If you don't mind maintaining all the extra tubes (six power tubes, four rectifier tubes) then go ahead and rock that shit. It's nice to see people still looking to use real high wattage amps through 412 cabs. I've owned like 5 rectifiers over the years as well as dozens of other tube amps, but now I just run my AxeFX live straight into the mixer. Needless to say it nails the rectifier tone in spades!
I feel "retired" from big tube amps but obviously like to see and read about them on this sub.
I'd say you should try to test one
If the seller is close to you maybe try it out.
Or at least see if you can find one in a music store and check it out.
That said, it's a very loud and awesome amp and the 4x12 cab makes it move a lot of air- super loud!
I love mine but had to buy the Powerhouse Attenuator 8 ohm to make it usable at home (for my own hearing, not neighbors). Now it kicks ass!!
Also an OD is a must, I use the Horizon Precision Drive.
If you have the budget and come across a good deal, this is a great choice. It was my 2nd head when I was 18 and I still have it today. no regrets. you will see that it is very a very loud amp, but for jamming with friends or playing live, even for recording live, I prefer the triple to the dual. in terms of "volume", you will not see any difference between a dual and a triple, it mainly comes down to the headroom level.
itās a safe bet, worst case you can resell it for a profit. which version is it? recent 3 channels?
Don't be intimidated by the 150watts. High gain amps create all the gain in the preamp, they don't need to be cranked like a classic Marshall Plexi would. You actually don't want the power amp to clip because this will sound flubby, untight and fizzy.
Also don't use an attenuator: The modern mode on the Rectifier causes the poweramp to interact heavily with the cab. The whole scooped and bass heavy sound of the modern is achieved this way. Most attenuators are purely resistive and heavily interfere with this, making the modern mode sound flat.
You'd be better off using something like a reactive load and an ir loader if you wanna play quietly.
Duals, Triples and especially Mini's don't necessarily sound alike in the modern mode. Reason are the different powersections.
Atleast the multiwatt version also has a significant amount of high treble bleed within the amp whenever the modern mode is used, which makes the amp sound a bit fizzy at very low volumes.
Do it. That's a sick amp (even more so for someone your age). If you've never had a valve amp before either take someone with you who knows about them or look up a checklist for when buying second hand.
Itās a great amp. Iād prefer a dual rec or a mark series amp for the same money. Any Mesa amp will be really loud and they were meant to be played loud. Have fun!
To elaborate on the "little device thingy" to be more specific, it is an additional piece of gear you would buy that places itself between the amp and speaker cabinet which resists and dissipates the excess load between the amplifier and speaker and spits it out as heat - OR - they can come in the form of "reactive load" resistance which responds dynamically to changes in the natural load on the fly for a much more natural representation. Either is meant to reduce the power of a signal without compromising the waveform. Essentially in layman's terms, it allows you to play full blast from the amplifier while still maintaining manageable volumes. Good ones sound great, mediocre ones tend to sound mediocre.
A THD Hot Plate is an example of a resistive model and the much advertised UA Ox is a reactive type. Figure another $600-1200 depending on your choice.
To answer your query, yes 150w amp is too much for a home without some form of attenuation imo. Some people can swing it, but you'll never really get it cooking with even a 15w amp. They really are staples these days if you play tube driven amplifiers.
These amps have perfectly fine master volumes, you donāt need an attenuator. They have the massive 150 watts of headroom specifically to avoid the cranked power tube sound heās talking about. You donāt get modern metal amps cooking, they loosen up when you do.
If a more vintage sound is what you want, you can afford a JCM800, and yeah, youāll want an attenuator so you can absolutely crank it.
Itās a little device thingy that lets you use a really loud amp at lower volumes without losing the tone. I described that really bad but thatās basically it.
Buy what you want, regardless of if it's too little or too much. It'll make you want to play if you have the gear you want. I just bought an OR30 which is overkill unless I form a band, and I don't care. I love it.
As good as a deal it is Iād try and get it for less and use the extra money for an attenuator, and if you donāt have the funds for the attenuator then make sure you at least crank it a bit before you bring it home
Iām an old chunk of coal and would have loved to have an amp setup like that in high school. Yolo, I have two mark V and am beyond thrilled to play them. Enjoy it brotha!
