Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head Triple Channel

This is a brand new Mesa Boogie dual rectifier triple channel head. It's got one channel with the option of clean or pushed. Channel 2 has three options, raw, vintage, and modern. Channel 3 is identical to channel 2, yet has its own personality. It's also got a footswitch, parallel effects loop, manual channel changing, a bias switch if you want to use either 6L6 tubes, or EL34's for the power section. It's got 2 5U4 rectifier tubes. It also has the option to use silicon diodes or the rectifiers and another switch for a "bold" or "spongy" sound. Each channel has it's own EQ, presence, gain, and master volume pots. It also has a solo level for an increase in overall volume for a solo, and an output that controls the overall volume output for the 3 channels. I have this head through a marshall 1960A 4X12 cabinet. I use a Gibson Explorer '76 reissue, and a Standard Strat made in mexio(Mexican strat). I play everything from a John Mayer, warm clean sound, to Randy Rhodes Ozzy Osbourne era (I try to play it, I sound like crap!), to modern stuff (yes Nu metal, I know it gets old and repetitious and polished). Don't worry I still rock with old school Metallica, think 4 horsemen.

My pickups are all stock (don't like messing w/pickups, think it degrades the guitar, just buy a new one). play everything from a John Mayer, warm clean sound, to Randy Rhodes Ozzy Osbourne era (I try to play it, I sound like crap!), to modern stuff (yes Nu metal, I know it gets old and repetitious and polished). Don't worry I still rock with old school Metallica, think 4 horsemen. With my strat, when the gain is set up high it can get noisy, but not any annoying sounds. The footswitch has a minor click sound that isn't audible if you turn the amp on and play. This thing is SUPER LOUD!! I try to have the volume on the lowest level for a manageable sound and it is loud and clear then. The amp itself gives very warm clean tones and great overdrive. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the clean channel. Some people might knock the clean, but if you want a really old school clean, then go drop $7,000 on some 30W old tube amp that will likely blow soon. The clean is warm, with my neck pickup on the strat it almost sounds like an acoustic guitar (the good way). I tried this amp vs. a Marshall TSL100, DSL100, and JCM800. Marshalls are notorious for Crappy clean (In my opinion and others I hear), but have that mids and highs distortion. If you really want that then buy a marshall that is only good for one thing. Or buy this dual recti and get a super versatile amp that can go from super warm to overkill distortion( think death metal). The bold vs. spongy switch is really cool. The spongy is for that classic "brown" sound, especially selected with the tubes. The spongy is for the high headroom. The distortion can go from just over the clean area to ultima area. The three different selections on channels 2 and 3 are great, very versatile. I bought a trademark 120 before this, because it had an awesome clean. Go try that one out if you want a great clean for only $750 (be prepared for some funny quirks, like a continuous buzzing when all pots are down to minimum), but the clean on the Mesa is much better. TWO WORDS OF ADVICE: TRUST RANDALL!!!!!

This think is heavy though. Well all heads are (tube ones anyway). This thing looks road ready with real solid wood casing and metal face) no problems of any kind, but I've only had it for a month. This thing looks super easy to repair if it needs to be. My old amp was always needing to be brought to the repair shop. I brought it to the best repair place in the state (the place where the big celebrities bring their stuff, the ones that fill up the mega venues) They repair anything from Crate amps, to Vintage Fender Bassman amps and beyond. The guy there said both times, that Tech 21 trademark 120 was the hardest amp to repair because it was a beast to open.

Hmm.. no experience with this part, but seems like it would be really good with all of the information with the amp.

This is a great amp definetly a ten. There is nothing else that compares. It has its own unique sound, the ideal sound. Buy it if you're even considering an amp head. Expensive, but is the best and worth its weight 1000 times over.

I love this amp but recently it's been sounding worse and worse. I play a Jackson dkmg with the 81 85 emg's and I know its not the guitar or my effects cause i've tested all that so it has to be the amp. When its cranked up on ch.2 and ch.3 I get this real annoying buz/hum sound and increased feedback which isnt completely abnormal but im losing a certain amount of sustain and tone because of it. Its embarrassing especially when playing live cause im constantly on my volume pedal during pauses. So now im thinking maybe its a blown speaker, I got the mesa 4x12 with the diamond plating on the side but its practically new so a blown speaker doesnt seem likely but I'll be checking into it. Other than that I guess it could be a tube problem but they all look good, none of them appear to be blown. This is frustrating, I know this is a review page but if anyone reading this has had a similar experience with this amp let me know how to overcome this problem.

I spent about five hours playing one of these. I do not own one, so im not going to rate anything. I just wanted too say that this thing had by far the worst sound I've ever heard. The only word I know that can describe it is "brittle". It feels like it going to snap in between your fingers. No matter how many eq settings i tried I just couldn't get a good sound. The bass is muddy and the high end is so mattelic you can taste it in your mouth. I played this thing with a 1960A and an SG standard too.

Amp is a year old. It have too many features to list..but quickly..3 channels, very versatile effects loop.. the whole damn thing is soo versatile.

