How to get Mesa Recto to cut through?

[samjbrowne]

I've got a Mesa Roadking which is really "fun" (playable, I guess) and obviously has lots of tone options, but I find the high gain channels don't cut through the mix very well. I've been wondering if perhaps a different type of speaker (to the V30) is the answer? I don't need uber death grind, my stuff is more like Foo Fighters heavy than Metallica heavy.

Would I be best to look at using it with some greenbacks or something? Has anybody else had this problem and worked out a way around it?

 

[James BCM]

Turn up the mids.

Most Dual or Triple Rec's I've ever played or heard are highly scooped in the mids. If a V30 won't cut through, this is your best option.

LB
BCM

 

[SteveO]

EQ in the loop is a common thing for Rectos, had one for my Roadster just to get the mids out more.

 

[samjbrowne]

EQ in the loop is a common thing for Rectos, had one for my Roadster just to get the mids out more.

Did that work out well?

 

[JGonzalez]

Try boosting with a tube screamer or another mid-hump TS variant.

 

[samjbrowne]

Is anybody doing this with an Empress ParaEQ? Seems like the rolls royce of guitar EQs?

 

[Tuberattler]

Add mids, back off on bass, tweak a little more presence or treble in and you should be cutting soon.. also back off on reverb as it tends to wash your sound a bit if it's too much.

Try it out and see if it doesn't cut through.

 

[Anna_Laurel]

More mids
More treble
Less bass

most important - turn down the gain and turn up the volume

Did I mention turning the gain down and volume up?

Oh, one more thing - back off the gain.

 

[Yuval Kramer]

I had this exact same problem, its like the amp couldn't "handle" the drums and the second guitar.
No matter how loud I played, I couldn't hear myself clear enough.

Once i switched from the 6L6 power tubes to EL34s - everything just worked out perfectly.

 

[samjbrowne]

I had this exact same problem, its like the amp couldn't "handle" the drums and the second guitar.
No matter how loud I played, I couldn't hear myself clear enough.

Once i switched from the 6L6 power tubes to EL34s - everything just worked out perfectly.

Excellent, thanks a lot for this! I will give it a go!

 

[ripoffriffs]

+100

This is a classic problem with Mesas, especially the Dual Recto series. They're great when heard/played alone. Once in a band setting, especially a loud-style music, it's a no-show in the mix.

The scooped mids is a horrible concept in a band setting! Mesa keeps marketing this concept so that it can sound good at the store but become useless in a live band setting.

Of course if you're playing Fleetwood Mac music (which is what their guitar player uses), yea you can disregard my post. But once you get into metal, punk, or music with lots of distorted chords then forget it. Marshall-type amps is the way to go.

More mids
More treble
Less bass

most important - turn down the gain and turn up the volume

Did I mention turning the gain down and volume up?

Oh, one more thing - back off the gain.

 

[Derelict]

mesa tone stacks are wired in series, so if you have the treble up high, the other values won't work as much. this is why most people fail at dialing in mesas. the rectos/road kings can sound fantastic when tweaked right.

start here and tweak to taste:

(all values in o'clock)
bass - 10:00
mids - 3:00 or higher
treble - all the way off
presence - use for your treble. it will not affect your tonestack like the treble knob b/c it comes from the power amp section. start with it off and slowly turn it up until you get a nice cut

now, if you wish, you can start to slowly turn the treble up, but as you do, the mids will drop out. i'd just leave it off or bump it up just a tad.

 

[kbphx]

Lower the gain
Bump the mids
Lower the gain again
Adjust the master
Play

 

[Hendog]

Try boosting with a tube screamer or another mid-hump TS variant.

This ^^^ is common practice with Recto's.

That amp has been designed to sound that way. It is a modern metal tone. Sounds great alone, but lost in the mix to a certain degree. That is sort of what is supposed to happen. Only certain frequencies cut through and those are the ones that are supposed to dominate your sound spectrum. In modern metal, the guitars (usually 2), the bass, the drums, and the singing all have their place in the mix. That may be the beauty of modern metal.

 

[Derelict]

Lower the gain
Bump the mids
Lower the gain again
Adjust the master
Play

good point.

i forgot to mention to keep the gain around 10:00 o'clock. lots of gain in those amps.

 

[buddaman71]

I really like them with EL34s.

Rectos have some really good sounds in them when not dialed in the typical way...

 

[coalblackhorse]

I can't say I'm going to add anything that hasn't been said, but as a Dual Rec player in an aggressive band where we always get complimented on our live tone I say:

CRANK THEM MIDS!!!!!!

 

[::fred::]

sell it, buy a framus cobra. Honestly, you will never go back to the rectum again.

 

[mvd18969]

You're kidding right??

+100

This is a classic problem with Mesas, especially the Dual Recto series. They're great when heard/played alone. Once in a band setting, especially a loud-style music, it's a no-show in the mix.

 

[Anna_Laurel]

You're kidding right??

Go to bed. No supper.