Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head Triple Channel

This is a three channel, Dual Rec, so probably bought originally within the last 3-4 years from the dude I bought it off of last year.
I play death metal with a bit of crust and hardcore. This is one of the most versatile amps on the market with an amazing reputation, so it covers everything. I wish I had held out for a Triple Rec cause the extra 50 watts can come in handy, though I can run this through a single cab (Marshall 1960BV 412) with ample volume left. I don't really like to push the volume too far past 6 on all fronts.
I can't complain about the features, this amp has a ton of options, I just wish it had a bit more range, which I'll get to next.
But I'm assuming that if you're looking at this page you're familiar with the basics about this head and feel no need to go into detail about that.

I have two 400 series ESP LTDs with active EMGs. The tone I go after is a modern death metal scooped sound with articulation but without mid chunk out. I've heard a lot of different sounds coming out of Mesas, but I think this is what it's best suited for. Want the mid heavy swedish death sound? Look at Peavey or Marshall, you can probably get it faster and cheaper that way.
As far as sound quality goes, it's hard to really judge this amp without bringing it up to volume. It's less like a 6505/5150 where you can judge fairly well at 1 or 2 how it'll sound up to 6 on the volume. This head changes pretty dramatically, especially on the low end (as is typically stated).
As great as the head can sound, I think it's a bit disappointing if you're going straight off the racks and I think that's something overlooked. The low end muds out, the mids can be chunky, and while it's certainly a high gain amp, I find the distortion lacking.
The sustain in general is weak. I got better harmonics off my previous head (6505+) with less effort despite less gain.
Out of the box, I'd give the sound quality a 7.
HOWEVER, this can be greatly improved. I have yet to have my amp modded, but am leaning towards at least getting an upgraded output transformer, if not upgrading the power transformer and choke as well. I've read this can be a massive improvement.
Also looking to get some new tubes. I bought this off craigslist and the person selling it claimed the tubes were months old. I doubted him then, and months later, I'm still doubting. But you can generally expect to buy this head used for around a grand and then have to get new tubes. I'm a 6L6 man though and that won't change.
That said, this is how I've gotten the head to sound ridiculously better: Ibanez Tube Screamer in the front and a BBE sonic maximizer in the effects loop. The TS gives the overdrive that you might think a Dual Rec would provide. Sustain issues are dealt with and you've got a few extra controls for feeling out the gain. I've seen people claim that you should be able to cut back the gain to 50-60% when you add a TS, but I prefer to keep the TS gain at 50% and the Rec gain at 65-70% (the pedal is unmodded for the time being).
The sonic maximizer can level out and widen the sound. That is it's job. If you use this, you can pull back the lows on the head and bring them back in a more balanced way with the sonic maximizer.
Those two things alone bring the sound quality from a 7 to a 9, easy. I think the modded head plus that would be a 10.
It does however get a bit noisy, but not as bad as a 6505. And until I get the cash up, switching to the clean channel is a lot cheaper than buying a noise reducer, but that's the more ideal route.

But, again, I want to warn folks who might think that buying the Mesa head guarantees the Mesa tone without mods or pedals. It capable of being far greater than what it is out of the box.

Mesa's reputation is solid. Being able to switch from tubes to diodes makes the amp it's own back up in a way.
I've never had to call Mesa, but I can tell you the schematics aren't very enticing to the uninitiated.
But I do have a problem with the volume on the clean channel where it's about 40-60% reduced in volume compared to the other channels. The pot works as the volume increase is reflected, but there's something internal that I'm still working on figuring to replace to bring it up to speed.
This isn't horribly odd for a head, but for being a few years old it's a little unnerving. Especially on a head like this where it's far less likely that you bought it for the clean channel anyways...

