CAST of CHARACTERS
- Incognito Guy aka “Me”
- Asshat 1 aka “Pops”
- Asshat 2 aka “Gramps”
The Setup:
I was perusing the goings on of guitar players, specifically guys who like Mesa Boogie guitar amplifiers. Like me. Back in the early 1999s, Mesa came out with a series of high gain amplifiers called the Rectifier Series. Legendary amps that paved way for the Nu Metal genre with bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Disturbed leading the way. All three of those bands used Mesa Rectifier amps to cement their signature guitar sound. To this day Mesa still makes Rectifier amps, or Rectos as they are known. So, the act of Rectification in electronic circuits is the act of switching AC power (Alternating Current, what comes out the wall) to DC power (Direct Current, what a battery uses).
There is a few ways of doing this, one is with vacuum tubes called Rectifier Tubes, and the other is with the vacuum tubes replacement, solid state electronics, like transistors and diodes and the like. These two distinctly different ways of getting DC power from an AC source have a different sound and feel in a professional guitar amplifier. And with that, the legendary amplifier known as the Dual Rectifier was born.
More than just being a single amplifier, the Rectifier Series is a whole family of tube amps made in California by MESA/Boogie. From the original Dual Rec came the Triple Rec, Single Rec, Road King & RK II, Roadster, Recto-Verb, Trem-O-Verb, Badlander, Blue Angel…and a few more. Every one of those amps has the Rectifier “Badging” on the front.
May I please ask that I have your attention drawn to exhibit A
exhibit A
Out of the ten or so amps I named, nine of them all share a common trait: they are considered ‘high gain’ guitar amplifiers and can do heavy metal tones like nobody’s business. The oddball is the Blue Angel. Now we guitar players are a stubborn bunch. We take decades to switch ideas of what we think works. That being said, the name Rectifier is synonymous with ‘high gain’ amps. Period. When someone says you got any Rectos over there, they aren’t asking for a clean amplifier, they want a dirty ass fire breathing monster that bands like Cannibal Corpse might reach for. Okay, you’re all caught up.
So…as I was wandering about the socials with my incognito self, I came across a picture of somebody’s new to them Mesa amplifier along with a comment that reads “When the dream becomes reality”:followed by a smiley face emoji.
May I please ask that I have your attention drawn to exhibit B
exhibit B:
The amplifier in exhibit B is a MESA/Boogie Blue Angel. It is NOT what anyone that plays guitar would consider a high gain amplifier. It doesn’t even have a gain knob. But it does have the Rectifier Badging.
May I please ask that I have your attention drawn to exhibit C
exhibit C:
As can clearly be seen in exhibit B, is the signature Rectifier Badging as well as the model name, Blue Angel.
ME: So I'm a bit perplexed. That is a Mesa amplifuction with Progressive Linkydoo, but its missing the gnob that says GAIN. It also says Rectum Frier. So the amp has two ways to make Shifty Current into Not Shifty Current...but calling that there Angle Blues a Recto is like calling Reconstructed Vegetable Protein a burger. It might say "Burger" on the box, but literally every person worth hanging out with clearly knows that isn't at all correct.
I thought Mesa was The Home of Toan, but I'm starting to think it might be a House of Lies too.
POPS: What ever blows you skit up you must be one of the "special ones" unable to find many usable flavors out of Mesa Amplification. Each Amp is like a paint brush of tones many of us have aa few amps to achieve the tone you are after.. Why post in a Mesa group if you do not like the product. Maybe you should be over at the solid state amplifier forums.
GRAMPS: If you cannot say something positive, don't say NOTHING AT ALL. Maybe practice guitar more instead of writing Blow hards!!!
ME: Haha...I've practiced guitar more than you, can pretty much guarantee it. Lol. The funny thing is, IF YOU WEREN'T SO BUTTHURT, you would see the humor. never said it was a bad amp. Did I? No. I love Boogie shit, have been studying their entire lineup for decades. Mkay? But here goes, so you two can fucking UNDERSTAND. JUST BECAUSE IT HAS A DIODE AND TUBE RECTIFICATION CIRCUIT, DOES NOT REALLY MAKE IT WHAT MOST FOLKS WOULD CONSIDER A RECTO. Mkay? Once again, it doesn't even have a gain knob. For fucks sake. This is hilarious how completely personal you are taking this like an attack. I've never played one of those. Did ever say it was shit? No. The crew at Mesa saw a reason to make it, so I'm sure it's decent. Holy fuck. Are you two cousins? Or maybe something a little closer? Or the same person? Lol. Take a fucking chill pill you "two"