Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head Triple Channel

amp made in 2004? I've had it for about 2 years. I have played in various bands in the past 2 years and it went from pop to rock to currently hard rock. i've gone from relying on the effects loop to now not using it at all, so it's nice that the features are there. not a one trick pony at all. i love the clean too. my first tube amp, and it wasn't impossible to figure out.

i have 2 of the LTD EC-1000's. one with a JB/59 setup and one with a 490/498T set up. they both sound great through it. i have both a 4x12 and a 2x12 and though the 2x12 doesn't have the same low end, they both sound great with this head. a little hiss at times, but that's what volume pedals are for. i don't like the *pop* that y0ou get when you change from channel 2 to channel 3.

i love this amp. fires up every time. my roadie dumped it (4 foot drop, landed upside down in the dumpster juice) during a load in at the biggest show of the year last year, and it fired right up.

i'd say mesa's staff is freakin awesome. g mart's people suck. when i bought it, it was missing a rectifier tube and they gave me the wrong channel switcher cable. i called mesa instead of dealing with the clowns from g mart, and they shipped me a new cable and got on g mart's case about stealing tubes from the floor models. (jerks) i also called them about the tubes, because i am new to tube heads... and they assured me that it wasn't going to blow up.

i've been playing for about 15 years, and playing crappy gear for most of it(guitars AND amps). my buddy had a 2 channel recto when they first came out, and i was jealous. he was single, i wasn't. i waited 10 years to get my recto, and God himself won't pry it out of my hands.

i tried out other amps, mainly the nomad, and a few marshalls (ballpark around $1500) and i guess i loved it before i tried it... and even going head to head on a few models, the 3 channel recto is perfect for me. if i could change anything, it'd be that *pop* while switching channels.

YOU KNOW THEM ALL. I HAVE THE THREE CHANNEL SOLO HEAD. HAD IT FOR 2 YEARS NOW. JUST THE MOST THOUGHT OUT FEATURES A GUITARIST COULD ASK FOR..INCREDIBLY DESIGNED AND LAID OUT, A PIECE OF ART!

GIBSON LES PAUL. HAMER DIABLO(AMERICAN W/SEYMORE DUNCANS)...AMONG OTHERS...I PLAY MOSTLY METAL...80'S TO NUMETAL..FIRST OFF, THESE MORONS THAT SAY IT SOUNDS CRAPPY THROUGH A MARSHALL 1960 CAB..GET A CLUE YOU IDIOTS..YA OK MARSHALL AND CELESTION SPEAKERS ARE LIKE THE FOUNDATION OF THE ROCK GUITAR SOUND UNLESS YOU GREW UP IN A CAVE..YOU PROBABLY NEVER EVEN OWNED ONE...I PLAYED MARSHALL FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND THEY ARE GOOD AMPLIFIERS, AND THE BEST CABS..BUT THE MESAS JUST TOOK IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL...IF YOU ALWAYS PLAYED MARSHALLS BUT ALWAYS FELT IT WAS JUST A TINY BIT LACKING (MAYBE HAD IT MODDED, OR CONSIDERED IT?) THIS IS THE AMP FOR YOU..MARSHALLS ARE GREAT AND ILL PROBABLY OWN A FEW MORE IN THE NEAR FUTURE, BUT WHEN I SAY THEY ARE A LITTLE LACKING, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN DONT YOU???JUST NOT ENOUGH GAIN, NO BOOST FOR SOLOS,WEAK EQ, OR A GOOD CLEAN CHANNEL..AND IM NOT TALKING TO YOU MUSICIANS THAT HAVE NEVER OWNED A MARSHALL, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT GUITAR YOU HAVE OWNED AT LEAST 1 MARSHALL( AND I MEAN TUBE MARSHALL) THE SOLID STATE ONES ARE NOT MARSHALLS...ALL IN ALL IF YOUR SERIOUS ABOUT GUITAR THE DUAL RECTIFIER IS THE NEW MARSHALL...

KEEP NEW TUBES IN IT AND KEEP IT CLEAN...COMMON SENSE STUFF....