I just bought this off ebay with hesitation because ive heard bad reviews, nto to mention ive played one in guitar center and it didnt sound so hot. but i gave it the benifit of the doubt. When i got in the mail i was blown away at how beautiful this thing sounds. I play a Ibanez RG 270 with a emg 81 in the bridge. And the cab is a old ass fender cabinet (yes it is possible to get a good sound out of a rectifier without using a rectifier or marshall cab) im not sure what speakers are in the cabinet,but everything thats played through it is golden...anyway.. i did my research on this beast and looked at suggestions and user settings from other users before i even have the amp. i knew how the whole thing operated by the time it go here. my advice to anyone in the market for one of this is to research it. If you are looking for a liquid smooth sustain with a killer punch, this amp is it. dont believe those who tell you that this amp only produces mud, because alls ive been able to get out of this amp is killer tones. 2 days of tweaking and my sound is GOLDEN. im gonna get new JJ tubes for it which will enhance the sound even more. The sounds on this amp are very versatile, and the knobs are sensative..a little bit of tweaking can completely change everything. the clean channel is surprisingly good. ive got no problem with it. sounds great when i switch to the neck pickup. The second channel is a great rock distortion. not too much gain, but enough to be punchy. its actually really fun to play on. the third channel is brutile. its got a massive sound and punch. i keep the presence at about 10:00 the master volume at 12:00. the gain at 1:30-2:00, the bass at 3:00, the mids at 11:00 and the treble at 12:00. i use the silicon diode tubes (hi power) effects loop on (which drains some power, but if you adjust the send level, you can make up for this loss. its all explained in the manual) and i have it switched to bold. WALA! the voice of god coming through the speakers

Well ive only had it for 4 days but it seems to be solid. I never really have a back up amp and you shouldnt need one in the first place unless you plan on throwing your equipment around. if you pay $1200 for something, you damn well better take care of it . i have an older mesa boogie preamp that has been dropped a few times and has seen rough times, and it still works like a charm NEVER a problem with it.

never dealt with them.

yes, believe the hype, this amp is good if you looking to play rock or metal. your tone is here. with other amps, if i were to crank it and walk further away from the cabinet..the sound would get weak or sound like crap. no matter where i stand this thing shimmers. Any others who have problems with this amp either dont know what they are doing or they are playing music that isnt suited for this amp.

I own a mesa boogie studio preamp, and a peavey 5150 II. the mesa boogie preamp can almost compete, but the sound looses definition at high volumes, and the peavey 5150II cant get the volume or the tone that the dual can. I really wish i would have wised up sooner and just bought one of these. i woulda saved myself alot of trouble rather than dealing with shitty processors, pedals and solid state heads. this is the end of the line for me. im finally happy with my sound

I just wanna post some comments that i think other Rectifier users may find helpful as i have had this amp for over a year now

my setup is as follows.
PRS Custom 24 ----> Mesa Dual Rec ----> Mesa 4x12
Boss GE7 equalizer ----> Boss DD3 Delay in fx loop

first of all, make no mistake this amp is great.
i know people will slate it but this is probably due to them playing it in a store for about 20 mins.
it takes time to get used to this amp, how it feels etc.
on the first play through it, to me it seemed like the notes were jumping out of the cabinet even before i played them, and it did not feel very smooth to play through.
after a while you will become accustomed to this and the amp will gradually start to compliment your playing.

the sounds that can be coaxed from this amp are very varied.
even though it is tempting, dont scoop the mids clean out when playing on the modern mode this will make the amp sound thin and the middle frequencies are where your guitar tone comes from,
scooping the mids will make this amp sound very chainsaw-ish

imo add more middle than usual and use treble and presence sparingly
because the latter two are very powerful controls on the rectifier..

here are the settings that i currently use
CLEAN

bass 10
mid 0.5
treble 6
presence 5
gain 6
volume 4
mode clean

channel two
bass 8
mid 6.5
treble 4
presence 3
gain 10
volume 4.5
mode vintage

channel three
bass 10
mids 6.5
treble 4
presence 3
gain 10
volume 4.5
mode modern

i do use the GE7 to spice up the clean sound a bit when i need to cut through a bit more..

the rectifier select is set to silicon diodes and i have the power set to bold to achieve maximum grit.

these settings are for the tones i currently use and they do get adjusted every now and then to cater for the acoustics of the room etc.

i can pretty much get any sound i can think of out of this amp and it sounds punishing miked up through a huge p.a.

This amp has everything I need. A couple more channels would be nice for a more pushed clean sound and an extra distortion but I can't recall any 5-channel amps other than digital. It has 3 channels (switching on the pedal board) and an effects loop. The effects loop pretty much sucks. It cuts a lot of volume and some tone out so I would recommend running your effects direct with this amp. I use it at my youth group and for my band. We play a lot of emo and emocore but also classic and mellow stuff. It covers all of those genres and more. I only wish it had an extra channel or two... but only digital amps do that and digital sucks.

I'm playing through a 1980 Gibson Les Paul Custom and I'm not exactly sure what the pickups are. It's my dad's so whatever came with it when he bought it. Gibsons give a little more of a deeper and muddier tone than other guitars but despite what other people have said, I've never had a problem with it being too muddy. It feedsback pretty easily at higher levels on channels 2 and 3 but it's pretty much just the pickups. I haven't had a problem with any noise at all. Channel 1 gives a great clean sound but keep the gain at about 12:00 and use the master, otherwise you'll get more of a crunch than you want. On Channel 2 I use the "Raw" setting and get a pretty good Brian May sounding distortion. Much better than the Channel 1 "Pushed". Channel 3 has the most balls of any distortion I've ever heard!! I've never been happier and there's nothing that can mimick or match it like the real thing. Don't settle for less. Lately, I've been using the "Vintage" setting and I keep the bass at about 1:00 b/c the Vintage has a lot more body than the "Modern" setting. Vintage is also much better for lead play - it sustains much better compared the but Modern. But if you're into hardcore, the Modern setting is perfect and I wish there was a 4th channel that I could use for that setting. You have to crank the bass though because it's pretty tinny. I seriously have never been so incredibly pleased with a distortion sound... it's amazing and you can't beat it with anything.

I can't afford a back up right now but I've never had a single problem with it. Plus, Mesa Boogie makes it... IN the US. I trust it 100%.

