Triple Rectifier Review

Sure, single channel boutique sweeties are all well and good, but sometimes you've just got to have a three-channel, 150W, triple-rectified all-valve rock monster. Well, look no further.

Features:	9.6
Sound:	9.7
Reliability:	9.7
Impression:	9.7
Overall rating:	9.7
Users rating:	9
Comments:	95

Featured review by: unregistered, on july 21, 2006

Price paid: $ 1299.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This is the newer version of the triple rectifier with three channels, clean, overdrive 1, and overdrive 2. 150 watts of tube power. it comes with a five button footswitch labeled, ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, solo, FX. I play mostly death metal, hardcore, and a little bit of blues. I use this amp almost everyday to practice with my band and its absolutely enough power for me. Besides reverb, there is nothing that I would add to this monster! // 9

Sound: I play a Gibson Les Paul Custom Ebony with stock p/ups, and a Schecter C-7 Hellraiser with EMG 707's. Surprisingly, its not noisy at all(unless you have it fully cranked and you are standing two feet away from it) Its been said that the trip rect is a tweeker amp, meaning that maxing everything out will make it sound stupid, and its true. However, if you resort on these kind of setting you prolly shouldnt be playing on of these bc the settings I have dialed in absolutely annihilate anything I've ever played before. The clean channel is pretty god for watever, I just wish it would break up better but I rarely use it anyway, the pushed feature on the clean channel allows for a soft, bluesy dist. The second channel is a good channel for more of an older rock sound as the distortion is a little looser, which when dialed in right is capable of an amazing blues tone imo. The third channel which is a more brutal distortion channel than the second with an amazing low end thum and perfect highs. I'm running it through a Marshall JCM800 slanted cab and I think its the best possible mix around. Since Marshall cab are made for high midrange its safe to say that this makes the trip rect sound even more aggressive than playing with the standard mesa cab(which I found to be extremely muddy, with poor midrange and treble. WHen I have the channel volume around 12 o'clock and the master output at around 9'oclock shit will fall down form my walls. All in all its the best distortion I've ever heard from an amp due to its absolutely monstrous low end and crunch. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Never had anything happen to it, I've had it for 6 months. // 10

Impression: For the music I play its a perfect match, I've been playin for about 5 years, and I consider myself far far ahead of my peers in terms of technicality of playing. I also have a Marshall dsl 100 watt head and when you lay these side by side it makes the Marshall seem like a practice solid state amp. its a shame to see the garbage Marshall has been producing. If it were stolen or lost id def get another one, theres just that much to love about it. My only comlaint is that it doesnt have reverb which is ok bc I dont play and emo shit or magic metal or w/e. I played a Framus Cobra, and Engl Savage, and a Peavey 6505. The trip rect just stood out as it had this amazing fullness to its tone and bone crushing low end. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Muramasa, on june 19, 2009

Price paid: $ 1200

Purchased from: music-go-round

Features: My Triple Rectifier was made in July of 2000. Only 2 channels on this one (Vintage Orange and Modern Red). This is one of the last of the 2 channel rectifiers made. This amp has lots of different settings: Bold/Spongy, Silicon diode/tube rectifiers, channel cloning which allows you to make the modern red channel sound like the Vintage Orange or vice versa. It also has a parallel FX loop and a slave out. Its 150 watts of power, 6 6l6 power tubes, 5 12ax7s, and 3 rectifier tubes gives it a grand total of 14 tubes. It has more power than I could ever need but the bigger power transformer gives the Triple Rectifier a unique tone. I really couldn't ask for more. // 9

Sound: I'm running Gibson Les Paul Studio, TC Electronics Nova System and a Oversized Rectifer cab. I can cover alot of tonal ground with this setup. I mostly play modern rock like, Seether, Hurt, Rise Against, Smile Empty Soul and Breaking Benjamin. This amp is perfect for these styles, I run my gain on the red channel at noon and it gives me the perfect blend of clarity, punch and saturation. Even at high gain settings this amp is not very noisy, it does have a slight hum but that part of the territory. The clean on the Vintage Orange channel is very good for a high gain amp. Its not a shimmering clean but it can sound very good with the gain around 10'o clock and the presence turned up a bit and add some reverb. I can get an almost Acoustic sound with middle pickup position on my Les Paul and these settings. I enjoying fingerpicking songs like "Broken," "Sweet Delilah" and strumming though songs like "Rain," "Ohio" and "Needle and the Damage Done." It seems like whatever I want to do this amp can get me there. One of the questions for this section, "Is the clean channel distorted at high vloumes?" the answer is no. You'd make your ears bleed trying to get the clean channel to power tube break up. I mostly use this amp in my bedroom and it sounds good even at low volumes. the reason for this is Mesa rectifiers get there sound from the preamp and not the poweramp like most other amps which allows this amp to sound good at bedroom levels. Don't worry, I also crank this amp when no one is home and it sounds amazing at higher volumes. I can't help but give this a 10 in the sound department. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I'm sure I can depend on this amp. I don't have a backup for this amp, but I always have extra tubes and fuses just incase something happens. It has not broken down on me yet. Mesa is great with customer service. I called to order a tube guard for my amp, no one answered so I left a message and the got back to me in 30 min. // 8

Impression: For modern rock this amp is perfect. It does take patience when setting up this amp, the eq reacts like no other amp I've had. It took me a few weeks of twisting and turning to find the perfect sound. Read the manual, it will explain how the eq works and will save you alot of headache. Eq with your ears not your eyes. I'm going to give it a 9 because there is always room for improvement. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: SGKIDD, on december 12, 2006

