Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head

This one was made in 2003, I bought it used, have it about 9 months. It is versatile amp, can get many different tones. 3 Channel amp, ef loop, nice features, solo option. Have more power than you will ever need, this is actually the bad thing. You must crank it up to get that really warm tone, but that is impossible. When you turn the volume to 9 o'clock, you will be the only one that is heard in the band.

I use a PRS Custom 24 guitar. I wanted this amp for so long. I was the biggest mesa fan of all times. But now that I got it...not so impressed. Clean channel is ok. Can get some good tones, but far away from really good. Distortion is not even close as you would think. Moody as hell, much bass. Even when you put it down on 9 o'clock, it still has more than you need. Distortion...i can't describe it...defenetlly not for metal. In a bad way too loud, screaming in a bad way.

You can depend on it, as much as on any other tube amp.

Had a few questions, they never answered me.

This amp is not even close as you think it should be. Could be used only for some classic rock sound. But if you are in to that, better go for a marshall, or some mark series amp.
If you are into hi gain sounds, go for peavey, engl, or something like that. You get better, and fatter tone quality for half a price.

Ok amp, but way way overrated. It should cost around 1000 ???, not 2300???. It doesn't mean it is good if everybody plays it. I made that mistake, don't you made it too. Way overrated and overpriced, better go for something else.

I have owned the 2001 3-Channel Dual Recto for 8 years. ALL TUBE!!!

*POSITIVE*
The front panel is very straight-forward. 3 channels - independent master, gain, prescence and 3-band EQ on each channel. Each channel is also equipped with a mode toggle switch so you can play around with different tones.
The back panel is a tad bit more confusing, but if you take it one section at a time, it's very easy to understand.
*The slave out if very handy for direct recording or running a seperate power amp.
*Speaker output jacks are self explanatory.
*The effects loop section is where I got lost when i first got the amp. Everyone's tone tastes differ so just experiment with some different effect units and see what you like. I typically run my amp completely dry w/ no effects in the chain.
*The external switching jacks are used with MIDI devices that utilize a switching system(ie, Voodoo Labs GCX)...very handy when you're using multiple preamps, effects...
*My favorite part about this amp is the fixed bias switching, along with the selectable rectifier mode and power setting(bold or spongy).

*NEGATIVE*
*This amp doesn't have a ground lift, so if you run a switching system like I mentioned above, you may get a little his...it's a bit annoying, especially when you're in the studio.
*This thing needs reverb!!! If you're like me, and you don't use any effects at all, it's still nice to have a nice big sound that only reverb can provide.

Even though the good outweighs the bad, but because of that I can only give it a 9 for the features.

*First off, as it is with all tube amps, do not expect this to turn you into a guitar virtuoso. It's the exact oppsosite. Tube amps expose every single flaw with your guitar playing. You have to work to get those solos to sound good.*

Let's get techy! I play in a hard rock band(nickelback, sevendust) and I need tight punchy rhythms with searing leads. This is how I run my Dual Recto:
Tube selection play a HUGE roll in tone!

** PLAY IN THE 6L6 POSITION, TUBE RECTIFIER MODE W/ THE BOLD SETTING**
PRE AMP
V1 - JJ ECC83(standard)
V2 - JJ ECC83(high gain)
V3 - Tung-Sol 12AX7(standard)
V4 - Tung-Sol 12AX7(standard)
V5 - JJ ECC83(standard & balanced)

POWER AMP
2 - JJ GZ34(rectifier tubes)
2 - JJ KT88(outer sockets)
2 - JJ KT66(inner sockets)

FRONT PANEL:
Red Channel(great rhythm tone)
PRESENCE: 10:00
GAIN: 2-3:00
LOW: 9:00
MID: 12-1:00
HIGH: 10-12:00

Orange Channel(fabulous lead tone)
PRESENCE: none
GAIN: 3:00-max
LOW: 12:00
MID: 2:00-max
HIGH: none

Green Channel(best clean tone)
PRESENCE: 1:00
GAIN: 12:00
LOW: 11:00
MID: 12-1:00
HIGH: 2:00

I've experimented with all makes and models, and have read extensive reviews...simply put, I did my homework! This combination of tubes sounds great for a good solid rhythm, tight and focused leads, and the cleanest, warmest, fattest clean you'll ever hear!


I run an Ibanez S7320, equipped with a Seymour Duncan Distortion in the bridge postion, and a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck position, into the Mesa Dual Rectifier, into a Marshall 1960A 4X12 w/ Celestion Vintage 30's. If you play a similiar setup, you will not be disappointed!

I've gigged extensively all over the country and have never had any problems. But I do carry extra tubes with me just in case! The mesa workmanship and craftsmanship is second to none, so I never worry about it breaking down.

A buddy of mine, who was faithful Marshall player told a joke. "You always have to have two Marshall heads. One on stage, and one in the shop!" That is not the case at all with my mesa head, or any I've ever owned.

I've contacted the techs at Mesa and have gotten swift responses to my question...usually in the same day...it was always about tubes and channel settings.

I've never had my Dual Recto worked on, nor has it ever been in the shop. Just remember, a tube amp will turn on you in a split second of you don't treat it kindly and gently.

I would buy it again in a heartbeat if it was stolen! Overall I can only give it a 9, but only because there is no reverb option, or a ground lift. Other than those two items, this thing is a 10!

100 watts, 3 channels, loads of gain, decent sustain. It is a very versitile amp. I liked the cleans. As for everything else, complete garbage. This amp is the most TONELESS amp on the market. Absolutely NO note definition, sounds like a hair dryer, and much too much bass that can never be dialed out. And incredibly overrated. Just because ever band you see uses one does not make it a great amp.

This amp has no tone. If you're playing only one note, that's fine. Anytime you play more than 2 notes, they blend and become one sound, not two notes played as a chord. There enters the ****** "hair dryer" distortion that isn't even great for metal. It's loose as hell. And too much woofy bass that refuses to be dialed out, even with the bass at 2. People say that it sounds great cranked, but with 100 watts it's almost impossible to turn it past 4. Most people today are complete idiots. The most wattage you will EVER need is 40 to 50. It's impossible to get power amp break up with this amp.

Overall, terrible tone. Buy a 6505 or 5150, you'll achieve your goal better sounding and cheaper.

Never dealt with.

Again, never dealt with.

All hype, absolutely NO NOTE DEFINITION or TONE. Awful bass, takes a year by itself to actually find a decent setting. An overrated piece of ****, shame Mesa. I am a Mesa fan, but more along the Stiletto lines or Lone Star.

All you little metal/posthardcore *******, go with a 6505. And you'll actually sound good.

I have read certain reviews stating that this amp has more features than necessary, I find this hard to believe as I am a total novice when it comes to understanding amps and this one is VERY easy to understand and very useful to use. The 3 channel, five button floorboard is a doddle to set up and comes with enough instructions to use with immediate effect. I still have a bit of trouble with the effects loops (a bit of squealing going on) but I take that as my limitations, not the amps. It's a bit unusual not to see a reverb function, but I am not complaining because I have other things to look after that side.