I'm 15 years old and have been playing for about 4-5 years now. I bought a Line 6 Flextone III XL 212 before this but returned it. My dad owns a Mesa Boogie Road King and after playing the real thing, I couldn't settle for less. I love everything about this amp except for the effects loop but the tone is incredible and unbeatable. It way outdoes a Line 6's digital "RectoDual" model

it does what it should

I bought one off ebay about a year ago and it sounded PHENOMINAL! i mean tons of chunk... distortion was bad assed. everything. And so the story goes, i end up blowing it out by plugging in the wrong two tubes to make it 50 watt. after i get it fixed and get it back, it sounds like complete crap to me. im totally frustrated and even tho the guy assures me that nothing is wrong, it doesnt sound good. it has no sustain and i have to turn the raw channel 3 up to full gain to get any chunk. i used to have to put it at about 6 o clock to get tons of gain. frustrated as i am, i sell it on ebay and look for a new one. i stop at the local guitar store and hear one that sounds great. like its supposed to. the only problem is that he sold it 15 minutes before i get there and i have to watch the guy buy it in front of me. so, determined to get my killer tone, i go to guitar center and order one. when it gets here, it sounds just like my "broken" one! im like WHAT THE HELL?! so, that day i end up going to philly... 5 hour drive. this guitar center has 4 in stock. they all SOUND THE SAME! what the hell is going on here? my recto sounds terrible and every one i've played other than the one at the first guitar store sound the same. p.s. I was told that it may be that the guitar has to be broken in because the one at the first guitar store was 6 months old but the others were newer. please help me out. you can send responses to my email. MY OLD ONE SOUNDED GREAT, WHAT GIVES?
grithole@yahoo.com

it works

fine

my first one was great... all others blew except the one i heard in triple r guitar. what the hell?!

2001, paid $1420,00

I use a Schecter C1+ /Gibson w/EMG 85 @ Bridge.
Perfect for most Hardcore type Music.
Dont bother with the amp if your into playing the "Beatles" "Willie Nelson" "John Mayher",(No Offence to these bands, just the wrong amp for it)Dont bother with it unless your in a band that plans on hittin the road, its a waist to try to play this in you bedroom. The recto is Obnoxious in sound. The louder the better.
If you get one, read the handbook, it will answer alot of your confusion. I read It, played with all settings, Got that "recto" sound I wanted & start riots @ shows.
Get a decent cab Peavey Cab or Marshall (4x12)any less you should have purchased a combo.
If your using stock "Duncan Design Pickups" invest in purchasing Seymour Duncan/EMG/ Unless you play a PRS or Gibson they're good to go.(should be! for the price of those things)

ENJOY!!
Thing Sounds like a DAMN CHAINSAW , (I like that!)

Buy a Forklift (J/K)
No problem with it.
Have extra tubes.....Just incase

Havent had to ......Hopefully never!

Played for 12 years.
If stolen I would quit the band & take up a new gig.

Has all the features i would ever need. Well except i wish it had a headphone jack so i could play while my roomate sleeps.

I use a Ibanez RG with the stock pickups into a hush pedal, then a BBE 462 sonic maximizer, the the amp. My cabinet is a peavey with 3 celestion G12K-85's and a G12-80 Classic Lead. My playing style is Nu-Metal kinda like a perfect cicle.

Channel one does the job for me, sounds good when not "pushed".

Channel two is great for ACDC-ish stuff, but i never really use it.

Channel Three will blow you away. Way over the top distortion with great bass and treble. But it does take time to figure out how to get a good sounding distortion. I HAVE A SUGGESTION to anyone looking to buy this amp or didnt like this amp: If you use the wrong combination of guitar amd cabinet with it you may not like this amp, especially after spending $1600. Everone who thinks it sounds muddy is because of the other equipment used with it. You must use a 4 speaker cab with at least 2- Vintage 30 celestions in it to get the right tone on heavy distortion. Im replacing two of mine for those soon. The G12T's or K's are too muddy sounding for this amp. So ill have 2- V 30's, 1 Classic lead, and 1 G12K-85.
Also there is alot of hiss at high volumes so get a hush pedal so you dont hear crap when paused. Other than that the sound is BRUTAL!

Funny things is Mesa wont let dealers dicount for used or floor models so I bought a floor model at a guitar center here in bakersfield, CA. When I took it home it was blown!! So i traded it in for a new one they "mysteriously" couldnt find the day before and it has worked flawlessly since.

Havent needed any yet.

I absolutely love this amp. I know its not a Diezel which everyone thinks is the best but I could never afford a $4000 amp. If you have the right guitar and the right speakers in your cab this is the BEST amp for the money and the range of sounds and styles its good for. Its not perfect for everyone but for me it is!

Purchased new in 2002. Has tons of features, some work as advertised, some don't. My biggest bitch is the channel switching, which creates a loud pop. Also, the effects loop SUCKS ASS, don't even bother trying to use it, it will knock about 6db off you volume, and trash your tone.

Use several guitars live, 78 LP custom with Duncan JB, Jackson Soloist with Duncan JB and Hotrails, and 72 Strat with Duncan Screamon Demons. All the tones you will ever need for live rock are here, but it takes time and a small measure of intelligence to find them. After reading the reviews that say this amp sucks, I've come to this conclusion. If you think this amp sucks, buy a Squire Strat, a Line 6 POD or Crate and 10 pedals to get the sound you like. This amp is way beyond your ability to appreciate. It doesn't take a great player with great gear to make this amp sound great, but any retard who would put 10 pedals in front of this, or run it through any other speaker than the Recto Standard (which was designed to handle the low end this amp puts out on ch. 3) will not get a good sound. If your a serious player, with a good guitar, it only takes some tweaking to find what your looking for. To all who don't like this amp, quit pissing and moaning and get a Crate.

I've been gigging with it for almost 2 years now, no problems. Keep extra tubes with you at all times though!

