Anybody know about Mesa Rectifier amps?

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billsbigego

billsbigego

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Seems there's a s-load of revisions.
I'm watching this video here. I don't know if this is an older triple rectifier, it's got hardly any knobs, but from the video it states a red and orange mode, as well as tube/diode setting as well as spongy/bold.

Of some of the pictures I've seen on the internet, I can't seem to find any resembling this amp with these settings.

Anyhow. I'm liking the tone with the OD pedal up front. If I were to look for a used rectifier, what should I look for?

Thanks

 
There are three broad categories of the Rectos: 2-channel (like in the video), 3-channel solo heads, and 3-channel multiwatt.

The 2-channels are further subdivided into revisions: Dual Recs run C through G. Triple Recs only in F and G, I think. Generally, the amps got darker as they went.

I'd pickup a Rev G because they sound much better than either 3-channel IMHO and are much cheaper and easier to find than the earlier revs. If you want it brighter, just turn up the presence knob.

Rev Gs are easy to spot because they have parallel loops. The early versions have serial loops and you'll need to know the serial number or even to just look at the circuit board to identify the version.

I have a Rev G Triple that has killed any amp gas for over a year, which is pretty incredible. It sounds monstrous and does low gain, mid gain, high gain, and OMGHEAVY gain really well.
 
Holy fuck did you ever pick the right forum, Bill. Enjoy this...
 
cardinal":2jlhy2pr said:
There are three broad categories of the Rectos: 2-channel (like in the video), 3-channel solo heads, and 3-channel multiwatt.

The 2-channels are further subdivided into revisions: Dual Recs run C through G. Triple Recs only in F and G, I think. Generally, the amps got darker as they went.

I'd pickup a Rev G because they sound much better than either 3-channel IMHO and are much cheaper and easier to find than the earlier revs. If you want it brighter, just turn up the presence knob.

Rev Gs are easy to spot because they have parallel loops. The early versions have serial loops and you'll need to know the serial number or even to just look at the circuit board to identify the version.

I have a Rev G Triple that has killed any amp gas for over a year, which is pretty incredible. It sounds monstrous and does low gain, mid gain, high gain, and OMGHEAVY gain really well.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. But what perplexes me is the amp in the video says triple rectifier on it and in the title :confused:
 
I like the Orange channel better. And much pref the Orange channel on both T-verbs I had.
 
Why do some have an orange / red switch on the back and others do not? Bear with me, trying to educate myself before I do something stupid.
 
cardinal":3cza0osz said:
There are three broad categories of the Rectos: 2-channel (like in the video), 3-channel solo heads, and 3-channel multiwatt.

The 2-channels are further subdivided into revisions: Dual Recs run C through G. Triple Recs only in F and G, I think. Generally, the amps got darker as they went.

I'd pickup a Rev G because they sound much better than either 3-channel IMHO and are much cheaper and easier to find than the earlier revs. If you want it brighter, just turn up the presence knob.

Rev Gs are easy to spot because they have parallel loops. The early versions have serial loops and you'll need to know the serial number or even to just look at the circuit board to identify the version.

I have a Rev G Triple that has killed any amp gas for over a year, which is pretty incredible. It sounds monstrous and does low gain, mid gain, high gain, and OMGHEAVY gain really well.
Click to expand...


And just to add to what he said, Triple refers to be it being 150 watt. 3 duets of power tubes, 3 rectifier tubes. Dual would be 100 watt, etc.

The older, dual channel ones have an orange and a red channel. You can set them up to modern or vintage or one to clean. Orange modern boosted is most likely what you will hear on most videos and recordings.

All of these amps will have a rectifier select mode (tube/SS) and a bold/spongy setting for overall power amp control. Think of the bold/spongy as a "brown" control for the Mesa. The rectifier select will sag the amp a bit, if that is what you like.

Revision G amps are the most common and can be had for cheap. They have parallel FX loops. These will start in the serial number progression from around R-03000. Prior to the G, was the F Revision, which most Mesa fans consider to be "that" tone. These range from R-602 up to the first G's. The circuit is a bit tighter and has a serial loop which is key to this amp working in your favor. Stick anything in the loop like an EQ or a drive and pinch the send level down which allows you to then crank the master a bit more to get the power tubes cooking.

Revision E went from 4xx to 601. Again, a little tighter and handles gain a bit better. C/D prior to that.
 
What do you guys think about this?

"pristine mesa rectoverb rectifier head that is the the 42nd one to be ever built. that makes its a prototype because any heads that were numbered before 203 were prototypes and notsold in stores. the head is amazing "
 
Rectoverbs are 50 watt and don't have tube rectifiers, so I'd never want one.
 
billsbigego":3qv9ygrd said:
cardinal":3qv9ygrd said:
There are three broad categories of the Rectos: 2-channel (like in the video), 3-channel solo heads, and 3-channel multiwatt.

The 2-channels are further subdivided into revisions: Dual Recs run C through G. Triple Recs only in F and G, I think. Generally, the amps got darker as they went.

I'd pickup a Rev G because they sound much better than either 3-channel IMHO and are much cheaper and easier to find than the earlier revs. If you want it brighter, just turn up the presence knob.

Rev Gs are easy to spot because they have parallel loops. The early versions have serial loops and you'll need to know the serial number or even to just look at the circuit board to identify the version.

