Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Triple Channel

I've had the amp for a year or two now I think. every one else has already done this part and chances are if you're reading this then you know what you're getting in to. Some would not rate this amp this high for versatility but with the right set of tubes in it you can really warm up the tone.

So this is why you should be reading this review. The tone on this amp is dead on for what I do. Right now I use mostly the green (clean) channel and the red (modern high gain). I'm not used to using a clean tone at high volume for the simple fact that I've spent most of my time playing in really loud metal bands so a ultra clean sound was not really needed. That has changed now and I do need a good clean tone that is balanced with my distorted tone in terms of volume. After playing around with the levels I was able to get the tone I wanted for all three channels. Before I really knew what tone I was looking for I tried this as well as the Marshall DSL100. On this amp when I'm using distortion I'm able to find usable tones from overdrive to almost fuzzy tones with out a problem. When I tried the DSL the only tone I liked was overdriven if I tried to get more distortion then that it just turned to mush and buzz. This amp really does need a tube change because Mesa purposefully biased this amp on the cold side right now I'm waiting on a set of KT88/KT66 mixed quads from Eurotubes.com along with a set of preamp tubes.

The other reason I really like this amp is the fact that it has tube rectifiers as well as diode. I like using the tube rectifiers because it warms up the tone nicely and gives a little bit of sag the I really like both for clean and distorted tones.

My main guitar is a Les Paul "The Paul" reissue that I find really fits well with my tone, it's warm and full with out sounding dull or like there is a blanket on the amp which happened when I tested a Les Paul Studio with this amp. I don't think people worry enough about the speakers that they use with their amps. Right now I'm using a mix of Vintage 30's and V12's that are again nice and warm with out being dull.

I hate metal bands that cut all the mids out of their tone, it just sounds bright and boomy and well s hitty. As strange as it may seem right now I'm running the same settings on all three channels. Bass at 1 o'clock mids at 3 and highs at 1. Pres. is at about 1 gain on the red channel is at about 4-4.5, master is about about 11 o'clock. Orange is the same save for the gain which is at about the 3 o'clock position (both channels are set to modern). The green channel again is the same for bass, mid, and treble. Master is at about noon and gain at about 10.5-11 to keep it clean unless I really hit the strings hard. I don't use the solo at all but the final output is just about at the high noon mark. In a nine piece doom/drone/noise band I'm able to cut though nicely and still not cover anyone up.

For me I give this a 10, it has the tone I've always wanted the clean is a little dull but that will change with new tubes.

I've gigged on this amp a number of times as well as my old single recto. Never had a problem with this or the single. Mesa makes great amps and now with the lifetime warr. I'm not worried at all. I'll be voiding that soon enough by putting non 6L6 or EL34 tubes in it but the fact Mesa has a lifetime warr. is enough for me.

Not had to use it. Hope not to.

Great amp. See above. It's pricey but it's made in the U.S. so I'm not worried about it. It may not cost as much as a VHT or Engl but 1300 is still a lot of money if you're a college student working your way though college and paying off student loans. There for the rating is lower then everything else.

This amp has more features than most tube amps out there! With the exception of a slim few such as the Mesa/Boogie Road King, Diezel Vh4, among others. With 3 Completely seperate channels and 5 modes, it's more than most would ever need without getting too complicated... It's 100 watts, which should be more than enough power for almost anyone. I play at some pretty good size venues and it works for me! Also, this amp is very versatile and can be used for many genre's of music. However, this is a high gain amp that sounds best for hard rock/metal... If all I were playing was classic rock & blues I'd look elsewhere...

Overall the amp sounds great for the style of music I play. Which is modern hard rock in the same neighborhood of Shinedown & Alter Bridge. I use the stock 6L6 power tubes which sound great! If you like 6L6 power tubes then there is no need to change these tubes! If your looking for a warmer sound that focuses mainly on mids and highs try EL34's, they sound great too. I use PRS Singlecut's (w/ PRS #7 pickups) and occasionally I'll use a custom 24 (w/HFS pickups). I run this amp through 1 4x12 Recto cab and 1 2x12 recto cab.

Channel 1 (modes CLEAN & PUSHED)

I use this channel in CLEAN mode and I get a warm-solid clean tone that sounds good and gets the job done. It's nothing like the tone you'd hear from a Fender Twin Reverb but get real guys this is a high gain amp! I do wish the PUSHED mode was footswichable because it sounds very cool! Anyways there are other high gain amps with better clean tones, the best cleans I've heard from a high gain amp was through the Rivera Knucklehead.

Channel 2 (modes RAW, VINTAGE, & MODERN)

I leave this channel set on VINTAGE at all times. I keep my PRESENCE around 5, Treble at 6 1/2, Mid at 4, bass at 5 1/2, and gain at 6. I get a warm creamy tone thats fucking killer!! I use it for slower, phrased based soloing and powerfull sustaining rhythms.

Channel 3 (modes RAW, VINTAGE, & MODERN)

I leave this channel on MODERN at all times. I keep my PRESENCE around 3 1/2, Treble at 6 to 6 1/2, Mid at 4, bass at 8, and gain at 8. I get an all out dark sustaining high gain rock sound! This is the holygrail of modern hard rock my friends... I use it as my main lead channel (quick solo runs, sweeping picking) I get tons of sustain and low end. Most of my rhythm tones come from this channel as well... Great for the drop d riffs...

The key to getting good tones from this amp is knowing how to tweak it. The presence nob is very, very, very, very important!! It can change your tone drastically. If it's to high you loose low end and sustain and if it's too low you sound like shit! So find your sweet spot! And never turn your gain all the way up. You don't need to on a recto. If you can't get a heavey enough sound with the gain at 9 then quit playing because you suck!

Very reliable. Anyone thats played Mesa knows that.

The best!

I'm 21 and I've been playing for 9 years. I'm a full time musicians, playing for a nationally touring act. I play Mesa because they provide me with truely great tones for a reasonable price. Most of all they are dependable amps, built to last! I also own a Mesa/Boogie Heartbreaker, Mesa/Boogie Stilleto, a (vintage) Fender 1965 Twin Reverb, a Bogner Ubershall, and a Rivera K-Tre. Out of all those amps this is the one I choose to use on the road because it's the best!! So check it out!

Overall features are perfect. I play a wide range of music - not just your usual Dual Rec rock/metal - and use 5 modes across the 3 channels depending on which band I'm playing with. Tons of versatility and tons of options to tweak the sound. Ch1 'pushed' can be a bit boxy but it's a nice vintagey vibe.
It did take me absolutely ages to get to grips with the EQ and get a sound I was really happy with but now I have, every gig's a winner! Bear with it...
The FX loop sucks though - switch it out permanently, forego the solo boost and welcome to proper Rectifier tone.

I'm playing a wide range of styles and this amp covers them all. I'm not specifically a rock/metal player so I don't use the top of the gain control but with the gains somewhere between 10-to and 10-past on channels 2 and 3 I can cover pretty much everything from country to indie, rock and blues. Run in 'clean' mode, the clean channel has a great quack and, of course, the high gain channels can crush.
My main guitar is a Yamaha Pacifica 812V and the HSS configuration seems to suit perfectly. I find that this amp can be a bit scooped with my Les Paul but with the Yamaha or a Strat it sits perfectly for me.
Balancing the treble and presence controls has been my biggest challenge to get the brightness I'm looking for but with a bit of perseverence (it takes time, seriously) it's in there.
There is some background noise (but boy it's loud) and there's an odd clunk sometimes when changing channels but otherwise, it's as I'd expect from this type of amp.

No problems to date (touch wood) but it seems quite heavy on valves -I changed the full set of power and rectifier tubes after 1 year of heavy gigging which isn't too bad - but I've had years from the same set of tubes in a Marshall...
Build quality is excellent and everything feels just like it should for an amp of this price.
One thing - as I'm in the UK I run at 240v and the amp doesn't like much of a voltage drop. I've done shows where the mains is at 220v-ish and the thing just dies - tinny, buzzy sound, no channel switching - disaster. And, although I haven't had a problem, I've heard the stories of twitchy transformers which makes me a bit nervy...

No problem to date, although the UK distributor (Westside) has always been very helpful

I've been playing 18 years and this is part of a 5-amp collection. I was always a Marshall player and fancied the combination of US Rectifier sounds and 3-channel versatility. I don't use any effects -just the guitar straight into the amp.
I'm completely satisfied with this amp - it sounds great and is a thing of beauty to own. It was expensive, can be a little temperamental (mains power needs) and I spent 6 months wondering if I'd bought the right amp before I got the sound to exactly where I wanted it but now I'm there, every gig I'm grateful I've got it.
There's a lot talked about Dual Rec's only being for rock & metal but it's nonsense. Sure, there's some stuff I'm not using on the amp (mostly the top 25% of the gain control!) but it's versatile, loud and sounds sweet so for me, it's perfect.
I use it with a Boogie 2x12 Rectifier cab which is great for convenience but can get a little rough on the low end as there's tons of it coming from this. 4x12 would, I think, sound a bit smoother on the lows but the 2x12 has a great combination of bite and portability.
It's a shame the FX is useless and therefore I can't use the solo boost but the quality of sounds with them switched out is so much better I don't even think about it.
I didn't consider any other amps when I bought this as it was to add to a collection (even though it's my main amp) but I did have a need for it to do a certain thing. I checked it out in-store, reckoned it could do it, spent 6 months thinking I'd screwed up because I just couldn't get the sound right and then, after losing the FX loop, the penny dropped and now I'm there.
Unless you are mostly clean/low gain (in which case this amp is genuinely a waste for you) this will work. Don't think it's just for rock & metal and do yourself out of a great amp.
Oh, and order a custom colour - it makes every time you get it out of the flightcase even more fun...!

3 channels to do with what you please! Solo boost is a must have and problems with FX loops volumes can be sorted by just reading the manual and using it properly. This thing is DEADLY quiet until you make a move on your guitar and feedback is NO problem at all with my standard les paul even with the gain CRANKED at 3 o'clock! Plently of balls on the low end, i use a seperate EQ to pull out a little of 1K to give it a REAL chug!

I have found that keeping the individual master volumes down and cranking the OUTPUT gives it a much more natural sound which is slightly strange but who cares its sounds EVIL!

Considering how much is actually inside this amp it isnt over heavy and is built like a tank. Its also a very good size, had no trouble what-so ever just avoid turning the standby switch to ON with no load connected.

Always willing to answer and questions.

I use this head through a standard marshall 1960 4 X 12 which really does sound great. Get down to a music shop try it for yourself if your into BIG riffery this is an awesome amp.