Never dealt with them

Awesome amp (if you have a brain and a good ear)

3 channels, rectifier/silicon switch, bold/sponge, clean/pushed switch on the clean channel, modern/vintage raw on channels 2&3,

I played in a metal band im know in a hard rock band, this amp does both great, i use a fender 57 reissue strat, big apple strat, and subsonic baritone, all sound good through the amp. The recto needs to be turned up to really show u how great of an amp it is. the tone controls take some getting used to, its not plug and play amp but there are some amazing tones once u get use to the controls. More than enough gain for any type of music, I found that if u turn the gain up past 3:00, it gets to mushy, buzzy and notes get lost, i usually only have it at 1:00 to 2:00. The amp is pretty bassy to so i tend to keep the bass pretty low. I see people that complain about the sound but thean have the gain cranked, they just didnt take the time to learn how to use the amp.

i've had mine for about about 4 months with no problems, i use it regularly, practice 3 times a week occasional gigs, transporting it and practice at home. Ive never had any problems with it. As with any tube amp u need to keep spare tubes and fuse, but they are a lot easier to fix than a solid state amp if one of those goes down. One of the other guitar players in my band as one and the power on light has a short in it, but everything else on his works fine.

haven't used, heard good things. Hopefully will never have to.

It agreat amp once u learn how to use it

Bought the Dual Recto brand new for 1600 dollars,I've had it head for about 6 months bought in summer of 2002.Three channels in it of course, the switch pedal is very durable for the abuse I put it through at my band's shows. Theres no reverb on the recto making it not have as much depth that I'm used to it sounds awesome so it's not a problem. other then that it's pretty badass...it's the first tube amp I've ever owner.

The type of music I play is acros between very aggresive Hardcore like norma jean and emocorish like Thrice and the bled. I use a Gibson SG factory pickups the bridge humbucker's tone and volume at 10 and the neck humbucker's tone and volume at 5, this gives it a thick sounding tone but not too thick were you can't tell what the hell's being played. I mostly use this amp in a very small practice space which makes the Recto kinda sound shitty because it'll shake the hell out of the walls cause everyone knows to get the full effect of the Dual recto you have to blast that Mofo!! I've had to spend alot of time trying to get the perfect settings for this damn thing, you will for sure not have it masterd the first time playing it. the clean channel sounds best when not flipped on pushed because when you flip to pushed distortion it's adding making the tone suffer. The distortion sounds sweeet playing through the recto cab, channel 3 has the most "brutal" distortion channel 2 sounds most for classic rock kind of stuff. but channel 3 in modern is the best

I've really only had one problem with this head which was fuses blowing out and tubes going bad VERY quickly! First time was when I was in the middel of practicing with my band and the send time was in the middel of a show which made me feel like a total moron...I should of had spare tubes on had but like I said this is my first tube amp. Best advice to someone buying a tube amp for the first time is to always have spare fuses and tubes on hand at every gig! Other then that I haven't had a problem with it.

I haven't had to deal with the company directly but when the tubes wen't out when taking the head back to the store where buying the employees were very understanding and replaced all the tubes free of charge. the tubes are under warranty for six months I think and the head it self is a year. All repairs so far have been under warranty thank god!

I've been playing for about 6 years now and this is by far the best amp I've owned up to date! Pretty pricy for a cheap ass like myself but the recto is worth every dime, at shows other bands come up to me saying how awesome the sound is. If this thing was stolen I would probably first track down the biotch that stole it and kill em but if I couldn't do that I'd most likly buy it again but probably used. My friend bought the Dual recto before I ever thought about buying and when I heard how awesome the sound he was getting from it I knew I had to have one plus Mesa/Boogie has a reputation of having awesome amps!

I bought a new 3 channel Dual Rectifier in early 2003. The amp was shipped to the store and I delivered to me still in the box.

The amp has everything I need, 3 independent channels with individual EQ, gain, presence, and volume, an awesome effects loop, the solo boost is cool and a master volume.

I?m a little disappointed with the volume in the clean channel, too big of a difference from ch2 and ch3. You don?t have much room with the volume control at high gain settings in ch2 & 3. If you take those volume past 10- 11 o?clock there is a huge drop in volume when switching to ch1.

At 1st I was disappointed that it didn?t have reverb but once I got a feel for dialing in the tone I wanted I felt like reverb would only get in the way and cause the tone to get a little muddy. The amp has plenty of body without reverb. Also the effects loop would all me to add reverb if I felt I needed it.

The different options on each channel make the amp very versatile. I?ve been able to find a professional tone for virtually every style I would ever want to play. This is great for recording but in a live setting it is not practical, you have to pick a setting for each channel and stick with it. This works for the way I use it so it isn?t a problem for me but if you expect to make drastic setting changes between songs during a live set this amp won?t work for you.

The amp is very complex, and has just about everything you could ever need. I?ll give it an eight.

Tone is a very subjective thing, so I expect to see both positive and negative reviews. However, as a musician, although you are on a quest to find the perfect tone that fits your personality you must be able to recognize quality tone even if it is not the tone that you are looking for. You may give this amp a negative review but there is no way this amp could ever be rated a 1 for sound. If it is, all you can gain from the review is that the reviewer is a hack, not a musician!!!!!

Enough of that.

I have two primary guitars, Gibson Les Paul standard and a Jackson DXMG. I?ve played several other guitars through the amp some hollow bodies, and such. I don?t really care for single coils through this amp, at least without reconfiguring the settings but any guitar I?ve used with humbuckers sounds awesome.

If you are reading these reviews and thinking about buying, take to heart the fact that people say it takes time to find your tone. You will not find the perfect tone in a day, even a week, this is a very complex amp and you really need to get to know it. I actually reset the amp every two months or so. I?ll set all the settings back to zero and start over like it is a brand new amp. Each time I?m a little more comfortable with how to control the tone and how each control interacts with the others. The better I get, the better tone I can dial in. Every time I?ve done this, when I finish I feel like I?ve found the best tone I could possible find. And every time I?m wrong, because the next time it gets a little better.

