SLO vs. the ripoff Rev C Dual Recto- Have you actually played them both?

GJgo

GJgo

Well-known member
That SLO thread has gotten pretty intense, so maybe people have more to stay still. :)

I've been wondering. There's all the controversy about how Randall ripped off Mike and the original Recto circuit, Rev C presumably, is basically a direct copy. I've read all about it. Everyone copies everyone else's designs, the power sections are different, blah blah.

A few months ago I had a BAD SLO for a few weeks. I jammed it at home and also rehearsed & did a gig with it. I was extremely impressed with the tone, but it wasn't my style so I moved it.

Last week I was fortunate enough to acquire a DR Rev C. I've been playing the $hit out of it. It is exactly my tone & it's going nowhere.

Here's where I'm confused. THEY ARE NOTHING ALIKE! Well ok, they both do have excellent upper mids & cut in the band mix. Oh and they both have crappy cleans. That aside..

The Rev C is TIGHT as hell- oddly so for a Recto. The SLO is very soft in the ass. Even softer than a Rev G Dual. So soft a boost can't fix it (for me).

The Rev C has most excellent rhythm characteristics for metal. The SLO has most excellent rhythm characteristics for rock.

The Rev C has a so-so lead tone. The SLO has an all-time lead tone. I will definitely give it that win.

They both have big power sections, but how they present is different. Can't really describe it well, though.

I can EASILY see how a guy would prefer one over the other depending on his playing style, and after reading about it for years I'm baffled about one being compared to the other.

What am I missing?
 
You aren’t missing anything…


This, right here, is the holy grail of dumb internet folklore that gives me a stroke anytime I see it brought up… they… sound… nothing…. Fucking…. Alike…. At all…


Let me just be the first to put this to bed, and would love to someone argue against me. Because they sound absolutely nothing alike.


If you think these two amps sound even remotely similar, you are deaf. Period. Fight me…. No but seriously…. You are absolutely deaf, and I’m sorry you hear things that way…


Now that I have that out of the way, once again, you aren’t missing anything; congrats, you just aren’t deaf!
 
I’ve got a Rev D Dual (serial 270 I think), (haven’t tried a real Rev C yet), and 1989 SLO (serial 146) and they sound nothing alike. Both great at their own stuff. FWIW though, the 1989 SLO sounds much better than the later ones (haven’t tried a BAD one, but owned a 2001 SLO and have tried lots of 2000’s ones). I don’t care about the Internet forum guys saying the SLO’s all sound the same. The ‘89 SLO still isn’t the tightest amp or great for any really heavy stuff, but it’s a lot tighter and punchier than the later ones and perhaps tighter also than the Rev G’s from what I remember of those amps. With a good boost and the right pre-tubes like Winged C 12AX7’s it can almost get tight enough for metal imo, but would still reach for other amps over it for that. I actually prefer leads on my Rev D on the orange mode to my SLO (excellent leads imo), but they can both do very well there. Maybe the Rev C is a lot different, but my ‘89 SLO is way more cutting. It makes most of my other amps sound like they’re underwater. It’s very bright and upper midrangey, but at the same time smooth, not harsh or sizzly
 
You guys realise different power amps impact tone too yeah? Not just preamps.

That's why back in the rack days guys would go through different power amps to see what sounded the best with their preamp.

Same deal with SLO vs Recto I imagine.

For modern/aggressive tones, I prefer the rectos too BTW
 
saxxamafone said:
You guys realise different power amps impact tone too yeah? Not just preamps.

That's why back in the rack days guys would go through different power amps to see what sounded the best with their preamp.

Same deal with SLO vs Recto I imagine.

For modern/aggressive tones, I prefer the rectos too BTW
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The power section plays a large part no doubt. I don't think anyone would argue that. But given the fact the preamps are almost the same, you would think they would have some apparent common traits. I actually can't think of two amps that sound more different. If it is just the power section that's fair. But are there any other notable differences between the amps that accounts for the difference in sound? That's always what I have wondered.
 
itsgoodnow said:
The power section plays a large part no doubt. I don't think anyone would argue that. But given the fact the preamps are almost the same, you would think they would have some apparent common traits. I actually can't think of two amps that sound more different. If it is just the power section that's fair. But are there any other notable differences between the amps that accounts for the difference in sound? That's always what I have wondered.
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Agree - The preamp does more of the tonal shaping so you definitely would expect them to sound somewhat similar. Unless the power sections in these are doing something so different that it wacks the tone to be really different.
 
abrackas said:
Rectifiers copied the SLO which was “inspired by” earlier Mark series Mesas which were created when Randall started modifying Fenders.

