Triple Recto Modifications (Voodoo)

[ur86d]

I still don't get why'd ya mod your Triple rectifer to sound like a Voodoo amp. basicly what you're doing is spending around 2,500 to get a Voodoo amp, when you can get a real Voodoo amp for less.

I mean i understand you wanting to tweak your tone, but that can be done with a good EQ (at less then half the price of the mod), and an understanding of which frequencies do what. without making any changes to your amps circutry.

Don't get me wrong, i liked the sound clips i heard at Voodoo. If ya dig the Voodoo tone, why not just get a Voodoo amp? It's your Triple rec, and you're gonna do what you want with it. And i truly hope this does what you want. but i just don't get what's the mod does, that an EQ can't.

 

[triple rectumfrier]

I haven't heard the voodoo amps so I cannot comment on them against a triple rectifier. But it is my understanding that there mods retain the rectifiers tone but makes the overall tone "tighter" the response "quicker" and an overall more luscious tone. They raise the gain stages without sacrificing tone at higher gains. They also change the transformer to a better one that creates a better tone, but still retains the recto sound and character.

the FX loop mod is just to make our crappy FX loops into a serial which is much more useable.

Think of it as having a stock '06 Pontiac GTO. The exhaust is quiet. Put some exhaust on her, and she is screaming. It is still a GTO but it sounds like it should. Loud and MEAN.

This might be a generalization, and I might be looking at this the wrong way, but that is how I feel about these Voodoo Mods.

 

[David.W]

Hey guys ! I use to live near Rochester for a few years and met the owner Trace, super nice guy, at his new shop location near Ithaca, NY. My other guitarist had a gain stage mod & new Ruby El34's done to a Marshall JCM800 2204 & it absolutely crushed after the work + eq was usable - night and day difference.
He also turned me onto the Ruby Tubes EL34 bstr"s for my 97 Dual Rec and was instantly sold (previously used 6L6's exclusively) I was so happy that I found these guys, they really know what they're doing up there.
He also let me hear a 99 Dual Rec with deluxe mod and mercury magnet Transformer mod and as most if not all of you know how good a stock 2 channel DR/TR with all new tubes sounds... just multiply that by 10 !!! It really is worth it...I didn't want to leave his shop.
Everything was so much clearer, tighter...better !

I would highly recommend VooDoo Amp mods !!!

my $0.02

Are you speaking about the standard mod?

 

[ur86d]

I haven't heard the voodoo amps so I cannot comment on them against a triple rectifier. But it is my understanding that there mods retain the rectifiers tone but makes the overall tone "tighter" the response "quicker" and an overall more luscious tone. They raise the gain stages without sacrificing tone at higher gains. They also change the transformer to a better one that creates a better tone, but still retains the recto sound and character.

the FX loop mod is just to make our crappy FX loops into a serial which is much more useable.

Think of it as having a stock '06 Pontiac GTO. The exhaust is quiet. Put some exhaust on her, and she is screaming. It is still a GTO but it sounds like it should. Loud and MEAN.

This might be a generalization, and I might be looking at this the wrong way, but that is how I feel about these Voodoo Mods.

You started out asking if the mod was too good to be true, usually when something sounds too good to be true it is. you're thinking about performing major surgery on your amp. just research the hell out of the mod before doing it man. I personaly can't see how there would be no trade off's with the mod, if you are gaining in one area, you have to be losing in another no? you do lose some functionality with the effects loop mod (You will lose the Solo feature & the ability to turn the loop on/off.) so why wouldn't you lose anything with the standard or deluxe mod?

 

[ThunderMonkey]

Yeah, sorry...I was talking about the deluxe mod which includes the Mercury Magnet Transformer install.
To answer ur86d - Adding EQ, even an aural exciter will shape things up a lot, I agree completely...(like putting new tires on a nice fast car) I've used several in the past but it won't change how the actual gain and tone circuits react to each other.
A VooDoo amp doesn't sound like a MESA Rectifier, just as it doesn't sound like a 5150 or Blue Voodoo or a Marshall, Hughes & Kettner etc.
My point is - each amp has its own character, wiring layout, caps, resistors, pots. Everything that is in the signal chain affects TONE, down to what alloys were used in different Transformers, quality of caps.

