Rectoverb 25 combo - Does it sound small?

I'm selling my Maverick 1x12 combo to buy something a bit bigger sounding.
I am incredibly interested in the Rectoverb 25.

I have owned just about every Boogie amp up to the newest small amps from the last few years.
It seems to me that most of them have an odd mid range under tone that I just can't dial out. I've always thought it was due to the physical size of the cabinets.

Anyway.....
I'm looking for a small grab and go amp that has the following:
- Stellar cleans
- Mild overdrive
- Over the top distortion
- Reverb (not digital)
- Does not sound boxy
- No popping, drop outs, etc. when changing channels
- Takes pedals/FX very well in front and in the loop, I have a Fractal FX-8 that I would like to use with it

I'm curious about the Rectoverb 25 and the Mark V 35
I had a Mark V and did not like it, but I love the Mark tones on my Triaxis

I can't just go try one because the nearest dealer is a plane ride away
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Forgot to mention......

I'm currently playing in a 4 piece cover band. I'm the only guitar player.
We use acoustic drums.
I have been using a 20/20 power amp and Triaxis and it is the perfect volume. I think I run the power amp volumes around 9:30-10:00 and it is loud

We cover everything from James Brown to Rage Against the Machine

This amp would mostly be for small venues where cabs and a rack are not easy to fit on stage.
Or, I could possibly run 2 small amps in stereo if need be.

It has to be a combo due to space constraints.

I don't like the EL84 sound of the Rectoverb. I tried it in a store and it was a miserable and embarrassing experience for me, because I didn't feel inspired at all on Channel 2. That seemed strange, since I'm so Pro-Recto. I know some of the others like it, so maybe I just wasn't lucky that day, but that's my two cents. I thought it was boxy, but the speaker was new, so it wasn't broken in to get a real feel for it. The good thing is that it can be run out to other speakers. The Clean was really good.

I think the Mark is better in this compact format and offers more flexibility and tone sculpting, even if it is more expensive.

Monsta-Tone,
You might actually like the Express Plus amps based on your description of "desires".
Fantastic cleans in the "Clean Mode" of Ch1. Nice semi-clean to mid gain sound offerings in the "Blues Mode" of Ch2.
Great crunch rhythm or solo sounds in the "Crunch Mode" of Ch1. Great high gain lead solo sounds in the "Burn Mode of Ch2!
The Express Plus amps are very versatile, and the layout is in a simple format which is very flexible for a wide variety of foot switchable sounds.
Check one out if you get a chance....

Thanks guys!

I don't like the EL84 sound of the Rectoverb. I tried it in a store and it was a miserable and embarrassing experience for me, because I didn't feel inspired at all on Channel 2. That seemed strange, since I'm so Pro-Recto. I know some of the others like it, so maybe I just wasn't lucky that day, but that's my two cents. I thought it was boxy, but the speaker was new, so it wasn't broken in to get a real feel for it. The good thing is that it can be run out to other speakers. The Clean was really good.

I think the Mark is better in this compact format and offers more flexibility and tone sculpting, even if it is more expensive.

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I think a lot of it has to do with the EQ settings. On my DC-3, I run the treble almost all the way down on both channels and it sounds much more full.
Sometimes I'll turn the mids down and turn the treble up about half way as well.
I guess the hand picked tubes, Cannabis Rex speaker, and Mercury Magnetics transformers really help though........
I also have a lot of troubles dialing out the boxy tone of EL84's on most small Mesa amps.

Monsta-Tone,
You might actually like the Express Plus amps based on your description of "desires".
Fantastic cleans in the "Clean Mode" of Ch1. Nice semi-clean to mid gain sound offerings in the "Blues Mode" of Ch2.
Great crunch rhythm or solo sounds in the "Crunch Mode" of Ch1. Great high gain lead solo sounds in the "Burn Mode of Ch2!
The Express Plus amps are very versatile, and the layout is in a simple format which is very flexible for a wide variety of foot switchable sounds.
Check one out if you get a chance....

Click to expand...

