Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five Owner's Manual page 9

GAIN REGIONS
Most Balanced
Brightest
Warmer & Saturated
CLEAN
PUSHED
GAIN
VINTAGE
MODERN
this region provides the maximum saturation and sustain, it also compresses and softens the attack characteristics. For this
reason we suggest using this higher region of the GAIN Control sparingly and only when maximum sustain is needed.
NOTE: Due to the Recto's extreme gain potential, the highest regions of the GAIN Control may possibly push the pre-amp tubes
past what they can handle, producing microphonic squealing. While we screen and test the tubes your amplifier was shipped
with and the tubes in your amp passed our rigourous test, we can't predict how the tubes will respond over time exposed to
extreme gain settings. Your tubes are warranted for a period of 6 months under normal use, but you can save yourself the
present and future inconvenience of having to deal with annoying microphonic tube problems by simply using a little common
sense...Don't turn the Gain all the way up!
If you must for a specific part or at very low volumes, back down the TREBLE and PRESENCE Controls. Your Recto was de-
signed to provide amazing gain and tone at less than extreme settings - removing the need for you to crank everything all the
way up. If you are not able to achieve the sound you want at sensible settings on any or all of the controls, your problem may
lie elsewhere in the signal chain, i.e. pick-ups, cabinetry, processing etc. Keep in mind you can always call on one of our prod-
uct specialist Monday through Thursday and seek some advice should you find yourself struggling to get the sound you want.
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. Again, this is the reason we suggest using the GAIN Control in its middle region. Here, the Tone control string is very
active and provides maximum shaping power - allowing you to dial virtually any sound you desire.
TREBLE
As in most tube guitar amplifiers, the TREBLE Control (in both channels of your Recto ) is the most powerful of
the tone controls and is next in line only to the GAIN Control as a shaping tool. Because it is first in the signal path of the tone
controls - and from here the Middle and Bass receive their signal - it is by far the dominant tone control. For this reason the set-
ting of the TREBLE Control is very important for equal representation of the three frequency regions to appear at their respective
controls. Like most of the controls on your Recto, there is an optimum region of the TREBLE Control where
ample top end is mixed in and yet enough signal is still passed on to the MIDDLE and BASS Controls.
As you might surmise, 11:00 - 1:30 is the sweet spot. There are definitely great sounds above and below this
TREBLE middle region, but the balance between the TREBLE Control and the other two tone controls is compromised.
The one place you may want to throw caution to the wind and set the TREBLE Control above this median
zone presents itself in Channel 1 of your new Recto. In both modes (Clean & Pushed), the TREBLE Control
can be used to dump extra gain into the mix. This is especially effective in the PUSHED mode for crunch
SWEET SPOT
sounds. When doing so use the PRESENCE Control to roll off some of the more than ample top end for a
more compressed feel and fatter voice. The BASS Controls' effectiveness will be reduced, so you may have to run a much
higher setting than you are used to seeing to achieve a balance. This said, keep in mind that the TREBLE Control in Channel 1
Pushed should not be set much above 3:00 to avoid unwanted microphonic tube problems.
To simplify the GAIN Controls role in shaping the overall tone of the sound we will look
at it in two ways: 1) alone and 2) in conjunction with the tone controls.
1) GAIN Control has three tonal regions: LOW (7:00 - 11:00) provides the cleanest,
least saturated sounds and in this region the sound will be brighter and contain more
upper harmonics lending a three dimensional character to the sound.
MIDDLE (11:15 - 2:00) enhances the saturation and replaces some of the upper harmon-
ics with a richer, warmer quality and a fuller bottom end response. Not yet fully saturated,
this region is the easiest place to get a great sound in both channels. This region contains
many of the Recto's best sounds...especially for soloing due to the crucial blend of an
expressive attack combined with ample sustain.
HIGH (2:15 - 5:00) saturates the signal and enhances low and low mid frequencies. While
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