Single rectos sound different from Duals or Triples?????

[bag]

Hey guys, new here and I had a few questions about the rectifiers. I play a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 and I think it's about time I moved over to Mesa considering the primary amp on my bands recording is a Roadking.

I've been shopping for the rectifiers and I've heard a few different stories so here is what I've heard, maybe you can tell me true and false.

"The only difference between the rectos is power. They all sound the same, some are just louder and take more to push to get that 'tube' sound... get a single so you can push it without getting too loud."

"Triple rectifiers are far heavier than any other recto. Daul is heavier than single, single is the weakest in tone."


Those are a couple things I've heard about rectos and the ideas kinda clash. Can someone explain? Thanks guys!

 

[camsna]

False.

They all sound different.Dual and Triple are most similar. The Dual is my fave. The Triple gives you more headroom. So clean stays cleaner longer and you have to turn the amp up louder for output distortion to occur.

But go play them. They're all different animals!

As far as what is 'heavier...' Um. They can all be equally 'heavy.' There are way more factors that make 'heavy' than wattage...

 

[Southernhell]

Hey guys, new here and I had a few questions about the rectifiers. I play a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 and I think it's about time I moved over to Mesa considering the primary amp on my bands recording is a Roadking.

I've been shopping for the rectifiers and I've heard a few different stories so here is what I've heard, maybe you can tell me true and false.

"The only difference between the rectos is power. They all sound the same, some are just louder and take more to push to get that 'tube' sound... get a single so you can push it without getting too loud."

Not true, there is no rectifier switching on the Single. They are all voiced somewhat similar, due to the circuit of each they all sound slightly different. Example would be a Marshall 1987, 1959, Major. All similar circuits except for power capabilities. Each sounds different.

"Triple rectifiers are far heavier than any other recto. Daul is heavier than single, single is the weakest in tone."

They each are their own amp. None is weaker or heavier than the other. It all boils down to personal preference.

Those are a couple things I've heard about rectos and the ideas kinda clash. Can someone explain? Thanks guys!

I can only give you my experience. when I was in the market for a new amp and was looking at Mesa, I looked at all three Rectifier amps. Luckily the store had all three to check out and A/B against each other. To my ears the Single Rec sounded the closest to what I was shooting for, the Dual was a little further away but had more low end response to my ears. The Triple to me sounded the most sterile at the same volume, once pushed further than the other two it was very similar to the Dual but a bit more clarity. I attribute this to the headroom. Much like listening to a Marshall 2203 with EL34 vs KT88/6550 power tubes. I ended up choosing the Dual because I liked the way the amp sounded on channel 3/modern/tube rectification. the Single while being closer to what I wanted to strive for did not get that saggy Kerrang I was able to get with the Dual at the above mentioned setting. Best thing is to try them all out and see which one floats your boat. Not sure what style of music you are playing, but what I play a 50 watter running against a 100 in a full band setting unmiked tends to get swamped at times. It isn't an actual loudness thing, but more of a girth feel to it.

 

[bag]

Hey guys, new here and I had a few questions about the rectifiers. I play a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 and I think it's about time I moved over to Mesa considering the primary amp on my bands recording is a Roadking.

I've been shopping for the rectifiers and I've heard a few different stories so here is what I've heard, maybe you can tell me true and false.

"The only difference between the rectos is power. They all sound the same, some are just louder and take more to push to get that 'tube' sound... get a single so you can push it without getting too loud."

Not true, there is no rectifier switching on the Single. They are all voiced somewhat similar, due to the circuit of each they all sound slightly different. Example would be a Marshall 1987, 1959, Major. All similar circuits except for power capabilities. Each sounds different.

"Triple rectifiers are far heavier than any other recto. Daul is heavier than single, single is the weakest in tone."

They each are their own amp. None is weaker or heavier than the other. It all boils down to personal preference.

Those are a couple things I've heard about rectos and the ideas kinda clash. Can someone explain? Thanks guys!

I can only give you my experience. when I was in the market for a new amp and was looking at Mesa, I looked at all three Rectifier amps. Luckily the store had all three to check out and A/B against each other. To my ears the Single Rec sounded the closest to what I was shooting for, the Dual was a little further away but had more low end response to my ears. The Triple to me sounded the most sterile at the same volume, once pushed further than the other two it was very similar to the Dual but a bit more clarity. I attribute this to the headroom. Much like listening to a Marshall 2203 with EL34 vs KT88/6550 power tubes. I ended up choosing the Dual because I liked the way the amp sounded on channel 3/modern/tube rectification. the Single while being closer to what I wanted to strive for did not get that saggy Kerrang I was able to get with the Dual at the above mentioned setting. Best thing is to try them all out and see which one floats your boat. Not sure what style of music you are playing, but what I play a 50 watter running against a 100 in a full band setting unmiked tends to get swamped at times. It isn't an actual loudness thing, but more of a girth feel to it.

Ok ok, cool. I know ultimately I'll have to do what you did and just try it out. If you think you could make a better judgement based on my style, my bands myspace link is in my signature... some of the songs are a mixture between my Marshall and a Roadking, but it might give you an idea.