I recently, replace the power tubes with EL34s, I do prefer the tone with these tubes. I loved the way 6L6 sounded but the EL34s are just a bit more me.

The real point is this amp has the tone you want. It may take some time to find but it is there. And that is the way it should be right???? I want an amp that is very versatile, that allows me to express my self perfectly. And I also want to be original, a huge piece of that of course is between my ax and me but the amp has to help. If it was easy to find the settings everyone would sound exactly the same and we don?t want that do we???

If you want great tone, this is the amp, but beware, it will take time and devotion to find exactly what you want. If you are not willing to spend the time do not buy this amp, you will never be happy!!!!!

I Haven't had any problems yet!

Haven't had to use support but I've heard very good things

I don?t think I could possible be happier with this amp. Its not perfect but show me that amp, if it existed, everyone would own it. It took some work but it should, it has all the tools you need to find your dream tone. Something unique to you, tone that says exactly what you want it to say, tone that people want to hear.


My philosophy is very simple, very few effects ( wah, delay, and noise gate), a good guitar and good amp. Set every channel so it rocks. No matter what song you play, it will rock. I don?t try to sound like the original artist; my originals aren?t designed around someone else?s tone.

The Mesa Dual Rectifier Rocks, it is that simple.

Mesa triple channel 2001, has a ton of different sounds,3 channels each with its own mode can switch tubes without biasing.very loud. has almost too many features.

I play in a modern metal band and use a lp standard with seymour duncan pearly gates pickups and I also dabble in the blues sometimes, this amp covers the texas style very well, but for sick brutal distortion it lacks in that department.This amp has a great look but the distortion is way fucking overrated I tried every setting even a sonic max the sound was still lame . The clean channel is the worst. . I once heard that each amp sounds different,could be. I could never get that heavy mid scooped sound out of it owned it for two years tried 3 different sets of tubes same old shit sound ,I think some people are in denile over the fact that they paid $1500.00 for a amp that sounds good but is completly overrated, I say to each their own. I just played a peavey triple xxx at the store and it killed the mesa hands down for half the price,the sales guy said I was the 10th person who told him that in the past two months. The peavey is not built as well as the mesa , but in the past I had a 5150 and it had the most sickest distortion I have ever heard and it never broke down, even spilled a beer through the top once and still kept working, If you are thinking of droping a lot of cash on this amp don't be fooled because every body has one . This will be my last mesa.

very dependable gigged many times without a backup, never broke,This amp is the best built amp I have ever seen , it just sounds like shit.

never had to.

The sound if way overrated. The way the amp is built is the best ever hands down, Just sold it for $1000.00 and got the peavy triple xxx, what a difference.

I bought this amp new, it's a 2003 model. I used to play in hardcore bands, like most older hardcore kids, I play in an indie rock band now. The Recto covers both very well. With 3 channels I basically have my sounds set and switch between the 3. It would be nice to have reverb, but Ive found that an Electro Harmonix Holy Grail works A-Ok in the effects loop. The EQ is voiced diffrently than any other amp I used. The manual it comes with explains, in detail, how the EQ sections work. This helps a lot. I was never able to get a good sound in the music stores, I had to take it home and tweak it for a good amount of time. It has plenty of power, which is why I chose this over the Triple Recto. The Triple wasnt really necassary for my rig.

At the time, I am playing a Gibson Les Paul Custom with Classic 57's, run through a Crybaby, a Boss DD-5, and a Uni Vibe. It fits my "musical style" just fine. I only prefer to play it when its cranked, so I just keep it in the practice space. I have recorded one demo with it, and it cuts through the mix fairly well. The clean channel is decent, I am sure that with a little more "fiddling", I'll be more happy with it. I keep both OD channels on the "vintage" setting at all times. The raw is a nice, moderately overdriven sound. The I dont not use the Modern setting at all, not my thing. This gain is mind blowing or anything, I think it's enough to fulfill any realistic sound your looking for. Too much gain always sounded like a bad time to me.

I have it in a road case, and I baby it. I have no doubts that it will remain reliable. I hae owned a few other mesa products in the past, and was always able to count on them. Ive had it for a few months and nothing has gone wrong. My only concern is the power cable. It is very loose. It falls out if I bump it. I may have it hard wired, if possable. It looses points for that.

The warranty sounds nicein writing. I guess its void if you use diffrent tubes. So its useless to me. The stock tubes get the job done, but I have always used JJ's. So thats that. I had to contact mesa before, on my Tri Axis, and they do not answer questions through email, which does not make sense to me. I work odd hours and am not available when their phone lines are open.....so, I have never gotten through.....

I have been playing for about 10 years. I started out with a Randall half stack, moved on to some mesa rack gear (studio pre amp, tri axis/2:90), then picked this up. I give this head high ratings because it does everything I need it to. I see a lot of Marshall guys get on this amp, and vice versa. The old Marshalls are amazing sounding rock amps....but in my opinion, the re-issues are poor in quality, and lack the sounds the originals produced. The Mode 4 seems to be a big hyped up gimmick. The quality is so poor it feels like a toy, and sounds much like a Crate, with less gain. Therefore, I chose this....seemed like the best option, and it hasnt let me down. I aquired this after I sold my Triaxis/2:90 set up. This was a bit more versatile, unique set up, which I will miss. If you can afford it, its deffinatly worth checking out. The recto was a nice second choice, and works for my "downsized" current rig. If this amp came up missing one day, I would not be able to afford another amp, its pricey....as are most other amps on the market.