I have a Rev G Triple that has killed any amp gas for over a year, which is pretty incredible. It sounds monstrous and does low gain, mid gain, high gain, and OMGHEAVY gain really well.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. But what perplexes me is the amp in the video says triple rectifier on it and in the title :confused:
Click to expand...

Dual Rectifiers have four power tubes and two rectifier tubes. Triple Rectifiers have six power tubes and three rectifier tubes. Both have been made as two-channels, three channel solo and three channel multiwatt.
 
BTW the triple is way tighter sounding for metal stuff because of the increased headroom IMO. YMMV.
 
LOVE the 2-Channel Triple Rectifiers. I have had one for years, and it is the only tube amp I have left. Mine is the rarer "Blackface" model where the front is black instead of chrome, and the chassis is chrome instead of black.

When you hear low-tuned bands that are known for using Rectifiers (Korn, Cannibal Corpse, Suicide Silence, etc....) You are mostly hearing 2-Channel Triple Rectifiers. They are deeper and a little more mid scooped than Dual Rectifiers. Clearer and deeper. Honestly, in person, I usually dont even like the tone of Dual Rectifiers, and definitely dont like the single Rectos or other variations (like the Rect-o-verb)
 
billsbigego":3c6215mt said:
Why do some have an orange / red switch on the back and others do not? Bear with me, trying to educate myself before I do something stupid.
Click to expand...

On the 2 channel you basically had 2 channels, orange and red. Orange could be vintage gain or clean (green). Red could be vintage gain or modern gain. The switches set how you wanted the channels set up.

People complained about the compromises, so eventually they made the 3 channel versions. They separated these so you could have clean, orange, and red, but many people felt like these amps lost something and didn't have the same tone as the 2 channel versions.
 
All I know is the tone in the first video is the tone I'm after. I realize he's using an OD pedal, which is fine. Just love the tone. I like a lot of presence in the tone, not mud and not bass that overwhelms the rest of the tone spectrum. I play fast tight metal and with a lot of heavy pick attack. I don't play 7 strings. I play in drop tunings D, C# and C primarily on short scale guitars. I like a scooped sort of tone, but not scooped all the way down to where the mids are lost. All the different flavors of these rectos are confusing.

I had a rectifier recording preamp once with a 2:90 power amp. The tone was meh.
 
He's using a Rev G, two channel Triple Rectifier. Pretty much every 2-channel Triple Rec you'll fine will be Rev G. Just look on craigslist, eBay, Reverb, etc. plenty out there.

I think they are awesome amps.
 
If you want tight bass.... You do not want a Rectifier. There is ways tightening it..... But it is not a tight amp. They are great amps.
 
So the difference between the amp he is playing there and the newer ones is the lack of mode switches on the front? Raw/Vintage/Modern? Instead of that, the switch is on the back to change between Orange (which I assume is vintage) and Modern (which I assume is red).

Sorry for all the questions. When I'm contemplating buying something, I need to know everything.
 
The differences is more than the features.....The sound and feel is pretty different on the various Rectifier. Individual amps have a fair amount of variation.... But they all have the Rectifier sound.
 
Dont forget to check out the 4 channel Roadster. Its a little different than the ones mentioned above, but awesome as well. :)
 
Dual rectifier 2 ch:
revision C&D: serial number 003-505 approx. These are the holy grails and are referred to the "pre 500 rectos." Expect to pay $3000 for one, and wait 6 months or longer for one to even pop up.

revision E: Not a lot of info out there on these, mainly because there is only about 125 of them approx ever even made, serial 505-635 approx. Cleans are a bit better then c and d, a tad darker. People say they are a split between D and F.

revision F: serial 636ish-3000. There are a lot of these out there and come up for sale pretty often. Expect to pay $1000-1500 depending on color scheme and condition. They are tighter and brighter than a rev G, and have the preferred loop in them. These really, are the amps to buy. Still fairly cheap and somewhat common, with a tone closer to a pre 500 then a 3 channel.

revision G: They are everywhere, serial 3000-5 figures range. They are everywhere, and 9/10 times when a 2ch comes up for sale, it's a G. Most common recto sound from the 90's. Expect to pay $700-1000. I wouldn't pay more then that for a G, unless it was a super clean blackface, which is not common that late in the game.

3ch dual: production started in 2000. Junk. Loose, dark, and fizzy for the most part. $700-850 amps and CL is like a 3ch dual junkyard.

TRIPLE:
revision F triple. Super hard to find and very rare. They were in the mid 1000 serial range and use the same serial number run as the duals. Don't expect to just "find" one of these in a short amount of time. I'd say they are less common than a pre 500, practically. Price, not real sure, but I'd say $1300-1650 is a fair guesstimate.

revision G triple: awesome amp, tighter with more headroom then it's 100w counterpart dual. I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat if I wanted a recto. A savvy buyer can buy one for the same price as a rev G dual, but generally they are around $100 more on average.

triple 3ch: Better than it's dual counterpart. I have a buddy with one of these, running winged C 34's in it and it will run right with my rev F dual.

I have no clue on the multi watt amps, not my game.

Personally, I think rev F's or triple 2ch's are the amps to buy right now for a recto. That or a Roadster.
 
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