I had the original 1x10 Express 5:25. The cleans were really nice, as was the reverb. The dirt channel sounded way too canned for my ears.
I did try a Weber speaker and that helped a lot.
I really didn't like the noise in the original Express. My amp had a lot of hiss on the clean channel. Seems like they have fixed this on the newer models though.

I bought an Express 5:50 Plus from GC a couple of years ago, but it had serious issues, so I returned it.
I didn't really like the overdrive channel, but I don't know if that was due to the problems that the amp had.
It kept cutting out, and sounded weird at times. I could have fixed it, but didn't want to fix an amp that I had just bought.

The Express really does look perfect on paper, just not sure it has the gain I'm looking for. Guess I could mod it though......if I had time.

The Express Series has a cold clipping stage right in the front of the OD channel for "Burn". It's the same circuit as V2b of a Recto. It ends up being mixed with an itty bit of the dry, input signal and re-amplified. It's a heck of a lot like a distortion pedal. Pushing it with a boost would turn it from Burn to Inferno and it would act like a tube version of a Fuzz Face.

Wanted to add: Crunch mode also uses the cold clipping in front, but runs it through the Clean channel. Crunch doesn't have any dry signal to mix in.

Clean and Blues do not have the cold clipping in it at all. Adding a distortion/OD/fuzz to these would offer additional flexibility as they are basically platforms for pedal-madness.

afu said:

I don't like the EL84 sound of the Rectoverb. I tried it in a store and it was a miserable and embarrassing experience for me, because I didn't feel inspired at all on Channel 2. That seemed strange, since I'm so Pro-Recto. I know some of the others like it, so maybe I just wasn't lucky that day, but that's my two cents. I thought it was boxy, but the speaker was new, so it wasn't broken in to get a real feel for it. The good thing is that it can be run out to other speakers. The Clean was really good.

Click to expand...

This makes me wonder whether the middy/boxy sound was simply a combination of the small cab and the smaller ouput transformer of Minirecto rather than EL84s. I feel people might contribute too much on the tone of EL84s based on their size.

I recently built Recto/SLO clone with quad of EL84s in the power section. It does not sound boxy at all if I don't want to (but then again, I actually prefer really mid centered tone). I've so far used only 4x12 cab with it which to me makes every amp sound way bigger. Also, the OT is larger than what the Minirectos have so that definately makes a difference.

Shemham said:

afu said:

I don't like the EL84 sound of the Rectoverb. I tried it in a store and it was a miserable and embarrassing experience for me, because I didn't feel inspired at all on Channel 2. That seemed strange, since I'm so Pro-Recto. I know some of the others like it, so maybe I just wasn't lucky that day, but that's my two cents. I thought it was boxy, but the speaker was new, so it wasn't broken in to get a real feel for it. The good thing is that it can be run out to other speakers. The Clean was really good.

Click to expand...

This makes me wonder whether the middy/boxy sound was simply a combination of the small cab and the smaller ouput transformer of Minirecto rather than EL84s. I feel people might contribute too much on the tone of EL84s based on their size.

I recently built Recto/SLO clone with quad of EL84s in the power section. It does not sound boxy at all if I don't want to (but then again, I actually prefer really mid centered tone). I've so far used only 4x12 cab with it which to me makes every amp sound way bigger. Also, the OT is larger than what the Minirectos have so that definately makes a difference.

Click to expand...

That could be. During my demo, I tilted it back and pointed it right at my head to hear it better. That of course changed the sound. I was trying to get a really good METAL!! tone out of it. It wasn't very successful. I only turned it up to the point that the sound rounds out, so the tranny wouldn't have been pushed, but the 1x12 Filmore was stiffer than John Holmes.

Considering the cool, relatively hi-fi way (for guitar) the big Rectos work in the power section, someone should measure their Mini to see where it is set. Cool 6L6GCs are going to impart bottom and softness. Cool EL34s are going to concentrate on the low-mid and taper the ends a bit. What are EL84 going to do if they're super clean? I really don't know.

I recommend you read my old reviews on the RV25 combo. It's very boxy-sounding. I suspect you could do better if you put it on top of a Thiele or a MR1x12. It's not the amp, as it sounds exactly like my Mini Rec through a recto 2x12, which is great.

