Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett)

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Shintock
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2005/06/09 09:20:29 (permalink)

Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett)

I have a Vox Tonelab, and it sounds great, but it doesn't offer that nice smooth Boogie distortion that I want sooo badly. So I started looking around for tube amps, thinking I could hook up a Red Box for direct recording (I live in an apartment) and I came across the Mesa Recto recording pre. I listened to some samples of an album I found online, that recorded the guitars with the Mesa pre, and I think it sounds fantastic.

Any one have any experience with them?

Thanks.
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    mlockett
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    RE: Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett) 2005/06/09 11:39:37 (permalink)
    I like mine a lot. Check out "Where I Am" on my soundclick site. The heavy guitar is the recto pre; the interesting part is that's pretty much the original sound direct in (plus verb); there is no EQing on that song.. Incidentally, as a matter of taste, that's not the hotest recto sound; I liked the sound for the song, but you can get a more strongly rectified sound if desired.

    The cleans are surprisingly exceptional as well (designed with circuitry similar to the Mark 1)... much better than a regular rectifier. I also have a MB 50/50 power amp and a MB 2x12 rectifier cabinet. For many of the settings, the DI from the pre sounds better than the mic'ed cabinet.

    One of the biggest selling points is in actually playing. The feel of the dynamics of going thru real tubes is different than any of the modelers. The responsiveness to how hard you pick the string, etc. allows much more expressiveness than the modelers (IMHO).

    I had a Tonelab when I first bought my recto pre. While I like the TL, I didn't think it held a candle to the recto pre, so I got $220 for the TL on ebay (a big loss). I still have a POD XTL but I find I almost never use it in the studio.

    My 2 cents... YMMV

    Mike Lockett
    http://mikelockett.info
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    Shintock
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    RE: Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett) 2005/06/09 16:23:51 (permalink)
    That sounds fabulous. In "Where I Am" is that DI'ed or a mic'ed cab? Great production, by the way.

    My favourite music store has it for $715 US ($900 Canadian), and in stock, I think I'll have to try it out when I head back to Montreal in a couple weeks. :D I better start preparing an eBay listing for my Tonelab. $220?

    Cheers,

    Andy
    post edited by Shintock - 2005/06/09 16:25:30
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    mlockett
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    RE: Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett) 2005/06/09 17:43:11 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: Shintock

    That sounds fabulous. In "Where I Am" is that DI'ed or a mic'ed cab? Great production, by the way.

    My favourite music store has it for $715 US ($900 Canadian), and in stock, I think I'll have to try it out when I head back to Montreal in a couple weeks. :D I better start preparing an eBay listing for my Tonelab. $220?

    Cheers,

    Andy


    That's DI with no EQ applied in Sonar. I tried mic'ing the cab and DI and liked the DI better (which I didn't expect). Thanks for the compliments on my music.

    That sounds like a good price for the Recto pre. I was bummed that the TL price dropped $100 USD within a few months of when I bought it... had to take a painful loss on eBay.

    Mike Lockett
    http://mikelockett.info
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    HammerHead
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    RE: Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett) 2005/06/10 15:25:19 (permalink)
    this preamp gives me frequent gas.

    i may as well just buy the damned thing & get it over with.


    $715 seems like a good price. they ebay for at least $650 un-new.
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    Shintock
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    RE: Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett) 2005/06/10 15:44:09 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: mlockett
    That's DI with no EQ applied in Sonar. I tried mic'ing the cab and DI and liked the DI better (which I didn't expect).

    That's fantastic. Now I want one even more.

    Thanks for the compliments on my music.

    Any time!
    #6
    mlockett
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    RE: Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett) 2005/06/10 16:03:38 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: Shintock

    ORIGINAL: mlockett
    That's DI with no EQ applied in Sonar. I tried mic'ing the cab and DI and liked the DI better (which I didn't expect).

    That's fantastic. Now I want one even more.

    Thanks for the compliments on my music.

    Any time!

    PS. I just uploaded another version of the song "Where I Am" It now has two guitars... one is a PRS through the Recto pre with the switch in the "Vintage" position; the other is a strat with the switch in the "Modern" (Recto) position. I'll probably play with the mix on the song a bit more, but you should be able to hear the distinct sounds if you're interested. (BTW, no Sonar EQ on either track).

    Another nice thing abouth the recto pre... it should retain most of its value in case you want ot sell it a few years down the road. You'd likely lose some serious money reselling modelers after a few years
    post edited by mlockett - 2005/06/14 00:47:57

    Mike Lockett
    http://mikelockett.info
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    Shintock
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    RE: Anyone here have a Mesa Recto recording pre? (mlockett) 2005/06/13 23:12:15 (permalink)
    Great sounds, man. Sorry for the late post, I was away for the weekend.

    Quit posting, you're making me want this preamp so bad!

    That's also a good point about the resale value.
    #8
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