N/A

I've been playing for over a decade and a half and gigging nearly all of that time. I'm a bit of a gear nerd (though not able to toss a lot of money at it). I've gone through some Peaveys that I felt weren't quite as versatile and went the Mesa route. I was initially a bit disappointed, but realized that the potential is there, Mesa just expects you to fill it out.
I would definitely stick with Mesa even though I think there's some better 'out of the box' heads out there. It's really just super versatile and user friendly as long as you're not doing internal repairs. But knowing what this head is capable of doing and the sound that I'm getting out of it now, I love it. If Mesa had taken the time to put those few extra features into it, it'd be even better, but whatever, I've got it dialed now.
If I was buying it used I'd probably have it sent directly to one of the fine mod folks out there and just accept it as part of the cost. I'm sure they can do wonders for the head. But if you want a really articulate, high gain route, I think the TS and SM can instantly bring this up to speed.
There it is.

This is the all tube 3 channel version of the dual rectifier, each channel has a number of different options, Channel 1 - 'Clean' & 'Pushed' Channel 2/3 - 'RAW', 'VINTAGE' & 'MODERN'. It is possible to get any type of tone you are looking for with this fantastic head, from jazz clean to brutal crunch - you just need to learn how to use it. The only area where the amp is lacking is reverb, however there is the rect o verb amp available. The amp has a superb effetcs loop, which I run a reverb or delay pedal(T rex Replica/Roommate) through to add the icing on the cake.

This is one of the finest sounding amps of all time, in regards to some of the bad reviews below about the 'FIZZ' I just want to clear this up! It's not fizz, it's bright, the modern setting is extremley bright. Just think of all the amazing tones this amps distortion has created for bands such as Metallica, Alterbridge, Dream Theater and loads more. The distortion sounds a lot more tighter with an overdrive pedal in front of it, but that's just it. Do you think all of these bands plug ino it straight and achieve these amazing sounds!? they have lot's of other equipment to help them achieve this. The amp is quite quiet, use a noise suppressor if you are using an overdrive with the gain channels. The clean channel is sparkly, all you need to do to get super cleans at high volumes is to set he clean channel to your sound and then use the solo boost to set higher volume because this doesn't add gain.

I have never dealt with them, but heard great things about the guys at Mesa.

The Mesa Boogie dual rectifier is a must have amp in my rig, It's at the top of the game for high end amps and as for the guy who said that the Peavey Triple xxx is better!? That is a cheap rip off of the Recto! you have clearly never played the amp and are jeolous. Congraulations to anyone who buys the Mesa Boogie Dual Recto and if you want any advice on it send me an email

This thing has a decent amount of features. Three channels, each with at least two voicing options. Adjustable gain, volume, presence, bass, mid, and treble per channel. Parallel effects loop is awesome too. Clean channel and two distortions. You get the idea, its a basic three channel amp. Enough to satisfy most guitarists.

Here it comes. This amp can sound good, and it can sound bad. Bottom line, THE FIZZ WILL NEVER GO AWAY. On the clean channel, its muddy, but it can be cleaned up. Mostly. The orange channel, the raw setting is useless and the vintage sounds "muffled". Orange modern is IMO the best sound on this amp. But still fuzzy. Red channel is to be avoided. The red modern is so harsh and fizzy it will be painful to listen to. Even cranked, the fizziness just hovers over everything. And the lead sound is terrible. Not liquid at ALL. You have to fight the amp to solo smoothly which is frustrating as all hell. Overall, it was quite disappointing. Not versatile at all.

Very. Solid chassis, although the pots get loose easily.

Never dealt with Mesa.

Its a solid rhythm amplifier. Like i said, orange modern is pretty badass sounding for tight rhythm. But the lead is awful. It sounds like there's no gain even at max! It feels like there's just a bunch of fizziness surrounding a clean channel. Playing is nearly impossible on the lead sounds. Not the wisest purchase I've made. I'd say go for a Mesa Mark IV or an ENGL amplifier. Heck, anything else actually.

This amp has everything you need from a 3 channel amp, a separate eq, gain, and presence knob for each channel. The only thing that sucks is that it has no built in reverb.

