Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head Triple Channel

This amp was bought at the end of last year from the first buyer. I'am the second owner. This amp is certainly versatile enough to do many styles of music. But it's gear toward rock to nu-metal. If you dial it correctly you can cover just about any style from Jazz, blues and etc. This is a 3 channel head with channel switching capabilities. I wish it had a reverb other than that...it has all the features for my needs. For me I don't use the effects loop. It's definitely a must feature to have especiallly if you're into pedals. I use this amp for home, rehearsals and gigs and it has more than enough power to handle anything you can throw at it..especially a hard hitting drummer. It's been the standard for many bands around the mid 90's to 2000 era I don't see it changing anytime soon as with Marshall. These two amp companies set the standard for recording and for stage performances.

I use a Gibson Classic with JB/59 and ESP LTD EC-1000 w/JB/59. This combination along with my Mesa DR complements each other nicely. The amp is extremely quiet. Definitely a studio amp and why many bands have used it in their recordings. I run this amp with a Vertical recto 2x12 cab and it sounds fantastic and also an Avatar Vintage 2x12 with WGS Veteran 30's. The Avatar and DR sound incredible especially with the WGS speakers! I have to say that both are completely different sounding cabs. If you like a earlier break up with the Marshall tone the Avatar would be it since it's model after the enfamous bluesbreaker. The Mesa cab is very beefy with alot of braun. The sound of this amp is very clear, tight and focus. you need to watch the gain. It has a ton of usable gain that can make your amp a bit fuzzy sounding if you go crazy with it. The clean channel is great! Very warm and vibrant. Better than alot of high gain amps out there.

The thing that I did as with many tone freaks is changing the tubes, pickups,electronics and cables. For me I focused on tubes and pickups. I put all NOS preamp tubes in mind. I have Amperex for V1 and V5, Mullard for V2 and v3, Brimar for v4. I also switched the stock power tubes to Winged C 6l6 and it sounded alot better than the Chinese 6l6. It has alot of bass but certain frequencies on those tubes masked the amp making it sound like you have a blanket over the speakers. The Winged C 6l6 defintely gave it more of a 3D effect and the break up was smoother. Alot more balance than the chinese 6l6.

I hardly ever hear people having problems with Mesa. They build great amps. The quality control, components and craftsmanship are fantastic from a production amplifier. I have no doubt this amp will last me for many years to come.

They are great! They get back to you and they care about their customers.

I've been playing for 13 years and have played and owned many amps. I currently owned a Laney VH100R and that amp is unbelievable. It's my No.1 and the Mesa DR is my No.2 I've owned other Laney's like the TT50H(great versatilitiy but the tone didn't impressed me as much as the VH100R, AOR Pro II(it's too classic rock sounding for my taste), LH50R(great amp for everything except heavey metal, I still missed that amp) Mesa Stiletto( great tone but a bit too lose for the chugga chugga) Stiletto Ace( a nice improvement over the Stiletto in the palm muting department but doesn't have the natural organic tone that the Stiletto has. Rivera K55....nice cleans and very loud but very peircing and muddied . Orange Rockerverb 50( a nice sounding amp. Cleans don't stay clean when you turn up the volume, the distortion sounded a bit compressed for my taste..not worth the price for the performance). Engl Thunder 50( nice for recording but doesn't cut through the mix very well in live situations...as with the RV50 also. Marshall 2210...great amp but clean channel sucks not to mention the distortion bleeds through the clean the louder you crank her up. Marshall 30th Anniversary(blue EL34) Very organic sounding multi channel Marshall but has some high end fizz that is very difficult to get rid of. Marshall DSL 50....Great Marshall amp! Has the best cleans of any Marshall and the distortion is nice! Marshalls best sounding multi channel amp. I like it better than the JVM. Carvin MTS....crap! Line 6...Crap. I love everything about the DR. It's a killer amp in almost everyway like my Laney VH100R. I would buy it again if I lost or if it gets stolen. I would certainly look for a good deal first. I don't buy my amps used for quite sometime and I think alot of people are the same way. If you look carefully and patient. You'll always find great deals on just about any amp out there. I'm not going to fork out 1800.00 on a new DR or amp for that matter.

100W all tube amp. 3 channels, very versatile. FX loop, solo switch to give you a boost. Mine was made in 2006.

