Mesa/Boogie 4x12 Recto Cabinet

2000 model Recto-Cab. I bought from a music store owner who claimed it was purchased for his touring band but it sat in an Anvil case and was never used it at all. Looked like it was just out of the box new.

Tons of bass, amazing high clarity, tons of power. Only thing I don't like, which pertains to all cabinets, is if you stand directly in front of it, the highs will kill your ears. I like to stand off to the side. Unfortunately, my drummer bears the full assault of this cabinet!

Built amazingly well. Solid and heavy as an anvil. No cheap tolex. I'm not sure what wood it is, but it's good quality I can tell. Seems to weigh twice as much as my Marshall 1960A cabinet did!

Haven't used them. I own a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 head paired to this cabinet, so I doubt I'll ever have to contact Mesa.

Initially I owned a Marshall AVT412 cabinet with my Marshall DSL100 head. The sound was decent but I knew I needed to upgrade to the big leagues. I sold my AVT412 and bought a new Marshall 1960A cabinet. I found the cabinet to be thin sounding and way too trebly. There was no balls to speak of and I was highly dissapointed and wishing I had my AVT412 back. Luckily, I found a music store with this Recto-Cab on the floor and the owner cut my a deal. I can tell you, there is no comparison to this cabinet and Marshall's. Granted I did not try the Marshall with the celestions V30s which Marshall says is the comparable cabinet, but I can tell a worls of difference in the construction and quality of the Mesa, and to me, that means almost as much as the sound. With my DSL100 head and this cabinet (and an outstanding EQ), I have the tone I have been looking for. It's pricey brand new, try and find one used to save money but you won't be dissapointed (only your checking account will).

I bought this cab in July 2002. In terms of doodads, not much here, but then again, it's a cabinet. Compared to other cabinets, though, this thing has much better features. It features void-free birch construction (not cheap particleboard), steel reinforcement beams, and 4 12" Celestion speakers. Handles 280 Watts.

Mesa Recto Standards are widely regarded as the new world standard in 4 X 12 rock cabinets. Why? Well, for starters, the bass is just incredible. All the voluptuous bottom end you could ask for, just like your old girlfriend. The mids are nicely scooped, which I like, since I play mostly modern rock. The treble is all there, and the clarity is just amazing. No farty bottom end. This is due in no small part to the outstanding speakers, and this cab makes virtually any amp sound killer. I often use it with my 15-watt solid state Fender amp, and with the drive channel on, this combo is as close to a Dual Recto stack you'll get for the money (and it's pretty damn close!)Like previous reviews have stated, if you own a Rectifier, you MUST run it through this cab to get the most out of it. They were designed for each other. Even if you're like me and dream about rectifiers but can't afford one just yet, the Mesa 4 X 12 will be a massive upgrade to your rig. However, if you're not into lots of bass and scooped mids, you might want to look elsewhere.

This thing is built like a Sherman tank. Just knock on it, and you'll instantly feel how solid it is compared to other popular cabs, some of them costing more. Even if you're one of those people that hate the Mesa sound, you'd have to admit this cabinet is uncannily well-built. Only had it three months, but not even the slightest problem yet.

I've never had to deal with Mesa, but from what I hear they have the best customer support in the biz. In fact, I've never seen or heard a bad thing said about Mesa in that regard.

I really can't say a bad thing about this cab. If you're looking for the ultimate modern rock cab, it behooves you to give the Mesa a try. I've tried a couple other "custom" cabinets, and they're not as solid in the construction department. They also cost more, and I didn't like the sound as much. Some people say Diezel and Bogner make better cabs, and for those particular people, they do. Remember, THIS IS SUBJECTIVE OPINION. There is no right or wrong answer to what sounds good. Keep this in mind when you're reading this review as well as the reviews of others. Just try out everything you can and go with what you like best. I stand by my choice though. :)

This is an year 2002 4x12 Recto cabinet. It is the tradition version. That means that it is cca. 3 inches shorter than the stabdard version.

The features on this cab are ok, but maybe I could use a 16 Ohm setting, which is not available on this cab.
But on the other hand it is posible to connect another extension cab after this cab (something that Marshal does not offer you).

I play rock, hard rock and some blues. Here and there I play some old school metal, but this is not my main field.

I have this cab only for 2 weeks, but have played it quite some times in the recent two years (friends, music stores...).

