Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Rackmount

IF YOU'RE READING THIS , YOU KNOW THE AMP . PROBABLY AROUND 1996 PRODUCTION . MINE IS AN EARLY ONE WITH THE CHROME CHASSIS . 2 CHANNELS . 6L6 POWER SECTION . RATED THIS AN 8 BECAUSE OF IT'S LACKING CLEAN , BUT MESA MAKES NO CLAME TO THE RECTO HAVING A GREAT CLEAN .

HERS'S THE DEAL . FOR ROCK , THIS THING IS JUST AWESOME! SOME PEOPLE THINK I'M NUTS , BUT THE RACK VERSION OF THE RECTO SOUNDS BETTER TO MY EAR . SOMEONE AT BOOGIE TOLD ME THE RACK VERSIONS HAD TO BE MADE A BIT MORE CAREFUL AS THERE WAS A LOT OF STUFF THAT HAD TO BE CRAMMED IN THERE , HE TOO SHARED MY OPINION THAT THE RACK ONES SOUNDED BETTER . NICE TO KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE .
I JUST GOT BACK FORM A REHEARSAL COMPARING IT TO A BOGNER ECSTASY , AND THE BOOGIE JUST SOUNDS BETTER TO ME . THE BOGNER IS A BIT DARKER SOUNDING WITH A WEIRD KIND OF "HIGH" TO IT . THE BOOGIE SOUNDS BRIGHTER AND ALIVE . MUCH MORE RESONSIVE , QUIETER , AND EASIER TO CONTROL UNDER HIGH VOLUME SITUATIONS .
BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF "SPARKLE" IN THE CLEAN CHANNEL , I WANTED TO LIKE THE BOGNER , BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN . NOW , WAS THE BOGNERS CLEAN BETTER? WITHOUT QUESTION YES! BUT LIKE I SAID EARLIER , FOR THE ROCK THING THIS IS THE BOMB! IT JUST STARES AT YOU SAYING "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!!" IT LIKES BEING PUSHED , IT LIKES LOUD VOLUMES . HOW MANY AMPS HAVE A DECENT TONE LOW , BUT AT HIGH VOLUMES JUST FREAK , THIN OUT AND GET WAY TOO HARD TO CONTROL . A LOT THAT I'VE HEARD .
THESE RECTOS SOUND WAY BETTER THAN THE NEW 3 CHANNEL ONES . THE NEW ONES SOUND A BIT MORE PROCESSED AND KIND OF ARTIFICIAL TO ME . MANY PEOPLE I'VE ASKED HAVE AGREED . IF YOU CAN FIND ONE OF THESE , AND YOU'RE A ROCK GUY , YOU'LL DIG IT . IF YOU DON'T , I'LL BUY IT FROM YOU!!!!

I'VE BEEN GIGGING WITH THESE FOR SO LONG , AND NOT A SINGLE PROBLEM , AND I HAVE THREE OF THEM!!!! I TAKE AN EXTRA EVERYWHERE BUT HAVE NEVER NEEDED IT . JUST CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THEM .

THERE IS NONE BETTER .

IF THESE EVER GOT STOLEN , IT WOULD BE THE WORST!!!! YOU CAN'T GET THESE ANYMORE SO I CAN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT .
SIMPLY PUT , TO ME EAR , THERE IS NO GREATER ROCK AMP .

Brand new Recto. Apparently one of the last batch of rackmounts Mesa's gonna make. Muchos features. I'm very pleased with all the sounds I can get. There are 2 channels, but both can be programmed as the other, so you can have 2 vintage or 2 modern distortion channels. Also, the vintage has a "clean" switch so there are really 3 choices for sounds. I don't use an effects loop at all, but I know the Dual has quite an extensive loop. Other cool features are the spongy/bold switch (which changes the power from 100 watts to about 75, and makes the amp play more like a vintage. Great with the orange channel.) and of course the selectable rectifiers (silicone diodes or all tube.) The amp is built like a tank, and I bought a pretty hardcore rack case for it, so I think it'll be ok as far as getting beat up. The only reason I don't give it a 10 is because there are amps like Johnson and Line 6 that deserve that rating.

I'm using a Gibson SG Special and an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, so it's all humbuckers all the way. I play in a pop-punk band (think Ataris, Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory) and this suits it more than perfectly. I recently went to Warped Tour and was not suprised to see this amp on EVERY stage for nearly every act. It sounds great at any volume. It gets pretty noisy with the gain cranked on the "red" channel, but it's plenty distorted at 12 o' clock. You can get anywhere from that great deep crunchy distortion to Korn like buzz from this thing, and that's just the modern channel. I play a lot of classic rock and blues as well as punk rock, and I can get all those sounds as well. A great sounding amp, I don't think I'll ever buy a different one again.

