Time to stop kidding myself about Dual Rectos

[SEAN RAF]

What do you want it to sound like? Give an example of the tone you're looking for.

End Of Heartache album, Killswitch Engage. I have a Marshall 800 series 50 watt 4104 combo that almost nails this sound with an Ubermetal in front of it, but the amp is elderly and retired now.

I've read through all the gear that this band uses, Mesa, Marshall, Bogner, Diezel etc, but they're not working right for me. I want really tight, palm muted chunk on the low E.

[toejam]

I want really tight, palm muted chunk on the low E.

Maybe ditch the JB pickup you're using and try something like a DiMarzio Tone Zone?

[jgcable]

End Of Heartache album, Killswitch Engage. I have a Marshall 800 series 50 watt 4104 combo that almost nails this sound with an Ubermetal in front of it, but the amp is elderly and retired now.

I've read through all the gear that this band uses, Mesa, Marshall, Bogner, Diezel etc, but they're not working right for me. I want really tight, palm muted chunk on the low E.

End of Heartache has great guitar tone. For tight palm muted chunk I think the king is the Ubershall. Diezel ain't half bad either.

[khabibissell]

What about a Soldano Avenger or HR50/100?

[siggy14]

Nothing solid statish about the mesa and bogners, pure tube amps. JCM800's are great, but alot of midrange, by the way with a bogner XTC on the blue channel I can nail the JMP as well as the JCM800.

Yes the newer 3 channel Rec's have some buzz to them, the older 2 channels are alot smoother and more organic sounding.

As to what you are looking for, just remember playing an amp in a band situation vs playing it at home or at a GC is alot different. what sounds great at home sounds like crap in a band situation. With that being said some great chunking has come from Recto's, ubershalls etc.., Actually marshalls are not the best chunking amps out there, great for tight leads and tight rythems, but when it comes to low end the stink. You ever See BLS live, sounds like mush when he downtunes! Of course that could be the crappy ozzfest setup, but come to think of it i have never heard a marshall sound good lower then a drop D tuning.

I love tube amps, just not the Mesa/Bogner/Krank ones. Solid state is exactly what I'm trying to avoid, Mesa/Bogner/Krank have an element of solid state in their sound to my ears. It's difficult to describe, they initially sound great, until you REALLY listen, then you hear that undercurrent...solid state fizz.

After all these years it looks like I've come full circle back to Marshall 800 series or, from what I've heard so far, Splawn.

[sworn_enemy]

End Of Heartache album, Killswitch Engage. I have a Marshall 800 series 50 watt 4104 combo that almost nails this sound with an Ubermetal in front of it, but the amp is elderly and retired now.

I've read through all the gear that this band uses, Mesa, Marshall, Bogner, Diezel etc, but they're not working right for me. I want really tight, palm muted chunk on the low E.

Have you tried boosting the front of the amp with an OD pedal? That's what Killswitch does. Everytime I've ever seen them play they were using Triple Rectos boosted with a Maxon OD808.

[Robotechnology]

Try it with a semi open back cab like a Road King cab or a 3/4 Back cab. You might like it better that way (I do).

[Cleveland Metal]

Never been able to get a recto to sound good to my ears either, although I've heard a lot of OTHER people sound good with them. Just not me, and I have found the same feelings as Sean. Weird bass response, Fizzy, Loose etc... and I've sure played them a lot trying to dial them in. Must just not be for me I figure as Jeff Loomis gets them to sound pretty good....

However, aside from the Recto issue, , I think I hear the same thing that Sean does in some of these amps... I've been chasing it for years. It's a solid statish type of fizz or "hish" (as I call it) that seems to be around 5-8k.

I always thought it was "just me" but have had a few people mention it over the years and I even hear it in a lot of recorded distorted guitar on many bands albums and just figure it as a cost of doing business with a distorted guitar.

I've heard it in a lot of amps, and even the $$$ ones, like my CAE3+se, the Uberschall, and tons of other good amps. I can't dial it out with a parametric as once you get rid if it, it seems to take the "life" out of the amps sound.

It actually seem more noticable to me in good amps that have a good wide freq response (like my CAE), and I seem to actually hear it less in cheaper amps (like my Voodu Valve etc ) that don't reproduce the full frequency range. I also hear it a bit less when I'm running a pedal like a TS9 or whatever. Probably because they limit frequency response and squash the signal.