This amp is extremely versatile. This amp is famous for the low end "chug" but it is definitely not a one trick pony. Mesa gives you several different modes to play with. However I have to mention that the effects loop is tube driven and the relabeled "MESA" tubes eat your tone and volume when you turn the FX loop on. Change the tubes (I've had luck with JJ/Eurotubes) and the is problem fixed. I also play lead guitar and the Solo button gives me the extra kick I need to cut through the rest of the band. You also have your choice on the power amp tubes (EL-34 or 6L6), rectifier tubes or solid state, and bold or spongy feel.

The sounds are amazing, however I have to say again that the "MESA" tubes(which are just relabeled Sovtec peices of Russian junk) are worthless and do yourself a favor by replacing them. I prefered the sound of 6L6s in the power tube section which makes a helluva difference compared to the EL-34's. I have always been able to get a good clean and killer/bowel rattling distortions even with the stock tubes. I couldn't get a solid lead guitar tone that had the sustain that I was looking for and almost sold the amp until I called up Bob at Eurotubes. He sold me a set up with three high-gain tubes for the first tubes and a regular EC83S and a special EC83S for the phase inverter. This may sound crazy but I have two different sets of power tubes that works really well for me. If I was to rate the sound quality with stock tubes I would give it a 7.

The damn thing is built like a tank, but if you are going to gig with it a lot, get a professionally built case for cryin out load! I would also recommend back up tubes and an extra fuse just in case.

I called them a couple of times with stupid questions and they were really helpful. I haven't had to deal with them enough to give them a 10, but maybe that goes to show the reliability of their product.

I've been playing for about eight year in a variety of rock/heavy metal bands and my main guitar is an Ibanez RG prestige. I used to use various boss and MXR pedal but have gone to a TC electronics G-major and have been satisfied for the money I have spent. If it were stolen I would buy another. You can get nicer amps, but they will cost you a lot more money. Before I bought the amp I was running through a Line6 pod, and the difference is night and day. I will never use another modeler or solid state amplifier again!!!

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

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

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

First. This is a good amp and they CAN sound great. But it didnt suit me.BE your own judge....My opinion is based on a desire for heavy metal, TIGHT, responsive, articulate, brutal distortion.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I give it a 3 without clean boost pedals and a 6 with pedals and EQ. If I was into rock and didnt need an tight bottom end, I might give it a 7 or 8.

Totally reliable, trustworthy amp. I did take extremely good care of it though.

* Although I did blow some fuses mysteriously, had it serviced under warranty and they found nothing wrong with the amp.It had the wrong fuse installed (fast burning). Im not sure if this was the initial problem or if the music shop had given me the wrong fuse after the first time. Anyway, they put a new fuse in(slow burning) and it never blew again. Wiered.

BUT, they are built tough.

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

Been playing for 16 years, mainly used Marshalls before the mesa, now own a Kick ass Framus COBRA, which are actually cheaper than mesa in Aust.(satisfaction at last!). If it was stolen or lost I would be very pissed off, eventually get over it, claim the insurance and buy a different amp (COBRA). In the end I sold it for AUD$3,000 (after spending $170 on new tubes the previous week) and bought a brand new COBRA for AUD$3,300. MESA realy hold their value and are quite easy to sell, theyre very popular, and not so common in Aust. due to the overly high retail price (AUD$4,595). So if you do buy one and decide to sell in Aust. it its no big deal to sell and get a decent price back (as long as you take good care of it).

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

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

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

It has more buttons and knobs than the starship enterprise! But is capable of soooo many sounds and levels of gain! Only had it a few months so i haven't really tapped into what it can really do ( FX loop settings and all that). 100 watts of pure power!

I use Gibson Les Paul's with Gibson dirty-finger pickups and tune down to C. My band Stand-up Guy play really slow doomy metal like ISIS and Neurosis, and this amp makes my riffs sound like a bag of bulldozers! The cleans are crystal but you can add some dirt if you want a more gritty sound! Channel 2 while not being my most used of the 3 channels has a great vintage warmth to it, like an old Marshall Plexi, and is great for subtle mood changes!! Plus you could play the Blues on this baby all night!

Channel 3 is pure aggression baby!! So much gain its scary at times! I put the gain at about half way and thats more than enough. The bass can be a bit overpowering sometimes tho, so i use a Ibanez tube screamer set clean to boost my pickups and suck the muddy low end out! Outstanding clarity! Just have to wait on my Recto Traditional 4x12 getting here and i'm set for world domination!!

Never had a problem with it yet! The 6L6 tubes sound so alive and have a great 3D character! Got a custom built flight case for it to preserve the beauty!

Haven't really needed to call them! But i hear they are awesome!

I've been playing for 16 years and have played and owned alot of great amps including a 5150 and various Marshalls, but honestly this amp is the best i've ever bought! You may think 'everybody says that' but in my opinion this amp rocks! I live in Northern Ireland and amps like this are hard to come buy, i'll never sell it.

you know the features....no effects....i gig twice a week and plenty of power....my style is like Thrice/Killswitch engage...you can however tweak your distortion alot so i gave it an 8.

ok im mostly aiming at channel3 my kind of music is melodic/hardcore/metal if thats not your thing dont read my comment.....now look this amp is only for sick distortion.....dont buy this amp if you like clean w/ added effects.....as far as distortion goes its best bang for your buck....you can get such a strong metal sound and it only gets better at higher volumes i mean you can cut through the band so clear its insane.....Dont however go by what im saying go into the store and try it out.....most places will not let you crank it 50% but when they walk away do it! do it to 75% and you'll see even at high volumes its so clear....channel 2 is good for some steady cords or what not but for some melodic stuff keep on 3 as far as clean channel.....i dont even touch that channel....i just went with a blackface fender and some pedals for my cleans....main reason i got the triple instead of dual....triple seems to handle low tuning better i play at cgcfad .11's and it rocks.
one more thing this is NOT a lead guitarists amp......but is the best for a rhythm....im rhythm in the band and my lead guitarist uses a framus dragon but i dont got 3k for a head so i stuck with the next best thing.....

ive had it for about a year and this shit is solid....but then again i baby it lol....

never dealt with hope not to....

ive been playing guitar for 8years and the only reason im rhythm is because i have to sing....i got a black face and a vox if i ever...EVER need some cleans.....if it was stolen id prolly save for something better like framus/bogner....i love the pure tone of the channel3 on high volumes...not as good as the framus but it keeps up....i do hate that its only a distortion amp kinda like a one trick pony...but im rhythm so lead takes care of the rest.....as far as comparing it....ive tried the marshall jcm800/tsl2000,line6 vettaII, crate bvh120, and peavey5150. now they all had good sounds....well actually the bv crate sucked @ss....then i'd say the its 5150, then tsl2000 which had the more playing w/ distortion, and then the jcm which i think was just like the mesa as far as being just for distortion....just mesa has death metal sound and marshall has more acdc/megadeath sound....also the mesa was like the jcm and tsl in one....you get the pure distortion and alot to play with....as far as the line6 vettaII i care about my sound/tone and im sorry but yes solidstate can cut it for the crowd but not for me....also the million effects on the thing is what makes it even close to be looked at...in the end i'd say if you gotta get a head and you need a good distortion for cheap get a used jcm for about 800 or a 5150 new for about same price.....what i see it that every amp has its own sound and theres never going to be one that can do it all!....so i keep it mesa for my distortion and fender/vox for cleans nuff said.

I bought this 3 channel dual rec back in 2001 new from guitar center. After playing the amp at 3to 4 gigs a month for the last several years I think I have as good a grasp of the amp as I can get. I left a review of this amp several months afetr I bought it. I think now is a good time to revisit what this amp is about.

Ohh the subjectiveness of tone. Here's my spin.....take it or leave it. I have been playing for 20 years and I love instrumental guitar music. I play mainly in cover bands doing current modern rock a la disturbed, tool, creed, etc. My passion is eric Johnson/Neil Zaza melodic guitar playing.

Clean Sound : absolutely difficult to use. This amp has no reverb. I have struggled to get volumes to match the clean channel when switching channels. The clean channel is just too quiet when playing at club level. My experience has been rough at best with playing clean on this amp.

Channel 2: I use this channel most of the time. Great for rhythym work but weak for lead tones. I use Analogman modded Boss sd-1 overdrive and Analogman modded Ts-9 to drive this channel. I have never been satisfied with this channel for several reasons. The channel just lacks a nice creamy lead sound. Adding compression just makes this channel a noise monster and adding an overdrive pedal helps the tone/sustain for leads but I was never able to nail a lead sound I could live with.

Channel 3 : Rarely if ever use this channel. This channel is ultra bright and the presense can be a bit overbearing. Better for lead sounds but too bright for a lot of rhythm work. This channel is noisy and using a noise suppressor helps but kills the lead sound/sustain. Never ended up using this channel often

This amp never died on me. It does not need to be rebiased so changing tubes is a snap. The amp will " pop" when you turn the standby on when the tubes start to go awry so just pop in some new ones and have at it. I never used a backup and always had spare tubes about. This amp has lasted the tests of the local circuit and is its best selling point in my opinion.

n/a

I have been playing for 20 years and I have owned a lot of gear. I currently own a Les Paul Custom Black Beauty, Les Paul Custom 1960's neck, Prs Singlecut, EVH Wolfgang, Music Man Axis Super Sport, Ibanez Prestige Rg3200 and an old Jackson. I am working on an instumental Cd and have been lucky enough to have Neil Zaza ( neilzaza.com) to help me out with the whole process.

This amp is perfect for the brutal rhythym work of Nu metal and current radio trends. However, I have come to terms with the fact that I will not find the lead sound I am looking for for lead playing with this amp. The distortion is overkill for my purposes and the noise is unbearable if you use compression. An overdrive pedal is a must for sustain as the straight distortion sound is not warm enough and lacks sustain for lead playing.

This is not a bad amp by any means. It has served me well over the past 3 years. It is dangerously close to a 1 trick pony but It is versatile enough that I won't say that it is. I personally would never buy this amp again only because it has a lousy clean sound and does not contain the lead sound I want. This should suprise no one....how many lead players do you know that play Mesa/Boogie? Know what you want before you buy this amp. My focus has changed and this amp is not versatile enough for the next part of the journey.

Read OTher Reviews. The features on my head are exactly the same. The two Reviewed here were a 2003 and 2004 model.

I have tried, Strats, Les Pauls, Cheap Guitars, Expensive guitars,...they all sound like crap. I have played on Three or Four different triple-rec-triple-channels, and they all have this horrid wraspy-grainy-transistorish distortion sound. I can see why most people would love this amp because it gives you an amazing amount of pre-gain with a relatively smooth power-amp master control. But for being a tub amp I think it just has too many knobs and too much circuitry. My band members have an Orange AD30TC Head which blows it away, a Laney Pro Tube Lead AOR Head which blows it away, and a Hiwatt DR103 Head which blows it away. I have noticed that more basic tube amps give you an incredibly better musical tone rather than the Mesa. Overall I would not consider ever getting one again. Mesa has a little combo amp call something like "Subway Rocket" that I have played on and it sounds a ton better then the Triple-Rec.

