Marcus71
Well-known member
I used to be a Dual Rectifier user. Had the 2 channel but ditched it because the clean channel wasn't where I wanted it. During this time I went through more amps than I can remember. And I was living in Austin, TX at the time. There was plenty of vintage gear to be had. Every time I would found an amp with a good clean channel I could never find the right distortion pedal to go with it. The closest I ever came was an original Chandler Tube Driver. At times I even used two amps. I had a Fender Twin Reverb and a 70's Marshall 4 input that I modded myself. It was basically Eric Johnson's rig. It was just too much gear. And I am not Eric Johnson. :wink: He's a really nice guy BTW.
In the Dual Rectifier I had found a nice amp distortion but as mentioned above the clean channel wasn't so clean. Enter the 3 Channel Dual... :shock:
Bought a 3 Channel. Gigged with it a good while but never used the third channel and only used channel 2 reasonably. But I had great tone on stage. The amp really changed when it got loud as the power tubes colored more of the sound. I see these rectifier heads being used on channel 3 with the gain way up and IMHO, they don't sound like tube amps. There's too much processing. For my taste anyway. I used the Raw mode on Channel 2 and never got the gain past about 11:30 or so.
It's possible I had the wrong amp, but if I had tone from it that I liked, it couldn't have been too wrong. :twisted:
At the time I had this 3 Channel dual, I also had a Mark IV combo sitting in my apartment that I only played at apartment volume. I never used the Lead channel either. I just used the clean channel on bright with a little reverb and I was set. I loved how that amp sounded just noodling around while playing blues.
I eventually sold all of my gear. Fast forward 9 years.
Just started playing again. Picked up a nice PRS (another one ordered). Listened to a lot of amps. I heard almost everything out there except for the really pricey boutique stuff. I even considered going back to the Dual. I played a couple and couldn't find the sweet spot like I used to. There are numerous reasons why, but it just wasn't happening. I am sure my ears have changed. I may have outgrown the Recto sound even though the tone I got out of it in the past was not typical Recto tone.
I test drove a Roadster 2X12 but didn't like it. Perhaps I didn't play with it long enough, but the gain channels sounded too processed.
I ended up buying a Mark III because I liked the clean channel. But at loud volumes the Lead channel didn't do it for me. I tried a very high end distortion pedal made by Carl Martin and it still didn't sound right. I listened to a couple of other later Mark III's that had been re-voiced. It still wasn't there. I like just the right amount of preamp gain but with the amp being run loud enough to bring in the power tubes to the sound. It's a very fine line.
From my experience, using too much preamp gain on stage or even when just practicing with others equals tone that's buried in the mix. All of the super high gain stuff might sound good in the bedroom, but rarely does anywhere else. A lot of people don't realize this because they only audition the amp in the store at low volumes. It's not until the amp is being run loud enough to play with drums in the same room that the true sound of any amp is revealed. I learned that lesson the hard way. Twice.
I knew there was a Mark V combo at the GC I bought the Mark III from. I didn't play it before I bought the Mark III because I knew I would want it and didn't want to pay $2100. I took the Mark III back this morning. I placed the Mark V into a room and found the tone I was looking for in about 10 minutes. It would probably sound better coming through a cabinet as I used to use a 4X12 of V30's.
I had to come out another $1200 but it's worth it. I am going to buy a 2X12 when I see one for sale, but there's no rush.
This amp is definitely not a Rectifier. Not even close. Even Channel 3 in the Extreme mode is not as nasty as a Dual Recto. The amp isn't even voiced the same. And Mesa is not claiming any mode on this amp is based on a Rectifier.
Like every other Mesa amp, the tone is in the EQ. No other amp manufacturer has EQ circuity like Mesa. It can be very frustrating trying to dial in tones on a Mesa because the EQ's are so strange. I have yet to begin really carving out my sound, but there's a whole lot to work with.
This amp does about anything I could want it to. I was amazed at how much the sound changed just simply by switching the power outage switch. The amp opens up when moving from 5 to 45 watts. And the headroom took off going from 45 to 90 watts. It was like 3 different amps. I can only imagine how this thing is going to sound with EL-34's.
I think this amplifier has to be about the most highly engineered piece that's ever been designed. Some of Mesa's other amps I have not liked because of all of the switches and modes. There have been some where I could find one setting on the amp that I liked.
My prior use of the 3 Channel Dual is a perfect example. I never used much of the distortion that the amp was designed to put out.
The Mark V, however, is a different story. For the first time in one amp, I predict I will be able to have the 3 usual suspects in one amp with no effects; clean, crunch, and distorted lead. It's all there. The possibilities in one of the channels is endless when you take into consideration the mode, power, EQ, rectifier, and gain settings. Times that by 3 and you have what I consider the most versatile amp ever made.