I am using a Paul Reed Smith CE 22 which I serious considered parting company with due to dissatisfaction with the sound I was getting out of my Randall Head. As soon as this thing went into the dual rec it was like instrument sexual magnetism... These two were made for each other and should spend the whole of there lives together. The sound of the amp can best be described as Schitzophrenic... The clean sound is stunning clear,warm and bright. Anyone who barks out that this baby is a one high gain trick pony truly is as dumb as a bag of hammers. But the reputation of the High gain sound is warranted and then some!! The shear anger and agressiveness of the crunch is awesome... It sends shivvers down my spine just thinking about it. Plus the extra features of he Vintage and Raw sounds really round up the plusses and I cant fault the sounds at all.

Obviously the amp is spanking new so I really hope I dont need to comment on this for a while yet.

Not had to deal with Mesa yet

I will probably never own another make of amp again...

Has most of the standard features, however it is missing a reverb. 2 channels, orange and red which are footswitchable.

I'm playing an esp ec1000 with an emg 85 in the bridge. It is a very revealing amp, so if you're a sloppy player you'll definitely hear it. The clean channel is nice. Not fender clean but that is to be expected. The gain channel is what this amp is all about and this is where it shines. Nice bottom end with suprising top end clarity. I'm not going to name the artists that use this amp, but the list of hard rock and metal artists rocking this piece of equipment is quite lengthy.

I've owned this amp for 2 years and the only I've had to do is replace the tubes. It seems to be of a solid build and I expect it to last for a long time.

I bought this amp from http://mesaboogieonline.com and have had to call Mesa once. They walked me through the problem (tubes were dead) and were very easy to deal with.

I've played on and off for 10 years and out of all the amps that I have owned, this would be on the top of the list. For hard rock or metal I don't see how you can go wrong.

at first glance the amp looks pretty bare, volume presance bass mid treble gain. and for the first two days that you own the amp you'll think to yourself "what the ****! No reverb?" untill you read the manual and lear how to used the back of the amp. the spongy/bold and rectifier switches switch turns your amp from a low headroom tube monster that bares its fangs as they drip with saturated vaccume tube ditortion into a gain addict hell bend on getting its next fix and then into a slick haird salesman whose clean lines will make you buy anything. add in the baziliion combinations of vintage/clean/raw/pushed/modern variations and tehres enough variety to make your head spin. 9 because of the non traditional features, not a 10 because of the lack of traditional features. yes, it has no reverb =[

if you bought the amp you already know what kind of sound you want. you just dont go out on a whim and throw 1.5k down on somthing you havent researched.

it sounds great with all the guitars ive played through it, each one has its own unique quirks to it, youll just have to play around with it.

but believe the hype, the brutal distortion is there, the bassy punch, the raunchy mids, the singing gains... all of it



the best advice i can gove on getting the saound you want form it is to
1. read the manual

and
2. call a friend who plays the drums and jam. Its 100000% easier to find that sweet tone you want when you can tune the amp against the sound of a drummer.

the amp is not a one trick pony as some people say, but youll never find that out untill you crank it. people who buy this amp for bedroom shred and so on will be pissed off when thay realize that this amp sounds liek **** with the volume on .5

in terms of tones its got everything that I've found i need, a clean chanel that distorts nicely for some kick *** blues and jazz

a pused channel for that long-haired-tight pants 70's and 80's rock

to a gain thats is so raounchy that you feel as though you should appologize. like after every palm mute you feel as though you should find and old woman and say "excuse me but im so sorry that my amp sounds so damn bad***." then because of how bad*** it sounds you'll continue to chug the shit out of whatever instrument your runnign through that beast.



but seriously the amp nails all the tones that youve heard people on the raidion play it for


metallica, the darkness, all time low just to name a few

so many tones are possible with this amp


JUST MAKE SURE TO READ TEH MANUAL!

built like a motherf****** level 70 warrior speckin prot and fury

for non -WoW players


its built liek a tank. ive had no trouble

havent had to deal with them

hell of a sweet amp, betles cover bands probably wont liek it, but then again, ive never seen a beatles cover band buy mesas, so i guess thats a problem noone will ever have


the average rocker will love this thing to death

so will metal heads, blues masters and just anyone looking for great tone and great playability

for being made in the mid 90's it has alot of features

Ok first thing is first change out the ****** Mesa Tubes because they make the amp sound very grainy and who ever leaves them in and thinks that the stock tubes sound good does not know what they're talking about. So my secret for my tone that I get from mine is from the JJ tubes that I ordered from eurotubes.com and right now I have (5) high gain 12ax7's and (4) 6L6GC's which will truly bring the amps true tones out. And the orange channel either on crunch mode or clean mode is actually really full sounding after I swapped the tubes out, and the red channel is really amazing with brutal lows and the way to sparkling highs and also what I have noticed is that Eminence speakers sound better with this head than Celestions in my opinion.

Mine was made in the mid 90's and still preforms like a champ

Any time I have called Mesa to ask simple questions they always are very polite and if they have do some research about a certain question they will call you with in that hour.

For the price range you can not go wrong also you can run the amp in solidstate mode or all tube mode and the amp can take almost every tube for the power section. I have owned a 2005 peavey Jsx, 2002 Mesa Road King Series 1 which is probly one of the most versatile amps ever made and now I currently own a Rivera K TRE and this Dual Rectifier and of course the Rivera has more gain but also alot more money and the Rivera is spec out for certain speakers and is not a fixed bias amp like the dual rec but I like each amp because is good in it's own way.

This is a 1999 model, so it is a 2 channel example (not the later 3 channel models). The channels are named 'Orange' and 'Red'. My configuration is currently set at 'Orange' for clean sounds and 'Red' for gain settings. The channels are assignable. By this I mean that each channel can be given a tonal characteristc - such as 'Vintage', 'Modern', 'Clean' or 'Variable High Gain'. This function is accsessed via a switch on the back of the head and allows for customisation of your channel settings. This is made easier by the fact that each channel has the same controls (Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Presence, Master) and channels are footswitchable.

Regarding the effects loop, Mesa are quite renowned for their complex operating systems. Shared by both channels is the 'Active Loop Master control' which controls the over all level of effects. When it is engaged in this function, a yellow LED on the front panel illuminates. There are various settings for the effects loop (which can be altared via a pot on the back of the head), but I have settled on the setting 'Red Auto' - which just seems to push the valves more.

Speaking of valves, this model comes with 5 12AX7 preamp valves, 4 6L6 power amp valves and the two rectifier valves, of which the designation escapes me. There is a feature that allows you to switch the bias between 6L6 and EL34's (again, via the rear of the head). Thus adding to the flexability of the amp. There is no denying the fact that Mesa amps are loaded with features, and all the supporting paraphenalia from Mesa does a good job of explaining the features, but the only real way to get to grips with the features on offer is to get out there and play one (if you can!).