I'd like another FX loop. That way, I could use an EQ in one and actual effects in the other.

Absolute CRAP!! I bought this amp about 6 months ago, and was extremely disappointed. I probably tweaked the settings for days trying to get something that sucked a little less. Then, about a month ago I bought something on a whim...a MXR M-108 EQ pedal.

After I learned how to use the EQ, I've been able to get any kind of sound I want. The distortion is absolutely brutal, similar to System of a Down's Toxicity album. A lot of people hate the clean on this thing (I did too), but after figuring out how to get a setting that worked on the EQ pedal, it's been excellent.

I'm only giving the sound a 10 because of what it CAN be. On its own, it would be a 2.

No problems yet. Built like a tank.

Haven't talked with them, but the 5 year warranty is good.

I love this amp now. After learning how to use it, I would buy it again without even thinking. Loud as hell and sounds damn good.

My friend has a Peavey 6505 I've been playing around with. That too is a great amp, but this thing smokes it when trying to get a heavy scooped tone.

For anyone who has tried and hated this amp, give it another shot with EQs. I was very close to selling it and getting something better until I realized what it could do. Without Eqs, a POS like a Line 6 Spider sounds better.

Has three channels, etc. Others have already covered all this.

Some people may find this amp a tad basic compared to modern do everything amps, but personally for me it does more than enough, with a perfect mix of simplicity to gadgets. I love playing with knobs and buttons, but when gigging you don't want things to get too complex and fussy.

Suppose it would be nice to be able to mix in a more Marshal sound, but then it would be a Marshal Amp :) But maybe some sort of warm dial.. who knows. I'm very happy with it.

Has three channels ;
1 clean
2 Dist
3 Very Dist.

Personally I was amazed at how lovely the clean channel is. Maybe could be a tad warmer, but still lovely. I find I don't use channel 2 much, too half and half for me, but bought this amp for channel 3... fantastic. But its all personal.

Its been very reliable so far. Had it about a year now. I'm fussy about giving a 10 and a year isn't that long.

Haven't needed them.

Been playing about 20 years and had quite a lot of gear over that time. Personally I love this amp and would buy another if lost. The sound may be a tad personal so would probably recommend you hear it before buying.

Something that may be interesting is the cabinet type and volume. When played through a Mesa 4x12 this thing is awesome, but at low volumes in small cabs it obviously can't compare. What amp can ? But watch out for the weight of those large cabs... will put in A&E.

Not sure if its worth the money. For me yes, but maybe not for some. There is a lot of competition now.. some others are also very good.

My MESA DR 3CH was made in 2005. I play rock/metal it suites just fine... i fool around with other musical style... blues, funk, trash, etc... u name it... mesa delivers... not the best clean sound... but.. then again... just Fender clean will smash this little beast... it has tones of features... just try them all, figure out what they do n u'll see these r all useful.. it has 100W ... believe me.. enough horse power!!!

3 channels... 1 clean, 2 dirty... ch3 is has more muscle than ch2. ch2 is more bright.. and clean is just so sweet.. just use the EQ ;)

this baby has some heavy distortion... just turn it to modern sound (i prefer the vintage one...) and u can't go full gain!! its just so heavy.. :)

i own a Jackson soloist with emg 81/85. rhythm great.. solos awesome!

this Mesa can get very noisy using the FxLoop. u just have to figure out how to use the back controls for the FxLoop... and the noise will almost go away... add a noise gate and u'll be just fine...

harder than a rock... built for life... i gig with no backup... just my Mesa DR.

not yet... ;)

before i had this amp i tried other amps... some can level with mesa... not many... i like Wizard, Marshall, Diezel, Carvin... but i chose Mesa... I've been playing with my Mesa for 2 years now... i would not change this amp...

Made in 2003.

Excellent features. These has been covered. I gave it a 9 b/c of the lack of reverb. I use a Holy Grail verb through the loop - sounds good.

Plenty of power. Almost too much power, but sounds good at medium volumes.

I've had this amp for a few years and have been waiting for the right time to review. Had a Marshall TSL beforehand. Recently I bought another TSL as a backup and decided to use it ata gig for a change of pace and a reference point. The TSL sounds great, but now I remember why I bought the Mesa in the first place. Much fuller, warmer, rounder sound. I can live with both - some guys are Mesa guys and some guys are Marshall guys. To me, they both sound great, are versatile and useful enough, and I like using both of them depending on my mood.