Price paid: $ 1200

Purchased from: Ebay

Features: FX loop enables a total out put controll and solo boost option available via foot switch. Also has the option to be run on silicon Diodes for rectification, and has a "old" Spongy" setting for pwer out out. Can be biased for EL-34's. Think that covers it? Very versitle. Loads of tonal variables. // 10

Sound: All of my guitars produce amazing tone on any channel. Clean channel breaks up a but even when not using the pushed mode (add a little gain) but this is a good thing in my book! lower gain setting are sparkly clean, Fender esque. Channel two: vintage mode (classic rosk to hard htting rock sounds (think Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Kenny Wayn Shepherd, lead tones such as Tremonti, to Haynes, to Yngwie style tones with a stcked single coil). Channel three: mainly modern mode sometime Vintage. Much much darker, more volume, more gain,, loads of sustain, great for metal and drop tunings, great mid range response. On Vintage mode is good for lightr sounding grind metal, and lower gain ballads, as is channel 2 good for ballady stuff. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Tank. No back up. Maybe fuses, but no backup amp. Tubes go fast when you crank her, think of replacing them every six months to a year. I bought mine used, late '90s model, right around the addition of the "raw" setting. Great addition but I don't use it. Loads of great customer support via website. Love Mesa engineering they have the nicest people. Also, stick with ither Mesa tubes, or Ruby tubes. // 10

Impression: Rock/metal/hard rock/alternative/punk/'80s rock-metal amp does it all, could do other styles as well, country clean, chicken pickin, to jazz, to classic rock, to death metal to ska? I paired this up to a Marshall JCM2000 DSL-50, Marshall JCM2000 TSL-100, Framus Cobra, Engle Power Ball, and a Peavy 6505. In all aspects it outperformed, and out toned (is that a word) all of the amps had too much compression where the Mesa had just enough. The framus wasn't saturated enough, the engle was perfect minus the fact it had a flimsy mid contour, marshalls were very very bright and middy, no low end (not enough for me at least) and the Peavy had no cleans to speak of, plus a much buzzier sounding gain structure. The triple Recto beat them all hands down. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: speedinc, on december 11, 2006

Price paid: $ 1200

Purchased from: Elderly Music, Lansing Mi

Features: This is a late model Triple Recto with 3 channels. 1 clean and 2 overdrive. The clean channel can be switched between a clean sound and a pushed clean tone. I prefer the clean tone, which has a bluesy Fender type of clean. Pushed sound more grungy and dirty type of clean tone. Both distortion channels can be indivualy switch between vintage, raw or modern distortion. I use channel 2 for Vintage distortion which sounds somewhat like an older Marshall. Channel 3 I use in Modern distortion which can go from easy to melt your face distortion, I have set it to have a Mark Tremonti, Jerry Cantrell, Tool-ish type of sound. The triple recto can be switched between tube or silicon diode rectification. It has a setting for bold or spongy power control, and a bigfoot 5 button footswitch. It also has a solo setting for a boost of power for louder solo's (my other guitarest in my band hates that. It uses 6-6L6 power tubes, 5-12ax7 preamp tubes, and 3-5U4 Recto tube. This creates a extremely loud 150 watts, to really piss-off your neighbors! // 10

Sound: I use a 2000 Gibson Les Paul Gothic. My clean sounds somewhat like a Slash mixed with SRV's cleans. My channel 2 sounds like Slash mixed with Led Zepplin. And my most used distortion channel, number 3 sounds like Mark Tremonti and Zakk Wyld mixed. This is perfect for me. I finally have my own signature tone (of course I'm not well know, yet). This is definitly the most versitile amp I've every played on. You can get almost any sound with it. It really is incredible! // 10

Reliability & Durability: Well, many guitarests use Mesa, and I've never heard of anyone having any problems. And I haven't had any problems yet. You can depend on this amp! I believe that you could depend on this amp as your only amp for concerts. I haven't had to use a backup amp yet! // 10

Impression: I play a mix between Modern rock, Classic rock, and blues. I've been playing guitar for almost 11 years, and I've wanted this amp the whole time. I finally have the perfect amp for me. It isn't cheap ($1800 brand new) but it's worth every penny. It has the best distortion I've ever heard. If it were stolen I would spend years tracking the person Who took it, and kill them (or just call my home-owner's insurace and try to get money) but I would definity buy a new one. I only wish it had reverb, but most high-end amp don't. This is my favorite amp in the whole world! I incourage you to save up and buy one now! // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: joyous_pain1221, on may 03, 2008

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The amp was made in '07. The amp is extremely versatile, I can play John Mayer, Norma Jean, AVA, Dashboard Confessional, and DMB all with little tweaking, and of course the inevitable tuning. It has three channels, all footswitchable, and it has a solo button/channel, for that extra scream. It has no effects, except the output control, and no headphone jack. I can't really think of any other desirable features. And nothing I don't use. I play in my band practice room, with blacklights, strobes, and cool stuff like that. It is a tube amp that can also handle silicon diodes. // 9

Sound: I am using it with the Gibson ES-335 Diamond cut, all colors, ES-339's and The Tom DeLonge Es-335, all with Humbuckers, minus the Delonge, which has dirty Fingers. It suits my style, which is the AVA type stuff. It's noisy, but only on high volumes, and in any environment. The first time I hit distortion, I thought a T-Rex was pissed off, the distorion is that good. It's almost scary. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on it, truly, I use a backup, but that's only for my other cabs. It has never broken down, but requires little maintainence, much like an AK-47, but with more power. I've spilled water on it and still had it work. In fact it is so durable I kept it on for 24 hours and didn't turn it off, nothing happened, she played through the solid day! I never would expect it to break down. The only real maintainence it dusting and replacing the tubes. // 10

