Mesa/Boogie 4x12 Recto Cabinet

Features? It's a cab! Ok, it's got stereo inputs.

EBMM Axis w/ Bareknuckle Nailbombs instead of the lifeless stock "custom" DiMarzios -> T-Rex Mudhoney Distortion -> EHX POG 2 -> EHX Deluxe Memory Man -> Soldano Hotrod 50+ -> the cab under discussion

This cab was given to me by a (very good) friend. When I got it, I was playing in a 6-piece band with 2 brass players, and it was way too much for the overall band sound to handle. Eventually - reluctantly - I went back to my old 70s tall Marshall cab, which is way tamer and allowed me to fit in better with the band.

Currently I'm playing in a prog/post-punk trio. Eventually I figured that now there should be enough space for this beast to tote its muscle - and muscle is what it is all about. It's brutally clear. One of my main sounds is the pickup switch in the middle position with a generous amount of distortion from the foot pedal into the already-crunchy "clean" channel of the Soldano, for a grinding, low lead sound. The Marshall tended to fart out on the lower notes, the sound kind of collapsed, so I had to cut back on the bass on the amp.

Then I tried the Recto again. Now I can even add a suboctave from the POG and it still delivers everything I feed it with precision and clarity. Amazing dynamics and low end, with no compromise on the mids and highs - huge.

I wouldn't call this cab's sound "warm" per se. It's like a slab of granite, doesn't cushion anything but just, well, reflects. Amazing for cleans, too. You can get a warm sound, just don't count on this cabinet to provide it.

Oh, and it's very loud.

I wouldn't know how to break it. It's 15, 20 years old and has seen some rough handling, as evidenced by the tolex. No functionality issues ever.

No idea.

Great cab if you want a big, rude sound. It suits my current needs perfectly, but I wouldn't use it if I were playing in a funk band.

MESA RECTO CAB OVERSIZED. HAS JACK ON BACK FOR STEREO AND CHAINING 2 CABS TOGETHER. AMAZING CASTERS THAT ARE WAY BETTER THEN ANY CASTER ON THE MARKET HANDS DOWN.

I DONT KNOW WHY ANYONE WOULD BASH THIS CAB OR VINTAGE 30'S. SEEING HOW MOST OF THE CABS OUT HAVE THESE SPEAKERS IN THEM.DIEZEL EVEN USES THESE SPEAKERS. THIS CAB COULD BE HIT BY A SEMI AND IT WOULD STILL BE IN ONE PIECE.SOLID WOOD NOT PARTICLE BOARD OR ANY OTHER CRAP THAT MANY CBAS ARE BEING MADE OF. THE SOUND IS AMAZING. PEOPLE SAY ITS TO BRIGHT OR FIZZY.WELL MAYBE YOU HAVE YOUR PRESENCE OR YOU STUPID *** TUBE SCREAMER SET WRONG. I USE A MESA 2 CAHNNEL TRIPLE AND I DONT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. IT SOUNDS DEEP AND FULL. THE LOWS ARE AWESOME AND THE WAY THE HIGHS AND MIDS WORK ARE AMAZING. I HAVE USED OTHER CABS WITH EMINENCE OR EV SPEAKERS. AND THEY DONT HAVE THE CRUNCH AND BITE THIS CAB HAS. I CANT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. HANDS DOWN THE BEST CAB BUILT.

ITS A MESA.THESE THINGS ARE INDESTRCUTIBLE. AND THE CASTERS ARENT THE CHEAP *** CASTERS THAT COME OFF IN A WEEK. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT.MY OTHER CABS I HAD TO KEEP GETTING NEW CASTERS AND THE INPUT JACKS ON THE BACK WOULD ALWASY HAVE AN ISSUE WITH MISSING NUTS AND ****.FROM MOVING THEM ALL THE TIME.FOR A TOURING MUSICIAN. THESE CABS CANT BE BEAT.

ONE PHONE CALL AND I AM SPEAKING TO SOMEONE.NOT A MACHINE. AND THEY ARE VERY HELPFUL.

HANDS DOWN THE BEST CAB YOU ARE GONNA GET.YOU CAN SPEND MORE ON A CAB THAT MIGHT LOOK COOLER OR HAVE A BETTER NAME.BUT IF YOU WANT VALUE AND FUNCTION. THIS IS THE CAB. FOR TOURING MUSICIANS I CANT STRESS HOW AWESOME THIS CAB IS. I HAVE HAD ENGL,VHT,MARSHALL,AND MANY MORE I DONT FEEL LIKE MENTIONING.AND THIS CAB IS UP THERE WITH THE BEST OF THEM.

2000 model, 8 ohm mono, Dual 4 ohm stereo, signal through for daisy-chaining a second 4x12. Ubiquitous Vintage 30's. Oversized, 5/8" marine grade baltic birch plywood construction. Handles just about anything you throw at it.

It's had a broad array of guitars played through it, USA Strats, Les Pauls with Burstbucker Pros as well as EMG's, Peavy Wolfgang, to name a few. Played a Mesa rackmount Dual Rec through it, also a Mesa Studio Pre/Simul 295 Stereo rack system, and lately, been fooling around with a '67 Fender Bassman transition Silverface. With the the Vintage 30's, I believe that it is a very versatile amp, delivers bone crushing-deep bassy-mondo distortion, but does well with cleaner amps put through it. I have a smaller, traditional sized Mesa "Road Ready" 4x12 that sounds a bit more focused in the critical mids, but loses some "breathability" and some low end in the bargain. Built for the Dual Rec, and at certain times, the buzziness annoys me, but when it's dialed in, it's one of the best high gain sounds ever created. More a critique on the amp than the cab, though.