It was a little hard getting past the stereotype that this amp brings. It is much more than a nu-metal amp. I use the amp for classic rock (no Nu-Metal stuff, just 70's, 80's, & 90's bar rock stuff). I also put JJE34L's and the ECC803S's and what a difference from stock Mesa tubes. The amp retains the darker tonal color but can be lively when dialed in right. The new tubes made all the difference in the world. EL34's don't make this sound like a Marshall, but do brighten the sound a bit. Less 'sonic destruction' and a little more musical.

I use a Strat with a Duncan Pearly Gates 'bucker in the bridge position. Beatiful, smooth sound. I couldn;t be happier.

Channel 1:
Keep on clean, not pushed. Generally keep all controls at 12:00.

Channel 2:
Vintage Mode. Excellent classic rock sound. I play this channel mostly with gain around 11:00.

Channel 3:
Also Vintage Mode, mostly for my lead tone. I keep the settings the same as channel 2 but with a little more gain to help disguise my poor chops.

I mix and match cabs & speakers (both 2X12, 1 open back & 1 closed back). They have Vintage 30's, G12T-75's, or a combination of the two.

I also have it set to Rectifier mode and Bold. The amp is a little tighter this way than Spongy mode, but still has a nice, liquidy feel to it. great for single note riffing.

The thing about this amp is that I first found it difficult to dial in a good sound. Some nights it sounded great, others sounded terrible. Once I got used to the dynamic EQ and got used to the different rooms we work, I figured out how to get a consistent sound that I am very happy with (it only took a few years).

I only use a reverb pedal, otherwise, its a pure signal path. This is an extremely quiet amp for such a thick distorion.

So many times at a gig people approach me and say "I've never heard a Dual Rec sound like that. What have you done to it?" I realize I'm in the minority when I use a Strat and play classic & pop rock, but I LOVE the sound I get from this amp. Couldn't be happier these days. (BTW - Like the PRS, My Les Paul sounds KILLER through the amp, its just not right/practical for what we do as a band).

Tank!!!!

I still bring a backup. Afterall, this is still an all-tube amp.

Haven't needed them.

Been playing for 25 years, mostly Marshalls.

I would replace this amp with a Mesa MarkIV. A little less 'recto' sounding and more versatile for what I need, but I still whole-heartedly recommend this amp.

I wish it had a power reduction feature or built-in attenuator. Using Spongy (lowers internal voltages) or pulling two tubes does not help the amp for lower volume applications.

Its funny reading the reviews here. I read all of them before I purchased. Of course, my ears were the ultimate judge, but I always find these reviews helpful. I think people either love this amp or hate it. All tastes are different. But I do know this: this amp needs patience, understanding, and tweaking. Unlike Marshalls which can be dialed in very easily, this amp is work. Sometimes too much work. But once it is understood, it is glorious.

This amp has everything that a rocker could ask for. The key is that you truly sit down and spend some time tweaking the sound on each channel. This thing costs a bunch, and its worth it, but you have to spend some time to get the sound your looking for.

To those who would rate this amp with nothing but 1's, I suggest you pick up a nice little Fender, or maybe a cool Crate and feel good about yourself. So many millionaires have been made by the sound this amp puts out that it boggles the mind. Obviously you have an ax to grind, but your bitterness falls onto deaf ears. The 3 channels on this amp will give you any sound one could imagine. You can make a Mesa sound like a Marshall, but there is NO way you can make a Marshall sound like a Mesa. Enough said!

I have owned a single Rec and now a Dual Rec. The single NEVER let me down, as I trust the dual never will. Built like tanks.

Never needed to contact them. I don't misuse my equipment, so chances are I will never need them.

I have been playing since 1969, so I'm no spring chicken, but I like my Mesa. I have spent a lifetime looking for the crunch Mesa has. If anyone tried to steal my amp my mixed-breed maniac mutt would have a chunk of his ass for dinner. So try...just try to relieve me of this tone monster...good luck!

100W head, made in 2006 (according to seller). 3 channels with different voicings (toggle) on each channel. Too many controls to count, but anyone reading this already knows that this is a professional amp with enough features for almost anyone.