My band members have own one Dual-Channel Triple Rectifier, and Two Dual-Rectifier-Triple-Channels. Both of the Triple-channels had issues with the footswitches being sketchy half the time and all three of them had issues with volume pots cutting out at certain rotary positions. A pain in the neck all around.

No Clue...Who Cares... I wouldn't want to support people with this amp anyways.

It sucks.

Built in 2003 i believe, although i cant be sure on this. Three channel amp, clean, and then two distorted channels. The distortion on these channels range from mild to brutal. Comes with big foot chanel selector, excellent effects loop but no headphone jack (no biggy). Cant really think of anything else that i would need.

(i used the rectifier and spongy setings)

First of all can i just say that whilst i realise this head is not for everyone if you are gona review then at least take the time to try it properly. I myself fell into this trap. I bought my first head a few months ago and after three hours i was gutted. There was no bottom end, it was muddy and slow to react. I sent it back for a new one, changed my pick ups and started all over. This time i tried it in a gig situation with no practice!! Awesome. I was blown away. This is the sort of sound i had always wanted and heard in bands like Linkin Park and Nickelback. My point................try all avenues. Its not always the head thats the problem. Onto the review.

Im using dimarzio tone zone pick ups with Ibanez RGT series guitar. Built for heavy rock...........and deliver. I was looking for Brad Delsons sound with John Petrucci's lead sound, who play for Linkin Park and Dream Theatre. Ive tried a few amps in the past, mainly solid state and ive always felt that i was never really able to cut through very well. The mesa has changed this. The last gig i played i was blown away by the sheer power and quality this head gave me. I was expecting there to be a alot of noise as i dont have a noise gate yet.............i was surprised yet again. Yes. of course there was some noise but compared to others i was impressed. The biggest problem i had was when i switched to the solo channel i recieved moderate feedback which told me i needed a noise gate. The clean channel, which despite getting hammered by the press is very useable. It beats many marshalls cleans.......once again i was very impressed. The clean doesn't break up at high volumes. With a compressor/sustainer the cleans with this head are very good.....but you can buy better heads for clean sounds. The distortion is what i wanted this head for. I was told that it offers a uniuque sound that really cant be duplicated. I was dubious. Then i flicked the standby switch on and braced myself for chaos! At first i went straight to channel 3 because that was the channel that i had heard so much about. But before i got into that i slipped and selected the second channel. Heaven itself!!! The distortion was very warm, powerful. Very much like the sounds that Brad Delson gets. The bottom end was huge. It was music to my ears. The sound i had always wanted. People have complained about the amp being hard to tweak but i got a good sound inside 20 mins. Im sure i can improve on this sound gievn time but i was very impresses with what i got. I will review channel 3 at a later date after i have had time to play it for long enough.

Obviously spare tubes are a must. Ill be getting mine soon. As i have only just got mine it would be unfair to review it at this point. But ive heard good things.

They were very quick to deal with my enquires. Impressed.

I was a late starter to guitar and have only played for three years but in that time i have been looking for 'my sound'. I feel i have found it. I own numerous boss pedals which of course compliment the sound in the way i want it to. I compared it against a number of heads including Line 6 and marshall (the mode 4 did not impress). Nothings perfect but this is as close as ive heard to my perfect tone!

Lets see 3 channels.... 1st channel with modes clean and pushed.. 2ond channel raw vintage and modern modes and 3rd channel.. raw vintage and modern modes..

i had it for month so i dint do too much Tweaking and tone Searching that much. but so Far So Good.

Sounds Awsome.. useing a Gibson Explorer 76'Reissue with a 500T Humbucker Pick up in the Bridge and a 496R pick up in the neck Thinkin of Switchin to Emg81 and a Emg60. and my head is combined with a mesa open back wide body 1x12 Switching to a 4X12 recto cab or a 2x12 recto cab Soon and a Mesa Boogie Triaxis Preamp before my head the triaxis dies tone compareing to the Dual Rectifier head
but anyways.... this amp Pretty much got's it its all. i was compareing this to a channel 4 marshall head.. the Dual Rectifier killed it. so far i got metallicas St.anger tone Locked on the channel 3 modern mode... which i love im a metallica freak... the channel 3 modern compareing to the channel 2 modern is that channel 3 has less bite but more growl... and channel 2 modern. has Alot more bite but less Growl. channel 2 modern or vintage.. Tweaking it a bit can sound exactly like your marshall tone.. so if like your old Style Marshall tone but want some new tone too.. this amp will do it. the Clean channel.. channel one... never even Tweaked it never even really tryed it... like i said only had it for a month. but the clean channel will do it for me. from what i played so far of it......

so bottom line is

looking for new tone buy it

looking for garage days-load-reload-st.anger tone buy it

looking for a amp but like your marshall tone too much and scared you aint gonna like it dont worry tweak your 2ond channel mode and your Good.... so buy it

looking for a LOUD AMP... buy it (lol Definetly buy it)

looking for a kick yo momma in the head and blow her away with Distortion buy this amp

JUST BUY THIS AMP MAN!! (versatile as hell)

this is your amp you will never go back to Marshall
who ever says dual Rectifier's are horrible and marshall beat them.. they are the crazyist peoeple in the world and need to be held in a Crazy House

im pretty sure i can trust it i would definetly gig with it. millions of people gig with them. amp never broke on me.. i pray to god it never does either cause i love it too much. and plus i only had it for a month so not sure how Tough it is.. but it looks built tough

never Dealed with mesa?.. hope i never do either
and mesa gots a 5 year warranty so i really think theres nothing to worry about... and im pretty sure mesa will make some new amp in 5 years lol

well i would give this amp a complete ten on tone and features.. ive been playing for 6 years (i think?) lol maybe longer?... owned a triaxis preamp. and a marshall. but the Dual recitifier killed it. only thing though is that the triaxis has the mark IIC+ tone on it... which aint Exact though. im more then sure the mark IIC+ head will kill it.. cause the triaxis just dint do it for me.

pretty much covered i think

I guess this amp covers everything but I've heard this 2 channel sounds better than the 3 channel. since I own a 94 2 channel, 2001 3 channel and tremoverb head I can tell you this. The 3 channel sounds way better!!! it's more versitile and has a tighter bottom end. I switched tubes to Svetlana 6L6 which sound awesome but believe me if you are going to get a Dual Rec head pay the extra and get the 3 channel it covers everything from funk/hendrix/Zep/slash/metalica etc

Never had one problem with a boogie, but you have to change the tubes when it sounds flat

crap!!!

i've played pro for 5 years and a total of 30 years and had probably everything!! this boogie is the best by far in a single head and i'll be selling my 2 channel model

This has been covered fully here

Sounds great and has a very searing defined sound that is very much "modern" sounding.Very powerful and rich.

Get ready for this one.... I bought a 50 watt solo head and it had a power dropoff/fluctuation (possible bad tube?) I returned it and upgraded??? to a a dual triple channel. The footswitch popped very loud compared to the other heads in the showroom. (very much more at an unacceptable level for a pricey amp like this).I returned it for another. The channel switching was very quiet but after it warmed up the 3rd channel would not work and would just produce a headphone level sounding signal. Boogie blamed both problems on a "J" switch. The problem is is that when I returned my 3rd head it would not drop out at the store leaving some doubt as to the disfunction.The amp to me is unreliable as that sometimes you can step on the footswitch to channel 3 and get nothing. For a $1500 amp that is completly unacceptable. I am now waiting for my 4th head with my fingers crossed!! Thank heavens for 30day moneyback from the dealer!

Most are very good some are snotty. They are very quick to blame tubes and not so quick to blame something else. I was told the tolerance for abnormal parts was very low?

I love the sound of this amp but for the money they better check 'em better.. especially the channel switching noise levels! Get a new supplier or do something about the bad parts being installed!If my 4 th one has any problems inside of 30 days like the others did I will not ask for another but get my money back and look for something that comes out of the factory Aok.

This amp has it all. The variety of tones you can dial in are almost limitless. With 3 channels, and 8 modes between them (3 modes on Ch 2 & 3, 2 modes on Ch 1) it's possible to cover alot of sonic range. Word's can't descibe Channel 3's modern mode, all I can say make sure your wearing a jockstrap! The effects loop is killer as well. You can assign to any channel, or activate it with the footswitch. I have yet to crank it over 3/4 volume. In fact one day I had it my garage at just over half volume and the neighbors heard me 2 1/2 miles away, true story I swear.

I play mostly Ibanez guitars with humbuckers, in the modern rock style. This amp does everything I want and then some. There is very little noise, except when I stand too close to it. There are better amps for clean sounds, but channels 2 & 3 make up for it. I never turn the gain much over half. The manual recommends not cranking the gain all the way up, and believe me there's no need too.

I've had my Dual Rectifier since March, and have had no problems with it. I rehearse with my band twice a week, approximately 4 hours each session. Around the house I only fire it up a few hours a week. It's just too loud, and my girlfriend gets annoyed when her nicknacks get rattled off the shelf.

Five year transferrable warranty. Haven't had any dealings with the company.

I would sell a kidney before I sold my Boogie. I have a hard time even practicing through my little Crate combo now, because my Mesa has spoiled me for all others. I know a lot of people have been hating on the Rectifier amps, and I just don't understand. Petaluma California is my Mecca...Mesa/Boogie is my savior.

This is an add to my previous review which is about 2 reviews down.

After a year with my Mesa I am enjoying it more and more. I haven't added much to it as far as the signal path goes, but I have done some experimenting with cabinets. The other guitarist in the band has a 2 channel dual recto and a matching oversized 412 where I am using a Johnson Ampliciation 412. Our amps sound identical at approximately the same settings w/the same cab. But our cabs have completely different sounds. They have the same speakers (celestion vintage 30's), but my cab is shorter slightly deeper and not near as hi-fi sounding. My cab is very raw and almost rough sounding, but in a good way. I leave my mids at around 2:00 and bass below 9:00. This gives me a thumping low end sound and really crunchy mids through my cab. With the presence knobs set between 12:00 and 2:00 and the highs at 11:00 (in the raw mode with gain at about 12:00), and get an unbelievable classic marshall on steriods, with tons of low end punch, w/o being bright sound that I love. Put my amp on his cab and it goes away. It don't necessarily sound bad just more trebly with a more or less boomy bottom that can be eq'd out, but takes some tweaking. Oh yeah, his Gibson LP Studio w/stock pick-ups and my Gibson LP Studio w/Rio Grande Texas in the bridge sound completely different through the same set up also sound drastically different. Neither is bad they are just different. So my point is to say this. There are infinitely many variables that add up to the total tone of the electric guiatr as an instrument. It starts with the player and ends with the speakers, so if you don't like an "amp" or a "guitar" remember it all starts with you. Everything after that can be changed to alter the sound, so experiment and find out for yourself whether an something sounds good or not. This is something because I have a Ibanez TS7 to get instant feed back and some other interesting effects, but putting it in front of my amp changed its tone also. It's not true-bypass and I've thought of modding it to be true bypass but found I like what it does to the sound. So if your looking to buy something try to find some way of using it with your entire set up before you buy it. That way you have a much better understanding of what it to the sound. Because there are just so many variables.