I can definately gig without a backup. Mesa has there shit together when it comes to reliability. The outside is (like I said earlier) like a tank, and the wiring and everything inside look solid, too. I'm no tech, but I can see the difference between this and any manufactured amp on the market.

I haven't dealt with them yet, but I've only heard GREAT things about these guys. From what I've been told, they treat everyone like a rock star as far as taking care of any questions or problems they have.

I've been playing for about 5 years. I've been through a few amps of my own, and have played many, many different amps, and this is by far my favorite. It beat out the Marshall JCM-2000 TSL in my search for a new amp, and the TSL is an amazing amp. All in all, the best $1,300 I've ever spent.

This is a great amp! you can switch from modern to vintige and you have the orange and red chanel, red for distortion, and orange for the clean. the nobs are very sturdy.

the sound is just great! i mean after all korn, metallica, blink 182, foo fighters, eve 6, godsmack, and many more people use them! its the sound ive been waiting for, This is the best amp i have ever played.

this amp will never die, the leather looks great, the nobs stay on, nothing more.

i didnt talk to them at all, never needed to- a good sign

This amp has encredable sound, everyone wants one, allthe big guys use em and its just great amp. I thought i wanted a marshall but this is way better.

100 Watts, Class A/B Power / 4x6L6, 5x12AX7, 2x5U4

Bias Select Switch (6L6/EL34)

2 Channels, 3 Modes (Clean, Vintage High Gain & Modern High Gain)

Independent Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence and Master Controls per Channel

Channel Cloning

Rectifier Select Switch (Tube/Silicon Diodes)

Bold/Spongy "Variac" Switch

Parallel FX Loop w/Send & Mix Level Controls

1 Button Footswitch (Channel Select)

My set up consist of a boss dd-3 delay, vox wah, P.R.S. McCarty and a rackmount recto. I don't have any problem getting any sound I need. The amp has allot of punch. I have owned a MK IV(Great amp!!!!!) a MK III( Great amp also!!} a 50 cal. and two recto's. It is all an opinions far as the sound of an amp goes. The recto might not work for some. But, it works for me.

I have never had a problem with boogie stuff. I use it without a backup.

Anytime I have ever had a question they have always been helpful.

I have been playing for 10 years. I have owned Soldano Hot Rod 50's Soldano SLO, Boogie MK IV,MK III, 50cal, and the Recto. Allot of Marshalls. Everything form the old 4 inputs to the JCM 2000. Various Fender amps and the Recto works better for me with my style of playing. A third channel would be nice. But ,if it was that important. I would have kept the MK IV.

Made in 1998, I think. I play mostly hard rock and metal, sometimes a little blues and classic rock. This amp is definitly suited to the hard rock/metal sounds. Not the most versatile amp, but it really shines in the area it was designed for. I use it with the Dual Rect 4X12 cabinet, which is realy a must. The one thing the amp is really missing is a third channel - oh well. And it should come with a foot switch to turn on/off the effects loop - I think there is one available, but I'm not sure. The rackmount is the same as the head - 2 channels with master vol, bass, mid, treb, presence and gain for each channel on the front. In the back, there is the variable high gain switch, rectifier selector, and power selector. These can make for some tonal varations, but the main focus of the amp is heavy in your face sound. Not a lot of feaures, but that's not a bad thing (except a third channel....)

Sound is unbelievable. I play a ESP M-II with Duncan pickups (JB Trembucker, '59) and a Les Paul Classic Premium Plus (stock pickups, for now). This is the heaviest spounding amp I've played, and I can't see wanting it any heavier. It is kinda of noisy... But I don't think you can get this type off distortion without some noise. I suppose uyou could use a gate or something. Again, not a wide variety of sounds, but the amp is great if you play hard rock/metal.

So far so good. SLight problem with the cabinet - when the amp is cranked, the speaker cable tends to pop out of the cabinet, but that's not the amp's fault. Haven't had any problems and I've had it for two years now.

Never deqalt with them.