Since I live in Europe, my first cab was Marshall 1960A. I quickly found out that it was very trebly and empty sounding with no low end.
I soon changed it for a Marshall 1960AV with Vintage 30's. The sound was much warmer, but it still had those highs that are very unpleasant to your ears. I sold it after 3 months. But what to buy now? There was not much choice in local stores (in fact, I already bought their best stuff). The only choice was to drive 500 miles to the store that had other cabs (VHT, Soldano, Mesa, Peavy, H&K...).
I tried them all. Mesa had the fullest sound. Some Italian employee in the store said "This cab has hm hm er a oh how to say..., well CORPORATO. Well like VINO (wein)". And I said, "Oh, you mean that it has BODY like a good wein".
And man, it really sounded fat. Other cabs were also good, but more trebly (VHT, Orange). I can't describe it but Recto cab sounded like an earthquake. I wish I could test a Diesel cab (In Europe it is cheaper that Mesa), but it wasn't available anywhere near.

However, back to Marshall. Marshall was way cheaper. Here in Europe Mesa cab costs twice as much as Marshall cab does. This was a bit much for me. I put them side by side and... Well, you know the story from now on.
Mesa = very solid construction, a lot of bass, very nice highs. Takes over the command as you turn it up (Very big sound).
Marshal 1960AV Vintage 30's = Good cab, cheaper cab, trebly, ratles, can't handle much low end (farts out), gets worse as you turn it up.

Marshall 1960AV sounds like a 1x12 or 2x12 cab in comparison to Mesa 4x12 Recto cab. In fact, I bought a stock Celestion Vintage 30 speaker direct from Celestion dealer. Than I made the cab for it. It turned out that Marshall 1960AV had more highs and just a bit more bass than my DIY 1x12 Vintage 30 cab. Plus Marshall started to resonate like crazy when I hit A# on low E string (Clean or overdrive).




There are no more problems since I have a Recto cab. I ordered a standard (toller) version, but there has been a misunderstanding and a got a traditional one. I was sceptical at first, but after I tried it... It still has more than enough bass and it is a bit clearer than the big brother. No regrets at all. Great for my style.


!!!!!!ATENTION!!!!! Read my previus review below (10-15 reviews lower). I tested Mesa cab in the store with Marshall poweramp and POD PRO preamp and it sucked. I am still not sure why, but Marshall cabs sounded far better. Maybe there was something wrong with the Mesa cab. BTW, I don't own Marshall poweramp any more. I play trough apoweramp made by a local guy that kinda clones old Mesa amps. In the future I will change also that part.

I have been playing for 10 years. I have gone trough various equipment. From solid state, to digital, to tube. And even a lot of tube amps are just tube and nothing else. They sound like shit. I prefer the juicy sound of Class A power section. Mesa Blue Angel, THD Univalve, Vox AC30, Dr. Z stuff... Class A/B is fine, but many producers construct amps that way so they do not take advantages of the powertube overdrive (which it is all about). Actually I like some Class AB amps very much (Diesel VH4, Bogner Ecstasy, Marshall Plexi, Mesa Mark IIc+, Soldano.

However, whatever the type of power amp, Recto cab will always be an important component of my sound equipment. I will buy another one sometime in the future, when I save some extra money. It makes you smile, although it is expencive (so this is a 9).

This is a 2001 4X12 Recto Cabinet. It can be used at 8ohms mono and 4ohms stereo. I wish it had a 16 ohm option too...

I use this cabinet with a 1996 Marshall 60 watt JTM 612 combo. The only guitar I am using with it is an American Series Fender Telecaster with a Harmonic Design Super 90 bridge pickup. The JTM 60's create tones that are among the very finest Marshall has ever produced. I get excellent clean tones, superior blues tones, and classic Marshall crunch. The only tone I cannot produce without effects is a full on bassy metal tone.

I bought this cabinet because the stock single 12" Celestion Heritage speaker in my combo (although capable of creating splendid tone) would thin out and become trebley at moderate to high volume levels. The Mesa Recto cab elimiated that problem with authority! I can crank it now and NOTHING degrades or rattles except my house. The tone of the Celestion Vintage 30's is slightly colder (which is not a plus for me), but the loss is very subtle and I have adjusted to it.

I tried a Mesa dual rectifier solo head with this cabinet to compare it to my Marshall. Because, as I stated, my Marshall does no get the hard core bassy metal roar. The Mesa head definitely created a fantastic distorted metal thump. It exceeded my expectations in this regard. However, every other tone was TERRIBLE compared to my Marshall JTM. My Marshall blows the Mesa Dual Rectifier head out of the water in all catagories except metal tone. The Mesa head is a one trick pony.