I would not say that I have a simple set up, but I do not have over kill either, before I start, here is a list of effects I use:

ProCo Turbo Rat
Boss Bass Flanger
Electro Hamonix Small Stone Phaser
Electro Harmonix Mini Q-Tron Envelope Filter
Jim Dunlop Crybaby Wah
Boss Pro 21 Band Graphic EQ (Rack)
Boss Pro Stereo Noise Surpressor (Rack)

In terms of Guitars, I play a 1990's Fender Japanese Strat (with Stock Pickups), a 2003 Mexican Fender Tele (again with stock Pickups), a 2005 Gibson SG Special (Open Coil Stock Pickups) and a 19?? Gibson Les Paul Standard with EMG 81's and 85's.

The first thing I noticed with this amp is that IT WILL NOT COVER DODGY PLAYING *cough cough*. Every sound your guitar makes will come through your speakers. At the risk of sounding unimaginative, the Strat sounds like a Strat, clean and bright and the Tele sounds choppy and sharp. The clean setting on the Mesa really brings out the character of these guitars, as when set right, the clean comes very close to a Fender clean - I could imagine running this head on clean through an old Blonde 4x10 and not being a million miles away from a Bassman. Increasing the gain adds a little purr behind the clean so we are now into Plexi clean territory, and with the gain pushed all the way, you can do your best Hendrix impression until you achieve Rock superstar status or you asphixiate on your own sick - either way it sounds rather nice. The Strat and Tele when used with the high gain settings do not translate well. This is only my opinion and preference, but I do not like single coils when played through a high gain setting - they squeal, hiss and general sound brittle - however like I said this is only my personal preferance. I am sure if you like the sound of high gain single coils, this would work wonders.

The SG just sings through this amp - the cleans are warm and full, giving just a little bit of break up when pushed, but the real joy on this channel with the SG comes when the clean gain is set to 10 - it does not do a bad impression of a JCM 800, only with a little more gain, and with my TurboRat in the front end, I can get all those desirable classic rock tones - lets break out the big haircuts and little trousers people!

Channel 2 is pure Mesa - you know the tone that every amp emulator tries to tries to copy? This is it. Humbuckers make this channel - I find gain set to about 3'clock is the best setting, as (with the right EQ) you get all the gain, bottom end and top end definition and well as mid punch. Push the gain any ore than this and you get a horrible kind of 'mush' sound where you tend to lose your tone for the sack of bags of gain. Again this is down to taste, but I like to keep my tone, even when I am playing at higher gain settings. There is no doubt about it, Mesa's forte is the high gain sound, but for me the real surprise is the clean channel and how versatile it is.

Before I go any further I must apologise to Active Pickup enthusiasts -but my Les Paul with the EMG's does sound awful through this amp. I bought the guitar with the Pickups already installed because it was a bargin price at a closing down sale. I was using a Carlsbro Nu-Tone Stack at the time and thought the guitar sounded bad because I was not playing through a great amp. I think I was wrong because it still sounds bad through the Mesa. For me, the highs are too harsh, the lows to wooly and the mids do not exist - maybe I have a duff set of Pickups, I change the battery in a regular basis and it still sounds pap.

I would not say that I have a musical style, I just like good tone, and the Mesa does deliver - you have to spend a little time getting your head around all the features and find 'your sound', but the reassuring thing is, you WILL find YOUR sound. It is plenty loud enough for any gig and still sounds good at lower levels for rehershals etc.

I am giving this a 9 only because of the potential pitfalls of too much high

Soild construction, no tears (as I bought it flight cased) and looks like it is 9 months old, not 9 years. I would gig without a back up as it has just been seviced by a qualified Mesa Engineer in Suffolk. Needed revalving - but it was the first time since the amp was new, so I guess its pretty awsome.

Well well well, it can't be all good can it?

Bought the amp used of eBay - it did not come with a footswitch - not a problem I thought, I will buy one. Could not buy from Mesa online as they will only ship to the US. Had to speak to the UK distributor, and despite the fact I was dealt with by a very friendly operative, was staggered to find out that a single button, single function 1/4" Mono jack foot switch with the words 'Mesa Engineering, Rectifier' printed on the cost ??79.95 plus postage and packaging. Come on Mesa, we all know your gear is pricey, but nearly ??100 (including postage) for a footswitch? Thats a bit like daylight robbery.

I am giving a five for the friendly, almost apologetic operative, but thats only because he was nice - Mesa's approach to the niche market leaves a bit to be desired.

Been playing 15 years, I have listed my guitars and effects, so I wont list those again, but in terms of amps I own:

Mesa Dual Rectifer Solo Head,
Marshall JCM 800 2204 with JCM 800 4x12,
Marshall JCM 900 4100 Dual Reverb with JCM 900 4x12,
Vibtage 1970 Marshall 4x12 with Original Celestion 25watt Greenbacks
Orange PCC 4x12 with Celestion Vintage 30s
Carlsbro NuTone 250watt Head with 600watt 2x12 Flared and 400watt 1x15 Nutone cabs
Randall RG 200 2x12 combo.

To be honest, the Mesa stands out from them all - it has the growl and headroom of the JCM800 and the gain of the Randall. It is like all my other amps rolled in to one. There is a reson great amps become great amps (Fender Bassman, Fender Twin, JCM800, Plexis et al) and I firmly believe that in years to come, this amp will be up there with the greats, if it is not already. I only wish it had reverb. If it were lost of stolen, I hope my insurance would pay out, because I would get another one.

three channel amp each with three modes, pretty good, at least better than most amps for the price.

The myth about mesa/boogie amps is that they are muddy, boomy, and just harsh sounding, but that is not true. I bought this amp in search of that gut-wreching punch and high slice, i found it. mesa's take alot of time to get the sound you want, you have to play around with it for days, but once you dial in that tone, its perfect. clean channel is not that impressive, you realy cant get it super clean at high volumes, but when on the pushed mode, its a very classic, mild gain, just perfect for that older stuff. I play metal and blues and this amp works perfect. like i said you have time and paitence.

very reliable, i dropped the head and cab down the stairs and worked perfect the next day.

mesa sure beats the competion for the price.i've owned alot of different amps and mesa seems to have such an aggresive sound to it. most amps out there try to get the gain through the roof, but mesa works on the heaviness and the crushing tone. if yo have to the money buy it now. take my word, go to a mesa dealer and try one, you'll love it.

This amp was made in 2005 or 2004. I got it in early 2005. This amp is not versatile at all. It is a one or two trick pony. However those two tricks it happens to do very well. This is a 3 channel amp, FX loop, no headphone jack. It has more than enough feautres for me. (I dont use the FX loop that often). I use this amp at home, band practise, and at club shows. It has WAY more than enough power. This thing could shatter your ears if you're not careful.

