Mesa Rectifier Badlander?

[Jecht]

Early rectos were all over the place. I was able to try one when a tech brought one back from tour to share with a friend of mine and I played it at his place, I play a Road King, use the EL34 on vintage mode into a cabinet with Greenbacks. It's just about the least "Recto" tone you'll hear come out of one of their amps.

I believe it. One of my very good friends has been GASing for a Road King ever since I’ve known him as a do it all amp. I keep encouraging him to get one, but he’s a full time recording engineer and spends all of his money on high end audio gear.

 

[SleepingSG]

For real. I have a Fillmore 50 head and at maximum gain it easily gets into prog rock crunch territory with active pickups (fishman fluence modern). IMHO people have the wrong idea of that amp, it's a great all-rounder, it just doesn't do modern metal without a little bit of help (like a Revv pedal in the loop, then it does modern metal too).

A lot of the uninitiated just assume Mesa means metal...

 

[Dead Astronaut]

Just noticed something interesting:

I was looking at the Badlander manual, and from the tube task chart, it appears to be a Marshall Master Volume-based design like every other Recto – probably a cathode follower, probably a cold clipper in V1B, etc. But from what I can tell, the cathode follower ("tone stack driver" on the chart) is in V2A+B, and there are still several gain stages left afterward. I don't think I've ever seen a CF-based design that didn't go straight to the FX loop/reverb/phase inverter/whatever's after the main body of the preamp.

Anybody know what putting the follower that early in the preamp might do? The Badlander does sound notably tighter and, the more I hear it, a bit more Marshally in its high-mid zing, and I wonder if this might have something to do with it, going straight from the cold clipper to the CF with a gain cascade afterward.

 

[SleepingSG]

Anyway, Why simplify? Series effects? single rectifier? No 6l6?

less bass to allow some definition on a 7 or 8 string? Seems like you lose the recto articulation though unless you bring a 7-8 to force some bass back.

the fizz is still there to my ear.

Honest question:

Recto owners do you want this? Were you looking at your amp and wanting these changes?
Non- recto owners do you want this?

 

[BenoA]

Honest question:

Recto owners do you want this? Were you looking at your amp and wanting these changes?
Non- recto owners do you want this?

I really dig my Mini Recto. I was thinking buying something like a Torpedo captor. After going through the Badlander manual, I really dig the fact that you don't need any software to run IR with it.

I am really thinking getting the 50w version. Loud enough for what I do. Can be run with no cab. And from the few videos, it sounds quite similar to my Mini. Also, Mesa amps hold their value over the years. I think I am sold.

 

[SleepingSG]

I really dig my Mini Recto. I was thinking buying something like a Torpedo captor. After going through the Badlander manual, I really dig the fact that you don't need any software to run IR with it.

I am really thinking getting the 50w version. Loud enough for what I do. Can be run with no cab. And from the few videos, it sounds quite similar to my Mini. Also, Mesa amps hold their value over the years. I think I am sold.

It’s pretty crazy becuase they actually priced this high imo, but anyone looking at a ox box style device now will be able to sell their rectifier and grab a new amp with one built in.
Very smart. I hadn realized it even though in my own mind I was thinking ‘gee I’d really like a Lone Star with a cab iR so I don’t have to buy a torpedo’.
Though I dislike the digital bit creeping in to the amps...

 

[108]

The lack of an effects loop switch on the footswitch almost kills this amp for me. It’s almost everything I want, and seemingly fixes the issues I’ve had with Rectos before.

 

[BenoA]

Though I dislike the digital bit creeping in to the amps...

I hear ya but at least, according to the manual and I also asked some who already owns the amp, that the amp acts as a "drive" on your computer and you simply drag and drop your IR into the folders. For me, the fact that you don't need any kind of software makes the amp quite interesting as it should still be working in many years as your are not dependant on an app or piece of coding to use the IR feature with it. A good mix of old and new tech all together.

 

[108]

I own the Cab Clone IR, which is what is built into the Badlander. You simply plug into the USB slot, and it’s basically a thumb drive with multiple folders containing one IR each, corresponding to the slots on the physical knob. You drag and drop IRs to load them. It’s easy peasy.

 

[Jabby92]

Anyway, Why simplify? Series effects? single rectifier? No 6l6?

less bass to allow some definition on a 7 or 8 string? Seems like you lose the recto articulation though unless you bring a 7-8 to force some bass back.

the fizz is still there to my ear.

Honest question:

Recto owners do you want this? Were you looking at your amp and wanting these changes?
Non- recto owners do you want this?

As a Recto owner (and lover) I like to see that Mesa is willing to do something different with it at least. I have to really hear more demos or play one to know for sure if I would want this amp or not. The fizz to my ear is much more contained than the current Rectos (and older), to me this amp has the Recto 'edge' to it but with less overall fizz. Seems like the midrange emphasis warms up the overall sound and takes a way a good amount of the traditional scoop that impacts the overall frequencies. The low end of course is tighter and less pronounced as a result.

