Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

[noodlesatf]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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I just got a dual recto rackmount and love it. Anyone want to share any settings?

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The best thing to do with the eq is to start in the middle. Nickle everything and tweak from there. Remember, the eq section has a lot of range, so don't get too crazy in any one direction. It also has a lot of gain, which also acts as a compressor knob. As you dial it up, the amp goes from bark, through growl, to total saturation. Maxing this knob is such a bad idea, that it even says it in the manual. Other than that, diode recto is if you want tight metal, tube recto if for more open sounding rock, vintage is more like a Marshall, while modern gives you the saturation and compression.

Mainly, like other's have said, sit down with the manual and the amp for a few hours, crank it up, and play with it. It's the only real way.

[DSS3]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

A good Mesa forum period:

http://www.grailtone.com/forum

[khabibissell]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

Rectos are great! One thing is for sure... don't be afraid to crank those mids. Just like the manual says, the guitar will feel as if it has more tension on the strings. Once you get used to it, you'll like the cut and clarity it provides. People that say Rectos are forgiving to playing mistakes are nuts... I should know, I make alot, and can hear them just fine [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. I set mine like this (high gain): EL34 (the Mesa branded Svets), GT Mullard reish 12AX7's in V1 and Phase inverter positions, JJ's in the rest. Channel 2, Vintage mode. Bass about 1:30, Mids 3:30, Treble and Presence 0, gain 2:00. SD1 in front, level high, tone 12:00, gain 0. I posted a clip of my "Family Band" playing Electric Eye from Judas Priest in the MP3 section if you're interested. I think the tone is pretty accurate to what I hear, except when the sound guy boosted the level for my solo after the first few bars... it added too much gain and thinned out the tone IMHO. My guitar is prominent in the mix after Electric Eye starts (my nephew is playing the Hellion melody). BTW, I'm using a series II single Rec, Traditional 4x12.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

I love my Dual Rec, but lately I've been thinking about trying some different tubes and trying it with a Marshall cabinet instead of the Mesa cabinet...my friends in Hopesfall are switching to Marshall cabinets, and I think it might get rid of some of that harshness that Mesas sometimes have.

[Fragle]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

"and I think it might get rid of some of that harshness that Mesas sometimes have. "
+1
IMHO all mesa cabs i've played through sounded way more harsh and piercing than any marshall cab i've used. part of the reason might be that i dislike the v30 speakers....i hat the high mid honk they have. the stock 75w celestions are soo much smoother it's almost funny.

congrats, btw! i'm still GASing for a recto....i know someday i'll own one [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[siggy14]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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I love my Dual Rec, but lately I've been thinking about trying some different tubes and trying it with a Marshall cabinet instead of the Mesa cabinet...my friends in Hopesfall are switching to Marshall cabinets, and I think it might get rid of some of that harshness that Mesas sometimes have.

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A marshall with celestion 75's will not get rid of the harshness, it might even be harsher as the 75's have alot more highs. Not to mention the 75's have cut mid's which does not always go well with a recto. Now if the marshall has greenbacks then that is a different story and read below.

If you want to get rid of the harshness but still have good bottom end go with the celestion G12H 30 watt speakers which is a mix between a greenback and V30, check it out here http://professional.celestion.com/gu...etail.asp?ID=7

Avatar sells a quad on ebay here and there so keep your eyes open and usually they top about $270 Shipped for a brand new quad.

I would then take them and put them in your mesa cab and see how they sound, the mesa cabs are built alot better then the marshalls. Plus if you are anal like me and like to keep the cab as the same company as the head.

I picked up a quad after hearing so many good things about them, i however have not yet got to install them in my older mesa metal grill cabinet so i cant give you a sonic review yet. what i can tell you is George lynch in the dokken days use to use cabinets loaded with greenbacks and the 30 watt speakers.

[eaeolian]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

If you think the v30s are harsh, try a Mesa cab with the C90s in it - a totally different high-end, and without the "honk".

[siggy14]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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If you think the v30s are harsh, try a Mesa cab with the C90s in it - a totally different high-end, and without the "honk".

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The C90's are close to the same voicing as the celestion 75's, they can just handle some more juice.

[sworn_enemy]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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Congratz on the Triple and finding a tone that blows you away. Thats always a great thing. Personally, of all the Rectifiers, the triple is my least favorite only because its just too much power for most applications. 150 watts is too much! They sound great once you dial them in though. You just have to get over the fact that most of the time you will be gigging with the master volume on 2.
In order, my favs:
1st gen 2 channel Dual Rectifier
2nd gen 2 channel w/solo boost Single Rectifier
1st gen 2 channel Dual Rectifier Tremoverb

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Thanks John, but it's a dual not a triple. This thing is loud enough, I couldn't imagine 50 more watts. I wish it had a half power switch. I'd pull 2 power tubes but it's sounding so good right now I don't want to mess with it.

[eaeolian]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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If you think the v30s are harsh, try a Mesa cab with the C90s in it - a totally different high-end, and without the "honk".

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The C90's are close to the same voicing as the celestion 75's, they can just handle some more juice.

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Really? I don't think they sound a damn thing alike - the 90s are much darker and have a smoother high end. The 75s are shrill and rather toneless to me.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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you get idiots that bash them because they didnt have the patience or ability to get there sound.

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I have lots of patience and prolly more ability than yourself, and still dislike them, haha... Some people do well with them, but I just don't like them, and that has nothing to do with ability in my case.

[MikeStrat]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

I've been playing Mesa for a long time. I currently have a Dual Rec with a MB cabinet. But lately I've been straying and looking at Bogner. I don't think I'll ever get rid of my MB. For the price, I don't think you can beat it.

[eaeolian]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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you get idiots that bash them because they didnt have the patience or ability to get there sound.

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I have lots of patience and prolly more ability than yourself, and still dislike them, haha... Some people do well with them, but I just don't like them, and that has nothing to do with ability in my case.

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Yeah, you definitely don't fit that mold. Of course, you don't like ANYTHING, so... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

Hmmm.... welll... Ummm....

I like my VHT2150... And sorta like my CAE... Sorta...

[sworn_enemy]

Re: Confessions of a former Recto hater.....

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I have used a Japan Boss SD-1 in front of my recto for about a year now. Just makes the thing so much tighter. I can't play without it these days.

My tubes are on their way out though, what tubes did you end up buying?

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I tried JJ 6L6's, Mesa STR-4406L6's, JJ EL34's, and EH EL34's and I liked the JJ 6L6's best. In the preamp I ended up with a stock Mesa russian 12ax7 in V1 and JJ ecc83s in V2-V5.