Mesa/Boogie 2x12 Recto Cabinet

Typical 2x12 cab. Loaded with Vintage 30s at 70 watts each.

I compared this cab with the new Genz-Benz George Lynch G-Flex 2x12".
The two were side by side so I could do a very direct comparison. Sorry Mesa owners, the G-Flex won handily. If you like high gain and bottom end, there is no comparison...get the G-Flex and save yourself $75. The Mesa's treble was harsher, too.

It's a cab. Don't over power it and you'll be fine.

I've called Genz-Benz/Tubeworks and they have been kind, informative, and efficient. I don't have the time to call Mesa. You might as well have something to do while you're on hold.

Because I was able to do an a-b comparison on the two cabs I wanted, I figured I'd go public with my observations.

This cabinet can make anything sound good. Very versatile.

If I could give this thing a higher score than 10, I would. It is that good. I had heard people say Mesa cabs are better than others, but didn't know they were THIS much better! I had a Marshall Valvestate 100 1X12 combo amp (which some people say is a piece of shit but I like it a lot), and bought the Mesa 2X12 to go with it. The amp sounds 10 times better now. It sounded good before--but now its phenomenal. I play very hard and heavy--I downtune a step and a half and boy, when I play muted power chords, the bass just thunders. Wall-shaking (my Mom loves it).

I can't imagine this thing ever breaking down. It's too well-built.

I've been playing almost 3 years and have 2 Ibanez S470's and the Marshall Vavlvestate 100 watt combo. Adding this Mesa 2X12 cab was the smartest idea I've probably ever had. My amp sounds phenomenal now. I still can't believe someone could make a cabinet that improves an amp's sound this much. $499 well spent. I might buy another one.

Bought this cabinet in april of 2000. Contains two 90 watt celestion speakers. Its wrapped in black leather, blah, blah, blah....you've seen it.

Ok...This has to be the craziest cabinet I have ever played out of. I play extremely heavy music and this thing suits my style perfectly. This cabinet is much tighter and and louder than alot of 4x12 cabinets that I have played out of...seriuosly, this thing is no joke. It can handle extreme amounts of volume and still sound great. It however does not have as much bass response as a 4x12, but it comes really close. When teamed up with a mesa rectifier 4x12, I will garuntee you will have THE best speaker combination known to man. I play out of a mesa tri-axis and a simul-2:90 power amp going to this cabinet and a 4x12 rectifier cab. This thing alone would have no problem handling the 2:90 but when teamed up with 4x12 recto cab, unbeleivable!!! I have also used this cab with a dc-10 head and it worked great for that(when the dc was working right).

Its mesa isnt it. Unbeleivable product!! My bands plays about 2-3 gigs a week and this thing never gives me even the slightest problem.

I never have dealt with mesa and with a product this good I dont think that I ever will.

I have been playing guitar for about for years and I am about as serious as you can get, especially when it comes to gear. I am probably one of the pickiest guitarist ever!! It takes alot to satisfy me and money is no thing for me, it shouldnt be if playing is more than just a "hobby" to you. I must say that for the price this is the best cabinet you can get. This cab IS, and I will stress IS much better than any 4x12 you can get in its price range. Between craftsmanship, price and sound you just cant beat it. And dont even think you can buy a cheap 4x12(peavey, marshall valvestate, etc.)and expect it to be better than this cause they have more speakers cause they are not. Like I said I am hard to satisfy and have played through and owned ALOT OF EQUIPMENT! Trust me, if you dont wanna spend the extra $$$ on the recto 4x12 or would just rather have a 2x12 then do yourself a favor and buy this, its the best out there!

1999 2x12 with Celestion vintage 30's

i am using a mesa 20\20 amp and a formula preamp. these cabs give remarkable low end response.

they are heavy...but not as heavy as a 4x12!!! they can takwe a scuff or a drop.

have called mesa...they called back within a week. had a goood talk .
these cabs will go on and on...like cockroaches after the nuclear winter or the sun goes nova.

i've played for 10 years. yea, i would get mesa stuff again...in fact my mesa amp was ripped off, and i got another one! i dig mesa engineering. i liked the bass response of this recto cab better than the marshall 1936.
sounds great.

