rectifier tones

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ibegyourpardon

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Hello this is my first post so hello everyone

My question is that how can I tighten up the dual rectifier low end. When I turn this amp up the bass gets very loose and I am displeased with the tone. I tried this amp at guitar center and I am looking into buying a mesa combo. I have been looking at rectoverbs and mark IVs. I find the mark IV has a very "tight" sound and the rec has a very very loose tone. What tubes have a tighter bass response, and what speakers have a good tight bass sound? I love the dual rec and I am planning to buy one, but im am not impressed at the bass as I crank it. Also What does the tremoverb sound like compared to these amps. Also what price can I find these amps used. Thank you
 
I'll chime in here....

The Rectifier series isn't a real "tight bottom" sound.... it kind of sounds loose no matter what. It's more than tight enough for me, and I use the vintage setting and tube rectification for a spongier sound. Have you tried the solid state rectifier and bold settings on the Modern channel on the red channel (or channel 3 on the 3 channel models)?

I find most sound men HATE low end coming from a guitar amp, even as little low end as I play with every soundman I've had has wanted me to turn the lows down "Just a tad" (I'm running my bass at about 9:00).

Now that being said, if you're looking for a combo with lots of low end I wouldn't get the Rectoverb and expect the 1x12 to "thump". That is my major complaint with my Rectoverb combo is that there is NOOOOO bottom end in the amp but it sounds AMAZING none-the-less. The lead tones are great!! The rectoverb does sound better (more low end) running in to my Genz Benz G-Flex 2x12 than my Triple recto did and my Tremoverb does.. My favorite out of the 3 is my Tremoverb, it is a rockin' amp but still a little loose in the low end. I dont think you'll ever get a super hard hitting low end with a Rectifier.

Speaking of Rectoverb combos, since I LOVE the sound so much but cant stand the lack of low end I'm putting the Rectoverb chassis in to a Soldano 2x12 combo cabinet and adding a speaker to make it a 2x12 (if it all fits right)!?!? I should know by this weekend how it sounds (if it sounds at all after I mess with it).

I've heard the Mark IV's have more of a thumping low end, but not as brutal of a distortion as the Rectifier series.
 
I've got a Solo 50 w/ a 2X12 Vertical. It's more than enough volume and lots of thump w/ 6L6's and a tad less with 34's. I"m very pleased with this amp and liked it more than the dual when I tried them in GC...only drawback is no third channel and reverb. My G-Major takes care of that and a nice overdrive running through the clean channel can give a nice dirty crunch.

check one out!


JA
 
drawback is no third channel and reverb

If you're buying the rectoverb with hopes of getting a GREAT reverb...... I hate to break it to you, but it doesn't have the best reverb and the reverb compares nothing to the Tremoverb.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Rectoverb and use the reverb, but you won't get a Fender Twin type of reverb or a very wet reverb...... but you really don't need it with the GREAT tone from the Rectoverb (or Solo 50).

I played an entire 4 hour gig once and was happier with my tone than I'd ever been before I realized my reverb was never turned on.

The big difference in the single rectos vs the duals and triples is the fact that the singles only have solid state rectification so they tend to sound more agressive (if need be), and they're only 50 watts.
 
Tight bass in Recto's:

Ch3, modern, bold, diode rec, 6L6 tubes, Traditional-size cabs with Custom 90's or better yet EVM12L's or Emminence Delta-pro 12A's. Dont turn the bass knob much past noon (and thats a LOT of bass!), Dont turn gain past 3:00.

That being said, I'm running a Triple into 2 oversize cabs w/V30's in tube-rec mode (5AR4/GZ34 recto tubes) and have no problem getting a tight enough response. Its just a matter of taste...either you like the recto tone or not. The MarkIV is a completely different animal, and you should give them both a fair shot before buying.
 
As others mentioned, how you set the thing up is going to be a big factor.

1) turn your bass down!
2) generaly, the more gain you have, the more low end you have
3) make sure you have a good amount of treble in your mix, Im not going to bother explaining how the tone stack works, but its really important for not having your low end over power your sound.

Also what speakers are you using?
I find most Mesa cabs just make a flubby low end even worse.
Try some of these, VHT fat bottom, Genz Benz G-flex, and when all else fails, the Marshall1960. All of those are going to have a quicker and tighter low end response than most Mesa cabs, EXSPECIALY if you are using the oversized Recto cab.

My favorite is using an OD pedal as a clean boost (turn the drive all the way down, and turn the level all the way up). This really tightens things up, and really gives the recto an extra kick. It kinda makes it sound like a Framus.

Of course, ultimately the Recto sound may just not be for you.
The MkIV is going to be much tighter out of the box, but nowhere near as agressive in the gain section.
 
Ive had my triplerec for a couple months now, and theres not much I cant do with it, (bar reverb).

My sound isnt flubby, I play very loud and with alot of low end. I also use the oversized cab. These amps have to be researched, they are very versitile. I even like my Mesa cab more than I liked any of my Marshall cabs (opinion).

On the back of the 3 channels (ive never owned a dual), you can set the amp to spongy or bold, rectifier or diodes. This with the fact that each channel EQ is pretty sensitive, really gives you some great flexibility. Further, you could choose the Mesa traditional cab with the agreed tighter bass response. As NoGlass mentioned you even have speaker and tube options

Are there better Mesa amps ? Depends on your needs. Are there better cabs? Depends on your ears.
 
I found my Road King's bass response changes dramatically with volume. Don't be afraid to turn it down, especially at gig levels as it will tighten up a bunch. If you want the extra "thump", keep the bass knob at around 9:00 and put an EQ in the loop. I've used a GE-7 with the 110kz slider boosted slightly. Be careful with it because as soon as your bass player joins the party, you could get stepped on pretty quickly. I just add enough to tighten up the low end in certain situations. For the most part, I play with vintage high gain...I don't like how bold the amp gets in the modern setting. YMMV.
 

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