This is one bit of a sore spot for me. I'm a Mesa loyalist, however two issues have surfaced with this amp: an intermittent short in the mono jack, and a weird problem with the internal brace for this amp. The short occurs every now and then, and seems go in and out if you wiggle the phono connector. I've taken it apart, cleaned with contact cleaner to no avail.
Regarding the brace, it butts up against the middle of that vast piece of plywood that caps off the back of the cab, per industry standard for back loaded 4x12 cabs. The problem is that for some reason, the brace was cut fractionally too short, maybe by a few hairs, and doesn't fit tight up against the back panel, but instead is a bit "untight" if not loose. So, whenever you hit a note that matches either the cabs "fs" or natural resonant frequency of the back panel, and it makes an ugly, noticeable "honk" or sound of a vibrating 1x3 piece of wood vibrating against the back panel. Mesa's solution was to send me a piece of medium density foam to slap on the end of the brace to create a tighter fit between the back panel and the brace. Every six or seven months, the problem will return and I'll have to scrape off the old foam (now very pancaked or compressed) and replace it with a new, springier piece of foam. Pain in the a*&, eh? But whenever the short abates, and the foam on the end of the brace is fresh, it's a killer cab.

Okay, the crappy foam fix notwithstanding, Mesa is a huge company that hasn't forgotten what it's like to offer personal, Mom and Pop-type service. Imagine being able to go back in time to speak to Leo Fender about issues concerning your Concert amp, well this is possible just call up Mike Bendinelli and talk shop about your particular Mark series amp to your heart's content. Good people swarm this organization.

I'll admit, I'm more of a bass player, and my guitar skills are fair to poor, which is why I gravitate towards high gain amps, a bit more forgiving than a sparkly-clean Fender. But it is what it is, on paper, the standard, must-have cab for the nu-metal/alternative rock revolution. It can be a bit boomy, but that goes along with it's raison de etre- what it's supposed to do, that is hit you in the chest with the bass response. I love the bone-crushing annihilating tone, don't like the back panel/brace issue. The Taurus covering is a tad chintzy, but hey, spring for custom croc, or leather or suede if that's an issue. If it were stolen, I think i'd try a front loaded Diezel or Bogner Ubercab, but I'd probably come back to the Standard Recto Cab.

It has celestion vintage 30's speakers and is really solid. It is so heavy, don't lift this one on your own, your back will kill you !
It has 8 Ohm mono and 4 Ohm stereo so it's not big deal. You can also connect other cabs on this one.

Wow ! The best cab I ever played ! I play a Triple Rectifier and modern metal. This cab is so great it has a lot of deep bass but doesn't sound boomy. It also can get you really stinging highs. It is just a great cab ! Every amp played on this cab sounded better, everybody woho used it was really excited about the sound improvement of his equipment.
On the other hand I played my Triple Rectifier on a Marshall 1960s and Behringer 412H but they can't get the sound I wanted.

I played many gigs with it always providing it for all the other bands playing with us. It never disappoited me. Only the covering has get some cracks and marks but hey, that's Rock'n'Roll. And this doesn't touch the sound.

Didn't need the support.

I play the box for I think 3 years now. I would definitely buy this again.
It's just all about the sound. I don't know anything better for now !
Just the price is really high ! But that's Mesa. :-)

not much to verify here, its got 4 vintage 30s' closed back, 8ohm mono 4ohm stereo, speaker out to daisy chain. The cab is built solid as hell i'm sure it could double as a bomb shelter for your pets
better eat your wheaties take your vitamins and find a good chiropractor...I carried this thing up and down 3 flights of stairs twice a week for 2 years I have a permanent hernia in my ass. The only weakness on the features is the sensative tolex covering.

the best cabinet on the market my friends...you can't go wrong here the soud is severely brutal..set this cab next to any other cab out there,.it'll melt em' like napalm..now, of course, this isn't your dad's old fender blues box thiscabill scare the shit out of children,conformative citizens, blues players, and some hippies, but hey thats what it's made for...and please be aware to get the most out of this demononic offspring you have to crank your amp volume or you'll get too much bass..yeah this cab is meant to deliver sound from a stage and travel distance..not for bedroom.

This cab has seen its share of beer bottles, rain, subzero weather, survived lightening strike, it's never missed a note.

one time I called them and left a message, and they called me back elpronto.

been playing for 8 months, no really since,1983 if you can remember those days of marshall stacks...seriously though this cab really is the force that will conjur up a demonic plague whenever you plug into it. just something about these cabs everything that comes out sounds so evil. beware I say onto thee.

Bought this cab new 2006. The cab is built like a tank, weighing 106 lbs with tarck lock casters. Other features already mentioned

I run a Lonestar 100 Watt Head through this cab, where I previosly had a Marshal 1936 twin cab with GT12-75 speakers. I sold the Marshal which was made of particle board with plastic handles. I could not get a decent sound out of those G12-75 Celstion speakers.
The Mesa Recto 4x12 is the bomb. Clean sparkling highs, and brutal lows with gobs of distortion. The tone of this cab is simply astounding with the Lonestar head. Everything I need for Rock, blues, and old school Metal. The tone of the Vintage 30s is warm and responsive. The cab is amazingly loud with a nice broad dispersion.

Built like a tank with metal handles and 13 ply birch. The construction and workmanship on the Mesa Cabs are simply the best. No buzzes or vibration.The back panel fits in snug with a gazillion screws. Quality through and through. The 106lbs is a challenge to move around. I have tried picking it up myself to take up and down stairs, but it needs two people. The leather finish is awesome, but scuffs easier than Ticker Tolex on other cabs. I prefer the leather, but you have to be a bit more careful to avoid scuffs and dings. This cab is a keeper.

Dunno.

