Tell me about the Mesa Rectoverb 1X12 combo...

F

fanuvbrak

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It's an older one, so it doesn't have the "raw" mode. The reviews I've seen are very favorable. There's one for sale near me and I'm thinking of selling my Peavey (and a guitar or two) to get it. They're asking $800.
 
you have to like the Mesa sound. if you dig it, go for it. but realize that the differences between your guitars will be minimized. i love my Subway Rocket, but there's just no point in playing my tele or Ric through it. they just sound like noisier versions of my humbucker guitars. the differences are far easier to hear out of my Allen.
 
If we are only talking Mesa, I'd rather have a dc3 or dc2 than the rectoverb. dc2 was a head only I think. Chihli's MK 3 was sweet though too. Any time I've played through a recto, I'd have to have the mids almost all the way up to get it to sound OK.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
you have to like the Mesa sound. if you dig it, go for it. but realize that the differences between your guitars will be minimized. i love my Subway Rocket, but there's just no point in playing my tele or Ric through it. they just sound like noisier versions of my humbucker guitars. the differences are far easier to hear out of my Allen.
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I have a single and I've played a shit load of other singles, duals, triples, 'verbs and trem-o-verbs..especially series I models..and you only really marginalize the difference between guitars when you are playing with some serious amounts of saturation, especially in modern mode. Playing in other modes, even vintage with the gain dialed back a smidge doesn't obscure the tone of the instrument.

Anyhow, It's basically a Single recto w/ reverb in a 1x12 combo package. 50W with a 6L6 power section. It should have two channels, each with two modes. Channel 1 has Clean and Pushed mode. Channel 2 has Vintage and Modern mode. Each mode alters the amount of gain available and the voicing. Channels are foot switchable, modes are only selectable on the front panel. IIRC the two channels have independent reverb controls and the other tone/vol controls are independant (overall master vol is shared). Effects loop w/ mix/level knob.

The thing that throws a lot of people with these amps is that the treble knob also alters the range of the bass and mid controls. It's not one of those set everything to 12 o'clock and rock out amps. You have to dial it in to your liking, being aware of how altering the treble changes the other controls. The gain control also goes to 11....and that's too much really. TBH, most people have a hard time dialing these amps in. The 1X12 combos are great for home/jam/club use but if you're really looking to get volume and play with plenty of aggression, you'll want an extension cab. I run my head into a 2X12 these days.

Tonally, I think the clean channel is plenty usable (and many people agree that the series I 50s are the best of the bunch on the clean tones) and overall the amps takes to pedals nicely. Pushed mode doesn't do much for me and I'd rather drive the clean mode w/ an OD. Vintage and Modern modes are that different voicings of that trademark cascading gain/Mesa tone; modern being the one most people are familiar with. Don't skimp on tubes with these amps either.

800 is good but the market is pretty soft and you might be able to get it down a little more.
 
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Had a Series 1 Rectoverb combo for years and LOOOOOVED the gain channel. Vintage Van Halen in a Box.

The clean was usable but not fendery. The reverb is subtle but it does add another tube to the circuit and adds richness to the sound.

I did find greater variety in my existing guitars when I switched to the Orange Rockerverb because of a bump in the midrange complexity.

If you can get it for 650 or 700 then it will serve you well (they're damn near bullet proof.)
 
The last time I was gigging, I went amp shopping and spent a good 4 hours in Guitar Center trying out a Mesa Recto Verb and a Marshall DSL 50. The Mesa didn't do it for me and I ended up with the Marshall. It sounded thin compared to the Marshall. Now the Mesa Mark I I had was a tone machine.
 
I've owned a Mark IV, Rectoverb combo Series II, and a Tremoverb.

Rectoverb was a really nice amp. It had a nice full round clean. Not a warm country clean, a more modern clean, but it had character. It did start to break up at louder volumes though so it was never a pristine clean. The gain channel was really fat and warm. Loved the recto tone, it wasn't bees in a can like you hear on nu-metal records. Use the vintage mode, dial back the gain and up the volume and it was nice and chunky. It also does a roots rock lower gain stuff like counting crows pretty well. Leads weren't the best as I felt the sustain wasn't that great. Get a boost though and some delay and it's plenty good. The loop on these suck and really play havoc with a lot of time based effects. You'll get weird phasing at higher mix levels.

It's heavy for a combo. I liked it for my style. The tremoverb is the better amp though, but costs a little bit more. $800 is a fair price, but for a series I, It'd see if he'd come down a little. I sold my very good condition series II several years back for $830 shipped I think. Shipping was a bit cheaper then though.
 
Mr. Brady said:
Loved the recto tone, it wasn't bees in a can like you hear on nu-metal records...
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I agree... the recoverbs are more Santana than any of the other rectos.


Mr. Brady said:
The loop on these suck and really play havoc with a lot of time based effects. You'll get weird phasing at higher mix levels.
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It's a parallel loop with a knob on the back to dial in 10-90% of the effects loop with the straight signal. What's great about that is you don't get the tone-suck of many serial loops where all your amp signal leaves the head and comes back in. For things like delay, it works best if you set your effects to effects only... it's when the "dry" of the effect mixes too heavy with the actual dry in the amp that you have problems. I used to set my delay to effect only and then dial up 30% or so on the loop.
 
They don't have to sound like a can of bees....people dial that tone in for some reason.
 
k4df4l said:
They don't have to sound like a can of bees....people dial that tone in for some reason.
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I've noticed over the years that the sound you are talking about is usually gotten by guys with the PRS/Mesa combination who aren't too into getting "their" sound as much as "that" sound.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
that's their sound.
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Help!I'maRock! said:
the same can be said for every gear combo. people gravitate towards Les Pauls, Strats and Marshalls because of how they sound too. just like everybody else.
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Yeah, although the PRS Mesa buzzsaw cocktail was very prevalent around here for years and made everything I heard in a club incredibly generic. I think the mindset is "I've bought what I consider the best there is so I should just plug it in and magic will come out". I could probably pick up the same gear and within a few minutes find a sound that works for me without sounding like everyone else. Most players should be but for much of the 1990's and early 2000's around here is was easier for people to spend $4k on that sound. I don't see it very much anymore, though,.
 
I've never been into Mesa's enough to ever considering owning one.

And just to put it into perspective for you Mesa is the derivicus mans 1st choice of amp.
 
Mark Wein said:
Yeah, although the PRS Mesa buzzsaw cocktail was very prevalent around here for years and made everything I heard in a club incredibly generic. I think the mindset is "I've bought what I consider the best there is so I should just plug it in and magic will come out". I could probably pick up the same gear and within a few minutes find a sound that works for me without sounding like everyone else. Most players should be but for much of the 1990's and early 2000's around here is was easier for people to spend $4k on that sound. I don't see it very much anymore, though,.
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my axiom still applies. "spend X dollars on X amp, and you'll sound like a rock god." at the time, it was Mesa and to a certain extent, Soldano. before that it was Marshall. we're talking about guitarists here. they're easily swayed by marketing for their gear purchases.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
my axiom still applies. "spend X dollars on X amp, and you'll sound like a rock god." at the time, it was Mesa and to a certain extent, Soldano. before that it was Marshall. we're talking about guitarists here. they're easily swayed by marketing for their gear purchases.
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Can't argue with that.
 
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