The ’90s Called . . . They Want Their Recto Back
Few guitar amplifiers have made a more significant impact on heavy guitar tones than Mesa’s original 1990s-era Dual Rectifier Solo head. Indeed, the Dual Rectifier’s sublime melding of aggressive lows, harmonic-rich highs, and meticulously scooped mids redefined what high gain was supposed to sound like. While modern Dual Rectifiers definitely deliver the gut-punching goods, many Recto enthusiasts will tell you there’s something special about the 1990s-era model. This reissued Mesa/Boogie ’90s Dual Rectifier gives Recto aficionados everything they could wish for, including the legendary Orange/Vintage and Modern/Red channels, complete with Channel Cloning. That said, the ’90s Dual Rectifier flaunts a number of modern upgrades, most notably an improved Clean mode. Moreover, in addition to the usual EQ and Gain controls, the ’90s Dual Rectifier includes a Bold/Spongy Power switch, a Rectifier Select switch, and a Bias Switch toggle for custom-tailoring your tone, along with a Slave output and Effects Loop jacks. The Mesa/Boogie ’90s Dual Rectifier enables modern guitarists to wield the ferocious Recto tone that has dominated the high-gain world for the past three decades.
Important Notice for International Customers: Mesa/Boogie products sold by Sweetwater are intended for use within the United States. We are unable to ship any Mesa/Boogie products outside of the US.
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The sound that defined a generation
When Mesa first began designing the Dual Rectifier in the late 1980s, it had dual intentions. The company sought to market the amp toward the hard rock and metal crowd as an alternative to the British amplifiers that were omnipresent during that era and to challenge the fast-growing popularity of boutique builders. As fate would have it, by the time the original Dual Rectifier Solo head was ready for release, the popularity of mainstream metal had waned. Nonetheless, the Dual Rectifier became extremely popular in underground circles, famously wielded by thrash guitarists and musicians in the burgeoning nu metal movement. Moreover, once grunge rose to mainstream status and ultimately morphed into post-grunge, the Dual Rectifier became the de facto standard for high-gain guitar tones among chart-topping post-grunge, hard rock, metal, punk, and alternative rock artists in equal measure. This reissued ’90s Dual Rectifier captures the essence of this generation-defining amplifier, enabling modern guitarists to harness the sonic might of the original 2-channel amplifier that completely reinvented the sound of high gain.
Two channels of old-school Recto tone
Modern Dual Rectifiers saw a number of revisions in the early aughts and again in 2010, such as the addition of a third channel. That said, many longtime Recto aficionados prefer the sound of the original 2-channel model. A meticulous re-creation of the original tube amp head, this reissued Mesa/Boogie ’90s Dual Rectifier houses the 2-channel model’s unmistakable Orange/Vintage and Modern/Red modes, enabling you to harness the famous tones popularized by thrash, nu metal, and post-grunge guitarists back in the ’90s, and continue to inspire all flavors of metal to this day. The ’90s Dual Rectifier also includes Channel Cloning, which allows you to apply the sound of either mode to both channels, and an improved Clean mode, which delivers a crystalline clarity unavailable on the original amp.
An array of tone-shaping features
Despite its relative simplicity, this reissued ’90s Dual Rectifier is one of the most feature-rich tube amp heads we’ve seen at Sweetwater in a while. For starters, you get per-channel 3-band EQs with per-channel Master, Presence, and Gain knobs. Next, a Bold/Spongy Power switch provides you with Variac-like capability. A Rectifier switch enables you to toggle between tube and silicon-diode options. You also get a Bias switch that allows you to swap between 6L6 and EL34 power tubes. Furthermore, a Slave output lets you output the sound of the ’90s Dual Rectifier’s preamp and power amp in a line-level format, which is ideal for pairing the amplifier with an IR loader. Finally, Effects Loop jacks make pedalboard integration a straightforward affair.
Mesa/Boogie ’90s Dual Rectifier Features:
- A spot-on reissue of the early-’90s Dual Rectifier Solo tube amplifier head with modern tweaks
- Delivers the aggressive lows, harmonic-rich highs, and meticulously scooped mids that redefined high-gain guitar tone
- 2 channels with Orange/Vintage and Modern/Red modes and an improved Clean mode
- Channel Cloning applies the sound of either mode to both channels
- Per-channel 3-band EQs with per-channel Master, Presence, and Gain knobs
- Bold/Spongy Power switch provides Variac-like functionality
- Rectifier switch toggles between tube and silicon-diode options
- Bias switch allows you to swap between 6L6 and EL34 power tubes
- Slave output outputs the sound of the preamp and power amp in a line-level format — great for IR loaders
- FX loop makes pedalboard integration a straightforward affair