2002 three channel dual rec.
does everything

using this with my newly purchased PRS custom 24
upon reading Marshall reviews on this site, (i own a TSL100 also) i have noticed that all of the Marshall users really slate the Boogie players. One person even said why pay X amount of $ for a boogie when you can have a MODE4.. MODE4 i ask you.. a solid state, inferior, boogie wannabe amp.
the reason why people are prepared to pay lots for a boogie, especially here in England is because they kick the white smoke out of Marshalls especially that Bloody Mode4 piece of shite.

also to anyone that ows this amp and cant get a good sound out of it then you are tossers... i bet you scoop the mids right out and make up for the lack of definition with Presence or Treble.. A big no no on any amp. Why doesnt anyone realise a guitar sound is supposed to have middle for it to be heard..
Seen metallica recently??? i have and the live guitars have loads of middle on them so they cut through the mix and they still sound fuckin heavy as fuck

this amp does not sound buzzy, thin, fizzy, trebly or harsh. and also i managed to nail Daron Malakians sound (when he was using boogies, before he turned into a tosser and started using the Mode4) i used a lot more middle than usual, about 3 o clock, bass on full and treble about half and presence on around 9 o clock, channel 3 modern with my PRS and you Bloody Bastard it was the most hard assed, teeth grindin, bone splittin, most aggressive sound i think i have ever heard, and i dont care what you say you cannot do that with a marshall.
the most killer sounding amp i have ever had the pleasure of using.

the tsl should not even be mentioned in the same paragraph as the boogie.

totally versatile as well.. awesome raw and vintage sounds and the clean channel is good enough too.

blew a tube but it is a tube amp that i push to the max and thats all that has happened

n/a

The best music related product i have ever bought
i am probably never going to need another amp again, i may trade in the old marshall though and get a boogie combo to do smaller gigs.

Made in 2003. Three channels. Has Diode/Rectifier switch in back. Each channel has multiple "channels" making the head very versitile. Seperate EQ knobs for each channel, although they don't seem to do a whole lot. No reverb. Great effects loop.

Bought this amp brand new about 4 months ago. I have an assotment of guitars, but my main axe is a Gibson Custom Shop LP. Sorry, but this amp sounds pretty horrible to my ear. To this amps credit, I will say that the other guitar player in my band heard this amp and simply fell in love with it. I do not love this amp. The clean sound sucks. The distortion sounds like crap. Maybe it's the stock tubes. I don't know, but even with the gain up and the volume cranked the bottom end sounds sloppy and the amp has overtones that sound harmonically incorrect. I guess you gotta be into a certain sound to love this amp. I don't know why so many guys play and love these things. If you love this amp, then great for you....but I see no need to cast insults on this board to others that say they don't like it. Guys who are considering buying this amp need to hear EVERYONE'S opinion. I've been around a while and gigged L.A. through the 80's and 90's. Did the heavy metal hair band and grunge thing. I would like to think I know a little bit about tone. Simply put, this amp ain't got it.

4 months, and so far so good. Looks like it could survive a nuclear hit. I'm pretty careful with my stuff, and carry spare tubes in my gig bag just in case.

Talked to them twice on the phone. They seem freindly and eager to help.

Been playing about 25 years. I own several tube amps including a Marshall TSL 100 and VHT Pitbull. I also own a Peavey XXL solid state head and a Roland JC-120. Some guys love the Rectifier sound. It's just not my cup of tea. Mesa has put out the biggest marketing hype ever. Try before you buy one of these, or you'll likely be disappointed. Like the guy said a few reviews down, let your ear be the judge. I will likely sell mine soon.

Check out Mesa Booogies website for features.

Alright lots of people have said it but lets make it clear. If you can't make this amp sound at least decent, you are an idiot. Do you honestly think Mesa has been fooling people for the last 12 or so years this amp has been in production into thinking it sounds good? Its popular and a huge selling amp because good guitarists can make it come alive. Learn how to use it. The amp is the only route to go for over the top modern metal sounds. No it can't do Beatles or Cream or Zep. If you wanted to play that style why in the hell did you buy this amp and not some vintage reissue Marshall or Vox. It has classic tones to it but seriousely if you bought it you bought it to rock. Read the damn owners manual. Tons of Low end. Great high end. Its one of the only amps available that you actually turn the treble up higher then the bass. Its a great amp learn to use it.

The best. Hands down. Get real if you don't agree. Ever owned a marshall?

N/A

Great head use it for what you bought it for. And please if your gonna review this head please own own it. Unlike the idiot a few posts below who reviews an amp he hears at a gig. Get a life buddy. You have no isea the skill level or competence the guy using it has. And please refrain from comparing this head to any Line 6 or Pod or other crap and get a life. You learned how to use your VCR, now learn how to use your amp.

A lot of features. See reviews below for details.

My tech 21 TRI-OD pedal running direct to the PA sounds better than this piece of shit. Even after new tubes, this thing sounds like crap. Not enough gain, no balls, no bottom end....and no clean channel to speak of. If this is what the pros are using....then they are getting them hot-rodded somewhere. Too wimpy for Nu-Metal/Heavy Metal......and not clean enough for other styles. The sound is in no-mans land. Just muddy crap! Playing through an Ernie Ball Music Man Axis and a Marshall bottom end with Celestions. When I first played it at Guitar Center I was looking for a replacement for my Mark III. After plugging and noodling for a few mionutes I thought "Is that it??". The sales guy set me up in an isolation room so I could play it louder. Definately sounded better louder. I thought I could tweek it to get my sound out of it after purchasing it. WRONG!!! EQ knobs hardly do anything. Your only going to get one sound out of this.....and it sounds like a a big steaming pile of crap. Don't waste your money. My Mark III wasn't really any better either (shoulda learned after the first mistake). This is my LAST BOOGIE.

Seems very well made and dependable. I've had it for about 9 months with no problems.

These guys are the best! Made several calls to them to see what could be done to make this amp sound better. VERY helpful concerning tube selection, settings, etc.

