Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head Triple Channel

I am sure you know them by now.

I freaking love this damned amp. I have had it for about 6 months now, and I love it to death. I disagree with the last poster. In fact, I think you have a tube problem. I will give you my settings here they are. (Channel 3) Presence=3.5-4, Gain=8.5-9, treble=8-9, Mid=0, Bass=9-10. (Channel 2) Presence=0-1, Gain=7-8, Treble=5-6, mid=0, bass=5-6. (Channel 1) Presence=9-10, Gain=3-4, Treble=6-8, Mid=0, Bass=9-10. The reason a gave an estimate depends on what guitar your using, those are my settings and everyone who has played through my amp loves them. Again, check your tubes, oh and also. On the back, there are some buttons. Keep the Bias switch on EL-34, keep the rectifier on silicon diodes, and keep the power on spongy. I hope that helps. By the way, I like Creed, Stone Temple Pilots, Early Metalica, and early thrash metal, and this is the perfect amp. Alot of people complain about the clean channel, the clean isn't as good as I'de hoped, but its suits me fine. I play a BC Rich Warlock Platinum, and Ibanez RG-570, and a Les Paul standard, and Les Paul 1959. Practically any guitar sounds sweet on this amp. Its has alot of variety, I find channel 2 to be the most versatile, but thats just my opinion. And it doesn't turn to shit at high volume. I reccomenend a Boss NS-2 noise suppressor, it can get very noisy. I love this damn distortion man, its perfect.

Nothings has happened to my amp, but then again I've only owned it for 6 months.

Never dealt with them.

I would reccomend this amp to any rock (straight, classic, and heavy) fan who has been disappointed by the hype of some Marshalls and Line 6's (me).

I bought this amp with a mesa 4x12 short cabinet on july 9 2001 so im assuming it's a 2001 model. This is the newest model with 3 channels and diffent modes on each channel. The array of sounds possible from thes head is astounding. Probably more than I will ever use. This is by far the most versitile amp I've heard other than digital modeling amps like a line 6 or a Jhonson

I play through an Epiphone Les Paul with 2 open coil pickups. I play in a Hardcore/punk band and the amp totally nailed the sound I wanted. I am the only guitar player in the band and the tight bottom end this amp has really fills in the sound. If the treble is maxed along with the gain microphonic feedback occurs, but the owners manual tells you how to avoid that. The clean channel is amazing. I know this amp is known for it's distortion, but the clean cannel should not be overlooked. The clean channel has a pushed mode which gives the channel some more gain for a mildly distorted sound. Adding presence it this channel gives more gain as well. It's cool if you can use it...

I played one show with the amp and then at the next one, I wheeled it in, plugged into the wall, turned it on, smelled some burning, took it off standby, heard some fizzling noise, and the amp worked no more. Fortunately the problem was a short in one of the power tubes and the store that i bought it from replaced them all. Nothing has gone wrong since but i was mildly preturbed at having spent all that money and having something go wrong so early.

the warranty is 6 months for tubes (fortunately for me) and one year on the head. For all the money I spent I wouldn't mind a longer warranty

I've been playing for 5 or 6 years and this amp is all I'll ever need.
I would definately buy this amp again. I tried amps endlessly for months and found nothing that even came close to it. I love the sound it has and the endless options for more sounds. The only other amp that I thought came close was a JCM 900 but it is not even comparable

go too mesaboogie.com

Muddy and undefined. I tweaked for hours, used factory suggested settings, even emailed other reviewers for their settings. Nothing could make it sound better. I tried my sonic maximizer in the fx loop but that only made it fizzy and harsh. For 1600 bucks no way. Try it, you may like it, but it sure isn't my bag. I have a mesa .50 caliber which I love. It gets tight, defined , creamy thick distortion and sounds even better with a sonic maximizer . If the dual recto had its gain I wouldn't be returning it to Guitar Center. Great features and versatility, but a sound that only a braindead korn fan could love.Maybe I'll try a mark IV.

too much money, and poor sounds. Buy a 50 caliber for $600 and rock out. What it may lack in channels it makes up for in massive tone.Quality before quantity, don't be charmed by all the bells an whistles, use your ears.