GOOD PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH...AND ITS ALL AMERICAN (PRICELESS)!!!

IVE BEEN PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY FOR 15 YEARS.IVE OWNED PRETTY MUCH EVERY BRAND OF AMPLIFIER AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER...AND LIKE I SAID, THIS REVIEW IS FOR SERIOUS GUITARISTS WHO HAVE ACTUALLY OWNED QUALITY GEAR IN THE PAST AND HAVE SOME KIND OF IDEA HOW HIGH END AMPLIFIERS WORK...NOT THESE KIDS GOING FROM A ROLAND CUBE 30 TO A BOOGIE, THEN TELLING ME A DUAL RECTIFIER SOUNDS LIKE ASS THROUGH A MARSHALL CABINET WITH CELESTIONS IN IT LMAO...IF YOUR SERIOUS ABOUT MUSIC AND WANT THE BEST ROCK GUITAR SOUND. SPEND SOME FRIGGIN MONEY ON YOUR EQUIPMENT, CHRIST IT WILL LAST FOREVER...MESA IS THE NEW AND IMPROVED MARSHALL..

3 channels, 8 modes, variac switch...etc. The two most important features on this head is 3 INDEPENDENT CHANNELS and the external switching capabilities. A lot of amps claim to have 3 channels but few truly are. Not one nob is shared with any channel exept for the master volume and "solo" which can be disabled. This is extremely important because it allows you to dial up 3 sepereate tones and switch between them easily. A lot of amps make you choose between a nice clean sound or nice distorted tone because the channels share key feauters like e.q. and presence. I have found very few so called 3 channel tube amps capable of this besides the dual rectifier . With my marshall i always had to re-tweak the e.q. and presence when i would switch between my clean and overdrive channel. The clean would be too thin or the overdrive too muddy. The other important feature is the external swithching. This allows you to control the amp with a midi footswitch and essentially change effects and channels simultaneously!!!! As a pro musician this is a feature that i found sets this amp apart from many of the others in its class. I take one point off only because of no reverb. Even though I use rackmount effects for reverb I think it would be nice a nice feature to have.

I have found this amp to be very sensitive to what guitar and pickups I use. I play and own a lot of different guitars ( Les Paul, Strat, Custom Ibanez and Charvels) and the amp responded diferently to all of them. The Les paul sounded fat and heavy, like it should. And the bolt on necks sounded thinner with more attack. You need to fine tune this amp to respond with the guitar you play and if your guitar has bad tone or no tone this amp will exploit that. With that said i found the amp to be pretty versatile but keep in mind that this amp has a tone and characteristic of its own!!! (more so than most mesa's) Thats why they are so popular!! Although you can dial up a variety of sounds the amp sounds best doing what its built to do which is be a high gain crunch machine. I got turned on to Mesa Boogie because i was tired of using overdrive pedals and this amp truly doenst need them!!! What it does need is to be cranked up. This isnt a bedroom amp. It's made to record with and play live. You need to get the volume up and let the amp breathe to get the kind of sustain and gain Mesa Boogie is known for. You wont even need to have the gain maxed out once you learn how to operate the amplifier. Also dont spend $1600 on a head and play it through a crappy cabinet. The difference is night and day. A GOOD CAB CAN NOT MAKE A BAD AMP SOUND GOOD, BUT A BAD CAB CAN RUIN A GREAT AMP!!! I like this head paired with a marshall 1960 slant cab personally. It sounds brighter than the mesa cab to me. I give it an 8 because the amp is what is. If you like it you love it and if you dont, you dont.

These things are tanks. I love it!!!! (Heavy too!!)

I havent had any problems and therefore have not needed customer support but their manuals are very thorough and useful. Read them!!!!!!

I have played in many different bands and situations ranging from big bands playing stuff like Glenn Miller with a small fender combo to baseball stadiums with marshall stacks blazing and I have found Mesa Boogie to be the best bang for the buck when it comes to high gain "boutique" amps. To get an amp with more tone or features you are looking at $3200-$4000+ for either a Bogner or a Diezel. And even then there are people who would still rather have the Dual Rectifier because its just got "That Sound". My advice is to go to a high end retailer like Tone Merchants where can try them all out right next to each other with people who know how to use the eqipment and get a good sound out of each amp because each one has its own pros and cons.

