Mini Recto v Express 5:25

I have had my 5:25 for about 4 years and still blown away with how good it sounds clean and driven. No need for another amp, but 'need' has never really been part of the equation. I haven't been in a band for years. So, anyway... I have been looking at reviews of the new Mesa Mini Recto. It looks and sounds great, at least via You Tube.
it looked like the preamp and power tube set-up is very similar to my 5:25 but no reverb and no contour. Is the mini recto basically the 5:25 repackaged to look like a dwarf rectifier or is it more versatile/different?

Has anyone owned or tried out both of these amps and have any views on how they compare? I play a Strat and a Les Paul Standard through my current 5:25.

It takes more than just tube similarities to make the amps sound similar. The circuitry of the preamps are completely different from each other. Never played through a mini recto. Never even played through a bigger one enough to get a feel for it, but I've heard enough of their tones to realize that my Express doesn't really sound like one. If you want recto tone at a low volume with a very dynamic power amp, get the mini.

Thanks. That's useful. Think I'll try one out if I can find a stockist in Dublin. The place I bought my 5:25 from closed down a couple of years ago.

Dublin, California?

Dublin, Ireland :mrgreen:

Cool, I have never played a 5:25, but I have owned two 50 Calibers and have a TA-15. My Mini-Rec blows these amps away.

If you get a chance...try one for sure.

The 5:25 and Mini Rec are completely different amplifiers.

I auditioned a 5:25 several years ago and thought it was decent, but not ideal for my needs. I preferred the Express 5:50, and owned it for about 1 year prior to selling it to purchase a MkV (which I love), and the MkV is still my primary amp, but that is not related to this thread.

Recently, I auditioned a Mini Rec and was so blown away with the sounds that I was achieving in all modes......that I had to have it!! Did I need it? No, but I had to have it because it sounded amazing so I purchased it on the spot! I have owned my Mini for about 4 weeks with no regrets at all.

Definitely audition the Mini Rec if you have the opportunity....you might love it as well!

I recently played a Mini Recto and did not like it at all compared to the Express 5:25 and my Express 5:50 but I'm more of a blues guitarist and don't actually care for the sound of the full size Rectos that I've played.

I did like the Vintage mode of the red channel quite a bit, though!

Don, that is a fair assessment....especially if you are more into the "bluesy sounds" of the Express 5:50....which can sound very nice based on my long term recollection.

However, the Mini Recto offers surprisingly good cleans/slightly distorted cleans/high gain cleans in Channel 1 depending upon which mode (clean or pushed), how the gain/tone knobs are set, and which power mode is selected (10 or 25W). I have owned a Road King I Head and can honestly say that I much prefer the variety of clean/slight breakup/high gain clean sounds offered in Ch1 of the Mini compared to Ch1 and Ch2 of the RK I!

Ch1 of the Mini Rectifier can be set to sound very "bluesy" in either mode (clean and pushed) unlike its bigger brothers IMO....

The high gain rhythm/lead sounds offered in Ch2 (Vintage Mode) of the Mini sound better to me than my recollection of the burn mode of the 5:25 or 5:50! The Modern Mode of Ch2 SLAYS as one would expect from a Recto (without as much umph as its bigger brothers), but can still be very punishing. However, this beast (Ch2 Modern Mode) can be tamed in the Mini with 10W selected like no other Rectifier I have ever played!

I am finding the Mini Rectifier to be a very fun amp to play!

BTW.....

OP....I am not suggesting to replace your 5:25 with the Mini Rectifier because they are very different amps (even though they both use EL84 power tubes). Clearly you are enjoying the nice sounds you are achieving from your 5:25 and rightly so. I enjoyed the sounds I achieved from my Express 5:50 when I owned it, but opted for the MkV for it's additional channel and features which really work great for my needs.

Give the Mini a test drive if you get the chance, and you might want to add it to your collection just as I did!!

The gain and tone knob settings on the Mini Rectifier actually offer a much wider variety of nice sounds compared to it's bigger rectifier brothers IMO.....and you can achieve these great sounds at low/moderate sound levels. The Mini can also be surprisingly loud for its size, but doesn't have to be to sound great!

Thanks for all the posts. Really helpful. 2 dilemmas now... First - Cant find a stockist anywhere in Ireland since Musician Inc. in Dublin closed a couple of years ago. Second - from all the feedback, the Mini sounds great and maybe more versatile range and more responsive preamp controls (?), but the 5:25 I have probably has the edge on pure tone in the clean and slightly pushed blues sounds.

This is going to get expensive... Fly to England, try out a Mini and if it lives up the the reviews, have it shipped home to Dublin, keep the 5:25 and suffer the guilt of the self-indulged. :?

Check out Dave G's recent post in the Rectifier section of this forum....he is from Ireland and recently purchased a Mini! He may be able to offer some additional insight in your region.

I've played both, and I now own a Mini-Recto. I really liked the cleans of the Express series, more the 5:50 than the 5:25, but the later still sounded great. What really turned me off from the Express series was the "Burn" mode. It's buzzy and horrible sounding in my opinion. It was very 1 dimensional sounding (not even 2 dimensional...) If I remember right, the "Blues" setting was nice though. I've also found it takes distortion pedals well. I know a lot of guys that use it for its clean channel and run dirt pedals into it and it sounds great.

The Mini-Recto is a WHOLE different animal. If you like the Recto tone in an amp that is portable, yet still rips, then this is the amp for you. Not sure how bluesy it will get, I don't look for that with this amp. MAYBE set to clean with a nice overdrive in the front would to the trick, but I don't really know.

That said, don't rule out the TA-15. That is a great sounding little head. I used to own one that I used as a recording amp. It did a TON of different sounds surprisingly well. Sounded great on both clean channels, sounded great on the Top Boost setting, and sounded great with both high gain channels. Great little amp. I only sold it (about a month or so ago) to purchase a Mini-Recto because it had more features that I want for my style of playing that the TA-15 didn't: Mid Knob, Presence Knob, and Loop.

At the end of the day, if you are happy with the sound of your amp, then keep it. If you can afford both, have both. You will find plenty of uses for all the tones covered in both amps.

Hope that helps...

5:25 Nick said:

I have had my 5:25 for about 4 years and still blown away with how good it sounds clean and driven. No need for another amp, but 'need' has never really been part of the equation. I haven't been in a band for years. So, anyway... I have been looking at reviews of the new Mesa Mini Recto. It looks and sounds great, at least via You Tube.
it looked like the preamp and power tube set-up is very similar to my 5:25 but no reverb and no contour. Is the mini recto basically the 5:25 repackaged to look like a dwarf rectifier or is it more versatile/different?

Has anyone owned or tried out both of these amps and have any views on how they compare? I play a Strat and a Les Paul Standard through my current 5:25.

Click to expand...

G'day Nick - didn't even know there was a Dublin Cailfornia hehehe.

Mini-rectifer - as you'd expect it's a different beast to the Express - it really is a mini rectifier.
Tested one recently - luved it.
High gain beast but it's also great right thru the range & very versatile - does great cleans & bluesy tones too
Great buy if you want another Mesa - so is the TransAtlantic

I picked up an Express 5:25 today for those times when i dont need my Roadking half stack... great little tone machine for sure