I've had the opportunity to actually hear and play one in person and they ARE simply awesome. Consistent great dynamics without fail, you won't want or need an extra EQ, etc afterwards.
You're overhaulin' and tunin' up what is already a great amp to make it THEE amp tone you want to hear from that head.

my $ 0.02 - \m/

 

[ur86d]

it won't change how the actual gain and tone circuits react to each other.
A VooDoo amp doesn't sound like a MESA Rectifier, just as it doesn't sound like a 5150 or Blue Voodoo or a Marshall, Hughes & Kettner etc.
My point is - each amp has its own character, wiring layout, caps, resistors, pots. Everything that is in the signal chain affects TONE, down to what alloys were used in different Transformers, quality of caps.

I've had the opportunity to actually hear and play one in person and they ARE simply awesome. Consistent great dynamics without fail, you won't want or need an extra EQ, etc afterwards.
You're overhaulin' and tunin' up what is already a great amp to make it THEE amp tone you want to hear from that head.

my $ 0.02 - \m/

And that's you're trade off with the mod, see the mod IS effecting how the circuts react to each other. So you really are losing your mesa and making it a different amp.

 

[ThunderMonkey]

You're missing the point bro !
It still sounds like an elephant stampede causing the Roman coliseum to collapse Mesa Rectifier. Same characteristic crunch & tone without the flab/mud, just a lot better + the cleans are amazing, nice and chimey. You would love it if you heard one first hand.
My point is .... it still sounds like a Rectifier.

\m/

 

[ur86d]

You're missing the point bro !
It still sounds like an elephant stampede causing the Roman coliseum to collapse Mesa Rectifier. Same characteristic crunch & tone without the flab/mud, just a lot better + the cleans are amazing, nice and chimey. You would love it if you heard one first hand.
My point is .... it still sounds like a Rectifier.

\m/

No i'm not missing the point, really i'm not. I'm just cautioning against performing major surgery to an amp that the origional poster already loves, to achieve things which can be done with out the surgery. To use the car analogy, what he's thinking about doing is not something as simple as adding after market parts like an exhaust . what he's thinking about doing is tearing apart the engine and redesgining it.

You are trying to say is that by doing that, he is not going to lose any of the origional things he loved about the amplifer. and i don't buy that for one second.

You're saying the mod removes flab and mud? i can do that with an EQ in the 100hz and 200hz range

 

[ThunderMonkey]

<what he's thinking about doing is tearing apart the engine and redesgining it.

No sir ! The PC board stays the same. They just make it better, I think that's what he's looking for and there's nothing wrong with that ?
It will STILL sound like the Mesa Rectifier he fell in love with.

I was just trying to help with my info, I didn't come here to argue bro !!!

Question !
What do you think Randall Smith did with Fender Princeton's?

 

[ur86d]

<what he's thinking about doing is tearing apart the engine and redesgining it.

No sir ! The PC board stays the same. They just make it better, I think that's what he's looking for and there's nothing wrong with that ?
It will STILL sound like the Mesa Rectifier he fell in love with.

I was just trying to help with my info, I didn't come here to argue bro !!!

Question !
What do you think Randall Smith did with Fender Princeton's?

I know you're trying to help, but so am I. And i still don't buy that by modifying the circuts on the PC board there will be nothing but a gain..there has to be a trade off somewhere. And yeah you're right Randall smith did mod the fender princeton...but are you trying to say there wasn,t a trade off in the fender princeton mod either?

 

[goneloco]

iam very interested in moding a triple rec.

 

[ThunderMonkey]

That's cool, I understand you're here to help as well !
Whatever form of trade-off there is... I guess is subjective.
The mod makes the MESA Rectifier TONE sound richer and I'm passing on my info from a fortunate first-hand/ear experience.
But aren't we all searching for THEE tone, for most of us it's a lifelong journey !

\t/\m/

 

[siggy14]

It is not major surgery, and as to the original poster, i dont think he would have posted asking about the mod if he was 100% happy with this recto.

As to the voodoo mod, it is like throwing a booster pedal in front of the rec, gives you the same effect without the pedal and you can actually use all the gain. Is it better then using a booster pedal, that depends, personaly I am happy running a booster in front. however If i can find an older channel 2 channel recto for $850 or under, i would buy it and send it to get modded just for the hell of it to compare more.

You're missing the point bro !
It still sounds like an elephant stampede causing the Roman coliseum to collapse Mesa Rectifier. Same characteristic crunch & tone without the flab/mud, just a lot better + the cleans are amazing, nice and chimey. You would love it if you heard one first hand.
My point is .... it still sounds like a Rectifier.

\m/

No i'm not missing the point, really i'm not. I'm just cautioning against performing major surgery to an amp that the origional poster already loves, to achieve things which can be done with out the surgery. To use the car analogy, what he's thinking about doing is not something as simple as adding after market parts like an exhaust . what he's thinking about doing is tearing apart the engine and redesgining it.

