Advice on a Mesa Dual Rectifier

[mkh02]

Hey guys

Thinking about buying a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier for the simple reason I have always wanted one lol!

Aside from the impulsive nature of buying it I also want a bit of practicality out of it.

Does it have any form of attentuation/ master volume feature Ie: to get high gain lead tones do I have to put it up to ear splitting volume or can I get high distortion at low volumes.

I do play a few larger venues but the majority of gigs are in pubs and I play a lot at home. I therefore need to get the sound at lower volumes ie: around 3-4 volume on an average 100w amp and 5-6 for larger venues.

I also see that they have a single rectifier solo 50w head...anyone used this? Can you get a similar tone from it?

Thanks in advance guys!

[Dmoney]

the dual rec has switchable master volumes, and you can also use the FX loop level to alter the volume I think.
I did own one, im trying to remember.

The down side is that using them on really really low MV settings in you bedroom doesn't sound that good. they do need a bit of volume, but im not saying they need running at large venue levels to sound good. I just struggled using mine at home when I had no other amps to hand, that said using it between 3-7 should be ok. better than using it at 1 or 0.5.

i'd highly recommend playing one for before you buy one though. the eq has a different feel to you straight up marshall TMB stack. It is its own beast really. I liked mine but I messed with it for ages. Lower gain valve in V1, (i just used JJ's in the preamp) and I also put EL34's in mine. I prefer that to the all out gain pre and 6L6's.

I have run on JJ 6V6's in a dual rec. which was actually ok. also swapped the type of rectifier valve.

lot of flexibility but i'd say you really need to take one for a spin.

[marauder]

I've got a Rectoverb combo, 50W single rectifier with reverb.  It's really loud! Or can be if I let it.

Doesnt have quite the punch of the dual, and not as many switched options, but better for lower volume use.

Also, recently the master volume pot pops when I turn the volume right down to zero, so I decided to run the master at about 50%, and use the channel volumes to lower the overall level.  This works well, and I actually prefer it to running the channels high, and master low.

Winged C 6L6s do wonders for rectifiers.

Also a subtle overdrive on gain channel works great, acts more of an EQ and tightens up the bottom which can be a little loose.

The EQ is a bit odd, each stage of it feeds the next so it's very interactive.

[dave_mc]

i've never had a problem with the lower volume tones, but i've also read a lot of posts from people who don't like them turned down...

one of those things you really have to try yourself, unfortunately, to see which group you fall into.

[Yellowjacket]

The Mesa Dual Rectifier is LOUD!!!!  FREAKING LOUD.  Mesa somehow manages to squeeze extra horsepower out of their tube heads.
Which Dual are you planning on getting?  (2 channel, 3 channel, or 3 channel Reborn?)

On my 2 channel, once I get the volume up to between 9:00 and 10:00 (2 - 3 on a typical 100watt head)  the tone opens up, something I attribute more to the speakers than the amp itself.  If you are playing heavier music, you can turn up the gain for low volume playing to maintain saturation for your tone.  If you like lighter tones, you need to crank the amp more to get that crunch and breakup.  (running the gain below 11:00 on the modern channel, for instance)
You can run the volume until about 12 noon (5 - 6) on the Modern Gain channel before the power tubes begin to distort heavily and the tone turns to a soupy mess.  The best crunch tones are found by running the power section just hot enough that the tubes start to purr slightly.  Like barely edge of breakup.   

The real 'problem' volumes are under 9:00 or under 2.  That is when the tone is thin and really buzzy.  I would definitely NOT recommend one of these for bedroom playinG!

If you get the Reborn head, you can do bar gigs with 50watts which should get you more crunch.  What you can also try is running maybe a 2 x 12 or a 100watt Marshall 4 x 12 (lower efficiency speakers) for those bar gigs, depending on what you need.  With a Dual, you can also pull out a pair of power tubes and a rectifier tube to run your amp at 50 watts in the case you don't have the amp with the half power switch.  Do keep in mind you will have to 'reset' the speaker output to compensate for the missing tubes.  You connect 4ohm output to 8 ohm cab instead of 8 ohm output to 8 ohm cab in this instance.

If you tell me what style you play and what your needs are, I can better answer your question.  The 2 x 12 for small stuff and the 4 x 12 for bigger stuff is a great option, and don't forget the earplugs. 

As for pickups, high output mid boost and bass cut pickups are best for this amp.  They tend to tighten up the tone and add more 'cut' to it.

 

[witeter]

Ive got the Mesa Single Rectifier 50w head (series 2)and its ridiculously loud, in my band practices and gigs i dont get the output level past 4!. You can play at bedroom levels also with it and sounds fine though it really sounds its best when cranked. The series 2 also allows you to easily swap between 6L6 and EL34 powertubes as it has a bias switch.

Depending on what music you play I found that I was only happy with the distorted sound once I had an overdrive pedal running in front of the amp (in my case a Maxon OD808). It just tightens up the low end and projects the mids a bit better giving you more attack. Low end chug is imperative for me so using the Maxongave me that. This seems to be an 'issue' with lots of mesa amps though-their bottom end is quite loose.
It has 2 channels but 5 different modes: Channel1: Clean, Pushed and Channel 2: Raw, Vintage and Modern. I tend to use Clean and Modern. What I love about the amp is that it has a lot of versatility and you can get any sound you want out of it. The cleans are really nice in my opinion and the distortion when set right is devastating. Something else worth mentioning (which is where Mesas i think excel) is how quiet and clear they are. Even under gain they have a lot of clarity, they are almost quite dry sounding amps. I wouldnt classify it as a 'metal' amp but you can get a great metal sound out of it.

Also the simgle rec is about half the price of the dual and in my opinion you get more than enough features and sounds to cover any spectrum of music. I havent compared the sound to a Dual, but you get people hwo perefr the single, others who prefer the Dual, depends hwo much headroom you want and the best thing is to try them out. The EQ in the mesa's are in series so they all affect each other in a completely diferent way to your standard amp-the best thing is to go with your ears rather than looking at the knobs. Anyways hope this helped! :-)

[ElectricTurkey4369]

I had a Single Recto, and now I currently have a Roadster.
The Single Recto was alright, it just felt like it was missing something. After putting EL34's in it, the amp came alive. I eventually sold it because I wanted more versatility. The roadster, however, is absolutely amazing! No complaints at all. I like how you can turn totally remove the FX loop from the circuit, which results in pure tonal goodness  :D