Dual Rectifier Vs 5150 III

[BrentSSL]

Let me start by saying I am torn which to get I have owned many rectifiers dual ,triple, dual multiwatt, roadster, Racktifier rev G, and a blackface rev G. I am currently in posession of an awesome revision F dual rec which has decent cleans recently I was able to A/B my current rec with a 5153 same cab same room same guitars nothing in the signal chain.
I know the tone is different but the overall feel of both amps is very similiar to me both are powerful and punchy.

Cleans goes to 5153 why well a dual recs cleans are just kind of dark and when you try to brighten that up it has a tendancy to get thin with certain pickups. The 5153's cleans are nice through and through it sounds and feels like a fender clean to me which is great its chimey in the right places and reatains good full tone when using a single pickup.

Second channel or middle channel goes to the 5153 because the rev F does not have one you can switch to on the fly. If I had to make a comparison a 3 channel dual rectifiers second channel to the 5153's I would still give it to the EVH because it has a better "rock" tone to that channel and its easier to find and its presence control actually does something. You can get great rock tones from the Rev F but you are forced to choose between a rock or metal amp if you want to use your clean channel.

Third channel or main dirty not a hard decision at all I have to go with the Dual rec Rev F because there is just some tones that channel can reach the third channel on the 5153 can't. If you try to push it there you get some not so great fizzyness which no one likes. The Dual Rec just has highs and lows in all the right places it never gets to toppy or too fizzy and is still has tight bottom end.

Versatility goes to EVH because of the 3 channels

I used guitars in standard, E flat, D standard and drop C also used a seven string for shits and giggles. I think the dual rectifier responds better than the 5153 with lower tunings and the seven string but they are not too far off so either amp can fit your needs. Of course the rectifier is better for death metal and all that but but the EVH can do it too just not to the perfection the dual can do that stuff. Either amp can do 80's Metal 90's Grunge or current rock but again the EVH can get fizzy if you are not careful when dialing in a metal tone I will have clips when I can

 

[jsp]

Clips would be good

 

[anomaly]

I've always really liked the Mesa rectifiers, they are one of my favs for metal tones... I'd much rather play through a recto than a 5150III. and ya, clips??.....

 

[SFW]

I own a 5150 III 100, and have owned several versions of Dual Rectos. They both excel at high gain rock tones. I will say that I disagree with you about handling of lower tunings. To me, the 5153 has a much tighter bottom end that doesn't get loose with the low B on a 7 string. The Recto in my experience has to walk a tight rope with EQ settings to handle them.

For standard or drop D, the Recto is a massive beast. However, I can dial my 5153 is sound pretty massive as well. The real difference between these amps from a tonal perspective is where the mid range focus is. On a recto, it's all about the low mids. The 5153 is more focused on higher mids. I think both amps work great together in the same band, as you get a wall of sound coming at you.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I'm not a fan of 5150's or 5153's or any of them. I like gain but for whatever reason I've never liked the 5150's. The last time I played a mini 5153 I felt like it had a ton of gain but zero tone, kinda like a solid state amp. That's just me..YMMV.

 

[anomaly]

I'm not a fan of 5150's or 5153's or any of them. I like gain but for whatever reason I've never liked the 5150's. The last time I played a mini 5153 I felt like it had a ton of gain but zero tone, kinda like a solid state amp. That's just me..YMMV.

I agree, i've never liked any of the 5150's either. They are very messy sounding amps with not much clarity. I think that sound they have is getting kinda redundant these days too.

 

[BrentSSL]

I'm not a fan of 5150's or 5153's or any of them. I like gain but for whatever reason I've never liked the 5150's. The last time I played a mini 5153 I felt like it had a ton of gain but zero tone, kinda like a solid state amp. That's just me..YMMV.

I agree, i've never liked any of the 5150's either. They are very messy sounding amps with not much clarity. I think that sound they have is getting kinda redundant these days too.

See I agree with you guys about the peavey 5150/6505 line I never liked them either but there's something different with the EVH 5150 III. It is the best current mass produced amp you can buy on the market right now in that price range used or new. A ton of people argue its $2,000ish price tag is too high new. But for the amount of power that 100 watt pushes and the feel of the amp is I feel equal to a good sounding rectifier which is what makes a good amp imho. I think the combo has a solid state vibe or feel more because of the speakers and less the actual amp.

 

[nevusofota]

I'm not a fan of 5150's or 5153's or any of them. I like gain but for whatever reason I've never liked the 5150's. The last time I played a mini 5153 I felt like it had a ton of gain but zero tone, kinda like a solid state amp. That's just me..YMMV.

I agree, i've never liked any of the 5150's either. They are very messy sounding amps with not much clarity. I think that sound they have is getting kinda redundant these days too.

I agree for the most part also, EXCEPT for the blue channel of the standard 100w. It's much different than any other channel of any 5150, Peavey or Fender IMO. Tons of "tone" and punch that comes alive at gigging volume, not at in-store demo levels.

 

[DannyM]

I have love hate relationships with Recto's. Had a ractifier, different Duals, Single Series 2, rectoverb, recording pre amp, and some days they were great and other days they werent. I want a black out dual rectifier but after going thru half a dozen or so Rectifiers over the past 11 years I've kinda sworn to never buy another one. I had preordered a blacked out dual a couple of months ago but cancelled before they were in stock. I still want to find the rectifier that would be a keeper. It was the loose low end that would bug me on my previous rectos so I'm thinking the new blacked out dual may have addressed that issue. I tried all the tricks i could think of on the previous ones to tighten it up...clean boosting with OD pedal, EL34's, solid state rectifier, etc.

