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Hey guys, how do Mesa's Rectos compare in tone and style to the Mark series?

*EDIT* and what about the Nomads (aren't they similar to Marks?) how are those next to the Rectos?

imo marks sound better !!!

Recto's are more modern sounding, are more agressive sounding, and have a bigger/tighter bottom end.

Mark's are a little less modern sounding (but hardly vintage once you get past the MkII), smoother/less harsh, and also have a big bottom end, but it's also smoother sounding than that of the Recto (ie, less thump).

I like the mark series much better

I've never player a mark series, but I ****ing love my f50(I've heard some describe it as a cross between the two..)

I owned a Mark IV combo for a couple of months and upgraded to a Tremoverb combo and have never looked back. Many say the Mark series has infinitely better cleans, however my T-verbs cleans are exceptional. Regarding gain, the Mark is smoother, but really lacks the bottom end I was searching for (possibly the fact that it was a 1X12 vs 2X12). The recto's gain, especially the Tremoverb's is awesome. The main difference I noticed and which was the main reason I got rid of the Mark and kept the T-verb is the ability to find a usable tone. Mesa's are notorious for being fery finicky when it comes to playing with the knobs. The Mark series personifies this. I played with the knobs for weeks, trying other's settings and the settings provided in the manual, but to no avail. I never found 2, let alone 3 tones out of this 3 channel amp that I liked. Within a day of owning the Tremoverb I found pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Over the last few months it has only gotten better as I have refined my search for MY tone.

Hope this helps.


Originally Posted by XeromusI like the mark series much better

Plus 1, I havn't personally played a Mark series amp, but I have heard several played on several different ocations, and I've played several rectos myself...
The recto's are great, and they are very useful, but my personal preferance if for the Mark's.

Rock On!

my dual rect blue angel has the best clean sound of any mesa- the best reverb too- are you talking about the big channel switching solo heads? not all dual rects sound like that- the Maverick was a dual rect too.

thanks much guys, anything else?

I have and have had amps from both series and I prefer the Mark. With the exception of the Blue Angel and the Maverick (maybe Heartbreaker, too), the Recto series has a very quot;in your facequot; bass characteristic that I'm not crazy about. With my Rectoverb, I literally have the bass turned all of the way off in the gain channel. I would characterize it as being boomy, but that's just me. The Marks, especially the Mark IV, are infinitely more versatile and more capable of both vintage and modern tones. As mentioned, it does take most people some tmie of messing with them to find their desired sweet spot, I but I've always viewed that as being a positive thing. If it's a tone that you're looking for, it's probably in a Mark IV somewhere. You just have to find it.

A good comparison is to listen to some older Dream Theater (Scenes From A Memory is a good choice) and then some of Train of Thought or Octavarium. The smooth singing tone you hear in some of the earlier songs are what I dig. I think the Rectos have their place but I like the tonal characteristics of the Marks more.