Re: Can a Recto do Van Halen?
Back when the first Rectos hit the market in the mid '90s, I was in a music store in Seattle and just to see what it would do, the sales guy helped me do a little experiment.
We had a new 2-channel Dual Rectifier plugged into a Mesa slant V30 412. And right next to it...a used BF Fender Deluxe (no reverb) that the store had taken in, plugged into an identical Mesa slant V30 412. What surprised everyone was how quickly we were able to dial in the clean channel to match the tone of the Deluxe. A great sounding little amp, btw...especially plugged into the 412. Plently loud when pushed to 7-8 on the volume and simply gorgeous.
And the Mesa matched just perfectly but it could do it at a much louder volume. And it could capture that pushed tone of the Deluxe at a lower volume. I think B.B. King could have been right at home on a Recto.
And of course, the Recto has that whole other channel with its massive distortion capabilities. And the new Reborn has even more versatility.
The Mini-Recto Reverb...what can I say? I came this close to buying one, but a used Mark V:35 popped up and I got that instead. The MRR is a killer amp and I'm sure I would have been very happy with one. It's a different flavor than the Mark Series, but there are a lot of great tones in that amp.
I don't know about the whole " My amp HAS to sound like a Marshall" thing. I've done the bar band scene for years, and I can tell you that the drunk at the bar, the guys shooting eight-ball, the dart and pinball players...even the dancers on the dance floor...they could care less about what amp you're playing. Is it not quite Eddie's "brown sound"? Hey, they don't care!
WE care, of course...the "Artiste" within us. For myself, I don't try to sound exactly like Eddie, Carlos, Eric, or Stevie Ray. I like to think that I'm doing good when I simply sound like me. For me, that's the Mesas.
I really enjoyed the clip. Thanks for posting.
Bill