2004 or 2005 model. This amp is very versatile and suitable for many styles including light rock, rock, hard rock, nu-metal, modern metal. I have trouble getting an "old-school" metal sound with this amp. It is voiced a little harsh.
I still give it a 10 though. It has more sound options than most other brands...but all Mesa's do!

I play strats, ESP's equipped with EMG 81/60Alnico, Gibson Les Paul Studio with Stock Gibson pups(490 & 498), Washburn Dimebag Darrell 333 Signature Model(replaced bridge pup with Seymour Duncan Screamin Demon), and soon a schecter c-1 classic.
I get very different and very great tones with all of these guitars.
The downside is that with so many tonal options from the amp, and so many different pups, its hard to consistantely get the same tones. I am always turning knobs on this thing!
The amp is almost dead-quiet when I'm not playing and I don't use any noise reduction units. This may be in part due to the fact that I only hit a wah pedal in my signal chain. More effects usually equal a bunch of noise and loss of tone and high end texture.
The clean channel is one of the best I've heard from ANY amp. If you know how to dial it in, you can get a beautiful, acoustic-like shimmering tone!
The distortion from this ranges from mild bluesy clip, to ultimate razor sharp metal distortion. There are also some nice "brown" sounds in the middle using the "vintage" voicing.
The fx loop is parallel. I run a Line 6 Pod Pro rackmount unit in the loop and dedicate it to my clean channel. When I switch on my clean it automatically has reverb(which is unfortunately missing from the head), delay, and chorus or whatever I assign on my Pod.
I'll give it a 9 because it does sound amazing, but the modern voicing IMO could be slightly less harsh and reverb should be on every amp!
One more thing about the tone...use a mesa cab with V-30's!!! I've tried this amp with tons of different speakers and the V-30's sound the best. They really smooth out the sound. Not to mention the amp was voiced for these speakers. Besides, Mesa cabs are the best-looking and best built!

This amp is of the highest build quality. Mesa has an attention to detail that no other company comes close to! I've owned Carvin heads, Marshalls, Soldano, Line 6, and the Mesa is the best-looking and most durable.
I gig consistantely and have never had a problem with tubes or anything.

I haven't dealt with the company concerning any issues with the amp(haven't needed to)
I have however called to talk about using the amp's slave-out option and other random setup situations, and they treated me like a friend and talked for awhile about guitars and whatnot...they are very nice and helpful.

I've been playing guitar for 10+ years. I attended Music Tech College and am a tone-freak. I mentioned already the gear that I own/have owned. If this amp were stolen, I would either buy another one, or a Hughes & Kettner Trilogy(same price) just to try something else. But all in all, this is one of the nicest amps out there for the styles I listed above.
I love how this baby looks, feels, smells, plays, sounds, tastes.
If I could change one thing, it would be adding tube reverb, but the Dual Rectifier Roadster coming out in 2006 will have this feature, along with some features from Mesa's Road King.
For what it's intended to do, which is provide a multitude of varying tones from mild to extreme and everything in between, I give it 9...there's always room for improvement!

Arond 2000 or sooner.
The amp is extremely verstatile for Metal, Rock, Blues, Emo, etc, raw, crunchy, thick, etc. The channel switching is nice, the effects loop has total control.
If anything, I wish it had less features. All the switched may contribute to why the 3 Channels sound inferior to older Mesa models.
I don't use this amp anymore as I am rocking a 2 Channel Triple Rectifier. It has enough power and volume for sure.
All tube. However, it comes with pretty bad sounding chinese tubes. I would recommend replacing them immediately with something with more clarity and grit.