You are trying to say is that by doing that, he is not going to lose any of the origional things he loved about the amplifer. and i don't buy that for one second.

You're saying the mod removes flab and mud? i can do that with an EQ in the 100hz and 200hz range

 

[ur86d]

It's surgery Nonetheless major or minor (in my opinion major). And you're right obviously the origional poster is not 100% happy with his tone. allthough he did say he still loves his TR. as you and i have both said siggy. You can achieve the same effect as the mod by using pedals. which can be added and removed to your hearts desire without modding your circut board. If the origional poster decides at some point he doesnt like the mod, what then? another couple of hundred bucks to remove the mod?

 

[triple rectumfrier]

whoa guys, dont get in a heated argument over this! I do love my triple, but it is lacking in a few departments. I feel this mod will fix everything. I already have the front end slammed with an OD808 but I want more.

Making the FX loop to series doesnt bother me, I never turn off my loop anyways, infact it pisses me off when I accidently shut it off at a show and dont realize it. Solo pisses me off because someone always messes with my amp and turns the solo up (i usually have it at 0) and I accidently hit it going from clean to channel 3. I can deal with that trade off.

I want to do this mod not only for the heightened gain level, but for the highs. They claim more sustained highs, less sag, more headroom. I want all of this!! In my eyes this might just be exactly what I wanted! I bought the recto a few years ago, that $1600 is long gone, $800 bucks right now is not like spending $2400 for a triple because I have not seen that money in years.

I was asking about the mod to see what other people thought about it, to see if others have heard what it sounds like, and it seems I got my answer, which has moved me in the Voodoo direction. I understand the purists out there that do not believe in modding an amp that is already amazing, but it is what I desire and thus I will post a review on it once it is done.

Time to start saving!!

 

[mesanomad100]

I can see what everyone is saying,the rec's have some problems,some of us purists see this imperfection as the beauty in the design and live with it,some of us even like the way the eq interacts with each other and causes the sag and what not,some of you guys love the recto aggression but need a higher tuned machine so need the imperfections taken out and replaced to produce a really high performance amp,I have no real bad feelings,Its still a Mesa to me,not a better one but one which has all the imperfections taken out and replaced,Im happy with my stock mesa rec,you guys who have the rec's and have lived with it but want to tune it by modding it at voodoo obviosly love the foundations of the recto but have decided that a great design with flaws can now be taken into a mod shop and well....hotrodded and in your eye's come out a better amp.

My opinion,If Ilived in the states I would have one!!!!!!!and Im a purist,I like the fact the princton boogies were commented on,hay what about Mike B's mods to the MKIIC's to make a MKIIC+,you could say that that is major surgery and creates an entire new amp


Euan

 

[ur86d]

Heated discussions are good sometimes! and tone is defintely something to be passionate about. It's cool that you're sure about doing this mod triple rectum frier. As For my part in the discussion. Based on what i was reading before your last post you didn't seem to sure about doing it, so i was just trying to give you some insights as to possible negatives of doing the mod.

Tone is subjective, even something as simple as changing speakers or tubes, can and will change your tone. So obviously a mod will also. the difference is after doing the mod, if you decide you want to go back you can't recoup any losses by reselling the mod components. The voodoo mod does sounds cool, and there are plenty of glowing reviews out there for it, but not everybody is happy after doing it .

 

[triple rectumfrier]

ur86d, I hear ya. Once I get the money, I will spend a couple weeks figuring out whether I REALLY want to do it or not. I saw on the site George Lynch has gotten stuff done by Voodoo which I never knew, I am going to go over to his place and check it out and see if he has any amps modded by Voodoo. That will probably be my distinguising factor.

Thanks for all the responses and help for my decision. I am still in the thinking stages, and do not have the $800 or so I will need to do this.

-Matt

 

[Ronnie_Rocker]

i hade a Single Rectifier Rect-o-verb (v.1) head that hade the Standard mod. i sold it and bought a stock Dual Rectifier. i took some pictures of the mod when i did a BIAS modification on the amp. they replaced the treble knob and a few components on the circutboard. i dont think its worth all that money. if you want a "better" sound, try a TC electronics pre pedal or a Tube Screamer to clean up the sound.

 

[Humbility]

...or buy a POS Used Crate Blue Voodoo and have the deluxe mod done and save yourself the money. It will end up sounding like a voodoo amp and you might even be able to get the BV on ebay for a handshake and a smile.

Dude....go get what you want and don't look back. And love it. One man's fun is anothers hell. So continues the endless and futile search for the holy grail of tone. Because we ALL know that it NEVER ends.

Hum