I bought this cab new for $499. Compared to my 4x12, it sounds quite a bit grittier- not as smooth. Perhaps a characteristic of those celestion vintage 30's. Tremendous bass output, nice highs, and even mids. This cab will not fart out at even moderately high volumes. Good deal.

Well, this is a very simple featured cabinet, it is mono 8ohm cabinet loaded with 2x12 vintage 30 speakers, it also has one output to string cabinets together, i love the fact that it is much smaller than a marshall 2x12 but it sounds alot better.

I have tried it with a bunch of heads power amps and guitars, what surprised me the most is the quality of the sound that it generates, the speakers could not be better, i tried it with a mesa single rectifier solo 50 head and it just sounded amazing, then i had a friend's blue voodoo head and cabinet, i tried the blue voodoo with the matching cabinet and it didn't sound as good as the mesa head, but then i pluged the blue voodoo into the mesa cabinet and it made a great difference, even the horrible feedback i was getting with that head before disappeared!!, it just sounded soo close to the boogie dual rectifier, i became sad cause the blue voodoo is half the prive of my boogie head and it sounded just as good, i bet that with better tubes the blue voodoo would sound just amazing, the 2x12 recto caninet can bring up the best of a head, and it is just as good as a recto 4x12 but a little cheaper , at half the weight and half the size without compromising the tone.

Never given me a problem, i trust it as i trust any essential part of my rig, i only have a back up guitar ( thats all i can afford ), i depend on mesa/boogie, i know they won't let me down ( most of my rig is mesa ).

I have only called them to ask about some prices, and some custom options, and they were more than helpful

I have been for a while, and i was looking for something small, with great sound, and that wouldn't compromise sound, and i'm glad to say that i found it.

Made in '99 it is a horizontal 2x12 cabinet with 2 Celestion Vintage 30's. It has a parallel out for stringing cabs together and an 8ohm out. Very sturdy construction with thick birch sides, bottom and top. It is covered with a black tolex-like covering. However you can get an upgrade covering and/or grillecloth change for $300 and up.

It is a closed back cabinet, but it does come with a half-back panel to substitute for a more open sound.

I use it mainly for HUGE rock and metal tones with a Les Paul Standard (Duncan JB and Jazz pickups). I also use it with an American Deluxe Strat (Vintage Noiseless pickups) for blues and classic rock, and even some funk and it sounds great.

It suits my all (of my) styles perfectly because it sounds huge, like a 4x12 (I also have a recto 4x12), yet it's somewhat compact.

When cranked it does not falter at all. It can handle an immense amount of input. I am using it with a Mesa/Boogie Mark IV, a Subway Rocket and have used it with a Dual Rectifier. Laying on the floor, it sounds best. I used to have it elevated to be directed at me, but this dispersed the highs too much. On the floor is where it comes alive.

It has a great tone at low volumes, but at higher levels, when the speakers break up a bit, sounds incredible.

It is a no-nonsense cabinet. It is solidly made and sounds huge. I would use it without a backup. The speakers can handle a lot.

I have dealt with Mesa exclusively for the last 12 years and they have NEVER let me down. I have had other pieces repaired by the factory and they are top-notch. The warranty is one year parts and labor.

I have been playing for 18 years and have owned a lot of gear. I see no reason to go with other than Mesa equipment. They solve all my tone problems.

I would definitely buy it again. I love the portability and the fact that you don't sacrifice that open bigness in tone vs. a 4x12. There is nothing I don't like about this cabinet.

You can't compare the quality craftsmanship of Mesa to any other company because it is no comparison. The only thing this cabinet does not have is a stereo out, for players that require one. I guess you could get two recto 1x12's for that.

Two jacks, open/closed back panel available (not on mine), solid birch ply construction, Vintage 30's, heavy! Big heavy duty handle and rubber feets. Fairly versatile sounds.

