i use eq2 source audio in my effect loop...400-440hz big q dip even in my engl!!!i like it more then all the other options and its more like the diezel herbert mid cut, try it!!!
It really depends on what you're after. I personally think Fluby amps sound sonically sound better once you boost them. The more modern amps are starting to sound like solid state amps with that lightning fast rectifier reaction. Just seems like too much of a good thing.
I like high gain tones just shy of djent territory. So I use two TS9 boosts at 50% tone/volume and get great results from that. Also an eq pedal to remove bass depending on the amp
wish they had made the Badlander with that in mind, like a pre-boosted recto, instead they neutered the Badlander, took ALL the low end out and dialed the gain back such that you pretty much need an OD to even get into metal territory :(
Call me crazy, but I think I liked the loose Retco tone the most here. Maybe it’s just the song but yeah, that non-boosted Recto sounded real good here!
I’m of the shrinking minority who doesn’t believe more mids = better, so I’m inclined to agree with you. Modern guitar guitar players push the mids wayyyyy too much.
I liked the recto without the boost, usually I don’t like boosting amps with od’s but I may use an eq pedal to lower the low frequency a bit with amps like the orange.
Ive been a dual rec owner for about twelve years. I also own a marshall jvm410h, a 5150 iii, and an orange tiny terror Ive put countless hours of my life into playing around with these amps, my various boost pedals, and speaker cabinets The mesa unboosted is definitely sick. Guitar pickups make a big difference. I prefer the ts9 overdrive pedal, turn volume all way up, drive and tone all the way down. It adds tiny bite, and tightens the flub just a little. It makes certain riffs sound much cleaner. Its far less drastic of a boost than what hes demonstrating here.
@@adamstein9333 Unless you're using emg pickups or some other pick up that's just as insipid, Mesa have really decent cleans, I dare to say good depending on the setting.
Sculpting the eq and the level of the signal before it gets to the preamp is one of the most important steps of dialing the tone. It took me over ten years to understand this.
Holy moly, looks like the Mesa fan club in here. Recto sounds too scooped to me, harder to hear in a mix. Better with tube screamer mids added, obviously. The ENGL is certainly more modern sounding with exceptional detail and clarity; totally brutal and yet refined. I'm completely in love.
When I play, I almost always prefer the feeling of a boosted amp. However, listening back, I always find that things typically sound pretty great as-is without a boost. I would definitely boost a rectifier. That ENGL though.... That's one of the finest sounding amps I've ever heard plain on it's own. Seriously would love one of those.
The think your explanation of why bass cutting makes the low end sound better, has allowed me to use my amp's EQ, resonance, and presence, more effectively
I used to have a Triple Rectifier and I love the way it sounds with a boost in front. But it's kind of ridiculous when you have to spend over 2000 dollars on something that is pretty much useless without a 120 dollar pedal in front of it. It doesn't make much sense to me..
Most important thing (for me) isn't low end in distortion but the mids. Overdrives are cutting low end but they also extremely boosting the mids. For example engl savage 120 and engl powerball has almost a same amount of low end but savage has more mids in distortion and it gives more bite. I also found that I love when amp has lot of mids but also the low end. This is the reason why I prefer more 3rd channel on powerball over the 4th. BTW boosted rectifier has more mids in the distortion than unboosted engl and for me it has more bite and punch.
I was never happy with my tone, realized I needed to use my overdrive pedals as a boost. That's the key to getting my fav metalcore tones! Thanks for the video!
I love that rectifier sound so much! I’m more of a blackened death metal guy so I like that crazy “flubby” sound. Of course I have overdrives but even on my express 5:50+ I don’t need one.
Cool comparison. I have both and generally agree. But we're both capturing into the load boxes (R7), and not a physical room/venue. And if I'm not mistaken, for the ENGL, SDS chose the tighter 6L6 tubes (as did I)
I commented on the Instagram promo post earlier, with my blanket view on using these pedals, but you’ve done a great job putting the what and why on full display. Love it brother 🤘
For rhythm tones, it's hard NOT to go ahead and boost the amp, especially with a TS or Klon-style OD. You tighten the low end, add some mid-range frequencies, and add some compression (in a good way) as well.