mesaboogie.com for the features. if this amp doesnt have enough power for you then you must be playing in a stadium. all its missing is reverb but i dont really care for it

im using this with an esp ltd m-100 with emgs. the distortion is pure godliness. and despite what ive heard the clean is really good. i can get the clean sound from seasons in the abyss really close. the effects loop is great. you can bypass it so it doesnt affect your tone and even when its active i didnt notice a major difference from just plugging straight into the head. there is a noticeable pop when you switch channels with the footswitch though..wish that didnt happen

i bought it brand new sealed in the box and it didnt work. luckily i bought from a great store and they helped me out really well

they reply to phone calls but dont bother with emails

ive been playing almost four years. ive been looking for an amp that was really loud and had a great tone both distorted and clean and after trying stuff out in store i decided on this head. at first i thought it might suck cause on the newer metallica live stuff their distortion sounds all watered down and i didnt want any of that. but i got a really kick ass heavy sound from it right off..far be it from me to know how you make a great amp sound bad. im mostly into real metal like shadows fall, iced earth, in flames, old metallica and this head is great for it. get it used if you can becuase as you can see new in the box doesnt always mean it works

This amplifier was made in 2001, purchased new from local guitar shop. Totally versatile amplifier, the clean channel on the new 3 channel rectifiers have been vastly improved from their older brothers. However, I did not buy this amp for it's clean channel (although it is very nice). Here is the skinny on the features of this amp.

3 channels:

CHANNEL 1: This channel has 2 modes that it can be set to be played. They are clean and pushed. Clean is just that...very clean and crisp sounding...add a touch more gain and you get this real cool warm clean sound. The pushed setting is a neat feature. It gives more of a classic rock feel...kind of like an ACDC type sound, but a little smoother. ***Note: The mode select switches on all 3 channels are not footswitchable...they are switched on the front of the amplifier.

CHANNEL 2: This is where I like to be. This channel has 3 modes in all. They are Raw, Vintage and Modern. Raw is a less gained signal that picks up where the pushed mode leaves off on Channel 1. Vintage adds a little more gain and has a total classic rock feel to it...if the gain is backed off a touch, one can attain a really cool bluesy sound. The last mode (my favorite by far) is Modern. This mode on this channel is where I found "MY" sound (more on it later in the sounds section). It is a gain monster that has the harder sounds...ala Godsmack...etc.

CHANNEL 3: This channel is exactly the same as Channel 2, except the presence control on Channel 3 picks up where the Channel 2's leaves off (if presence was maxed on Channel 2, it would be the same as having the presence set at 12 o'clock on Channel 3). The owners manual states that you can request that mesa send you the same sound pot as in Channel 2's presence control if you wished to have 2 identical channels.

CHANNEL CONTROLS: All 3 channels have the following controls (all self explanatory):

-Gain
-Master Volume
-Presence
-Treble
-Mids
-Bass

SOLO FEATURE: Most refer to this as a "Solo Channel". This is not really a seperate channel, but really a volume booster for all 3 channels. This function only works if the effects loop is engaged (this doesn't mean that the loop has to be in current operation...it just can't be in the loop bypassed position on the effects loop channel selection switch, which is listed below.) The solo channel is accessed using the footswitch and there is a control on the front of the amplifier that allows you to raise the solo channel volume to the desired level. The solo channel can only be set higher than the other channels, it cannot be set lower. The lowest setting on the solo channel control will result in the same volume of the channel that you are currently playing on.

OUTPUT CONTROL: When the effects loop is engaged (just as described in the solo feature) you can raise and lower all 3 channel's volume while maintaining the same volume differential which is defined by the Master Volume controls on each of the 3 channels. This is a handy feature, because it allows you to turn one knob and raise overall amplifier volume on all of the channels while maintaining channel volume differentials.

CONTROLS ON THE BACK OF THE HEAD:

-Slave control: used when chaining amps together for more power.

-Speaker output jacks: There is 5 jacks in all. 2 for 4 ohms, 2 for 8 ohms and 1 for 16 ohms.

-Channel assign knob for effects loop: This is where you choose what channel you wish to have the effects loop engaged on. There is also a setting for the footswitch...which is the obvious selection. This way you can choose your channels with your feet while you play and have access to the effects loop at all times.

-Parallel effects loop: It has the usual send and return jacks. There is a send control level knob and an effects mix knob (control the amount of effects you wish to be in the sound mix).