At the end of the day the only original builder with tonz for dayz is Billy Blades. Legend has it, Elon Musk copied a Blades amp and started Tesla. 🍿
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I think that story about the early Marks has become a bit fuzzy around the edges at this point, the quote I seem to remember is that Soldano didn´t like the then-current Mark IIB at all and that´s what got him into modding Marshalls and eventually designing the SLO. But I guess he might have said a lot of stuff over the years, the mid 80s is a long time ago.
 
VESmedic said:
You spelled “it’s true, of course” wrong. :)
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Nah, I got it right. Old school SLOs wipe the floor with rectumfriers. SLOs are for guys who play a wide variety of chords other than palm muted five chords and strung together riffs the whole song. These are indisputable facts. 😁
 
Ok good, so I'm not deaf. I might still be "fucking stupid" for challenging the accepted status quo but that's TBD.

I will say that tonally, I was ultra impressed by the BAD SLO. It might be the greatest high gain "not metal" amp I've ever played. I can't think of anything better for big, open chords. The lead tone was different, but on par with, the C+. When I A/Bd it with my Tremoverb at band practice the SLO embarrassed it in terms of how it sat in the mix.

The Rev C is brutal without a boost, and boosted it's insanity. So powerful. It's a metal rhythm assassin. I would love to experience a Triple C like that dude Dennis has, I've been talking to him actually. I'm very much looking forward to using it in the band.

The SLO is Godzilla and the Rev C is King Kong. Fight!!!
 
I dislike both lol

Its always so funny to me because I had an SLO and couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

I've heard other guys plug into rectifiers and get great sounds, but when I plug in I cannot for the life of me jive with that damn amp, none of the revisions. I've tried a bunch of times and always walk away super disappointed. It's like someone stuck gum on my picking hand when I play them.

I had a rental 5150 blow up on tour in Europe 2 days into the tour and borrowed Bobby from biohazards spare dual rectifier until the backline company got me a replacement.... man that sucked so much , I was miserable for like 2 days having to use that damn amp, and I tried everything.

Now Boogie Mark series is a whole other boat and I love those, but I'm mostly a modded Marshall guy at heart....

That's all I got
 
It’s common knowledge that Mesa nearly copied the entire preamp circuit of the SLO for their early Rectos. It’s also common knowledge that, if you play both of them, they feel/sound very different.
As others have mentioned the power sections are very different. Also, the EQ response in a Mesa is that each knob affects the next. The SLO is not that way at all.
Any Dual G I’ve had, even boosted, didn’t have any resemblance at all to any SLO I’ve owned.
Triples? Well, that’s a little closer when both amps are boosted, at volume, through the same cab. I got my F Triple to do a fairly close SLO impersonation. Close but still different enough not to be mistaken for one another.
 
GJgo said:
Ok good, so I'm not deaf. I might still be "fucking stupid" for challenging the accepted status quo but that's TBD.

I will say that tonally, I was ultra impressed by the BAD SLO. It might be the greatest high gain "not metal" amp I've ever played. I can't think of anything better for big, open chords. The lead tone was different, but on par with, the C+. When I A/Bd it with my Tremoverb at band practice the SLO embarrassed it in terms of how it sat in the mix.

The Rev C is brutal without a boost, and boosted it's insanity. So powerful. It's a metal rhythm assassin. I would love to experience a Triple C like that dude Dennis has, I've been talking to him actually. I'm very much looking forward to using it in the band.

The SLO is Godzilla and the Rev C is King Kong. Fight!!!
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The SLO is great for big, open chords, not a brutal metal beast. For big, open chords a few other amps I have that are imo equally good, maybe in some ways even better to me, are my Naylor’s, 1972 Marshall SuperLead 100 and Purpleface VH4 PTP Protoype (sounds like a cross of an SLO and modded Marshall). Gjika and Alessandro’s are also some of the very best for that, but more in a classic rock kinda way. Some of the other best “not metal” high gain amps although I feel a boosted Naylor or SuperLead can be
 
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