OK, here's my story, I regretted buying this amp 5 months after I bought it because it just couldn't give me the type of tone that I was looking for. I was thinking of getting rid of it and search for a different amp. Out of manufacturing this amp sounds OK, with the 6L6 tubes that it comes with, but I just couldn't get the mids that I wanted out of this amp (without sounding like crap). The mids on this amp sounds naturally scooped if you ask me. The only thing that I really liked about it at that point was the thunderous lows that this amp will give you while playing hard and heavy rhythms, but it just didn't have the mids that I like for playing punk rock. I really didn't want to get rid of it unless there was no possible way that I could get good tone out of this thing so I did some research. After doing my research, I decided to change out the stock 6L6's it came with and went with JJ KT77 tubes...man, what a big difference! I totally found the tone I was looking for and I'm really happy about owning this amp now. The 6L6's just couldn't do it for me and the KT77's did the job. You can get mids like a marshall amp with these tubes. I use the KT77's in EL34 bias mode. I think that this amp sounds way better in EL34 mode whether your using EL34 tubes or KT77's(same tube family as EL34). With the KT77's, I could get the mids like EL34 tubes, and still have the thundering lows of 6L6's. Perfect tone for punk rock with monsterous and raunchy distortion. I am definitely glad that I didn't get rid of this amp. This is a definite keeper. I haven't tried using EL34's in it. Some day I'll try just for the heck of it. One good thing about this amp also is the fixed bias so you can change out tubes without having to set the bias. Just plug-in/out tubes and play. Now I've read lots of bad reviews about this amp about the sound and let me tell you, this amp does not sound bad at all with KT77 tubes. I am definitely happy about the sound that I got out of this amp. Another thing is that this amp doesn't have an eq like other amps. It really is sensitive to the kind of guitar you plug in. It seems to me so far that a certain eq setting for a certain guitar will not work for a different guitar. You will have to reset your settings. The eq setting for my schecter does not work for my gibson les paul. Two totally different eq settings, if you know what I mean. Overall, I'd like to say to people that have this amp now and are not happy with the sound, just try swapping tubes and try JJ KT77's or JJ E34L's. And it does make a difference in tone (in my ears at least). And if you're still not happy with what you get, then I don't know what else to tell you but to get rid of it and search for a new amp. This amp has more distortion than you'll ever need. I set mine just under 12'oclock position and it's perfect. This amps has to be played at high volumes if you're running 100 watts or else you just won't get a good tube tone. So if you want to play at lower volumes like in your bedroom then you should just run 50 watts. You could get a better tone out of the tubes at lower volumes. You could do this by removing the two center power tubes and one of the rectifier tubes. One last thing, I noticed about this amp that is different from other amps is that the louder the volume on this amp, the better it sounds. So it can handle jamming volumes very well. I've had other amps that would sound sound noisy and terrible at loud jamming volumes. This amp does the job. Oh yeah, when you first turn on the amp and the tubes are just warming up, the channel selector makes a popping sound the first time you switch channels but after the first time you switch channels, it doesn't make a popping sound anymore. It's not broken though, they're just known for doing that.

Nothing has broken on me yet, but we'll see after a few years. I constantly play on it almost every other day and no troubles yet.

They're kinda slackers over there but they'll return your phone call if you leave them a message.

Overall, If you're looking to buy this amp, just try it before you buy it. I had an experience with this amp like no other. I had to be really patient at mastering how to tweak good tones out of this amp.

Just a comment on Studpuppy's review below mine:

Again, this is THE amp that has defined modern Rock/Metal since the early 90's, with other amp manufacturers following suit. You could have at least admitted that perhaps the amp you tested had some issues, probably mostly related to bad tubes, or in some other way defective. Otherwise, it would have been better for you to simply say the amp isn't your particular style.

Too many people have found this amp extraordinary for it to receive a Sound Rating of 1 from anyone.

I had one in '03 and now have anothe in '08.

They can be hot or miss. One day I love it, the next I don't. They have the "tube mistique", that's for sure. When they are brutal, they are the BREWTAWLZ by far. When not, well, I reach for a Marshall. For me the Recto' sound their best with Marshall 1960 Vintage cabs. I do NOT like the sound of Mesa's V30 cabs, Standard or Oversized, as they sound too girthy for me. Soloing on Mt. Everest is one thing, but fitting into a band context is another.

The Mesa Recto is a complete beast in every way. You can strech it to a Marshall tone, but in the end if you want a Marshall tone you should get a Marshall. The Mesa Rectifier, however, has clearly defined a complete generation of players.