Been playing about 20 years. All styles. I'm a guitarist In one of the area's "hot" bands, and gig almost every weekend. If it were lost or stolen I'd happily report it to my insurance company, and feel sad for the slob that found/stole it. DON"T waste your money on this amp. The other guitar play in my band picked up a Tech 21 Trademark 300 head (3 channel) last month. Now THAT's a feature rich, GREAT sounding head. Don't be a fool like I was, and fool yourself into thinking you can fine tune the dual recto with an EQ to get "your sound". If it sounds like shit at the store....then that's because it sounds like shit.....not because you need to spend time tweaking it. A good sounding amp will sound good at just about any EQ/gain/volume setting. I've played tube amps and solid state amps for years. Don't let the tube snobs sway your buying decision. Get something that sounds good to your ear. If it's a tube amp...great. If it's a reputable solid state amp.....great. After all, it's your hard earned bucks, and it's you that has to live with the sound every time you plug in.

More then youll probably ever need. Plus its a tube amp, so you can change the tubes and get a totally different sound. I love it.

Read overall rating.

Its a mesa, therefore it will last forever. Tubes dont on the other hand. So if the amp is starting to sound like ass, then get some new tubes. Other then that this thing is near imortal.

I dont know, i nvr had to deal with them.

Look, its really pissin me off that ppl r saying that these things hav no tone, and they hav no bottom end. And some of the ppl hav only tried them out in stores. First of all, the factory mesa tubes arent really all that good, and if ur trying out a head thats on the showroom at a store, odds r the tubes r shit from being played so much. You also need a good cab and a good guitar to use this amp. These amps r SOOOOOO sensative. Its really easy to get a pretty shitty sound out of this amp. But u really need sum good equipment if ur gonna use this amp. Plus, as soo as u get the amp (which i highly reccommend) go get some kik ass tubes that really fit ur style. The ppl at mesa tried to put neutral stock tubes in the amp to try and get the amp to at least dabble in every style of music. So dont complain about the amp untill u get some decent tubes for it. It is a tube amp, so what kinda of tubes u put in really do matter. So once you get new tubes, a good cab (i personally am obsessed with the mesa standard) a good guitar and all that shit and u STILL dont like the amp, then ur just a dumb ass who cant tweak and amp for shit and/or u just hav no clu what kind of sound u want. And if ur one of the assholes who say "o, this amp doesnt sound like a marshall, i dont like it", then go by a marshall. I'm not saying marshall is a bad amp, its actually a good amp. But the mesa just kiks its ass. Anyway, go try one out but do what i said to do. But remeber that this amps engineering is near perfect. And therefore it is EXTREMELY sensative. I also just bought a boss eq pedal to dial in my sound perfectly. This amp is now just the ultimate kik ass bitch. I love it alot, and if u do what i suggested, im sure u will too. Rock on.

Ya it has lots of features.

I am using a les paul with emg's 81 & 85. What a piece of CRAP this amp is!!! The lows are too bassy and the high's are to tinny, and tone what is that in these amps. I bought a MARSHALL, no that's an amp!!!!! It has growl and balls to boot.

Never broke down.

They were alwawys good when I had questions

I've been playing 15 years, I now own a Marshall DSL. If it were lost or stolen I would collect te insurance and buy a MARSHALL. Don't waste your money on this piece of garbage over priced junk.
For those of you that say these are the best you simply are tone deaf idiots!!!!!!!!!!!! GET A MARSHALL

I am finally reviewing my 2000 Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo head. The amp is rated at 100 watts and is one of the first Rectifiers with three channels. Channels can be switched via the included footswitch or MIDI if you have the right equipment. Each channel has different gain modes, switchable with mini toggles. They are as follows:

Channel 1: Clean/Pushed

Channel 2: Raw/Vintage/Modern

Channel 3: Raw/Vintage/Modern

The amp also has a paralell FX loop, and a variety of interesting power features. On the rear panel, you can switch between the tube rectifiers or a solid state rectifier. The solid state rectifier offers more focus in the low and high ranges, at the expense of the warmth you get with the tube rectifiers. There is also a spongy/bold setting, which allows you to switch between a lower and higher voltage, much like a Variac. It is supposed to get more of a "brown" sound if you switch to spongy, but I can't really say that's true.

One of the coolest things about this amp is that it has a preset bias switch. If you don't like 6L6 tubes, which are stock, you can flip the switch and put in EL-34s instead. With that said, the stock tubes are horrible. I cannot understand why such a high-quality amp manufacturer would use mediocre Russian tubes. The gain craps out, and the highs are very brittle and cold.

I don't recommend this amp for those on a tight budget. It is already about $1400, and I spent about $400 more on a set of nice JJ tubes for the preamp and power amp section. I use EL-34s to give it a bit of a brighter crunch tone. Since the stock tubes are not too good, I have to give it an 8 for features. Otherwise, it would be a 9.

My main guitar is a 1991 Gibson Explorer tobbaco burst with whatever stock humbucking pickups they had back then. I also have an Ibanez RG with the EMG 81/85 pickups, and a James Hetfield signature series Viper Baritone from ESP/LTD. My music style is an odd amalgamation of many styles, including old blues rock like ZZ Top, 80s punk and rock bands like Billy Idol, and metal/alternative bands like Metallica, Tool, Corrosion of Conformity, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and so on. This makes my style kind of hard to nail down.

I like my lead tones to be sort of a mix between Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and Zakk Wylde (Ozzy, Black Label Society). I also dig crunch tones with chunk like James Hetfield (Metallica), dynamically responsive tones like Adam Jones (Tool), and just plain gritty, heavy guitar tones from bands like Corrosion of Conformity. Interestingly enough, this amp can deliver.