I would give this cab a 10 in tone if it was just slightly warmer.

Built like a Brick s@#* house. No way will it break or even wear much

Have not needed any yet

Quality, quality, quality as with every Mesa product. Looks awsome with my combo on top. Tone is a 9+. And, as another reviewer stated, don't think this cabinet is for metal only. It does clean, blues, and crunch as well or better than anything out there!

I had two of these Recto Cabs. A standard (taller) from 1997 and a traditional from 2001. Rear-loaded closed back cab with a removable back. It has Vintge 30 in it. It can be run mono or stereo. I believe the power rating is 280 watts. There is also a speaker out which is cool if your head can only run one cab.

I'm sure some people will disagree with me here,but oh well. I think they only sound ok. They fart out too easily if you're going for a nice bassy, high gain crunch (not that buzz saw tone). This cabs' bass response is too loose. It's a little too strong in the mids. I think it has pretty nice highs though. They do give you a big sound which I like. Don't get me wrong I got a killer sound that I liked very much (many other people loved my live sound as well) when I was running through these cabs. These are just the flaws I feel they have. They definetly sound better when running two together. I could get a much warmer sound without having to worry about it fartig out. Just to note, there is a slight difference in sound between the standard and traditional as others have mentioned. The traditional (shorter) is slighty tighter sounding in the bass. Now after owning a better cab I feel even stronger about what bothered be about them in the first place. I've gone to Diezel cabs and there is no comparison. I have heard that the Bogners are second to none as well. Like I said, the Recto cabs are pretty good cabs (better than Marshall that's for sure), but there are better ones without a doubt.

Built like a tank. I never had a problem and would gig without a backup. So long as you don't do anything stupid to blow it and everything was done right before it left the factory, there aren't too many things that can happen, it's a freakin' speaker cab.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 11 year and I'm very particular about my sound. If I was on a budget and couldn't have got the Diezel cab, I definetly would stay with the Recto. I also dig the removable casters. They do give you a pretty big sound too. But with Mesa being one of the big dogs, I have to be more critical. And having said that there are better cabs. Check out the Diezel and Bogner cabs. Cause if you don't agree with my description of the Recto's sound, you just might after you play one of them. If you have any questions shoot me an email.

good evening !!!

Iam searching for a"95,96 or 97 and a half, 100 Watt dual Rectal Trem-O-Verb and the steel diamond 4x12 Celestion V-30 4x12 Cab. I have owned Two Rock Emarld 50 Pro, three Top Hats, two Dr Z, three perfect- tweaked Naylors Electroverb 60 and cabs, three line 6 Flextone 2 XL and HD , plus Fender etc. The air that is pumped out of this cab at 2 o'clock level is almost unexplainable! When Db levels get to the 120 level one prays for perfect sounding HARMONICS! If one utilizes older PRS Custom 24's with HFS and Vintage bass pickups, one will never search any farther !!!

jDJones, air Margaritaville, or Air hooterville .

My cabinets were manufactured in 1994, back when leather came standard. Speakers are Vintage 30's, which age beautifully. The manufacturer's power rating is 280 watts, though some debate has been made about whether it is 280 or 260. In all truth, more damage is done to speakers by underpowering than overpowering. By underpowering, I mean clipping the power amp and presenting a DC voltage to the voice coils which basically turns them into heater coils until they fuse or short out. My cabinets have the diamond plate cab armor on the sides, which makes them almost bulletproof. Besides that, the armor completely changes the appearance of the stack by making it look like a monument to rock and roll. The only drawback to such a robust cabinet design is the weight. My cabs weigh about 120 lbs each...uggh. You get used to extra weight, and as expensive as these cabs are, you feel like you got something a little more solid for your money.

My setup consists of a Jackson Kelly guitar, a quality cable, the Dual Rectifier head, and two 4x12 Recto cabs...no effects whatsoever. The cabinets and head were designed together to work together, so they complement each other really well. What I mean is, the Dual Rec puts out strong low end, vocal mids, and crunchy highs...the cabinets augment this further by being larger volume(more bass), and having great mid presence. The highs from these cabinets are really smooth. Much of this characteristic is due to the jute-dipped grille. It acts as a mild filter to remove harsh sounding frequencies from the treble range. You get all the crunch without the feeling of an icepick being driven into your ears(or maybe my hearing is shot after standing in front of them for 7 years!) I give this rating a 10, because I really can't imagine improving on the tone. I've never really tested these cabs with other amplifiers, but with the Dual Rectifier it is a match made in Heaven. Even clean tones sound great, something the Vintage 30's are not really known for. Some of this could be due to the mellowing of the speakers over the years. The only thing about these speakers, and any closed back 4x12, is the narrow projection of the sound. It doesn't really have the broad open sound of an open back cab or combo...however it sounds more controlled and tighter than either of those setups.