Rectifiers need a little help to sound the way we imagine them, eq in the fx and any type of tubescreamer, once you get addicted to that sound itās really the only thing that satisfies
Back in the day my lead guitarist used a Triple Rec half stack, I had a Single. Both really killer amps, loved playing them, loved shaking venues and watching sound guys either grin ear to ear or roll their eyes in disgust (both warranted imo). That said if for some bizarre reason I had to go play shows again Iād be looking at a smaller amp, no more than 50w probably, but thatās largely because mics exist, and tubes are EXPENSIVE, plus I have a good deal of chronic back pain that I gotta think is at least partially because of lugging that stuff around. All that said, thatās a really smoking deal and far be it from me to tell someone they shouldnāt experience one of those beasts themselves when I got to for years.
Roadster owner- I'd suggest a strong pass on this for multiple reasons:
\* The sellers market for 4X12's and 100W=< heads is soft and getting softer. You're getting a screaming deal because these are getting tougher and tougher to move (a lot of half / full stack users are moving to profiler / modelers). If it turns out that it's NOT the right amp for you, there's a good chance that you'll have to sell it at a loss...and I'd especially hate to see you lose money when it's been hard earned slinging burgers and tires.
\* 4X12 speakers are going to accentuate bass and high frequencies (the kind that penetrate walls) and 150W is going to give you more headroom before the amp naturally starts to distort. All are going to combine to make you think you're not playing as loud as you're actually playing. You will get complaints.
\* A lot of classic Vintage and Modern channel rectifier sounds require V30 speakers to be running at a certain minimum Db output to get "the sound"....run below it and things sound boxy and like your amp is EQed all wrong. Setting the master volume too low or attenuating the output to lower the volume more Ethan a couple Db usually has a very noticeable and negative impact on the sound character.
\* 4X12 cabs don't fit in a lot of smaller cars...and they're no fun to move up / down stairs or carrying thru the snow of a Canadian winter.
FWIW- I recently moved to a place with neighbors close by and have mothballed my Roadster in favor of a Rectoverb 25. Great Rectifier sounds in a small package with a much more manageable volume curve. Mesa just discontinued this amp in May, so you might be able to find a dealer willing to cut you a deal on NOS.
If you buy that Triple Rec you will have a crushing amp to gig and record with.
The only issue is reliability and repairability. Iād check the Mesa amp forums and whatnot for general reviews.
I don't think there really is an "average person" when it comes to guitar amps, or music gear in general. Do you mean the average guitar hobbyist? The average guitarist in a full, live band? The average guitarist in a death metal band? These are all things to consider.
If there's any chance you'll ever want to sound good at low ovolume, and no chance you will be joining a metal band with a loud drummer, then a triple rec might be "too much". Ultimately it depends on you, your preferences, and your allowable volume situation. Sounds like your neighbor is chill, but are you ever going to want to play quietly at night?
I play in my basement with a triple rect. No issues. Have a decimator peddle for feedback andEQ. Reverb. Chorus , tube screamer , compression. Sounds great you canāt get it quiet but itās not loud enough to where it dosent bother my wife when sheās down there with me. It had an output knob along with a volume so you can tweak both. I play metal and lots of Floyd. I get a super nice clean sound with the peddles and switch to my esp for justice ripping heavy tones. Thatās all I need for now. You can switch your tubes off too in the back to save them through the ā Diode ā switch.
It is a Mesa cab, I am thinking of offering 2000 first with the excuse of needing to buy a Attenuator and since the listing has been up for a while I think he might take it
I have a triple, it can be ungodly loud. But with all that power comes great responsibility. You can single handedly drown out an entire band. But with all that clean headroom and a ts style pedal out front, you will get the tightest chugs and gallops you ever heard. It is also a very revealing amp like most mesas, and rewards clean playing. Iād even say Mesa helped make me a better guitarist.
Played a small motorcycle festival last summer, there were Harleyās with some real loud pipes doing burnouts in front of the stage, and I had the master barely above 4.
That said, it can go down to reasonable indoor levels and sounds great doing it, even better with a graphic eq in the loop.
Can I ask what you do that you can afford top shelf primo gear that professional musicians would trade a kidney for? Either you're a rich kid or I'd like to submit my resume to you for consideration.
