Mini Rectifier Cleans...what do you guys think?

A couple months ago I opted to get a Mesa Express 525 combo over a Mini Rectifier mainly based on the fact that I thought that the Express cleans would be better. I didn't have the chance to play the Mini, so I felt like I made a great choice.

Fast forward to now, and I'm starting to second guess my decision because the Rectifier distortion is what I was really after in the first place, and I figured that the Express would handle those tones. The Express gets really close, but there is still a looseness or airiness to the Express Burn channel that doesn't quit sound similar to Rectifier dirt.

What do you guys think about the cleans on the Mini? I'm about ready to sell the Express and pick up a Mini Rectifier and a Marshall 4x12 cab, but I just want to see what you guys thought about the cleans first. I play mainly blues and rock, but I venture into Metal on a regular basis for my original work.

I think the cleans are great. 25w Clean with low gain (7:00-10:00). raise the master to get a nice glassy tone.

nice cleans

Yep I agree nice cleans here too Sounds great with my TC nova Sys thru the fx loop with a bit of chorus and set to 25 watts. I'm trying the mini rec out for the first time properly at a gig on sunday, looking forward to giving it a blast lol

Yup, cleans are great on the Mini-Recto. If it were me personally, I would sell the Express and get the Mini. I never liked how the Burn channel sounded, and if it's a Recto distortion you are after, then it sounds like a win/win situation. That said, I would consider getting a Mesa Vertical 2x12 over the Marshall. It's a bit more manageable and still sounds killer. Plus (not that it matters), the Vert 2x12 would look a little less awkward than a 4x12 with the Mini-Recto.

Tfunk Ian said:

I never liked how the Burn channel sounded......

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Odd experience here with the Burn channel on the Express. I had a 5:25 Express and I could not turn the Burn gain knob up past 1 or 2 tops (about 8 o'clock) without getting way too much distortion. I hated it. Part of the reason I sold the amp.

Then I was recently in the Omaha store test driving Mesa amps, and the guy plugged me into a 5:50 Express, Burn mode, cranked the gain up to 6 or 7 (about 2 o'clock) and it was still like smooth overdrive, not like metal distortion.

Made me think one of the amps had a defect, and I assumed it was the 5:25 I had. The gain would distort so quickly on that thing the Burn channel was unusable to me.

Contrast that to the Modern mode on the Mini Rec, which I can easily get a lot of use from, even though I don't play metal.

Great cleans!, very sparkling, add a comp and get funked !

Been said already but I think the cleans are awesome. Just got to try one for about an hour the other day and I felt it was a pretty well rounded amp, both clean and gain surprised me (just didn't expect much for some reason)