Mesa/Boogie Three Channel Dual & Triple Rectifier Solo Heads Owner's Manual
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Mesa/Boogie Three Channel Dual & Triple Rectifier Solo Heads Owner's Manual

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  • Page 2 Hello from the Tone Farm ...You, smart player and all around intuitive human, have put your trust in us to be your amplifier company. This is something we do not take lightly.By purchasing and choosing this unit to be a part of your musical voice, you have become part of the MESA family...WELCOME! Our goal is to never let you down.Your reward is that you are now the owner of a great amp, bred of fine all tube amp heritage...benefiting from the many pioneering and patented MESA circuits that led to the refinement of...
  • Page 3 PRECAUTIONS & WARNINGS Your MESA/Boogie Amplifier is a professional instrument. Please treat it with respect and operate it properly. USE COMMON SENSE AND ALWAYS OBSERVE THESE PRECAUTIONS: WARNING: EU: permission from the Supply Authority is needed before connection. WARNING: Vacuum tube amplifiers generate heat. To insure proper ventilation always make certain there is at least four inches (100mm) of space behind the rear of the amplifier cabinet.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Three Channel Dual & Triple Rectifier Solo Heads TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview _______________________________________________________________________________ 1 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS Getting Started & Helpful Hints ___________________________________________________________2-3 Instant Gratification (3 sample settings) _____________________________________________________ 3 CHANNEL MODES Channel 1 (Clean / Pushed) _______________________________________________________________ 4 Channel 2 & 3 (Raw, Modern & Vintage) ____________________________________________________4-5 THE CONTROLS Gain, Treble and Master __________________________________________________________________6-7 Mid, Presence and Bass _________________________________________________________________8-9...

  • Page 5: Overview

    Three Channel Dual & Triple Rectifier Solo Heads Operating Instructions Overview: Congratulations on your choice of the new Three Channel Dual or Triple Rectifier Solo Heads as your amplifier! Their two channel relatives launched a sound back in 1990 that would come to define a musical style and now, a decade later, are synonymous with high gain guitar.

  • Page 6: Front Panel Controls

    FRONT PANEL: C & F ONTROLs EATuREs GETTING STARTED: Before we get to some basic sample settings, let’s get the Recto plugged in and ready to play. 1.) Remove the plastic webbing from all of the tubes (including the preamp tubes behind the row of power tubes) and unwrap the large 5U4 Rectifier Tubes.

  • Page 7: Instant Gratification (3 Sample Settings)

    HELPFUL HINTS: (Continued) 5.) The SOLO Control can be set for a volume level above that of the OUTPUT Control setting. It will not allow a setting below that of the OUTPUT. 6.) The GAIN and TREBLE are the most powerful controls in all three channels. They should be used with taste and you will find that the best sounds are found with these two controls set somewhere in their middle regions.

  • Page 8: Channel Modes

    CHANNEL MODES: Each of the Rectos’ three channels contain a choice of modes - two in Channel 1 and three in Channels 2 and 3, so that each channel may be configured for an array of sounds. These mode select mini toggles radically alter the voicing of the channel and many internal changes occur as you switch through the modes.
  • Page 9 CHANNEL MODES: (Continued) CHANNEL 3 is optimized for the legendary MODERN mode with a range of PRESENCE far exceeding that of CHANNEL 2. This channels’ PRESENCE picks up where CHANNEL 2 leaves off and allows top end harmonics that are downright dangerous. The trade off here is that for VINTAGE and RAW the PRESENCE is hyperactive and must be dialed with care to achieve the more warm and round sounds.

  • Page 10: Gain, Treble And Master

    CONTROLS: GAIN: This control adjusts the predominant gain stage in each channels’ circuit with the function and taper being optimized for each individual channel. Remember that your Recto is really three separate multi-mode amplifiers built onto one chassis, so though each channel looks identical, the GAIN Control for each channel comes in a different place and adjusts a different point in that chan- nels circuit.

  • Page 11: The Controls

    The Controls: (Continued) GAIN: (Continued) 2.) GAIN - In conjunction with the Tone Controls - Basically, a simple rule applies...as the Gain is increased the Tone control string has less and less effect on the signal until at 5:00 the signal is so saturated that you are getting mostly Gain and very little Tone.

  • Page 12: Mid, Presence And Bass

    The Controls: (Continued) MID : The MID Control is responsible for the blend of midrange frequencies in the mix and though its effect is not as dra- matic as that of the TREBLE Control, it plays an integral part in achieving any sound in your Recto. It is capable of changing the feel dramatically as it blends in a group of frequencies that REGIONAL TITLES ARE THE SAME FOR ALL 3 MID CONTROLS tend to soften or stiffen the way a sound feels to play.

  • Page 13: Output And Solo

    The Controls: (Continued) BASS: Last, but not least in the string of tone controls we come to the BASS . This control works similarly in all three chan- nels in that it determines the amount of low frequencies present in a sound. However, the actual frequencies and style of lows it mixes in changes from channel to channel.