Impression: It is a great match for anyone playing AVA stuff, actually it's great for anyone, except acoustic players. I have been playing a year. I own a bunch of ES-335's, ES-339'S and things of the like. I own a bunch of Mesa cabs and Boss pedals. I didn't worry about questions, due to past experiances. I would kill the person Who took it, and most definatley get a new one. My favorite feature is being able to crank the volume like nobody's business. I compared it to the Dual Rectifier. I chose this due to mre channels. I wish it had one of those mini hule bobbleheads on top! Hope this helps! Love, Caleb. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 28, 2007

Purchased from: eBay

Features: I'm not sure what year this amp was made in, but I do know it's the newer version of the triple rec's because it has 3 channels (the older versions had only 2). The amp is versatile enough for anybody Who plays hardcore/metal/death metal/etc. It has a 5 button footswitch that allows you to choose from the three channels, plus two other switches that let you 'boost' your sound (solo button) or activate your guitar effects line (FX switch). After having it for a while, I do wish somewhat that it had a reverb, but then again, that's what pedals are for. I use all of the setting. Nothing on the amp is unnecessary or useless. You will use all of the settings to dial in your sound. This amp would deafen you if you played it at full power. And I am not kidding at all. It's so loud. Great for if you have a loud drummer. // 10

Sound: I use an ESP LTD EC 1000 (nearly perfect guitar, would highly recommend it) with active EMG pickups. I play mostly death metal/metal/hardcore/punk and this suits all three perfectly. Amazingly, the amp is quiet. And I mean quiet. There is no buzzing from feedback. There is a slight buzz from the tubes, but I mean, when you are running an amp with that many tubes, there is bound to be something, but compared to my last amp (Behringer piece of garbage half stack) it is pretty much mute. This amps gain is probably the best in the world. If you want heavy low end, this is it. It is the holy grail of high gain amps. The 'modern' gain setting is what people buy the amps for. Not the 'Vintage' or 'clean' settings. They leave something to be desired. The clean channel is good, but a bit too bassy for my likings, even when the bass is turned all the way down. It could possibly be from my guitar and pickups, but either way, I do wish there was more of a mid and treble range on the clean channel. The Vintage channel is a bit too bassy for me, but then again, I must compare those with their usage, which is nil. I bought this amp for it's 'peel paint off the walls' gain, and it fully delivers. It's great not needing a whole rack of effects to get the heavy heavy sound of today's modern metal. Add a reverb pedal to your effects line to thicken up the sound a bit, and it'd the ultimate amp. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The thing's a tank. It feels like it weighs 4 tons when you're moving it, but once you get it where you need to put it and plug it in, you remember why you lugged it to where you did in the first place. It has never broken down. The tubes will need replacing, as with all tube amps, but not for about a year or so. // 10

Impression: This is made for heavy music. I've been playing for 4 years and I do not ever plan on buying another amp ever again. This is the 'cadillac' of high gain amps. If it were stolen, I'd probably buy a Dual Rectifier just because it'd be easier to carry around, not because I like the sound more or less (I've tried them both, they sound nearly exactly the same). I love the amp's gain. It's what I bought it for, and it delivers and goes above what I expected. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: LORD-OF-GUITAR, on july 25, 2007

Price paid: $ 1700

Purchased from: Drinking Gourd

Features: The mesa Triple Rectifier I bought is a 2006. The only actual reason I needed this amp was because it's uber loud, the distortion is like no other, and the punch on it feels like I've been kicked in the chest by a kangaroo. The the three settings on the two distortion channals (raw, Vintage, and modern) get what ever distortion needed. Hendrix, AC/DC, Metallica, whatever! With 6 preamp tubes and 3 recto tubes, you can't walk away from this amp. // 10

Sound: Right now I use a guitar a made with a dimebucker treble and a pearly gates rythem. I play a lot of thrash metal and I like a lot of punch so the the bass, drums, and guitar can meld together. This amp works perfect with an Ibanez tube screamer, so there isn't too much distortion but just the right amount. When dialed in, it can kick someones ass up and down an arena. The clean channel has no distortion problems unless set to mild distortion. This amp gets the job done. // 10

Reliability & Durability: There is no need to worry about it. The amp has lasted for a while and when I get there is no need to worry about a back up or anything. I havn't needed it serviced and the tube life is astounding. The are so far no dings or scratches or marks, it is still in the shape I bought it. This amp could take a sledge hammer (though recommended not to try). This amp was built to last // 10

Impression: There is much more to say but for heavy music, hell even any rock this thing is does what is supposed to do, kick every other amps ass. Personally, reverb would be handy but I use a GNX4 so I don't need it. Also if there were and opption to lower the wattage that would help with practicing at lower volumes. Don't be hesitant to try this amp, if you don't like it, that's alright. If you love it, you'll be glad you tried it. // 9

Comments

[unlearn27]

yeah because all emo shit uses reverb. that's probably the dumbest thing i've heard. i guess SRV is emo.
but this amp is sweet. my personal fav.

[Stop Messin']

"My only comlaint is that it doesnt have reverb which is ok bc I dont play and emo shit or magic metal or w/e."

That's the dumbest thing i've ever heard. I guess Chuck Berry is emo also. The person who reviewed this amp doesn't deserve to own it.

[Stop Messin']

Great amp though. My grandfather has been using Boogies for years and they are the best in my opinion.

[orangeacid]

how much better is this than a dual?

[guitarjared]

Great amp, but definitely a douchebag reviewer.

[jumpmanhat]

i heard that the dual is better, anyway, to the reviewer: you sound stupid! "(unless you have it fully cranked and you are standing two feet away from it) Its been said that the trip rect is a tweeker amp, meaning that maxing everything out will make it sound stupid, and its true. why would you even say that?

