Mesa Single rec fans / knowledge

[neilli]

I find myself tempted to get a single rec head - is there a 'good' year or version to go for or avoid?

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

I had one for awhile. Bought it off Craigslist minty with cover and fs for $600 off a guy.
Sounded pretty good at home, and with a splawn 2x12 with gov/man o war. This was around 2009 I believe. Liked the short bottle Tads in it. 6l6wgc. Seems to cut some boominess.
To be honest, didn't cut that well in a live scenario with two guitars. My splawn at the time had way more cut. Was using a Carvin slant 4x12 for live with both.

If I was an at home player only, I could live with the single rec for sure. Great amp for what I paid for mine, when I owned it.

 

[neilli]

Cool - thanks for that! I had the combo for home use about 10 years ago, but tried using it with a band and it couldn't keep up so I bought a Roadster.

Now I'm just playing at home, and the urge to get one is back again, but I'd just get the head version this time.

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

Series II Single Recto is/was the latest version and best sounding. Better clean channel.

 

[neilli]

Is there an obvious way to tell a Series II?

 

[311boogieman]

Do it up.

Great amp for the money. I got mine for $500. It sounds bad ass through my Trad 4x12 or Splawn 2x12 (Small Blocks). I'm pretty sure the Series 2 added the bias switch on back for going to EL34s and the Raw switch option on front. Not the Rectifier expert here. I run EL34s in mine and JJ pre's. Brutal distortion and super nice cleans IMO.

 

[GJgo]

I had one (series 2) for a while. I thought it was thin & harsh compared to the 100 watt Rectos. Also, didn't sound good till you opened it up. Honestly if you want a Recto my Tremoverb sounds light years better at home playing volumes (than any Recto I've ever played) & they can be had for not that much more. Here's a clip I did when I had it.

https://youtu.be/kgM6VrHnnK4

 

[slyym]

I had one (series 2) for a while. I thought it was thin & harsh compared to the 100 watt Rectos. Also, didn't sound good till you opened it up. Honestly if you want a Recto my Tremoverb sounds light years better at home playing volumes (than any Recto I've ever played) & they can be had for not that much more. Here's a clip I did when I had it.

https://youtu.be/kgM6VrHnnK4

I definitely wouldn't call it thin and harsh. I have one and love it. It doesn't have quite the low end of its bigger brother but that's about it. Sounds fucking awesome cranked!!

 

[squealie]

I still have my single. I think it kills with a SD-1 or TS in front running EL34s. I had it Voodoo modded later on and that's pretty cool too. It's my last tube amp remaining..I don't see myself selling it. Never had a problem keeping up with a band.

 

[mchn13]

I had one (series 2) for a while. I thought it was thin & harsh compared to the 100 watt Rectos. Also, didn't sound good till you opened it up. Honestly if you want a Recto my Tremoverb sounds light years better at home playing volumes (than any Recto I've ever played) & they can be had for not that much more. Here's a clip I did when I had it.

https://youtu.be/kgM6VrHnnK4

I definitely wouldn't call it thin and harsh. I have one and love it. It doesn't have quite the low end of its bigger brother but that's about it. Sounds fucking awesome cranked!!

+1; but I never used much of the low end anyway, always had the lows on about 9-10 o'clock on any of the rectos. The single rectoverb was the first recto I owned, and sounded good, but only seemed underpowered when I went to running two cabs with a really loud band. Even then it was useable, just got a little mushy on the low end.
Went to duals after I heard orange cloned to modern with a boost. That's worth the dual rec right there one of the best brutal sounds ever.

 

[cecilbag]

They are great amps and can be had for a song. I have a rectoverb and love it. I've never had any issue with it keeping up in a band setting and I guarantee we play louder than most.

 

[CEG85]

Had a dual rec for years.
Great amp.

 

[JakeAC5253]

I had one (series 2) for a while. I thought it was thin & harsh compared to the 100 watt Rectos. Also, didn't sound good till you opened it up. Honestly if you want a Recto my Tremoverb sounds light years better at home playing volumes (than any Recto I've ever played) & they can be had for not that much more. Here's a clip I did when I had it.

https://youtu.be/kgM6VrHnnK4

I definitely wouldn't call it thin and harsh. I have one and love it. It doesn't have quite the low end of its bigger brother but that's about it. Sounds fucking awesome cranked!!