-Channel Select Switch: Choose the channel you wish to play on...or choose footswitch to have access

As promised above...I will elaborate on the "Modern" mode selection for Channel 2 and 3. This amplifier has defined my sound. I used to hear this sound in my head...wishing I could create it somehow. I played a dual rectifier and I then realized that it can be done after all. Low end, earth pounding, razor sharp, tone enriched distortion. When palm muted it makes the room shake...it has so much power. This amplifier totally suits my musical needs...the crunch is out of this world (older Metallica, Godsmack etc). The clean channel is also great. When I play my neck p/u on my Les Paul Classic, I can set the controls on the clean channel to almost give me an accoustic sound...it is absolutely amazing. My amplifier does not give me any type of sound or feedback problems. If you are looking for an amplifier to give you the "out of this world, insane distortion" with a great clean channel too, this amp is the one for you.

Now, here is an important note: ***READ THE OWNERS MANUAL*** (it is available at www.mesaboogie.com via acrobat reader if you would like to read into it before trying the amp out (hint hint hint)), the manual goes into great detail in how to set up the controls on the amplifier to achieve certain sounds. If you gain this amp to 10 and do the typical scooped mids 10-0-10 thing...you will get a horrible undefined sound. Also, the manual talks about tube failure, and how to troubleshoot it and quickly repair your amp without having to take it to a tech and be without it for a month. In addition to all of that, the manual gives a number of settings to dial in to see the different sounds this amplifier is capable of achieving. If you are considering this amplifier...do yourself a favor and go to the mesa website and read the manual. This is the BEST amplifier I have ever heard or played...HANDS DOWN!!!!!

I would imagine from the Mesa reputation that this amplifier will stand the test of time. I cannot really rate this category as I have only had my amp for a few weeks. However, I will say this...I play loud and it has not failed me yet...I drive this thing on a daily basis and it sounds amazing every single time I turn it on.

I emailed them once after working hours on a Friday, and they got back to me on the next business day which was monday. I just had some comments on their amplifier...they were very appreciative and made sure to let me know that if I needed any customer support,not to heisitate to email them or give them a call and ask away!

I am entirely satisfied with this amplifier...I was so relieved to finally have the sound I kept hearing in my head emit from my amplifier cabinet. I played so many amplifiers, and the triple channel dual rectifier was the ONLY amp that had the sound that I wanted with the additional versatility. To have this type of versatility on the amplifier that has the best distortion known to mankind is absolutely awesome. I would buy this amplifier over and over again...without a single doubt. Nothing sounds like a Mesa!

its a 2000 or 2001. 5 channel footswitch effects loop.... the standard things you find. 100 watts solid state and tube rectifier.
channel one has 2 sounds.
2 and 3 have three sounds all distortions.

im using a 2000 gibson SG special (the one with an ebony fret board).
i mostly play punk (ink and dagger and refused not blink 182).
its good for that stuff. but thats it. the distortion is just over used at this time. everyone plays these things.

i played this amp exactly once i put it on standby and went to used the bathroom and i turned it on again and all the gain dials stoped working!!!!

i took it back to guitar center and i bought a Marshall jcm 900. and got the diffrence in price back.

i have been playing five years. and every amp i have had i have molested and abused. (i like to know i really am using the amp). and i treated this amp too nice for an hour and it died. the marshall didnt do that. basicly i wish it worked because it was fun to have.

Three channels....one clean...two dirty...Loads of tonal options.

I use several different guitars. Mostly Parker flys though.
I waited several months before I rated this head. I have owned many amps. This amp suits my needs the best. The clean channel is entirely better than previous Dual rects. Much more head room. It also has a pushed switch that I ignored because of the older rects. that I had owned. The pushed sound from the older models only added "honkey" sounding midrange. The voicing on the new model is reminicent of a marshall type tone. I now use this alot. I only wish it were footswitchable.

Channel two is over the top gain. I only use the gain at around 1/2.

Channel two is voiced a little different than channel two. The presence seems more responsive and really adds more treble and works the midrange control. I only use this channel for solos and leads.

Things to take note of are the effects loops and solo controls. To activate the solo volume control for all the channels the effects loop needs to be engaged. unfortunately this reduces the overall head room of the amp. 100 watts feels more like 30 or 40. The clean channel really suffers. For this reason I dont use the effects loop.