Ford tough maybe?

Great. They don't take me out to lunch of course, but they always answer my emails.

There are lots of great amp manufacturers out there today. But in the end it was Fender, Marshall and Mesa/Boogie who defined generations of Rock and Roll.

Whether I like this amp or not (which I do) is irrelevant. What I dig is that I now own another piece of Rock and Roll history. For that reason, I respect the Rectifier.

Pleanty of features, unfortunately few of them doing anything to actually improve your sound.

Are you kidding me? There was NOTHING I could do to get this turd to sound good. Why anyone would like the lifeless, dull, harsh sounds from this amp is beyond me. After changing out all of the tubes, calling Mesa, and trying other Mesa Boogies at my local guitar Center (they all sounded like crap) I sold this piece of dung and got myself a Peavey Triple XXX which blows this thing out of the water.

I wanted to like this thing.....I really did.

Honestly folks. Listen before you buy, or you will be disappointed.

Seemed reliable enough. Very solidly built.

The Guys at Mesa were fantastic to work with.

Honestly, I'm speechless. I dropped the green on this amp expecting it to deliver pristine Metal tones. Not only did it not deliver, I couldn't get a single tone from this amp that I could live with. I had a Mark III that I was unhappy with as well......you'd think I'd have learned my lesson from the first mistake.

What Mesa Boogie has is an incredible Marketing machine. They hype up their over-valued product line, and get guitarist to think that the only way to sound good is to drop $2K on their crap products.

You'd be better off buying a metal Zone and running it through a transistorized Crate Amp.

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.

This amp was made in 2005
I play thrash metal, hard, fast heavy and brutally distorted, but I also play blues for fun. For the metal the amp is unparalleled, tyhe best money can buy, for blues it's a different story, I can still get that deep tube tone for blues, but not quite like the amazing tone of say eric clapton. but then again, it's a metal amp NOT a blues amp, with a few effects it can get a really amazing blues sound. It obviously has 3 channels, 2 different modes for the first, and 3 different modes for the second 2. an effects loop, a preamp out, a rectifier selector switch and a few other need doodads.
I use to play in a band and did a buncha show with the amp and it excelled, the amount of power this amp has is unbelievable.
The one feature I wish it had come with is a headphone jack, but I can't complain because you could never get the amazing tone you get out of a 4x12, through headphones. I give it a nine for the lack of headphones.

For an amp that isn't supposed to be a 'jack of all trades' the dual rectifier does a wide variety of sounds. the clean channel isn't anything to call home about but it's still a great sounding versitile channel that doesn't get distorted at high volumes.
The distortion is amazing, at high volumes the tone just melts out of the tubes and pools at your feet. I can not begin to describe how amazing this thing sounds. I use the 2nd channel on the modern mode. the 3rd channel is too bright for me. but be warned, it is not an amp that will have your dream tone programmed into it out of the box, you need to sit down with it and really get the feel of the amp, read the manual. Too really understand the EQ I had to sit down, read the manual and find out where each EQ fits in the circuitry, for example, the treble knob is at the front of the circuitry, therefore the treble knob will have more of an effect on your tone overall than say your presence knob.
Through the amp I play a Dean ML-X with an EMG-81 in the bridge and 60 in the neck, my guitar is best suited for metal, as is the amp.
The amp is quite noisy, but nothing a Noise gate doesn't fix easily. I give it a 10 because it is Not a one trick pony by anymeans, it is a versitile amp that sounds mind blowing for the music I play

I've had the amp for a year now, played a bunch of gigs with it, bashed it around, dropped it etc etc, and it has only ever had one problem. the problem it had was my drummer set up the amp before I arrived, and he plugged the speaker cab through the slave out, there was no load and therefor blew the fuse and a tube, that could be under the neglect catagory.
The lesson kids, let drummers stick with there acoustic drums.
Despite the one problem I'm still giving this amp a 10, because the failure wasn't because of the workmanship, it was because of improper use.