[michaelcyborg]

hahahha, so many bands use reverb.
pink floyd uses reverb on some songs.
what an ignorant reviewer

[Randy_Rhoads4]

the garbage marshall is producing? marshall kix ass

[dyingbreed88]

wait your only complaint is that it doesn;t have a reverb? So you want it, even though you don't play that "emo shit"? Wow...

[Slayer224]

orangeacid wrote:

how much better is this than a dual?

More or less the same.

The only significant difference would be the wattage. The Dual rectifier would be able to break up at lower volumes than the Triple (which is still f*cken loud).

[Kikuta]

Okay, why is it before my vote the user rating was 6.6? Are people f**cking morons these days or something? This has got to be one of the best bloody amps i've ever played!

[stumac8]

Never used a Mesa, never will. Marshall 'Garbage' does the trick for me, and its done the trick for thousands of guitarists including: Hendrix, Page, Kossoff, Angus and Malcom Young etc.
I rest my case.
ps. The guy who wrote this review is a bit crap.

[aidandude]

why would you use a 150 watt tube amp as a practice amp? you cant get a good sond out of theese things unless you crank it. and wtf do you mean reverb is for emos? i should kill your wife

[kill em´all]

amazing amp! want one

[orangeacid]

Never used a Mesa, never will. Marshall 'Garbage' does the trick for me, and its done the trick for thousands of guitarists including: Hendrix, Page, Kossoff, Angus and Malcom Young etc.
I rest my case.

Sorry, does that mean you've never tried a Mesa before, and you like your amp because its common, disliking it is a flameable offence, and a number of buzz-names have used it? If so, then you are perhaps as stupid as the reviewer.

If not then hey, fair enuff, recifiers aren't for everyone

[FhazE]

I realize this should probably stay strictly to the triple rect. but I have been contemplating getting a new amp and am going for either marshall or mesa... but I have heard that the Mark IV is the ultimate mesa amp... what do you guys think?

Checked.

And leave out the flaming of the review writer.

[kurtshapedbox]

I personally LOVE Mesa, but Marshalls really don't do anything for me. Ive seen/heard of far too many Marshalls break down/ or fu*cking up for me to like em. Plus I really dont care for their sound at all.

[GuitarGod610]

I also love Mesa. I own an F-50 head at the moment, but I used to have the Triple Rect. Unfortunately, it was more amp than I needed at that time, but still it was incredible. I'm also not a fan of Marshall. I cannot stand their crunch channels.

[ivaacs]

Mesa...Marshall...why does everyone like sounds that have "been done". Try a Rivera Knucklehead or Fandango. Best versatile 3 channel amps that don't compromise clean for a nasty, rip your throat out distortion.

And I understand what he meant by reverb=emo shit. He was referring to modern genres.

Marshall=shit (i've owned DSL,TSL,800,900)inless you sell your testicles and get and old plexi, but at that cost, why wouldn't you buy a Bogner or Soldano?

Mesa=great distortion, shitty clean and popular for crapping out in the middle of a set(always have a backup)

Rivera=Boutique amp at mesa/Marshall prices
Unique "slay a emo/homo" gain with crystal clear fender clean

[KVX10 KING V]

This guy ^^(ivaacs)^^ is a complete idiot.

[ptownbob]

screw the mesas. get a krank. it'll rip peoples heads off.

[selloutpunx]

just because you cannot find a tone you like on an head doesn't make it suck. seriously, the whole "marshall sucks because everyone plays it" thing got old long ago.

[Dyaxe666]

maybe veryone plays it because it's good? anyone think fo that>?

[King ofKumbucha]

aidandude wrote:

why would you use a 150 watt tube amp as a practice amp? you cant get a good sond out of theese things unless you crank it. and wtf do you mean reverb is for emos? i should kill your wife

LOL indeed you should.

[ivaacs]

Name of the game here in the studio is....Find your own f'in sound. Unless all you play is covers, then forget my review all together.

[ivaacs]

Kranks are another good unique amp. A+

[pigeonkicker]

you guys think this or a marshall 350 mode four is better?

[metalhead88]

ok A) kranks are horrible... tey have thin solid state distortion.... B) Marshalls are ok but have absolutly no cut through but do giv a nice heavy full tone... C) i own a mesa dual rec solo head and have played a tripple rec along with marshalls peavey's soldano's kranks and bogners... the dual rec is one of the heaviest amps by far and the only true difference between the dual and tripple rec is clean headroom... and i repeat thats the only difference

[metalhead88]

ive played marshalls peaveys bogners mesas kranks and i have something to say about all of them... A) kranks are terrible and have really thin sounding solid state distortions... B) marshalls are good but are very contourd and have no cut through. however do give a nice full heavy tone C) i own a mesa dual rec solo head and 4x12 slant cab and it is amazing for hardcore. I do gig with it and no it does not crap out in the middle of a set what so ever. The sound can be a little noisy when cranked but all you gotta do is turn down the gain or output and everything will be back to normal. The only difference between a dual rec and a tripple rec and i repeat the only difference is clean headroom. however i did find that the tripple rec does drain some of your tone compared to the dual rec. d) peaveys are ok aslong as ur working with a 6505 or 5150 which is the exact same amp. but they are very un reliable and unversitle. the fact that you have to change the bias when you change a single tube is rediculous. your amp goes away for like 6 weeks. terrible service. E) bogners are great amps what can i say. but if you want an amp that you will never complaine about i know its pricey but you have to go with a diezel amp. very pricey but you get what you pay for they are absolutly incredable.

[richardarichter]

i had one of these amps , i really liked everything about it .it was dark ,the highs were not too high ,it had massive attack and massive low end.it was perfect for death metal.if i would desighn a amp this would be it .

[orangeacid]

haaaaa ivaacs, what a moron.