I get this result from my rectifer by just switching my dimarzio tone zone to split north coil. I get the best of both worlds without having to add a boost. You still get the fat low end and a sharp attack.
Boosted Mesa sounds EXTREMELY aggressive and I love it. When it is boosted, the ENGL sounds nasally almost. Mesa has such a massive presence and stage with the boost.
This was a great comparison video! Rectos always sound so big. The funny thing is I actually really liked the loose sound in the mix. Sounded really wide and paired with the bass track in a good way. If I played a Recto I would use a boost but I loved both sounds. I owned an ENGL SE EL34 back around 2006. Loved the amp but I never used a boost. I didn't need it for what I played but could understand if someone wanted to use one for different flavors. Both amps sounded killer in the mix! Keep up the great work!
I used to be anti boost back when i was a stubborn ass. "I paid all this money for a high gain amp! I'm not gonna put a $30 sd 1 in front! " Now i boost all my amps: powerball, 5153, and laney 50 watt. Also, the Fortin Blade is very good for tightening up bass and making the amp percussive AF.
Suggestion: could you make a video using the Empress para EQ trying to match the sound of two amplifiers? I think using a 6505 with the Para EQ trying to achieve a Mesa Boogie Mark would be a great tonal experiment. Even if you can't exactly match the tones it would be a great experiment showcasing the power of an EQ in front of an amp. Cheers! Keep on the good work!
You made a good point. It really depends. If you play some fast riffing with a lot of palm mutes, chances that you need to keep low frequencies under control are high. If you play opposite of it, well, you don't need to boost that much. But it really depends, again.
The Rectifier is the best high gain for Me. The best amp and matching cab I’ve ever had by far. This is 25 years ago and I still cannot find the perfect rect o box since I’ve sold the monster. The clean channel is the worst unfortunately. It’s like they said whatever just leave it lol. I’ve had plenty of tube amps since (not close to as many as You of course) but have been happy with Orange Thunderverbs and Laney Ironhearts and have tried Every recto sim there is be it pedal or plug in. Rn I use a AMT R2 with tubescreamer, 7 band eq, into a Mooer radar thru powered cabs and monitors. I’ve always wanted an Engl or Randall/Synergy but with tech these days My rig in under 300 bucks for everything and You would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I’m ranting and not on subject but I never had to boost the rectifier though it really does tighten things up. I wish Mesa would release an IRX Friedman type pedal so My tone search would be over. Though We all know that’s bullshit right?lol Sir You are the best Demo/Reviewer/Player/Teacher on You tube hands down and that doesn’t come lightly! What is Your favorite Recto in a box or sim?
In my experience, always…especially in a live setting. Sounds so much more aggressive and cutting. Also, if you’re in a two guitar band and/or tune really low. Less important in a recording situation.
The Mesa Marks are very tight. One of the tightest IMO. A good experience would be doing the reverse with tight amps so they can sound a little more like a Recto: puting the EQ with boosted bass frequencies in front of the amp. Very good video!!
I preferred the "loose" tone. I usually like the Engl sound, but in comparison to the Mesa Rectifier, is sounded like something important was missing. If the Mix is thick, the Engl would probably be a better choice.
On Testaments gathering all you hear is a guitar straight to a Mesa.. of course mixing and everything but still.. me my self I can't make a Mesa sound tight without a screamer in front.. what I mean is that a boost can make your life a lil bit easier in some cases
I don't have much of an ear for these things. To me, it's very hard to listen to the difference just by listening to the isolated guitar tracks of a "tight" and "loose" amp. When it's on a mix, with the bass taking up its usual low-end frequencies, is where the "tightness" of the guitar becomes more noticeable, at least to my ear. I liked the boosted Mesa over the ENGL.