I use an LTD MH-400 with EMG 81/60 setup. It is a little thin for metal. It has quite a bit of hiss, but that is normal for tube amps. It does make crappy popping sounds when switching channels though. The amp can cover a broad spectrum of fat, to thin, to cold, to harsh, and hi-gain applications. The clean channel distorts or can be totally clean at high volumes depending on how the gain is dialed. I personally like a slit bit of breakup.
The disortion is not very brutal at all (unlike the older 2 channel models). For some reason, the 3-Channel distortion sounds more like a stomp box; extremely thin and choppy. The low end is very thick, but very sloppy. The definition is harsh and lacks clarity.
I give the 2 Channel a 9 for tone, and these a 5. This head possibly sounds as bad as a 5150, but not nearly as bad as a Triple X or a Marshal JCM 2000.

Its a beast. Probably the most brutally built amp. No worries about that. I broke the master volume pot, but that was my fault for loading it poorly into the trailer. The fix was easy an inexpensive. The tubes do need frequent replacement, but its good for a vibrant sound.

Great. Return phone calls promptly with answers. However, they have a lack of authorized service centers.

I have been playing for 11 years. I currently am playing a 2-Channel Triple Rectifier, and a Krank Revolution Series 1. I have also owned a 2-Channel Rectifier, and a Peavery 5150 EVH Head.
I would not buy this amp again. I would recommend finding a used 2-Channel. Superior sound.
I have compared it side by side with 2-Channel rectifiers, and swapped tube setups.
I wish this amp circuitry sounded like 2-Channels, but retained its 3-Channel features.
Despite this amp having mroe versatile features, it is dissapointing in sound compared to its predecessors. It is nearly impossible to get a huge metal sound without using a compressor and sonic maximizer. Mesa had been making the best amps of all time (putting Marshall and Randall to shame), but with this generation, the amps were a serious letdown. Simultaneously, other Manufacturers are producing amps that are rivalling.

I bought a Mesa Dual Rectifier 3 channel Solo Head new this year so I assume it is a 2005.

If you have read any of the other posts on this site then you know how much this amp has to offer. I seriously recommend reading the manual in depth (it's available for download through the Mesa site if you buy one used) however because there is so much to know in order to get the right tone. This is not a plug and play head. You need to know what you are looking for and how to tweak everything.

As mentioned this model has 3 channels with an effects loop and solo option for a little volumne boost to push your gain over the top.

The clean channel could use a little reverb but, a Boss Digital Reverb gives me all that I need.

I play an Ibanez SZ720 with Duncan IBZ pick-ups and let me say this....do NOT buy a Mesa head unless you have the guitar to play through one. As great as it is it WILL NOT compensate for cheap pick-ups or a shoddy guitar.

So far the only minor disappointment I have is that at first I couldn't get enough volume from my clean channel without turning up the gain giving it a grittier sound. I've solved this problem by clicking on the solo option with the level set high enough to bring it up to the same as the other two channels.

The tone is amazing whether pounding out muted chords or running leads. As I said above (along with everyone else who has taken the time to learn this amp) it takes some work to find the tone that suits you. A Mesa Recto Cab carries a heavy low-end already so I've found that with my rig I need to keep the low down about 8-9 (picturing the setting as a number on the face of a clock) or it makes the tone muddy. The mid's I had a harder time tweaking because I need to keep a chunky palm-muted sound but, crisp enough for leads. So far I have had the best luck with it set slightly below the low around 8. The Treble I have set higher at about 12. I found that anything lower and I lost some of the distinction between individual notes. This can also be resolved by boosting the presence a bit.
As other users have also mentioned this amp only sounds good when you are pushing plenty of volume through the tubes. The harder you work them the more natural overdrive you get.

So far the only issue I have had was with the footswitch. During the last song of a recent gig I switched from channel 2 to channel 3 but, noticed immediately that something was wrong. Looking down I was shocked to see every light across the pedal illuminated. After a few dumbfounded seconds I began clicking the switches that should not have been lit and they switched off eventually giving me the channel I had originally selected.

This (so far) has been a one time occurance and I am at a loss as to the explanation but, other than that I have had no problems. The Tolex is a little delicate but, then again a little nail polish has fixed the few small dings.