I have done some research, and dual rectifiers do indeed seem the way to go.

[cerveza]

pigeonkicker wrote:

you guys think this or a marshall 350 mode four is better?

this is a lot better, but the dual rec tops this one. mode four is a solid state.
mathematical equation for ya:
solid state=bullshit
tube=love

[zackprs]

cerveza wrote:

pigeonkicker wrote:

you guys think this or a marshall 350 mode four is better?
this is a lot better, but the dual rec tops this one. mode four is a solid state.
mathematical equation for ya:
solid state=bullshit
tube=love

+1 the Mark 4 is reaaally reaaally bad

[murderproof]

this amp sucks cock...COCK. do not buy it. the new roadster is a much better buy...4 channels 2 clean 2 overdrive and the distortion is Much better than the TR.

[murderproof]

Kranks are another good unique amp. A+

you think mesa's sukck but kranks are good? what the F#ck is wrong with you. Kranks are the most generic metal amps ever. even the tubes. Mesas have such a wider variety of sounds and options. go take your "different" crap elsewhere.

[defcon224]

cant we all just get along?!?!?!?

[DareBear02]

[quoteok A) kranks are horrible... tey have thin solid state distortion.... ][/quote]

Dude, I love metal, I play metal and you can't knock off an Amp that ONLY MAKES TUBES and was USED BY DIME BAG DARRELL, how old are most of you guys? I've played the Tripple Rec and I love it honestly, the only complaint I would have is probably the fact that once any one plays one, it's hard to go back. Also, Mesa is a tweek amp, which means YOU HAVE TO CRANK UP THE VOLUME TO WARM UP THE TUBES!!! I swear to god, what the **** ever happened to metal heads who used to know what good gear is? I bet that half of you guys don't even know how to use any goddamn EQ channels for your amp setup.

[axeman84]

the guy that wrote the first review is a complete tool

[USAPeavey]

Ive heard great things about all these amps mentioned here. I've never actually played a Krank so I can't talk about it, but as to the Mesas...I've never played one I didn't like, at least for the overdrive. The best cleans I've heard came out of a Fender vintage Twin. For Marshalls, I personally don't like the "modern" models such as the JCM series, but the vintage reissues are great. Such as the 1987XL. They are great amps, but I have to say...Damn...how can you people afford these kinda amps? Ill be stretching myself for the $600 Fender Deluxe.

[DirtyNoise]

I own a duel rec and 4x12 straight cab. This is the "sound"
Don't waste your time or money buying anything less.

[KoRnFr33K7]

i own a mesa dual and MY GAD! its a beast. i ve played many amps and there isnt anything that nearly compares to these beasts. BUt yea if your gonna own one, you better know how to use it or else its just a waste. WIth this thing ive seen shot glass jump and break mid air just from the frequency vibrations. the triple is just 50 w more then the mesa dual which is just unneccccessary.

[Striketalonx]

mesa's are cool.
The thing you have to realize when comparing marshalls and mesa's is that they use differnet tube types to attain different sounds.
Also: I've tried various "Kranks" the Krankenstein and the Revolution 1. The Krankenstein is utter shit, it doesn't matter if Dime used it or not, especially considering he used randalls for most of his career and really only switched to Krank on his last album or two, the distortion sounds like a medium quality SS amp, and its cleans are utter shit, and for the same price, there is much much better out there. However, the revolution 1 is a decent amp, worth checking out, but again, its not really worth the price.

onto the Mesa's, honestly I prefer the Mark IV and the Stilleto. The Mark IV is basically a more versatile Dual rectifier, without the cheesey diamond plate grill. The Stilleto uses the same tubes as a typical Marshall (EL34's), but it gets waay heavier than a JCM.
In the end though, the Road King and Triaxis are the flagship models. They both sport both the 6L6 tubes (from the Mark IV and Rectifiers) as well as EL34's from the Stilleto/ "marshalls". So you can cover the most ground, with the most insane tone ever.

[M4jorpiz]

doesnt the amp have reverb knobs on the back?? i havent heard a single emo band that even used reverb and almost every band uses reverb

[Satans_Shredder]

I Love how he compares a Triple Mesa to a Dual Marshall...thats like apples to oranges, wwhat a jackass. I guess thats cause the Marshall TSL blows the Mesa Triple outta the water

[danv2916]

try out a VOX Valvetronix! Its an amazing amp practice wise

[voodooblues]

mesa boogie makes amazing amps no doubt, but they definately have a buyer in mind when they make it, its a metal and rock amp, unlike the marshall dual super lead. marshall has been known to do nothing but rock, but this is due to the fact that either everyone wants to be Hendrix or that they're so damn loud. Marshall makes the most versitile and high quality amps for a lot less money than can be expected from legendary company such as Marshall. For a Mesa, if you want to have an amp great for blues but also funk and r&b and rock and metal, you will need a rectifier, a lonestar, and a mark iv, and frankly, who the hell has that money other than john petrucci? Marshalls are amazing, and so are Mesa Boogies, but for someone who wants extreme versatility to do an abundance of styles like myself, great sound and quality craftsmanship for less than Mesa, you want one Marshall, not four Mesa Boogies. But if you want mega distortion and only mega distortion, get the Mesa Boogie head, and add a Marshall cab!

[JeffReigns]

I guess I'm emo, I always have reverb on, even on my distortion, damn, I think I'll go slit my wrists now...

[GuitarJunkie]

jesus...the guy is a little ignorant but dont bash him for bashing marshalls cause then your just as dumb as he is...IF YOU READ THE DAMN THING HE SAID "The crap marshall is putting out LATELY" i dont know about you...but the mg's avt's and even jcm2000's dont at all compare to the 800's, 900's, plexis, and jtm models the use to have in production...so in that sense he is right

[the.spine.surfs]

JeffReigns wrote:

I guess I'm emo, I always have reverb on, even on my distortion, damn, I think I'll go slit my wrists now...