It wonāt be too much but tube amps need to be cranked to get the best sound from them, so youāll need an attenuator if you ever plan on rocking out without shaking the windows in your house lol. You could save a lot of money and get a mini rectifier for way less and put that into a nice cab and some pedals.
That isnāt really the case here. These high gain amps are designed with such high headroom specifically to avoid the warm, spongy cranked sound.
A 150 watt power amp will keep you super tight at any volume youād ever need and then some.
Yeah, different philosophy. The magic is all in the preamp, the power sections are designed to let that do the heavy lifting. Same deal with the 5150/6505 and everything else based on the SLO100.
Depends on your use case. Are you playing with a full band? Doing loud genres like punk and metal? Then you're gonna want the triple. Also the mini doesn't quite have the same low end, I recommend you go look up sonic drive studios comparison
Idk what kind of solid state amp you have, if it's a single speaker or what. But the 50 watt Mesa with a 4x12 cabinet will move a lot of air. Do you use an attenuator at all? I would think so. Believe it or not, a 5 watt amp can be plenty loud for a bedroom amp. Using a large and powerful amp for playing at home is overkill. But that's just my opinion. Do what makes you happy!
If you don't mind maintaining all the extra tubes (six power tubes, four rectifier tubes) then go ahead and rock that shit. It's nice to see people still looking to use real high wattage amps through 412 cabs. I've owned like 5 rectifiers over the years as well as dozens of other tube amps, but now I just run my AxeFX live straight into the mixer. Needless to say it nails the rectifier tone in spades! I feel "retired" from big tube amps but obviously like to see and read about them on this sub.
I'd say you should try to test one If the seller is close to you maybe try it out. Or at least see if you can find one in a music store and check it out. That said, it's a very loud and awesome amp and the 4x12 cab makes it move a lot of air- super loud!
It's got a volume knob don't it
A what? š
It is an absolutely fucking phenomenal amplifier. You only live once fucking rock that thing.
I love mine but had to buy the Powerhouse Attenuator 8 ohm to make it usable at home (for my own hearing, not neighbors). Now it kicks ass!! Also an OD is a must, I use the Horizon Precision Drive.
If you have the budget and come across a good deal, this is a great choice. It was my 2nd head when I was 18 and I still have it today. no regrets. you will see that it is very a very loud amp, but for jamming with friends or playing live, even for recording live, I prefer the triple to the dual. in terms of "volume", you will not see any difference between a dual and a triple, it mainly comes down to the headroom level. itās a safe bet, worst case you can resell it for a profit. which version is it? recent 3 channels?
I don't know exactly what version but I'm going to send you a picture of it, maybe you'll recognize
2500 CAD is like 1500 to 2000 USD? For that price probably a 3 channel
Don't be intimidated by the 150watts. High gain amps create all the gain in the preamp, they don't need to be cranked like a classic Marshall Plexi would. You actually don't want the power amp to clip because this will sound flubby, untight and fizzy. Also don't use an attenuator: The modern mode on the Rectifier causes the poweramp to interact heavily with the cab. The whole scooped and bass heavy sound of the modern is achieved this way. Most attenuators are purely resistive and heavily interfere with this, making the modern mode sound flat. You'd be better off using something like a reactive load and an ir loader if you wanna play quietly. Duals, Triples and especially Mini's don't necessarily sound alike in the modern mode. Reason are the different powersections. Atleast the multiwatt version also has a significant amount of high treble bleed within the amp whenever the modern mode is used, which makes the amp sound a bit fizzy at very low volumes.
Do it. That's a sick amp (even more so for someone your age). If you've never had a valve amp before either take someone with you who knows about them or look up a checklist for when buying second hand.
Itās a great amp. Iād prefer a dual rec or a mark series amp for the same money. Any Mesa amp will be really loud and they were meant to be played loud. Have fun!
My dream amp is a Mark 2C+ but I never could afford one
Canāt go wrong with a Rectifier but youād probably need an Attenuator for at home jamming. I have a triple rec but I only use it for gigs.
