Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shootout

[axeman81]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shoot

Fragle, I thought I wrote it in my original post but I guess I left it out somehow...the volumes were of the "loud conversation" type, so they were definately not cranked.

These were just my initial on the spot observations, I would likely have some different opinions if I owned these amps and could spend time tweaking and experimenting with tubes.
I'm talking out of the box good tone, for my style of palm muted arpeggiated metal riffing (closest way to describe it, check out my website if ya wanna hear some examples.)

Also in a band situation with two guitars/amps + bass the setting might be totally different, and in a recording setting I usually ease back on the gain and layer tracks to get it heavy..(if you layer high gain tracks then all you get is mosh.)
I'm sure the rectos sound great at loud live volumes. They don't sound good in any store I've been to so far.

Don't take my opinion as a personal offence to what amp you own or prefer. Tone is subjective!

- Rune

[RacerX]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shoot

Awesome thread; I'm seriously considering a Fireball right now, so good timing!

[axeman81]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shoot

were the hell were ya?? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
seriously though, I'll give you a refund if you're not happy with it [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Endrik]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shoot

tone is subjective, I've never played with the Silletto or Fierball (I've played with ENGL's Savage 120 and Powerball, Savage was an avarage amp IMHO and I didn't liked anything about the Powerball). I Perfer the Dual Recto (my fav amp for metal) 5150 is great but not my thing. But Rectos are bitch to dial in and they need to be cranked. Almost all the high end amps are good for some specific style, people who love ENGLs usually play fast palm muting metal and whatnot. I don't do that, I play more groovy stuff and use a lot of "big" chords and Boogies sound relly good for that IMHO.

[Fragle]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shoot

the nice thing about the boogies i had or played was the versatility of the gain channels. with e.g. an ENGL, you're pretty limited to one sound, thats it. sure, they are tight and clear, but my personal experience with them was that they tend to have quite a shrill and thin voicing which is the reason why they are very clear. the notes don't have any real "body" imho. sure, they have a lot of bottom end, but other than loads of bass there's nothing but thin highs and nonexistent mids. the point i'm trying to make is that you can try to add some fatness to the notes and tame the highs by putting an eq in the loop, but that kills the tone as it's totally against the amp's nature IMHO. i tried this with my blackmore before i eventually sold it, with the result mentioned above.
in contrast to that, the mesas i've owned had a lot of low mid balls that made the notes sound FAT. the gain's a little fuzzier, yes, but i'd rather have to deal with a thick but slightly fuzzy sound than a thin one.

anyways, the point i'm trying to make is that with an ENGL you basically get one sound, thats it. if you happen to like that sound, it's great. in contrast to that, if you don't like the sound of a mesa, chances are you can dial in a sound you do like with some tweaking.

but, to put it in a nutshell: endrik said it best. tone is so subjective

[Endrik]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shoot

I agree Fragle, that's why I love mesas, they are versatile (I play a lot of different music) and they have a really FAT tone.

[axeman81]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shoot

I know, guys, but screw all this stuff!! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

http://www.jcfonline.com/ubbthreads/...&page=0#567555

[img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[jgcable]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shootout

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It just goes to show you how amp tone is so subjective.
You are one of the first people I have ever heard mention Dual Recto and AC/DC in the same sentence. Either the Dual Recto you tried was in dire need of tubes or it just wasn't dialed in correctly. I 100% agree with you on the 5150 review.
You also said that "(because I'd choose neither of 'em for straight out metal)" when referring to the Boogies.
Thats another first for me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh trust me, on the orange channel, roll back the volume knob and you are in ACDC territory, so close it is hard to tell. I love to play hell's bells that way.

By the way, i saw foo fighters tonight, those recto's sounded so damn good, he had the whitesnake tone to a tee from the album with still of the night, i am almost guessing he is not using the normal vintage 30's, i have a feeling he is either using greenbacks or the 70th aniversery 30 watters.

I cant comment on the fireball since i never played one or heard one live. But my take on the other 3 are, yes you can get the stiletto tone with a recto with EL34's and tweek the EQ just right. With my roadking i can get it by using the two EL34's

The stiletto is good if you have no plans for doing high gain.

The 5150 is a great metal amp, would i choose it over the recto, well that depends on styles of music. The recto is a better all around amp, however the 5150 is a great in between of a rythem and a lead amp where the recto is more of a rythem amp or good rock amp. I cant imagine living without either the roadking or the 5150.

[/ QUOTE ]

Siggy, I didn't mean that you can't do AC/DC with a Rectifier. You most certainly can. I read his post as saying that the Rectifier wasn't really a metal amp but more suited for AC/DC type tones. Well, if you back the gain down on the orange channel to around 3 and crank the mids it is dead on AC/DC.

[siggy14]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shootout

i can get it either on orange or red channel, the rect's are very verstile amps, it is a shame so many people have one track minds and believe everything they read.

[jgcable]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shootout

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i can get it either on orange or red channel, the rect's are very verstile amps, it is a shame so many people have one track minds and believe everything they read.

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When Sambencuda and I did the shoot out with his Single Rectifier we were able to get every type of tone imaginable from fantastic clean to Marshall crunch to smooth Boogie to all out scooped death metal. Its all in the knobs which is pretty cool considering the Single Rectifier doesn't have all the features of the Dual or Triple.

[Rupe]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shootout

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tone is subjective

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This is true to a degree, but...

There is a difference between a good tone for live playing and recording no matter what anyones ears think. There are tones that simply get lost in a mix and add little or nothing to a track and at times take away. Someone may say "to each their own" or some other saying, but reality is if a tone is lost in a mix, it is "bad" no matter how much you may like it. I strongly feel that good tone goes beyond personal preferences (although personal preferences are important in finding the right tone for you).

[jgcable]

Re: Dual Recto, Stilletto, 5150 and Fireball shootout

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
tone is subjective

[/ QUOTE ]

This is true to a degree, but...

There is a difference between a good tone for live playing and recording no matter what anyones ears think. There are tones that simply get lost in a mix and add little or nothing to a track and at times take away. Someone may say "to each their own" or some other saying, but reality is if a tone is lost in a mix, it is "bad" no matter how much you may like it. I strongly feel that good tone goes beyond personal preferences (although personal preferences are important in finding the right tone for you).

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said. I have always felt that there is an absolute good tone that is defineable for all genres of music. Its personal... and subjective.. but its real. Finding it is half the battle and all the fun. Once you find it... don't let it go. I wish I practiced what I preach. Thats probably why I like modeling amps so much since they first came out. Tons of amps in one and with an amp like the Vetta, it takes an eternity to find them all. I dig that.