Tried a 2010 Dual today....Update!

[Anonymous]

I've owned 5 Rectifiers in the past few years - 2 and 3ch Duals and Triples. Today I wanted to check out the newest version of the Rectifier, and it sorely disappointed. I used orange and red, vintage and modern, and dialed it in similarly to where I liked my other Rectifiers. Honestly, it wasn't even that it sounded horrible, but that it felt worse than a metal zone to play. Maybe it was the room, maybe the tubes were too new; there are many variables involved. One thing is for sure though: my '85 Peavey VTM120 blows the new Rec out of the water. I really don't understand why Mesa started off with such an awesome sound (2ch Rec), and changed it into what's selling now.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my experience.

EDIT: I went back to GC and tried again. Much better experience! See below for details.

 

[screamingdaisy]

So... you tried a brand new amp, in a store, and probably with a guitar off the wall... and you're surprised that it didn't sound as good as your old, broken in amp through a broken in cab played with your own guitar?

 

[Anonymous]

So... you tried a brand new amp, in a store, and probably with a guitar off the wall... and you're surprised that it didn't sound as good as your old, broken in amp through a broken in cab played with your own guitar?

Please read my post in its entirety.

Honestly, it wasn't even that it sounded horrible, but that it felt worse than a metal zone to play. Maybe it was the room, maybe the tubes were too new; there are many variables involved.

I've got good ears and a fairly extensive knowledge of gear. I don't need to prove that; I know it for myself. The amp I played yesterday just didn't have it.

 

[BostonRedSox]

Yeah, that comment by screaming daisy was very condescending in tone, and just plain rude. I read your comment and can't think negatively about your opinions at all. Of course, they are just opinions to begin with so the need for hostility is quite alarming.

Pertaining to your post 'Eight, this makes me curious as to why Mesa felt they needed to change to the voicings of the gain channels. Perhaps it has something to do with the new power options and improved clean tones? Was it as dark as the Roadster, tonewise?

 

[Anonymous]

Pertaining to your post 'Eight, this makes me curious as to why Mesa felt they needed to change to the voicings of the gain channels. Perhaps it has something to do with the new power options and improved clean tones? Was it as dark as the Roadster, tonewise?

It actually didn't sound too much different from other 3ch Rectifiers; if you were listening to it on a recording, you probably couldn't tell. My big complaint was that the way the amp responded, you'd think you were playing rusted strings. I'm curious too about what inside the amp they made different. Seems like the preamp - at least on Red Modern since it's what I'm most familiar with - stayed the same and the power section is the big update. I think a cool test would be to go out of a 3ch preamp into the loop return of a 2ch, and vice-versa.

Seems like a lot of these new Mesa amps have awesome features, but at the expense of some tone. I'd really like to hear a stripped down Mark V / Rectifier. That would be very interesting.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Yeah, that comment by screaming daisy was very condescending in tone, and just plain rude.

Mostly because I'm tired of reading reviews made by people who try an amp in a store then pass judgement on it...

My appologies if I'm out of line.

 

[Old BF Shred]

So... you tried a brand new amp, in a store, and probably with a guitar off the wall... and you're surprised that it didn't sound as good as your old, broken in amp through a broken in cab played with your own guitar?

Rude? I did not get that impression...but many of us are passionate about our opinions. Facetious perhaps...
But I do know that it was not untill I got my Ace home and spent some time on it that I really was satisfied with my purchase. It seems many feature laden amps that try to "cover a lot of ground", so to speak, cause similar comments.

The new Recto must have really struck hard with it's initial impression to make you feel that way about it, M8. I hope Mesa didn't "blow it" trying to fix what was not broke, though it probably would not be the first time! :lol:

It will be interesting to hear what other comments/opinions are formed about this amp!
We wait and see! :wink:

Take care!

