Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 2 Channels

Amp Head 100 Watts:
- 2 channels
- 5 12AX7 preamp tubes
- 2 grinding lamps 5U4G
- 4 6L6 power lamps
- Effects loop in series until the revision F, then parallel.
- 1 master, 1 presence, 1 bass, 1 mid, 1 treble and 1 gain per channel
- Function 'copy' of a channel on the other: in normal mode both channels have a different voicing, in 'clone' they have the same voicing and presence settings are added; both are voicing 'Modern' and 'Vintage', we can, optionally, have a modern and vintage or two vintage or modern two. Sounds will never be the same but may be close enough.
- 1 clean / crunch channel switch on the back
- 2 outputs 4 ohm, 16 ohm output 1, 1 output 8ohm
- Rotary knob for the effects loop (bypass channel only with orange, red, both)
- 1 relay for switching effects loop
- 1 relay for channel selection
- 1 output slave out to power another power amp
- 1 selector bias, as it uses 6L6 or EL34
- 1 selector rectification lamp (vacuum tubes) or diode (silicon diodes)
- 1 switch power attenuator 'spongy' / 'bold', to do a little more work lamps, its a little more vintage mode 'spongy', full power in 'bold'
- 1 volume effects loop, serving as general master when it is activated.

UTILIZATION

config is not simple. The settings are not common to other amps that I could have (hughes & Kettner, engl.) Potentiometers interact according to their race ...
The effects loop is parallel ... crap. Actually no, but if the effect of recent processors are used, they will appreciate that the loops in series. And then, miraculously, the Dual Rectifier can be modified easily and can thus recover a perfect series loop, and this is what I am eager to do. The sound is the same now when I use the loop or not, whether disabled or bypassed (hard bypass). Adjusting the master volume knob through the effects loop is a real plus, especially as the levels of the two channels are very sensitive and can quickly blow up eardrums.
We must try everything to find what you prefer and it will take time:
- 'Bold' or 'Spongy?
- Modern and Vintage? Modern and Modern? vintage and vintage?
- Clear? Clearly boosted? Light crunch? 2nd saturated?
- Vacuum tubes or silicon diodes?

for me it's Red modern, vintage Orange (normal mode), the orange crunch, Bold and silicon diodes.

SOUNDS

Orange channel:
- Plain as it is dark enough saturated. I found the clear usable but overall I do not like this channel, the only use that might interest me would be saturated alternative channel, because it can saturate as much as the Red channel. The sound is thick, not very dynamic and saturation is constant, we honestly attack or little. So if you like the crunch vox or hughes & Kettner, very clear and powerful that saturate on the free attacks and the extreme frequencies, go your way.

Red channel:
Here it s'corse, the sound is powerful, rough, thick, bass worthy of a sub with a big fat 412 quality, treble that pierce the eardrums. Attention to control the presence, if you do not want her fuzzy must put little, I'm about 3/4.
Gain begins to drool 7, approaches a sound like Entombed uprising when pushing on further. I prefer him to gain 6/7 and adding a factor upstream tube (used Tubescreamer lamp) and there is huge.

I play a sort of rock with a metal sound, I'm the only guitarist. I played for years with a 2 Triamp for its versatility, I wanted to change for a more saturated channel decanted, and then I'm thrilled.

The sound is very distinctive, but that's why we turn to this kind of amp. Properly adjusted, it has a rich harmonic saturation that covers all frequencies well, and that is not lost with the bass in the mix. For me, the sound has never been so clean again.

I connect over a PRS Custom 22 and a Les paul Burny RLC-70.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had only a few months, but it puts the slap everything I had previously saturated channel. I never liked the sound of the Dual Rectifier output later and yet I can no longer separate myself from it. For crunch I preferred him tubeman 2 Hughes & Kettner, connected to the power amp via a g-system that zaps the preamp on demand.
I was impressed by the quality that clears the head, at each level, until the ignition switch and connect each cable, handle all that to realize.