As I said above, this amp has 1 or 2 usable sounds. I have had it for 2 years now and Im just beginning to unlock all the tonal possibilites with Channel 3, in my opinion the only channel worth using. The distortion, especially in the modern setting, is absolutely brutal (in a good way) and shrill. I do not like this setting as I am not a metal player. I switched to Vintage mode on this channel and I find it much tighter, punchier, and well-rounded.

I play 2 guitars through this amp and they both sound very good, although a lot (and I mean a lot!!) of tweaking is needed to get maximum tones. The two I play are a PRS Custom 24 with HFS pickups and a Vintage Hot Rod Tele with a single coil, and a Seymour Duncan mini humbucker. Most on the tele I use the bridge pickup and it sounds great. Switch to neck and it sounds REAL creamy and fat. Almost Les Paul-like (no kidding!) I mainly use the bridge/neck pickups on the PRS. Depending on what I am going for they each have different sounds.

The style of my band is along the lines of Tool, Deftones, nine inch nails, and the like. That is why I dont use the 'modern' setting as I feel it just rubs my tone right out. I do a lot of rythym/lead combos (only guitarist) and I need to hear those notes as does my band. I run the presence quite high on channel three. (About 3 o'clock).

Overall the sound quality is really good, but its very much a love/hate amp and its not for the faint of heart. It takes a LOT of work to get good tones and there are many factors that go into it (I run a number of pedals).

Hell yes. I have had to replace the tubes once in 2 years. I do not run it very hard though. Totally would rely on this thing, and I do gig without a backup (until i got a new silverface to run side-by-side). This amp has never broken down, thankfully. I have heard back road reliability stories on this amp but I have never been affected. 5 year warranty is very nice to have.

never dealt with them.

I have been playing about 12 years. I run the PRS, VHR Tele, through a Framptone amp switcher, into a Zvex Fuzz factory, an Xotic RC booster, a Deluxe memory man, a stereo memory man, digitech whammy, and a Boss TU-2. I also have a Boss EQ in the FX loop of the mesa.

I really hate the clean channel on this amp, I really think it sucks. NO headroom! That's why I got a Vintage Silverface. But overall the Mesa is very good. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy a Marshall JCM. I have never owned marshall. At the time the Mesa blew everything else in the store out of the water.

3 channels, no effects (it's not an Hughes & Kettner), solo switch for volume boost important. Pretty straight forward stuff. Ability to switch to EL34 tubes is nice, or take 2 power tubes/1 rectifier tube out to run at 50W.

Ch 1 Clean: clean channel sounds fine, but in "clean" there isn't a lot of headroom. In "pushed", you really get the headroom but the breakup also starts coming in.
Ch2/3: the same except for the presence control in Ch 3 is more active. For overall distortion sound, this is a great amp. I fell in love with it while playing an American style Strat and various Gibsons at GC. When I got it home, I noticed my strat doesn't sound as good (it's a Vintage, not the American. Oh well). The distortion is great but there is an element of "fizz" you get on the higher strings that I can't seem to dial out. I run the gain at 9-10 oclock adn it's still pretty distorted. This is not an amp that cuts like a knife, but rather bludgeons you like a blunt instrument. It doesn't really stand out in the mix, but it does provide for a very full sound. If that is what you're looking for, great distortion wall 'o sound, it's great. The Stileto seems like the exact opposite - it slices through your brain, almost painfully so. For classic rock a bit hard to tame, but overall I'm happy with it.

No problems.

Pretty good. You get customer service's voicemail most of the time, but they will call you back sometime that day.

In the world of high end tube amps, I'm thinking this is an 8. If I were a thrash metal player, I'd probably give it a 10. Always in the relentless pursuit of tone and quite frankly haven't found anything better yet. Dialed in a few great tone on Splawn, Marshall Vintage Modern but I didn't get the 3 channels and solo boost. I play through the V30 1 and 2 12 Roadster cabs. Built like a tank. No reason to ever sell the cabs, but will keep experimenting with heads. Too bad Mesa couldn't make a Recto/Marshall mix. They say Stiletto is an attempt at that but I can't get any bottom out of Stiletto. And it's hard to get the top out of recto.

This Dual Rectifier was made in 1999. I play in a hardcore/post-hardcore band and this amp is more than enough as far as versatility goes. 2 channels (but there are 3 available channels you could assign to the 2). Clean, Vintage, Modern. Great effects loop, no headphone jack. The only feature I wish it had was an additional 8 ohm output. I'll explain later in the "Sound Quality" portion...

All tube, 100 watts, use it at the jamspot, and when playing shows. *shrug* Chances are, if you're looking at buying a Mesa/Boogie, then you know ALL about the features that a Dual Rectifier has.

If you're looking to hit a tone, be it a Fender-ish clean, Marshally crunch or balls-to-the-wall high gain massacre, this amp can do it. SOOOO much variety. The clean headroom is amazing, and the distortion is insane. Again, if you are looking at getting one, you know what they sound like, and what they can do.

I'm running a Gibson SG (with a Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 in the bridge), and a G&L ASAT Classic. This amp sounds great with single coils and humbuckers.:]

Now, the reason I wish it had 2 8 ohm outputs is that I'm running this amp with an Orange PPC412 and an Orange PPC212 (both are rated at 16 ohms). Mesa/Boogie tells me that I can run them from the 4 ohm outputs without damaging the amp, but I would feel better if I had the impedance matched up properly, rather than a safe mismatch.

I run an ISP Decimator through the loop, so the amp isn't noisy at all. Even when I'm not running the Decimator, the amp is fairly quiet, considering how ballsy it is.

As stated above, I play in a hardcore/post-hardcore band. Imagine Thrice meets He Is Legend meets Glassjaw meets Misery Signals, and you're sorta there. This amp is perfect for the job.

Lots of people claim that the tone these bands rock is all gain, all scooped, and whatnot. Here are my settings that make my heart melt:

Vacuum Tube Rectifier
Bold
Red channel to Vintage
Presence: 12:00
Bass: 1:00
Mid: 2:30
High: 11:30
Gain: 2:30

Here's the only beef I had with the amp. When I got it, there were stock 12AX7A's in the pre-amp, and the amp sounded harsh and brittle. So, I threw in some a JJ Tesla in the 1st preamp stage, NOS JAN GE 12AX7's in the next 2 slots, and then Chinese made 12AX7 in the remaining slots. Stock Mesa 6L6's in the power section. HUGE difference.

It's a Mesa/Boogie. These things are built like tanks.

I've had to deal with Mesa/Boogie on 2 occaisions. First, it was with my old F-100 as I was having impedance problems. They weren't open when I initially called, but the following day, one of their techs called me back and discussed the issue at great length, making sure I understood it all. The second time I had to call Mesa, was to track down the back retainer bar (the aluminum one that protects the tubes), as the Dual Rec I bought didn't have it. I was expecting Mesa to charge me like $50 for the bar, and they said that it was just $6. :]

I've been playing guitar for about 6 years now, and the gear that I own is as follows:

Yamaha (Soldano) T-100
Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (2 Channel)
Orange PPC412
Orange PPC212
Gibson SG
G&L ASAT Classic
Line6 DL4
Boss TU2

If this amp were stolen or lost, I would probably have a coniption. I love this amp...so much. I would definitely get another 2 channel Dual Rec. Maybe one from '96...

