic EQ is set to typical V, running the full spectrum. Anyone got some insight or advice? With no GEQ on the Rec I really need to know what to expect from the tone controls. Oh yeah, no sound check.

 

[snave]

I use a Dual Rec and once owned a DC-10 head, so I should be able to give a little advice.

The tone controls on Rectifiers are quite sensitive/interactive, and the amp itself is fairly idosyncratic. You may find the need to keep the bass knob lower than noon and mids/treble above noon. Run it on bold/silicon diode to have the tightest response (less sag). Since the EQ is post-gain, you'll find the Rectifier's tone controls a little more responsive which makes up for no GEQ.

Remember to keep the gain near 12:00 or 1:00 to avoid mushing out--the gain isn't as clear as a DC or Mark on higher settings. If it's a 2 channel head, set channel 2 to vintage for a more DC-like response. Depending on how deep you run the graphic EQ scoop, you might prefer the hugeness offered by modern mode. You might not cut very well on modern modes though.

The single biggest improvement is achieved by running a boost in front of the amp. This saturates the amp in a tighter manner and improves the feel/response immensely. A boosted Recto gets a lot closer to DCs and Marks than a dry one. If you've got any distortion/tubescreamer pedals, run one in front with maximum volume and no distortion.

 

[boatright]

Thanks for the help! The DRs sounded pretty good... The secret is definitely dialing in the gain properly. Still no DC though!

 

[Nitrobattery]

I use a Dual Rec and once owned a DC-10 head, so I should be able to give a little advice.

The tone controls on Rectifiers are quite sensitive/interactive, and the amp itself is fairly idosyncratic. You may find the need to keep the bass knob lower than noon and mids/treble above noon. Run it on bold/silicon diode to have the tightest response (less sag). Since the EQ is post-gain, you'll find the Rectifier's tone controls a little more responsive which makes up for no GEQ.

Remember to keep the gain near 12:00 or 1:00 to avoid mushing out--the gain isn't as clear as a DC or Mark on higher settings. If it's a 2 channel head, set channel 2 to vintage for a more DC-like response. Depending on how deep you run the graphic EQ scoop, you might prefer the hugeness offered by modern mode. You might not cut very well on modern modes though.

The single biggest improvement is achieved by running a boost in front of the amp. This saturates the amp in a tighter manner and improves the feel/response immensely. A boosted Recto gets a lot closer to DCs and Marks than a dry one. If you've got any distortion/tubescreamer pedals, run one in front with maximum volume and no distortion.

+1


This pretty much says it all. The only other thing I'd add is to keep you presence really low if not all of the way down.