Buy this Cab. You will not be sorry. If you get the opportunity, test your head through the cab at the guitar store before you shell out the big bucks that these cabs cost. They are well worth the extra money. Its not often you find these cabs used in guitar stores, because most people keep them once they have bought one.

okay, this thing has "celestion Vintage 30's" meaning this is the best type of speaker for distorted tones, and its also great for dirty and clean tones you can run it stereo or mono. the cab is built over-sized so you get a "big sound" this thing is built like a tank!!!

here's my set up:

* ibanez RG 320dx guitar with EMG pick-up's 81/B 85/N
* the guitar is runing into a VOX AD120VTH
* and the Valvetronix is running into the boogie cab

(i hate taking too long to set up when playing live, "simple is pimple")

okay, first i'd like to say my vavletronix sound really good with a cheap create cab, but when i got the boogie cab, my tone just went over the top awesome. the low-end is just "BOOMING!!!" it can take any amount of bass you crank into this thing and it wont fart like a cheap cab. the highs are crisp and clear, they pierce but dont hurt the hears. the mid-range is so creamy and punchy, its great for lead tones. the best thing this cab does for you tone, is that it make its louder, i dont have to crank my amp as loud at practice to cut through, and this thing sounds better the louder you get.

a million other artist could agree more, that this thing can take punishment and still put out great guitar tone. this thing was built to last, they are known for touring around the world and able to take the abuse.

i didnt buy direct from mesa/boogie, i bought it at guitarcenter.

this cab isthe best cab to own, its great for recording and built to last, you can play bee-bop jazz with style, or extreme heavy styles of music like metal or nardcore, this thing can handle any amp and make it better. i love it so much, that i vow to only play mesa/boogie cabs from now on... forever!!!

2004 recto cab with stock V30s. Visually very appealing. The input options are adequate.

Using les pauls into the Dual recto 3 channel with a few pedals. I found this half stack for sale used without a scratch. Had to buy it. I play in a rock cover band so the versatility of the 3 channel head suits me. The cabinet sounds good enough. No complaints there. However, I've switched back to my Marshall 1960a...more on that later.

Based on the construction I see here, this is the most reliable piece of gear I own.

Haven't dealth with them.

Playing about 20 years...professionally for about 3. I love the classy look of this cab and I believe the sound faithfully reproduces what I'm sending...especially well matched with the characteristics of the dual recto head. I own a Marshall 1960a as well and opened the backs of both cabs one day. Except for the speakers, the quality of materials and construction is not even remotely comparable. The inside of the mesa is a brick house. I know this because it weighs more than a brick house...a full 40 pounds heavier than the 1960a. With the quantity of gigs I play, I can't justify lugging this thing around. If you have someone who can always help you, that's fine. Make no mistake...this thing is beyond heavy. This position is admittedly "weak" but hey, this back has to last me another 50 years.

I have the standard recto cab with the straight sides. I'm not sure what year this cab was made. I bought it off my roommate and it looks like it's seen some shows. I'd guess it's a 2003 or 2004 model. The features are pretty basic. I just wish it could run at 4 or 16 ohms mono. I was hoping to use it with another Marshall cab and I can't run them together because the ohms don't match up.

So, as I indicated above, this cab has made my Marshall cabs obsolete, in more ways than one! But I'll get to that in a second. I play heavy music mostly. I'll bust out some blues and jazz chops every now and then but when the day is done I'm a metal/hardcore kinda guy. I use an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and a Schecter C1+ both loaded with EMG 81/85 pickups. I play in Dropped C. My effects: Boss TU-2 chromatic tuner, Dimebag Crybaby From Hell, Robert Keeley TS-9, Boss Super Chorus and a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor. My head is a Peavey 5150 Block Letter head with Electro Harmonix tubes. Everything is connected with Monster 500 cable and Monster 1000 speaker cable.

I've played through Mesa cabs before and never liked them. They always sounded lifeless and flat to me. However, for some reason this particular one has made me a believer. It's the perfect compliment to the 5150 and the EMG's. I tried the cab out once in practice and then used it immediately the next night for a show. I couldn't use the Marhsalls for the above reasons. I fell in love with it that night. First of all this thing is loud!! It's a monster too. With the head on top of it the amp almost comes up to my chest!

The tone is absolutely what I've been waiting for. It captures that Bury Your Dead, Throwdown, Unearth, Shadows Fall tone with ease. The bass is tight and punchy. The mids are incredible. Very well defined, crunchy and articulate. The highs are also very crisp without being harsh and overbearing. I've read some people complaining about the mids this cab delivers. I can understand that. When I'm playing alone in the practice room the cab can sound a bit nasally. However, and this is important for anyone who plays live professionally, those mids help your guitar cut through any mix. With the Marshalls I could achieve what I thought was a good tone but in a live setting the leads just weren't cutting through. People would always come up to me after the show and say they couldn't hear the leads very well (even with the mids on the 5150 always cranked). After the last show with the Mesa I got alot of compliments on the sound and my leads as well. I can't even describe what this has done for my lead tone! I just kept smiling during the show because the sound is so thick and rich it's not even funny. For the first time I could hear every note (every mistake too). I wasn't ready for that. At first I was upset about not being able to use the Marshall cabs along with this but now I could care less. With it's volume, projection and robustness I don't really need another cab. I'm selling those bitches!!

About the clean tone. I don't really like the clean tone very much of this thing. It's taking some tweaking with the amp to get a full clean sound out of it. Ironically, the cleans are just kind of bland and flat. Fortunately, I don't use the clean tone enough in our music to have it make a big difference.

One other thing I love about this cab is it's durability. As I've said this one was used and had been through some shit already. However, it's still standing solid and sounds great!! As of now I also have two Marshall 1960 Cabs and wihin a few weeks of playing shows the casters began to break off. The Handle one one of the cabs had to be replaced as well. Marshall uses cheap plastic parts on their cabs to reduce the cost of shipping from Britain. The result is an inferior product. Mesa uses all metal parts and quality components on and in their cabs. This thing aint going anywhere.