The built-in IRs and stuff are neat. I feel this amp really is a complete studio/recording/gigging amp if you don't already own some type of IR box. The rackmount seems quite appealing in that respect, if you're into that type of setup.

What I don't like? No Rectifier tubes/tracking option, limited footswitch (no solo boost, effects loop buttons, etc). So overall, I think the main reason someone would buy this over an existing Rectifier amp is because they simply don't like the more scooped midrange of a traditional Recto, they don't want/need Rectifier tubes/tracking, don't need a 3rd channel and also want built-in IR features in the amp itself.

So to me in the end it just comes down to what features you want what tones you like. The current Recto's I find sit in a mix very well since they're brighter than they used to be. I'd probably like the Badlander more if I was coming from a Marshall or some other mid-focused tight high gain amp and didn't like the sound or features of the existing Rectifier amps (the big & small).

 

[starvingartist]

The lack of an effects loop switch on the footswitch almost kills this amp for me. It’s almost everything I want, and seemingly fixes the issues I’ve had with Rectos before.

I’m not thrilled about this either, but I suppose an AB switch in front of the loop effects is a fairly easy workaround

 

[Screwball]

I’m not thrilled about this either, but I suppose an AB switch in front of the loop effects is a fairly easy workaround

i think the crappy part about that is you’d still have to use the loop.. you’re taking a line signal, bringing it down to instrument signal, then back up to line signal again. It’ll only matter when recording I guess, in which case you can just plug and play.

I like the idea of having footswitchable effects loops because it allows you to do so much with a press of a button and also gives you a cleaner signal path (if the bypass eliminates dropping the signal down

 

[BenoA]

I own the Cab Clone IR, which is what is built into the Badlander. You simply plug into the USB slot, and it’s basically a thumb drive with multiple folders containing one IR each, corresponding to the slots on the physical knob. You drag and drop IRs to load them. It’s easy peasy.

Interesting and had not thought of this. Could also use it with all my other amps.

 

[teofilrocks]

So here’s a thought I had.. Since the Badlander has a reactive load + IRs, if I added a Synergy SYN2 and 2 preamp modules and ran it through the effects loop - I’d have 6 amp tone options all coming out of the IR line out. Granted, only one power amp flavor (possibly two, depending on what the Badlander does with NFB in the different modes). But I find myself playing through basically one IR with multiples amps now. So might not be a huge deal.

Hmm...

 

[PaisleyWookie]

By your logic the Single would not be a Single Rectifier, it would be a Zero Rectifier, and the Dual Rectifier Maverick and Blue Angel models would both be under the Single Rectifier name.

The only reason they changed that naming convention on the Triple was to differentiate it from the 100 watt Dual Rectifiers.

Nope. Sorry dude, you’re wrong.

 

[PaisleyWookie]

Anyway, Why simplify? Series effects? single rectifier? No 6l6?

less bass to allow some definition on a 7 or 8 string? Seems like you lose the recto articulation though unless you bring a 7-8 to force some bass back.

the fizz is still there to my ear.

Honest question:

Recto owners do you want this? Were you looking at your amp and wanting these changes?
Non- recto owners do you want this?

I have a Rectoverb 25, and yes I want the combo.

 

[TP Parter]

Nope. Sorry dude, you’re wrong.

Lol. You can believe whatever fallacy you would like. I think their patent applications and promo material stating the history as I described are more than enough proof. If you wish to correct your ignorance on the subject by reading up, then that is your call.

 

[Coopster]

Non- recto owners do you want this?

Ab. So. Lutely.

 

[PaisleyWookie]

Lol. You can believe whatever fallacy you would like. I think their patent applications and promo material stating the history as I described are more than enough proof. If you wish to correct your ignorance on the subject by reading up, then that is your call.

The onus is on you to prove everyone wrong, when you’re the dissenting viewpoint. I’ll wait.

 

[oneblackened]

Just noticed something interesting:

I was looking at the Badlander manual, and from the tube task chart, it appears to be a Marshall Master Volume-based design like every other Recto – probably a cathode follower, probably a cold clipper in V1B, etc. But from what I can tell, the cathode follower ("tone stack driver" on the chart) is in V2A+B, and there are still several gain stages left afterward. I don't think I've ever seen a CF-based design that didn't go straight to the FX loop/reverb/phase inverter/whatever's after the main body of the preamp.

Anybody know what putting the follower that early in the preamp might do? The Badlander does sound notably tighter and, the more I hear it, a bit more Marshally in its high-mid zing, and I wonder if this might have something to do with it, going straight from the cold clipper to the CF with a gain cascade afterward.

If I had to guess, the signal flow is probably V1-(V3)-V2-V4-V5. V3 is switched in and out for extra gain stages. Don't make the mistake of assuming that tube number is necessarily the signal flow.