As stated above I blew the tube, I took it to an authorized mesa repair shop (Ho's Electronics in Vancouver, BC) and he fixed it under warrenty. In vancouver Ho has been refered to as 'Dr Ho' because he performs amazing surgeries on guitar amps, and he's a really nice guy to boot.

I've been playing 8 years now and I love this amp
before it I owned a Line 6 spider 112 combo, and although satisfied with the spider, I needed to upgrade to a more proffessional amplifier.
If this amp was lost or stolen I would easily buy a new one, although I am curious about the Mesa Mark IV, but I don't think anything can come close to touching this, except maybe the triple rectifer but thats just obserd.
This is not a practice amp that sounds great at low volumes. It needs be cranked, it's like a lambourghini, the full potential isn't met until it's taken out on the road and opened up.
again, it's not a one trick pony, but it's also not a 'jack of all trades but a master of none'. it's a well rounded versitile amp that sounds INCREDIBLE for metal.

First off, this amp is extremely versatile. It has all the features you could ever need, 3 channels, 8 modes and the best effects loop I've seen... Sure, some people might even say it's "too much!" Those are the people that shouldn't buy one! :) Anyways, like said this amp is very versaltile... It can cover just about any style of music but it excells in the area of hard rock!

I mainly use 2 PRS Singlecut's with #7 pickups, and a PRS custom 24 with HFS pickups live. I play modern hard rock and the combination between my guitars and this amp are perfect for my style. As far as my effects are concerned I use a TC Electronics Chorus/Flanger, a Boss Phaser, Boss Delay, Boss Reverb and a BBE Sonic Maximizer (rack mount) through the effects loop. I also use a Morley Power Wah and a Boss Acoustic Simulator wich run straight in after my guitar (I like to have options) I run the amp through (2) Mesa/Boogie 4x12 Recto Cabs... I also have this baby stocked with EL34 power tubes rather than the 6L6's. Mainly it tightens the low end and gives the amp more of a touch sensative feel. It's really a matter of opinion on what kind of tubes you use and it also has alot to with your playing style. I suggest you try the amp with both kinds of power tubes before you settle. Anyways here's my take on the sound:

CHANNEL 1

I leave this channel set on clean mode... I get a good clean sound out of this amp. It's not the best I've ever heard but it sounds good! So as long as you don't have your gain set too high like an idiot, it wont distort. Not even at high volumes!!

CHANNEL 2

I leave this channel set on vintage mode... I keep the presence only about a quarter of the way up and I do not "scoop" the mid, I keep it about half way up. It produces a dark creamy sound covered with sustain. I mainly use it for slower-phrased soloing, as well as for slow-less aggressive rhythms... All in all this channel kicks ass!!

CHANNEL 3

I leave this channel set on modern mode... This is the channel I depend on the most! I keep my gain alittle over half way up, my presence about half way up and it produces a crunch that is too sweet to describe... I use it as my main rhythm and with one step of the solo boost it also becomes my main lead channel as well (quick scale runs & sweep picking sound superb!!)

Just remember how important the PRESENCE nob is when you first go to tweak it... If you don't know how to properly set your presence your going to sound like shit! Also, don't use a shitty cab or a shitty guitar with this amp because it'll show through!! I give this amp a 9 on sound quality mainly because there are alot of high gain amps with better clean channels...

Never had a problem...

Mesa/Boogie is a very good company that takes pride in there amps... They will help you anyway they can!

I'm 22, I've been playing for 10 years. I'm a full time musician and the band I play for is currently touring on a national level. So as you can imagine I've owned and played many amps. I use a Dual Rectifier because it sounds good, it's built tough, and most of all it's versatile. I own a total of 2 Dual Rectifiers... I would be lieing if I said that this was the best high gain amp I've ever played through... There are indeed a few that I think sound better but they all cost over $4,000 and aren't very road worthy or versatile... So I think if the amp suites your playing and/or genre then it's the best amp you can find for the quality and price. Go for it!! If either were stolen I'd get a new one :)

First off, this amp is extremely versatile. It has all the features you could ever need, 3 channels, 8 modes and the best effects loop I've seen... Sure, some people might even say it's "too much!" Those are the people that shouldn't buy one! :) Anyways, like said this amp is very versaltile... It can cover just about any style of music but it excells in the area of hard rock!