2001 Three channel. I have been playing and lead singing for a while and I ALWAYS WONDERED...why don't they make a 3 channel amp with an independantlead channel. When I found this amp I thought. Finally I am in the right place at the right time...This amp has 3 and an incredibly simple FX channel that will pump effects into any of the 3 channels. All there on the end of my foot..

So far it does everything it says. Added Svetlana 6L6 (which mesa offers) and I am even more blown away. I even love the clean tone.
I am currently shopping an effects rack but I have been playing gibson les paul Classic(70's muscle car loud), or SG special(wild animal loud), to a boss stage tuner, bad horsey wah, to the Rectifier for just about 2 years. I am in a 3 piece, original, hard rock power trio and my bass player is a mad scientist with his gear and banging on a 6 string. Everything he does is to try and match the power of my Les Paul Classic and Mesa pair-up. Believe it when I say we are a wall of sound.

I use it all the time without backup. The only problem I have had is the foot switch cable started freaking out on me this past summer. I called mesa and they sent me one for free. I have done nothing but play it out and replace tubes.

The best

Hoping to enhance my playing with some decent effects so I can ustilize this amp to fullest. If this were lost or stolen I would spontaniously combust.

I bought this amp when I was embarrassed by my sound live one night. I had follow on stage after another three piece where the guitarist had a rectifier half stack. My guitar sounded like a dry fart. I will never forget it. And I have never looked back.

Everyone should know the features to this already.

Im using a Fender telecaster with a Seymour Duncan hot rails pickup and an Ibanez rg270dx with an emg81 pickup in it. I got this amp because I play hard rock and i wanted something loud. I love this amp when its low cause you really get that saturated distortion when you palm mute... but once u turn it up loud you lose that? so thats what i dont like about it but other then that its a mesa.

I can but I had a problem with it one time where it jus started to smoke...

They are great over there and very nice. They dont get off the phone unless you get your sound.

Overall id like to say this is the best modern amp out there

Bought brand new 2001 ,this amp have all the features you would expect from a company as good as mesa!
this is a very versatile amp even if its main goal is to roar. i mean you can dial a lot of great sound from great clean to great saturated distortion and everyting in between.

first i would say this GET RID OF THE 6L6 POWER TUBE AND PUT SOME GROOVE TUBE EL34 IN AND MAN YOU ARE NOT GONNA BELIVE THE DRASTIC CHANGE IN YOUR TONE....before i did the swap in tube power i am honest to say that i was really looking for another amp such as BOGNER EXTACY i wnt to new york to try one at rudys and the bogner really souds great but for over $3000 and for me in canada i mean over $5000 can money....hey! so i tell you do yourself a favor for those of you hoo like that british tone try it out...since that i cannot recognize the old tone that to my ears was flat with nothing more to it now my sound is so crisp and the power chords even sound better and for soloing i mean this is really an amp to be recon with!!
and why i gave it a 9 is because of the effect loop,it alters your tone when used and very badly ...

built like a tank...never had problems except for bad tubes!

very nice people ,had a tube problem and they send me a bunch free!!

to me it is amongst the best amp ever made.period right there with the BOGNER,SOLDANO,RIVERA HAD NOT THE CHANCE TO TRY A DIEZEL YET!!!!

This head was made pretty recently (probably 2001). I bought this head second hand and I used it for a couple weeks in a live band situation. You should now all the features it has by now, if not just visit the Mesa Boogie website. I think this amp has more than enough features but they are very easy to figure out. I really like the fact that you don't have to bias the amp (wish all amps had this feature)! The solo boost is also a nice feature for those who dedicate all the channels to rhythm. I usually dedicate one channel for lead. The output control (master volume) is also a nice feature but you must use the effects loop also or it won't work. It would be better if it wasn't tied into the effects loop! The best features are the separate eq's and the footswitch with a detachable cord (if it ever wears out you don't have to replace the whole footswitch like Marshall's). The footswitch is very quiet and it works extremely well! There is no volume swell when you change channels (unlike the Marshall TSL). You may hear a pop but thats only if you are strumming when you change channels. My soldano does the same thing. I have learned to change channels without making any sound,trust me it's not a problem. I won't give any amp a 10 until i've had a chance to play every one!

I have a Carvin DC127 with carvin humbuckers and I played the head (w/ 6l6 power tubes) through an open back 2x12 cabinet with Eminence legend's in it. I am very picky and I require alot from an amplifier. 1)I must have an excellent clean sound (I've never played a fender tube amp so I can't compare it to them). 2)A slight overdrive sound (where the clean is just starting to break up). 3)And the abillity to go to a searing lead sound or a nice metal crunch. My perfect amp would have all these things along with an effects loop and the ability to switch between these three sounds without any volume drop, nothing more nothing less. Believe it or not it is hard to find one amp with all these features and sounds! I play many styles of music from rock & blues all the way to punk & metal. I compared this amp to a Marshall JCM 2000 tsl and a Soldano Decatone. The clean channel was good at low volumes but when I played with a band it was very harsh sounding (yes I did spend time eq'ing it). The sounds are hard for me to explain but I'll try my best! There was a raspy or grainy sound I could not get rid of. My other two amps are incredibly easy to get a good clean out of even the Soldano with no reverb sounds excellent. The distortion channels are extremely good and very addicting but I found that it was hard to get a slightly overdriven sound out of either of them (it wasn't to hard on the clean channel but I need that to stay clean). It had that same annoying raspy sound that I could not get rid of when I dialed in a low amount of gain. Now it was very easy to get a good searing lead sound and a good overdriven metal rhythm on both distorted channels. The lead sound comes close to the Soldano but definitely beats the Marshall. I like the crunch on my Soldano the best, it's alot smoother and there is no grainy sound like the Marshall and Mesa. I guess I got spoiled with the Soldano. I would rate the sounds a 8 if all I played was heavier music on this amp. For the lack of variety I will give it a slightly lower rating. One bit of hard learned advice, you should always try the amp out before buying. Don't let a couple reviews for or against sway you because these are just opinions. No amp sounds the best and no amp sounds the worst everyone just likes a different sound!

This amp appeared to be very durable and I would depend on it without a backup. I did not own it long enough to really rate this section. The amp is top quality throughout! It is much better built than the Marshall JCM 2000. Where Marshall uses plastic on most things Mesa uses metal!

I never had to deal with the company!

I have been playing about 5 years total and 1.5 of those years i've played in a band. I was originally the lead guitarist but i've now switched to rhythm and vocals. If it was stolen or lost I would not buy it again but i've already sold it! Overall I would say this amp has the features all amps should have (especially separate eq's for each channel) and is extremely well built. I can tell a lot of thought was put into its construction! I think most amps are overpriced this one included! This amp just didn't have the versatility in sound that I require. I'm not afraid to tweak the eq's which I did alot on this amp. Even so I couldn't find the sounds I wanted. If you are into heavier types of music and can find one used (easy to do on eBay!) then you should definetely check this amp out! Well... that was my two cents worth I hope it was informative!

2002 model, 100 watts, 3 channels, 5 modes + tube rectifier/silicon diodes switch, bold/spongy variac switch, fx loop, slave out, all tube design and comes with a slipcover, 5 button footswitch, and cords. This amp has three channels and each channel can sound cosiderably different depending on the mode. Channel 1 has clean and pushed. Channels 2 and 3 have raw, vintage, and modern. Channels 2 and 3 are essentially the same with the exception that channel 3's presence knob uses a different value to give it more highs, and if you either really like it or prefer channel 2's presence control you can have Mesa send you the one you prefer to swap out. Very Versatile amp that could cover just about any sonic territory. The only thing I wish it had was a rectifier/diodes switch and bold/spongy for every channel. I am in a christian rock band that goes from playing stuff like Pillar or 1000 Foot Krutch (heavy rock) to more of a blues rock sound to modern praise in the styles of Third Day or Newsboys praise.

First of all this amp is awesome, but it will always have that Mesa sound to it. This something some may critisize, but don't Fenders sound like Fenders and Marshalls like Marshalls. I am not trying to say that it only does that brutal distortion everyone knows them for but even in lower gain modes and even clean it has it's own unique sound. To really understand this amp you need to look at its modes:
Clean-From pristine chimy clean to the beginning of overdrive it you crank the gain with higher output pickups.
Pushed-Low to medium gain crunch. Great for rhythm and classic rock.
Raw-Blues City. Probably my favorite. It is a medium gain that can go from almost clean to really nice overdrive but sounds very raw sound the entire way.
Vintage-The original "orange" channel from earlier rectos in all its amazing medium to higher gain glory. A lot like a higher gain raw but with its own unique sound.
Modern-The Brutal heavy rock sound everyone knows.

I have mine set up with ch1-clean ch2-raw ch3-modern and run it through a Johnson Amplification 412 cab. As far as FX I use a Ibanez Tube Screamer (for instant feed back) Boss BF-3 Flanger and TU-12 tuner, and an Ernie Ball Volume Pedal (all preamp)
Ch1-is set with gain at like 6 to help compress it without getting an overdriven signal. Oh yeah the FX loop can be turned completely off, on and off with footswitch, or assigned to a specific channel. I say this because I really don't use many FX and will add a Compressor to ch1 eventually because I like a well compressed clean sound(I play rhythm).
ch2-is set up with gain around 7. I do this and it gives me a lot of versatility. I simply use my volume pedal and pickups to give a low overdrive (almost clean with neck pick up)bluesy sound to a nice warm rock-n-roll crunch(bridge pickup).
ch3-I reserve this for the high gain mayhem Mesa does so well.

