Dialing in a Rectoverb combo. Help me.

[fek]

I had a Tverb from the mid 90's until early 2000's that I loved. I have been using Marshally amps since that time and just came into the possession of a Rectoverb combo with Raw, Vintage, & Modern modes. I am not digging it and am stumbling on the interactions between the tone controls. I can't remember how to dial in a Mesa.

Any setting advice would be appreciated. I am looking for a hard rock tone that I can boost into heavier tones. I am using LP's and either the combo's Black Shadow speaker or a TM2X12 with an E80 and ET65 loaded up in it.

 

[fek]

I checked out the manual last night and have a decent working knowledge of the interactions now but still don't seem to be getting along with it. Any other tips from Recto users?

 

[Mr. Brady]

Sell it and by my tremoverb?

I'd try vintage mode, gain at 12-2 o'clock Bass at 11, mids at 2, treble at 1. I used that a lot when I had my Rectoverb and thought it did a great hard rock tone. Oh, and of course, turn it up.

 

[glassjaw7]

I found that a tube change was necessary for getting more usable tones from the recto. I installed JJ KT77's in my dual and followed the manual somewhat closely and I like the tones I'm getting. The amps' controls are very counter-intuitive.
Here's my video I posted awhile back showing the general character of my amp. Audio was picked up from my macbook's built in mic so it's nothing spectacular and sounds kinda woofy, but you can hear the tone anyways. This was a low volume demo.

Playing starts at :45. I recorded this after drinking heavily during a football game.

 

[Sixtonoize]

I really liked Vintage mode with EL34s, B/M/T and Gain around noon, and LOTS of volume.
And in my experience, don't EVER use the settings from the Mesa manuals - they're possibly the worst thing that you can do to your amp.

 

[jlb32]

I checked out the manual last night and have a decent working knowledge of the interactions now but still don't seem to be getting along with it. Any other tips from Recto users?

I had a Rect-o-verb combo before I got my Trem-o-verb head years ago. IMO they sound very different. I didn't care for the Rect-o-verb combo much at all even though I could get some decent tones with it. The Trem-o-verb on the other hand is just a killer sounding amp and IMO one of the best Mesa has ever made.

 

[Guitarzan1143]

I just sold my tremoverb, it was my baby for about a year. im over the recto tone. im sure i will be back one day, hopefully then i wont be a poor college student in a tiny house with noise restrictions...

anyways, after playing a rectoverb a lot (my friends), i found that it was virtually useless for metal without a boost and that a bias pot installed made an entire world of difference on the tone. also, the mesa SPAX7s in the preamp really helped it sound great, as well as a 2x12 closed back cabinets. A rectifier shoud never be played through an open bakc cabinet in my opinion, they are too low-end oriented, it would get farty real quick. None of my controls ever went past 2 or 3 o clock or less than 10 o clock except for the Presence knob on modern high gain, i put it all the way off almost.

 

[jkdsteve]

Buy a closed back cabinet...I hated the sound of the ToV combo thro' an open cabinet...

 

[Big Rich]

I found that a tube change was necessary for getting more usable tones from the recto. I installed JJ KT77's in my dual and followed the manual somewhat closely and I like the tones I'm getting. The amps' controls are very counter-intuitive.
Here's my video I posted awhile back showing the general character of my amp. Audio was picked up from my macbook's built in mic so it's nothing spectacular and sounds kinda woofy, but you can hear the tone anyways. This was a low volume demo.

Playing starts at :45. I recorded this after drinking heavily during a football game.

sounds sweet and nice playing

when you threw kt77s in ther did u put the selectable bias on el34 mode???

my friend ordered a pair of jj kt77s and 6l6s to run simulclass in his mark and it sounded okay but the tubes crapped out after about 3 weeks. it never even crossed my mind to try those tubes in the rectos ive had in the past, sounds like all the cool things about el34s with the thump of 6l6s

 

[fek]

Sell it and by my tremoverb?

I'd try vintage mode, gain at 12-2 o'clock Bass at 11, mids at 2, treble at 1. I used that a lot when I had my Rectoverb and thought it did a great hard rock tone. Oh, and of course, turn it up.

If I sell it locally this weekend then I will hit you up! Seriously.

 

[glassjaw7]

I found that a tube change was necessary for getting more usable tones from the recto. I installed JJ KT77's in my dual and followed the manual somewhat closely and I like the tones I'm getting. The amps' controls are very counter-intuitive.
Here's my video I posted awhile back showing the general character of my amp. Audio was picked up from my macbook's built in mic so it's nothing spectacular and sounds kinda woofy, but you can hear the tone anyways. This was a low volume demo.

Playing starts at :45. I recorded this after drinking heavily during a football game.

sounds sweet and nice playing

when you threw kt77s in ther did u put the selectable bias on el34 mode???

my friend ordered a pair of jj kt77s and 6l6s to run simulclass in his mark and it sounded okay but the tubes crapped out after about 3 weeks. it never even crossed my mind to try those tubes in the rectos ive had in the past, sounds like all the cool things about el34s with the thump of 6l6s

Thanks! Yeah, the 77's need to be run in EL34 mode. They really made a huge difference in the tone. The manual really does help despite what others say. The sample settings aren't that great, but the section that talks about the interaction between each knob is good stuff. You simply can't turn some controls to certain levels, or the amp will sound like balls. The manual shows the usable levels for each control.

 

[mboogman]

Buy a closed back cabinet...I hated the sound of the ToV combo thro' an open cabinet...

+1

I had a similar occurrence as fek. I had a Tverb in high school, and loved the orange channel. Played it through a **cough** peavey **cough** 4x12 closed back cab. That was the sound I fell in love with. About 5 years ago, I found a tverb 2x12 combo, so I jumped on it. Never could get it sounding right, and ended up selling off to fund the Egnater Mod50. The rectifier stuff just begs to be played through a 4x12, and definitely not an open back cab.

 

[Big Rich]

I found that a tube change was necessary for getting more usable tones from the recto. I installed JJ KT77's in my dual and followed the manual somewhat closely and I like the tones I'm getting. The amps' controls are very counter-intuitive.
Here's my video I posted awhile back showing the general character of my amp. Audio was picked up from my macbook's built in mic so it's nothing spectacular and sounds kinda woofy, but you can hear the tone anyways. This was a low volume demo.

Playing starts at :45. I recorded this after drinking heavily during a football game.

sounds sweet and nice playing

when you threw kt77s in ther did u put the selectable bias on el34 mode???

my friend ordered a pair of jj kt77s and 6l6s to run simulclass in his mark and it sounded okay but the tubes crapped out after about 3 weeks. it never even crossed my mind to try those tubes in the rectos ive had in the past, sounds like all the cool things about el34s with the thump of 6l6s

Thanks! Yeah, the 77's need to be run in EL34 mode. They really made a huge difference in the tone. The manual really does help despite what others say. The sample settings aren't that great, but the section that talks about the interaction between each knob is good stuff. You simply can't turn some controls to certain levels, or the amp will sound like balls. The manual shows the usable levels for each control.

yea most deffinetly the mesa manuals are always really helpful with explaining things. and honestly i think the sample settings are a great starting point. start from ther and tweak around that area

i didnt really apreciate it until i got a bogner amp and the manual was only 2 pieces of paper stapled together and it didnt help you do shit

took me 3 months to learn how to properly dial in my bogner