Recto Comparisons: 2ch Dual vs 3ch Triple, spongy vs bold, tubes vs silicon

[Harry Hughes]

Rectifier tubes are a thing of the past because they are literally outdated in its inherent functioning. It affects the sound negatively. You can find that effect useful or artistically pleasant, but the power leakage during AC rectifying wasn't something engineers were looking for. For example, if I wanted a looser drum sound, I would do something about that during the mix, not tune the drums or mic ‘em wrong.

But that's ridiculous, whether it "affects the sound negatively" is purely subjective.

The Recto series has been around, how long, 20 years right?
But yet, it seems the Rectifier tubes are "literally outdated in their functioning" that Mesa Boogie continue to manufacture these amps *rolls eyes*
It seems there is still a demand for that sound.

Ever played one of the vintage reissue Fender amps with a rectifier tube?
Those things have glorious clean tones, no doubt also helped by other parts of the amp contributing to sloppy power regulation.

The cleans simply bloom, and it's a sound simply not achievable in pretty much any production high gain amp, because in order to make a high gain tone stay tight enough it needs to have a tight power regulation.
Which is why the Fender will not cut it for modern high gain, but will have amazing cleans, but the modern high gain head will sound amazing for distorted tones but the clean tones are average at best (some do have good clean tones actually, but never quite achieving that bloom of the Fender amps, but perfectly adequate for the applications most metal players employ a clean tone for anyway).
And Fender has been making these amps with rectifier tubes since, fuck, the 50s. Are they wrong for doing so? Does it "negatively affect the sound"?
Many would say it doesn't.

Everything is a different tool in the box ultimately.
I can accept for tight metal playing, you should settle for nothing less than Silicon diode rectifications, but if a sludge metal band wants to bring some more sludge and looseness, than all the power to the guitarists for using the tube rectifier if that's what gets him the tone he wants.
And ultimately it'll affect the sound positively for them

 

[Lasse Lammert]

Honestly, sometimes it's like this board is in a vacuum where only death, thrash and more "tighter" sounding styles of metal exist.
I mean, I like Nevermore, Megadeth, Opeth etc like many of the guys here, but it's like people forgot stuff like stoner metal and sludge metal exist.
Particularly in sludge metal, rectifer tubes are not a thing of the past, and many guitarists revere them for being able to give them a looser, essentially sludgier tone that works better for their style of music and playing.
What to one man is weaker and looser (in the bad way) could be stronger and looser (in a good way) to another.

this is right!
for sludge and doom I'd use orange on vintage with the tube recs and no TS.

 

[Mikaël-ange]

Nice comparison Lasse
Since a couple of week I always run with bolt setting (red to modern, bold with tube rectif is beautifull imo)

 

[PhilTheBeard]

I actually used my old triple on the rec tubes with a t.s. and i play technical death metal and i like the sound of it more using the rectifier tubes. but thats just my taste

 

[Allu83]

thanks a lot for the comparison Lasse!
as I've already said in another thread... now I'm GASSING for selling/trading my 3CH with a 2CH... well, you'll be guilty for this!

 

[BrettT]

I really enjoy the tube rectifier and spongy setting on my 3-channel DR. I replaced my rectifier tubes with JJ GZ34's and they are much tighter sounding than the stock tubes. They are real close to the tightness of the diode mode, but not as sterile sounding...just more toneful, IMO. I always use spongy when playing stuff that doesn't require fast palm-muted picking.

I'm in love with the versatility of these amps.