JUST BOUGHT MY FIRST MESA DUAL RECTIFIER!

[thegreattailz]

Just got it for a phenominal price on ebay! Havent received it, but im excited. Money spent well, just cant get a better tone for hard rock, so Im def excited about doing some recordings and videos and putting them on youtube. Any advice about settings? Tube maintenence? Also Im looking for a 3 channel footswitch. Also, the seller isnt sure of the year of make so is there any way to tell? I believe it to be an older model, yet it has the 50 100 watt switch

 

[The Traveller]

Congrats man! They are great amps. As for tube maintenance there really isn't much to it. Pretty much flip the bias switch on the back to EL34s or 6L6 (which ever tubes you want to use) plug them in and go. Pretty much plug and play. You don't have to worry about biasing with Mesa amps.

This video will give you some good settings to start out with. Tweak from there.

You'll probably want to invest in a Tubescreamer (Maxon OD808 or Ibanez TS9) if you don't already have one. Run that in front of the amp set up like a clean boost (Gain all the way down. Tone at 11 or 12 o'clock. Volume all the way up). What this does is tightens up the low end of the amp and gives a bit of a mid boost. Plus this lets you run the gain a little lower which in turn lets the EQ on the channels respond better. I find that the more gain you use on rectos the less responsive the EQ is.

Here are a couple more videos of some sick Recto tones from Mr. Ola Englund

I hope this helps.

 

[fluff191]

Congrats. That amp is not a multi-watt amp, the switches on the front switch the channel voicings.

 

[shgshg]

Congrats. The DR is the best rock/metal amp I've ever heard.

 

[nothingeined]

I just got one about 2 weeks ago and wow. It is definately an awesome amp to have. Congradulations.

 

[Michi]

Well HNAD!

 

[guitarslayer]

Congrats! Love these amps! I'm on my 5th recto! Currently a 1992 revision F. I had a rack mount version, 2 channel Rev G, 3 channel dual and triple.....fantastic amps! Don't be afraid to try a maxon OD808 in front of it.

 

[soc_monki]

to add to what Traveller said...when you get new power tubes, if you dont buy from Mesa, make sure you say theyre for a Dual Rec. that way they will be within spec for the amps bias.

i have a single rectifier, and im running EL34s...love it. one suggestion i have is DONT use a boost! i know, some will say its heresy, especially for a metal tone. but IMO the amp is tight enough and gainy enough on its own, but you have to have a good, precise right hand to make it work. when i first got the amp i couldnt play crap on it. hell, its only the 3rd amp ive ever really owned, and for most of the time i had an amp it was a 5150. the saturation on a 5150 makes everything so easy to play...on a Rec that isnt the case. you really have to whip you playing into shape, the amp is much less compressed and it takes work. using a boost will saturate the tone, and it sounds awesome, no denying that! but i decided to go without and it works for me. im starting to incorporate it back into my rig (self modded SD-1), but only as a lead boost to fatten single notes up and make them cut more.

heres my settings on channel 2 (i only have two...lol) in o'clock

modern
gain 1-1:30
treble 1
mids 11:30
bass 11
presence 11
master and output will be personal preference, but the louder you go, the better it sounds. i still do tweak occasionally, but dont we all?

and the clean tone on my Single is actually really awesome. i loved my 5150, and i love my Ultra Plus, but getting a good clean out of those amps...no chance compared to the Recto.

have fun, and crank that sucker! they only sound passable at low volumes, but nothing comes close when you get the speakers moving and power tubes cooking!

 

[rocknrolla]

I agree with ditching the boost pedals. These amps are plenty tight if you do your part. They are great teachers when it comes to technique. I swear I can go from a light rock tone to all out death metal just by altering how I play.

 

[Badronald]

I love my Triple Rec. Absolutely killer tones.

 

[jiveturkey]

Just got an oversized Mesa cab with V30s to go with my Tremoverb. AMAZING cab. Night and day difference versus my 1960 cab. Congrats!

 

[thegreattailz]

Cool, thanks for the replies guys. I got a few questions.

1. what is the thing called that allows you to crank your am to get the tubes fired up, but yet allows you to keep the volume low? (Unfortunately I live in an apartment) I thought it was a ts9, but I also heard that was just an overdrive pedal.

2. whats the difference between an oversize cab and just a regular one?

3. I plan on using the loop, and have a boss EQ, should that, my noise gate decimator and and my bbe sonic maximizer go in the loop or out?

4. EL34s or 6L6 ?

5. is it better to record through a direct line out of the amp to a usb interface or to mic it?
Thanks guys

 

[stompboxfreak72]

Awesome ! I played a dual rec exclusively for 8 gigging years and used a Single rec asa backup. Flat out lowest maintenance amp on the planet. Never had to take it into a tech to change tubes which I really miss ( Im useless with a bias meter).

The mistake I made was always playing on the modern setting. I rarely used the vintage mode and never used the raw mode. There are so many tones available in the amp if you fuss with it a bit. I ran a tubescreamer for leads and sometimes still struggled with lead sounds. I just fought the amp a lot and eventually sold it for a Splawn Nitro. I have been tempted to revisit these though and this thread is not helping my retro-gas a bit.