rectifier=overrated?

[wallie!]

wow, I went over to billy hyde music @ parramatta, plugged a jem into a dual rectifier and I was pretty shocked.

I had it on a reasonable setting (not so I drowned out the guy on the other side of the shop talking haha), and it sounded less than decent. The clean channel was alright, but the distorsion channels were bad. I don't think it could of been the Jem but it sounded so mushy, and when I turned up the treble it sounded really buzzy

At the BHM at camperdown I played on a EVH charvel through a fender amp and it sounded great, for one pickup and a bolt on neck it achieved an awsome sound, and the volume knob was really good.

:P

[red5]

They're a one tone amp... I've never liked them either. You managed to get a clean tone out of one though? I bow to you....

[Lefty Robb]

I'd much rather run a Triaxis and a 2:50/90...of course its more $$ though..

[adamcbest]

i've never liked them either. Clean channel is nasty. No life, no clarity and the gain channels are very grindy and sizzly. I've never gotten good sounds from them. If you are interested in Mesas. I'd try a Mark, Nomad, Triaxis+2:90 combo, or Quad Preamp + some power amp combo. They willg et you better tones in my opinion

[Ozzdoc]

It's a one trick poney .

[metalguitarist7778]

Thats why I like th B-52 at100 head, that is safe, reliable, and sounds great, ask anyone who has tried it, bang for your buck, and great tones!

[the.godfather]

I've always liked the rectifier series actually. But as it has been previously said, they are good at one thing. But that one thing is the main thing I look for in an amp - so it makes sense why I like them. I just dig the whole boogie/rectified tone as a whole really. They are quite pricey though, but you pay for quality.

[satchboogeyman]

Mesa's are notorious for being really tough to dial in. You have to be carefull with the treble and gain knobs. I dont like the Mesa sound personally. Although I have heard good tones from clips online I have not been able to dial one in for the "sound" I am looking for. I have tried all the f series, single rec and dual rec and a Mk IV. The MkIV sounded like it really had potential. I am just not that patient. The first time I heard a b-52 I was blown away. But I didnt buy it right there cuz I have a bad habit of loving something at first and then trading it in after a couple of months. The next couple of times I played it I was unimpressed. Dont know if it was me or cuz it was a floor model the same one actually and we all no the hell they go threw. Like the mesa I have heard good clips of the B-52. I cant remember the guys name but he did I believe it was Satch boogie and it sounded awesome. The quest for tone can be costly and frustrating.

[AirGuitar]

Im actually considering going from a TriAxis/2:90 setup to a Dual Recto. As much as i love the lead and clean tones from the TriAxis, id love to have a more gainy lead tone (the TriAxis always sounds very clean and open, and its pretty noisy with a pedal boosting it).

I havent quite made my mind up yet, ive considered a Recto, JSX and a Legacy, but im leaning towards the JSX or Recto at the moment.

[AirGuitar]

Heres a clip of the rectifier clean that was posted in the Petrucci forum a few days back, sounds decent to me:
http://media.putfile.com/clean-el34

[C.Thep]

recifiers are not a one trick pony. marshalls, yes, but dude, mesa boogies are so awesome. I can't understand why ya'll don't like them.

they are better than Krank.. ehh yuck.

[Epicus Furor]

Engl Powerballs pwn Mesa Rectifiers clean out of the water. I could never dial in a convincing clean tone on them for shi-. I think they are one trick ponys but they a great for metal rythym/lead tones when dialed properley.

Not had chance to play through a Krank yet, any good? I hear they are LOUD

[j.arledge]

most people that play mesas set them like any other amp , you can't do that . they are very wierd about how to set them to get the tone you want .

my old 5150 settings went somthing like
mid 5
high 7
bass 7 or 8

my mark 3
highs 8
mids 3
bass 4

the scoop thing doesn't work for me and i think it gives mesa a bad name to people who have always just used the mid scoop thing on other amps or they know thier favorite emo/screamo nu-metal band uses mesa and have thier settings mid scooped . It sounds muddy as hell and yes i think that sound is overrated A LOT .

to say they are one trick ponies is subjective . IMO mesas rectos are some of the most versital amps made , as i have said before and will say again if people would just reffer back to thier owner's manuel for suggested settings and work from those they'd find what they were looking for without a doubt .

by design mesa's have a huge bass responce , and i think that is where they get thier reputation as mud machines , people just need to learn how to listen and work thier amp and equipment .

ENGLs are the shiznit . very versital , extermly well built and have amazing sound to say they are better then mesa , well your comparing apples and oranges , it is a matter of taste .

[David McCarroll]

Ummmmm..... funnily enough every time I have plugged into a rectifier I find it really easy to get a great clean sound, and harder to get any other overdriven sound than the "classic" rectifier sound - the Tone King, on the other hand, is a superb beast of an amp! Mesas are not great at low volume (and with a Boogie this means when anyone within about 100 metres can still talk!!!), they DO sound buzzy and fuzzy, but when you let them open up, drop the gain and let the power tubes do a bit of work they absolutely cook!

[jaxadam]

I've never been too pleased with straight up head-cabinet set-ups. Mesa sound pretty okay, but I haven't explored too many other options.

It's weird, I'm pretty finickey about my sound, but I get a great sound out of cheap amps for some reason...