 

[lailer75]

Seems like a lot of these new Mesa amps have awesome features, but at the expense of some tone. I'd really like to hear a stripped down Mark V / Rectifier. That would be very interesting.

yeah i`d love a 1ch dual/triple w/ no fx loop

 

[rectofried]

i know the feeling, i just sold my roadster. i tried to like it but its a 3 channel recto with 1 more channel and a better clean. i could never get used to it. i just like the way a 2 channel recto sounds. now im down to 1 pos 2 channel recto. and 1 awesome 2 channel recto. maybe somebody will trade me a dsl100 for the pos one..lol

i guess they will take the stiletto and make it 3 channels and F' it up too.

 

[94Tremoverb]

yeah i`d love a 1ch dual/triple w/ no fx loop

Buy 2-channel Dual Rectifier... set channel switch manually... set FX loop to Bypass... done.



The old 2-channel amps really are that simple - there *is* only one channel, the switching simply presets various combinations of gain and voicing, and accesses the two different control sets... but it's one audio path, with all the tubes in use all the time. The FX loop is hard-bypassed with a relay when it's set to off on the back panel.

The 3-channels are more complicated. The biggest difference is the clean channel - on the 3s, it's a separate audio path with less tube stages. I know why they did this, it's because a common complaint about the 2-channels is that there isn't near enough headroom on the clean channel, for a 100W amp - that's because it's really a high-gain channel with the gain turned down, and there is a limit to how well that will clean up. But to me, the *tone* of the clean on the 3s is nowhere near as good as the 2s - it seems thin and sterile, to me.

Channels 2 and 3 are supposedly the same circuit as the 2-channel amps, but the board layout and switching circuitry are completely different, and some of the negative feedback (presence) circuit, which is quite critical - and that will affect the tone. It simply isn't true that they're the same amp with one more channel, even if the schematic (for channels 2 and 3) looks very similar. They are different amps, period - and that's why they don't and can't sound the same.

Personally, I think there's one model that's head and shoulders above all the others anyway, and you know what that is .

 

[rectofried]

....nooooooooo not the tremoverb !

 

[TTSTWO]

"I know for sure my own godly settings sound pretty crappy some days and perfect most other days. But if you put this new Recto in your happy place, hook it up to your go-to cab and let your ears adjust a bit, I'm sure you'd find some great things in there.
"

True. My settings sounded great 2 weeks ago, like poo last weekend. Same settings, voulme, room. I have a cold and it effects my hearing and my mood. More beer please. :lol:

 

[screamingdaisy]

One lesson I continually fail to learn is to never adjust my settings when I first power up.

My theory is that ears need a chance to warm up... and if I go adjusting things right away I usually wind up warming/dulling the tone, and then 20 minutes later my tone sounds dull and I wind up brightening it up again.

One of these days I'll figure that one out and just leave **** alone...

 

[Anonymous]

One lesson I continually fail to learn is to never adjust my settings when I first power up.

My theory is that ears need a chance to warm up... and if I go adjusting things right away I usually wind up warming/dulling the tone, and then 20 minutes later my tone sounds dull and I wind up brightening it up again.

One of these days I'll figure that one out and just leave sh!t alone...

That's the truth right there! I think it has to do more with the tubes warming up fully than ears, but either way, I do the same thing.

Mostly because I'm tired of reading reviews made by people who try an amp in a store then pass judgement on it...

My appologies if I'm out of line.

Out of line? No. Maybe a little harsh, but your position is understandable. I've owned a bunch of Rectifiers and know how picky they can be. Believe me, I don't expect godly tone as soon as the amp is off standby, and of course my amps and cabs are going to sound like what I want them to; I wouldn't own them if not. There was just nothing about this amp that appealed to me in the way it felt. Maybe the bias mod would work some magic on it; it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case because I'm sure it would make the amp far less brittle and a lot more "together".

I think there's another issue here altogether, though. For the record, I tried this amp out with a Les Paul loaded with Classic 57s. It's not my guitar, but I know that combination and chose to use it to minimize variables. The 57s aren't ideal, but they sound pretty good. The issue is how far should a manufacturer / retail store go to ensure their amps sound their best when a customer tries one of them out? People talk about how difficult it is to EQ Rectifiers, but IMO that's a load of BS. When the TMB knobs are between 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, the feel of the amp changes very little; someone who hates it in one spot likely won't LOVE it in another when in those ranges. Presence is pretty straightforward, and as long as you aren't diming the gain, the amp should feel good. Past that it's using the EQ to balance guitar, speakers, and the room. This amp - again - just didn't have it. Now I'm sure the guys at Mesa hear it in a different way, so the fact that it felt so lousy when I tried it makes me wonder what the explanation from them would be.