I really feel, in the end, it is in the speakers. I hear it seriously pronounced in Celestion 75 watter a LOT, in the V30s quite a bit (but don't like their bass response), and not so much in the EVM 12L's I run. The latter seeming to be the best sounding for my needs.

Nice to hear the someone else hears this... Maybe I'm not so "tone crazy" after all...

[siggy14]

Maybe it is the celestion speakers, only because i heard EVL's are suppose to be really transparent speakers and let the actuall tone of the amp shine through.

Never been able to get a recto to sound good to my ears either, although I've heard a lot of OTHER people sound good with them. Just not me, and I have found the same feelings as Sean. Weird bass response, Fizzy, Loose etc... and I've sure played them a lot trying to dial them in. Must just not be for me I figure as Jeff Loomis gets them to sound pretty good....

However, aside from the Recto issue, , I think I hear the same thing that Sean does in some of these amps... I've been chasing it for years. It's a solid statish type of fizz or "hish" (as I call it) that seems to be around 5-8k.

I always thought it was "just me" but have had a few people mention it over the years and I even hear it in a lot of recorded distorted guitar on many bands albums and just figure it as a cost of doing business with a distorted guitar.

I've heard it in a lot of amps, and even the $$$ ones, like my CAE3+se, the Uberschall, and tons of other good amps. I can't dial it out with a parametric as once you get rid if it, it seems to take the "life" out of the amps sound.

It actually seem more noticable to me in good amps that have a good wide freq response (like my CAE), and I seem to actually hear it less in cheaper amps (like my Voodu Valve etc ) that don't reproduce the full frequency range. I also hear it a bit less when I'm running a pedal like a TS9 or whatever. Probably because they limit frequency response and squash the signal.

I really feel, in the end, it is in the speakers. I hear it seriously pronounced in Celestion 75 watter a LOT, in the V30s quite a bit (but don't like their bass response), and not so much in the EVM 12L's I run. The latter seeming to be the best sounding for my needs.

Nice to hear the someone else hears this... Maybe I'm not so "tone crazy" after all...

[markD]

Maybe it is the celestion speakers, only because i heard EVL's are suppose to be really transparent speakers and let the actuall tone of the amp shine through.

that is why i use EVM's. to my ear the celestions add a fizzle that i can't stand. the EVM's are all beef.

[sgray]

It's funny, my other guitarist a while ago had a 3ch recto and could never get it to sound as good as my 2ch tremoverb recto..it always sounded good, he did fix it somewhat by adding a BBE sonic maximizer to the effects loop, great highs and smooth mids, good lows, but.....never as good as my dual recto (2001) even w/ new tubes etc..

It really is a personal taste kind of thing. I have actually been playing my Vetta2 more than anything else lately as well..Good luck

[OnlineStageGear]

Excuse my ignorance on the working of the dual rectos, but is there any way to run it at 16 Ohms rather that 4 or 8 to make the amp drive harder to obtain the same volume therefor getting it higher into saturation ? I would think that would clean up the fizz a little bit. My Mesa 20/20 sounds great, but that is a completely differnt animal.

[circle of the tyrants]

I've always been confused about people's reactions to Boogies. I've had a 2 channel Dual Rec, a single channel Rectoverb, a Simul-Class 2:90/V-Twin preamp rack setup, and currently still have a Tremoverb head. I was able to get just about the same tone from each piece. Bass all the way up, treble all the way up, presence all the way up and scoop the mids to taste. I even like the clean stages of Boogies. Of course, I've always pushed it through Boogie cabs, so that might have something to do with it.

[eaeolian]

I think John's got it. I think you're hearing the speakers. I know the V30 has an unpleasant, "icepicky" sound when the amp is bright enough for me, which is why I don't use them.

[sakeido]

I know a lot of you people here are divided in opinion about the Dual Rectifier, and now I'm starting to side with the against camp. I've had mine (3 channel Solo head) from new since January 2005 and I still can't get it to sound like I want it to. The bass is too loose and the gain is too fizzy, no matter what I do, it never alters these unfortunate facts.

In the time I've had mine, I've ran it on EL34's, replaced with new 6L6's and new 12AX7's, joined every nerdy web forum about tone in the hope of someone having a solution, ran it with EQ's and put every stomp box through the front end (the closest result was using the Line 6 Ubermetal...I know!!), all to no avail.

So what replaces it? Any ideas?

I have had the same trouble with my Dual Rectifier and I just gave up and am selling it to get a Mark IV. A Recto will sound like a Recto, no matter what.