Mesa 90s Rectifier RI - Pics & Info

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NewWorldMan

NewWorldMan

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Been getting a lot of texts and messages asking about the Recto RI, so instead of answering them all one-off, thought this may be easier. Here’s a synopsis of what I’ve been telling folks, along with some pics.

Disclaimer: I bought the amp to try and to document. I wasn’t keeping it regardless of whether I liked it (though I do), and told everyone it was getting sold before it even arrived.

First impression plugging in was…it sounds like a “new” 2 channel Recto. I know that sounds obvious, but it’s sort of hard to explain. A little more urgent, a little cleaner and clearer in the gain (*not* less gain), etc. Just sounds and feels “new” as opposed to like it has 30 years of mileage and break in on it, if that makes sense?

Like buying a 2 channel Recto new in 1995 as opposed to buying a used one in 2025. Don’t let that give you the impression it’s “loose” or “flubby” (again, it’s not). We use “tight” and “percussive” interchangeably these days talking about amps, but I think they’re 2 very distinct and different things. I also think we’ve lost the plot 30 years later on what a new Recto sounded like in the ‘90s. Some of us were there and bought them back then. If you were, you know what I mean.

I typically like the feel and sag of vintage amps. Components drift, amps break in and settle in, the gain gets a little “dirtier” because of it, etc. They sound and feel a certain way and a little different because of age. This amp doesn’t have that feel to it. No new amp does. Don’t go in expecting your brand new amp to have the same vibe as your 30-year-old amp. It’s not gonna happen.

New amps are efficient, perfectly in spec, they feel a little tighter or more urgent when playing them, etc. The gain is a little clearer sounding, and you get that here. Some may like that, some may not.

Think of it as when you get new filter caps on an old, vintage amp. Some guys talk about how it changes the sound or gets tighter feeling or etc. Now take that vibe and apply it across the entire amp instead of just the filter caps. As I said, I like the smear and sag of vintage amps that sound like they have 30 years of mileage on them. But, there’s also something to be said about a clean, new, urgent feeling amp as well.

It has the same transformer set as the later issue MWs (562105 & 561142). They’re solid, work well, why change?

The amp came loaded with Mesa branded JJs in both the preamp and power amp. I think it’s safe to say the amp was designed with those tubes in mind. Mesa has slightly tweaked things over the years to accommodate the tubes available, and JJs seem to what was in mind for this amp. The moment you swap tubes, it gets inherently brighter with something like the older Beijing ‘90s ECC83s.

Which brings about an interesting observation. I’m a traditionalist in ‘90s Rectos. It’s ‘90s Beijing ECC83s and Mesa 420s in all of them. It’s what they were designed around, and it’s what I think they sound their best using. This amp? Wasn’t so much a fan of the 420s.

The Mesa STR 420s have a certain something in the mids, and they have virtually no bottom end to them. People may say “why do you want that,” but that’s partly why they work stupidly well in ‘90s Rectos. It’s an offset to the natural lows in the amp and keeps it from being too much. Guys will then buy these bass heavy 6L6s, turn up the bass knob, and say “it’s so boomy sounding and etc.” No shit, of course it is with you stacking bass heavy tubes in a bass heavy amp.

Anyway, they just don’t work as well here. The amp works well with the stock JJs for a reason (and I’m typically not a fan of them), and for something brighter, some old Mesa STR 440 6L6s worked well. But I don’t think 420s would be a go-to here.

Clean channel isn’t really improved. It’s a solid, good clean channel, but I think it’s pretty standard issue for the amp. I assume the “improved” clean channel talk comes from layout efficiencies and the lack of white noise, which I’ll give them credit for. There’s no white noise. The amp is dead silent.

The taper of the pots feel slightly different. It’s not extreme, and we all know even old amps aren’t 1:1 these days, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself tweaking slightly to get similar results (e.g. setting a knob on 10:00 where you put it on 11:00 on your old one).

And finally, for all you revision chasers, mine was a super early one (12/11/24 build date), and it’s noted as “Rev 5.” I can only imagine there will be more to come. If you want your “OMG, I need an early revision, why didn’t I buy that one, what version are they on now” amp, you’ve probably got the earliest revision you’re ever going to find on market right now.

There’s a lot of objective statements here, along with a healthy dose of subjective ones as well. You’re free to form your own opinions based on your own experiences.

Cheers all. Enjoy!
 

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Is that power supply board reused from the multiwatt or should we expect a triple rectifier reissue soon?

Thanks for the detailed thoughts also, that from an experienced user is way more useful than clips in my opinion.
 
Is that power supply board reused from the multiwatt or should we expect a triple rectifier reissue soon?

Thanks for the detailed thoughts also, that from an experienced user is way more useful than clips in my opinion.
I don’t think it’s reused, but could be wrong. Would have to go back and look at all my shots of the MW.

So yeah, I noticed that as well. So much so that I took a close-up and circled it (attached here) 😄 Wasn’t in the original post because of the pic limit.
 

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Is that power supply board reused from the multiwatt or should we expect a triple rectifier reissue soon?

Thanks for the detailed thoughts also, that from an experienced user is way more useful than clips in my opinion.
Word on the street is a triple later this year, $4K.

Here's a Triple & a Dual MW.
 

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