I havent had any problems at all so far. I have owned several marshall heads and had many problems with them. especially the Tsl 100. Too many times back to the shop with that one.

Have not dealt with them.

I would recommend it to anyone. You really need to Work with it to dail in the sound that works for you. Its in there so give it time. It can be sloppy if you max everything out. Believe it or not...i run alomost every channel flat and get a incredible tone. My sound man loves it. I constantly get compliments. I have been told from guys I dont even know that have heard of my band...."hey you are the guy with that awesome tone".

This amp is 2001. It really kicks ass i mean mudvayne uses it. This is the best amp in the world but there is one that is in 2nd place but only if used right and its much cheaper. Its the Gorilla TC-35 Tube Cruncher. It is only 35 watts so you have to hook up at least 3 of them together or run it into a P.A. to get the tone but if you do that and turn the distortion all the way up it sound just like mesa boogie. Anyway this mesa boogie amp has 3 channels and they all rule but i would just use the 3rd heavy channel for my mudvayne.

I have a friend named Zack and he owns this amp and has a PRS guitar his dad is a lawyer and they make lots of money. The only thing that sucks is that he plays a bunch of Arab music like Santana WTF but one time I jammed with him using my guitar which is tuned to B and i rocked. it just shows this is versatile since you can play arab music and mudvayne on the same amp. I also play some Malmsteem he is from the 80's and can play really fast and this amp does that too. The only thing you cant really use this amp for is like an acoustic guitar but who would be that stupid?!?!!?!?

this amp is a tank i mean it can survive a mudvayne tour and a korn tour and a slipknot tour too i think

this is what really makes this amp way better than my gorilla's other than than being able to switch channels which i dont use. mesa boogie is from cali yo which means you can speak to them in english. i think gorilla is from cyberia which is somewhere in china so you cant reach them. boogie is the best i bet they will fix anything

this amp is the holy grail of all amps and if someone stole it from zack i bet zack would like attack them and get the amp back he's a big kid. we're only in the 8th grade but he's 6 foot tall and weighs 200 pounds and plays fullback. the only amp to compare it to is the gorilla and maybe the peavey 5150. this amp rules but its too expensive for a kid like me. if you're an old fart with loads of money and only want 1 amp get this. if you're like me and need mesa boogie tone for crate money buy a bunch of gorilla's an hook em all up.

Okay, I am no objective tone expert but I know what *I* like. I play melodic hardcore punk rock, surf, and some more ambient stuff. To my ear, I can get almost any sound out of this. I usea Peavey Valverb rackmount tube reverb/tremolo (awesome unit!) with this to get a wet Dick Dale sound out of it.. It really does sing this way; my roots blues/rock roommate loves the surf tones it has, believe it or not. Everyone says this is a one-trick pony but I have got to voice my opinion here. I use it with a nice American Fender guitar with a Seymour Duncan humbucker and a Recto 4x12. I have spent a considerable amount of time messing with the knobs. If you have a proper setup similar to this and spend a fair amount of time working with the amp, I am convinced that you can find a variety of tones which will suit your style, regardless of what it may be. Still, this is a high-gain amp and is most useful for harder styles of rock. I just can't believe I get away so effortlessly with the warm surf tone I get though! Try it out!

I had heard that the clean was weak. It is no Fender Twin, but it beats the heck out of any rock head in its price range.

This has 3 channels, with a nice Bigfoot footswitch that serves channel switching as well as the FX loop and the extra "Solo" output volume. It has an effect loop with its own mixing controls so you can set your effects 100% wet and mix it onboard to preserve the voice of the amp. I like that feature a lot. The slave out can be used to connect another power amp.

I do use all three channels: a proper clean rhythm on the green channel, a crunch rhythm that just barely breaks up on the orange channel, and a hard-assed "chunk" rhythm on the red channel. I do not solo or play much lead work. I don't use the tube rectifier, but I might some day. I plan on using this for years, so who knows how my needs will change. I use the 6L6's and probably will always use 6L6's so the bias switch doesn't do much for me.

It gets a 7. Not because I desire more features, but there is the Road King and all those other crazy heads with features up the wazoo. To me, this is a perfect fit.

I play a Fender American Telecaster with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucker in the bridge position. I play all-bridge when I do rock, and either middle position or all-neck when I play surf or bluesier lead lines.

