Re: Boogie amps - dual, triple rectifier?
If you are seriously interested in a Mesa amp, you should first check out their website at
. Or, call one of the Mesa Tech Support guys to help you choose a Boogie that will meet your needs.
All amps get rectified, and as you know this is about converting AC to DC. Back in the Jurassic Era of the 1930s to 1950s all amps used a tube for this function. When solid state devices came into use, they provided much better reliability. The solid state rectifiers provided a tighter control over the power supplies in the amp. And therein lies the rub, as they say.
A tighter amp doesn't have the feel of sponginess that so many players love. Play a small BF Fender amp like a Princeton or Deluxe at high volume and you can feel the power supply strain to keep up as you dig your fingers in and play harder. Players call this "SAG", and it can be an almost intoxicating effect.
But the higher power amp with the silicon rectification will typically articulate better and play cleaner, louder, and longer. It "feels" faster, and sounds "tighter".
The Mesa Rectifier Solo Series for the first time offered players a choice between tube or solid state rectifiiers. These amps make it possible for the player to own one amp with two very differently responding power sections; and two very different feels--almost like having a Deluxe Reverb and a Twin Reverb in one amp. The Deluxe loose and a little sloppy; while the Twin stays tight, booming and articulate when you step on the gas.
The Dual Rectifier offers up a 100-watt power section, with each pair of tubes being rectified by either a 5U4 tube, or diodes. It's a patented circuit, and it works. If you know what you're doing, you can get the Dual Rec to sound and respond to your touch the way a very small amp like a Deluxe Reverb would sound--only with MASSIVE volume and output. The Triple offers up three rectifier tubes controlling three pairs of power tubes. The Single offers a single set of power tubes.
This feature, along with several others, make the Rectifier Solo Series one of the most versatile amps on the market. Whether you're a bluesman looking for a spongey, soulful and organic tone; or a death metal maniac intent on sonic destruction in dropped tunings, the Rectifier offers you a choice in how your power tubes respond to your touch.
Good luck.
Bill