I boost my SD-1 with a TS, both set at the classic Vol 10, Gain 0 and Tone to taste. By boosting my boost, now I only need to set the gain on the amp very low, normally a bit before noon, the amp gets really percussive, tight and clear. I feel like increasing the gain on the amp, I'm always fighting the EQ and always brings up the noise levels!! I do this to every amp, it does work for me 😂😂
I just recently picked up an R-033xxx Dual used and learned of the sought after R-016xxx versions; I've also read that putting the ten band eq in the loop was a "standard", but that's POST pre-amp distortion so that's like taking it out after it's been added? Also common is multi-amping using the Mesa for the smiley face tones and a Marshall for the mids and blending them together for one sound. In this video, to me the ENGL sounded "wider", so maybe there is a little more highs in it as well? BTW, the last 8 bars or so of this riff - Grrrr! You make all these heads sound great!
Your videos are always great! And I love the ENGL SE; had it for a bit, kept my Artist Edition but plan on getting another, with a snakeskin tolex, the SE is one of the best amps ever,, kind of wish it the IR loader stuff from the Ironball SE, that would be KILLER, but it's great as it is :)
Would love to have heard a Peavey in this comparison. I love cranking the mids on one of my Peaveys (actually cranking everything to like 7 or 8, Pre Gain at 4) and everything is both huge and tight. It sounds all filled up with that distortion, but there’s still good transient clarity and the chugs are great without being flubby. Can sound good with or without a boost. Interestingly, I find I never record with a boost, but when playing live, it is almost necessary sometimes, and sometimes it’s just a preference that matters little. I think maybe room acoustics have a lot to do with it?
Loose low-end sounds great for slow palming, tight low-end is perfect for fast rithm, any way in my blackstar ht 40 mkll, with 5.5 in the bass knobin the modern overdrive voice, i use a overdrive in front, 4.5 in the tone and a 7 band eq in the loop, with - 5 db in the 100 mhz band
Great video as always. Both amps are sounding good. In this case I prefer the Engl amp. But I changed my opinion on the Mesa Boogie amp, there is something in the sound that I like. I don't know exactly what it is. Maybe I just have the sounds of the Archon and the Orange 50w mk3 in my head... 😉 I also think there are some options to add some cool effects to the sound of the Engl amp. This could maybe a problem for the Mesa Boogie amp, I think this could create a more muddy sound with a lot of effect pedals in the signal path. 🤔 I like to use different overdrive, distortion, fuzz, octave and suboctaver, chorus, phaser, delays, reverb... I think a more tight amp can handle effect pedals a bit better if you adding effect pedals... 🤔
Maybe this is stupid what im gonna say but sometimes small things like pick shape can totally change and tighten up toneeven on loose amp. I know that this is only small thing in all tine shaping process bit sometimes results can be amazing. I love how mesa sound here. Im huge Engl amps fan but i can't tell wich sound better here. They sound different but equally good. It depends on your style and riffing.
great stuff Jon, love this sort of content, was just missing the boosted ENGL in the comparison for a boosted 'loose' amp vs a boosted 'tight' amp , to get a better idea i pretty much always use boosts regardless of the amp 😄 thanks
The interesting thing would be the go both way amps like the 5150s some modded marshallesque amps like laneys.. bado kadonk. These amps can take or leave a boost and sound pretty good either way. Rectos i think need the boost or don't sound agressive. Engls are pretty harsh amps and i think the boost doesn't do anything useful unless you're soloing rythm need not apply here.
Both are different kinds of massive. Engl amps will always have that very filled out midrange, the savage and the SE have that higher mid focus, but mesa will always have that total untamed roar.
To my ear, it's not even close. I've mentioned before on FB that you're a bad influence. Whenever I start feeling like I can live without an ENGL, you do something like this. 😉
Love your channel. Trying to figure out where you're from. Europe for sure, despite the accent. Netherlands maybe? If so great country. Went there a few years with my wife and kids. Everything there just works better than here in Ireland. We went to Dunreill and took a visit to Den Haag. Lovely city. Great country. Great channel 😊
Imo the best way to boost / get the hi-gain sound u want is to use a EQ pedal. That way ypu can tune everything to perfektion! Also not all amps sound good with the level all the way cranked. Som amp imo sound better semi-boosted
Hey man, great video. May I ask what exact impulse response from the recto pack you’re using? I just bought that pack and I’m a bit overwhelmed with all the choices.