From my experience, this amp can do absolutely anything. Granted, I bought it to play hard rock and it does that incredibly well (think Thrice, deftones, Norma Jean, Underoath). But it could just as easily be used for crystal clear cleans, soulful blues, country, death metal and anything you can throw at it.

There's plenty of power (too much really... i may pull tubes) to do almost anything. It's loud as hell.

Each of the three channels built into this amp are practically an amp in their own right. Unlike many other amps I've played though, it has a Jekyll and Hyde quality to it from the switches on the back. Flipping the tubes from "Spongy" to "Bold" opens up a set of sounds that just don't exist anywhere.

First, the clean. It comes with two voicings, clean and pushed. In the clean setting with the treble and presence rolled up, it's crisp, clean and almost fenderish. Still, the low end comes through really well, so, it's not so much a fender twin sound. On the pushed setting, this thing is a beast. This is the rhythm channel to use for awesome bluesy rhythm. The gain control on this channel is very responsive and gives great saturation to the sound so it breaks up rather nicely. the clean channel sounds best with tube rectification switched on and with tubes set to "Spongy"

Channel 2 is all about tone. Left in the "Vintage" voicing there's nothing it can't do. Anything from Santana-esque sustain to Metallica and Slayer growl.

Channel 3 is a fire-breathing monster. The presence control is even hotter than Channel 2 and when set above 12:00 with Gain above 12:00 is the definitive modern hard rock sound. It's just unparalleled.

never gig without a backup. never gig without spare tubes.

But i expect the amp to work for a while without problems.

I called them once before buying this to compare the triple rectifier head to the dual rec. I didn't reach them directly and was forced to leave a message. Their recording said "they call everyone back". I was pretty impressed when a bit later in the day a very knowledgeable guy from Mesa called me and answered all my questions.

been playing about 10 years and this is the first "good" amp I've owned. If someone stole it, I'd be pissed. It would be immediately replaced with a clone paid for by insurance.

This is a 2006 made amp. It would be in fact versatile, except that it really sounds disgusting in ALL three channels. This is the second one I purchased (unfortunately). The first one I purchased used, so I thought it was too beat up for it to sound good. However, I purchased the second one new and it still blows. I tried putting in expensive NOS tubes in it, and it still blows. Then I changed the preamp tubes to more expensive NOS preamp tubes and it still blows. The effects loop went bad after a few weeks of use and sounds horrible. There is too much noise added (and I know for a fact that is not due to my pedals, which are top of the line and all have true bypass in them). I really wish it was cleaner. This amp is ONLY good for that non-sense nu-rock BS that modern bands are coming up with. There is no sound definition at all. It does have a lot of power, but every tiny bit that you bring up the volume, it will add loads of noise. This was a major waste of money.

The sounds that come out of this thing very poor, toneless. The clean chanel totally blows, it doesnt even sound clean at all. The distortion is brutal, but it is not defined. My 5150 does a better job than that. My guitars are mostly custom made. I own a Jackson RR1 with EMG-KFK set in it, a gibson les paul studio with burstbuckers, a washburn idol, a fender strat with rio grande single coil set, and a custom made guitar with rio grande crunchbox and rio grande fat bastard pickups. All of the past guitars are awesome and beautifully set up. I used to have a ESP, but I sold it years ago. None of these guitars sounded good through a recto. In regards to noise, it blows!! is TOO NOISY!!.

My footswitch cable went bad in the middle of a concert (they are really cheap and bad constructed). Few weeks after that my fooswicth stopped working (on the chanel buttons). I had to get it replaced. The effects loop in the amp stopped working after a while. Had to get it fixed. An input jack went bad so I had to get it fix as well. The pots are now all loose, so I tighten them up again. Its pathetic. Poor construction.

This is by far the worst feature of mesa. Their customer service is the worst. Is really hard to deal with them. They never took responsibility of fixing my amp. In addition, I have placed several orders from the store and they have taken up to two months to get my stuff. They are really cocky and disrespectful over the phone. Try calling and they will transfer you to an answering machine. Is sad, is pathetic.

Mesa/Boogie blows!! dont spend your valuable money in this non-sense. Buy something else. There are many alternatives in the market that are better than mesa.