This cabinet is excellent in response and tone. It sounds great! It is a heavy, thick, solid, airtight cab for fabulous tone and bottom. Tight and fat yet defined. It has a great, thick, low end, sizzling but not harsh highs, and a woody midrange. Very nice...bassy and warm throughout the frequencies...seems almost full range to me, doesn't favor any one frequency above another...nothing harsh or unbalanced. Best cabinet I've heard or owned (except of cours the 412 Recto cab). Does not have quite the bottom of a 4x12 unfortunately...misses a little chunk. However, it does have a clarity and presence... and does not fart out...incredible! I wish I had two! The V30s are somewhat bright, but that adds to the sizzle and presence...and crunch! I like bright. I turn the prescence down to 3 on the red channel. These are very efficient and loud speakers. This cab does great, except when you are really cranking it LOUD, it thins out a bit. And I mean LOUD. I hear people talking about LOUD saying their Dual Recto on 3 is LOUD, well I'm talkin about 6-7 with Solid state rectifier and full power red channel gain almost maxed. But I think this becomes a function of the amp and the acoustics of a room as much or more than the cab though. I've recorded with it and my Dual Recto Rackmount, sounded perfect. I've tried this cab with Celestion G12T75s, they just don't do it at all. The V30s are a big part of this cab.

Clean sounds are good. Not airy like a open back (obviously), but you can get an open back option on this cab. I prefer closed back cabs for the balls, push, and chunk, even on clean tones.

I give it a 9 because it's the closest I've heard to what i want to hear in my head.

Speakers should be fine, they are efficient and so loud that I don't think you need to drive them hard. However, because there's only 2 of them, you tend to crank more than a 412 (and more power to less speakers...could be dangerous for me.)

Cab is solid and heavy. Mines an older one with the black Mark series tolex, not the fake leather. That's right guys, it's not real black leather on your Mesa cabinets...unless it's custom suede which costs a lot of money extra.

Used cabinet...

An incredible value, fits in the trunk, and in any normal band/stage situation will offer plenty of power. My band of course has 8 guys and that's a lot of noise to compete with, so i'm going to get another one (or a Marhsall 1936 for the variety and to save some bucks)!

I got this cab brand spanking new and it rocks. I use a Peavey 5150 head and this cab really gives it that beefed up punch Ive been searching for the last year or so. I basically got this cab cause I figured I went out and finally got a nice tube amp so why go cheap on the cab. And man its well worth it. It looks really sweet too.

Ok, this cab is made as good as it will ever get. The thing is thick walled and air tight. This means the sound is very contained in the cab, which means the lows stay tight and dont rattle the surrounding area or walls like a crap cab will. Where other cabs would start to 'fart' or break up, this cab just keeps on going. It really allows for a thick bottom end that stays solid and doesnt break up because of the great design of the body. To put it simply this cab is made to sustain great tone and add character to a good amp. Its the best there is, and if you can afford it there is no reason you should consider anything else. While I was waiting for this amp to get built, I was able to use a loaner cab from the store. It was a Genz Benz 212 and man what a difference with the MESA. The Genz is a great cab, better then any new Marshall, but the MESA shines way beyond the Genz. For one the body of the MESA is just superior, and the Celestion Vintage speakers make sure the bottom end is well maintained.

Umm, this thing has the thickes ends of any cab I have seen. Its built rock solid. They could use this thing to transport bombs and it would hold up if one blew up. But not to take any chances Im going to treat this thing like its made of glass, I cant afford to have to get a new one. But Im sure it will last.

Never had to deal with them. Although the building of the cab after I ordered it took forever, like over a month cause they ran out of speakers or something. But the store gave me a loaner, so you know the dealers will back them up.

Its a MESA! You know it rocks, you know its the best, so just save up and get one. Otherwise youll do what I did and get cheaper stuff and keep dreaming of MESA. So just save your time and get this one first.

