Mesa Boogie Single Rectifier (versatile?)

[blindtc]

I am thinking about getting one of these amp heads used. a friend is willing to sell it to me for a good price! Any thoughts/opinions about this amp?? i am gonna use this amp for gigging in my two blues bands. We actually play a mixture of blues, classic rock, R&B, and Funk! would this be the right amp for me? i would only be using the clean and slightly dirty channels, and using my Analog King Of Tone pedal for leads! any advice about this amp?

[aaland_brian]

I think that amp would be one of my last picks for blues. I own a Road king and I love it, but it doesn't excel in the cleans for blues playing, and it's overdrive is very gainy. I would go for a lonestar or transatlantic if you you wanted a mesa for blues. There are so many amps you could use for your needs, but the recto was built for Rawk.

[IGuitUpIGuitDown]

Depends on how you play. I love mine, and we play a lot of different styles. Sometimes playing blues is more about the guitar/string gauge than the amp, anyway.

It's fantastic for funk, and excellent for all rock. You just have to play with it to get the tones you want. We just played a gig where several people raved about how "they never saw one single guitarist play so many different types of music."

And I use one amp. That. The Rectoverb II model.

[NashSG]

If it is that cheap, you could probably get it, use it then flip it if it isn't to your liking and not lose any money though. Clean channel is a bit darker sounding than my Mark IIb head, but it works with pedals OK.

You have quite a range of gain. Keep the gain lower in the vintage channel and keep the presence down, it takes out quite a bit of the 'Rectifier' growl and gets more of a vintage Mesa gain sound.

[BlackIrish]

i think if your giging a lot you could do worse than a mesa. for reliability and flexibility i would get it cheap and spend some time with it loud.

[obasnoj]

used to own a rectoverb (SR + reverb)

this amp is garbage for blues or really anything other than rock, IMO. cleans are awful, and the lower OD stuff is pretty bad too. just does that typical recto sound very well. surely, someone would disagree... bought a mesa express and have been way happier

[IGuitUpIGuitDown]

The Rectoverb II model has great cleans. I was surprised how good they sounded, plus they got worse using another cab loaded with EVs.

Whatever.

I played through 'garbage' for years. That Mesa turned it all around, with one amp. But tone is very subjective. So is garbage.

[LesPaulMesa]

Old Thread I Know. Have had a bunch of amps and guitars in the past. Reasons for that...But now I have Gibson LP Trad and Mesa.
Okay, here is the deal. Not a pro by any stretch. I own the Single 50 W head with a Mesa 2x12 cabinet. If you are a player that DOES NOT like to work a bit to find your sound, this amp MAY NOT be for you.
Cleans? How Clean? Joe Pass flat clean? Maybe. But you'll be rolling down your guitar volume knob.

I may good for this thread because I don't play metal and I even though I push to harder rock, I still don't chug the metal stuff like my buddies. One in partricular can chug the metal like the best of them and has this amp too. But I like to take amps that aren't meant to do what they are adverstised to do and get them to other things. Just the way it is. A challenge, plus I get them to sound different.

Blues Clean? What is Blues Clean? Like BB King? I am not sure what Blues Clean is. I am originally from Memphis and there is always a bit of dirt in the blues. Jazz Clean? Al Dimeola Fusion Clean, like on Kiss My Axe? Well there are hints of sustain and some kind of drive as well going on, but sure he can play clean as glass becuase, well he's Al.
But, think about the attack. The Mesa Single Rect is ALL about you and the guitar. It's not going to be forgiving. I will eventually get a Fender clean amp again, but it won't be a Blues Junior.

If your play like crap, and most of us have all sounded like crap one time or another, then this amp will frustrate you like a bad golf game, throwing your club across the lake. BUT, if you spend some time, get your pick attack finessed, like to push tubes, it is a versatile amp. I think one amp for everyhthing is hard to find and tastes vary wide. More than two amps unless you are endorsed is a waste, you probably will only really play one at a time anyway unless you're Joe Bonomassa or some spelling, that always has is Marshall on. Which I had a DSL 50 kinda liked it, but it was fizzy comnpared to my Mesa.

So in essence, think about really what you are after. I aonly play original music and so therefore I listen to a lot of artists and how they get their sound and what they say is important to then, but I am not looking to duplicate their sound. The music is in the heart, then the mind, then the fingers.

The Mesa will do a lot. But you will have to spend time like finding the right woman, otherwise you'll be tradin' gear just like runnin' women. Is it really worth the effort? It's up to you....