  • Page 14: Standby And Power

    The Controls: (Continued) OUTPUT CONTROL: (Continued) Therefore, we recommend selecting Channel 1 when you wish to use the Recto as a power amp. The more conventional power sensitivity of this channel will be the most compatible with external sources. Also, using Channel 1 in a power-only application means that the PRESENCE Control will be active which allows you to tailor the power voicing to your specific tastes.

  • Page 15: Slave Control

    4 OHM 4 OHM of the individual speaker or speakers. MESA/Boogie 4x12 and 4x10 cabinets come standard wired to 8 Ohms, and are wired in series-parallel. Some Non-MESA 4x12 cabinets are wired 16 Ohms using four 16 Ohm speakers. By wiring all four speakers in parallel, you can reduce the cabinet to an impedance load of 4 Ohms (assuming the speakers are 16 Ohms each.) No matter how...
  • Page 16 REAR PANEL: (Continued) FX LOOP: PARALLEL (Continued) 3.) An Effects MIX Control allows a blend of dry and wet signals between 10% and 100%. 4.) A SEND jack that captures the preamp signal and pads it down to accommodate outboard signal processors input stage. 5.) A RETURN jack that accepts the signal from a processors output and boosts the level back up to unity gain (or beyond) to be mixed back into the original signal in parallel with the MIX Control.

  • Page 17: External Switching Jacks

    REAR PANEL: (Continued) PATCHING EFFECTS: (Continued) NOTE: The FX LOOP RETURN jack can be used as an input to the power amp of your Recto making it possible to use it for amplifying signals derived from other preamps or effects in a stereo set-up. When connecting to this jack as a power amp input only the OUTPUT and SOLO Controls and Channel 2 &...

  • Page 18: Rectifier Select

    REAR PANEL: (Continued) BIAS SWITCH: (Continued) MAKE SURE THAT THE BIAS SWITCH IS SET CORRECTLY TO MATCH THE TUBE TYPE THAT YOU ARE USING. Failure to do this will result in tube failure that could possibly burn resistors in the Bias supply. Although this is a fairly simple repair for an authorized technician, it is easily avoidable.

  • Page 19: Fuse

    REAR PANEL: (Continued) FUSE: This is the A.C.’s (Alternating Current) main fuse and provides protection from outside A .C. fluctuations as well as power tube failure damage. Should the Fuse blow, replace it with the same rating in a Slo-Blo type package. The domestic U.S. version requires a 4 amp Slo-Blo fuse.

  • Page 20: Factory Sample Settings (All 3 Channels)

    FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS CHANNEL 1: Sample Setting #1 TITLE: SQUEAKY CLEAN GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE TREBLE BASS TREBLE CLEAN BASS BASS SOLO OUTPUT INPUT MODERN MODERN PUSHED CHANNEL 1: Sample Setting #2 TITLE: BOLD, PUNCHY CLEAN GAIN PRESENCE MASTER...
  • Page 21 FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS CHANNEL 2: Sample Setting #1 TITLE: RAW PURR CH 2 GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE BASS TREBLE BASS CLEAN TREBLE BASS INPUT SOLO OUTPUT PUSHED MODERN MODERN CHANNEL 2: Sample Setting #2 TITLE: RAW GRIND CH 2 GAIN...
  • Page 22 FACTORY SAMPLE SETTINGS TITLE: AGRO RHYTHM CHANNEL 3: Sample Setting #1 CH 3 GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE TREBLE BASS BASS TREBLE CLEAN BASS INPUT SOLO OUTPUT PUSHED MODERN MODERN TITLE: SERIOUS GRIND CHANNEL 3: Sample Setting #2 CH 3 GAIN PRESENCE...

  • Page 23: Personal Setting Sheets

    PERSONAL SAMPLE SETTINGS TITLE: GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE TREBLE BASS TREBLE CLEAN BASS BASS SOLO OUTPUT INPUT MODERN MODERN PUSHED TITLE: GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE TREBLE CLEAN BASS TREBLE BASS BASS...

  • Page 24: Solo Output

    PERSONAL SAMPLE SETTINGS TITLE: GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE TREBLE BASS BASS CLEAN TREBLE BASS INPUT SOLO OUTPUT PUSHED MODERN MODERN TITLE: GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE BASS TREBLE CLEAN BASS TREBLE BASS...
  • Page 25 PERSONAL SAMPLE SETTINGS TITLE: CH 3 GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE TREBLE BASS BASS TREBLE CLEAN BASS INPUT SOLO OUTPUT PUSHED MODERN MODERN TITLE: CH 3 GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER GAIN PRESENCE MASTER TREBLE BASS TREBLE...

  • Page 26: Tube Description & Task Charts

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  • Page 28: Tube Noise & Microphonics

    TUBE NOISE & MICROPHONICS You may occasionally experience some form of tube noise or microphonics. Certainly no cause for alarm, this quirky behavior comes with the territory and the Tone. Much like changing a light bulb, you don’t need a techni- cian to cure these types of minor user serviceable annoyances and in fact, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to cure tube problems...

