Mesa/Boogie 2x12 Recto Cabinet

Celestion Vintage 30 at 16 ohm each, cab is 8 ohm mono only, no stereoswitch. V30 speakers sounds great, especially in this cab, very versatile speakers, can do all musicstyles good, does Rock/Heavy Metal extremely well, cuts through in any situation. If it weren't for the sound, versatility in the speakers and great sound I would give it a "1" here because it's very simple and doesn't have any features at all actually, no stereoswitch is a bit poor in my opinion. Could be easily installed tho. I'll give it a "7" just because of the great sound it produces.

Great, it doesn get any better. I've heard some people complain about this cab to be to directional, I have to say I couldn't disagree more. It spreads the sound very well and it cuts through in any situation. This is a tone machine.

Great I can't see how it could be any better.

It's bad from my personal experience, I believe it's better in USA but that doesn't really matter since I've had bad experience with their customer support, it should not matter where you live.

At the end of the day you buy cabs for their sound and their quality, so it's a given "10" here, no matter if it costs $1,000,000 or $500 it still sounds great.

2008 model. Just a 2x12. No stereo capablility as configured currently but someone here previous gave good instructions on how to convert it. I have seen alot of people here saying it is heavy but I think it is great compared to it's big brother (Mesa Recto 4x12) that I have been lugging around for several months. Let's put it this way, I can move this entire set-up by myself now. Couldn't do it before without another person helping me with the 4x12. Can also move this in a car versus a truck. Thumbs up on that!

This is where I was pleasently surprised. I bought this to keep at home for practice and I was going to leave the 4x12 at the practice space and just move my Road King II back and forth. This thing sounds great! I think it compresses the sound a little more so you a little more gain and bass thump. Usually, you lose bass when you compress but not in this case. This cab does not hinder the the amp's ability to cut through the mix either. The other guitar player in my band plays a newer Marshall full stack and I have to turn down to about 1.5 so that I don't drown him out. I love it ;-)

I am comfortable that this cab can handle most playing situations that I would find myself in. If I fry a speaker then I have the volume maxed and that would be my fault, not the 2x12's. If I ever get famous and I am playing stadiums, which will be never, then I will run both the 4x12 and the 2x12 at the same time but I will pay someone else to move them for me. Mesa = quality!

Have yet to deal with them directly. From the posts I have read about Mesa though I feel pretty comfortable that I could get any problem I may have resolved relatively quickly.

I have been playing for about 25 years. I have owned lots of gear and lots of amps and cabs. There really is a difference. I learned the hard way, you cannot buy cheaper and replicate quality sound. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would just buy Mesa to begin with and skip a few meals and save myself alot of cash trying to get the Mesa sound.

The good...
Great casters. Lightweight (compared to my 4x12's. Nice handels. The oversize fits my Marshall head perfectly. On my old ADA 2x12, my amp wouls sit "off the feet".

The bad...
Thin tolex. Mono jack. Leather corners.

I bought this cab simply because I was sick of hauling around a 4x12 cab. I was hoping to find something affordable that was at least close enough in sound quality.

I bought this cab after seeing it in an ad. I could tell that it had never really been played (the guy I got it from has tons of gear and is always swapping something for something).

When i first got it home, I loved the low end. The mids seemed to push a little too much and the top end seemed a little spitty. After about three weeks, and a few shows, the sound changed. The rich low end was still there but the mids, while still very present, smoothed out and the spittiness disapeared. I think the speakers needed a chance to "break in". Now this thing sounds fantastic. I would get another in a heartbeat.

I have owned it for about a year and a half and it still feels as solid as when I bought it. No rattles at all.

I don't expect any problems with this cab...ever.

If the tolex was a little stronger and it came with metal corners I would give this cab a 10. I play hard and this guy delivers. Being "oversized", most people think it's a 4x12. After hearing it, no one even questions that it is (only) a 2x12.

Sometimes I still use a 4x12 for recording (only for a different sound - not a better sound) but when playing my Marshall live, this is the only cab I need.

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.