Had a 5150 III 50 watt and didnt like it. Sold it. Just recently bought a new Stealth and love it, its a great amp!
I didnt care for the block letter 5150 or the 6505 that I owned prior to the 5150 III 50 watter. I'm really glad I took a chance on the Stealth!

 

[232cap]

I'm not a fan of 5150's or 5153's or any of them. I like gain but for whatever reason I've never liked the 5150's. The last time I played a mini 5153 I felt like it had a ton of gain but zero tone, kinda like a solid state amp. That's just me..YMMV.[/

Dan my thought exactly the price point and features is great but like you said they seem to lack tone. Just my opinion.

 

[Shask]

I have love hate relationships with Recto's. Had a ractifier, different Duals, Single Series 2, rectoverb, recording pre amp, and some days they were great and other days they werent. I want a black out dual rectifier but after going thru half a dozen or so Rectifiers over the past 11 years I've kinda sworn to never buy another one. I had preordered a blacked out dual a couple of months ago but cancelled before they were in stock. I still want to find the rectifier that would be a keeper. It was the loose low end that would bug me on my previous rectos so I'm thinking the new blacked out dual may have addressed that issue. I tried all the tricks i could think of on the previous ones to tighten it up...clean boosting with OD pedal, EL34's, solid state rectifier, etc.

Had a 5150 III 50 watt and didnt like it. Sold it. Just recently bought a new Stealth and love it, its a great amp!
I didnt care for the block letter 5150 or the 6505 that I owned prior to the 5150 III 50 watter. I'm really glad I took a chance on the Stealth!

Maybe you should try a Triple Recto.

Triples always sound better to me than Duals. They have more clarity, more depth, and are tighter.

I have a blackface Triple that sounds amazing. I can even play with with no boost with tight pickups, but will use a boost sometimes also. Nothing sounds as massive as that amp

 

[johnpace2]

Get them both, run in stereo, win!

 

[DannyM]

Maybe you should try a Triple Recto.
Triples always sound better to me than Duals. They have more clarity, more depth, and are tighter.

I have a blackface Triple that sounds amazing. I can even play with with no boost with tight pickups, but will use a boost sometimes also. Nothing sounds as massive as that amp

I'll look around to see if I can find a black out triple recto, thanks.

 

[PBGas]

Dual Recs are one of those iconic amps. They have that tone that really gets under you and just has that low grind that sound amazing. Its the kind of sound that you remember for all the right reasons.

The 5150III is quickly becoming one of those special amps as well. I really love everything about the amp and I have had a couple versions of it over the years. I am really looking forward to my new Stealth model when it arrives.

 

[Revson]

I absolutely love my Triple Rec, however, it does need a boost to really come to life.

I played a 5153 50W a at Sam Ash last weekend and it didn't really do much for me. I really liked the blue channel and the clean was pretty solid, but the lead channel was too compressed for me. A 100W would probably be more for me since it has the three channels on separate EQs and volumes so I could easily set it up for clean/dirty/solo settings.

 

[greatmutah]

Cool feedback. I've been a Mesa guy for years but dabbled in the 6505/5150s and was always curious about the 5150III.

 

[SFW]

Cool feedback. I've been a Mesa guy for years but dabbled in the 6505/5150s and was always curious about the 5150III.

I've owned three of the original 5150 amps, and played several of the 5150 II amps. The 5150III is a different beast.

 

[Mailman1971]

Yup...gotta a 5150 here and a 5153 stealth. Sound totally different.
All it leads me to realize was that with Eddie designing these....
he was a HIGH GAIN JUNKIE!!!

 

[fretout]

IMO, each amp fills a different space. I think the base of the tones comes down to the Rectifier having a thick, deep tone, and the 5153 has a drier tone. It almost reminds me of the responsiveness of the Krank Krankensteins.

The Triple Rectifiers are awesome amps as well, and I really liked mine a ton, but it was almost too thick. I found when I tried some Duals, they didn't have the same depth as the Triple, and seemed to track faster. I think the Triples sound best with chords (they're an absolute monster). I had mine dialed in right next to a VH4, and I was surprised how similar channel 3 was to the modern voice of the Recto, but that's a whole different topic. I liked the Dual better for single notes and fast Palm mutes came through clearer on the Dual.

Dude, just go with your gut reaction. If you liked the 5153, grab one. Even if it falls short of another amp in a particular area, inspiration can be found in trying to get the amp to mimic that tone in your head. That's how all the best tones are found anyway...by experimenting...

Just based on the number of threads you have comparing amps to other amps, you need an EQ pedal...

 

[BrentSSL]

I absolutely love my Triple Rec, however, it does need a boost to really come to life.

I played a 5153 50W a at Sam Ash last weekend and it didn't really do much for me. I really liked the blue channel and the clean was pretty solid, but the lead channel was too compressed for me. A 100W would probably be more for me since it has the three channels on separate EQs and volumes so I could easily set it up for clean/dirty/solo settings.

See I played a combo at sam ash thats what got me thinking especially after playing my guitar through it. I had been dabbling in the idea of making a switch to Randall but I feel lik the only good one was the one Dime played and I love Damage plan and Pantera did was not looking for dime tones so I tried the 5153 combo. It seemed to have a very processed sound with that same character a randall I had tried recently but with the power of tubes. I turned it up and was blown away at how it still held its core tone but still gets loud and ballsy.Then after spending hours literally hours in a sound room with a head I am just soo freaking impressed I am thinking about going to EVH been a Mesa guy forever. I feel these amps are speacial because they are the best mass produced consumer friendly priced amp right now. To get the tone these are producng you have to go vintage recs with a boost or spennd 3 or more grand.