  • Page 29: Diagnosing Pre-Amp Tube Problems

    DIAGNOSING PRE-AMP TUBE PROBLEMS: Because your amplifier is an all tube design, it is quite possible that you will at some point experience minor pre-amp tube noise. Rest assured - this is no cause for alarm and you can take care of the problem yourself in a matter of minutes by simply swapping tubes.

  • Page 30: Bias Adjustment: A Feature Article By Randall Smith

    BIAS ADJUSTMENT: (Part of a continuous series) BEAM- An Article written by Randall Smith that CONFINING CATHODE we thought you might find interesting. ELECTRODE GRID ..SCREEN . . . GRID .
  • Page 31 BIAS ADJUSTMENT (Continued) Voltage and current are NOT the same. Current is the AMOUNT of electricity, the “quantity” — and is measured in amperes. Voltage is the degree of electric charge — like the “pressure” to use the old water analogy. Let me illustrate how different voltage and current are: When you scrape your feet across a carpeted floor in dry, wintery conditions, your body can become charged with 50,000 to 100,000 volts of static electricity.
  • Page 32 How much money and trouble that has saved MESA/Boogie players you couldn’t estimate. Our rigorously tested and hand selected tubes are available at your nearest MESA/Boogie Pro Center or from us directly. Nobody offers better price, quality or warranty than we do ... so why swerve? Next time we’ll talk about our part in developing the great Sylvania STR 415 type 6L6 and how we’re on the verge of seeing something...

  • Page 33: Speaker Impedance & Possible Hook-Up Schemes - Amplifier To Speaker Cabs

    MESA/Boogie amplifiers can handle 4 and 8 ohms effectively. Never run below 4 ohms in a tube amplifier unless you are absolutely certain that the system can handle it properly; this can cause damage to the Output transformer. A few amplifiers can handle 2 ohms effectively without damaging them (for example the MESA’s Bass 400+).

  • Page 34: Speaker A Speaker B

    SPEAKER IMPEDANCE MATCHING & HOOK-UP GUIDE: (Continued) PARALLEL: When wiring in parallel, the resistance of the speakers decreases. Two 8 ohm speakers wired in (hooked-up) Parallel results in a 4 ohm load. It’s easy to calculate the effect of a resistive load when all the speakers are all the same resistance. It is really not suggested to wire different resistive load values in Parallel (8 and 4, 16 and 8 etc.) The formula for figuring the total impedance in Parallel is the multiplication of the two loads divided by the sum of the two loads - i.e.
  • Page 35 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier Partial back view of amplifier 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 Ohm Cabinet Partial back view of some Mesa amp 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 4 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet...
  • Page 36 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier Partial back view of amplifier 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet SAFE MISMATCH CORRECT MATCH Partial back view of amplifier Partial back view of amplifier...
  • Page 37 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM SERIES BOX 8 Ohm 8 Ohm 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet SAFE MISMATCH Partial back view of amp Partial back view of amplifier CORRECT MATCH 8 OHM...
  • Page 38 WIRING SCHEMES...Amplifier to Speaker Cabinets Partial back view of amplifier 16 Ohm 4 OHM 4 OHM 8 OHM SERIES BOX 8 Ohm 8 Ohm 8 Ohm Cabinet 8 Ohm Cabinet 16 Ohm Cabinet SAFE MISMATCH Partial back view of amplifier 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM...

  • Page 39: Triodes, Pentodes & Irishmen: A Feature Article By Randall Smith

    A look into the inner workings of the Vacuum Tube ON TRIODES, PENTODES & IRISHMEN: With apologies to Friends and Relatives from the Emerald Isle - who will make their appearance soon enough - the humor which follows is dedicated to the memories of Spec McAuliff and Fae (Rafael) McNally, two of the True Greats. As their numerical references suggest, the terms Diode, Triode and Pentode indicate the number of elements within the vacuum tube i.e.
  • Page 40 ON TRIODES, PENTODES & IRISHMEN: ( Continued ) Thus a diode tube - one with a cathode and an anode - is mostly used to rectify alternating current into direct current by passing it without restriction, but in one direction only. This also explains why closing time is strictly enforced at Irish pubs: During normal opera- tion, the traffic flow is similarly unimpeded and uni-directional toward the bar and this process rectifies the work-day negativity.
  • Page 41 ON TRIODES, PENTODES & IRISHMEN: ( Continued ) PENTODES: (Continued) Thus the proper cocktail waitress - visible through the louvers - is scantily clad so as to be all the more effective at reinforcing the attractive influence of her bar and by being located in between the door and the bar, she serves as bait to lure customers past the door’s negative influence.

  • Page 42: Parts Sheet

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  • Page 43 PERSONAL NOTES PAGE:...
  • Page 44 OOGIE The Spirit of Art in Technology Thank you for trusting MESA/Boogie to be your amplifier company. We wish you many years of toneful enjoyment from this handbuilt all tube instrument.
  • Page 45 The Spirit of Art in Technology (707) 778-6565 FAX NO. (707) 765-1503 1317 Ross Street Petaluma, CA 94954 07/16/07...

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