I'v never had to deal with them.

My roommate let me have this cab at $425. At that cost I've gotten the deal of a lifetime. I don't think I'd have paid $850 for a new one. Moral of the story, if you can find one used. . . get it. It's worth it!! I love this cab. It's improved my tone and my playing by leaps and bounds. I can hear myself without having to turn up. The cab responds perfectly to the 5150 head and EMG's. If you play metal and want that huge, chunky, punchy, tight, articulate distortion look into one of these cabs, especially if you have a 5150!!! Sure, try one out at the store but also give it enough time so that you can see what it does for your sound in the context of your band. Then you'll see the true beauty of this thing. Mesa knew what they were doing. I'll say that much. I'm still giving it a 9 because I don't like the cleans and I wish it had more wiring options so I could use it with other cabs.

2000-2001 Recto tall all features mentioned.

Totally unnatural one trick pony. This is a follow-up to my prior review from 2003. I see some players agreed to subjectively review the cabinet and considered the limitations of the V-30 Celestion in their reviews. I am amending my review to include some further V-30 bashing. The cone doping and resultant damping in the volumetric Recto cabinet work but only as a the aforementioned one trick pony. IMHO the V-30 is a pre-Celestion G30H abortion project. Celestion spent too much money and time trying to design a "modern-vintage" driver and it failed. They tried to pull the plug but had to sell the unwanted motherload of crap to Mesa who had the marketing muscle to hype it in the Recto product, mainly nu-metal one hit wonders, appealing to teen-agers with deep wallet parents. Black Shadows did not a MESA make. Neither do V-30s.

I'm sure some of you are offended now my apologies. BTW the mids I speak of are unnatural due to the doping. The freqencies I measured with a meter and tone generator were off the 4-6khz that you hear in every great guitar recording ever made from the beginning of time. It is a very artificial mid and not WARM at all. Think of it as a Solid State tranistor tone that is accurate at some frequencies (like "doped" bass and edgy mids) but sterile. Using Mesa's unmusically overpowered flat sounding heads with scooped out mids works. Using anything else and you will not like it.

Totally dependable.

Good folks but please offer speaker options and get out of bed with Celestion V-30s please.

Good, Bad & Ugly depending on how used. For new metal (full of Bass and deafening drop B notes or barred chords) it's good. For rock (drop D and standard tuning)it is bad sterile. Listen close to the doping you dope and stop smoking it. For old school rock it is just plain ugly and unmusically related to anything guitar-god produced in the last 30 years. That is why my guitar gods will never use this speaker for anything relevant but "noise" reinforcement.

I keep this around until I decide on G30H or Greenbacks for it. Heck the 75 which is popularly criticized still sounds warmer to me but can get as boring.

Its a Cab, the only features you need are inputs...

This cab is beautiful, solid construction, soldered guts, quality through and through. I play an older Peavey VTM 60 through this thing and let me tell you it is amazing. Loud and clear no matter how the amp is set up, I play metalcore/hardcore tuned to B and this will handle it and not sound sloppy all day long. My set up is as follows: Ibanez RGT42FM > Behringer 1501 15 band eq > BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer > Peavey VTM 60 > Mesa Oversized Recto Standard Cab > Shaking floor and windows.

Havent had a problem with this cab since i bought it 7 months ago, sure i havent had it too long but oh well i guess.

Never had to deal with Mesa at all but friends who own Mesa products have had good things to say.

All in all this cab great, tight even with the B tuning and handles anything I throw at it with ease. 280 watts power handling is nice and yes if someone stole it I would get another no ifs, ands, or buts.

It's a cab. Do cabs ever really come loaded with a ton of features? I guess you could complain that it's really only wired for 8 and 4 ohms, but that's really not a big deal at all.

I find that Celestion Vintage 30's tend to be a real bone of contention with some people. With others, they are the speakers with that intangible "it" quality. I fall into the latter group, as I like a nice midrange honk (after all, electric guitar is mostly a midrange-based instrument). I currently play out of a Peavey Triple XXX I've been using for a few years now (used to own a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100; the overdrive just didn't saturate enough for me and was flat at the same time). I was previously using a Marshall standard 4x12 before this cabinet, and the G12T75's just didn't do it for me. While articulate, there just was no midrange response from those speakers, and the cabinet construction didn't lend itself to much low end, either.

I recall demoing a Boss Loop Station through a Triple XXX that was sitting on top of a used Recto 4x12 at a local music store and asking, "Damn, why does this amp sound so much better than mine? It's the same model." I soon realized that it was the cabinet, and embarked on my quest for a used Mesa Recto 4x12. Of all the gear purchases I've made, I think this cabinet is the most satisfying.

Let's not forget, ladies and gentlemen, that what this cab does best is chest-thumping distortion/overdrive. It is, after all, a closed-back, mostly birch cabinet loaded with speakers that accentuate midrange. Unless, like me, you like warm, midrange-spiked cleans ala Mogwai and other post-rockers, it's not the best choice for cleans (though you won't hear the speakers break up, that's for sure). Open-backed design with flat response speakers like the aforementioned G12T75's will give you that open, airy sound much better. But for thumping, thick, midrange-based distortion, I don't think you really can get much better, except maybe with Orange's cabs, which are largely similar in design, anyway.

On a side note, I a/b this (usually running both at the same time for at least distortion so I get a super, super-thick sound) with a Fender DeVille 4x10 combo. Best of both worlds, though I may be switching to a Fender Twin Reverb with a Maxon OD881 out front soon. I was thinking of trading my head in for a Mark IV, but I'll likely hang onto the Triple XXX because it has treated me so well and I need to pinch pennies. Either way, this cab is a perfect complement.