Where these speakers really shine is with loud high gain distortion. Man, they pummel you with bass that is defined without sounding hi-fi, and you can dial the boominess easily. That is what really sold me on these cabs, they make your stack sound like a whole wall of speakers. The midrange character is also awesome. With vintage high gain sounds, the mids(without wah) almost sound like vowel sounds...its enough to give you chills during lead sections on the lower strings. The treble, as I mentioned earlier, is very smooth yet very prominent. You can dial in as much high end sizzle as you like, without losing the airiness or thickness of the amplifier's tone. Truly great cabinets for distortion.

I've not had one single problem with these cabinets since I bought them in 1994. Viva Mesa Boogie!

These guys are great, I don't know how many times I've called them with a simple question and ended up talking gear for half an hour. Extremely knowledgeable and eager to help.

I give these cabinets a rating of 9, not 10 because I don't believe they fit every application. For example, someone who plays Country or small gigs in general probably doesn't need the skull crushing capability of these cabinets. However, for rock and metal players, it would be hard to find a better cab. This is especially true for Dual or Triple Rectifier owners. I'm sure for different amps there are cabinets designed to augment their strong points(Marshall, VHT, Bogner, etc.) Anybody who has any questions, comments, or just wants to talk gear, can feel free to email me...I would love to hear from you.

A correction to a previous poster. The Traditional Recto Cabinet is not open backed. The difference between the Recto Traditional and the Recto Standard is that the Traditional Cabinet is a few inches shorter. This does not affect the amount of bass, but rather the way it is projected. The standard cabinet has a "looser" bass sound, while the traditional's bass is "tighter". Which is better is simply a matter of how you personally like the bass of your tone projected. Hope this helps.

Just as a correction to the review below, Vintage 30s are rated at 60 watts each, not 25. You must be thinking of celestion greenbacks. A recto 4x12 cab handles 240 watts as opposed to the marshall's 300 watt capacity. The reason a vintage 30 will sound louder at the same power rating is due to it's SPL sensitivity rating. Vintage 30s are more efficient speakers, wattage-wise.

I've owned both, and like both. That said, I still own my recto 4x12 cab.

This cab features Celestion Vintage 30 speakers with stereo and mono inputs on the rear pannel. It is constructed with one inch think solid wood and also has removable wheels. Colsed back construction, a quality cabinet.

THIS CAB IS AMAZING! I have been using a marshall JCM 900 1960A 4x12 w/ celestion GT-75's for the last few years and I could never quite nail my sound. I needed a thighter, less muddier low end, smoother highs and scooped mids. At first I decided to go with a bigger power amp, but then I dedided to try this cab before upgrading the power amp. This cab was it! It gave me more volume because the Mesa cab can handle 100 watts as opposed to the marshall's 300, (Vintage 30's are 25 watts a piece, GT-75's are 75...) so my 100 watt poweramp was able to drive this cab more for the extra volume I needed. Not only was the volume there, but the Vintage 30's really cleared things up! It fixed all of the tonal problems that I mentioned with the marshall. I have been searching for MY tone for years and this cabinet helped complete my search! I use this only with the "metal" band I play with, and this cab does the job wonderfully. Here is my other equipment: Guitar (multiple w/ emg's) into EB volume pedal (with "tuner out" into a Korg DTR-1) into a vox wah into a tubescreamer into a Mesa Formula Preamp w/ an alesis MEQ 230 in the fx loop into a T.C. Electronics G Major (controlled by an art X-15) into a mesa 50/50 poweramp into this cab. I'm not saying that this cab will make your rig sound perfect, because what you put into it is definatly a factor, but if you are using GT-75's or Greenbacks or anything else, try a mesa w/ Vintage 30's, and it just might be for you.

Mesa equpiment is pretty reliable, I own 4 peices of their gear and have only had a problem with one. I would take this over a marshall with the same speakers because of it's better construction, quality, and sound.

Mesa customer support is great, they're awesome guys. Quick efficient responses to e-mails or phone calls, and they will help you out!

This is a great sounding cabinet, it looks mean and will last for years. The only set back is the weight, it is VERY heavy, much heavier than the marshall. But it is worth it for the tone.