The Mesa Single rectifier

pifos_2

pifos_2

des scoubidoubidous wha !
Jan 15, 2007
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Hey guys,

I have the opportunity to get a used single recto for about 800 euros. Taking in count that it's 1800 euros for a new one here in europe, it seems to be a good deal. Anyway... I'm waiting for the board members point of views before I make any move ;)

What are the clear differences between a single and a dual (I know power and number of channels, but what about the sound ?) ?
Can I consider it like a 2ch dual recto with smaller power ?
Did you guys ever get a great sound out of a single recto ?
Did you guys have some sample for me to listen to ?

All these questions.... just to know if I really have to spend 3 times more money for the dual one :D
 
I would get it... :kickass:

but, thats just me... I think I read somewhere on this forum that it was less gainy than a Dual, or something... maybe not... maybe I read that it has a different tone altogether... I forget little posts like that and the search function is being an asshat for me right now...
 
I have single and I love it. I like it better than the dual that I played. I didn't mess with the dual-rec for too long, but i did notice it was a little more gritty/tinny sounding than the single. I play through a ts9dx and I love it.
 
There are a couple of different Single Recto's, the Rect-o-Verb and the Solo 50.

The Rect-o-Verb is more of a rock amp and it has a reverb. So maybe somebody was talking about the Rect-O-Verb when saying that it has less gain than the Dual.

The Single Rectifier Solo 50 has a very similar tone, when compared to a Dual. The difference is very subtle. My friend has a Dual, and it sounds nearly identical to my Single.

The Single doesen't have as much tone options as the Dual, but it still has the Rectifier tone that I love. As long as it has the red channel and the modern mode, I am happy ;)

But like any Recto, you need know how to tweak it. The master volume has a big effect on the tone, so be careful with it!

It's an awesome amp and for 800€, it's a steal. Mine is a keeper!
 
they are all the same thing. it's such hype that the single, dual, triple are totally different tonaly.


the preamp circuitry is literally exactly the same. the only difference TONEwise is the power output. that basically translates into headroom, how you set the gain stages to achieve same saturation, and basically - volume.


a SINGLE rectifer has a SINGLE pair of 6L6 tubes (each tube is rougly 25watts, so total 50watts)

a DUAL rectifier has a DUAL pair of 6L6 tubes (100w)

a TRIPLE rectifier has a TRIPLE pair of 6L6 tubes (150w)



the triple overdrives the easiest at loud volumes, followed by the dual and single. simple math. you can make them all sound the same to the point where at a managable volume (with the single being the benchmark for manageble volume) they will sound identical.


and a rectoverb is basically a single rectifier (head or combo) with reverb. otherwise it;s the same. trust me, i have a rectoverb combo and a road king (which is a dual recto) head and i've ab'd them to check. they can get same tones. i can record something with a dual or triple, and then with a rectoverb and believe me when i tell you no one would even know the difference, not even randall smith. (owner mesa boogie)
 
AudioPhile777 said:
Let us know... and if you DO get it, post some clips.:)
Click to expand...

I definitely will !!! I have to record my band's EP this summer so I will post clips in any case.

Thanx for the tech details, aramism. Cristal clear now !

I will try it on saturday. Maybe you guys have some presets to share ?

Something like this :

Red (on Modern) Channel
Treble: 11.30
Mids: 10 O'Clock
Bass: 11.30
Gain: 12:30
Presence: 12.30
Master : to taste :p

Of course I'll get a Maxon OD808 in front.
 
those sound good. but keep in mind that the presence in modern mode is really really super powerful. too much presence gives you super fuzz.


that would sound really awesome even without a pedal. those are somewhat the settings i use with my road king for the "recto sound" it also depends heavily what you have going into the amp as far as pickups, wood type, tuning, action, those are such key ingredients that people don't really take into consideration.



those settings would sound great for a low tuned guitar because you don't want too much gain. a lot of the eq controls vary according to pickup and wood type of guitar. for instance on a basswood ibanez rg i have with dimarzio evos i scoop the mids more because the pups have so so so much mids already. i like to lower mids, lower presence, boost treble a little for darker basswood guitars to balance out. but those settings are find, i just hate too much presence in the modern mode, in the vintage mode its ok, but the modern mode to me sounds wayyy too fizzy with the presence.
 
Yeah, those settings are great, but like Aramism said, be careful with the Presence! Presence at 11o'clock is usually enough. I usually have my master at 9 o'clock.
 
Well I tried it. Throught an randal XL cabinet w/ V30's. The guitar was my 7 strings ibanez rg7620 w/dimarzios.

I must admit it sounded more rock'n'roll than really "metal"... I missed gain and maybe some headroom. Whatever the presets were. I'll try again later when the od808 is coming and with new strings. I guess the tubes could fucked-up. As I did't get any infos about these.

feeling of dissapointement.
 
I got my Single used, and I was really dissapointed with it as well! The reason: the V1 preamp tube had gone bad! I threw in a new 12ax7 and it really came to life.

I had the amp for 6 months before I even thought that there was something wrong with it, I just thougth that it really sounded like that, but I am glad I didn't get rid of it.

So yeah, if possible, take a 12AX7 with you and try it out.

The Single recto has insane amounts of gain, so I suggest the amp you tried had a bad tube or something. I usually have the gain at 12-12:30 o'clock. A TS is a great way to improve the attack, especially when using 7-string guitars. Dimarzio's 7-string PU's are often very rock sounding without a boost.

But of course, it also might be that you don't just like the amp :)
 
yeah, I can't imagine you not being able to get a metal sound out of it. for me there's too much gain, I have my gain at about 12:00 with my TS. another thing I don't think anybody mentioned is how much of a difference the master/output balance makes. These amps are so versitile, so if you do get it, you may not find "your sound" in there for a while, but I bet it's there.
btw mines a rect-o-verb and it's metal. I also don't really agree about the single/double/triple all sounding the same because the output can really have an effect on the sound of these amps. but that's just me.:)
 
Triple Rectifier = 3 Rectifier tubes / 6 Power tubes
Dual Rectifier = 2 Rectifier tubes / 4 Power tubes
Single Rectifier = 1 Rectifier tube / 2 Power tubes

They will sound a little different, but the difference is so small it is negligible. The obvious difference is the amount of power they push at ouput. There is more of a significant difference between the 2-ch and 3-ch models than between the Single/Dual/Triple.

If you're trying to find the best sounding Mesa, just get a 2-ch or even better (and my personal fave), the rackmount version of the 2-ch dual.

The majority of a Rectifier's tone comes from the preamp. It is a hi-gain amp, and like all other hi-gain amps, the gain stage and tone controls are in the preamp. Also, you can turn a Dual into a Single simply by pulling two power tubes and one rectifier.

+1 Audiophile777's advice
 
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