It's like a rock. The tolex, while not particularly great-looking, is even pretty durable (I want Jim Marshall's head on a pike after half of the tolex tearing off of my old 4x12). The casters are solid. Everything about this cab is solid.

Never dealt.

Given that I bought mine used, it was a fantastic deal for me (since, as we all know, they cost an arm and a leg new). But hell, I'd even go so far as to say that they're worth the $700-800 new. Mesa has generally put out very solid products (as evidenced by the sheer lack of cheap products), and this cabinet is no exception. I've never played a more reliable, resonant, midrange-response, bass heavy cabinet. Believe the hype.

4 Celestion Vintage 30 speakers rated at 70 watts each. Cab is rateda t 8ohm with stereo separation at 4ohms each. Has sweet casters that roll soft and smooth. Good solid handles.

I think this thing sounds pretty crappy. I switch between a Mesa Boogie dc-3 shorthead and a Mesa Tremoverb combo. I thought it would beef up the dc-3 and it just made it more brittle and harsh. THe tremoverb is less clear that it was before. I thought for sure when I bought this that I was gonna love it. I was very wrong. I switched back to the cab that I used before which was a custom built Collins 2x12 with Celestion 75's in it. That cab is awesome. It is made from SOLID birch, no plywood. IT was so much clearer and bigger sounding than the mesa recto crap, I mean cab. I don't know why people like them so much. I am currently selling it.

No problems. It seems very solid. It weighs a ton!

I have been playing for 20 years and am pretty disappointed by the sound of this cab compared to many others. If it were stolen I would never get another. The only thing I really like about it is the casters. I wish all cab's had these ones. IT doens't compare to the VHT with p-50s or the Orange 4x12's. It sucks.

Speaker inputs - what more could you need?

I went to a music store 200 km from home, layed my eyes on the Dual Rectifier, and thought: i dare not try it! Can't afford it! But guess what, I couldn't resist it. I had some hope that it was a myth, no amp could be as good as everyone claims. Was I wrong... bought it! Well, my economy didn't allow me to buy the Mesa cab, so I went home and plugged it in to my Marshall 1960 AV, it sounded real good but not mind-blasting. I sold my Marshall, my comic book collection, and bought 100 packages of noodles and got me two recto-cabs. let me put it this way: since I got the Mesa cabs, I don't need food anymore! It's better than sex! When you're finnished, just go and have a beer. No cuttling, no talk! The sound is amazing, high gain hevay metal distorsion, and still every single note is clear. I will defend these cabs with my life if nessecary!

Heavy duty (and I really mean HEAVY!), could probably run it over with our tour van. Reliability amongst band members is a problem. -Oh no, do I have to carry that cabinet-trying-to-impersonate-a-bank-safe again?

Haven't had any reason to contact them yey-

I will never ever buy any other cab. This is it! I have playefd a number of marshalls and combos, had an excellent combination of a Metaltronix head and 1960AV cab. it was great, but is nothing compared to Mesa.

let me revise my review below. it has 3 inputs.2 stereo at 4 ohms. 1 mono at 8 ohms. and one output,i dont know what for. it can handle 280 watts.it contains vintage 30 speakers. this can is soo loud it can blow the pants off your mom for easy access.
super nice i wouldnt trade for the world.
i use my fender esquire custom gt(telecaster body with a invader humbucker)
i run this through my marshall g100rcd solid state head.

very good for loud music,ie. metallica.box car racer.the offspring etc.
i use it in my garage when i turn it up so the house doesnt fall apart.
can't describe the sound i havent heard anything close to it.
it can play any style you throw at it without breaking up.

i have had it for 3 days without any issues.

no reason for it.

super nice cab. mesa is the best of the best, it broughts out the thickness of my pickup(seymour duncan invader).i got mine for 450 plus the cover,which is basically a steal.

4 inputs.2 stereo at 8 ohms.1 at 8ohms.1 at 16ohms. it can handle 280 watts.
has g12 celestion speakers.
super nice i wouldnt trade for the world.
i use my fender eqsuire custom gt(telecaster body with a invader humbucker)
i run this through my marshall g100rcd solid state head.

very good for loud music,ie. metallica.box car racer.the offspring etc.
i use it in my garage so the house doesnt fall apart.
can describe the sound i havent heard anything close to it.

havent had any problems yet.i have only had for a day but what a wonderful day it has been.

havent had any issues yet.

super nice cab. mesa is the best of the best.i got mine for 450 plus the cover,which is basically a steal.

pretty much everything you could want for features

ive used this cab with various amps (a 3 channel triple, a dual rectifier rackmount, and a marshall jmp-1 with 5100 power block )all of which i own and this thing can handle its own. i compared this too many other cabs with different speakers and the mesa v30's sounded the best overall . they sort of sound a little tame at first that because the take the brightness out of the mid and high end but dont tak away the punch of those frequencies.this thing chugs very nicely but once i retubed my mesa with tubes from eurotube the bass became that much tighter which meant my loose bass wasnt a limitation of the cab being oversized. the cab has 2 different kinds off bass first is the upper bass(which i compare to the deep lows a marshall v'30 cab makes)and a sub sonic low end bass that is almost exclusive to this oversized cab and believe me it roars with any amp attached especially a recto. the cab pushes out the subsonic bass and upper bass to make that deep ass sound that no other cab can make which is in large part do to the oversizing of the cab extending the low end presence while making it a bit deeper and looser. so thats kinda the trade between the traditional sized and the standard a tighter higher bass or a slighlty looser deeper bass.i used to think tighter would be better until i retubed my amp with tubes from eurotubes.and now my amp sounds about as tight as i want it too in the upper bass and plus its got that extra low end prescence the standard offers.