Ah hah hah. Stupid screamo hogging all the reverb...HEY, SAVE SOME FOR INDIE.

[speedinc]

Satans_Shredder wrote:

I Love how he compares a Triple Mesa to a Dual Marshall...thats like apples to oranges, wwhat a jackass. I guess thats cause the Marshall TSL blows the Mesa Triple outta the water

Yea right. TSL got less power, isn't handmade, and sounds "ok". Mesa is probably the best amp I've ever heard. The old marshall stuff was MUCH better than the TSL anyway (ie.. JTM, Plexi, and so on). But personally I still like the Mesa tone better!!!

[1h81337]

i tried this amp last night high.

the reverb sucked me in and i felt like i was falling into a deeeeep hole.

this is a sweet amp.

[1h81337]

whoops wrong amp

[punksucks666]

well im just gonna say good on you for saving up that much money, in Australia, they cost like $5100, i badly want one, nice one guys

[E V H 5150]

Yeah, Van Halen, GNR, Bon Jovi, Quiet Riot, Steve Miller, Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions, they're all emo. I saw videos of some of their shows. Nobody was jumping. Nobody. Not even when Van Halen was playing Jump.

[Demonikk]

Jeez if you want reverb so much, go and buy a bloody reverb pedal! If you can afford the £3000-odd that the head and cab costs, I'm sure you can shell out less than £100 for a reverb pedal. Oh and about a tenner for an extra lead. And you can't really compare Marshalls to Mesas. They've got different target audiences and have different sounds. You can compare Mesas to Kranks, but that's about it.

[satellitesv03]

I agree that Mesa's and Marshall's are completely different amps. They each have their realms: Mesa covers the higher gain frequencies while Marshall can break up with lower gain very nicely.

For anyone who cares, try the Mesa Triple with EL-34s. Just don't forget the bias switch on the back. It's awesome. It might be the sound that both of you can agree on.

Plus, a Mesa Triple can become a Dual in a blink; just remove the two outer or inner power tubes. the 150W goes to 100W. Remove two more, you have 50W, or essentially, a Single Rectifier. This causes break up sooner.

Hope this helps.

[bono_b]

satellitesv03 wrote:

I agree that Mesa's and Marshall's are completely different amps. They each have their realms: Mesa covers the higher gain frequencies while Marshall can break up with lower gain very nicely.

For anyone who cares, try the Mesa Triple with EL-34s. Just don't forget the bias switch on the back. It's awesome. It might be the sound that both of you can agree on.

Plus, a Mesa Triple can become a Dual in a blink; just remove the two outer or inner power tubes. the 150W goes to 100W. Remove two more, you have 50W, or essentially, a Single Rectifier. This causes break up sooner.

Hope this helps.

Although if you change the tube arrangement to get the dual and single amount of wattage it still doesn't change the fact that duals were handmade, tripples wearn't.

[harley10_5]

well these amps are wayyyyy too trebly or bassy...im not retarded..what i mean is theres no in between when you set the EQ on it no matter how you set it its either extremly bassy or extremly trebly...theres no in between. and it has way to much power for anybody...youll never use all of it live because if you know what youre doing, your amp will be mic'd up live and the volume wont be push pst probably 20-30%. dont buy this amp and waste your money, buy something without as much flash and half the power and spend the rest on guitar mods or pedals or something.

[speedinc]

bono_b wrote:

satellitesv03 wrote:

I agree that Mesa's and Marshall's are completely different amps. They each have their realms: Mesa covers the higher gain frequencies while Marshall can break up with lower gain very nicely.

For anyone who cares, try the Mesa Triple with EL-34s. Just don't forget the bias switch on the back. It's awesome. It might be the sound that both of you can agree on.

Plus, a Mesa Triple can become a Dual in a blink; just remove the two outer or inner power tubes. the 150W goes to 100W. Remove two more, you have 50W, or essentially, a Single Rectifier. This causes break up sooner.

Hope this helps.


Although if you change the tube arrangement to get the dual and single amount of wattage it still doesn't change the fact that duals were handmade, tripples wearn't.

Triple's are Handmade!

[AnxietyAngel]

F*ck You Guys, Randall Is Way Better Than Mesa

[speedinc]

AnxietyAngel wrote:

F*ck You Guys, Randall Is Way Better Than Mesa

Yet, because many greats (like Metallica) have switched to Mesa's... I guess your right Randalls are better...

After all you've given soooo much evidence in you statement that proves your point.

[AnxietyAngel]

speedinc for one thing randalls are made for pure heavy metal

[AnxietyAngel]

Mesa Sound Like Theirs Too
Much Treble And Not Enough Bass, And Plus I've Seen A Few Randall Stacks in Their Studio, After All Dimebage darrel's Been Using Randall Amps For Most Of His Career And I'll Just Name A Few Other Band Who use Randall Ampsokken, Lynch mob, Sevendust, AnthraxAnd Zakk Wylde Has Used Them For His First Few Black Label Society Albums!

[strike666]

Triple Rectifier - really shit

[hvymtl939]

How much are you gonna spend for one of these new?

[dale-banez]

"My only comlaint is that it doesnt have reverb which is ok bc I dont play and emo shit or magic metal or w/e."

guess Slash is emo then...

[metal jello]

MESA>KRANK
MESA>RANDALL
MESA>PEAVEY
MESA>FENDER
MESA IS AWESOME!!!!!