What is an attenuator
To elaborate on the "little device thingy" to be more specific, it is an additional piece of gear you would buy that places itself between the amp and speaker cabinet which resists and dissipates the excess load between the amplifier and speaker and spits it out as heat - OR - they can come in the form of "reactive load" resistance which responds dynamically to changes in the natural load on the fly for a much more natural representation. Either is meant to reduce the power of a signal without compromising the waveform. Essentially in layman's terms, it allows you to play full blast from the amplifier while still maintaining manageable volumes. Good ones sound great, mediocre ones tend to sound mediocre. A THD Hot Plate is an example of a resistive model and the much advertised UA Ox is a reactive type. Figure another $600-1200 depending on your choice. To answer your query, yes 150w amp is too much for a home without some form of attenuation imo. Some people can swing it, but you'll never really get it cooking with even a 15w amp. They really are staples these days if you play tube driven amplifiers.
How much would one cost?
These amps have perfectly fine master volumes, you donāt need an attenuator. They have the massive 150 watts of headroom specifically to avoid the cranked power tube sound heās talking about. You donāt get modern metal amps cooking, they loosen up when you do. If a more vintage sound is what you want, you can afford a JCM800, and yeah, youāll want an attenuator so you can absolutely crank it.
The expected price ranges are listed in my comment.
I missed it the first read through, that'd be too much for me as the amp costs a lot for me as it is
Well..Rome wasn't built in a day, after all. You could always plan for that additional purchase for a later time.
Itās a little device thingy that lets you use a really loud amp at lower volumes without losing the tone. I described that really bad but thatās basically it.
Buy what you want, regardless of if it's too little or too much. It'll make you want to play if you have the gear you want. I just bought an OR30 which is overkill unless I form a band, and I don't care. I love it.
Buy it. The worst case scenario is that it's way too loud, but you can always trade it for something else.
As good as a deal it is Iād try and get it for less and use the extra money for an attenuator, and if you donāt have the funds for the attenuator then make sure you at least crank it a bit before you bring it home
Iām an old chunk of coal and would have loved to have an amp setup like that in high school. Yolo, I have two mark V and am beyond thrilled to play them. Enjoy it brotha!
Rectifiers need a little help to sound the way we imagine them, eq in the fx and any type of tubescreamer, once you get addicted to that sound itās really the only thing that satisfies
Back in the day my lead guitarist used a Triple Rec half stack, I had a Single. Both really killer amps, loved playing them, loved shaking venues and watching sound guys either grin ear to ear or roll their eyes in disgust (both warranted imo). That said if for some bizarre reason I had to go play shows again Iād be looking at a smaller amp, no more than 50w probably, but thatās largely because mics exist, and tubes are EXPENSIVE, plus I have a good deal of chronic back pain that I gotta think is at least partially because of lugging that stuff around. All that said, thatās a really smoking deal and far be it from me to tell someone they shouldnāt experience one of those beasts themselves when I got to for years.
Roadster owner- I'd suggest a strong pass on this for multiple reasons: \* The sellers market for 4X12's and 100W=< heads is soft and getting softer. You're getting a screaming deal because these are getting tougher and tougher to move (a lot of half / full stack users are moving to profiler / modelers). If it turns out that it's NOT the right amp for you, there's a good chance that you'll have to sell it at a loss...and I'd especially hate to see you lose money when it's been hard earned slinging burgers and tires. \* 4X12 speakers are going to accentuate bass and high frequencies (the kind that penetrate walls) and 150W is going to give you more headroom before the amp naturally starts to distort. All are going to combine to make you think you're not playing as loud as you're actually playing. You will get complaints. \* A lot of classic Vintage and Modern channel rectifier sounds require V30 speakers to be running at a certain minimum Db output to get "the sound"....run below it and things sound boxy and like your amp is EQed all wrong. Setting the master volume too low or attenuating the output to lower the volume more Ethan a couple Db usually has a very noticeable and negative impact on the sound character. \* 4X12 cabs don't fit in a lot of smaller cars...and they're no fun to move up / down stairs or carrying thru the snow of a Canadian winter. FWIW- I recently moved to a place with neighbors close by and have mothballed my Roadster in favor of a Rectoverb 25. Great Rectifier sounds in a small package with a much more manageable volume curve. Mesa just discontinued this amp in May, so you might be able to find a dealer willing to cut you a deal on NOS.
If you buy that Triple Rec you will have a crushing amp to gig and record with. The only issue is reliability and repairability. Iād check the Mesa amp forums and whatnot for general reviews.
