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I finally went to the closest Mesa dealer and tried out a Mesa. I ended up walking out with a Single Recto. I'm really impressed with the Mesa and the longer I have it and the more I read the manual the more I find out about this amp.

I have to say that all of the comparisions between Mesa and Marshall are crazy. They truely are completely different amplifiers. I'm going to say that out of the TSL I own and the Single Recto, the Single Recto is my favorite. I still love the TSL, but the Mesa covers it all.

One of the biggest difference is the clean. The TSL has some decent clean (actually liked it alot), but the Mesa is Excelent- Everything sounds so close together and it sounds more 'in-place' and lively. I guess like a slightly compressed sound but completly touch sensitive. The Marshall was kind of darker and fatter on the clean, where as the Mesa is more chimy and musical to my ears - think fender-ish.

OK, heres the meat and potatoes - Distortion. The Mesa has 5 different modes and 4 of them can get dirty. The TSL, 2 distortions modes. Mesa is like a mid monster, I don't dare turn the mid up past 5 sometimes it has to stay in between 1-3. And for those who have never played a Mesa I must take this chance to explain why I say Mesa and Marshall are completely different-

Most people are firmiliar with a marshall type of tone control - you need more mids you crank up the mid, it's about the same sound with more mids.
Not Mesa if you turn a knob over a third of a turn you could be faced with a completely different tone (Expecially if it is the Treble control). The Mesa's owners manual is 30 pages of regular sized paper (the TSL was about 4-6 pages of pamplet sized paper). So, I have to say it is my Honest Opinion that if anyone says they walked into a music store and tried a Mesa by themselves, turned the knobs without first reading the manual or talking to a sales person, They will almost undoubtadly say it sucked or it is overrated. You really have to know how the controls interact to get one of the Many great tones.

So, Distortion wise the Mesa (like everyone said) can do a HUGE range of sounds. I like the vintage mode and the raw mode the most as they can give a great classic/Hard rock to a Heavy distortion that sounds remarkable farmiliar to many Songs and Artists. Even some ACDC sounded really great, not exactly the same, but I liked it with a little more bottom and mabey a tiny bit more gain.
The Marshall's distortion is better as it gets louder (so is the Mesa, but the Marshall really needs to be loud to sound great). The classic Marshall crunch is in full effect and if you crank the mids a little, it can offer a decent Rock/Metal tone (not super distorted new metal or Hardcore stuff) but 80-90 Ozzy, Aerosmith, even a few Tool tones. Great for the Rock guitarist that wants some Black Crows every once and a while.

However, overall IMO, the Mesa is more 'Hi-Fi' sounding, It has a character that sounds more like something that could be on tape directly whereas the marshall could use a little pro tools help to even it up and bring is character out more.

Let me say that I'm keeping both as they are both great amps.

And another thing I noticed that was a little odd is that the Mesa's 50 Watts are quite a bit louder than the Marshall's 60 watts.

Wattage says very little about volume, my Mesa DC-5 (50W) blows away my ENGL Powerball in volume. But yeah, I've heard lots of good things about that single recto, pretty curious about the settings you use, it might be helpful to those who couldn't get a usable sound out of their Recto.

Congrats on your purchase!


Originally Posted by NeeradjWattage says very little about volume, my Mesa DC-5 (50W) blows away my ENGL Powerball in volume. But yeah, I've heard lots of good things about that single recto, pretty curious about the settings you use, it might be helpful to those who couldn't get a usable sound out of their Recto.

Congrats on your purchase!

I think those people that can't get a usable sound are using too much bass/presence/gain...


Originally Posted by GuitaristI think those people that can't get a usable sound are using too much bass/presence/gain...
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I think a lot of people just walk up to a Mesa and dime the gain and expect it to sound like their favorite bands on the radio...

You people are gonna make me want a Rectifier, and then i'm gonna be a sell-out.