As far as the tone controls go I think it depends on what guitar you use and exactly what you are looking for. I use a Gibson LP Studio w/Rio Grande Texas/BBQ humbuckers and a Godin LGX-SA with stock Seymour Duncan humbuckers(it has a 5-way switch with single coil positions, but I think I'm going to replace it with one that duplicates the PRS 5-way). I keeps my mids up (7) bass lower (4-5) to keep a tight low end sound and my highs and presence down to keep it from sounding too bright or brittle. Like I said it depends on guitar/pu's as to where you'll want it to be. I also seem to have an abundance of bass in my guitars (or maybe its the cab) so I run it in the silicone diodes mode which helps tighten the bass a lot. This doesn't make the amp solid state it makes the transfer of tone from the preamp to power amp more efficient. I also trun the variac to spongy to help keep some sag in the tone. Overall it can cover serious sonic territory and there are many more ways to set it up than what I covered. The only thing that holds it back it the inablity to have different silicone diodes/tube rectifiers and bold/spongy settings per channel, or maybe I'm asking too much? But either way it gets docked another point because they do change the sound considerably.

I've had it for over 6 months now and haven't done anything to it except play it a lot. The lead player has had a 2-channel dual he bought used almost 2 years ago and hasn'thad any problems, and I've heard great things. Plus so far mine still looks brand new and sounds it also.(I only get a very light hum in ch3)

Never dealt with them but again I never dealt with them.

Is it the Best amp out there? I haven't played them all yet to find out, and right now I can't keep from playing mine long enough to play anything else.

Features have been covered very well by other reviewers.

My set-up, 1960's les paul Black Beauty or Eipihone Les paul standard-> Morley Bad Horsie 2->Dual Rectifier->Crate blue voodoo cab with celestion vintage 30s. I would like to say IMHO that the clean channel on this amp is exceptional and comes very, very close to a fender. Channel2: is great for searing lead tones, but lacks that scooped crunch. Channel 3: Gain to spare, Absolutly the best rythem tone EVER!. Each channel really does something different. The head is incridibly versitle and I can't seem to get a bad sound out of it!

My first Boogie, but it is a TANK.

Boogie's customer service is excellent I got a live person and all my questions very answered. It was like they actually cared about my sound.

I've been playing for Five years. This amp is the tone for me. This is the Amp for Rock. If was stolen I would cry because $1500 is hard to come by. It totaly smokes a Marshall.

2002 model I believe. Triple channel Dual Rectifier. Features have been covered, and they are plentiful. I also own a Rectoverb which is a wonderful amp, but I bought this because I really needed to have 3 channels to cover my live gigs.

I use a Les Paul and play alot of pop rock originals. I bought it on a thursday evening, and gigged with it the next night. Because I was already familiar with the Rectoverb, I didn't have much trouble dialing up the tones I needed. I was very sceptical to just plop a new amp behind me at a gig without having tried it at a practice session first, but this baby came through for me with no problems. I expected to be tweaking my ass off the first night, but we did a 2 song sound check, and I went with what I dialed up. In a traditional 4 piece rock band, I had no problem leaving plenty of territory for the bass player, and experienced zero "mud". The only way I can describe the gain tones I was getting, is that it sounded like thunder rolling across the stage, with a high-end as crisp as a crackling, static lightning bolt. People who don't know anything about guitar tones were approaching me after this first show telling me, "how great the guitar sounded". These people's opinions impress me far more than what another guitar player or musician may have to say. My opinion is that channel 3 is exactly like my Rectoverb, but channel two is much different- it seems to have a bit brighter and punchier tone, perhaps a tad remeniscent of an old Marshall (e.g; early JCM 800), but don't get me wrong- this does not sound just like a Marshall. I did notice as the tubes warmed up throughout the gig that the clean channel did not seem as bright as when I first started, but I may have tweaked the gain too high, cutting down on the clean headroom and making it a little too warm. I checked my settings after the gig to see what the dials were like after having done a few tweaks early in the set. I noticed that every Bass control was set to 10:00, and the other tone controls were rather high in varying degrees according to each channel. The Clean channnel mids were at 9:00. No gain was set above 1:00. Generally, the sounds seemed fairly even frequency-wise over all 3 channels throughout the night. I remeber noricing that there was zero noise coming from this amp. After the first 10 minutes I never made another tweak, and just performed my ass off. Simply unbelievably great tone. I have yet to try it, but I'll bet it's every bit as versatile as my Rectoverb, which is able to cover any musical style including blues, jazz, country, rock, metal, thrash, etc.

Again, I was sceptical to use a brand-new amp without trying it at a practice first, but it came through perfectly. I've been using the Rectoverb for almost a year without a hitch. Real quality stuff here.

Sent a few emails in the past and got a few replies within a day or two. Very supportive in the email responses.

I got into Mesa amps a year ago when I wanted to replace my aged Marshall. I couldn't justify Marshall's lack of features and quality in the same price range by comparison, and didn't like the tones they're putting out these days. I absolutely detest that Marshall always skimps on features. For example, the TSL 100 has 3 channels, but no master volume level. Where the Dual Rectifiers are concerned, the features seem limitless. I can easily understand the complaints that some people have when they say these amps have a "muddy" low-end, but I would say that the low-end is just much "warmer" than what most people are used to. I didn't experience any mud, but it IS harder to get a Marshall-esque palm-muted chord chunk thing happening, but it's still there. In addition, if you think it gets too "fuzzy", that's a direct sign that you need to turn the gain down until it goes away. I've been playing for over 20 years, and I've mostly used various Marshalls. To younger people who complain about the tones on these Rectifier's I would say, there have been just as many complaints about Marshalls, perhaps even more if you consider some of the past reliability issues (we used to whine about Marshall's not having enough low-end!). If this amp walked, I would claim it on my home owners insurance, and get another identical one in 20 minutes. This amp is everything I'll ever need for the rest of my life. I rate it a "15".

triple channel mesa dual rec.

What do you want? Well, here it is!Unless you want a thin Crate-Marshall-line sux pud 2.0-solid state mouse turd tone. Go buy a spider and shut up.

Mesa rocks. Why are people saying the old two channel rec is better? Did they blow out there ears or something? I believe they are deaf..

Hey Randall Smith-Bogner gives me lifetime! One year? don't you trust Your stuff? Its well made, I trust it, But give me a little more for my $1500-

This amp rox..'69 sg jr w/p90s,'70 sg melody maker w/hot rails, many 80s charvels, whatever. It doesnt matter.It is the last amp I'll own.

every Mesa Freak knows what the new Dual Rectifier head has:3-channels, etc---et.al. go see the Mesa Boogie website if ya really, REALLY Need to KNOW!!! Other than that, it's a 2002 model. It came w/ the 'Standard' slant 4x12, which is based upon the taller , '60s Marshall TV Cabinets of yesteryear--taller, w/ better bottom end!!! It ALSO came w/ a custom-made road case for the head, plus the 'Big Foot' footswitch, plus a Monster Cable for the cabinet!!! Great Deal!!!

I use a Jackson USA Soloist loaded w/ EMGS, A kramer Pacer Custom I, and a Fender American Deluxe Strat Plus w/ lace Sensors. All three guitars retain their sonic characteristics,however, w/ the many configuration combinations you can custom-tailor your sound with (like Spogy/Bold, Vacuum tubes/Silicon Rectifiers, 'raw' 'pushed' 'vintage' 'modern', etc---)the possibilities are just plain STAGGERING!!!! My musical styles totally fit this amp (going from Nu-metal to Power Pop punk stuff to Classic Rock to Jazz/R&B fusion), so, needless to say, I'm stoke to have that many options to tweak with!!! My favorite channel is #2, in vintage mode---very good and usuable overdrive, indeed!!! The harmonics just pop out at you!!! Channel 3 is just plain fucking brutal, hands down--think Mudvayne, Slipknot, Godsmack,Disturbed, Korn--it put the Marshall TSL60 halfstack I used to have to SHAME--nice to have all that headroom to cut through drums and bass!! Hell, my brother the VHT Ultralead owner even said it kicked ass!!!

this is the LAST AMP I'll EVER, EVER OWN (unless I want even more options, then I go for the Road king!!!) I currently have also in my amp stash my reliable DC5 wide-body combo--I've had it for well over 6 years, putting it through many gigging/rehearsal/recording situations, and it has always consistently delivered!! I expect this amp will do the same thing for me over the years.

haven't dealt w/ it yet--I just got the damn thing this week!!!

I've been playing for over 25 years--I used to go through amps like water (Marshall, Randall, Peavey, Crate, Carvin) If my amp were stolen, I'd murderlize this bastard. But then again, it would free me up to get the Road king, Heaven forbid!!!! I thought about getting a Mark IV, A Nomad or one of the Single Rectifier heads, but when I came across this deal, I knew it was heaven-sent for me to HAVE!! I also thought about getting a used Bognar Exctasy or Soldano Decatone, but in the end, I'm steadfastly behind Mesa Products all the way, for good---I'm back home again (after the brief flirtation w/ my Marshall TSL60 half-stack) now, all I'll ever need from this point is a good Gibson Les Paul Custom to play through this thing!!!

This amp is a quality relic hand built with many many features. This amp is an all tube designe amp with 4 6L6GC Power amp tubes 2 5U4 Rectifier Tubes and 5 12AX7 Preamp tubes. The amp pushes 100 watts but i barely go above 50% on the master volume controll. The amp has 3 channels all with individual EQ's, Presence Controlls and Master Volume to set each channels own volume and channel voiceing select switches which allow you to customize the tone to on each channel to what suits your ears. The amp comes with a 5 button footswitch. There is a solo switch on the pedal as well when depressed it bost's the overall volume of the amp. The amp also has a built in effects loop which i barley use but if you plan on using effects like chours delay flanger etc run them through the loop becuase the sound quality will be 100% better than just running them straight into the input jack! On the back of the amp you'll find a switch which allows you to chose which tubes you want the amp to use. You can use the VACUME Tube Setting or the RECTIFIER high power Setting i prefer the Rectifier setting becuase it suits my taste in the tone it produces but the vacume tubes emit a more high end tone to them that has more treble and mids than the Rectifier tubes. There is also a Bold or Spongy switch on the back of the amp. This picks the overall voicing of the amp. I use my amp set to bold which increases the amount of voltage sent to the tubes in the amp and creats an up front and personall in your face tone when i push the amp in the distortion channels. The spongy switch cuts the amount of voltage going to the tubes so it creats more of a softer attack thats more quaint.

Curently i own a ESP LTD guitar with a single neck pickup and a dual humbucker on the bridge, i also own an Ibanez RG 7-string and i mainly use the bridge pick up on that as well. I use this amp at practice with my band and in the studio. I have been playing guitar for over 8 years and i vary my styles from classic rock to nu-metal, and hardcore, and emo. All around this amp is worth every penney i paid for it i am very impressed!