As for the punk rock I primarily use this for, the amp blows me away. To put things in to perspective, though, I was accustomed to my ADA MP-1 and solid state power amp. That was nice, but this is awesome.

I originally looked in to this when I learned that lots of my favorite guitar sounds (Avail, snapcase) are created with Dual Rectifiers. I prefer the common tone of this amp over any of the Marshalls I have seen but I must say my Marshall experience is nil. Just about every band around Minneapolis plays Marshalls, though, and I really wanted to carve a niche for us.

If you ask me, the amp is exremely versatile. I have never had the privelege of hearing the "old" 2-channel recto clean, but this new green channel is totally new. I actually enjoy the clean (I did not expect to, to be honest) and I love picking surf or folk with a nice tremolo and light reverb in the loop. Believe that.

With the humbucker and the gain at a modest, sensible position (about 1 o'clock) I swear the thing is off.. until I start playing. Kinda neat. I use a quality speaker and guitar cable, and I plug straight in to the head. I use my tuner on the slave out.

To my ear, the distortion is beautiful. Leave the gain at 1 o'clock or below, and you will easily hear note definition between the strings. I am really impressed by this.

I use the clean channel with its preamp volume up a lot more than the distorted channels (clean is always "quiter" on tube amps). Still, it only breaks up if I want it to. Again, impressive.

I am nervous about it purely due to the investment it was. I am as careful as I can be with it. Still, things happen. I let friends carry it and they bang in to things with it. It rides around in trunks of cars for days at a time. It puts up with random cold and hot temperatures. All in all, it performs famously considering this.

I gig without a backup but I am always nervous about it.. I'm just a nervous wreck, though.. Get backup tubes.

The warranty is only a year. That is pretty lame, but I doubt I will need it. I am an electrical engineer and they are allegedly fairly good about releasing schematics and manuals. I'm not worried.

I have been playing for about 8 years on and off. If someone stole it, I would try to get another as soon as I could afford it. I would miss it dearly.

I love its appearance, versatility, and the way it makes me sound like a better player than I am both on recordings and live. I hate the fact that all these so-called "nu-metal" bands are using these because I get pegged for one of "those" a lot. There is so much more to this amp, I am telling you. Also, the rubber handle on top scares me so I carry it in my arms.

I chose this originally because snapcase and Avail, two of our major influences use them. Also, I see Marshalls all too often and I wanted something different.

I think it would be neat if it had 1 rack space, maybe for a tuner or for my Valverb. Then I would have one self-contained unit!

I could not be happier with my *investment* in this head.

if you don't know about all of the features go to mesa's websight

I have played a lot of amps, ie marshalls, vox, matchless, but this is by far my favorite. I play with a '54 reissue custom shop strat, a '72 reissue tele thinline and a '76 ibanez lawsuit explorer and it rocks on all of them. The only complaint i have isn't the amps fault but the pickups in the strat, it gets mushy(not extremely mushy but noticable) at higher distortion levels. Everyone else has talked enough about the distortion channel, which both rock, but i am amased with the clean channel. i also own a fender twin reverb and have just about decided to sell it since the clean channel on the duel is exactly that(clean). I really do have a hard time telling the two amps apart, but i won't be selling the twin since the pushed setting on the first channel is so sweet. the pushed setting is like using a ibanez tube screamer and/or a klon centaur on the twin, gritty but when you use those overdrives you get alot of noise, but with the pushed setting you get all of that with out the noise and the high end that can peel paint. the only reason that i didn't give it a ten is because no amp is perfect(this one almost is though).

The thing weighs a ton, and everything is supposed to be hand wired so it would stand to reason that is bullet-proof, but i will be purchacing a heavy duty anvil case to transport it.

never talked to mesam

i didn't just go out and by this, i tried a absured number of amps out(marshall, matchless, vox, sunn, randal, orange, old mesa's, and even some custom built amps) and this one won hands down. i almost purchased the marshall triple super lead but i am so glad i held out a little longer
This is a brand new 2001 three channel duel rec. to be honest i wasn't sure about the new three channel since the old two channels where so great(why change a good thing). But i really like being able to use all of the different settings w/o going back a changing everything all the time and i can't hear any differance between this one and the original. If this amp where stolen i would actually cry, cause it is to expensive to replace. This amp is almost perfect....