I bought a,soldano that says Mesa?

[Shemham]

RJF thanks for the input I would agree but I have never played a REV C i can say that the Rev F is the first rec I have played that sounds good without EMGs or a boost do you think an FJA mod can get the Roadster close to that Rev F rev C sound or even maybe a three channel just curious on your opinion.

I don't know about the FJA mod, but you can mod a Roadster or any 3-Channel Rectifier few steps closer to the Rev C/D models. There are three steps to it.

Firstly, solder jumper wires over 100 ohm resistors that are in series to cathode bypass caps of few preamp tubes. This will give the amp a better attack, tad more mids and less bottom-end. The 2-channel Rectifiers had LDRs in series to cathode bypass caps in order to add 47k ohm resistors to these cathodes in order to reduce gain for clean mode. LDRs add minor resistance even when not used which in this case changed the tone of the amplifier. Those 100 ohm resistors are there to emulate that. Rev C/D practically had no clean channel implemented and had the cathodes wired identically to SLO.

Secondly, there's a filter after the input stage that has a 680k resistor in parallel to 0.0022 cap. When the Vintage or Modern mode is engaged, this is added in parallel to 2M2 resistor in parallel to 82pf cap. Thus, there'll be total of ~520k resistance there. Rev C/D used 470k resistor again following the SLO. You can in either add 5M5 worth of resistors in parallel to the 680k resistor to lower the total resistance.

Third change is to change the Red channel presence pot to 220k or 250k ohm linear pot.

Note that the amp will not still sound same as the 2-channel Rectos as there are differences in the preamp power supply filtering among numerous other differences in the design. This will still get you into the ball park.

 

[thiswaythatway]

If I were playing metal I'd pick a Recto with a boost for metal anyday over the SLO. If I wanted that "dated" 80's LA hair tone I'd go with the SLO.

Remember, most guys who own an SLO shelled out at least 2k for a used one so they get their panties in a wad when anyone hints that something else can cop it's tone. Gotta justify that amp purchase.

 

[Mr. Willy]

If I were playing metal I'd pick a Recto with a boost for metal anyday over the SLO. If I wanted that "dated" 80's LA hair tone I'd go with the SLO.

Remember, most guys who own an SLO shelled out at least 2k for a used one so they get their panties in a wad when anyone hints that something else can cop it's tone. Gotta justify that amp purchase.

This post reeks of butthurt and bitterness. Most bands that used that "dated 80's hair metal tone" used Marshall and Boogies.

 

[Racerxrated]

Guys that have played both agree...rectos can't cop an slo tone. Just the facts...rectos can be set up to sound great. But they don't sound like an slo. Vht D60/120 on the other hand...I think they can be similar. More similar to me than a recto IMO. I would love to have another slo...but I have no problem playing a used 750$ vht d60....for my tone it destroys any recto I've played through. Just my opinion...

 

[RJF]

So the revision thing is not really hype, however the prices are hypes but even they have started to come down since it was discovered you can make your Rev G sound like a Rev C just by changing a few components. Now the prices are higher due to as you said the right of saying you own an earlier one, keep in mind the Rev F's are sought after as well and go higher than 1500 with the S/N. The real hype about these amps was that the transformers is what made them sound so different and good, while they did have a very minor impact on tone it was more the different board revisions with different components that made the difference.

Prices are on their way up, not down.

Rev F's go way beyond 1500. Mine is a low 2K, and they extend up to close to 3K.

 

[RJF]

RJF thanks for the input I would agree but I have never played a REV C i can say that the Rev F is the first rec I have played that sounds good without EMGs or a boost do you think an FJA mod can get the Roadster close to that Rev F rev C sound or even maybe a three channel just curious on your opinion.

Greatmutah if you live in ohio we could hav an amp party lol

No. There was a thread a while back about modded rectos. Most people, including myself, agreed that our modded amps sound more like a mix of a Recto and Mark amp. My Rhodes mod rev F triple does not sound like my rev C or F. It is tighter, more focused, and smoother like my MK3. The guys that had FJA amps agreed with that statement.

If you want to hear what a rev C sounds like, turn on and play your rev F. That sound you will hear is 95% it. If you boost your rev F ( you should be anyway), it will sound like, basically what a rev C with the same boost sounds like.

 

[skoora]

So the revision thing is not really hype, however the prices are hypes but even they have started to come down since it was discovered you can make your Rev G sound like a Rev C just by changing a few components. Now the prices are higher due to as you said the right of saying you own an earlier one, keep in mind the Rev F's are sought after as well and go higher than 1500 with the S/N. The real hype about these amps was that the transformers is what made them sound so different and good, while they did have a very minor impact on tone it was more the different board revisions with different components that made the difference.