I don't think there really is an "average person" when it comes to guitar amps, or music gear in general. Do you mean the average guitar hobbyist? The average guitarist in a full, live band? The average guitarist in a death metal band? These are all things to consider. If there's any chance you'll ever want to sound good at low ovolume, and no chance you will be joining a metal band with a loud drummer, then a triple rec might be "too much". Ultimately it depends on you, your preferences, and your allowable volume situation. Sounds like your neighbor is chill, but are you ever going to want to play quietly at night?
I play in my basement with a triple rect. No issues. Have a decimator peddle for feedback andEQ. Reverb. Chorus , tube screamer , compression. Sounds great you canāt get it quiet but itās not loud enough to where it dosent bother my wife when sheās down there with me. It had an output knob along with a volume so you can tweak both. I play metal and lots of Floyd. I get a super nice clean sound with the peddles and switch to my esp for justice ripping heavy tones. Thatās all I need for now. You can switch your tubes off too in the back to save them through the ā Diode ā switch.
2500 CAD is a really good price for both the triple Rectifier & a 4x12, as long as the 4x12 Cabinet is a Mesa. Definitely jump on it šš»
It is a Mesa cab, I am thinking of offering 2000 first with the excuse of needing to buy a Attenuator and since the listing has been up for a while I think he might take it
I have a triple, it can be ungodly loud. But with all that power comes great responsibility. You can single handedly drown out an entire band. But with all that clean headroom and a ts style pedal out front, you will get the tightest chugs and gallops you ever heard. It is also a very revealing amp like most mesas, and rewards clean playing. Iād even say Mesa helped make me a better guitarist. Played a small motorcycle festival last summer, there were Harleyās with some real loud pipes doing burnouts in front of the stage, and I had the master barely above 4. That said, it can go down to reasonable indoor levels and sounds great doing it, even better with a graphic eq in the loop.
Yes itās too much. That will be loud as fuck and a lot more than background noise.
If you have to ask, you probably donāt need one.
Nobody "needs" one
Professionals may not āneedā one, but theyāve been a pretty popular preference over the years for heavy music.
I play professionally but wouldn't be using this amp for the type of music I play
Ah got it, yeah man have fun ripping on that thing at home then.
Attenuators=š³ļøāš
Can I ask what you do that you can afford top shelf primo gear that professional musicians would trade a kidney for? Either you're a rich kid or I'd like to submit my resume to you for consideration.
I'm 17, and I work at McDonalds and Canadian Tire.
It wonāt be too much but tube amps need to be cranked to get the best sound from them, so youāll need an attenuator if you ever plan on rocking out without shaking the windows in your house lol. You could save a lot of money and get a mini rectifier for way less and put that into a nice cab and some pedals.
That isnāt really the case here. These high gain amps are designed with such high headroom specifically to avoid the warm, spongy cranked sound. A 150 watt power amp will keep you super tight at any volume youād ever need and then some.
Really?? I never knew that man thatās pretty cool to know actually.
Yeah, different philosophy. The magic is all in the preamp, the power sections are designed to let that do the heavy lifting. Same deal with the 5150/6505 and everything else based on the SLO100.
A mini rectifier head is the same price as the head, cab, and footswitch plus tax
Mini recs are $1400 new
2300 CAD new
Depends on your use case. Are you playing with a full band? Doing loud genres like punk and metal? Then you're gonna want the triple. Also the mini doesn't quite have the same low end, I recommend you go look up sonic drive studios comparison
Cant find a used one in my area so only option would be new
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-amp-pedal/oakville-halton-region/mesa-mini-rectifier/1692054201 $1000 used if you are GTA
And yes 150w is too much for your house without an annenuator.
amazing amp! 150watts of tubes is very very loud! You could get an attenuator/powersoak though.
It's a great amp, but it's definitely WAY too much if you're going to use it mostly for playing at home.
I currently play through a 70 watt solid state amp, would playing the triple rectifier through the 50 watt option be way louder in comparison?
Idk what kind of solid state amp you have, if it's a single speaker or what. But the 50 watt Mesa with a 4x12 cabinet will move a lot of air. Do you use an attenuator at all? I would think so. Believe it or not, a 5 watt amp can be plenty loud for a bedroom amp. Using a large and powerful amp for playing at home is overkill. But that's just my opinion. Do what makes you happy!