its been on 2 tours and its covering is top notch but its construction joints hold up well to abuse

im waiting to see whats nextbut i dont think they could retool this design anybody only make something different sounding.

stereo, 4 ohms or 8 ohms. i guess thats as good as it gets for a cabinet.

prs custom 22 with dragon 2 pickups. used with varios amps, mesa mark 4, line 6 hd147, carvin something? diezel herbert. e.q. in fx loop with bass and highs turned up slightly. i got this cab to play down tuned (C)metal. these cabs are supposed to be able to handle massive low end, and they do NOT. tried it out for a month and it farts out way to much, every low chunk sound just farts. ive played my set up through crate cabs that are half the price and they handled the low end just fine. i think its the vintage 30s. these arent made to handle that much low end. i also have 2 traditional mesa 4x12 cabs and they dont handle low end well either but have a much fuller sound than the recto cabs. i was very disappointed with this cab, returned it to guitar center. am going to try vht fat bottomed cab.

it rattles and i hate the speakers so i cant give it a score because i feel this amp doesnt suit my style so i make it unreliable by useing low end tones.

dealt with them and they are great.

mesa doesnt have that tight sound that i want and these cabinets dont help much with that. for the lack of tone this cab doesnt get a good review.

Custom Ordered Creme vinyl Wheat grill cloth 412 oversizes Recto Standard Cab to match same colored Tremoverb Head. Removable casters are a Plus and overall Construction is great. Back plate jack has all the options you would need. 4 Vintage 30s.

I'm running mostly a PRS Custom 22 through this cab so no problems with the sound of that guitar. Honestly I'm a little dissapointed. The cab has a real beaminess to it that I never experienced with my piece of crap Marshall 1960 Cab. I think it must be from the way the speakers are angled or something or maybe it has something to do with the baffle? It's like standing in front of a light beam. The sound directly in front is pretty decent but if you stand slightly to the side the sound becomes muffled. Didn't expect that from a Cab of this caliber. I assume that with another cab in stereo that problem could be solved but it's tough to shell out another 800 beans to fix a problem in the design of an Cab that should be top of line to begin with. Second problem was with the sound post. When I turned the amp up to playing levels(not too loud, around 8:00) a farty noise would follow every bass palm mute. I originally figured the screws were loose and tightened them. No Dice. I tracked the problem down with a friend playing chunky fifths while I listened to the back. It was happening right below the input jack for the speakers.The sound post was undercut and the little piece of foam they slapped on wasn't cutting it. Called Mesa they said they've heard of the problem and sent me a bigger piece of foam with a sticky adhesive back. That worked! Overall I feel that the Cab should have never passed Mesa inspection. They know people aren't playing blues on these things their for jackhammer metal riffs! Lastly, What's up with the 4 Vintage 30's? The Recto amps were designed around the 90watt Black shadow speakers that originally came in the Cabs and the bass had a ultra tight response. I feel that mesa changed this to turn a profit because the 30's were out selling the shadows but at the expense of the sound of the cab. I think I'm gonna do what Mesa should of done and put two black shadows in the cab in either an X pattern with the v30's to get the best of both worlds or put the two shadows on the bottom to improve the loose bass response. These are my concerns with the amp that I think anyone should know about before they spend the $800 on the cab. Overall I like the cab but it isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. With some tweaking I think It could be alot better.

Except for the Sound post issue stated above I think it's built great. Light years ahead of Marshall.Mesa Custom options are Killer.The Cabs are pretty tough too. They are a work of art. The Mesa engineering logo looks great. The cab has become a Rock/metal icon. It's an 8 overall though because there is better cab makers like bogner and Diezel. You pay alot more however but your in pretty deep already with Mesa so why not have the best?

This is where Mesa kills any other Company. Top notch for me so far. Some employees are a little short with you like they have something else to do but overall I've had great experiences and advice. They seem bias on some issues like their crappy tubes and the New 3 channel recto's being good amps. Whatever. Their quality control has gone done with their increased visibilty. Their stuff is in every Guitar Center in the country so something was bound to be looked past in the production line. Its simple math I guess.

A little dissapointed but I still think it's a real decent Cab. I'm trying to be real objective here because I can't stand all the bias love fest honeymooner reviews you read on HC. I don't think you get what you pay for applies here. You get alot of hype from this company but they are an upgrade from marshall and the prices are similar so I still think the cab is somewhat of a value in today's market place. I just wish mesa would take more time sweating the small stuff like they use to when they were a small ambitious company,

4x12 celestion v30 guitar cab with 2x4ohm and 1x8ohm inputs. Handles 280 Watts which suggests to me that the V30s are 70 watts each.

Okay I have waited years to buy this cab. Read all the reviews seen all the players using it and totally had my heart set on this being the "ultimate" guitar cab. Unfortunately for me I was very very wrong. I don't know what the hell is with those Vintage 30's but to my ears they are one of the most unmusical and muffled sounding speakers ever created. Players simply MUST be using replacement G12T-75s to get good sounds out of these cabs. I have a home made 2x12 half back cab with G12T-100s hooked up in parallel (4ohms) using gold plated connectors and audiophile grade heavy duty speaker cable. This little monster sounds SO much better than the Mesa cab for both clean and distorted tones. I feel shattered - this mesa cab was supposed to be THE best cab. I have listened to the speakers on the celestion website and basically the V 30s sound exactly like what you hear there. I thought those setting were done with some amp on like 1/4 - 1/3 gain and was like "well these are by all accounts the BEST speakers ever made and I'll just dial them in right myself". No ammount of tweaking my Mesa Nomad head could get rid of that woody, nasal muffled sound. It is as if these speakers are sucking the life out of my amp (and yes, all connections are correct). If I can I'll post some sound files with the same amp setting so you can see what I mean. Not happy. I am able to get usable clean sounds (which are still eclipsed by my home made 2x12) and some distorted solo sounds are a little smoother than the G12T-100s. But as far as powerchord distortion goes this cab is just lifeless and bland. Like you're listening to it through a wall.