[metaldier]

I saw a mates triple recto and another's dual, and the triple has 15 tubes whereas the dual, 5. Something like that lol. Fucking crazy

[stafford5150]

hi, most of you guys seem to know what you are talking about apart from the guy who wrote that really sh*t review, but im looking to get a mesa boogie dual or triple rectifier, what would you guys have said is the way to go? considering price/value for money. thanks

[ryanph2421]

dual rec's are good but the triple is my fav.they're the shit...REAL TALK

[LRZ3333]

Just get what you like dammit! Who cares what people think! It's all about YOUR SOUND right???? Your money, your taste, your decision. Try out amps and choose one that sounds good to you and is reliable. People talk too much sh*t these days!

[kurtshapedbox]

DareBear02 wrote:

[quoteok A) kranks are horrible... tey have thin solid state distortion.... ]

Dude, I love metal, I play metal and you can't knock off an Amp that ONLY MAKES TUBES and was USED BY DIME BAG DARRELL...[/quote]

Man, personally, I think that Krank's are the least versatile amps i've ever played. They're made for getting good distortion for metal, but to me it does sound very very thin. I had one break down on me when i was simply trying it out at a guitar store. It was pathetic. Hell, look at the bands that use to endorse krank, Behemoth, Nevermore, and Arch Enemy. Behemoth never liked Krank in the first place and didnt even use them on The Apostasy (th one album that Krank endoresed them on. Instead they used Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers and Bogners. Nevermore has already moved on after one album to ENGL. And Arch Enemy already dropped em and moved on to Randall. The only person I've ever seen stick with a Krank was Dimebag, and though he was a good guitarist by all means, I personally wasn't a big fan of his tone, it just sounded awkward.

[deafening]

some people are putting this amp down because they dont need all that BONE CRUSHING, LIFE SHATTERING power...WTF? Just cause you don't need all of it doesn't make the amp any worse, it makes YOU worse for not needing it.:P no not really, but the amp's gain is perfect, the clean is somewhat lacking, but works for me

i love this machine

[HELLSHREDD]

bogner rules

[DeathByStereo23]

metal jello wrote:

MESA>KRANK
MESA>RANDALL
MESA>PEAVEY
MESA>FENDER
MESA IS AWESOME!!!!!

MESA>FENDER
MESA

[DeathByStereo23]

my last comment is incomplete...

MESA

[DeathByStereo23]

**** to that the site doesn't allow me to complete the comment i think

[metal jello]

What exactly are silicon diodes? Are they kinda like tubes you don't replace..... I've heard you can make this amp tube or non-tube, and you can bias for either British El34's or the safer 6l6"s.... But what are silicon diodes??? Someone help.

[HELLSHREDD]

Check any mesa out on U-tube & see for ur-self that they sound like crap.I have the new spidervalve Hd-100 & that has amazing tone compared to that over-rated , over powered, buzzy sound ya get from a Mesa& i mean any mesa ! I have not once seen someone get a wonderful tone from these junk piles , i even owned one & i took it back & now im happy , im a metal head & mesa suks bunk , dont waste ur money , go buy a line 6 & have half the loudness But amazing tone.

[Shadowrunner]

I played a Marshall at GC the other day. It was just horrible. The distortion sucked. The clean channel was OK. It made me wonder how anyone could ever try one out and want one. Now, I've never played a Mesa, but anything has to be better than that Marshall I played.

[deanplayer18]

dude if ur into tone then get a marshall that have that classic crunch and clean sure they dont run as much much gain but hey a simple distortion or od pedal works good to run more gain for u without killing ur tone while mesas are good for high gain as seen with many metal bands and a few blues artist like santana

[travd92]

in my opinion, EL34's suck ass. thats why most marshalls IMO don't have balls. i would definitely play the Kerry King Signature though. but mesa amps are the best in the world for me.

[racman92]

aidandude wrote:

why would you use a 150 watt tube amp as a practice amp? you cant get a good sond out of theese things unless you crank it. and wtf do you mean reverb is for emos? i should kill your wife

Power Attenuator. These amps rock...and "emo s***", seriously?

[metal jello]

Can this get a Black Stone Cherry type tone???

[SaintsinneR82]

ive played peavey 6550/and valve kings(which by the way are awesome for the money)played mesa trip and duals...and played one krank rev...i loved em all but hands down...the triple rec owns..all of my bands recording were with triple recs...and if i had the money i would no doubt drop it on a dual or triple rec mesa..great amps..jus my opinion...buuut then again if i everything goes right and a friend comes thru might gettin a sick deal on a krank rev...i mean siiiiick deal...but yea mesa for the win

[Scot13]

I have a question for anyone out there that can help me out. I have been playing for a lot of years but only got into cabinets and heads about 3 years ago. I had a Marshall Valvestate head and just recently got a Mesa triple. The marshall had 4 channels and was very diverse but the Mesa is SO much louder and definitely had a lot more bottom end. Suits my style much better since I mostly play metal. This is my first "tube" amp so I'm still messing around. My question is I've heard of people running distortion pedals through the heavy 3 channel. Some say run it with the distortion on the pedal. And I've heard some say turn ALL the distortion on the pedal off. I heard Kill switch does this as well, runs a pedal through there Mesa's. I heard that it can act as some kind of compression and tightens up the bottom end. But I can't find enough information on this. I guess my question is if the sound is so thick and crunchy, what is the purpose of running a distortion pedal as well. I'm not much of a gear head so any help would be great. Thanks for anyone that can shed some light on that for me.