I've tried Diezel, Engl, Bogner, some Marshalls, and some Peaveys, and while I didn't love them all, could at least hear where they would sound great. Not the case with the Recto.

 

[Heritage Softail]

So... you tried a brand new amp, in a store, and probably with a guitar off the wall... and you're surprised that it didn't sound as good as your old, broken in amp through a broken in cab played with your own guitar?

I was expecting to see "douche bag" at the end of that after the way it was going....

 

[screamingdaisy]

So... you tried a brand new amp, in a store, and probably with a guitar off the wall... and you're surprised that it didn't sound as good as your old, broken in amp through a broken in cab played with your own guitar?

I was expecting to see "douche bag" at the end of that after the way it was going....

I'm both bitter and jadded.

 

[Heritage Softail]

I thought it was right on and funny as hell.

Like the GC manager here that told me my SLO was a one trick pony....

 

[Anonymous]

I'm going to eat my words a little bit here, but that's okay; rather do that than leave up bad information.

I went back. I brought my guitar this time, and plugged into the same amp and same cab. The big difference this time was that I had my strap so I could stand up and walk around, rather than sit a couple of feet away. This time, I dialed in the same settings, stood back, and had awesome rhythm tone! I then turned the mids up, dialed treble back and had a thick, liquid, tight tone that would make any player very, very happy. Proceeded to go through the modes and channels, and found that a lot of different, very cool tones are to be had with this amp. It's similar to the previous revision, but the new features are a convenience to those that would want them.

It wasn't all good though. Lead tone was not satisfying, and lower gain stuff very booming. I've got my LP loaded with a Burstbucker Pro in the neck, and it especially didn't work with the Boogie. I know some of that would be improved upon with a better guitar / pickup combination, a different choice of tubes, and more refined settings, but I'm not convinced that lead tones will ever be this amp's strong point - and let's face it, most albums containing Rectifiers have them more rhythm oriented.

So it was a much more positive experience this time. I'd definitely take an old Red channel over a new one for most applications - especially lead work - but for what they do, the new Rectifiers are excellent amps!

 

[Anonymous]

Post removed.

 

[Anonymous]

I went back. I brought my guitar this time, and plugged into the same amp and same cab. The big difference this time was that I had my strap so I could stand up and walk around, rather than sit a couple of feet away. This time, I dialed in the same settings, stood back, and had awesome rhythm tone! I then turned the mids up, dialed treble back and had a thick, liquid, tight tone that would make any player very, very happy. Proceeded to go through the modes and channels, and found that a lot of different, very cool tones are to be had with this amp. It's similar to the previous revision, but the new features are a convenience to those that would want them.

There you go! I removed my earlier reply since I felt that I was out of line assuming you didn't listen above or slightly behind the speaker cab with your mentioned experience of previous Recto revisions. "Industry standard" guitar speakers are usually higher efficiency and dramatically directed, so they usually sound very fizzy and harsh up front where the transients hit your face. Not to mention the less than satisfying output levels you're allowed in guitar stores, probably not enough to push a V30 or similar properly. With that said, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Mesa has tuned their Recto series to sound even more "modern", i.e. brighter and more aggressive. But that doesn't necessarily mean it can't be dialled back down to the smoothness of the original 2 channel era.

I was deliberately off to the side the first time I tried it out, and moved around a little, but was still within 3-5 ft. of the cab. This time I was 10-15 ft. away and that made all the difference. Both times I was able to turn up since I was in the loud room; the Rectifiers definitely need a little volume. I'm not sure if it was more modern than older 3ch Recs - if it was it was close - but lead tone was unsatisfying regardless of settings. Like I mentioned: many variables to change and good lead tones might be possible, but I wouldn't ever use it for lead given other choices.