Prices are on their way up, not down.

Rev F's go way beyond 1500. Mine is a low 2K, and they extend up to close to 3K.

Where is that? In Kazakhstan?

Last Rev F I had was a Triple Rec with chrome chassis I got for $1000. And that was only a year ago. It was also not a desperate seller. Trying to plant the seeds for when you sell yours? j/k j/k
Anyone paying over $1400 for a 2channel dual, of any revision, is nuts IMO but if the internet tells me a C, or any other revision is the holy grail I guess it must be true, but my ears didn't hear it back in 1992. I would take a used RK in a heartbeat over a $1500 plus 2CH Dual.

 

[Jdub]

If I were playing metal I'd pick a Recto with a boost for metal anyday over the SLO. If I wanted that "dated" 80's LA hair tone I'd go with the SLO.

Remember, most guys who own an SLO shelled out at least 2k for a used one so they get their panties in a wad when anyone hints that something else can cop it's tone. Gotta justify that amp purchase.

not

 

[RJF]

So the revision thing is not really hype, however the prices are hypes but even they have started to come down since it was discovered you can make your Rev G sound like a Rev C just by changing a few components. Now the prices are higher due to as you said the right of saying you own an earlier one, keep in mind the Rev F's are sought after as well and go higher than 1500 with the S/N. The real hype about these amps was that the transformers is what made them sound so different and good, while they did have a very minor impact on tone it was more the different board revisions with different components that made the difference.

Prices are on their way up, not down.

Rev F's go way beyond 1500. Mine is a low 2K, and they extend up to close to 3K.

Where is that? In Kazakhstan?

Last Rev F I had was a Triple Rec with chrome chassis I got for $1000. And that was only a year ago. It was also not a desperate seller. Trying to plant the seeds for when you sell yours? j/k j/k
Anyone paying over $1400 for a 2channel dual, of any revision, is nuts IMO but if the internet tells me a C, or any other revision is the holy grail I guess it must be true, but my ears didn't hear it back in 1992. I would take a used RK in a heartbeat over a $1500 plus 2CH Dual.

Guess you haven't been paying attention lately....

Last three pre 500's that have come up for sale have sold for well over $2000, one for $2300 specifically.

Some nice clean rev F's have sold for well over $1000. I had my clean blackface rev F for sale here for $1525 and had a ton of interest. I backed out and decided to hold on to it, otherwise it would have been gone.

A few months ago there were a couple of ractifiers that went for (at the time) way too high, around $1500.

 

[anomaly]

Rev F? Is that the old early 90's dual we are talking about? or the new rebord recto or whatever we are talking about?

Do the old ones really sound all that different? if so how so?

 

[skoora]

Rev F? Is that the old early 90's dual we are talking about? or the new rebord recto or whatever we are talking about?

Do the old ones really sound all that different? if so how so?

Wait......you're not serious are you?

 

[RJF]

Rev F? Is that the old early 90's dual we are talking about? or the new rebord recto or whatever we are talking about?

Do the old ones really sound all that different? if so how so?

Wait......you're not serious are you?

I 2nd. And if you are serious....did you even bother reading this thread?

 

[reverymike]

Rev F refers to the early 90s 2 channel duals. I believe mine is one of the first Fs, at #635.

And, yes it doesn't sound exactly like a SLO, but that doesn't mean it sounds better or worse - just different. And, that's a good thing depending what you're going after. I own a SLO as well, and many times I prefer to plug into the Recto. The Orange Hi Gain channel with an EP booster is really, really, good.

 

[BrentSSL]

RJF if you had to pick mod the Rev F or keep the Mark V

 

[BrentSSL]

RJF if you had to choose? FJA modded three channel dual or a stock Mark V ?

 

[RJF]

I would just keep the Mark V and the rev F and go with that. I wouldn't mod anything, especially not buy one of those 3ch rectos.

 

[fretout]

There's some good info here, but there's some info that needs to be clarified. First off, the all the Revision As and Revision Bs are currently owned by Mesa. Mostly because there were only one of each, and they were both prototypes used to voice Mesa's newest amp...the Rectifier. In the pics I've seen of these amps, they don't really look like what we know the Recto line to look like, and I don't believe they were even mounted in a headshell. Their serials were a R-0001 and R-0002. Anyone claiming they own "R-0001" must have scratched out the 5th number.

I've owned many Revisions of these amps, and there are differences, and most of the time, they are subtle. Most of the differences are in the tone and the feel (duh), and the General rule-of-thumb is the earlier the Revision, the brighter the tone, which in Mesa-speak means that the earlier amps are more aggressive.