I have not yet had any interaction with the company. The warranty is pretty sweet though and I was able to find a list of authorized service centers pretty easily.

Over-all, I'd say this amp lives up to everything I was hoping for and dreamed about when first learning how to play. I played Marshall for a long time but, finally made the decision to put up the extra money to step up to the Mesa level and I have not been disappointed. I would absolutely buy another one if it were ever lost or stolen.

You all know the features to this product, if not scroll down or visit Mesa's website.

I use 2 guitars right now on "the Mesa". A custom Les Paul and a Ibanez with modded pickups. This is the most amazing amp EVER. If you get bad tone out of it, you're an idiot. Granted it takes time getting used to the knobs, but once you get it, you'll be overwhelmed by it.

Most of the fools on this site don't know squat. They are stupid metal heads who look at an amp as a toy. I, on the other hand, am not a metal-head, i used to be, but not anymore. Notice how every "metal-head" on here says "this amp doesn't have enough gain". I found the solution to your problems. 1) Call Mesa, ask them why you have no gain. 2) They will tell you the following: "You have too much bass in your eq.....Mesa is ALREADY a bass heavy, HIGH GAIN amplifier....turn the bass down between 10-12 oclock." I know this because I called them and asked them. They told me that, i did it, and it worked. I have crushing tones now. The bass is still there (at 11oclock on my tone) and it's still "punch you in the face". It's not a traditional solid state amp, you CAN NOT have the bass set to MAX and the Gain MAXED. If you do, well then you're gonna get crap for tones.

I've played through all kinds of amps before i bought this one, and nothing compared. And now that i've been playing on it for a year and a half, i know i could never be parted from it.

It's reliable. Tubes suck and so do blown fuses. Be sure to have spares.

They are awesome, although their hours suck. They know my amp better than i do, it's incredible.

I've been playing guitar for over 6 years now. Music my whole life. I've owned Marshalls, Ampegs, and Line 6s. I've owned over 8 guitars. If this amp was stolen, i'd die. I would buy it again, but i'd try to find this amp first. I don't know if could save up for another 7 months to buy it. I love every aspect of this amp. The way it looks is intimidating. I swaped out the Red Power light for a Crystal Purple light....it's rad as shit.

Plenty - all listed below already. Controllable solo boost is brilliant.

This is a tough one. I must admit I bought this amp because of the hype/buzz around it and didn't give it a full work-out at the store when I bought it. "It's a MESA it must sound amazing" - wrong! For months I've struggled to get a decent sound out of it. You turn up at a gig/jam with a MESA and everyone assumes that you will be a fantastic player with an incredible sound - so anything less makes you look pretty stupid and as the other reviews on here show it is easy to sound really bad through this amp. There are some many options that you have to work through lots of bad settings to get to the good ones. The manual talks about the "sweet spot", but doesn't tell you that until you find it you are screwed! The EQ works in a totally non-standard and non-intuitive way, so forget everything you think you know from your other amps. But once you get it sorted it's pretty amazing.

The main things that turned things around for me were getting a decent cab and setting the EQ way down. I'd been running through a Marshall 1936 2x12 and that sucked the life out of the sound. I'm now using a GENZ BENZ G-Flex 2x12 and it rocks! I've taken the gain down to around the halfway mark and put the presence close to zero. This has really helped. I've also stopped using the Modern mode on any of the channels and stuck an MXR ZW44 as a boost in front of the amp. I tried a BBE Sonic Maximiser in the effects loop but that sent everything a bit OTT.

I can now get huge tone and that ideal "clean distortion", if you know what I mean. Every individual note sounds distorted and "heavy" but they don't run into each other in a noisy mush. It still isn't the best amp for shredding - I'd say the 5150 is better for that - but if you want a fat quality tone that cuts through and impresses people then this is it.

I've had other MESA gear and it was unreliable trash (e.g. NOMAD series). The Dual Recto seems rock solid though. I still take a backup (5150) to gigs just in case.