The Recto 2x12 is a 2x12 cabinet based on Mesa's very successful 4x12 Recto cabs. The layout of the cabinet is horizontal, as opposed to the 2x12 cabinets Mesa used to put out under the "Boogie" nomenclature. Overall, the cabinet size is also bigger than the Boogie-style cabinets, a design which reflects Mesa's more recent emphasis towards a bigger, looser bottom end. The cabinet is designed to be used with Mesa's Trem-O-Verb and Dual Rectifier series of heads (Solo Head, Maverick, Palomino, and Blue Angel). The cab also features two Celestion Vintage 30 drivers, which I understand Mesa specifiically selects--evidently there is enough variation between Vintage 30's for Mesa to reject the ones they don't want. I believe Matchless does the same thing; Matchless also then further modifies the speakers to produce the tone that they want out of it. Basically, the aim of this cabinet, according to Mesa, was to produce the big, dark tone of the Recto 4x12 cab in a smaller, more portable size. I got the cab with the vintage gold grille, which I believe there is an upgrade for now. I also own a Recto 4x12 bottom cab with the vintage gold grille, so you might say I have a matching set. Other features about the cabinet? The cabinet is wired in mono at 8 ohms and heavy as hell--I would guess at least 50 pounds alone for this cabinet, almost as much as my early-'70s Marshall 4x12 slant cab. I have to give the cab an 8 in this category, because the criteria here is VERSATILITY. This cab was designed to deliver a huge bottom end and a big overall sound, which is great for its intended applications (rock, alternative, metal, etc.) but likely isn't versatile enough for styles such as jazz, blues, fusion, etc. So while I DIG the sound of this cabinet and what it does for ME, i wouldn't be hauling this cab to every type of gig i play. keep in mind i am going for a big high-gain rock tone, a la dann huff's tone on the second giant album.

after using this cab in rehearsal, i can honestly say that this cab has the HUGE sound of the recto 4x12, but smaller and more compact. one great advantage about using the 2x12 recto cab as opposed to the 4x12 is that i can actually open up the amp more--the fewer amount of speakers make the amp less efficient, and so i can open up the master much higher than i could have done with the 4x12. for more info about the recto 4x12 sound, check out my review. basically, this is a smaller, more compact version of the 4x12 sound: for all you recto 4x12 owners, take a look at this cabinet. you no longer have to deal with lugging around a huge cabinet in order to preserve your tone around town. give these cabinets a show--they are THE REAL DEAL.

i haven't had a chance to really test this cabinet out, but i have really put some serious volume and hours into the recto 4x12 i have. the recto 2x12 looks like a smaller version of the 4x12, and if the 4x12 is any indication, i would say this cab is just about bulletproof. even with a REALLY loud 100-watt tube head, you should have some headroom with these cabs--the vintage 30's are rated at 70 watts a piece, so theoretically you have 140 watts. but keep in mind that a 100-watt tube amp, when cranked, can generate bursts of sound which are up to 250 watts in a shot, so you CAN still blow up the cab. but i can tell you that i run my trem-o-verb head at 11:00 on the red channel's high-gain mode (bloody loud), and the cab DOES NOT fart out in any way, even with the huge amount of low end of the head. honestly, i can't even say this about my early-'70s marshall 4x12 slant cabinet, so i think that says quite a bit about the construction of this cabinet.

i've had mixed dealings with mesa, but this is what it amounts to: when you can get through and talk to someone, they are extremely helpful. when you have to leave a message, it sometimes takes DAYS for them to call you back. also, i have found that it really depends on how you deal with. john marshall at mesa has been fantastic to deal with, while other gys haven't been so cooperative or helpful. everyone is KNOWLEDGEABLE, mind you--but certain guys are more willing to send replacement tubes out without giving you grief. again, as i've said before, mesa is a small company which has been growing quite a bit as of late--they may be experiencing growing pains in the customer support department, but overall they are about as good as you can get for a company that size.

i would buy this cab again. the thing i was going for was to get a recto 4x12 cab sound in a smaller, more compact package. i didn't want to deal with lugging around a big 4x12 cabinet to every gig, but on the other hand i didn't want to sacrifice my tone, either. if that's what you're going after, check out the recto 2x12. they are very pricey--$500 new without the vintage gold grille option, slip cover, or optional open-back panel, all of which i got with the cabinet in MINT condition--but you DO get what you pay for. for all you used gear junkies, keep your eyes out for these...if you find out for the price that i did, don't hesitate and buy it! chances are, you can at least make some money if find out that you don't like the sound as much as i do.