I cannot fault the build quality of these cabs. The components are certainly a cut above most maufacturers but unfortunately this doesn't add up to a better cab. The bottom end is over emphasised (especially combined with what can be an already bottom heavy head). Maybe the thicker cabling and gold plated spaded in my DIY cab make the difference...I dunno.

I have dreamed about this cab for literally 3 or so years and when I finally got one I was ready for the best tone and nastiest distortion I'd ever heard. In theory, the Nomad 100 head paired with this cab is a match made in heaven but the sounds - both clean and distorted - that I was getting from my DIY 2x12 half back were FAR superior. I wanted this cab to be the best and honestly believed it would be (it's built like a tank!) but in the end it's just an overhyped and dissapointing piece of gear. All I can think to do is replace the V30s with G12T-75s (75s have less bass than the 100s which will mean they are better suited to a closed back cab). While this wont be cheap, at least it will mean I can make the most of the only good thing about this cab - its construction. Anyone had similar experiences? I'd like to hear from anyone with similar problems or anyone who's swapped out for some 75s. The search will continue - I'll let you all know how the 75s sound in about a month or 3.

Yeah so it doesn't have a 17.862 ohm jack but hey...for the "features" I'm talking about woods, speakers, solders, inputs, finishes, cables etc. All very fine components inside and beautifully SOLDERED speaker/jack connections (not just clamp on spades like most). The craftsmanship and quality of this is second to none. Picked mine up used.

I tend to agree with some reviews below in that the vintage 30 speakers aren't REALLY overly "vintage"...however you can kind of still feel their heritage coming through. This cab is as much an exercise in physics as it is carpentry. How it produces the bass it does I will never know - bass that is huge and focused, mids feel "tight" against the cones and clear articulate yet pleasingly smooth highs. Also I dont think that it sounds much like the sound files on the celestion website at all - I guess that I'm running a different amp/cab/guitar/ and trying to recreate a poor quality mp3 or whatnot through standard computer audio card into cheap speakers. Based on the celestion wedsite I'd prefer the G12T-75s but in REAL life - hands down v30s. MESA just seem to ba able to take an already great speaker and house it in such a quality cab that you can't help but get a great sound. Improved the sound of my rig DRASTICALLY (and I thought it sounded pretty good before!!!)

When I got this home I swore I could put a matress on top and sleep there if guests came round. It's SO huge. I also decided I'd have a look inside...well about 20-30 minutes later after i'd unscrewed the 29th screw and had FINALLY popped the back off (this process alone almost had my arm disclocated) I was greeted with - as described above - a super quality job with the finest soldered connections and speaker cables that (unlike another "M" brand) were nice and beefy. Quality quality quality. This thing could handle re-entry from space let alone regular gigs at the local.

Haven't dealt with MESA directly but I have heard good things.

For the price I paid you could probly afford to buy 4 v30s and about half the materials you would need to recreate this monster(wood/wire/jacks/screws/solder/soldering iron/etc etc...). Aside from a few tolex rips (mostly isolated to the back shoulder and back panel) this cab is pristine. Find one second hand. It is WORTH the retail price. If this were stolen I'd look everywhere for a second hand one (so expensive!). Failing that I know I'd never be happy with a lesser cab and after trying the best I'd just save for a new one. That basically says it all!

Well it's a cab! Perfectly suited to my Nomad 100 Head. Mono, Stereo. Everything you need! Nothing you don't!

OH MY GOD. I almost cried when I cranked this thing for the first time. It is AMAZING. Consider this; previously I had been using Marshall MG series cabs (shudder) and then upgraded to an open back 2x12 cabinet with GT100s. The Marshall Goldbacks are so budget that they aren't even on the celestion website and even the GT100s don't get a mention under the "guitar" section. With a Standard recto 4x12 with V30s I have tone to die for. What I love about this cab is that the bass takes care of itself. If this makes any sense, I can now dial down the bass on my Nomad Head and use the graphic and parametric eqs to fine tune the MIDS and TREBLE. This frees up valuable "frequency space" in my amp allowing a tone that I have heard in my head for years (kinda like a familiar recto sound crossed with the "brown" sound of a hot rodded marshall). This thing is unbelievable. This is where the buck stops for cabinets. This is the holy grail of cabinets.

Reliability? Just look at it. This thing could be in one of Osama's caves and still come out unscathed. Mine has the diamond metal plating on the sides. I think a train would still come off second best.

Bought second hand (that's Australian dollars ppl) - didn't deal with them

In Australia these retail for $2250 and I got mine for $1000. A few superficial battle scars but at least the speakers are broken in. Honestly this is the single most significant improvement in my tone I have experienced. I am now running the Mesa Nomad head into Invader equipped guitars and a strat with minimal effects (EHX small stone, 535Q wah and Marshall Supervibe). Lost? I'd just phone up the nearest phisiotherapist and ask to speak to the guy with back problems. Perfect tone!

Oversized Recto 4x12 slant cab.
Four Celestion Vintage 30 speakers
280 watts Power Handling
More input jack options for a cab then ive ever seen.
I also own a Marshall 1960B 4x12 which will be used as a comparison piece in this review.

Ok I got this cab as part of the first stage of my rig upgrade. Im planning to pick up a new amp along the lines of Bogner,VHT, Engl, etc in the future but for now ive got my current head which is a Line6 Vetta HD with the 2.0 software. Provided its a "modeling" amp, it actually provides some damn decent tones. Insane amount of power. My co-guitarist uses a 100 watt VHT Pitbull and he STILL tells me to turn down.