I have mainly use 2 PRS Singlecut's with #7 pickups, and a PRS custom 24 with HFS pickups live. I play modern hard rock and the combination between my guitars and this amp are perfect for my style. As far as my effects are concerned I use a TC Electronics Chorus/Flanger, a Boss Phaser, Boss Delay, Boss Reverb and a BBE Sonic Maximizer (rack mount) through the effects loop. I also use a Morley Power Wah and a Boss Acoustic Simulator wich run straight in after my guitar (I like to have options) I run the amp through (2) Mesa/Boogie 4x12 Recto Cabs... I also have this baby stocked with EL34 power tubes rather than the 6L6's. Mainly it tightens the low end and gives the amp more of a touch sensative feel. It's really a matter of opinion on what kind of tubes you use and it also has alot to with your playing style. I suggest you try the amp with both kinds of power tubes before you settle. Anyways here's my take on the sound:

CHANNEL 1

I leave this channel set on clean mode... I get a good clean sound of this amp. It's not the best I've ever heard but it sounds good! So as long as you don't have your gain set too high like an idiot, it wont distort. Not even at high volumes!!

CHANNEL 2

I leave this channel set on vintage mode... I keep the presence only about a quarter of the way up and I do not "scoop" the mid, I keep it about half way up. It produces a dark creamy sound covered with sustain. I mainly use it for slower-phrased soloing, as well as for slow-less aggressive rhythms... All in all this channel kicks ass!!

CHANNEL 3

I leave this channel set on modern mode... This is the channel I depend on the most! I keep my gain alittle over half way up, my presence about half way up and it produces a crunch that is too sweet to describe... I use it as my main rhythm and with one step of the solo boost it also becomes my main lead channel as well (quick scale runs & sweep picking sound superb!!)

Just remember how important the PRESENCE nob is when you first go to tweak it... If you don't know how to properly set your presence your going to sound like shit! Also, don't use a shitty cab or a shitty guitar with this amp because it'll show through!! I give this amp a 9 on sound quality mainly because there are alot of high gain amps with better clean channels...

Never had a problem...

Mesa/Boogie is a very good company that takes pride in there amps... They will help you anyway they can!

I'm 22, I've been playing for 10 years. I'm a full time musician and the band I play for is currently touring on a national level. So as you can imagine I've owned and played many amps. I use a Dual Rectifier because it sounds good, it's built tough, and most of all it's versatile. I own a total of 2 Dual Rectifiers... I would be lieing if I said that this was the best high gain amp I've ever played through... There are indeed a few that I think sound better but they all cost over $4,000 and aren't very road worthy or versatile... So I think if the amp suites your playing and/or genre then it's the best amp you can find for the quality and price. Go for it!! If either were stolen I'd get a new one :)

There is more on this amp than you will know what to do with. You can research Mesa for all the features. I have never felt that I needed more control or options than this amp provides. Amazing versitility. It's all there, and then some. TONS of tonal options. Full controls for whatever rig you can dream up.

Big bonus:
This head I like better than the Triple Rec because you can cut the power from 100watt to 50watt by removing two tubes for more tone options when the tubes are pushed harder. Plenty, believe me, PLENTY of power here.

No reverb or other effects, so it gets a 9. 9.5 if I could.

Amazing....simply amazing. Short of sparkly cleans, this amp will do it ALL. So many controls for tone that you seriously have 10 amps in one, and the cool thing is you've got 3 channels so you can footswitch between three different tones, volume boost, and your FX loop. A few tones I've dialed up with great delight are Vox, Marshall, Orange type stuff.

With enough nob tweaking, your sound is in there no matter what you want. And it will sound very, very good. Warm or thin, course or smooth, tight and punchy or breathy and natural, whatever. It's all there. Obviously you'll want to get a guitar/pickups that will give you the other half of the picture.

On top of all that, what this amp does that no other will do is a very tight and course roar with alot of bite. HUGE is the best description. Large and mean.

4 years, no trouble. Get's played about 4 hrs/week. Alot of gigs and transporting. Take care of it and you'll be alright. All tubes are inherently prone to go out though.

no need.

