Mesa/Boogie 2x12 Recto Cabinet

Mesa/Boogie Rectifier 212 Cabinet. 2 Celestion Vintage 30 speaks, 8 ohms mono, parallel out (covered w/ shorting jack plug), black taurus finish. 2008 manufacture, I believe. Unlike previous years, mine actually came with the detachable casters!

HUGE!

I was playing a Mesa/Boogie Road King 412 stereo cab before this (C90s and V30s, 3/4 back) which I loved but was too massive, and didn't do it for me distortion-wise. Switching to this I still had great cleans but what really shines is the heavy, chugging, in your face distortion. I was surprised how loud this sucker is too. Not as loud as the 412 (which thus allows me to crank the amp more), but still damn loud. Pretty directional though (212 cabs are like that).

I give it a 9 only because it doesn't do the UNGODLY cleans my RK cab did. But otherwise outstanding...I don't even feel the need to use my OD anymore in front of my Roadster!

Mesa is solid beyond compare. Heavy stuff designed for the next World War.

They've always been very good to me.

Great cab. Excellent construction, ENORMOUS distorted sound, very good (but not AMAZING!!!111one cleans). HEAVY AS HELL. But very portable. Play one and you'll see the hype.

It seems like a good cab for a small venue or home studio. Best for playing metal music or tick sounds. It has two 60 Watt Celestion Vintage 30 speakers inside, wired in paralel with one mono input. I felt the need to have it wired in stereo, because I have a Mesa/Boogie 20/20 amplifier which is stereo.

After a quick search on eBay I've found a MESA BOOGIE 2X12 CAB MONO/STEREO JACK PLATE W/SWITCH and got it right away. It has a metal switch which doesn't feel cheap and looks like it will last for life.

The switch can't be switched accidentally because is placed right between the two jacks, beside, it needs some strenght to be switched. Looks and feels strong. The plate is also labeled nicely with Mesa/Boogie logo and it has marks for mono/stereo mode of operation. Very clever. I was surprised how easy was to install the jack plate!

Now I have what Mesa Boogie should have done from the start: a Stereo 2 x 12 V30 cabinet that can be switched to mono when I need more power - usualy when playing in clubs or other venues.

The sound is thick and black. Powerful. It suits my metal music. The heaviness of the cabinet might be the secret to this sound. It's heavy - over 30 kilos. It seem built like a tank.

The grill cloth is made of some sort of plastic, but I am pleased that this is well fitter to the cabinet so it doesn't buzz during loud playing.

The V30 speakers are awsome and make all the difference! Punchy, quick, linear in reproducing lows and mid-lows, yet crisp and clear on highs.

I feel that I can depend on this cabinet. I use it mainly in studio and from time to time in small venues. It never broken down.

Never dealt with the company so far, regarding the cabinet. I had a question once, regarding my amplifier and I got an email response the next day. Nice and supportive!

I have this cabinet for a few months now. It seems like the best choice a metal player could have.

Now, with added versatility from the mono/stereo jack plate w/switch I could say that this is simply the best 2 x 12 V30 guitar cabinet ever. The switching jack plate really helps for that - I can switch from 60 Watt Stereo mode to 120 Watt Mono mode, instantly.

Made in 2007, It also handles every style I throw at it. I play mainly Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Wolfmother, Jimi Hendrix.... As you can see a very versatile palette of music. This thing gets loud as hell, its unreal...

It's a Cab... How many features can it possibly have to give it a 10

Well I am very impressed with it overall, it's got the deep and throaty tone you would expect from a Mesa Boogie Cabinet, yet amazing midrange and highs too. The clean in my honest opinion also sounded amazing, I've only played through a couple different cabs before including a Marshall 4x12 1960 Cab, a Vox 4x12, and a Marshall 1936 2x12 cab, and this thing blows them away. I'm not just some Mesa fanboy this cab really does produce any sound that the head throws at it. I've played it through 2 different heads so far. A Marshall DSL 2000, and a Mesa Boogie Road King Series 2, and let me tell you both sound absolutely amazing, I don't know what people are talking about when they say they hear a Booming sound all of the time, they must have their lows all the way up... who does that?

