Something you should consider about the different Recto heads is that the Single is 50w, the Dual is 100w and the Triple is 150w. While the more wattage you have increases the amount of headroom and dynamics compared to a lesser wattage version, it takes more to get a good cranked amp sound. The higher the volume of the amp, the more tube saturation you are getting, and in turn you are getting a really good cranked tube tone. A 50w head will saturate faster than a 100w or 150w head, although there is only about 6dB of volume in difference between each head. Say the Single Recto is...for example...80dB when it's turned up to 5 on the master. A Dual will be 86dB at the same notch, and the Triple at 92dB....relatively speaking. Not exact, but you get the basic point I'm trying to make. And while some people disregard this as a valid point when deciding on an amp, go into your recording software and load an audio track into it. Turn the track down by 6dB and see how much quieter it is with only 6dB of volume dropped. 6 decibels isn't really a lot...but makes a big difference IMO.
I would say the best thing to go for is a middleground, which would be a Dual Recto. I've owned a few Dual Rectos in my day and I currently have a Dual Rectifier combo with which I run the speaker output to my 4x12 Mesa cab. I love it to death.
As far the cabinet thing goes, it sucks to hear that you get raped when it comes to shipping charges. Building your own cabinet does take a LOT of planning and it's not easy to just simply build one. Marine Grade plywood would be your best choice, being voidless (i.e. no knots or anything like that) makes it the best choice for cabinet applications. However, tracking the material down and the amount of money it costs may be more trouble than it is worth. You can definitely build one out of regular plywood, but don't expect it to sound great. You have to realize that a lot of calculations are in order to create the air space for the speakers in the cabinet to give the best possible sound. There is even a way to tune the cabinet for a specific note if you design the air space correctly. So, for example, if you are tuned to C standard, then you could find out the dimensions required and everything to tune the cabinet to C. People that have tuned their cabs to the tuning they use have said it's the best thing they have ever done to improve their guitar tone. Regardless, Mesa/Marshall/Vader/Orange/etc. obviously do not build cabinets for every possible tuning, so those cabs could be considered "universal" and they seem to work pretty well without being tuned
There are some threads on this forum regarding cabinet building where a lot of useful links (including ones that I have found and posted in those threads) with a plethora of info that you will need to know about in order to start planning the project out.
Also, consider what you are looking for from your cabinet when it comes to the recorded sound. I had a Marshall 2x12 for a long time as a dedicated recording cabinet. I liked how focused and tight the lows were, as well as the very direct sound it got me. When I replaced it with my Mesa oversized 4x12 all of a sudden I had to deal with boomy guitars and a more open sound. Not necessarily a bad thing at all. The tones I have been getting with the 4x12 are thicker, but to be quite honest they are not as clear or direct sounding as I had gotten with my Marshall. However, I am getting use to having a Mesa 4x12 again and it takes tweaking just like anything else. But for your information, just know that typically 2x12 cabinets have a tighter and more direct sound for the most part, while 4x12 cabs will have more beef and air to them. Neither of which are better than the other, persay, it just comes down to preference.
Also, this is all just my opinion and based on my experiences. The opinion that matters most is the one that YOU have. We can all tell you what
we prefer, but it may not be exactly what
you are looking for.
~006