I WAS a GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome) sufferer, until I got this amp!! This is one of the newer three channel versions. Plenty of headroom!! Loads of sounds available with the various modes (Clean/Pushed or Raw/Vintage/Modern) and with adequate control of prescence. This is clearly a more Rock/Metal amp. More difficult to attain a light crunch sound (other than in Ch1 one with pushed mode, but then you've got no clean!). I will keep this amp until one of us dies! I've sold all my rack gear, bought a few boss pedals and refound my love for guitar PLAYING and not just gear BUYING!

I play a Ibanez RG570 with original Ibanez pickups and a Les Paul Standard (also original pick-ups).

The best channel is CH2 in Vintage mode. A really nice singing solo sound with a good audible level of pick attack. You wont find a modelling guitar amp that can match it (trust me, ive tried).

CH3 IS that Recto sound (everything from Foo Fighters to Metallica). Dont go looking for it somewhere else, BUY a Rectifier! Brutal Distortion but still musical!

CH1 is possibly the only drawback to this amp (but it still gets a 10). The new roadster and road king have adopted the Lonestar clean channel for a reason. The Rectifier is much more bassy and if not trimmed carefully, you can end up with a tinny sound or too muddy to cut through the mix. The right sound is in there (providing your using a Rectifier cabinet) but it's not a simple to find as the other channels.

One short note to the Roadster and Road King. There both great amps (with great prices!) but they pop when switching channels! Especially between channels 2 & 3 (regardless of volume setting). Mesa know about this but I havent heard of any recalls or modifications for this. Threrfore, if you've got a tight budget and want that Recto sound buy an original Rectifier. You can easily use an overdrive pedal to get that extra light crunch sound.

Not had it long enough to say, but its built like a brick sh$thouse!

Never spoke with them.

I have been playing for 26 years. Owned a lot of other Mesa/Marshall gear. I've been looking for "that Sound" for 3 years and I am sure that I have finally found it! Tried all the different Modelling gear (GT-Pro/GX700/PODXT etc) but it isn't real. Valve amps are not as forgiving as a solid state pre-amp. The solid state high High frequencies and dynamics are not as transparent. But if you master your picking technique then the sound achievable from a Valve (or tube) amp is truly Fantastic!! In the end its not the guitar, effects or amp that make the quality of sound, it's the quality of the player! :0) The Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head is the most flexible, dynamic and best value amp for the hobby and professional player.

I purchased my dual rec in 2002 and after taking it home and messing around with the settings for a while I got an amazing tone out of it. As you all probably already know it has three channels with different tone selection modes on each channel as well as seperate eq settings for each channel. I really enjoy the ability to swap out the rectifier tubes without having to rebias anything. Also the raw power of this amp is amazing. At times it almost feels like too much for certain settings. It has a versatile effects loops but I have never used it because it doesn't fit my playing style or needs. To be honest I wish I had just gotten the 2 channel because I rarely ever use two channels much less 3. But alas that is all they had in stock and I was inpatient. It is a great sounding amp if you are looking for high gain.

As stated above this ap sounds great for any metal, hardcore or rock high gain sound you are going after. The clean channel sounds a little to thin for my taste but I hardly ever use the thing. On the positive side tho as long as the gain isn't really high on the clean channel the sound wond distort even at high volumes. I have been playing guitar for 6 or 7 years and always played through a gibson les paul standard. I think that the two complimented very well for the genre of music I play. I am in a post hardcore/hard rock band and this amp meets all my needs. Our other guitar player is running a gibson sg through an orange otr 120 head and orange cab and the two amps really sound great together.

I've been in a nationaly touring band for the past 4 years and have taken this head on the road with me for long periods of time with no backup and never had any problems. In fact our manager at the time dropped it from about 5 feet onto cement and other then some dings nothing was wrong with it. I've never had any tube or fuse problems because I regulary clean and take care of it. I would trust this amp to last me on the road without a backup. It has done just that for years and I bet it will for many more.

I've never had to deal with this. I've heard good things though.

All in all I really love this amp. Its not for every style and every player. It is made to be loud and sound great with high gain settings. Recently I switched to synth in our band because I've been programming and playing them for much longer than guitar and we have a new guitarist who uses my mesa rig. If it were broke or stolen I would make him help me buy another one. Maybe this time though only the 2 channel because this amp has more than I need. I would also think about buying an orange because I love their tone. When compared to marshalls though this head kills them hands down. Try it out before you buy one because it might not be what u need. Make sure u run it through a good cabinet and have the volume turned up because otherwise it doesn't showcase the sound it can create properly.