Triple Rectifier Clean Channel Sucks!!!!

[livewire78602]

Ok, Ive called Mesa and they sent me new preamp tubes to replace other ones, This amp is brand new. When using the FX Loop, or anything plugged into the Loop, my clean channel volume drops about to 1/2 of what it was without using the FX loop, no matter what the settings are, the other channels are the same volume compared to each other. I use delay and chorus in my leads. I have the Red to modern, bold, diodes to get punchy distortion, but when I switch to my clean channel set to clean or gain it drops "big time" in volume, I have to turn my other two channels down to equilized the volume with clean channel. Only does this when using the FX loop. None of my other Heads do this. Without anything plugged into FX loop, the clean is very loud, warm punchy. As soon as you plug any jack into it, it drops in volume. This Sucks and mesa just tells me to lower the other channels to match it, but you loose sound and tone along with punch. Very dissapointed in this Head!!

 

[hoobafrank]

Silly question here, but what is plugged into the effects loop and what is the order?

-Chris

 

[R_ADKINS80]

hmmmm....I don't have that problem with my Triple and i bought it new in feb this year.

 

[RoyceW]

Hey man,

I had this same problem. If you're using you're loop what I did was I left my Clean Master on 2:00, Ch.2 VINTAGE on 2:00 and Ch.3 Modern on about 11:30. It's a pretty **** close volume equalization, it just sucks that you can't push channel 3 harder and getting sounding a bit more warm, but that's Triple Rec land.

 

[fishyfishfish]

It shouldn't be that bad. My Dual sounds like somebody chopped off the high end with the loop in, but I got a lot of crap in my chain.

 

[hoobafrank]

It shouldn't be that bad. My Dual sounds like somebody chopped off the high end with the loop in, but I got a lot of crap in my chain.

That's where I was getting at. If you have a buttload of stuff in your effects loop, and you don't have levels set properly, then the volume could be weak. Try running a standard 1/4" cable from the effects send, to the effects return. Crank the send and the return levels, set each channel level at like 9 o'clock and click through the channels. If then, you notice that the volume is drastically different, then there probably something wrong.

 

[livewire78602]

Ok I did that with a six inch cable, from send to return, cranked both knobs, still volume drops big time when switching thru channels.

 

[fjk1138]

I had the same problem with the clean channel on the Triple Rectifier...it was too quiet in comparison to channels 2 & 3.

Depending on the axe I used, I would put the Channel 1 gain anywhere from 12:00 to 2:00. From there, I cranked the Master to 12:00 also and that seemed to balance it out more with Ch 2 & 3.

Now, I don't know if this is an option for you based on your setup, but if I really wanted a nice clean tone I would do the above plus kick in the SOLO for Ch 1 -- that gave me a killer clean tone, and I could back off on the volume pot on the guitar.

I used to think the clean on a TR was great until I got a Roadster -- better clean channels and they are much louder to boot.

 

[sflight]

Livewire, did you figure out your problem? I'm having the same issue?

 

[MesaGod666]

Triple Rectos are notorious for crappy clean channels. Just get a Roland JC-120 and a Whirlwind A/B Box.

 

[kiff]

Triple Rectos are notorious for crappy clean channels. Just get a Roland JC-120 and a Whirlwind A/B Box.

does it say that in the manual?

 

[Silverwulf]

Can I ask what the settings are on your clean channel? If you're running the gain knob extremely low, it's going to cut volume.

 

[Metaltastic]

Can I ask what the settings are on your clean channel? If you're running the gain knob extremely low, it's going to cut volume.

Yes, but the master DEFINITELY makes up for it

 

[fretout]

My Triple's Channel 1 (set to clean) actually sounds pretty good IMO. I can get a decent volume on it, but it won't be as loud as the higher gain channels settings.

I would check the send/mix levels on the FX loop and make sure the "send" level on the FX loop isn't too low. This could make any channel that the FX loop is assigned to sound lower than the others (if it is assigned to a specific channel).

Another option would be to use on of the higher gain modes (pushed?) and try cleaning up the signal with your guitar's volume control (assuming you have one). I actually have been using this approach lately (on channel 3 Modern) with good results!

 

[livewire78602]

Ok sitll have the same issue, so Now I switched to using my JCM2000 Marshall Head wich blows the Mesa Triple Recto out of the water when it comes to the clean channel. I get that fat warm clean channel and its just as loud as my other channels. When playing in a band sometime I need just a plain clean channel, warm, fat then add chorus and delay and get randy rhodes sounds, My marshall will do this but the recto wont. If I back off the gain on channel 2 and 3 then when switching to distortion mode on those channels, I dont get the sweet distortion saturation from the tubes unless the gain is up to 1 pm. Then the clean channel will be super quiet, Ive played many heads in the past, VHT, LINE 6, Krank etc and this is the only head where the clean channel looses so much volume when making it super clean (turning down gain knob). Sad and dissapointing for such a good reputation.

 

[volatileNoise]

Man every channel as it gets cleaner will require more master level dialled in regardless of effects loop, Ch 1 on my amp has the master level way higher than Ch 3, though Ch 3 still dominates in decibels, and Ch 2 is also turned up somewhere in between to equalize the level difference between channels 1 and 3...

The only time the clean channel sucks for me, is when I plug in my Epiphone pile of junk guitar, when I plug in my "real" guitar, the clean channel is very nice and warm, with quite a rich tone (though each channel have very different tone/presence settings to each other when tuned to my likings) and also works well with any pick up selection and effects.

Though I don't bother with effects loop, too much bullshit for me, though I have found dialling in each channel does take some tweaking that's for sure, especially the first couple of times you play at live band type levels.

Cheers.

Oh and I forgot to mention, the clean channel gain makes a big difference to levels (no master won't make up for it actually) it needs to be up at around noonish (maybe more) regardless of the tone settings, and then dial in the master level from there, which will probably still want to be well up past 12 o'clock to get your levels right.