First off this head is built mainly for people who use alot of gain and are looking for that awsome peircing tone at high volume and gain settings. IF you play metal hard rock emo or even blues this is an amp worth buying! The tone is unbelivable though it takes time to dial it in becuase there is so much you can do to manipulate the sound of this amp seeing as how each channel has it own voicing switch with three settings (RAW, VINTAGE, MODERN) with the exception of the Clean channell which has 2 settings (CLEAN, PUSHED).

Lets start with Channel 1 the clean channel. This amp contrary to popular belife has an awsome tone when using the clean channel. It has a crisp sound to it so clean and clear that it is audible over my firneds MArshall TSL 2000 head when set to the clean chanell at the same volume. When you switch the voicing to PUSHED you get a raw vintage gain sound from the 60's and 70's that reminds me of Black Sabbath and Zeppelin.

(a word to the wise, before i get into channel's 2 and 3. DO NOT CRANK THE GAIN AND THE TREBEL ALL THE WAY UP ON THIS AMP AT VOLUMES HIGHER THAN 40% BECUASE TWO THINGS CAN HAPPEN. 1. YOU'LL GO DEF SOO QUICK YOU WONT REMEMBER THE LAST THING YOU HEARED AND 2.YOU CAN CAUSE MICROPHONIC TUBE FALIUR WHERE YOU WILL GET SQEALING FROM THE AMP WHILE PLAYING. THE TONE AT THOSE LEVELS IS SO EAR PIERCING YOU'LL GET A HEADACH AND HEAR RINGING IN YOUR EARS FOR HOURS. You'll find how i have my amp set to avoid those problems and still get that high gain pure tone without destroying your hearing and your preamp tubes below)

Channel 2 is just awsome, the tone you get out of this channell is similar to the original dual and triple rectifiers of the 90's. When using the Vintage setting on the voicing switch the mids get sucked out of the mix and the you hear more of a high end signal. This channel is perfect for single note soloing including hammer ons and pulloffs. I cant find a better amp to play the solo from erupption on by Van Halen than this one. The tone is so clear that if you get this amp and suck on the guitar dont expect the gain to cover up your mistakes. I usally play this channel with the Trebel set at about between 2-3 o'clock and the mid set to about 8 o'clock and the bass set to 12 o'clock. I keep the gain set at about 2:30 and the pressence set at about the same.

Channel 3 the most brutal of the 3 channels. This channel takes off where channel 2 leaves off it is much more present and tone full than channel 2. I opt to use channel 3 with my seven string becuase it has just enough mid in it to keep the tone of the lower strings from getting muddy. I keep the settings at about the same as channel 2. This channels tone is just more out there it sounds like you have your amp cranked all the way in an isolation room at a recording studio with padding on the walls.
There is sooooo much you can do with this amp it is incredible it just takes time to dial in your tone you have to be patient. it took me a day or so and a full practice to get my tone set right so it could fit in the mix with the drums and the other guitar players amp!

This amp just donst get muddy when pushed hard. I use it thorugh my Marshall JCM 900 4x12 cab. I also own a Peavey Ultra Plus 3 channel head and i have had that for 2 years prior to buying the MESA. Don't get me wrong Peavey is an awsome company and i loved my ultra but after time went on i couldnt get that awsome tone that only mesa could offer, also the amp just got dead sounding when pushed hard and it muddied up fast with my seven s

Realiablity is good from what i hear from other people but just keep an extra set of tubes with you just in case cause you never know what the hell can happen. 80% of the time problems with these heads are the result of a bad preamp tube or power amp tube!

When i got the head i noticed it made a crackleing noise with the guitar volume all the way down in channels 2 and 3 so i called Mesa Boogie in California to them the problem and they sent me a new set of Preamp Tubes for free! Tell me is that costumer support or what? What other amp company would do this for you? If you know of one email me!

I give this amp a 9 becuase nothing is perfect. But i am very pleased with this amp i spent a year searching for an amp that suited me best and this is the one. I tried everything from the new Peavey Triple XXX and the 5150II to the MArshall TSL 2000 and DSL 2000 and nothing sounded as tone full as the MEASA Dual Rec i now own. If my amp was stolen i would instantly have it replaced with another yet i would find the idot that stole and beat them into tomorow but i hope that never happens! IF your in a local band or a solo artists who likes to play just for fun get this amp the possiblities are endless with the tone shapping on this amp. It is well worth the price and you get a 1 year warranty on the amp and a 6 month warranty on the tubes. Trust me if you love high gain that is full of rich tone with plenty of bottom end get this amp.

three indie channels, 3 modes per channel, clean,od1,dist,100wt tube amp, channel switching available via midi footswitch. no reverb but indie eq per each channel. very versatile

clean tone is a bit quiet, overdrive is rich and warm, bb kind like blues tones to pretty bitey, dist channel is pure saturation. tone is so subjective that i find it almost useless to post about how the amp sounds. clean,od,dist......i could use lots of colorful adjs. but youd really have to plug it in to see. i can offer this one bit of advice..when you try it in the store TURN IT UP past 1. the amp sounds entirely different at semi high volumes then when you are demoing at barely anything at all. the amps sounds work great for me.

this is where i have a bit of a beef. took the amp out of package, plugged it in, blew fuse. took entire head back for exchange....got it home, blew another fuse. called mesa and apparently my rect. tubes had been damaged, so i switched the amp to silicon diodes and am using that until i recieve my new rect tubes.

mesa was VERY helpful with my tube problems. i called them, they didnt ask any questions and put my tubes in the mail priority. very easy to deal with...mesa has a great warentee with a year warnetee alone on the tubes!!!

ive been playing for about 8 years. i own an origional 65 fender deluxe reverb, a marshall jtm30 1x12, and a marshall valavestate100 head. im using a fender 50s classic strat modded with a dimarzio fast track 2 in the bridge, a gibson les paul dc jr., and a squire jagmaster. if this head were stolen i would definatly replace it with the same thing. i love the distortion channels. so much thicker than that of any solid state amp ive used. for rock/punk/edgy types of music you cant go wrong with this. i also liked the fact that mesas hold their value very well so if i ever do decide to sell it i should get a good return on it.

I don't own one of these amps, but the other guitarist in my band does. I've used it plenty of times, and have played other Dual Rectifiers as well. 3-channel amp, footswitch has cool solo boost, and has fx loop on/off.

Clean channel - not so good. Sounds more distorted than I would like at volumes loud enough to play with a band.
2nd channel - very good. This is my favorite channel - has very nice distortion tones.
3rd channel - insane ferocious rip your freakin' head off distortion. I would never use this channel. Channel 2 has enough distortion for almost any style.
I think the sounds are good, except for the clean, and the 3rd channel is ridiculous and unnecessary in my opinion.
Something to be aware of is that Mesa amps tend to be inconsistent from amp to amp - I've played some Dual Rectifiers that sound awful, and some that sound really good.

Very well-built amp.

Good amp - if you like insane distortion, you will be wanting this. If you like other sounds, you may look elsewhere. I like Marshall Triple Super Leads a lot better than Dual Rectifiers. I own a Rivera Knucklehead which is like a Marshall only better.
For the price this amp is, you'd better be sure this is what you want if you're going to buy one. VHT's and Soldanos and Riveras all can be found for similar prices (or less, if you go used) - I recommend trying out other amps than just Mesas and Marshalls (which is what many people think are the only choices for high gain amps).

This is a follow up to my earlier report.

This amp was made in 2000. I bought it new from the HOG in Rochester, NY.

Well, after tweaking this thing for a few months, I'm still shocked by the excellent tone.

I use the "Clean" channel and "Dirty" channel. The third channel or what I call "Silly Dirty" is not needed or used. The "Silly Dirty" tone is very similar to harder rock bands like "Disturbed", SOAD, Pappa Roach, et al."

The only feature I can't get to work to my liking is the "Effects Loop". This amp doesn't like some effects in the loop. These "looped" FX kill my tone no matter how much tweaking I do. So now, I'm back to stomp boxes and no longer use the loop.

I use this amp recording, rehersing, and live. It has more power than I'll ever need...it's great. 100 Watts all tube = Butter.

This is an important issue...

When I play my '78 Les Paul Custom alone, with out the band, it sounds fucking great. Same goes for recording sessions.

However! When we reherse the Les Paul get washed, the tone is gone, and it just sounds like noise. This is very strange.

Then, I switched to '89 Clapton Strat and HOLY SHIT! I found THE sound. It sings and cuts through as it should. It just sounds great. My drummer actually soiled himself. (pretty standard for drummers.)

Some players only use the matching Boogie 4x12 box. I use an old Marshall 1960A box that sounds great. I'm in the market for a new box and I'll probably get another Marshall.

Very Reliable

n/a

I've been playing for 18 years...mostly rock. Aside from my Dual Recto, I also use a VOX AC-15 and a VOX AC-30 (greenbacks).

Guitars - '78 Custom Les Paul , '89 Clapton Strat, '52 Tele Reissue,
'85 Piece of Shit Fender Performer (made for one year). I recently sold my 1959 Fender Strat cause I owed my pimp a lot of money.

If it were stolen I'd get another. It's got it all, but remember to use a 4x12 box of some sort to get hard.

Good luck and God Bless America

All good. Very versitile. Great gain.

Great for metal, punk, hard rock, ect...

Built like a tank. Literally. Most likely could witstand a bomb blast.

N/A

Great amp. Although, for $100 more, GET THE TRIPLE RECTIFIER! Even though this amp is great, the Triple Rectifier beats it in every aspect.

The rectifiers are made to play hard rock, punk and heavy stuff and are versatile if you know how to use it and how to play guitar. I don't know why there is a third channel on the new ones, maybe to increase the price and make more profit. I think that all you need in a amp is one clean and one lead channel. I don't need bold/spongy switch and all that stuff... The head is enough powerfull to play in a band.

I have a rivera R-100 2*12 combo and the distortion on it sounds bad comparing to the mesa, even at high volumes. I really enjoy the vintage and modern sounds and even the clean channel. This amp is one of the best I have heard in my life. Of course if you put the bass, treble and gain at 10 and scoop the mids it's gonna sound like shit (limp bizkit, 311, etc.) The amp is versatile in that kind of way, you can sound like god and the minute after, if you turn the gain knob at max, you suddenly sound like $1500 of shit.

I used a mesa studio preamp for 5 years and there was a big noise problem at high volume and it was not the tubes so I sold it. The first time I tried a dual rectifier at the music store the amp broke down after ten minute of playing. The tech said it was because of the preamp tubes. He said to me that some rectifiers blow preamp tubes when you put the master knobs at max. So if you want to test a rectifier at the store before you buy it, put the master at max and play for a couple of minutes. Since that day, I don't trust mesa/boogie much.

The web site is OK. don't know about the rest.