If it was big enough... I would be buried in it, because it could easily withstand anything, I'm almost confident enough to say that if a Damn Semi would hit it..... It might still work. It weighs like 75 lbs and is just solid as hell, and people why complain so much about tolex... It's just tolex... And It looks way sexier than the tolex Marshall uses. Seems like its made out of Solid Steel its so damn solid.

Haven't had to deal with Mesa other than to order a kick ass head like the Road King, and I was very impressed on how responsive they were to every question I had and how quick they were to respond. I will never need to repair it, and the thing has a 5 year Transferable warranty on it. Did I mention it was Handbuilt in the USA... It's solid. I'm confident I will never need an authorized service center... so I don't care.

Been playing for about 6 years, I own a Mesa Road King Series 2 Head, and the Recto 2x12 Cab. For guitars I have a Gibson Les Paul Standard w/alnico's and a Danelectro, and I've played my friends Fender Jazzmaster and Telecaster through it and they all sound nothing less than amazing. If it was stolen or lost I'd save for another. I love it. I don't hate it ever. I wish it had Casters because it's damn heavy, but I guess that means quality.

I just wanted to put out a comment about modifying the 2x12 Recto cabinet. I know a number of reviewers here said that they wished this cab had stereo capability. I have the good fortune of living within driving distance of Mesa/Boogie's Hollywood outlet store, so just recently I was able to go there and put in a custom order for a 2x12 Recto cabinet with 4 ohms mono / 8 ohms stereo (as opposed to the normal 8 ohms mono only), at no extra charge. There were only a few conditions:
- I had to put 25% down
- it'll take Mesa 4 to 6 weeks to build this
- the normal 5 day cash-back / 30-day store credit return policy would be void

It's certainly possible to replace the 16 ohm speakers with 8 ohm speakers and cut the connecting wires myself to achieve the same effect, but that would void the 3-year warranty. If a buyer wants Mesa to modify the cab, and doesn't live close to the Mesa outlet store in Hollywood, it may be worthwile to ask his Mesa dealer if they could talk to Mesa and handle such a request for a custom cab.

75 lbs
2x12 Celestion Vintage 30s
closed back
8 ohm input jack
parallel speaker output jack

Throaty, thick mids. Good, very tight lows. Not quite as boomy and big feeling as a 4x12, but I tend to like the place this cab finds in the mix. Lot's of personality. There's plenty of cut on the highs.

Solid. VERY solid.

no need.

I've used just this cab, or this cab and a 4x12 Marshall 1960a. Either way, it sounds amazing for guitar. Right where the guitar should be. It's pretty dang heavy though...75 lbs and no wheels, kinda awkward. It's a sacrifice for tone that I can afford.

Don't know what year. Celestion Vintage 30's, 140 watts, etc, etc.

I play an Agile Septor 7-string through a Peavey XXL solid state head, and the Mesa cab makes this decent rig sound fucking awesome. It's replacing a Peavey 412M with Sheffield 1200s. Not only does the Mesa sound better, but is ssoooo much louder. The lows are huge. Not quite as tight as I would want them, but shit, I'm not too picky. Sounds great. I can't even imagine what it would be like with a good high gain tube head.

This thing has already seen some rough days, and will continue to. Built like a goddamn tank, that's for sure. MESA rules.

Never dealt with Mesa, but I'm sure they're great.

Amazing cab, perfect for what I do. Loud, portable, and crystal clear. Bravo.

Age unknown. Bought used from local GC. Replaced two 1x12 half-open MB cabinets with this single 2x12 unit.

I play Gibson, Fender and Ibanez through various mod-Pedals (Keeley,etc) into a Mesa Boogie V-Twin preamp and then into a Mesa Boogie 20/20 stereo amp.

I cut the conncetor wires on the cab jack plate to give me a stereo cabinet.

No complaints from this thing. Built like a tank and the weight proves it.

Have not needed them for this but have used them for other things related to my amps. Decent support. Sometimes you have to leave a message.

Played 23 years. Rock and Christian rock. I love this cabinet. The closed cabinet is great. My Gibson is so thick it blows you over.