Originally Posted by GuitaristI think those people that can't get a usable sound are using too much bass/presence/gain...So, I went down to GC to check out a Recto. Now, I know what I'm doing and I set the EQ up the way I like it (treble 7, mids 1, bass 10, pres 7) and dimed the gain. Now, the dude in GC wouldn't let me turn up, so I could only play with the master at 1.....let me just say that this amp is very thin and buzzy sounding. The gain sounded like a swarm of mosquitos, the bass was loose and farty, and the top end had all sorts on fizz on it.




Originally Posted by screamingdaisySo, I went down to GC to check out a Recto. Now, I know what I'm doing and I set the EQ up the way I like it (treble 7, mids 1, bass 10, pres 7) and dimed the gain. Now, the dude in GC wouldn't let me turn up, so I could only play with the master at 1.....let me just say that this amp is very thin and buzzy sounding. The gain sounded like a swarm of mosquitos, the bass was loose and farty, and the top end had all sorts on fizz on it.



LOL..yep...it will sound like @$$ set up like that.I spent alot of time w/ a dual rec last week and on the vintage and raw modes I was totally floored after some tweaking. Incredible sounds...sans farty bass, and icepick fizz The quot;rawquot; mode could get REAL Marshally, and the quot;Vintage high gainquot; mode could do modded marshall to MK IIC/III. I suspect with EL-34s it would be even better.

Iffins I wanted to play some Metallica type stuff, the quot;modernquot; mode would be OK with proper eq-ing (not the scoopy crap), but overall it's just not my thing.

VERY cool amp. Totally gets a bad rap due to the ear for tone-challenged who use them. The more I play with one, the more I want one.


Originally Posted by screamingdaisySo, I went down to GC to check out a Recto. Now, I know what I'm doing and I set the EQ up the way I like it (treble 7, mids 1, bass 10, pres 7) and dimed the gain. Now, the dude in GC wouldn't let me turn up, so I could only play with the master at 1.....let me just say that this amp is very thin and buzzy sounding. The gain sounded like a swarm of mosquitos, the bass was loose and farty, and the top end had all sorts on fizz on it.



Yeah, I wouldn't think your even touching the power amp section at that volume. I called ahead and got the store hours and talked to the sales guy ahead of time and told him when I would be there. So, when I got there they took a few minutes and set it up for me (LOUD ) and gave me a tutorial. And also, you're not supposed to turn the gain to 10, the booklet says that there are three 'types' of gain on the gain knob, and as you crank it you will get more distortion/compression/and noise. And you really don't have to crank the gain with the master turned up.


Originally Posted by NapsAnd also, you're not supposed to turn the gain to 10, the booklet says that there are three 'types' of gain on the gain knob, and as you crank it you will get more distortion/compression/and noise. And you really don't have to crank the gain with the master turned up.

Don't be afraid to experiment though. Running the gain up around 15:00 on vintage and modern may seem retarded, but has a really singing lead tone provided you can control the feedback.

Also, I regularly run raw with the gain around 9-10 and the treb/mids/pres up when I'm in a Sabbath kinda mood. Scoop the mids a bit and drop raw down to about 6 or so and you've got something similar to Zakk Wylde.

Also, try running the clean/pushed settings with alot of gain.....great fun. Try running your gain at about 6-7 on pushed and turn the master volumes up loud enough to beat the piss out of the power tubes, then play Hell's Bells...... it's tube sag heaven.

The single rectifier is a great amp, much better than the dual or triple imo. And yeah, Mesa EQs are DIAL WITH CARE. The treble yes, but especially the BASS and gain. Mesa amps are naturally bassy, and their bass controls really thicken your sound more than add bass to it. Too much bass and you get that flubby sound that lots of folks don't like. Great purchase though, have fun with your new amp!

Like what was posted above and like I've always said, the single rectifiers make some of the best sounding cleans out of any high gain amp ever!


Originally Posted by Jeff5The single rectifier is a great amp, much better than the dual or triple imo. And yeah, Mesa EQs are DIAL WITH CARE. The treble yes, but especially the BASS and gain.

That was the main reason I returned my Single Rec to Guitar Center after three weeks. I liked the tone and potential tone the Rec provided....but prefer an easy to dial in amplifier. As said before, wow, great cleans.