If you have enough money to buy the head, a good cab(v30), a nice guitar with good pickups and new tubes every years or less, it means that you are rich or that you really enjoy playing music. I don't see any other reasons why it would be a good investment to by a mesa/boogie dual rectifier triple channel. Sorry for my not too good english.

This head seems very versatile. I can get just about any tone out of it after doing some tweeking. It has got 3 channels all accessible through the supplied footswitch. The first channel is clean with two modes that give you many tone options. The first mode is Clean, and by cranking the gain a bit you get a little bit of dirt, the second mode is Pushed. In this mode you can get some dirt in your tone that has the bite that cuts through by driving the gain a bit.
The second channel has three modes for even more tone options. The first mode is Raw. By doing some good tweaking you can get a very nice bluesy tone with enough dirt to keep in agressive. The second mode is Vintage, which has a little more gain than the previous mode and enough agression, and the third mode is Modern, which has a lot more gain power and sustain, with a very warm and creamy distortion.
The third channel has the same three modes: Raw, Vintage, and Modern. This channel gives you more drive options, and it's more agressive than the previous channel. On the final mode in this channel (Modern), you can achieve a very thick angry sound, with lots of distortion, only you might want to take it easy on the gain since this head's gain potential may push the pre-amp tubes past what they can handle. By having the gain at 5:00 o'clock you can achieve a smooth sustained distortion without having too much mud.
To top it all, this head has a Bias switch that lets you select between 6L6's or EL34's tubes depending on your taste, a rectifier select switch which lets you choose between Vacuum Tubes (normal) or Silicon Diodes (Hi power), which offer more punch. It also comes packed with a power select switch with two modes: Spongy, where you can achieve a nice overdriven tone and Bold, where the tubes run very hot at maximun power to obtain more volume and clean headroom.
The effects loop in this head is very comprehensive and versitale.
It also has 5 speaker inputs: one for 16 ohm's speakers, two for 8 ohm's and two for 4 ohm's. This feature is very nice indeed, and not too many heads have that many speaker input options.
It also comes with a Level Slave control if you want the option to derive an FX send signal to go to other amps for wet sound and a power amp jack if you want to plug an additional power amp.
Overall, this amp has enough power and options features to get you through anything.

I use an Ibanez 6 string Prestige USA Custom with DiMarzio pickups, and an Ibanez RG 7 string also with DiMarzio's. I play all sorts of music styles, and this amp as versitale as it is, it can fit in any style you use it in.
If you want to get brutal distortion out of this amp, you can achieve that on channel 3 at the Modern mode, keeping in mind that it is best not to crank your gain all the way up, it is not really necessary to do so. If you want smooth creamy and distinctive distortion you can achieve that on channel 2 at the Modern or even the Vintage mode.
This head has a variety of tones that you can get out of it to fit many styles.

I haven't had it for very long, but I hear that this amp is very reliable under normal abuse.

Never had to contact Mesa/Boogie directly, but I am planning to do so.

Overall, this amp is a caged beast. You can get monstrous sounds that stomp the planet or very nice warm tones depending on what you want it to do with it. Defenitely a giging amp, not to play in your bedroom with. So far I love everything about it and I doubt I'm going to regret buying it. From the cometic looks to the sound, this head kills....If stolen or lost, it would be hard to afford it again, so I would have to hunt down the bastastard that took it.

I Purchased this amplifier NEW From a source close to the Mesa-Boogie Factory in Petaluma California in the last week.My 1st order of Buisness is to address the individuals who have seen my previous posts regarding the amplifiers I own/use and my Impressions/Experiences of past Mesa-Boogie Products.I have been a NON-Boogie Fan in the past based on my experiences and scenarios of useage regarding the DUAL RECTIFIER 2 channel amplifier of which I Owned for several weeks and then discarded due to bad Impressions,and circumstances while playing Live and in the studio.I was Less than impressed with the "OLD" DUAL RECTIFIER in terms of Versatility,Headroom,Clarity,and "UNIQUE TONE".
This is NOT the case with the NEW "3 Channel DUAL RECTIFIER".I was using a BOGNER 101-B 3 channel head(I own three of them as well as the Fish Preamp)with a Boss GE-7 EQ to achieve an "Agressive" EQ Curve with the pedal in the BOGNER loop and trying to emulate a Bone Crusing/Heavy type of Bottom end along with a drastic reduction of annoying 800K and 1.6 K Frequencies attributed to the inherent voicing in the BOGNER.The NEW MESA-BOOGIE 3 channel DUAL RECTIFIER Needs NO External EQ to achieve the Voicing I Need for 3 sets of Metallica Covers in the tribute Band I NOW play with and was using Bogners to play live through with the boss GE-7 EQ.In all honesty I would have to say that the MESA RECTIFIER is More than Adequate,and quite honestly very refined and Well Suited to the More Agressive types of Metal I play(MORE so than the VHT Pitbull w/optional EQ which I have previously Owned/used/compared,(AND SOLD) and reviewed right here compared to a 2 channel MESA RECTIFIER-which was No Way NEAR The amp the 3 Channel DUAL RECTIFIER is,and in fact is a TOTALLY Different,and Unique Amplifier as compared to its 2 channel ancestors.As you might know by now the New RECTIFIER is a True 3 channel amplifier with Channel Switching,SOLO Mode,FX Loop Switching,and Independant EQ(Gain,Treble,Bass,Middle,Master,and Presence)Per Channel.Both channels 2 and 3 have 3 Modes each-Raw:(early type vintage growl with lotsa Harmonic Nuances-but can be Sweet and chimey in a sort of subtle type of "Deep" way according to the settings on the gain and EQ)Vintage:High Gain with touch sensitivity and EQ Curves that emulate warm but "Thick" types of overdrive based on the type of pick-ups and attack you use.The Vintage type tones in the 2nd and 3rd channels are Very warm and refined-as opposed to the early 2 channel Rectifier which was kinda lame and un-inspiring in the "Feel" dept to me.The 2nd Channel in the Vintage mode has lots of character and Feel.I Compare the 2nd Rectifier channel in the Vintage Mode to the Bogner second channel with the boost engaged.(but the Mesa has alot more EQ "Movement" in the knobs as compared to the Bogner which has Little hearable quality in the agressive frequencies I Like) and the Mesa has a "TON" More Gain and Thickness to it as compared to the Bogner in the same type of settings.Just "MORE" on the side of Big,bad,BOLD thickness with the MESA.The "Modern" settings in Channels 2 and 3 of the Rectifier 3 channel head are strictly for the METAL,and HARD/HEAVY Type Players.You can Lose yourself in the 3rd channel in the Modern voicing mode...it gets really hairy and HEAVY.I was very surprised to hear and "Feel" the difference in the way the MESA absolutely KILLED The VHT Pitbull in the agressive EQ Voicing and gain scenarios.The VHT has NO Tone as compared to the New 3 Channel Rectifiers.now...to top it all off......the Mesa has a SOLO mode(footswitchable like all the channels and the FX Loop)and the SOLO mode has a Master Volume too(Output) so you can tailor the SOLO boost to taste and then Fine tune the volume level(output) in accordance with the overall level of the channels.The Loop functions are also assignable to Independant channel

I am Using the Following Guitars(as always):USA Custom Shop Jacksons-
King Vees,RR-1s,RR Originals,Korina King Vees,San Dimas Charvels,and PRS McCartys,and a Few Gibson Vee's (Historic 58 korinas)and My Favorite"Knock Around Gigging guitars":Epiphone Korina 58 Flying vee Replicas with all gibson hardware and Electronics.The MESA 3 Channel RECTIFIER suits the Very Defineable and Distinctive Music I'm playing Now to a "T".I'm in a METALLICA tribute band that asked me to purchase the MESA 3 Channel RECTIFIER(I auditioned w/a BOGNER and They LOVED the tones) to cover all our gigs from Now thru the end of September 2001 so I agreed ,and I'm very happy with the tone that it produces for this type of Metal which I play and LOVE.i use Seymour Duncan JBs in ALL of my Custom Shop USA Jacksons,but my Gibsons,Epiphones,and Charvels share a Mix of 498,and 500 t Gibson p/ups,Dimarzios,and a Few PAF re-issues.(both Duncan and Gibson historic/Seth Lovers).The Rectifier can and will generate a little bit of noise if you "Goose" the gain past 2 O'Clock...but there is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED to RUN the GAIN on this NEW 3 Channel Rectifier past 12 O'Clock or 1 at the MOST.if you engage the "SOLO" on either channel 2 or 3 in the Modern Mode with gain past 1'Oclock YOU need to Buy a Boss Metal Zone and a Marshall JCM-800.Sell the Recto to ME so I can use 2 More Cabinets.The MESA 3 Channel RECTO is THE high Gain champion as far as all the other amps go(Hey Diezel are you listening...?You Got nothing...NOTHING on the 3 Channel MESA RECTO) .
the MESA Has an INSANE amount of Gain and Thick Overdrive/Overtones to fulfill the Entire "Spinal Tap' Fantasys and MORE....Really people...this Gain Monster has alot of tonally Diverse and WICKED Tonal possibilities on tap for even the Most Over the TOP type of Metal and other brands/categories of music too!This amp CAN and WILL run the gamut from Glassy type Clean/mellow Chordal washings with definition to the Way Over the top type of ROCK/METAL that there is to play.I found alot of Elusive types of "Middle" ground tones in this lil puppy.....I was trying to really stretch the imagination of myself as far as voicings go(even though I'm a Heavy Metal Player) and I Found the Mesa to really shine in all scenarios that I was able to Play(mind you I AM NOT The best type of clean-pop type of player...but the MESA Really performed Better Than ME)so I Feel its a Great amplifier.The Distortion(to cover the question on the review roster) is "WAY OUTTA the STRATOSPHERE"but can be refined and Gnarly if Coaxed into the mellower range by way of EQ,Gain,voicing mode and Pick Attack.really impressive and a Nice Amp to Play/Own.

I have seen Several Mesa Boogie Amps "BLOW-UP" rather spectacularly in my time playing out(and I gig regularly)and I have seen more than Several DOZENS Just keep on pumping out through the Millenium gig after gig with just a regular tube change and sum "TLC"...so it all equates to your Treatment/Maintenance/Preventitive considerations/and common sense.I Have owned a few in the past that were built like a "Brick Shit-House"....pound em alot-Hard and they Perform flawlwessly.i Change the TUBES REGULARLY,LET EM WARM UP BEFORE USE,AND COOL DOWN BEFORE PACKIN EM UP IN THE RACK/ROAD CASES,AND i KEEP EM "IN TUNE"....treat em Kind and use sensible preventative Maintenance on a regular basis."PPPPPP" Proper Preperation Prevents Piss Poor Performance!I have Used mine VERY Hard and at 1/2 Volume for the past 11 days and it is holding up superbly,and sounds Better day after Day.This weekend I have 4 Gigs in a row to "Test It"(Thurs,Fri,Sat,Sun)...so I'm prepared with extra fuses,tubes,and Everything else...PPPPPP People...it Worx..!