I think people either love this amp or are kind of whatever about it. If heavy is what you want, look no further. I've been playing for about 10 years and for me, this is the best amp I've played. Mesa rocks. If you need versatility, check out the Mark IV, but if you want heavy sound, this is THE amp to have. Also tried Marshall 2000 and, some Soldanos and the 5150 -- no comparison. If stolen, I'd get another. What do I love about it? The SOUND. The only thing I don't like is that sometimes it;s a pain to lug the whole rig around - I might have to go get one of those 2X12 rectifer cabs......

1998 Model...I love the simplicity, but could stand for a third channel for sure. Test drove this amp against the Marshall JCM 2000 TSL...Mesa kicked the Marshall's ass in both clean and crunch modes, but I was left wishing for that third channel like the TSL. Oh well, it's nearly impossible to dial in a bad tone on this sucker.

I use a bastardized American Standard Strat...Fast Track 2 (super hot HB) in the bridge, tone circuits bypassed (yep, one pickup, one knob, just like you-know-who, even though I don't play anything remotely similar to EVH! The Dual Rec has the most vicious distortion I have ever heard. Gain for miles, but with headroom...feedback is no problem, and noise is minimal compared to Marshall or VHT (the other amps I test drove against this one). There's a definite "scooped-mid" feel to it that you just can't quite dial out no matter what you do. "Pantera" comes to mind. The clean, contrary to popular belief, is very nice...very compressed, but very nice. The bottom-end flabbiness I hear complaints about, I fixed by putting in EL-34's. It gives me a more midrangey-Marhall-ey tone, but still unmistakeably Boogie. I play punk/funk/metal/ska/reggae, and the tones suit me great. Still wishing for that third channel, though...

I would gig with it underwater.

It's nice to get a real live human on the other end of the phone, and they're very willing to spend the time to explain stuff to you. They seemed to go out of their way to try and save me time and money, even when they could have made more $ off of me on unnecessary accessories if they wanted.

This is a dream amp if you're into hard, aggressive music. Not as versatile as I'd like, but now I'm hooked because of that incredible crunch tone. I'd buy another in a heartbeat!

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I would like to point something out to all persons who reference other peoples reviews in there own (i.e. lovetone). If you feel differently about the amps tone than I do, that is fine. If you don't like the tone, tell us why and move on. Don't say, it sucks and whats-his-name is WRONG or 'yo DOUG the bass IS flabby'. As if I hear flab in my own amp and decided not to share that little tid-bit with my fellow guitarist. Or even worse, I don't recognize flab, and lovetones ears are much more acute at detecting it than mine.

I don't care if you like the amp or don't, but I do care when someone wants to tell me Im not hearing correctly. We have all tried a Mesa Dual Rectifier, but have we all tried with the same Guitar, pick, cabinet, room ambiance, string gauge, instrument cable, speaker cable, power supply, and playing technique. All of these things effect tone. Playing technique alone has a huge effect on tone. I have experienced this first hand in my own band, where me and the other guitarist have swapped rigs.

Once again, I am not doubting that you heard flab and too much bass, but don't doubt that I hear focus and definition in my setup. Each person has his/her own set of ears and own personal sonic preferences. Please, lets give our reviews and move on, instead of disagreeing with each other. Cause you know what, we are BOTH right. Thats the great thing about tone and music, i like it, you dont...we are still BOTH right :)

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No idea when it was made. Two channels crunch, and more crunch. All tube preamp and poweramp. Very good studio/live amp. This thing is definitely not for beginners (not a practice amp). Really could have gone for three channels. What if I sent it back to Boogie to get motorized knobs with MIDI switchable settings...

I'm running either a Custom ibanez seven string, or an ESP custom M-II both loaded with EMG pickups. I play everything from Led Zepplin to Metallica to Korn. I really do wish it had MIDI switchable programs like the Triaxis but the rectifier's tone is just better then that of the Triaxis'. The sounds you can get out of this thing are unbelievable. The distortion on this thing is inhuman. It feels like it never stops adding gain yet every note is defined. The clean channel is excellent. I read through some of the reviews about the Dual Rectifier and everyone said that the clean channel sux. Keep fiddling there are unbelievable clean sounds in this amp. I'm using the effects loops send as a preamp output and sending that signal into a Roland GP-100 multi effects, Roland SDE-330 digital delay, and Mesa/Boogie Colliseum 300 poweramp. If the sounds the amp makes on its own are awesome you have to try this setup out some time.

Not only is it in a SKB shockmount rack case but its a boogie. I would feel safe kicking this thing with a steel toe boot.

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Been playing for...5 years...I think. Would definitely get another one. Love the crunch, hate two channels.