Thinking about getting my first Rectifier, I’m slightly confused.

A plain jane 2-channel Dual Rectifier should be enough to know if it's a practical amp for you. I'd try to spend less than $2k and ignore the more exotic variants.
This IMO. A good rev g is still fairly affordable… and they’re not making them anymore. A good boost and it is a brutal amp!
If you can afford a revc then yeah get it. I would too. A rev g boosted, orange/modern is a crushing tone.
 
I would strongly recommend before you spend considerable time, and potentially a lot of money on the most sought-after revisions...Just buy a standard used dual rectifier at a decent used price. The Recto tone and feel rubs many the wrong way. If you find you get along with the recto series generally, start looking at boosts and possible modifications. I have always had a bit of a love / hate relationship with e the rectifier series and I have owned several. That said, I am strongly considering purchasing another for modifications based on what I'm hearing from Ground Zero right now: His mod seems keep the Recto flavor generally but removes all the most complained about characteristics.
 
I’ll add that the multi watt IS voiced after a rev f on the red channel and the red channel sounds great. Orange channel however, is totally different from the old rectos and sounds WAY more honky and boxy. Almost peavey like. When I think of a recto I want a naturally pleasing scooped sound not a peavey.

Which is why I recommend the rev g or tremoverb.
 
RevC, D and E are more like unicorns and really hard to get, so the prices are insane on those. I woudn`t recommend them to a recto novice unless you find on for a very good price.
RevF and RevG should be more up your alley, with RevG being the classic recto tone from the 90ies.
First gen of the 3 channels are considered the fizziest and losest of the bunch.
The new MW 3 channels updated the "complains" most people had about the first gen 3 channels as being tighter and less fizzy.

If you want raw tone, go for a RevG (or RevF), if you want versatility like a nice dedicated clean channel, go for a MW.
This.
Earlier the better, but more $$. Next option would be a G, and do a C mod to it..
After that, I'd go MW. From there, Tremoverb but they are darker yet...but great amps.
I'd also only consider a Triple as they are tighter with far less 'bloat' in the lows/low mids. Unless you can score an F or earlier Dual.
Triple MW or G with a C mod is my recommendation.
 
Cs are definitely in C+ territory. An E went for 5...and a D right now is near 6K. The hard to find rare stuff isn't coming down. The 800s, JMPs, Rev G Rectos are. Since there are many thousands of them out there.
As always, stuff is worth what someone is willing to pay. But on reverb mark IIc+’s and other rare items that people are just straight reaching for a high price at this point to see if someone bites on it are now sitting on their gear and it is not selling. Whereas it seems 1-2 years ago it was name your price. HRGs going for 13 grand, and SRGs for 10 isnt a thing anymore. Lots of people out there are starting to be strapped.

Edit: plus, just because it’s listed for that does not mean it will sell for that or sold for that.
 
As always, stuff is worth what someone is willing to pay. But on reverb mark IIc+’s and other rare items that people are just straight reaching for a high price at this point to see if someone bites on it are now sitting on their gear and it is not selling. Whereas it seems 1-2 years ago it was name your price. HRGs going for 13 grand, and SRGs for 10 isnt a thing anymore. Lots of people out there are starting to be strapped.

Edit: plus, just because it’s listed for that does not mean it will sell for that or sold for that.
Yeah, those are reaching for the sky prices. I never actually saw those going for that much, but I wasn't paying attention. But the days of an SRG going for 3k, HRG 5k and DRG 7k are long gone. Unfortunately.
 
I went ahead and snagged a multi-watt at a decent price. Thanks for the input, gents!
I think you made the right choice. If I average out all the Rev G's I have played and compared them to the multi-watt, I like the multi-watt better. I have played some good rev G's, but they are not magic amps just because they are old and not made any more. Now, the Rev F triples I have played are beasts....but they will cost significantly more than a multi-watt, which can get pretty close. Good choice for a first recto!
 
Yeah, those are reaching for the sky prices. I never actually saw those going for that much, but I wasn't paying attention. But the days of an SRG going for 3k, HRG 5k and DRG 7k are long gone. Unfortunately.
Yeah, I wish those days weren’t gone lol. The highest recto sale on reverb in the last 2 years was 6000. It was a black chrome rev c. Following that was 5500 for a black chassis c. Unfortunately no data on several high priced listed ones because they were pulled and probably sold off reverb. Because fuck them and their fees and taxes.
 
man, rectifiers are such a crap shoot. there have been so many revisions over the years, and I'm not talking about the early revisions. There are changes and revisions within both the 3 channel and multi watt models that can make them all sound and feel noticeably different.

Fluff knows more about this than I do, but talking to him, the early 3 channels were less. scooped and fizzy and more mid forward and tight. later ones are the ones that give them a bad rep. When they transitioned into the multi wat, this was still true, but after a couple revisions over the years, mesa brought them back to being a little more "rev f" like, ala tighter and slightly my mid aggressive.

this generally lines up with my experiences. my 3 channel triple is the best sounding 3 channel model I've ever heard,l for my personal tastes, as it's not nearly as scooped and fizzy as some others I've played. same goes for my multi watt. it's a 2018 model, so it's much later in the production years, and it seems tighter and more aggressive than others I've played.

That said, the Rev G seems to be the most consistent throughout the years of production, in my experience, and have very few documented changes after settling in the "rev g"

which model is best to you will be totally subjective. really depends on what you want out of it.
 
I should also add, that if you are looking at tuning low, especially if you're going REALLY low, I would avoid the single rectifier for headroom purposes.

The single rec is somewhat notorious for not having much headroom for a 50 watt amp, and I've experienced this personally. If you're getting loud and going low, there's a good chance the Rectifier will hit the headroom ceiling and start compressing everything in an unpleasant way much too early. Even the dual rec power section is pretty meh for a 100 watt amp, so id suggest for maximum headroom capabilities, go for the triple. it's not necessary, but will definitely keep you safe, headroom wise.
 
I should also add, that if you are looking at tuning low, especially if you're going REALLY low, I would avoid the single rectifier for headroom purposes.

The single rec is somewhat notorious for not having much headroom for a 50 watt amp, and I've experienced this personally. If you're getting loud and going low, there's a good chance the Rectifier will hit the headroom ceiling and start compressing everything in an unpleasant way much too early. Even the dual rec power section is pretty meh for a 100 watt amp, so id suggest for maximum headroom capabilities, go for the triple. it's not necessary, but will definitely keep you safe, headroom wise.


i agree, i had to push the dual i tried to its very limit with the band i was jamming with at the time, definitely not the loudest 100w amps ive played.
 
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