On Wednesday night I am meeting with some guys to play and will get to really air this thing out. But even yesterday that old Mark III had no problems cutting through. It was a great amp, but just didn't have enough in the Lead channel to suit my taste. This amp does.
In the Dual Rectifier I had found a nice amp distortion but as mentioned above the clean channel wasn't so clean. Enter the 3 Channel Dual... :shock:
Bought a 3 Channel. Gigged with it a good while but never used the third channel and only used channel 2 reasonably. But I had great tone on stage. The amp really changed when it got loud as the power tubes colored more of the sound. I see these rectifier heads being used on channel 3 with the gain way up and IMHO, they don't sound like tube amps. There's too much processing. For my taste anyway. I used the Raw mode on Channel 2 and never got the gain past about 11:30 or so.
It's possible I had the wrong amp, but if I had tone from it that I liked, it couldn't have been too wrong. :twisted:
At the time I had this 3 Channel dual, I also had a Mark IV combo sitting in my apartment that I only played at apartment volume. I never used the Lead channel either. I just used the clean channel on bright with a little reverb and I was set. I loved how that amp sounded just noodling around while playing blues.
I eventually sold all of my gear. Fast forward 9 years.
Just started playing again. Picked up a nice PRS (another one ordered). Listened to a lot of amps. I heard almost everything out there except for the really pricey boutique stuff. I even considered going back to the Dual. I played a couple and couldn't find the sweet spot like I used to. There are numerous reasons why, but it just wasn't happening. I am sure my ears have changed. I may have outgrown the Recto sound even though the tone I got out of it in the past was not typical Recto tone.
I test drove a Roadster 2X12 but didn't like it. Perhaps I didn't play with it long enough, but the gain channels sounded too processed.
I ended up buying a Mark III because I liked the clean channel. But at loud volumes the Lead channel didn't do it for me. I tried a very high end distortion pedal made by Carl Martin and it still didn't sound right. I listened to a couple of other later Mark III's that had been re-voiced. It still wasn't there. I like just the right amount of preamp gain but with the amp being run loud enough to bring in the power tubes to the sound. It's a very fine line.
From my experience, using too much preamp gain on stage or even when just practicing with others equals tone that's buried in the mix. All of the super high gain stuff might sound good in the bedroom, but rarely does anywhere else. A lot of people don't realize this because they only audition the amp in the store at low volumes. It's not until the amp is being run loud enough to play with drums in the same room that the true sound of any amp is revealed. I learned that lesson the hard way. Twice.
I knew there was a Mark V combo at the GC I bought the Mark III from. I didn't play it before I bought the Mark III because I knew I would want it and didn't want to pay $2100. I took the Mark III back this morning. I placed the Mark V into a room and found the tone I was looking for in about 10 minutes. It would probably sound better coming through a cabinet as I used to use a 4X12 of V30's.
I had to come out another $1200 but it's worth it. I am going to buy a 2X12 when I see one for sale, but there's no rush.
This amp is definitely not a Rectifier. Not even close. Even Channel 3 in the Extreme mode is not as nasty as a Dual Recto. The amp isn't even voiced the same. And Mesa is not claiming any mode on this amp is based on a Rectifier.
Like every other Mesa amp, the tone is in the EQ. No other amp manufacturer has EQ circuity like Mesa. It can be very frustrating trying to dial in tones on a Mesa because the EQ's are so strange. I have yet to begin really carving out my sound, but there's a whole lot to work with.
This amp does about anything I could want it to. I was amazed at how much the sound changed just simply by switching the power outage switch. The amp opens up when moving from 5 to 45 watts. And the headroom took off going from 45 to 90 watts. It was like 3 different amps. I can only imagine how this thing is going to sound with EL-34's.
I think this amplifier has to be about the most highly engineered piece that's ever been designed. Some of Mesa's other amps I have not liked because of all of the switches and modes. There have been some where I could find one setting on the amp that I liked.
My prior use of the 3 Channel Dual is a perfect example. I never used much of the distortion that the amp was designed to put out.
The Mark V, however, is a different story. For the first time in one amp, I predict I will be able to have the 3 usual suspects in one amp with no effects; clean, crunch, and distorted lead. It's all there. The possibilities in one of the channels is endless when you take into consideration the mode, power, EQ, rectifier, and gain settings. Times that by 3 and you have what I consider the most versatile amp ever made.
On Wednesday night I am meeting with some guys to play and will get to really air this thing out. But even yesterday that old Mark III had no problems cutting through. It was a great amp, but just didn't have enough in the Lead channel to suit my taste. This amp does.