I've been on guitar for about 10 yrs. I play a Gibson SG with seymor duncan humbuckers and a Squier Stratocaster (all single coil) and get some really good rock tones. It has never let me down when I've reached for all kinds of tones and rig setups. In the end, it'll do the sound of any other amp, but no other amp can sound like this one.

Questo amplificatore ?? il piu versatile tra tutti quelli che io abbia mai visto, forse la Diezel Herbert pu?? competere, ma a quel punto il prezzo diventa veramente inacessibile. Tre canali completamente separati per eq, gain, master e presence. Per quasi ogni canale sono disponibili tre modi (anche se si differenziano solo per quantit?? di gain). Fx loop tra i pi?? sofisticati che abbia mai visto, anche se a causa del genere (thrash metal) che suono, non sfrutto. L'opzione solo ?? molto utile specialmente per le vie di mezzo tra il lead e la distorsione. Inoltre il controllo finale dell'output permette di mantenere ben proporzionati i livelli dei tre canali tra di loro. Insomma...una Mesa.

Sono passato da un solid state Marshall a una Mesa. Il cambiamento si ?? sentito e nei suonandola le prime volte sembrava un suono povero di gain, ma questi incovenienti capitano quando si passa dall'ascolto di armoniche dispari (emesse dai solid state) alle armoniche pari (emesse dagli ampli valvolari). Ed ?? un bene. Credetemi il suono valvolare sembra inizialmente piatto, ma non ?? cos??: ovviamente dipende dal tipo di cassa che si ha disposizione. Personalmente consiglio il Celestion V30. Fantastici. La mia testata e la mia cassa (Mesa Recto Cab 4x12) creano un volume enorme di eq, con un gain diverso dal solito ronzio dei solid state (a livello di gain battuto solo forse dalla mitica Peavey 5150). Questo ?? il vero suono, almeno per me, ognuno ha il suo...

Adesso che l'ho scoperta non potrei farne a meno. Quando mi capita di suonare con qualche altro ampli rimpiango amaramente di aver lasciato a casa il mio amplificatore. Per quanto riguarda la resistenza e l'affidabilit?? di questo amplificatore penso che potrei portarmela anche in guerra, ovviamente ora la tratto come un oggetto di cristallo delicatissimo, comunque questi ampli, Mesa in generale, sono magnifici...solidi come carrarmati.

Inizialmente ho avuto problemi per l'attesa della cassa che la mogar mi ha consegnato, tramite il rivenditore, circa tre mesi dopo la testata. Dopo un periodo liscio come l'olio, si ?? rotta una valvola finale e mi sono fatto una dozzina di volte la strada per il rivenditore dove ho comprato il tutto. Adesso sto esaminando il mio suono, forse un p?? cambiato o forse no...chi lo sa, in questi casi anche la mente fa brutti scherzi, sopratttutto quando ci sono in ballo parecchi soldi.

La pi?? versatile testata mai provata. Il suono pi?? pieno mai sentito. Possibilit?? sonore infinite. Silenziosa anche con il gain a livello massimo.

Mesa Dual Rectifier Solo Head Triple Channel

Per me, il massimo.

The features on this amp are amazing. There are so many features that it may be overwhelming for a novice, but given time and patience anybody can learn how to use this amp to their advantage. I really like the effects loop and different distortion settings. The only reason I am not giving it a 10 was I wish there was a wattage selector like on the Roadster and Road King.

I am playing a PRS Custom 24 with HFS Pickups and a '69 Les Paul Custom with EMGs. I have the 2x12 cab with vintage 30's in it, and Monster Rock cables through out. This amp can run the gauntlet between crystal clear and holy crap I have a monster in the room.

Seriously there is no sound you can not get. If you are a player that turns the treble up to 10 mid to 0 and bass to 10 then play a guitar with EMGs and think this is going to sound great, you're wrong. The secret to getting good tone with this amp is to read the manual play with the suggested settings, then adjust to your needs. I also can not stress this enough...FIND A CAB THAT FITS WITH THE HEAD AND YOUR DESIRED TONE. If you have spent this much on an amp head, go the rest of the distance.