The ONLY thing I dont like about this amp is that I can't remove the front baffle to customize it. Even then, meh.

Everyone who knows Mesa will know this amp and its dual channel monstrosities. Both channels can also be altered by a switch on the back making the sound muddy (spongy) or hellatight (bold). Orange and red stand for 'semi' clean channels whitch can be distorted with the gain switch. Ofcourse you got yer standard 3way eq plus the presence button to determine how well you are able to put some high-body in this ultra blubbery massive powerbox.

There is no point in arguing over taste... I play an extreme form of metal and am not fond of the mesa distortion options as they make a slightly detuned guitar sound very unclear. I love what this thing does however when you take distortion from digitech because this amp boosts like no other. This is not an amp to get a versatile guitarsound with... just the best clean you can imagine. Either clean channel set without a lot of gain and only half the volume make your pants flap and your walls shake.

Anecdote... I bought this amp 6 years ago. It had been used around the house for about 3 years and as soon as I got it, RectumFryer was unleashed at least 3 times a week for some 5 hours. After that it was used for 2 cd recordings, 70 gigs and 2 4-week tours. 3 bands played their entire set on it each and every night because we all prefered it over the 5150 and triple rec that had been rented. Footswitch didn't last the tour (it was ruined by Cephalic Carnage feet) but as soon as I had found a decent guitarsound to record a third cd... the tubes went. After replacing them I found a sound only slightly better than on the 9 year old beat-up tubes. RELIABLE AS HELL!

no experience with that because of a guitarcentre in my hometown... just replacing the tubes.

I have compared this amp (i.c.w. a Jackson Kelly (duncan design hb's), Marshall JMP1 pre-amp or digitech RP1 distotion) to 5150's, Marshall 9100's, JCM8 and 900's, multiple Randall's and triple recs... nothing comes close... maybe the triple, and I have yet to test the JCM2000 but I think I can expect what will be the conclusion of that. If you have normal E or D tuned guitars the distortion in this amp creates a very pro buzz and run this thing through some decent vintage Celestion speakers and you're unbeatable. So much so that on live video recordings another guitarist will be pushed aside in every frequency.

C'mon, You know the features. Has everything but Reverb.

This is the rock and metal standard. Like it or not, Rectifiers are here to stay. So many people use them which means if you want to be different, get a Laney VH100R or something. Dual rects don't have the high compressed gain of the 80s metal years, but they have a low end that has yet to be duplicated. I find this a very enjoyable amp all around. The Marshall TSL is very special too, and with reverb!

Never a problem.

Always great support from Mesa, no matter how big they've grown.

Great amp. This isn't the only great amp out there, try out as many as you can.

Mine was made in 2004. It is a pretty versatile head; however, a good chain of effects (maybe including a Holy Grail, and a zvex FF, and keeley Boss DS-1) you can replace this versatility feature. Reason why it gets a 9 here.

I really wish it had integrated compressor and noise gate.

This amp is ONLY good at high volumes, not good for studio use as most claim. (try Fender Devilles, Mesa Mavericks, or Dr. Z Carmen Ghia)

However, Is the best for live performances (BIG GIGs).

Service on this amp is expensive. Stock mesa tubes are cheap quality. I found mine to work better with EHX 12ax7EH in the pre, and Tung-Sol in the power. This REALLY makes a difference in noise.

For noise, chek your line, cables, effects, power supply, etc.

Its shameful. channel 2 sounds very similar to chane 3. Channel 1 is beautiful, but it doesnt respond well with effects chains with alternating distortion phases. It doesnt have reverb either.

The distortion is brutal, but is almost overpowered by the increasing noise. My setup is top notch. even powerful noise gates (and I have quite a collection) cannot get rid of the noise. For live applications, a boss NS-2 will do the trick (very poorly).

Active EMGs seem to accompany better this monster. Vintage mode would go better with a couple of gibson burstbuckers.

As ALL the mesa products I've owned, the tubes are made to last about a year of regular playtime. ALWAYS carry a set of new tubes when you travel. INVEST on your tubes. MOD your amp (this will make it go from a regular noisy amp to the ultimate tone monster. Modded rectifiers are some of the best sounding amps ever.

They are the best.

Dont waste your time or money on this like I did. It sure looks cool, but at the end, what matters is the sound you produce, and not having a bulky piece of equiment wrapped in blck leather and shielded with a sparkling aluminum diamond plate.

Amp was purchased in 2006 and is a 2005 model. I play modern rock in a cover band and I play original instrumental guitar compositions. This amp is perfect for my taste in music. I do wish the clean channel had reverb but I honestly get along without just fine. This amp has more than enough power for any venue. I also have a 100 watt Mesa Dual Rectifer triple channel. I bought the 50 watt amp as a backup when my 100 watt experienced some power problems and needed serviced. I use the 50 watt amp exclusively now as I can push it at club volume without a Hot Plate or like device.

This amp can be noisy, If you dont have a Boss NS-2 or the like than you are going to be a sonic mess. I use moderate gain and use a TS-9 modified by Analogman to push the tubes in this amp. THE KEY TO GETTING THE SOUND I WANTED WITH THIS AMP WAS CHANGING THE TUBES TO EL-34's. This amp only requires 2 tubes ( vs 6 in the Dual Rectifier) so this is a rather painless monetary investment for much better tone. I will never go back to 6L6's. The EL-34's give more organic tone to my ears. I played the 100 watt amp exclusively for 6 years and now only use it for rehearsals and as a backup. Using a TS-9 or a ZAKK Wylde OD pedal in front of this amp is just brutal. The clean channel is not noteworthy but is good enough to get by with.

I have had no issues with this amp in the last six months since I purchased it. My 100 watt head did require servicing after 5 years but was covered by warranty. These amps are easy to maintain. Just change the tubes when your sound gets dull or when your amp makes an audible " click" sound when powering up. It takes all of 6 minutes to retube this amp. I have done it at gigs between sets without being in any rush. This amp does not require biasing. If you have owned a Marshall, etc you already know what a hassle biasing creates. I have a backup amp that I bring out of paranoia but this amp is easy to maintain if you keep extra fuses and power tubes in your gig bag.

No issues with the 50 watt amp. My 100 watt amp was purchased at Guitar Center so when it died I just took it back to them and they shipped it to an authorized repairman in Akron,Ohio. I had the amp back in 2 weeks. The work was covered by warranty and all I had to do was spring for new tubes. Having your gear break down can induce panic and despair but Mesa does a great job of helping you solve your problem and I could not have asked for more.