Never dealt with Them....HOPE I Never have to...I Heard they are Great.....but BOGNER RULES The Public Relations,Customer Service,Answer the Phone,help You OUT,get you parts,Service your amp,SHIP the Same day,technical answers,listen to your inquiry,and EVERYTHING Department.BOGNER is the Example ALL These manufacturers oughtta Follow as a RULE...!I've seen the Mesa-Boogie repair network,and I Hope I Never need it.The warranty is for a Lousy Year as opposed to BOGNER(Lifetime for the original Owner-and I've seen and heard em extend that to 2nd and 3rd hand owners as well-See...REINHOLD BOGNER Is THE MAN)Hey Randall Smith...I hope yer reading this Dude.And I DONT buy the fixed Bisa Deal as you guys state(Mesa)...so I'm gonna Need ALOT of convincing.

been Playing for 14 years...these two things on either side of My Head are NOT Glued on...i know how to use em.If My Amp were "LOST" i'd Kick myself in the groin Violently for being a Pinhead that was more pre-occupied with the "Big Hair"-Fishnet Tank-Top and Tight Mini Skirt crowd instead of watchin My gear like a Real Smart dude would do.If Anyone Stupid enough would try to steal it.....I would circumvent Them in the midst of the "Attempted" thievery and Shove My Colt .45 Stainless combat Commander Auto loading pistol into thier Eyebrows.God Made Man....Sam Colt Made them Equal.I compared My Mesa-Boogie 3 Channel Rectifier with My Bogner 101-b Ecstacy Heads,My Bradshaw 3+ and 3+SE preamps,My Egnater IE-4 Preamp,My Bogner Fish preamps...and It (the MESA) Filled the niche that I needed for a Really Agressive head with "METAL" Type of Inherant Girth,Grind,Definiton,Distortion,Versatility,and ability to get dramatic EQ Variances and Scenarios without the need for external EQ from Processors,Pedals,and other insane types of tone sucking devices.
I wish it came with 3 Blonde Chicks in mini-Skirts,5"heels, with "Poofy" hair and ample cleavage to carry it for me,but I have it in a calzone shock case for 3 amplifier heads(sandwiched between my Bogners) so the gals got it easy...they can just roll the shock case to the stage for me while I get a beer......Peace out to all My "High Gain" Friends,and aquantices here on Harmony central.God Bless Y'all !

Just got the Dual Rectifier 3 Chan. over the weekend. One clean, two dirty. Plus it has a "Solo" boost feature. Paid $1500.

You can dial in a sweet Vintage Tone or go with the Modern Hi Gain option. The Modern option will melt the paint off the walls. Pure sonic bliss. My favorite tone is the Vintage. It's the warmest thing I have ever heard. Tons of power.

I'm using a Marshall 4 x 12 box.

Listen to me, this is the greatest, fucking guitar amp ever made. I've owned them all, Marshall, Fender, Vox. This Boogie is the king.

THIS IS THE BEST SOUNDING AMP I HAVE EVER HEARD. CASE CLOSED.

More tone options than you can imagine. You CAN'T get a bad sound out of this thing.

No Comment. It's new, not applicable.

Not Applicable.

This amp is worth every penny. You will never need another amp. This monster does it all at any volume.

If I had this thing when I was younger, I would be famous now.

Be sure to use a 4 x 12 box with this to get fat bottem.

has an adequate amount of features for a modern amp. I was choosing between this amp and a Marshall JCM2000 TSL122. It has plenty of power for sure, but as far cutting through a mix, don't think so.

I will start out by saying that I eventually chose the Marshall over this amp after hours of playing with various guitars. The Mesa does have a better than average distortion, but it is not very distinctive in the way that Mark IV's are. It also does not cut through in a mix, believe me, I've played with guys who have them, but the Marshall does. I played my plexi against this guy's mesa, and the plexi ate it alive (contrary to a previous reviewer's comments). The mesa has too much compression in the mids in the gain department. And to beat it all, the clean channel is like pee-wee herman on a hunger strike. My general consensus is that if an amp can't cut it clean, then nothing can save it.

It's an all right amp, too much money. Mesa makes better amps than this one.

This amp is plenty versatile.

Clean is decent, other sounds are good, distortion is freakin' incredible. I don't know what the two dumbasses below (the one who preferred a Marshall Plexi, and the one who thought a Dual Rec would sound good to him when he hates Creed and Incubus--what fucking morons) are even doing, submitting such idiotic reviews. This amp is awesome, but obviously it suits certain styles of music. If you don't like distortion that can kill people, but like gay lighter-distortion crap, obviously you won't like this thing.

I've never seen anything go wrong with one of these.

I haven't contacted them.

If you like lots of distortion, and are pissed off at other amps for not having enough gain (Marshall, etc), then this is your amp. Fantastic, powerfual tone. Did a recording with this and a Carvin amp--geez, the Carvin sounded horribly thin and weak by comparison. The Mesa sounded incredible.

this amp cost me $1550.00 because i ordered a tan grille which was a $150 extra charge but it was worth it. There are a ton of great sounding amps out there but not all have as many features. This amp gets a ten because for a tube amp it has a ton of features that most other tube amps dont have. the three channel dual rec is new and are just being shipped out now. I have played a ton of other amps for about the same price or a little more or less but this was the best for me. I have also tried a one channel jcm 800 which sounded great and was in great shape but it did not have the features this amp does. another amp that i would also give a 10 in this category would be the hughes and kettner triamp which has 3 amps built in for a total of 6 channels. the reason that i got the dual rec was that the sound fit my style more.

the dual rec has 3 channels and 8 modes.
the first channel is clean or pushed.
the other two are modern, vintage, or raw with the difference in the presence controls
each channel has a master vol, bass, treb, mid, gain, and presence

the amp also has the bold or spongy switch in the back which changes the sound and the wattage from 100 to 75. there is a direct slave out which can be put directly into a board to record which i would suggest that there be a cab emulator before going to the board if you were to do this. there is also the bias switch which allows you to change from 6l6 to el34 tubes without biasing the amp.. there is an effects loop. the footswitch has 5 buttons to control all this

I think this amp sounds great. the difference between each channel is huge. i still cant get an unusable sound from any channel or any mode. one of the main reasons that i chose this over the triamp was that i thought the second amp in the triamp stunk and that the 3rd amp didnt sound much different between channels. channel b on the 3rd amp was just like channel a but it was a little louder and with some more distortion.

the guitars that i use with this amp are a parker fly deluxe, a fender 90's tele thinline semi hollow, a washburn steve stevens model, and a washburn bt-8

i play everything from old guns and roses, to punk, to metal like pantera, i also play a little older stuff like zepplin and claptons new stuff. this amp works for me with all of the stuff i have played through it

the amp can get noisy if you put the gain all the way up but if you read the manual it tells you that the amp was made so that the gain didnt have to be all the way up. that would make sense on how to not get noise

i havent played the clean channel enough to get it loud enought to distort but it sounds good where i play it which is like half way. the clean channel does distort on the pushed setting.
if you really crank this amp it might have the heaviest distortion i have ever heard

the reason that i only give it a 9 is because there are tons of amps out there that i havent ever tried because they are rare or they are too much money. this amp is a 10 as compared to all the amps that i have tried so far. others also said that this amp is just for metal. it does do metal well but that is not all that it is good for.

I would gig without a backup with no problem. i am going to get some extra tubes just in case plus i want to try it with el34's in it so ill probably get a new set of tubes of el34s and 6l6s
other than that it is too new so i cant really say although they do have a great reputation

the company was a huge help. i called with a question and left a message. they called back in 20 mins. the also sent me a manual to read up on the amp before i got it which took about a week for me to get after i asked for it. they were very nice and took the time to answer all my questions perfectly

I have been playing for 5 years. i have owned all the guitars listed above plus two acoustics. i have also owned a pod pro, fender hot rod deville 2x12 and a trace elliot solid state amp

this is by far the best amp i have played to date in my opinion. you owe it to yourself to try it out or even a different mesa. they arent for everyone but you should really try them out. the other amps that were competeing against this for me is the triamp and a mesa nomad 100. they were both great too so i suggest trying them out.


this is just for me to write stupid crap in these next sentences. i dont understand why people say that amps stink. i was in the music store the other day and heard a guy playing out of a 20 watt crate and he sounded great. not every amp is the same and that is because not every guitarist is the same. i like this amp and i dont like new marshalls but i dont go call marshalls crap and give them a 1 or 2 rating. i wish people would write honest reviews instead of crap. dont just say why you dont like an amp explain so people can understand its good and bad qualities. i dont like marshalls. they have a great and unique sound. tons of bands that i listen to like them . in my opinion the new marshalls dont have the full warmth of the jcm800 or earlier marshalls. if i had to rate a jcm2000 i would give it a 7 because it is a great amp just not for me.

This is the most recent Dual Recto. Has the footswitchable channels etc. 3 separate channels with 3 settings each + several eq's for each setting. Has serious FX loop features & a cool solo feature.
I had no problem with the features of this amp. It was an obviously well-made amp.

Here it comes...
Everyone from the dealers who sold it to reviewers in mags said it was the greatest thing since popcorn. Well, I gotta tell ya, If you don't play rhythm guitar in a metal band, you will have no use for this amp. Open chords totally lose thier sweet sound thru this thing. Forget about playing leads that have any beef to them. It's weird how this sucker has a very fat barre chord sound yet loses it's punch everywhere else. All the urban-metal-rap bands that the kids like these days play these things so they are in great demand. When I took mine back, the guys at Mars Music thought I was nuts. I promptly got my $1400 back and walked out with a Marshall Plexi that knocks the Mesa's dick in the dirt as far as tone goes for a meager $799.
This amp was not for me but I'm sure it's perfect for plyers who's main concern is distortion and volume. Very noisy at times.

It seems like this amp was very well made.

Good grade for quality worksmanship. Bad grade for poor sound

ESP MH-100 with EMG 81 & 85
Amazing sound with no noise. A Megadeth,Deftones,Metalica sound.

This amp is a armored tank and is very heavy. It is just waiting to unleash some shredded attacks!!

Never had to deal with Mesa Boogie.

Only had amp for a week,just came out[3 channel].If it was stolen, I would kill the S.O.B!!!The only thing about the amp that I don't like is the chord going to the footswitch.It is the the round PIN connectors which doesn't seem to stay in place for some reason.