I play just about every style, and this amp can do it all. Take the time to learn it and again READ THE MANUAL. If you bought it used and don't have one, download it from www.mesaboogie.com

Works great, no problems.

I spoke to Chris from Boogie before I got this amp. He took the time to help me narrow down which amps to demo prior to making my selection.

I have been playing for 26 years and hands down this is one of the best non boutique amps out there. If it were stolen I would buy it again. The only thing that it lacks is the wattage switch, everything else is there, you just have to find it.

2005 model, waited a year to review this. This thing has more than enough features, for me anyway. 3 channels, each with different modes, 4 different power combinations that completely change the tonality of the channels. Parallel effects loop, took some time for me to get use to but now I appreciate it's affectiveness. I use this for everything from small 20-30 crowds up to 1000+ crowds and any gig that this isn't powerful enough for, they better have a house PA and decent soundman.

OK, heres the opinion part, the first few weeks I had this amp I spent countless hours with the EQs and Power options and modes, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't frustrating at times, but it paid off. Once you learn how the EQ works,(a bit different than any other amp I've owned) especially the difference of each guitar plugged into it, it's an amazing tool. The cleans are beautiful, the gain control is perfect for adjusting between high output and low output pup's (of course low output pups sound better for clean sounds). Where the gain control is affects the rest of the controls as well. If you run the gain high lower all the eq's. The distortion is everything from creamy smooth to ear shattering crazy. This is the first amp I've owned that I didn't have a multitude of pedals running through to get my tones. There is buzz on the highest gain settings, but not nearly as bad as most tube amps I've owned, I don't even use a gate on this if that tells you how little hum there is.
I play in a few bands everything from progressive metal to classical and pop to jazz, and this amp fits every personality that comes out of my fingers.

The only problem I've ever had with this amp is the footswitch, the one it came with didn't work for all the functions, but I bought it from GC so they gave me a working one the next day, no hassles. If you treat this right it'll treat you right. Replace the tubes consistently, carry spare fuses and the such. I've never needed a backup, but always have my practice amp with me just incase, I can always run it through the pa.

Haven't dealt with them, but have heard great things. This came with a 5 year transferable warranty, but I think it might outlive me.

I've been playing professionally for about 10 years and I've found that no matter what you play through there are some good sounds to be found. Before you go and blow your wad for an expensive amp make sure it has a sound that will suite YOUR playing, I've had guitarists plug into my amp and hate it, and I've plugged into other expensive amps and hated them, and I've also loved the tones I've gotten out of cheap, beat up, and used heads, so just make sure your buying a tone and not a name. I can't complain about these being to expensive, because it's worth every penny to me, if you think it's over priced DON'T buy it. For how long I plan on having this it sure makes up for buying amp after amp after amp and selling them for half what I paid.

Made in 2006. This amp is very versatile and has features up the wazoo. Mostly, they are popular for modern metal but you could use is for just about anything. That's one of the problems. There are so many features it takes weeks to find the exact sound you want.

One thing it doesn't have is reverb. At this price and with all the features you think they could put some reverb in.

Very loud. Makes a good sounding rhythm guitar amp for rock and metal. This head did not provide a useful tone for leads without a bunch of effects going through the loop. I bought this head to replace a Peavey XXX but I like the Peavey XXX tone better for the 80s style metal/thrash that I play. And you can get a decent lead tone out of the XXX without effects.

Only had it three weeks and then returned it. Seemed pretty solid.

Called Mesa three times. Always got someone on the first try and the guy was very friendly and helpful.

Been playing 22 years and own several guitars and a Peavey Triple XXX. This amp was overkill for my situation. If I were a full time professional musician with a tech to make your settings, patch the effects loop, etc. I would probably have kept this head. But playing out once a week with a band it was not worth the investment. There are other amps on the market where the sound difference is subtle but costs $1000 less. You can't play a Mesa head at home because the volume where it starts to sound good is way too loud for a bedroom or basement. I admit when I bought it I thought it would be cool to show off a Mesa Dual Rectifier but I would rather get another nice guitar and keep my Triple XXX.