I have been playing for 22 years since I was eleven. I own 2 Les Paul Customs, Peavey Wolfgang, Musicman Axis SuperSport, PRS Singlecut, Cort Nz-1 ( a great guitar even though it says Cort on the headsock!), Ibanez Rg3120, Ibanez Mike Mushok Baritone, Jackson Dinky Xl and a Taylor 314ce acoustic. I use a mountain of stomp boxes which are mostly modified by Analogman ( www.analogman.com). A ts-9 through this amp with a Boss DD-20 delay in the fx loop is all the poop I really need. I have used a BBE Sonic Maximizer ( stomp version) thru this amp but did not care for the results.

I love this amp because it has great tone and is easy to maintain. I will sell my 100 watt Dual Rec triple channel before I would part with this 50 watt 2 channel.

GET EL-34's AND SEE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.

The amplifier I am submitting for review is the ORIGINAL 1989 Dual Rectifier solo head by Mesa Engineering. It is a two channel tube amplifier. Many others have detailed it's features. The feature I like best is the ability to switch from spongy to bold. My only complaint, and a very minimal one too, is the lack of reverb for the clean channel. But this is a very minor issue, because Fender makes great amplifiers for clean sound. Also, I think if Mesa thought it would add to the amplifier they probably would have engineered it that way. They did not and certainly Mesa has a reason for that.

The Dual Rectifier solo head is used for professional recording and live performances. Loud? Absolutely. Reliable? Always. Change your tubes when you need to.

This amplifier works, in my opinion, for every music style out there.

My main guitar is a 2001 Les Paul custom shop 1960 historic without binding and with custom wound/exposed coil humbuckers.

Here is what I can say. I play through this amp and have my volume knob on 10 on the Les Paul. I set it on its stand leaving the guitar volume on 10 (not the amp), and ... no feedback, no noise. Amazing!

The Les Paul through this amplifier is absolutely amazing. I am very spoiled, but I have suffered through crap amplifiers and worse guitars over the years. You can be a phenomenal virtuoso guitar player, as I am, but through crap gear people won't listen. Case in point, DO NOT try and make it with a cheap Jackson and a Crate Blue Voodoo as your rig. You will fail. Tone really is everything.

My main comment here is on the gain channel. It is the best sounding distortion out of any amplifier I have heard, which is about all of them except the Soldano and Bogner heads. For lead guitar, this is THE AMPLIFIER to own. The harmonics and sustain are the best in the world.

The clean channel does what I want, which is to be clean. The footswitching is silent and immediate between channels. The option to color tone from "spongy" to "bold" makes this a very versatile amplifier as well. And, so you know, if you want a solid state clean tone, the amplifier can be switched from vacuum tubes to silicon diodes. I don't use this feature, but it is there if you want it.

All in all, for distortion rock guitar tone, the Dual Rectifier solo head is the best.

This amplifier is built like a tank and if you dropped it 50' on to concrete it would still work after a tube change (not that I have). It has never broken down, my tubes last for years, and it never will break down. The only way this amplifier would fail is if the user was an idiot who let it be used as a place to put your beer, and of course spilled beer into it.

One important point: make certain after playing for a while you let the tubes cool down before moving it outside if it is cold. The tubes will shatter. 30 minutes is enough time, and if the bar owner or another band says otherwise, kick them in the teeth!

Purchased from a musician in Knoxville via eBay for $1100, in 2001, I must say this has been the smartest purchase I have ever made. In fact, to me this amplifier is more important and valuable than the $2500 Les Paul I own. If someone steals it, they will be skinned alive. Then I would buy another USED rectifier. With the guitar, Gibson builds them every day, and if you have the cash, you can get a great Les Paul custom shop. I don't believe Mesa builds rectifiers like they did in 1989, as the year of this amplifier. Not only is this an awesome guitar amp, I believe it will be a true investment as the years past.

I purchased this amplifier because it is what Metallica stands by. I did NOT even bother to check it out when I bid on it. That is how much I respect James and Kirk's opinion on gear. I was not let down, and if are thinking of buying this amplifier, stop thinking and just do it.

This amp was bought new at Guitar Center in November of 2005. I knew the tone I heard in my head was lurking in this beast somewhere, and Guitar Center was having their No Interest thing (for 90 days on Mesa) so I took the plunge. Very happy to buy it new, as they now have 5 Year Warranties. Yeah Mesa.

3 channels, solo boost, FX loop, runs all cab ohmages, 5 button footswitch, it's got it all here. I can't think of anything I would want on this amp that it doesn't come with.

I play this amp in my hard rock band Bipolar through an Avatar 2x12 cab with Vintage 30s. I also put it through a THD Hot PLate, and quite frankly if you're NOT playing it through a Hot Plate there are 1 of 2 things going on. 1) You complain that you Boogie sounds like shit or 2) It sounds great but you are completely deaf. This thing NEEDS to be pushed to sound how you hear it on all those great sounding recordings. But it's too God damn loud for stage, hence the Hot Plate.

I play it with 2 Ibanez SZs and an Iceman. All have EMG 81/85s in em. I run a TC Electronics G Major through the effects loop with the "Send" cranked, as it's the only way to run that G Major without it sounding stupid (I forget why that happens with the Boogie, oh because it's a parallel FX loop and not serial). I use the G Major because it is completely transparent and doesn't color the tone AT ALL. I control that with a Rocktron Midi Mate.

On to the sound (by the way I gave it a 9 simply due to the "clean" channel)

Channel 1: If you play this thing loud (as you need to for good distortions) you're hopefully not buying it for the clean. The clean is "Ok sounding" when the volume is below 9 o'clock. You get over that and it's starts to break up. Maybe that's cool when you want it to, but I want my clean to be CLEAN. Fortunately, I don't play much clean in my band, and if I did I sure as hell wouldn't be buying a Boogie (and I don't know who would).

Channel 2: I use it for just a bit less gain then than CHannel 3. There are some really great sounds in here, again if you're working the power tubes. I use it for leads in some of our slower tunes, and of course during tunes where I don't need rip your face off distortion and I don't want it clean either.

Channel 3: Where its at. The reason you buy a Boogie. Stupid amounts of gain if you need it (I have mine at 12 o'clock). I find with this channel more than the others it's really tough to get a good sound out of it. You TOUCH anyone knob and it changes every other knob. I've had this amp 6 months and I've just now gotten the sound I'd always dreamed of out of it. I through the cab downstairs in my sound room, ran a mic and speaker cable upstairs to the head and the back of my computer. I can sit, isoltaed from the sound, in front of the computer, and tweak my knobs til I get the perfect sound. I even bought a Sennheiser e609 and built a bracket for it so that everytime I play I use the same mic in the same location. THIS is how you get a good sound out of a Boogie. Oh, and turn your output to at least 11 o'clock to get those tubes working.