+1; but I never used much of the low end anyway, always had the lows on about 9-10 o'clock on any of the rectos. The single rectoverb was the first recto I owned, and sounded good, but only seemed underpowered when I went to running two cabs with a really loud band. Even then it was useable, just got a little mushy on the low end.
Went to duals after I heard orange cloned to modern with a boost. That's worth the dual rec right there one of the best brutal sounds ever.

What do you mean orange cloned to modern? Are you referring to a mod of some sort? Or a hidden gem amp setting or something?

 

[mooncobra]

check out the trem o verb. I had one years ago and it was awesome, by far the best Mesa I have played and I have seen them go for cheap.

 

[JakeAC5253]

check out the trem o verb. I had one years ago and it was awesome, by far the best Mesa I have played and I have seen them go for cheap.

Maybe you or someone else can answer this for me (as a very interested buyer + long time Recto fan + previous 3 chan Recto owner), but since the beginning of time (2008 or thereabouts) I have heard of the Legend of the Tremoverb. I looked up a "history of rectifiers" type of thing, and it seemed to indicate that the Tremoverb series amps were pretty much identical to the Dual Rectifier amp during that model year except with additional knobs. Still many MANY people regard the Tremoverb as the best Recto by far. I find these two statements difficult to.... "rectify" ... *lame cough*.

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

Is there an obvious way to tell a Series II?

It's printed on the rear panel. It say "Series II".

Cool amps. I've owned a few and they rocked. I like them since they don't have rectifier tubes which I never use (always use Si Diode mode) and blow often, which is pointless to me.

 

[Metal1977]

I had one (series 2) for a while. I thought it was thin & harsh compared to the 100 watt Rectos. Also, didn't sound good till you opened it up. Honestly if you want a Recto my Tremoverb sounds light years better at home playing volumes (than any Recto I've ever played) & they can be had for not that much more. Here's a clip I did when I had it.

https://youtu.be/kgM6VrHnnK4

I definitely wouldn't call it thin and harsh. I have one and love it. It doesn't have quite the low end of its bigger brother but that's about it. Sounds fucking awesome cranked!!

+1; but I never used much of the low end anyway, always had the lows on about 9-10 o'clock on any of the rectos. The single rectoverb was the first recto I owned, and sounded good, but only seemed underpowered when I went to running two cabs with a really loud band. Even then it was useable, just got a little mushy on the low end.
Went to duals after I heard orange cloned to modern with a boost. That's worth the dual rec right there one of the best brutal sounds ever.

What do you mean orange cloned to modern? Are you referring to a mod of some sort? Or a hidden gem amp setting or something?

On the older rectifier, you can clone the channels. He means cloning the first channel (orange) to modern, that way both presence controls affect the sound differently at the same time. You get a special sound with the amp set like that. It's my favorite sound in the amp.

Chris

 

[neilli]

It's printed on the rear panel. It say "Series II".

Nice and logical. I like it

Thanks!

 

[311boogieman]

FFS - it sure does. Never noticed

 

[mchn13]

I had one (series 2) for a while. I thought it was thin & harsh compared to the 100 watt Rectos. Also, didn't sound good till you opened it up. Honestly if you want a Recto my Tremoverb sounds light years better at home playing volumes (than any Recto I've ever played) & they can be had for not that much more. Here's a clip I did when I had it.

https://youtu.be/kgM6VrHnnK4

I definitely wouldn't call it thin and harsh. I have one and love it. It doesn't have quite the low end of its bigger brother but that's about it. Sounds fucking awesome cranked!!

+1; but I never used much of the low end anyway, always had the lows on about 9-10 o'clock on any of the rectos. The single rectoverb was the first recto I owned, and sounded good, but only seemed underpowered when I went to running two cabs with a really loud band. Even then it was useable, just got a little mushy on the low end.
Went to duals after I heard orange cloned to modern with a boost. That's worth the dual rec right there one of the best brutal sounds ever.

What do you mean orange cloned to modern? Are you referring to a mod of some sort? Or a hidden gem amp setting or something?

On the older rectifier, you can clone the channels. He means cloning the first channel (orange) to modern, that way both presence controls affect the sound differently at the same time. You get a special sound with the amp set like that. It's my favorite sound in the amp.

Chris

That and the later 3 channels have a modern or vintage switch on the orange channel. Orange modern if I understand it fully uses the eq range of the orange(crunch), with the gain of the modern channel. Very thick and broad midrange. I'm one of the few who actually prefer the 3chans to the older 2chans.
The singles can't do the orange/modern thing iirc.