Never needed it

The most frustrating amp I've ever owned - but it can sound amazing if you work at it. Worth the effort.

its awesome...more than enough for me.

everyone with the tight metal tone problems....ok, i play through a gibson sg voodoo...WAAAY too much bass....but i run directly in through a boss eq pedal, and then a boss noise suppressor..i use the the eq as a volume boost and i also take out some of the lows but i leave everything else in the middle...then as far as the amp goes, i leave my bass at 11:00, my mid at 11:00, treble at 1:00, presence at 12:00, master at 10:30, and gain at 2:30..sometimes 3:00. but thats it..i had a lot of trouble tightening up the sound but its because there is just too much tone ...and trust me the other guitarist uses a line 6 and they sound nice on their own but even when our volumes are matched perfect all you can hear out of his is really high notes and thats about it...

take care of it and it will take care of you...

havent had to yet but you can only get ahold of them at certain times and you would think that...oh well...i dont know..theyre getting a 5

ive had it for quite a while now and ive been playing shows since i bought it and it has held up fine...any problems that i ever had with it live were because of the place we were playing and not because of the amp..(bad wiring, wires everywhere, bad grounds..) its made for some interesting times though...picking up local radio stationes during a show...some people would get mad but i dont..i like noise.

$3600 (AUD)
Features: 8
Paid AUD$3,600 new in Australia, sold for $3,000 almost 2 years later on Ebay with 4 brand new EL34 tubes.


Excellent features - see other review for a more detailed description. High quality build and presentation (best looking amp out there IMO).


The one feature I do (did) not really like was the fixed bias switch (EL34/6l6) although it is cool being able to choose the type of power tubes used. The rather cold bias does not bring the best out of this amp. I think it might be a bit of a con to get you to use the over priced Mesa tubes (mesa dont actually manufacture tubes but select them from other brands and put a messa logo on them). An adjustable bias would allow the amp to truly shine. If I had the time and money to install this mod I would have done so and maybe I wouldnt have sold it. BUt in the end I was just happy to get rid of it and start again (with a FRAMUS COBRA!).

A deep switch like the one on the COBRA (and ENGL) may have also helped to tighten this amp up a bit.

Sound Quality: 6
First. This is a good amp and they CAN sound great. But it didnt suit me. BE YOUR OWN JUDGE....My opinion is based on a desire for heavy metal, TIGHT, responsive, articulate, brutal distortion.

I enjoy a variety of styles but mainly play heavy metal (i.e.death, power, speed, thrash, shred, all metal...). I use a Gibson Les Paul, EMG 81 in the bridge...and forced to use a tube screamer as a boost (also tried metal zone, + others), Boss GE7 EQ, digitech RP2000....and more. Tried the mesa cab but traded it for the oversized Marshall mode four 400 cab which sounded better to my ears + $600AUD cheaper.

Sadly, I sold the amp. IMO it is not really that good for fast, heavy, articulate metal. Great for limp bizkit, linkin park, foo fighters, papa roach, korn, punk pop, teeny bopper shit, nu metal.... but not for shadows fall, killswitch, chimaira, slayer, vai, satriani etc.(I know killswitch, metallica etc. have used them but they also used boost pedals, EQ and $$$$$ worth of gear behind it ... which at this price is totally unnacceptable to me, isnt it designed for metal? You should be able to plug in and get that sound without cheap pedals)

DISSAPOINTING. Believe me, I tried VERY hard to love this amp. It was like being with this really hot, popular chick, everyone wants her, your blinded by the beauty, status and prestege, you lust over her but when she's finally yours you realise that shes not that good and you start to look elsewhere....lol. At times I thought it sounded great and I was quite happy, but overall unsatisfied especially when considering the price, 'tricks' I had to do to boost/shape the tone etc.

