Mesa DR [vs.] Orange?

[cradlefish]

Do yourself a favor. If you can find a place that will give you a 3-5 day trial period. Take it to a live situation and decide for yourself. The best way to determine the amps full potential is in a band situation.

 

[siggy14]

What cab are you using with your DR? Here are a few tricks, by your guitar and name I am assuming you are into punk, styles of say blink etc...

First, get a normal size cab, the mesa traditional is a great cab. Second you keep saying muddy on the recto, makes me wonder are you using and OD pedal in front to drive the pre-amp tubes? Honestly I can not play a recto without and OD in front, typical settings on the OD pedal, leval all the way up, gain all the way down and tone to suit my needs. I prefer the Ibanez TS9 as it gives the recto a little mid bump. I keep my gain around 1 oclock on the amp since i am slamming my pre amp tubes.

Another little trick if you are using a 3 channel recto, use channel two on modern.

Thank for replying, nice to know you actually owned both. I'm going to try to play one before buying anything. I could love the amp from the reviews and hearing it on youtube, but it could all change when I hear it in person. I don't want to be trading my boogie just to find out I don't like the Orange.. if I bought it for cash, I could probably make a profit quite easily but I'm in debt right now :shock:

A new cab could change the tone also? I see quiet a few people using marshall cabs with recto amps. Might give me a tighter sound instead of the flab

 

[HIgh Gain Junkie]

I tried out the RV 50 the other day and now it makes me want to try to sell my tremoverb again...the sustain was amazing!

 

[srf399]

Also... make sure you are using your guitar when you go try amps. A lot of times guys use a guitar of the rack at the store and a lot of the difference can be the guitar and not the amp.

 

[madryan]

I've always wondered how the Rockverb stacks up against a Stiletto.
It's kind of been on my wish list.

I played them A/B style whilst shopping for amps. Brand new Stiletto Deuce and an Orange Rockerverb 100. Mesa OS 412 for both. Les Paul straight into the front. I really wanted to like the Mesa as I'm an unabashed Mesa ***** but the Orange destroyed the Stiletto in every way. It was fatter, warmer, ballsier, sounded better in general and it almost didn't matter how you tweaked the knobs on the Orange, it still sounded incredible. I dropped the cash right then and there and walked out with it. Ironically, it sounds even better on my buddies Egnater cab so I'll most likely be buying that cab and using my 212 for my DC-5.

A buddy of mine's got a RK II and for me, the Orange is better, but it's apples vs. oranges... heh heh...

Seriously, I had a Dual Rec (older 2 channel, ser # in the 800's) and on good days it was killer but for the most part it was a really hard amp to live with.

The Orange on the other hand is more Marshall-esque, but it's definitely got its own vibe. It's less compressed than the current high gain Marshalls (I A/Bd it against the Kerry King JCM800 and the JVM and it destroyed them both) It's just a big, fat, warm, punchy sound that works for all sorts of music.

Last night we took it to the local GC to try out Les Pauls (friend is looking for one) and used the Orange and my Les Paul as a baseline. The manager is a buddy of mine and plugged in a really nice strat and starts playing SRV tunes on the dirty channel and it sounded just like Stevie. Great amp all around.

 

[R_ADKINS80]

I will go as far to say that t's the Invader that is causing your flabby muddy tone. Switch that thing out for a Distortion, Full Shred or Custom if you want to stay Duncan. I'd recomend maybe a Bill Lawrence or one of MANY Dimarzio pups for passives. My buddy plays a G&L strat with alder body and a maple neck/board and his tone slays though his TR. But he's got 18v EMG 81/SA/SA also with one of the EMG gain boosters. (we like EMGs ALOT).

Bottom line for you would be....better pick-up=better tone but it's just an oppinion.

 

[screamingdaisy]

+1 that you have a bad guitar/amp match. DRs and Strats aren't meant to go together, you need a warmer-sounding guitar with a Recto.

No you don't.

First, get a normal size cab, the mesa traditional is a great cab. Second you keep saying muddy on the recto, makes me wonder are you using and OD pedal in front to drive the pre-amp tubes?

It's probably the Invader.



Anyway, I've owned a Rectifier and currently have a Rockerverb 50. The Rockerverb is very nice sounding but extremely generic. I often find it makes me feel like I'm playing a really high quality distortion pedal. I never got that vibe from my Rectifier.

On a side note... where do you live?

 

[stephen sawall]

"On a side note... where do you live?"
Seattle :idea: :arrow: :mrgreen:

 

[screamingdaisy]

"On a side note... where do you live?"
Seattle :idea: :arrow: :mrgreen:

I meant the threadstarter... though I suspect by the smilies you knew that....

 

[stephen sawall]

I like both amps .... they both can get some great voices. :!: :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I own a Mesa dual rec and have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes I like my tone but then other times I'm looking for something different and I can't seem to achieve that tone. The DR is muddy at times and is kind of flabby with sharp highs.

I'm gonna go out on a whim here and bet that you've got a 3 channel Rectifier. Compared to an older 2 channel, they're pretty lousy in achieving the tight, huge organic sound Rectifiers were known for producing in the 90s.