I believe it was made around 2003-2004, same as everyone else's reviews. 2 celestion 30's. 140 watts, 8ohm, mono.

This sounds amazing, my setup is an epiphone les paul elite standard or my epiphone SG301, to a boss dd20, peavey xxx with mesa tubes, then to my mesa cab. the high gain channels from the xxx sounds amazing through the mesa.

i would sooooooo use this at a gig with no backup whatso ever, its built like fort knox wearing a bulletproof vest... tough.
it gets an 8 for the tolex though, its not very tough.

i havent had to deal with them, but i have called them about catalog and ordering information. they are very helpful.

if it were stolen or broke. or randomly caught on fire, id buy another, its very nice and compact. i have played a 4x12 recto cab, it sounds the same as my 2x12

Don't know exactly the year of production.
I've played with this nice cabinet at various gigs.
The Cab has a good power, but I must admit that the other guitar player in my band told me to try the Blackshark cabinets 1x12 and 2x12and I would not be disappointed.
Two days later, after a couple of sessions, I sold my Mesa and ordered the same cab of my friend at BLACKSHARKCABINETS.COM at the half of the price of a Mesa or Bogner!
Sorry...non comparison in price and full sound!!!

Bill Lawrence XL 500.Evolution pickups.
The Blackshark 2x12 "Rattlesnake" blew away the Mesa on clean and distorted sounds, completely.

I sold it and bought a pair of new handcrafted cabinets.

Never needed : after only 6 months of use!
But it seems well built.

I 've been playing for 18 years more or less every kind of style.
If it was stolen I will defenetly buy another Blackshark cabinets.Also their customer support seems to be ok.

Not sure of the year on mine since I got it used locally from another guitarist who likes Marshall cabs better (he's crazy!). I play many different styles from metal to blues to jazz. This cab can suit them all, just depends on what you are running into it. Nice tight low-end, and the highs are still clear! I wish it wasn't so heavy, but I guess the thickness of the wood affects the tone you get, so whatever Mesa does, it's worth it! I know it doesn't MAKE the actual tone, but it amplifies it better than most cabs I have played through!

I haven't had a chance to REALLY crank it, but I played it once at VERY loud volume and it was GREAT! Chest pounding lows were abound, as promised by others that have played Mesa! This cabinet works pretty well with my cheap setup (Guitar ---> POD XT Live ---> Tube Works MosValve ---> Mesa Recto 212 cab), but man pair it up with a tube head and this thing ROCKS! I am planning on buying a Mesa Boogie Nomad 100 watt head from a friend, and that will make my perfect setup! Cleans are super-clean (not quite fender, but they are more versatile than a fender anyways!) but the distortion is AWESOME!!! The lows are tight and the highs and mids are perfect!

I would totally gig without a backup. I never understood all the hype behind Mesa cabinets before I tried one, it seems like it will last for a very long time! The only complaint I have is that the tolex, although smooth and nice to the touch, is quite prone to scratches. I have a used cab and it has scars from the last owner not being careful with it. It seems realiable but the tolex being thin is my only complaint here.

I just got off the phone with them! Mesa has THE best customer support! I got through right away and talked to a very friendly customer service rep! He answered every question I could think of, and even some I didn't! Very friendly, very helpful, very nice experience overall! Thanks Chris! (that was the guy I spoke to at Mesa, very nice individual... hope they are all that friendly!)

If this ever gets stolen, I'm going to save up for another one! Chances of this getting stolen are slim though, as the person carrying this thing would have to be waddling away with it (65 lbs for a 2x12!)! I love the tight lows, I've never had a cabinet capable of producing lows as nice as this, I really can't stress that enough! I just sold my Peavey Triple XXX 4x12 cabinet for this... I think the Celestion Vintage 30s in it are my favorite speaker now! Only thing I wish for now is maybe another one with the 3/4 back convertible option (if they make one with the vintage 30s that is), but I'm not sure if that would kill the lows I love! Overall the best cabinet I've played through! Wish I lived out in California, I would try to get a job with Mesa! Discount would be nice!