Rectoverb 25 or Express series...or?

[daacrusher2001]

Hi Guys...I've been wanting a Mesa amp for awhile, and I'm trying to decide on what to get

I liked the Rectoverb 25 a lot when I tried one recently. I'm looking for a combo, something a little smaller and more practical for where we play. I was very tempted to get an express series amp, until I tried the Rectoverb. Then, to confuse things even more, I played a Mark V yesterday. Great amp, just too expensive, heavy, and too loud for my needs.

I really can't decide...the only reason I didn't buy the ROV was I wasn't sure if it would be clean enough for when I need cleans. I need clean, not Jazz clean, but rock rhythm clean.

fwiw, I normally play an Allen Accomplice (Deluxe Reverb with Mids/Raw) which can get really loud, but has such great tone, and can be strummed clean with just a slight edge to it when playing with the band.

I want something different and flexible, so I thought maybe a Mesa - just not sure which one.

btw - I never really liked the older 5:25 but the plus seems to have better tone. The old one seemed kind boxy/nasally/almost stiff and sterile at times. Always liked the 5:50 better.

How do you guys like the new ROV25 and can you compare it to the 5:25+? Or, what else would you recommend...?

 

[mark-m]

I had a 5:25 plus and now own a Rectoverb 25.

I play mostly rock, so I like the Recto a lot more.
I can play it on 10 watts and get good enough cleans for my needs.

 

[elvis]

I'm gigging with a ROV25 and I love it. It is plenty loud and the cleans are plenty clean (I like my cleans quite clean, not broken up) and the lead channel cuts through beautifully. The 1x12 is a perfect size for gigging, though it can be tricky to get low end out of it due to the size. Not impossible, though. Check my posts on settings.

I also had a couple of F50s (forerunner to the Express amps) that had similar tone. I A/B'd an F50 with an Express, and preferred the more cutting tone of the F50 (a lot like the recto), but the Express sounds great too. I think you can't make a bad decision between the ROV and the Express+.

 

[Ryann]

I went in to my local Mesa dealer with cash in hand intending to buy the Express Plus 5:25. I plugged in, turned on, and gave it a decent run through. It didn't do that thing for me like I was hoping, at all. It didn't seem responsive or elastic or juicy. I was actually bummed enough that I switched to a used Swart AST, which was okay but definitely didn't live up to the hype. I was actually on my way out when a Rectoverb 25 combo against the far wall caught my eye. I knew after 15 seconds of playing through it that I had to have it. It's a special amp with a life and voice of it's own. There are some new and awesome sounds: Ch.1/pushed/25W with the gain knob dimed, Ch.2/vintage/10W.. along with many others.

I have owned some pretty nice amps including the F-30, Rectoverb 50, and a JCM 900, and have played through many more. The Recto 25s are great amps. Go A/B one against anything else and see for yourself.

 

[elvis]

+1.

For me the Express was too smooth. I like the bite of the F series and the Recto. I have been playing a Blackstar HT20 at home lately because it has TONS of low end and sounds good at low volume, but on the down side it has no bite. I played a rehearsal with it and our bass player noted that it was dead-sounding.