Lastly, the way to get a good sound (unless you never play mic'd at a gig) is to do it just the way I said. I played with a GREAT band 2 weeks ago (who I won't mention by name) who's Boogies sound unreal on their album. I walked up the front of the stage and sure enough, they sound fantastic. As soon as the sound guy put em' through the PA, they sound like crap. Why? Because standing 4 feet away from your cab with your ears 6 feet above the speaker cone is NOT how your amp sounds when mic'd. That makes it sound great on stage, but through the PA they sounded like garbage. If you play mic'd, get your sound dialed in mic'd. Honestly my amp leaves something to be desired on stage, but I know out in the audience it's ripping people's faces off. Anyway, just some good advice for you.

I don't gig with a backup ($1700 is a bit much to drop on an amp that HOPEFULLY won't get used) but it really does feel very sturdy. My other guitar player just got a Krank endorsement, and that thing feels like a paper weight compared to the Dual Rect. Plus, it now has a 5 year warranty, so how the hell can you argue with that?

I havn't dealt with them, but I hear they're great. BUT, can't really say anything here I havn't talked with them.

I've been playing 8 years or so, and I'm on the verge of making this my career. My last amp was a Carvin MTS which really is a great amp (GORGEOUS CLEAN) but the distortion tones are a bit anonymous. I knew I needed that Dual Rect for the tone I was looking for. Anyway, I'll soon be getting these things at cost, so that comforts me knowing that when it does break or get stolen, I'll have some more on the way on the cheap. That said, the ONLY amp I might consider other than this one is the Bogner Uberschall. I havn't played one, but I love em' when I hear em. However, that amp ALWAYS sounds like an Uberschall, and I guess if you ever wanted to have a different amp tone, then the Bogner wouldn't be for me. So we'll see how Mesa treats me for awhile.

Only thing I dislike is that their isn't a bit more head room on the clean channel. I know I'm pushing it, but c'mon, just gimme A LITTLE more clean.

I bought mine in 1998 used of off a friend. He bought it about a year earlier. This amp can cover almost all styles of music from jazz to most metal. If you play grindcore or death metal like I do you may need something like an EQ or the BBE to tweek it. An overdrive also helps.

It has two channels, an effects loop that is assignable, and channel cloning. The channel cloning is not available anymore on the three channel versions. What a great idea that got lost.

I wish that gain was bit more brutal and that it had more punch to it. Try other cabs with it. I have the Mesa oversized cab and that is OK, but the Marshall with 75watt celestions sounds tighter.

I have used this amp to jam with many people. It has more than enough power. It can drown out most other amps and drummers.

I give it a ten for its incredible power and versatility. Even though it needs a push for the grinding that I like, it still dominates!!!

I use an Ibanez S470 that I have had for 12 years. It has a Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge and a bridge postion JB in the neck. Like I said above, it will suit most styles, but needs some tweeking for grinding. There is minimal noise from this amp.

The clean is very clean for the most part and can get some sizzle to it. I personally like that.

This amp is very reliable. I would gig with it. I have not had it break down on me. I just had it gone over for the first time in eight years and in that period of time, I have had no problems.

I have called Mesa before. They are very nice and helpful. Great customer support and assistance.

I have not had it repaired. There has been no need. As far as the warranty, I do not remember how long it lasted for.

I have been playing for 16 years. I have owned Crate, Marshall, ADA (remember them), Peavey, and Mesa. The Mesa has been the best so far. The only thing that I have played that is very tempting is the Randall MTS.

If I lost it or if it was stolen, I would not replace it since they are not made like this anymore. If I found a used one in good condition then I would.

Current touring-recording rig

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Head
2 Channels
5 12AX7 pre amp tubes
4 EL-34's
2 5U4G-A rectifier tubes. {recommended by Mesa tech for metal sound}.
Channel switching,Effects loop? Yes / Headphone jack? No


* What features do you wish it had?
A lower price tag. {Although it did feel great when I finally bought this amp because I wanted one since the first day I tried one out at the Rock Walk in Ca. 13 yrs ago}.
Secondly, this is not a "wanna be a tube amp modeller" that does not produce hiss. This amp, as all high power tube amps create some degree of noise. However this can be completely eliminated with a Rocktron Super C Hush unit. {And no I am not a salesman bitch}.
So in short, I guess a built in gate would be cool.

Are there features you never use?
The volume knob.. it just stays cranked. ;) Really, I like to experiment with everything. You have a ton of versatility with this product and I recommend taking the time to teak.

* Where do you use this amp?
I have played shows all over the midwest and time and time again people are complimenting on the Boogie. I am not being conceited, Mesa deserves all the credit. Refer to my rig description and you will see that I use no pre-amps, effects, or other signal processing units. {other than my cry baby}.

Does it have enough power for you?
This thing will make your ears bleed. Yeah, it's loud enough.

Guitars-
Dean * Z series explorer stlye with stock Zebra pickups.
Jackson * Professional series shark fin v.
Ibanez AE with Fisher active electronics.
Effects-
Rocktron [Rack Mounted] Super C Hush unit
Dunlop Crybaby Wah pedal

This amp will get almost any tone you want if you take the time to dial it. This amp is loaded with enough options to be 5 different amps in one. There is more distortion than most people could handle unless your into death metal or grindcore or something.
If you like Metallica, Pantera, Nuclear Assault, Megadeth style of music, this amp will do it right out of the box with no signal processing.

Again I say..."This is not a "wanna be a tube amp modeller" that does not produce hiss. Or noise.
This amp, as most high power tube amps create some degree of noise. However this can be completely eliminated with a Rocktron Super C Hush unit.

I play mostly metal in my band CREEP but I also have a cleaner, melodic side as well and love acoustical compositions.
Check out Creep music at:
www.cosmeticmutations.com/creep or www.myspace.com/creeplair
New cd, and sound samples coming soon!

Reliability

* Can I depend on it? ABSOLUTELY!
* Would I use it on a gig without a backup? I do all the time.
* Has the amp ever broken down? The only time I ever had a problem was at a show the sound guys crossed the main power over on the stage and it shorted out my rig. EVERYTHING got smoked, and my amp blew a fuse. Panic stricken I used the foil off of a pack of Camels and wrapped the fuse and jammed it back into the head and it worked fine!
* NOTE
{I do not recommend doing this}.

Boogie has been awesome working with me as far as ordering parts, and giving me advice.
Great Job!

US Domestic Support: (707) 778-6565

* We are open 9:00am-5:00 pm Pacific Time,
Monday through Thursday.

* Phone: 707-778-6565
Fax: 707-765-1503

* Mesa/Boogie,
1317 Ross St.
Petaluma, California
94954 USA

I bought this amp used with the 4X12 Recto cab used for $1400 about five yrs. ago.
I feel I got a great deal. If it were stolen I would try to replace it.
I pray that doesn't happen.
The only reason I gave the amp an overall 8 was -1 point for hiss, and -1 point for inter-galactic price tag.
I have compared Mesa's to a lot of other amps and honestly wouldn't be happy with anything else.
If I were to add anything it would be a direct out for recording.
{But that wouldn't sound like a Boogie cranked on 10 then would it}?
P
E
A
C
E
~jR

I bought it brand new last year(2004). 100W.
I use PRS cu24 and cu22 with it, and this baby is versatile enough for all kinds of dirt sound I want.
It has 3 channels, LOOP, LINE OUT, channel switching and you can use EL34 or 6L6 power tubes. It also features 2 kinds of rectifier types.
All those features are enough for me, not as complicated as the roadking which I own, but it's enough!