 

[LEVEL4]

I tried all three Rectos in the store, and really couldn't tell the difference ('course, what do I know?). So, I bought a used Single-Recto Solo 50, just so that I could push the power tubes a bit without ruining my eardrums. The strategy worked! Surprisingly, I can crank the Solo 50 pretty high without the neighbors calling the police, since most of the amp's Wattage seems to be "soaked up" by the amp's tremendous bass response. I love the way this amp sounds.

On the other hand, I bought it from a guy who was selling because it wasn't loud enough for his drummer. So, if you're in a band, you may have to opt for the Dual-Recto instead.

 

[MusicManJP6]

It isn't an actual loudness thing, but more of a girth feel to it.

This seemed to be the case with my RoV combo at a jam session a while back. It was loud enough but the girth was not there. It sounded very thin and almost brittle for some reason. It may have been my settings (which I tweaked 'on the fly' from the bedroom settings I had it set on), the fact that it is only a 1x12, or the lack of a beam blocker in a smallish room with all hard wood floors, walls, and ceilings, but I could not get it to thicken up like I wanted. That's the only time I've been frustrated with my amp. It was just a jam session and was all in good fun, but I wanted a bit more out of it at that time. I'll have to try it again once I install the beam blocker I ordered and hopefully it will let me turn it up a bit more without cutting off the drummer's head!

Otherwise it's a fabulous amp... And like I said it may have been a settings issue or it may have been a 50 watt issue...

 

[nomad100hd]

if a drummer plays so loud a 50W amp can't keep up get a new drummer! Our drummer plays to hard which makes him to loud sometimes, so we are looking for a new drummer. A drummer who plays to hard will cause you not to get invited back to a venue.

 

[ollievk]

If a drummer plays so loud a 50W amp can't keep up get a new drummer! Our drummer plays to hard which makes him to loud sometimes, so we are looking for a new drummer. A drummer who plays to hard will cause you not to get invited back to a venue.

That's ridiculous. So if you have an amazing drummer who plays loud you'd kick him out? I hate it when drummers play really quiet...

 

[stompboxfreak72]

Look for the features differences in the models also. The single rec has only 2 channels and only uses 2 tubes. The single rec only has rectifier mode unlike the Dr and TR. The fx loop of the single is only a mix knob and does not have separate send and return knobs.

That being said i own the SR and the DR. The SR loop does not like my 10 band eq so i do not use it much. Still a great amp though.

 

[nomad100hd]

the parallel FX loop can cause phase issues with FX Horrible design

 

[cellardweller]

Never had a bit of problem being heard over drums and a 300 watt (albeit solid state) bass amp.

 

[nomad100hd]

I mostly use my amp in 50W mode and can always be heard. We eq each amp differently so that way everything is easily heard without excessive volume. I even eq the bassist amp myself a bass player who doesn't know how to eq his amp can ruin a mix.

 

[Rocky]

If a drummer plays so loud a 50W amp can't keep up get a new drummer! Our drummer plays to hard which makes him to loud sometimes, so we are looking for a new drummer. A drummer who plays to hard will cause you not to get invited back to a venue.

That's ridiculous. So if you have an amazing drummer who plays loud you'd kick him out? I hate it when drummers play really quiet...

That is not ridiculous at all. It is business.

THere is no reason for a drummer to play that loud. and YES...I would fire a drummer that thumps to loudly. Also, 50 watts is only about 3db quieter than 100 watts.

 

[cellardweller]

I even eq the bassist amp myself a bass player who doesn't know how to eq his amp can ruin a mix.

Oh man, aint that the sad truth!!!

 

[nomad100hd]

a badly Eq'd bass seems to be the culprit for ruining the sound at most churches i've been too.

 

[camsna]

a badly Eq'd bass seems to be the culprit for ruining the sound at most churches i've been too.

And why is it that churches ALWAYS have the noisiest dirtiest power?!

 

[nomad100hd]

Oh man i know how you feel, the church i go to is over 100 yrs old and the wiring is pretty old if not original. Actually when the church was built they didn't have electricity in my town. The voltage will change during service and ruin my sound when i use my VJ. I need to get off my butt fix that problem.

 

[cellardweller]

Is it just my limited experience, or does it seem the bass players want to pump more low/low-mids than is necessary?

My house was built in 1940-something, but I've had some of the wiring updated. Specifically in the cellar! :lol:

 

[nomad100hd]

there are 2 factors why bassist do that

1. most musicians don't think about how they sound in the mix, but they sound by themselves.

2. for the low E string it probably takes 9ft for sound wave to form, so when a bassist has the bass amp right next to them the bass they hear is the reflected sound from the room.

 

[LEVEL4]

if a drummer plays so loud a 50W amp can't keep up get a new drummer! Our drummer plays to hard which makes him to loud sometimes, so we are looking for a new drummer. A drummer who plays to hard will cause you not to get invited back to a venue.

Well, my 50-Watt Recto isn't nearly as loud as my 30-Watt DC-3. It's great, because I can actually crank my Recto pretty good and get some saturation before anyone calls the police (unlike my DC-3, Mark IV, or 60-Watt 6505). Unless there's something wrong with my Recto that's making it "quieter" than normal? Old power tubes?