Mesa 4x12:

All i can say is even with the vetta this cab made my sound bigger than it ever was. My heavy tones are bigger and have expanded low end. The typical Mesa "chunk" factor" is there. The clean tones sound fantastic and also retain good projection.

Marshall 1960B 4x12:
Decent cab. Worth what i paid for it off a friend. $250 mint condition. The cab has its drawbacks tonally. Seemed a lil dark and muffled sounding. NOT a terrible cab but NOT great either.

Mesa cabs are built as tough as any other high end cab out there. I work in a recording studio and ive seen amps of every kind and condition. This cab is as solid as any Bogner or Diezel cab. Built with the finest quality.Unfortunately i lost my faith in Mesa amps due to past amps of theirs ive owned but their cabs are still top notch.
Marshall cabs are cheaply built. Everything that can be made from plastic is, the speakers are connected with wire thin enough to snap between two fingers. small casters which are a curse when wheeling it over unsmooth road or sidewalk. Mesa casters are big n' beefy and will roll over even a pothole with relative ease. Only caster better would have pneumatic tires. Cabs can be falling apart at the seams and still shake the house. Enough Said.

Mesa customer service is second to none from my multiple experiences with them. You get called back when you leave a message. They will stay on the phone with you as long as it takes to fix an amp problem. Friendly Techs. Only negative aspect is they stubbornly enforce list pricing on everything they sell. Even Bogner doesnt do that c'mon Mesa lighten that up a lil! Doesnt get a 10 for that.

Good Solid Cab. Would be nice if they were cheaper brand new. 800 bucks puts you in Bogner cab territory. Bogners have slightly better projection and resonance but also charge boutique pricing.
Good cab for recording and touring. Almost doesnt need a road case.
Killer product.

Yep, the good ol' Recto cabinet. Not many features since it's a cab, right? Just your basic 4-8 ohm plug for stereo or mono. It came equipped with 4 Celestion Vintage 30's, but being the souped-up type of guy I am, I decieded on replacing two of those for Celestion-built Mesa Black Shadow Custom 90's. Wow is all that I can say about that. The mids come way down with the help of those mc-90's. Much better tone.

Before switching the V30's, I would rate this cab an 8, but after....a solid 10. I run my two channel Dual Recto thru it, and it pairs up well. Nice beefy tone with distortion, and sounds like a gem on clean.

Never a problem with it yet, but unless you blow a speaker, it can't be very unreliable. Not like it's gonna fall apart when you're playing on it.

Very helpful and friendly. I've dealt with them several times, and they always were there to answer any questions.

Kicks ass! This is probably the best cab that I have ever played through. Almost enough to break your back trying to lift it, but thank God for those casters.

2000 Recto, tall cab with Celestion Vintage 30's. Ohm hole in's and out, stereo or mono, about average with todays demanding, corporate and boutique brainwashed, musicians.

Getting sucked into the Nu-Faggot hype, I went and bought one of these cabs used on ebay. These reviews had my member throbbing all the way to pick it up, I figured this is an entry level price to try one of these, low risk thank god for the secondary markets.

Using Schecter Elite w/ Bridge Duncan Invader, neck stock. Fender alder/maple Strat with Hot Rails bridge, HS-3 neck. Yamaha SGB500 w/ Pearly Gates and of course an 80's Kramer Stagemaster w/ JB bridge (swapping it soon)and floyd rose. I'm playing neo-classic Yngwie, Blackmore, VH, Rush, Zep, Maiden whatever mood rattles my sack. Blues SRV, and ZZ, Maiden, need I go on about my favs?

I've used a Marshall Jubilee, MP1 w/ 50/50 Marshall, Mesa 20/20 & Single Recto, and Triple Recto. What can I say, this cab is suited for the Recto head. The Marshall sounds much clearer, louder and in your face. It does throw a huge wall of Mids at you.

Speaking about in your face, has anyone really listened to V30's mids objectively? As I read on the internet and agree with, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing VINTAGE about them. Almost piercing mids, bright verging on spitty, and a very almost dare I say grainy mid when distorted. Bass, yes it does it very well but I don't prefer to play my bass through a guitar rig.

Cleans are a different story, that clarity pays off, beautiful..the nicest clean I have heard. Only problem is I don't play clean enough to justify these, I'm sure the average Trip-Recto owner isn't buying that head for clean either. The problem is having FOUR V30s in one cab, just way too much mids for me. Such a shame this cab suffers from the opposite of my Marshall 1960A cab with the too laid back G12-75Ts. Bottom line, sounds best with the Mesa stuff.

Sturdy, has the leg up on Marshall due to no shipping cost factor. $ go further on quality.

n/a

Objectively speaking, this cab is a 10 for build and 8 for speakers so I give it a 9. You be the judge but beware of the style of music you will be limited to with distortion...all the Limp Bizkit and Korn folks rejoice. Clean is fine, jazz or surf is marvelous.

Playing long enough, have too much gear and am not a multi-platinum selling critic or sold out endorser. If it were stolen, I would consider something else.

I bought this due to the hype, and once the hype settles your left with an excellently built cabinet but the whims of Celestion speakers. Have to suggest swapping 2 speakers out for sure, call Avatar and ask for Dave when your ready (no, I don't work for them but super prices).

It all led me back to my Marshall cabinet with the "X" pattern of G12-75s and G30Hs for a whole lot less and a much warmer, smoother, tone that does 80's metal and vintage blues with greater clarity and plenty of bass for me.

One final note, don't compare this to a Marshall Cab..particulary the 1960A that's Apples to Oranges all the way around. Go listen to the Vintage Engl cab or another cab with V30s and note the prices as your wallet cringes.