I use two PRS and one EBMM with it. I just want to say they sound perfect. I know a lot of people think dual recto sounds muddy, lacks definition and the low ends not tight enough. But IMO if the dual recto has lots of definition, as tight as the Uberschall and the Powerball, it can't be named DUAL RECTIFIER, it'll be named crap. I use this baby to play all kinds of dirt sound, like blues, hard rock, classic rock, pop, metal. The clean channel is ok, just ok. But who cares, the baby is famous for its dirt.
To compare with the old 2channels dual recto, the 3 channels dual has more bites and attack, sounds kinda cold. Two different animals.

It's never broken down.

I don't need it.

I've been playing 10 years. I've owned a few mesa amps, The dual rectifier and the mark4, mark2 C+, tremoverb, blue angel are the best mesa products IMO. They are Not as pricey as the uberschall, herbert and some boutique amps, but these amps are very reliable and sounds incredible. All I want to say is the DR is the king of distortion.

I believe i bought this amp in 1999. I allmost had to
put all my money in it to buy it, quite expensive BUT it
is a great amp.
I play different styles, Rock, hard - Rock, metal (not often), etc. For this music its a great amp, but thats my opinion.
It has two chanels, sometimes i wish i had 3 channels, but i have
solved the problem with a Duecetone from proco.

I play now on a Jackson Kelly, with hardware upgrade to EMG pickups 81, 85, with mid control. Im thinking about to buy a Fret King Corona 70, it also sound really great on this amp.
The amp suits perfect to my music style.
The variety is ok, like i sad i use a proco Duesetone with it so
i have enough variety, when u dont have a other overdrive pedal i recommend it because 2 chanels is really not enough.
I dont know what other people say but i dont think there is
a amp that sound so good clean!!!!
The distortion is really High gain!! So more than enough gain.
- One side note i have to make, the amp isnt really still, it has a low noise when my guitar volume is out.

Really great, it never broke down or anything.
Just buy new tubes when they are used up, and play!!!

Don't know, never used any service of Mesa Boogie.

I use a Jackson Kelly with EMG - Looking for a more allround guitar
-> i think its gonna be a fret King.
I use a Rat Duecetone from Proco and a Morley Bad Horsie Wha.
Still looking for a good reverb.
If it would be stolen i would buy a new one if i can pay it.

I believe I got this 2001. I think that alomst all styles can be played on this amp,I have like a latin funk rock reggae type os style and it does the job.Its a basic three channel with the fxloop.For as long as I had this amp the power and sound only gets better.

I use a American Telecaster with a lace senser,it has pretty good punch.The clean channel is crisp and clean the distortion rocks the house. I took this rig of mine everywhere to our shows and small partys and even in the rain the dualy always does the job.

I think I blewout A couple of tubes after the first two years, but ever since then no problems.I would definitely use this amp with no backup maybe a backup guitar.

One year warranty it should like five years cause you never know what could happen.The guys at the mesa shop were cool and gave me a couple tips.

Its a good amp none the less you cant go wrong.If it were stolen I would get another one no question! I would say the only amp that would probaly give it a run for its money is the OrangeAmp.The Mesa sounds pretty good running with Px4 I like to mess around with it.
All in all The Mesa Dualy is a fantasic piece of work!

My amp is a 2000 model bought new. The amp has two channels. The orange channel allows you a choice between vintage gain and clean. The second channel is the red channel which is your modern gain selection. This amp has amazing features. The effects loop is pretty nice although I dont use it much. Only modulation effects work well in the effects loop because distortion or EQ effects are too noisy. I love the spongy and bold switch. You really notice a difference in sound. The bold switch makes the sound very heavy and punchy while the spongy gives you a more van halen sound. The sound tends to sag a little (very useful for lead guitar).

I use an epiphone les paul standard with this and a fender lone star strat. Both guitars have seymour duncans. This is the greatest amp ever. The sound is absolutly perfect for everything I play. This amp can play country, blues, jazz funk and especially any kind of hard rock, metal grunge. I love the clean channel because of the gain setting. When you crank it you get an old marshall/fender sound. Great for blues. The vintage is great for classic metal and any classic rock. This is also the channel I use for all my leads because the harmonics are fantastic. The modern channel is more punchy and really hits that modern rock sound(Soundgarden, Metallica, Dream Theatre). My last band I was in played lots of styles of music and the amp hit everyone just perfectly. I play the amp through a 4/12 marshall. The amp gets very loud!! I have played it on stage many times and have had no problems being heard. I have also played the amp on several cab configs. It sounds excellent on 2/12s and 1/12 inch speaker cabs!! You need to buy this amp because it is the best that is out there and I have played a lot of different gear. Mesa will always be the best in my opinion because it is such a versatile amp.

This amp is very reliable. I only had a 12 ax7 go out on me and had it fixed and it has never had any other problems. I have had the amp for about five years and it is a tank. The amp took a spill off the cab once from our drunk nut ball drummer. It never even scratched it in fact I picked it up and it played fine. No problems what so ever. The amp is sturdy and built very well. I have never had to change the tubes in the five years I have had it probably should some day. The tubes are excellent though because they really keep their sound and dont degrade. So except for the minor 12 ax7 the amp is extremly reliable.

I never have had to deal with the company. I heard they are nice people though. I wish the warranty was longer(1 year)

I have been playing for 11 years and have owned marshall, fender, crate and roland. None of this gear matches up against mesa. Not even the slightest bit. Great sound, versatility and reliability. I love how the amp has inspired my playing because I never get bored with playing around with different settings. I cant emphasis enough how versatile this thing really is!!! Take a lot of time and really play with this thing. It is the best sound ever. I will never sell it and if somebody stole it I would buy another one and then find the guy who stole it and take it back. Then I would have two!!!! HEll YEAH!!!!!!

This is an update to my 03/09/2005 review.

I have since re-tubed the amp with a full set of JJ/Tesla Tubes from Eurotubes.
6L6's for the power
GZ34 Rectifier upgrade - this upgrade is worth it
ECC83S in V2-V5
ECC803S in V1 - this is the secret weapon

This set up is amazing! The amp now sings with much more clarity and thanks to the ECC803S in V1 it is quieter with no loss of definition. They say that the gain is lower but i dont notice a drop in gain; instead I notice a clarity in the gain. The amp in a whole is more "warmer and rounder"

I never realized what a difference tubes can make, call Bob at Eurotubes or just read the site. The amount of information is amazing.