1x12 Filmore was stiffer than John Holmes.

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:lol: :lol: :lol: I saw one of his movies when I was a kid. There wasn't enough blood in his body to make that thing work right......

elvis said:

I recommend you read my old reviews on the RV25 combo. It's very boxy-sounding. I suspect you could do better if you put it on top of a Thiele or a MR1x12. It's not the amp, as it sounds exactly like my Mini Rec through a recto 2x12, which is great.

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I bought one today from Sweetwater. They gave me free shipping to Hawaii, what's a guy gonna do?

If it's John Holmes sounding, I have a great collection of Eminence and Mojotone speakers. Plus.....dealer pricing from Mercury Magnetics! You should hear what a Cannabis Rex and set of Mercury Mags did to my DC-3!

I gigged with the ROV25 for more than a year. I had it up on a stand pointed at me and ran a Radial JDX in series with the speaker to FOH. The FOH signal sounded great, and the amp sounded boxy on stage, but I could hear it cut through well and it worked well-enough. I really liked gigging both the MR and ROV25. Great amps IMO.

I have switched to other amps because I wanted a lot more low end push, as the band had gone a lot heavier and added another guitarist, but I still listen to recordings of my band with the MR/ROV and they sound fantastic. I'm still toying with the idea of getting a single rec to get a bigger version of the MR tone. Just wish it came in a smaller package.

:mrgreen: I think it needs Cannabis......err.....that is...I mean......HEMP! :mrgreen:
I bet a Cannabis Rex would do wonders for the ROV. It turned my DC-3 into a keeper.

I'm thinking:
DC-3 & ROV 25 in stereo
I've got an old Digitech GSP1101 (sounds better than a G-Major 2, G-System, etc., once you turn off the crappy amp models and update firmware). If that doesn't work, I'll try it with the FX-8.

The heaviest thing we play is Rage Against the Machine or Alice in Chains.
I can definitely see a small amp not cutting it with another guitar player though.

What did you replace it with? The Shiva?

I tried other speakers, but the cabinet seems to be the dominant factor. I'm curious what you find, though.

I went to a MV:25, then a Shiva, then a RA100, then Mark V (which I hated), then back to the RA100, and now an Archon 100. I'm thinking of getting a Single Rec Rectoverb or Solo head as well to demo against the Archon.

elvis said:

I tried other speakers, but the cabinet seems to be the dominant factor. I'm curious what you find, though.

I went to a MV:25, then a Shiva, then a RA100, then Mark V (which I hated), then back to the RA100, and now an Archon 100. I'm thinking of getting a Single Rec Rectoverb or Solo head as well to demo against the Archon.

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:lol: Still a better addiction than heroin...... :lol:

I have my DC-3 sounding incredible right now. It's about the same size as the ROV.
I'm hoping that with some tubes, and a speaker maybe, I can use both the ROV and DC-3 in stereo with great results.
Vintage Mesa tones from the DC and searing tones from the ROV, mixed together!

I think this amp sounds full and warm. I like the punch and shape of the sound the mesa cab provides. The drive channels come alive with a tubescreamer in front (no gain, push the volume), which is how I have run the bigger version. The clean channel does great with pedals and the head also pairs well with torpedeo cab for studio application. Ymmv.

Well.........

After owning the amp for a month, I have this to say:

Clean Channel:
This channel sounds pretty amazing, even next to my 1970 Twin Reverb.
I really hated the super low headroom though.
I added a 1uf Cathode Bypass cap to V1B. This is the 3rd gain stage for the clean channel. There was no Cathode Bypass cap on this stage before.
This took away some of the sweetness that makes this channel so great, but I was able to dial it back in by turning the treble up a touch and the mids down a little bit.
The clean channel is MUCH louder now and has a lot more headroom!

Lead Channel:
I'm still trying to figure out if I like this channel or not. It needs to be cranked a bit to sound good, just like any Recto.
I guess I'm just missing the thump of a Recto.
It is loud on both modes, but "Modern" is freakishly loud! Before modding the clean channel, the volume difference between Clean and Modern was just unbearable.
I'll have to close the windows and crank it in a little while!