The Rectifier FAQ Thread

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fluff191

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There are ALOT of the same threads going up about the same things and thought maybe an all encompassing thread would help :lol:

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Q: What's the best cab for my Recto?

A: Without going in to too much detail, ANY Mesa Boogie cab (2x12, 4x12, 1x12) will be better than 90% of the rest of the cabs you have ever even heard of in terms of build quality and construction. An exception would be a Mills Acoustics cab. And no, your Marshall doesn't come close to a Mesa cab. Construction is everything and has a huge effect on the sound.


Q: How do I sound like __________ ?

A: Simply, you can't. Tone is in your fingers. But you may be able to get close. Start by setting all your tone controls to NOON (12:00) as a starting point and go from there. It may take hours, it may take days. And no, you can't just go buy an overdrive pedal to make things magically better.


Q: OMG My amp doesn't sound good/doesn't make sound/sounds funny! What do I do?

A: 99% of the time something goes wrong with your amplifier (while being used under normal conditions i.e. not beer has been spilt inside it, etc.) a tube is or has failed. Your friendly Mesa Boogie manual has troubleshooting tips to help you fix your amp without having to send it in to a tech. Cool huh?


Q: My amp gets quiet and then loud (rolling volume). What could be the cause?

A: Check to see if your Cathode Follower preamp positions (typically V3 & V4 on most Rectifiers) have Russian tubes. If they do, try installing some Chinese preamp tubes. 90% of the time, this will solve your volume roll issue.


Q: My 3 Channel Recto 'pops' when I switch channels after first turning it on? Is this normal?

A: Yes. Totally normal.


Q: What speakers are best for my Recto?

A: Mesa Boogie likes Celestion Vintage 30's and C90's. Outside of that YouTube is a wonderful way to research different speakers config's but at the end of the day just trying some different kinds will help you to decide. No, we here on the Forum can not just simply tell you what to pick.


Q: Do ________ brand tubes sound good with my amp?

A: Again, this is very subjective and trying different tubes in your preamp and power section is a good way to really know what you want out of your amp. Electro-Harmonix, Shuguang, Tung-Sol and Ruby are all popular choices for Mesa amps. But if you want your Recto to sound more like your old 5150 you had in college, save everyone some time and sell your Recto and buy a 5150.


Q: What kind of tubes are currently in my Mesa amp?

A: Mesa currently offers JJ preamp tubes that are branded as Mesa and Chinese 6L6 power tubes as O.E. equipment in today's Rectifiers.


Q: Which is better? Roadster, 3 Channel Recto, 2 Channel Recto, Road King, 2010 Recto, Single Recto, etc.?

A: That, like tubes, speakers and guitars, is all subjective. What are you looking for? Versatility? Brutal metal? Blues rock? Half the battle is just knowing what you want out of your guitar tone and the rest will come.


Q: Why can't I get a good 'cranked' tone out of my Triple Rectifier at bedroom volumes?

A: This is like buying a vintage muscle car for your 6 year old to play with in the backyard: Doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If you plan on playing in your bedroom, Line6, Guitar Rig, etc. all offer great computer-based amp simulation so volume isn't such an issue. But if you insist on having an actual Recto for your bedroom, check out the Single Rectifier series of amps or a power attenuator.


Q: Can I pull (4) power tubes out of my Triple Recto to make it 50 watts so I can play in my bedroom?

A: No.


Q: Do I really nede to buy matched power tubes?

A: Yes. You bought a tube amp. They require matched sets to operate properly. Don't skimp on the most important part of the amp.


Q: If I ditch my Crate 4x12 and get a Mesa 2x12, will my amp sound better?

A: Yes.


Q: I can't seem to get enough gain out of my Recto. Is there something wrong?

A: Yes. You may need to go back to your Line 6 Spider combo.


Q: How do I use a boost?

A: 'Boosting' is generally referred to as the act of getting an overdrive pedal (not a distortion pedal) and putting it after your guitar and before the input jack of your amp (i.e. not in the effects loop). This is generally done to 'tighten' the attack and feel of your guitar and to give more sustain for solos, etc. An important distinction is an overdrive does just that: it over drives your amp, meaning it gives it more signal than your guitar is capable of. A distortion is generally used when there is little gain available on the amp itself (think of a Fender Twin or something). The most popular (but not only) use for an over drive is setting the Volume FULL and turning the Gain OFF. This will give you the cleanest boost.


Q: What boost pedal should I get?

A: While there are literally hundreds of boost/overdrive pedals on the market, a few really seem to work well with the Rectifier series. The most popular would be the Maxon OD808, but other great OD's include the Fulltone OCD (my personal fav), Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, Boss SD-1 Overdrive, and if you are on a budget the Digitech Bad Monkey is a great sounding pedal for little money.

Here is a video I made comparing the OCD and the Maxon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ4m_m-Szqw


More to come!
 
I think you should include a part about:

"My amp doesn't have enough gain" (a la bermuda_)
 
I have an Orange 4x12 and I think it sounds like crap next to my Mesa cabs.

And trust me... I've tried really, really hard to like it.

It did sound great with my Orange amps... with Mesa amps though... meh.
 
screamingdaisy said:
I have an Orange 4x12 and I think it sounds like crap next to my Mesa cabs.

And trust me... I've tried really, really hard to like it.

It did sound great with my Orange amps... with Mesa amps though... meh.

