I finally get the Badlander- it's voiced like the Rev C.

  • Thread starter Thread starter GJgo
  • Start date Start date
I think it’s similar to a pre 500 voice
a couple of things it likely has a built in screamer type circuit that the triple crown has , that cuts the lows tightens up the amp and adds some mids
Second it has NFB one of the things that makes the Recto so loose is that the Red Modern removed the negative feedback and allowed a ton of bass through
Also the EL34 are going to have a lifted bass freq so the sub lows are not as prevalent
 
Racerxrated said:
That’s kinda what I hear on clips; when listening to Rev C vs BL. I’m sure that the C has the edge in a vintage way; but like an F does get the nod vs a MW recto it’s not a huge difference.
Definitely have a BL in my sights for a future purchase.
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I been wanting to try one too
 
GJgo said:
Last year I had a Badlander 100 for a while. At the time I knew it felt nothing like a "normal" Rectifier- it had no bottom end, super snarly upper mids, and a very complex harmonic swirl that felt great to play. Killer liquid lead tone as well. A boost did help but it didn't "need" it like all other Rectos. I surmised it was a fantastic rock amp but not really what I wanted in my 3 piece metal band.

Recently I was fortunate enough to pick up a very early Rev C and the other night and after sending it off to Mike B. for some TLC I got it home & played it in the band for the first time. Now that I've spent a few hours jamming it at home & with the band, I finally get it. The Badlander is voiced like the Rev C. Of course it's not identical- but like how the MultiWatt is voiced like the Rev F but with a more modern tone as opposed to the vintage organic tone, this is the same parallel. The C has those snarling upper mids, a very swirling complex harmonic under the fingers, and a pretty damn good liquid lead tone. It has a distinct lack of ass compared to a "normal" Recto, though I will say the Badlander has even less bottom. Outside of the band it doesn't "need" a boost to be satisfyingly tight. This amp is classic George Lynch tones all day long.

This was kind of a revelation, and I'm super glad to have gotten here.
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I'm stoked to hear this kind of review. After seeing the prices on Rev C's hike in 2020 go from $3500 and up, I knew they'd be almost unobtainable. Hell, my buddy sold his Rev F a few months ago for $3600 on Reverb.. I ordered a custom Badlander 100 last year in March 2021... Still haven't gotten it, but the wait sounds well worth it if it'll be a tight machine. I've luckily got a Rev G with Mike B's initials on it, and it easily beats out Rev F's on how mean it is. It made my buddy sell his Rev F. I can't wait to check out the Badlander after reading this. :rock:


dr teeth said:
Jeez Jeremy, how many mesa'a can one person own??
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The answer is always "More!" :cool:
 
I couldn’t get in to any rectifiers after F. Just not tight and bright enough. I regret selling my rev F blackface. But the money was good. The Badlander seems up my valley
 
dr teeth said:
Jeez Jeremy, how many mesa'a can one person own??
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...From the guy who bought a second house to keep his Mesa cabs in. Is that a rhetorical question? :P

I'm about done selling, though. I've found my cores.
 
Interesting note- I have this cold set of JJ 5881 now (Eurotubes #25). In the Rectos on 6L6 mode they're running about 14 ma. In EL34 tube / bold mode they're running about 34. I dare say, the tone & harmonics are better at 14. Fast forward to the Badlander- the one I had shipped new at around 18 mA with GREY. I spoke to the engineer at Mesa about this and he said they did that on purpose because that's where the best tone is.

Also, personally & FWIW, I liked the BL a LOT more with #EL34s
 
Well I don't have the BL anymore, but I did put this together last night with the C. While they do feel quite a bit different in the room, on the mic the differences are a lit more subtle. Also, the C still sounds absolutely nothing like the SLO I had.

 
GJgo said:
Interesting note- I have this cold set of JJ 5881 now (Eurotubes #25). In the Rectos on 6L6 mode they're running about 14 ma. In EL34 tube / bold mode they're running about 34. I dare say, the tone & harmonics are better at 14. Fast forward to the Badlander- the one I had shipped new at around 18 mA with GREY. I spoke to the engineer at Mesa about this and he said they did that on purpose because that's where the best tone is.