[oggiedoggy]

voodooblues wrote:

mesa boogie makes amazing amps no doubt, but they definately have a buyer in mind when they make it, its a metal and rock amp, unlike the marshall dual super lead. marshall has been known to do nothing but rock, but this is due to the fact that either everyone wants to be Hendrix or that they're so damn loud. Marshall makes the most versitile and high quality amps for a lot less money than can be expected from legendary company such as Marshall. For a Mesa, if you want to have an amp great for blues but also funk and r&b and rock and metal, you will need a rectifier, a lonestar, and a mark iv, and frankly, who the hell has that money other than john petrucci? Marshalls are amazing, and so are Mesa Boogies, but for someone who wants extreme versatility to do an abundance of styles like myself, great sound and quality craftsmanship for less than Mesa, you want one Marshall, not four Mesa Boogies. But if you want mega distortion and only mega distortion, get the Mesa Boogie head, and add a Marshall cab!

No. Santana played on a Mark series amp. He is clearly not metal.

[xXChimairaXx]

Man there's a lot of ignorant kids posting in here. Here are some great amp heads for metal that aren't Mesa or Marshall (which are amazing as well):

Krank Krankenstein/Revolution
ENGL Powerball/Invader
VHT Pittbull/Deliverance
Bogner Uberschall/Alchemist
Rivera Knucklehead
Peavey 5150/6505(+)
Line 6 Vetta II (Yeah so what? However much you hate Line 6, this head is amazing and LOUD (emphasis on the loud))

I'm only pointing out one's i've played and studied. I'm not gonna vouch for any that I "think" are good because popular bands play them. Hope helps the argument.

[TriviumFan717]

HELLSHREDD wrote:

Check any mesa out on U-tube & see for ur-self that they sound like crap.I have the new spidervalve Hd-100 & that has amazing tone compared to that over-rated , over powered, buzzy sound ya get from a Mesa& i mean any mesa ! I have not once seen someone get a wonderful tone from these junk piles , i even owned one & i took it back & now im happy , im a metal head & mesa suks bunk , dont waste ur money , go buy a line 6 & have half the loudness But amazing tone.

You must be tone deaf then man. Alot of artists pull of some amazing tones with these amps, especially live. I own one and it's the best amp I've played by far. But everyone has their own opinions.

[DARKREALM]

OK PEOPLE.THIS SEEMS MORE LIKE A PISSING CONTEST THAN A DISCUSSION ON GOOD AMPS.

[RX120D]

speedinc wrote:

AnxietyAngel wrote:

F*ck You Guys, Randall Is Way Better Than Mesa

Yet, because many greats (like Metallica) have switched to Mesa's... I guess your right Randalls are better...

After all you've given soooo much evidence in you statement that proves your point.

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, you're wrong.
Metallica plays Diezel amplifiers now.

The Mesa Triple Rectifier is almost purely a live performance amplifier. Don't even bother buying it if you're going to use it as a practice amp. Like many people have said it is a tweak amp. If you do not know how to set up your amplifier properly you will have a terrible time dialing in a tone you like.

The controls are VERY sensitive and very confusing to the untrained hand. This amplifier needs to have a decent amount of volume for all the frequencies to come out. Honestly, it sounds like shit at bedroom level but when you turn it up it truly starts to shine. It's loud. VERY LOUD.
So be careful when adjusting that level knob or you'll end up with a firm scolding from your parents and future hearing problems. Haha.

All in all, this is one of THE amps for metal. If that's what you're looking for (ie: Huge distortion and amazing tone) then by all means buy it. But if you don't ever or rarely perform live, I would recommend looking elsewhere as you will never be able to hear this amplifier at its full potential.

I can see that many people here say they have tried this amplifier before. I know many have but if you are someone who has only tried it out in a music store or at a friends house, you are in no position to write a review or a comment saying this amp sucks. Like I said, It requires a lot of volume for all the frequencies to come out. Playing it at room level or in a store will never push it enough for it to sound like it should. It sounds like a buzzsaw at low volumes. It's terrible. But mark my words, it's amazing when you turn it up.

Don't be bashing other companies either. Everyone has their preferences. Deal with it. Just because Mesa or Marshall do not suit yours, does not mean they suck.
Grow up a little bit.

[bafonikolas]

how would that cost in euros????

[manchiscap]

I've seen to a lot of metal bands, changing their Mesas for ENGL Powerballs, VHT Pitbulls, Framus Cobras, Randall's whatever they make, Krankensteins,etc, and all at the end they come back to Mesas Rectifiers....the best metal amp.

[Taint McGooch]

HELLSHREDD wrote:

Check any mesa out on U-tube & see for ur-self that they sound like crap.I have the new spidervalve Hd-100 & that has amazing tone compared to that over-rated , over powered, buzzy sound ya get from a Mesa& i mean any mesa ! I have not once seen someone get a wonderful tone from these junk piles , i even owned one & i took it back & now im happy , im a metal head & mesa suks bunk , dont waste ur money , go buy a line 6 & have half the loudness But amazing tone.

yeah...cuz Line 6 absolutely rox...that's why the only thing of theirs that's used by ANYBODY decent is the POD or the DD-4 delay pedal...even the SpiderValve cannot stand up to My Peavey Valveking that's been collecting dust for years...the only good thing about the Spider series is versatility, which if you take a Spider series amp and A/B it against a Mesa...or whatever for that matter with the same effects as your stupid "preset", you'll realize the Spider series is the crappiest Modeling job you've ever seen...I'll take a Digitech Rp series (blech) before i waste 800 bones on a Spidervalve, try a freaking Peavey Vypyr...blows the Spider away...enough ranting...the bottom line is...buy what you like...spend months A/B ing amps, find your tone, if it's a local shop some places will even let you take equipment home to try out (for a security deposit, of course) so you can see how it sounds with a band behind it...i spent MONTHS trying equipment out before i got the Triple Rec, trying everything from Peavey 6505, 5150, to Marshall JCM800/900, to Bugera 333 and everything in between before I found my tone...check it all out, there are some amazing things out there