itsgoodnow
Well-known member
Hey All,
I got my Dual Rectifier back from Hermansson a couple of days ago. I had very high hopes based on the clips I had heard and I am not disappointed. Some background, I, frankly, do not like a stock recto. With a boost it isn't bad but it generally is not my thing. It is not about the core tone, but rather about the big (and bloated low end) and a lot of the individual note detail that seems to be buried in it. I also have a JT modded rectifier that I will reference in the review also.
This Hermansson is a 3 channel. All are overhauled. Important to note, if you send him a 2 channel recto there is a tightness control for each channel on a dial. If you send a 3 channel, the tightness is set to a preset value. I thought I would miss that versatility but whatever the default was for this is perfect. There are things all 3 channels have in common--they all have a lot more clarity, all are much more open, and they all have an extremely low noise floor. Each channel has a wide EQ sweep and all settings sound good, just a taste thing. Even all dials at noon sounds incredible. With a little more push everything really gets a lot more life. Channel 1 is a clean. In clean mode it is glassy and gorgeous. In pushed mode it gets a bit more dirt on it and is very versatile. But, on to the fun stuff.
Channel 2 is the first dirt channel. It is tight and aggressive. The boomy low end is taken out and the mid detail is back. I want to clarify that some of the clips online can make the amp sound thin in the ass end. I find that untrue. My house was still shaking with bass on palm mutes, the bass is just more detailed and focused, less tubbiness. It is an aggressive channel with a lot of grit.
Channel 3 is basically the crown jewel of the amp for me. Heinrich said the amp has an identical tune to channel 2 and 3, but I find this inaccurate in practice. 2 feels like a heavy rhythm tone. 3 is a scalpel, capable of very technical leads or just mean riffing. I obviously prefer the tone of 3 to 2, but some people may want more width in their sound (which channel 2 provides). It is tight as hell, however, it is not stiff. Still very easy to play and has great touch response. It is insanely focused with a lot of note detail. I think it is important to note the clarity does not come at the sacrifice of a thick/gritty note or saturation. There i still plenty of that here, just with the added detail and focus. Great for a lead channel or just brutal metal. I think it's the most aggressive amp sound I've ever gotten. Honestly, I will likely stay on this channel all the time.
A couple critiques. The modern mode is clearly where this amp shines. I do not think the raw or vintage modes sound bad, but the modern modes It sounds like you would think it would (and probably why you are looking to get this mod). My JT mod I think is actually best on the raw setting instead of the modern (which is second best). The JT may be the biggest sounding amp I've ever played through and I think would be better suited for straight up hard rock tones or something where quick technical note separation is not the priority. It sounds huge and I think it has better raw/vintage channels than this. For a clean channel and for metal the Hermansson is the clear winner. There is basically no overlap between the two mods.
Back to just the Hermansson--I likely will not take it off modern mode ever. It is a metal machine with this setup. The amp sounds good on both tubes and diodes. I don't actually know which setting I prefer. The tubes, of course, have a bit more body and are bigger, the diodes are more focused but not shrill. I probably could have just this amp and my Ground Zero MOAB and really not need another amp. Of course, we all know that will never happen.
Henrich was great to deal with, very nice, asked me a lot of questions about the tunings I play in, how many strings I use, and my styles to tune the amp more to my liking. He packed like a champ, and it got from across the world to my house in a week. The shipping company cracked the headshell in transit (fuck those people), and Henrich spotted the issue, glued the headshell and sent me updates on the build and the repair constantly. Nice guy and can't wait go get a Marshall from him.
Additional update: I spent more time with channel 2 on modern and vintage and really like them. 3 is still the favorite but I think 2 gives more width. The raw to me is not my fav but the other 2 modes are great and versatile and do a tight aggressive rock rhythm tone. Both have grown on me even more.
I got my Dual Rectifier back from Hermansson a couple of days ago. I had very high hopes based on the clips I had heard and I am not disappointed. Some background, I, frankly, do not like a stock recto. With a boost it isn't bad but it generally is not my thing. It is not about the core tone, but rather about the big (and bloated low end) and a lot of the individual note detail that seems to be buried in it. I also have a JT modded rectifier that I will reference in the review also.
This Hermansson is a 3 channel. All are overhauled. Important to note, if you send him a 2 channel recto there is a tightness control for each channel on a dial. If you send a 3 channel, the tightness is set to a preset value. I thought I would miss that versatility but whatever the default was for this is perfect. There are things all 3 channels have in common--they all have a lot more clarity, all are much more open, and they all have an extremely low noise floor. Each channel has a wide EQ sweep and all settings sound good, just a taste thing. Even all dials at noon sounds incredible. With a little more push everything really gets a lot more life. Channel 1 is a clean. In clean mode it is glassy and gorgeous. In pushed mode it gets a bit more dirt on it and is very versatile. But, on to the fun stuff.
Channel 2 is the first dirt channel. It is tight and aggressive. The boomy low end is taken out and the mid detail is back. I want to clarify that some of the clips online can make the amp sound thin in the ass end. I find that untrue. My house was still shaking with bass on palm mutes, the bass is just more detailed and focused, less tubbiness. It is an aggressive channel with a lot of grit.
Channel 3 is basically the crown jewel of the amp for me. Heinrich said the amp has an identical tune to channel 2 and 3, but I find this inaccurate in practice. 2 feels like a heavy rhythm tone. 3 is a scalpel, capable of very technical leads or just mean riffing. I obviously prefer the tone of 3 to 2, but some people may want more width in their sound (which channel 2 provides). It is tight as hell, however, it is not stiff. Still very easy to play and has great touch response. It is insanely focused with a lot of note detail. I think it is important to note the clarity does not come at the sacrifice of a thick/gritty note or saturation. There i still plenty of that here, just with the added detail and focus. Great for a lead channel or just brutal metal. I think it's the most aggressive amp sound I've ever gotten. Honestly, I will likely stay on this channel all the time.
A couple critiques. The modern mode is clearly where this amp shines. I do not think the raw or vintage modes sound bad, but the modern modes It sounds like you would think it would (and probably why you are looking to get this mod). My JT mod I think is actually best on the raw setting instead of the modern (which is second best). The JT may be the biggest sounding amp I've ever played through and I think would be better suited for straight up hard rock tones or something where quick technical note separation is not the priority. It sounds huge and I think it has better raw/vintage channels than this. For a clean channel and for metal the Hermansson is the clear winner. There is basically no overlap between the two mods.
Back to just the Hermansson--I likely will not take it off modern mode ever. It is a metal machine with this setup. The amp sounds good on both tubes and diodes. I don't actually know which setting I prefer. The tubes, of course, have a bit more body and are bigger, the diodes are more focused but not shrill. I probably could have just this amp and my Ground Zero MOAB and really not need another amp. Of course, we all know that will never happen.
Henrich was great to deal with, very nice, asked me a lot of questions about the tunings I play in, how many strings I use, and my styles to tune the amp more to my liking. He packed like a champ, and it got from across the world to my house in a week. The shipping company cracked the headshell in transit (fuck those people), and Henrich spotted the issue, glued the headshell and sent me updates on the build and the repair constantly. Nice guy and can't wait go get a Marshall from him.
Additional update: I spent more time with channel 2 on modern and vintage and really like them. 3 is still the favorite but I think 2 gives more width. The raw to me is not my fav but the other 2 modes are great and versatile and do a tight aggressive rock rhythm tone. Both have grown on me even more.
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