Also, personally & FWIW, I liked the BL a LOT more with #EL34s
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14/18ma? Should sound like chapped ass
 
Should, but doesn't. The harmonics & feels are better than with the mA turned up. Of course, it's more pissed off turned up but that's another story.

My Cali Tweed is the same way- shipped very cold with GRN at 15 mA, and has hands down the best dynamics of any Mesa I've played.
 
Lmao- I had weened myself to less than 20 before you told me about Charlie's boogies!
And weened myself a couple years too soon looking at prices these days.
 
Since there are Marshall folks here and I've never played a super anything (excepting the super delay) what did you guys think of the ED/RA/TA/Stiletto if you tried them? They're all different but I believe are Mesa's california take on a Marshall. I've love them all but not expecting them to be a Marshall. Is the BL along those lines of Mesa or just coincidence some are finding it close to Marshall's?
 
dr teeth said:
Since there are Marshall folks here and I've never played a super anything (excepting the super delay) what did you guys think of the ED/RA/TA/Stiletto if you tried them? They're all different but I believe are Mesa's california take on a Marshall. I've love them all but not expecting them to be a Marshall. Is the BL along those lines of Mesa or just coincidence some are finding it close to Marshall's?
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I’ve played a Stiletto and like I hear with a Mark 3, there’s a harshness that can’t be dialed out.
If you want a Marshall experience get a Marshall. No clone can quite get the tone of the old JMPs in my experience anyway. If you like the chime and feel of a good vintage Fender, but with tons of upper mids and snarl esp boosted..a good vintage Marshall is the answer.
 
I don’t know I am not in love w the Badlander the thing that makes a recto a recto is that low chunk and throwing a tube screamer in front can do wonders to tighten up the Lows
The Badlander IMO just has this one upper mid frequency that I find grating , it brings out all the string and pick noise and to me is somewhat unpleasant, perhaps in a mix or with the treble / pres turned way down
I actually much prefer the Triple Crown for the more modern British voiced thing
 
One of these days I'll plug into one of those early wonders. A pre-super and a super lead/bass.
I agree the older marks are more wide open and less artifacts. I'm happy with the III's I have and had but the IIB's are my sweet spot. The ED is a good choice to try if you've never heard the voicing. It's often overlooked but extremely well voiced.

I have no problems with my stage II duece even though I've seen many people against stilettos which made me wonder why the prices were going up so it would seem. I've typically run it into the matching stiletto 4x12 which is just a trad with white piping. When I've put that on a OS bottom and ran a full stack of t4335's it was massive and the smile on my face took longer to fade than for the tubes to cool.
 
But then I would need a full stack of old old greenbacks and that can't be cheap these days.
 
dr teeth said:
But then I would need a full stack of old old greenbacks and that can't be cheap these days.
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Marshall 4x12's with Greenbacks by me are going for $800-1000. The vintage ones? Forget about it. These suckers are insanely expensive now. With how Marshall does their newer particle board backed cabs, I almost don't blame everyone for selling high.
 
gtr31 said:
I don’t know I am not in love w the Badlander the thing that makes a recto a recto is that low chunk and throwing a tube screamer in front can do wonders to tighten up the Lows
The Badlander IMO just has this one upper mid frequency that I find grating , it brings out all the string and pick noise and to me is somewhat unpleasant, perhaps in a mix or with the treble / pres turned way down
I actually much prefer the Triple Crown for the more modern British voiced thing
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It’s not the Badlander. What you are describing is the signature sound of cheap Russian tubes.
 
As a current owner of 3 original sub-serial #200 Rev C amps and a Rev C Triple Recto prototype... not someone that heard about a Rev C from their sister's neighbor's cousin's twice removed former room-mate... I'm not hearing the similarity. Sorry.

I get that the Badlander is a tighter-Recto-ish sounding amp... and have played it several times... but that's where the similarity ends. My Rev Cs have more gain and a more aggressive, evil, metal voicing overall to them.

Not throwing stones... I just don't hear it.
 
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