While the clean channel has a tendency to distort with the gain above 10 or 11 o'clock, it has a nice dark, glassy tone remniscent old Fender blackface amps. It's not exact, but you can hear shades of Fender in this channel. Some people like sparkling clean gain, which you can get with this amp, but I like a mellow, round clean tone. If you switch the gain mode from clean to pushed, you can get a gritty clip similar to a cranked Bassman or Deluxe.

Channel two is absolutely my favorite. Its Vintage mode is amazing, in my opinion. If you set the controls just right, with low but not extremely scooped mids, and the rest of the knobs between 10 and 2 o'clock, it has a wonderful crunch tone like the Mesa Boogie Mark IIc+. I can definetly hear some old Metallica in that tone, but it's great for what I do with my band. Bright enough, but with warmth and chunk. It also is perfect for leads, with it's warm body and searing top-end response. If you use a wah pedal, you'll love this setting. Modern mode sounds a little too scooped for me, but it does work well for drop-C and baritone tunings. I don't use Raw much, but it has a nice soft clip perfect for the blues.

Another amazing thing about channel 2 is how it cleans up when you roll the volume on your guitar back. It never gets super clean, but it works great for stuff like Tool where there is a lot of dynamic change. This channel responds faithfully to your playing dynamics.

Channel 3 has its perks, but it simply isn't as smooth as the 2nd channel. The presence knob should be used with great caution, as higher amounts are pretty hard on the ears. The mids also sound a little too thin. Don't bother with Vintage mode, as it isn't as smooth as Channel 2's Vintage mode, and it does not have as much cut as Channel 3's Modern mode. This is a great channel for drop-C and baritone tunings, rhythm parts in particular. I prefer channel 2/Vintage for leads, wah or no wah.

If you are willing to invest in good tubes and have patience, this amp can get you a variety of tones. No, it won't sound like a Fender, Marshall, Diezel, Bogner, or Engl. It sounds like a Mesa/Boogie. It can however give you great tonal qualities found in these other amps. The variety is more than adequate. It is not perfect, but it is damn close for me.

Honestly, I didn't use it much before I got it retubed, as it was really hard on my ears. So far, no problems with the tubes or the amp itself. When I first got it, I put the power tubes in wrong, but the fuse blew before the amp got damaged, so it is reliable enough for me. I will be gigging with it soon, so that is when I will truly know its reliability.

I haven't needed customer support. I belive the warranty is 1 year parts/6 months for tubes. I've heard that tech support will really work with you to get your amp up and running, but can't offer my own experience.

I realize that it was far from perfect when I bought it, since the tubes were pretty lousy, but if you are willing to spend extra dough on tubes, it is a great amp. Like I said, it's no Diezel VH-4, but then again, it's about a third the cost. The only thing I really hated was the tubes, everything else is great. I used to use a Marshall TSL, but it turns out that the Dual Recto is everything I need and more.

If this amp were stolen, I would run the theif down like the dog he is. It was a pain to drive an hour to the shop to try it out and buy it, and it wasn't cheap. I will protect this baby like a couple of other valuable pieces of gear. It is an incredible value for me since I play so much and am about ready to gig. None of the ratings I gave were tens, but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so I give an overall rating of 10.

3 Channels, clean, older sounding warm distortion and loud sounding modern distortion. And on the back, spongy and bold setting, and normal and hi power. No reverb.

I use a prs cu 22. I play quite heavy stuff like tool, a perfect circle and heavier. Sounds amazing, best distortion ever, especially when you turn it up loud. And its very loud, supposed to be only 100 watt, but i have a 120watt laney head and this is so much louder.
Clean is nice but would be better with a bit of reverb.

It weighs a tonne so i'm presuming is very well made, and was told you wont get wiring as good as this in any other amp. Wouldnt use a back up cos it wouldnt sound as good!!!

havnt tried yet

Best amp for metal ive ever heard, hence all the large bands using mesa. Got a triple rectifier sent to me by mistake and i dont think it sounded as nice as this

OK, I finally got to hear one of these things live and in person last night. I know damn well that after I post this review, there will be a bunch of whiners calling me an "idiot" and whatnot, but I swear what I heard last night was not a dream. Using the word "tone" in this review is completely misleading. What I heard last night was not tone and never will be. I was sitting about 20 feet facing the cabinet, so don't go telling me that I wasn't hearing it well. It was so goddamn loud, I walked out of there with a headache (and I'm a guy who's played in bands for years using considerable volume).

First off, the guitarist was using a Dual Recto through a Marshall 4x12. He played a Peavey Wolfgang and a Les Paul, which happen to be very good guitars IMO. Unfortunately, if anyone there last night was thinking of buying either one of those guitars, they probably walked away thinking that they sounded like shit, which they did. Last night, I learned first hand what it sounds like when someone doesn't have a fucking clue on how to tweak a sound.

Bluntly put, his sound was utter trash. Complete garbage. It sounded worse than the old Yamaha distortion pedal my dad bought 20 years ago (and I swear the pedal had more balls than the Recto). You figure that with everyone raving about the low end that this amp supposedly puts out, the tone would have been at least listenable (and I use the word "listenable" loosely). NO LOW END WHATSOEVER. Usually, when you chug on your low E string, there should be some low end, right? Not this time. Using effects with this thing makes it even worse. The guitarist used a flanger on one tune, and it sounded like nuclear warfare. No dynamics, no richness, just static noise. To add insult to injury, when he switched channels, the thing would pop, if not cut out. Terrible. What I find weird is that this guy seemed to be into this type of sound, but how the hell can someone play with a sound like that? It can only make you play worse. His rythym tone was so edgy and midrangy bright that it could have cut glass. And the lead tone, well... we won't get into that.

All in all, it sounded like a vacuum cleaner miked through a P.A. system. The funniest part was when they played a Zeppelin tune. I'm sure Bonham was rolling in his grave. This amp was certainly not meant for classic rock. If by any chance it can give a classic rock tone, I certainly didn't hear it.