Really? Wow interesting.
 
b0nkersx said:
I think you should include a part about:

"My amp doesn't have enough gain" (a la bermuda_)

That guy... was something else :lol:

Hell, I had my Dual dialed in 10 minutes after I first played it, I don't even want to know what he did to his amp :shock:

Thanks for the FAQ fluff.
 
Great basic info here. The only thing I would add is that you can easily get bedroom volume out of a Triple Recto with an attenuator. I use a THD Hotplate, which is a wonderful device, then run it through a Hughes & Kettner Red Box. This allows me to use my Triple Recto in my bedroom recording studio without disturbing my wife. Sure, I could use my amp simulation software, and I do sometimes, but nothing beats the real thing.
 
Triple said:
Great basic info here. The only thing I would add is that you can easily get bedroom volume out of a Triple Recto with an attenuator. I use a THD Hotplate, which is a wonderful device, then run it through a Hughes & Kettner Red Box. This allows me to use my Triple Recto in my bedroom recording studio without disturbing my wife. Sure, I could use my amp simulation software, and I do sometimes, but nothing beats the real thing.

I did think of putting that, but most of the time when that is suggested, its "I cant afford one" or "its just not the same" but I totally agree with you. Great option. Added it to the answer.
 
fluff191 said:
Q: What's the best cab for my Recto?

A: Without going in to too much detail, ANY Mesa Boogie cab (2x12, 4x12, 1x12) will be better than 95% of the rest of the cabs you have ever even heard of. An exception would be a Mills Acoustics cab. And no, your Marshall doesn't come close to a Mesa cab. Construction is everything.

I can not accept that. Too many good cabs out there, and so many speaker choices...too subjective
 
RussB said:
fluff191 said:
Q: What's the best cab for my Recto?

A: Without going in to too much detail, ANY Mesa Boogie cab (2x12, 4x12, 1x12) will be better than 95% of the rest of the cabs you have ever even heard of. An exception would be a Mills Acoustics cab. And no, your Marshall doesn't come close to a Mesa cab. Construction is everything.

I can not accept that. Too many good cabs out there, and so many speaker choices...too subjective

I think he's right. As a default, run the amp as it was designed to run. I love greenbacks, g12T 75, and all sorts of breakup speakers, but the v30 and c90 are what really retain the detail in the tone and keep things from getting muddy.
 
fluff191 said:
screamingdaisy said:
I have an Orange 4x12 and I think it sounds like crap next to my Mesa cabs.

And trust me... I've tried really, really hard to like it.

It did sound great with my Orange amps... with Mesa amps though... meh.

Really? Wow interesting.

Yes. I can't figure out why the Orange cabs have become as popular as they have with high gain heads. I think they sound great with low and mid gain heads... you know, like old Oranges and Matamps... Plexi... stuff like that. But with high gain they 're too warm and bassy... ie, warm (reduced definition) and bassy (mud).

In hindsight, it even did that with the one high gain Orange amp I owned (Rockerverb 50)... an amp I wasn't a fan of because it was kind of muddy and boring... nowhere near aggressive enough. I think that if I had paired that amp up with a brighter cab (Recto 4x12) it probably would've sounded awesome.

I thought I'd solved the mystery of the Orange cab by pairing it up with a brighter, more upper mid heavy Mark V. The Mk V/Orange 4x12 produced a rounder, more bassy tone than what I was getting with the Mark V/Recto 4x12 pairing.... however it also tended to give a bit of a muddy edge to the tone. I thought the Mk V/Orange 4x12 was better than the Mk V/Recto 4x12 because I wasn't changing my amp's EQ when I'd A/B the two cabs, so the brighter Recto 4x12 would sound all harsh and abrasive in comparison. Then one day I started messing with the Mark V's EQ again (I was going to bring my Recto 2x12 to practice) and within a couple of knob twists it turned from harsh and abrasive to crunchy and defined. I was like, "This is the tone I've been searching for the last few months".

Lesson learned.
 
YellowJacket said:
I think he's right. As a default, run the amp as it was designed to run. I love greenbacks, g12T 75, and all sorts of breakup speakers, but the v30 and c90 are what really retain the detail in the tone and keep things from getting muddy.

I was talking about the cabinets themselves. Speakers were addressed in a different question.
 
fluff191 said:
I was talking about the cabinets themselves. Speakers were addressed in a different question.


But empty cabinets don't have any sound...Speakers and cabinets, one can not create "tone" without the other
 
RussB said:
But empty cabinets don't have any sound...Speakers and cabinets, one can not create "tone" without the other

That's true but an amp can't create sound without a guitar so it is (IMO) important to talk about both separately AND together.
 
screamingdaisy said:
Is the horse dead yet?

horse-1.gif


It is now. :lol:




Guys I was just trying to put together some kind of central reference for all the new people coming to the forum, not some factual tone guide. Of course the sum of the parts matters, but more often than not, the repetitive questions are concerning individual components. :wink:

If something does need to be changed by all means I will change it.
 
fluff191 said:
screamingdaisy said:
Is the horse dead yet?

horse-1.gif


It is now. :lol:




Guys I was just trying to put together some kind of central reference for all the new people coming to the forum, not some factual tone guide. Of course the sum of the parts matters, but more often than not, the repetitive questions are concerning individual components. :wink:

If something does need to be changed by all means I will change it.

I think I might be one of the newbies that fluff had in mind when making the general reference thread, and for that I thank him.

I've had my Triple Recto for about 3.5 years now. There have been times I almost gave up. It is a veritable laboratory of different tones and sounds.
 

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