KiwiJoe said:
They did the next best thing and made their own TS-type pedal. They call it the Grid Slammer. :wink:
Dino. said:
That may be, but I still don't understand why there should be any need for an overdrive/boost pedal with a Rectifier.
There isn't, at least for me and my Mini Rec. I can't say anything about what others find useful or not with Minis or the bigger Rectos.
Dino. said:
Why don't the gain controls on the amp allow the same tight response and help add sustain without the need of a TS-type pedal?
The Mini has way more gain/sustain on tap than I'll ever need. I think that the Minis are tighter than the big Rectos. I'm no amp guru, but I believe it has something to do with the SS rectifier and the EL84 power section.
Dino. said:
And in reading through a lot of these threads, it appears that most Rectifier users recognize what the amp is lacking by adding these TS-type pedals.
I think that's true for a lot of the guys using the big Rectos; I've read the same things. Again, I don't know how other people are using their amps, but I suspect that many are "scooping" a lot of mids out for the chugga-chugga, and then find themselves buried in the mix when it's time to solo; hence, a mid-boost pedal like a TS - nothing says "jumping out of the mix" like midrange. I've had a play around with a Dual Rec and I found it to be quite nice in the mids when EQ'd properly, leading me to believe that a lot of the complaints I read about Rectos are more "operator error" than any inherent deficiencies of the amp itself. Of course, that is just my "belief."
Dino. said:
Mesa offering their own line of pedals really doesn't address the issue with the amp circuitry. As a matter of fact, I see it as an acknowledgement that their amps are truly lacking something.
Well, considering that there are other Mesa amps than just the Rectos, I don't see that as a valid premise. It also assumes that Mesa made their pedals strictly for Mesa amp users. I have no idea what the breakdown is of people using Mesa pedals with Mesa amps vs. with other amps, but I'm sure that not everybody who has a Mesa pedal is using it with a Mesa amp.
I use the Grid Slammer as a sort of "third channel" with the Mini Rec. I use the "clean" setting so that with the guitar volume wide open there's a bit of hair/crunch yet clean when it's rolled back. The Grid Slammer is used as a "boost" for that clean channel setting, with pretty much the same settings you found appealing with the TS (full level, zero gain). I set the red channel "vintage" for my full-on lead tone. It's very close to an early Mark series Boogie in terms of being "liquid" and having a good amount of mid range punch and endless sustain. I get that with the gain at maybe 9-10 o'clock and the master at 2-3 o'clock.
Dino. said:
The gain control within the amps circuit is pretty much useless when set beyond 12:00-1:00, IMO.
I wouldn't know. For the kind of music I play and the sound I'm going for I can't fathom having the gain set that high on the red channel. I do run the gain that high on the Mini, on the clean channel where, in larger venues my favorite setting is on "clean" with the gain and master dimed; then I treat the amp just like an old NMV Marshall and just ride the guitar volume from clean to mean. Otherwise gain around noon-1 o'clock, master at 2 o'clock on clean.
Good luck in your quest.