I could get close to the sound I wanted by using boost pedals and graphic EQ but this created unwanted noise, and feedback at volume. I tried hush, noise gates etc but this just $ucked tone. Frustrating. Friends and other bands were using much cheaper amps (eg. 5150's) and getting a better, tighter metal tone, better harmonics etc. without ANY pedals!I was in denial at the time but can now admit being a bit jealous. I would have a go on their amps (im talking about amps now, not chicks! lol) and not want to swap back (not that I let them know)

It wasnt untill I started playing in a band that I really noticed the amps flaws and decided to sell, thankfully I got a great deal and didnt loose out too much (it cost lessthan $1 a day!). On the other hand, the guy who bought it played rock (foo fighters kinda stuff) and loved the amp... It can sound great alone, in the studio or with vocals, but throw in drums, bass etc. and its a different story.

I did everything to try and keep it, different tubes (Sovtek El34 made it sound 100% crappier!) looked into mods etc. Mods are really expensive in Australia and not many people want to touch these amps. The guys who offered to do mods didnt seem very experienced with mesa, it would have been a gamble. If I lived in the USA i would have taken it to Voodoo amps for sure.

Oh and they are right about the clean channel, dont but it for this as its not great although I personall dont mind a dirty clean sound.

The volume levels alter dramatically between modes/channels and the effects loop is absolute shit.

I give it a 4 without clean boost pedals and a 6 with pedals and EQ. If I was into simple strumming power chord type rock, grunge or nu metal slop and didnt need an tight bottom end, I might give it a 7 or 8.

Reliability: 8
At first it seemed to be a totally reliable, trustworthy amp. I did take extremely good care of it though.

BUT......

* It did blow some fuses mysteriously, had it serviced under warranty and they found nothing wrong with the amp.It had the wrong fuse installed (fast burning). Im not sure if this was the initial problem or if the music shop had given me the wrong fuse after the first or second time. Anyway, they put a new fuse in(slow burning. It was fine for another 6 months then blew agin while playing at bedroom level. Wiered. (first time it occured in a rehersal studio, other times at home).

It also had this problem around the same time with one of the power tubes glowing RED HOT. Again they couldn't find any problems within the amp, the tube was only slightly worn, they replaced it any way (charging me $40).

BUT, they are built tough.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with mesa USA personally. Their Australian warranty representative was helpful but did not 'have time' to mod my amp, fair enough but disapointing. He also gave me some advice saying not to use EMG81 pickups if I want a tight bottom end. Cant really take this seriously because the 81 actually made a huge improvement over the gibson bridge humbucker to the distortion, and how many pro metal players choose to use 81's (how many dont? lol).

Overall Rating: 6

Been playing for 16 years. I would say that I have a fair amount of experience. Believe me, I tweak the shit out of this thing. Yes the controls are extremely sensative and you can find some BETTER tones if you tweak, and tweak, and tweak but in the end I was just not satisfied.

Mainly used Marshalls before the mesa, now own a Kick ass Framus COBRA, which are actually cheaper than mesa in Aust.(satisfaction at last!). If it was stolen or lost I would be very pissed off, eventually get over it, claim the insurance and buy a different amp (COBRA).

In the end I sold it for AUD$3,000 (after spending $170 on new tubes the previous week) and bought a brand new COBRA for AUD$3,300. MESA realy hold their value and are quite easy to sell, they're very popular, and not so common in Aust. due to the overly high retail price (AUD$4,595). So if you do buy one and decide to sell (at least in Aust) it is no big deal. You will get a decent price (as long as you take good care of it).

I really wish the Recto had what I was after, I tried, but in the end simply had to move on. If the distortion was tighter (without having to use pedals) I would have been very satisfied, everything else was ok.

If your thinking of buying one, try it out. And I dont mean in a music shop. Try to borrow or hire one and play it over the weekend. Let the novelty, beauty, and hype wear off, then decide if its really what you want. You will either love it or decide to move on as I did (it just took me a couple of years to face facts).

Dont get me wrong, its a great amp in many ways (construction, its somewhat versatile, trademark rock/soft metal tone, # of features) but it is not for everyone.

DONT THINK IT WILL BE PERFECT FOR HEAVY METAL BECAUSE ITS IMPRESSIVE METAL GRILL AND PLACE ON METALLICA'S STAGE. Looks can be decieving.

Submitted by Bradman006.