Comparing Rev.C to Rev.D is pretty tough, especially since there wasn't a whole lot of changes made during this time...not until you get over serial number R-0510 (hence why "pre-500" is thrown around so much). The components were essentially the same, and the tone was pretty bright for a Recto, but nowhere near "hair metal" tone. The reason I kept my Rev. D over the Rev. C was because they both had the same "grit" in the gain, but the Rev. D had more of the "thump" than the Rev. C did, and while I could get the Rev. D brighter to be identical to the Rev. C with the presence, the Rev. C couldn't get the same "thump" the Rev. D did. That's not to say the Rev. C isn't resonant, just different.

With the Rev. F and the Rev. G, Mesa made the tone noticeably darker, and the tone had more "roundness" to it, but it was still undeniably a Recto. The cool thing about these Revisions is that the Orange channel "cloning" feature really gave a nice "Vintage" gain tone to the amp, while most people tried to use the Orange channel for cleans. In the Rev. G, the Rectifiers had the first clean channel that got close to the volume of the Red channel without distorting too much, but it still was lacking the "pristine cleans" that were finally realized on the Roadkings.

For all the other differences, there's plenty of comparisons and breakdowns on the Revisions, so feel free to research them. I think some people make a bigger deal about revisions than what they should be, considering its a tweak of the presence or gain (or treble) from coming close to the previous revision. It's the same with the Mark IIs and Mark IIIs revisions, and the biggest factor IMHO, is in the feel of the amps. Yes, there are differences in sound, but the REALLY early Rectos have a feel that is more immediate, and more "transparent".

And as far as guys that were using these early Rectos, every one from Alice In Chains to Soundgarden to Fleetwood Mac were using them. I'll see if I can find my pics, but they're out there. There was also some good sources that said the majority of the early Rectifiers (pre-500) were given to artists to get a buzz going about a Mesa amp that wasn't based on a Fender design. I'll see if I can find the info about that too, or use your best Google-Fu and look it up.

 

[siggy14]

So the revision thing is not really hype, however the prices are hypes but even they have started to come down since it was discovered you can make your Rev G sound like a Rev C just by changing a few components. Now the prices are higher due to as you said the right of saying you own an earlier one, keep in mind the Rev F's are sought after as well and go higher than 1500 with the S/N. The real hype about these amps was that the transformers is what made them sound so different and good, while they did have a very minor impact on tone it was more the different board revisions with different components that made the difference.

Prices are on their way up, not down.

Rev F's go way beyond 1500. Mine is a low 2K, and they extend up to close to 3K.

Where is that? In Kazakhstan?

Last Rev F I had was a Triple Rec with chrome chassis I got for $1000. And that was only a year ago. It was also not a desperate seller. Trying to plant the seeds for when you sell yours? j/k j/k
Anyone paying over $1400 for a 2channel dual, of any revision, is nuts IMO but if the internet tells me a C, or any other revision is the holy grail I guess it must be true, but my ears didn't hear it back in 1992. I would take a used RK in a heartbeat over a $1500 plus 2CH Dual.

Guess you haven't been paying attention lately....

Last three pre 500's that have come up for sale have sold for well over $2000, one for $2300 specifically.

Some nice clean rev F's have sold for well over $1000. I had my clean blackface rev F for sale here for $1525 and had a ton of interest. I backed out and decided to hold on to it, otherwise it would have been gone.

A few months ago there were a couple of ractifiers that went for (at the time) way too high, around $1500.

I have not really been keeping an eye on the early revisions lately so I might be out of the loop on the price. When I owned R0005 the Rev C's where going around the 2K to 2.3K range and then they started to dip. I tried selling it 3 years ago and did not get a bite even though my price was at 2K, I ended up trading it for a Gibson Les Paul Custom 1968 reissue, I then traded that 68 for a 1979 Les paul siverbust custom which I sold last year for $2300. Not a bad investment considering I had paid $1025 for R0005.

I just recently picked up a Rev F rackmount chrome chassis for dirt cheap, came with an old 8 space skb rack case and a marshall JCM 800 slant cab for under $900, it was one of those deals of a lifetime that I experienced for the second time. In order to stop myself from selling it for profit I had a friend go in on half so this way he could stop me from selling it if I ever got the itch, it worked out for both of us because we were both itching for a 2 channel recto but we both have other Mesa's that we play.

If anyone is interested there is a Rev F head on GC's used page for $1099, I emailed them trying to get them down in price but never heard back from them so I assume they are not going to budge on that price. There is also another Small Logo 2 channel head on their site for $1399, I did not email them about that one so not sure which revision it is.

 

[BrentSSL]

Are you sure its a rev F hmmm my secon muhahahahhaha

 

[siggy14]

Are you sure its a rev F hmmm my secon muhahahahhaha

Yes had him send me more pictures and S/N R-001259