Single Rectifier Solo 50 Review

For those in the know, the 50 watt head has been an underground secret in the world of rock and roll for three decades. Offering a truly useable power band with a bright, fast top end, the vibe of these mid-power amps has always been brash and urgent, with a rebel disposition.

Features:	7
Sound:	8.5
Reliability:	9.5
Impression:	8.5
Overall rating:	8.4
Users rating:	9.2
Comments:	22

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: unregistered, on october 03, 2007

Price paid: $ 1270

Purchased from: Mesa/Boogie Holywood

Features: This all tube amp has 2 Channels, dubbed channel 1 (clean) and channel 2 (distortion), and has a total of 5 different modes. It has a power output of 50 watts coming from 2 6L6s (or EL34s if you prefer) in the power amp section and 5 12AX7 tubes on the pre-amp section. There is a Solo feature which allows you to have a preset volume for when you enter in a solo so everyone can hear. The channels and the solo feature can be switched through the included footswitch or through the channel switching features (which I won't comment on since I have not yet used it). It also has a parallel effects loop (which preserves the tube tone when you use effects) and has 3 cabinet outputs (1 8ohm output and 2 4ohm outputs). To complement the head it has a Slave out feature which allows it to be hooked up to other power amps for more power if needed. A third channel with the same characteristics as channel 2 would be welcome but that can easily be solved by using a pedal as a booster, to increase the gain a little on leads. Other than that though, there isn't really any other features I would need. // 8

Sound: There is pretty much 5 different "sound types" you can get from this amp: Clean, Pushed, Raw, Vintage and Modern which are the 5 modes you can set this amp to. I use a 7-string BC Rich Warlock guitar with Bareknuckle Warpig pickups (they have an astonishing 26k output) and a 6-string Ibanez RG with stock pickups and in both guitars I can get any sound I want and the sound of the guitar comes through. Don't get fooled by it's 50W, they are real loud, it seemed to me they were even louder than my 120W Crate GT1200H. Despite this, the amp is real quiet, there is minimal hum, if any. Clean is pretty much that, clean. You can however crank up the gain and you'll get an amazing bluesy overdrive with the neck pickup. Pushed is similar to the sound you get when you crank up the Clean mode, but you can get much more Drive this way. In fact, you can get a full on distortion from this mode, all you have to do is crank up the gain and treble. The cool thing on the distortion here though is the sound of your guitar really shines here, making solos sound much more dynamic, making this mode versatille and suitable for almost any kind of music. Raw mode is a mild gain channel which can function as an alternate clean channel when the gain is set low (1-3). As you increase the gain however you start to hear a a really crunchy, chuggy kind of tone which unlike the two higher gain modes, retains the guitars personality almost in it's entirety. It is very good to play rock and for lower gain leads, but don't use this for metal or anything which needs higher gain. Vintage mode is where the Rectifier's Fame of having the killer distortion really starts showing. It has nearly endless gain and the notes jump out of the fretboard with ease. On the lower gain range it sounds really similar to the "Raw" mode, but it is a little warmer. As you crank the gain the voicing changes dramatically, it becomes suitable for metal and meatier riffing. Still, if you are going for metal you don't want to use this mode for it because it does not have a tight bass response. In fact, the bass is pretty flubby here, so you would need to set it around 4-5. Modern is not only my favorite mode, it's also the most brutal mode of all. It has more gain than the "Vintage" mode, yet it retains a real percussive sound and has a real tight bass response which makes it great for metal. It is a little harsh on the high end if you don't know how to control it but once you figure it out it will really show the meaning of brutal distorsion. Overall, this amp sounds simply amazing, there really isn't much to complain about, other than if you don't know how to set the EQ right it will sound like crap! // 10

Reliability & Durability: Built like a tank, I have used it on a gig without a backup, but I recomend having spare tubes since you never know. When I bought this thing I had it shipped all the way to Brazil and it got here without a scratch, except for the footswitch which the idiots at customs managed to place right under the amp which got the jack for the footswitch cable offset a little. But the footswitch itself still works, even though plugging in the cable sucks a little. // 9

Impression: This amp can do anything I throw at it, I am really satisfied with it. I play mostly metal and the Modern mode really nails the sound I was looking for. The only thing I don't like about it is that it lacks a third channel like it's bigger brothers (Dual and Triple Rectos). Still, I don't really need it since I only use one channel and control the amount of Drive with the volume knob. I have to be thankful to the people at the Mesa/Boogie outlet in Holywood, they let me crank this beast a bit, which comparing to the Peavey JSX I was going for originally (good amp BTW), it blows it out of the water. The Drive on the Mesa is simply unique, and to the morrons that say it is just like every distortion pedal, go buy a distortion pedal and try getting the same sound. If my amp were to get stolen I would go after the guy Who did it and shove something big up his, you know. // 10

overall: 7.5

Reviewed by: Philipp Sobecki, on september 03, 2007

Price paid: $ 800

Purchased from: eBay

Features: Well, I guess that most of them know the features. Two channels with seperate EQs, parallel fx-loop, solo boost. Ch1 has two modes (clean and pushed), while ch2 has three (raw, vintage and modern). Unfortunatly, they are not footswitchable and have a very different approach to volume and EQ, so that you can't just switch them without tweaking. The solo boost and the channel Switch are footswitchable. // 6

Sound: I was playing an Ibanez RG270DX with a DiMarzio Exolution in the bridge through an Engl 2x12 cab with V30s. The clean channel is really bad. It always breaks up, even at single note playing. Complex chords are impossible, except with turning the guitar volume down to 3/10 and compensating the loss in volume with the solo boost (power amp volume). This is acceptable, but sterile sounding. The pushed mode is pretty good. It has a nice creamy sound for lead playing, I like this one. Too bad that you can't Switch between this one and the clean setting without setting the EQ. Ch1 and Ch2 have a different voicing, so you can't get this sound there. Raw. This is nothing special. It's just a low gain mode for classic rock without any "wow"-effects. It does not have this Class A "thump". Vintage. This is probably my 2nd favoite mode. It has lots of liquid high-gain which is quite good for a certain type of leads. Heavy rhythm sounds are also possible. The problem is, that it sounds rather buzzy and sterile. I've tried to fix this by putting JJ EL34Ls into the power amp, which made it better, but not good enough. Modern. This channel is suited for shredding and easy rhythm playing. This is the tightest channel in the Recto, but it's not tight enough for Necrophagist, because the bottom end is too flubby. It is really great for power chords, though. It has much gain, but after 2:00, the amp sounds very compressed and worse than a solid state amp, so don't use that much gain here. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I can't say much about that, because I had no problems with it. I just don't like the price politics of Mesa. In the USA, the prices are 100% ok, but in other countries, they are way too high. People are just buying them because there is this Mesa-hype, which is similar to that Marshall-fanatism. This is a rip-off. // 10

Impression: There is a myth that Rectos are awesome the metal amps. I'd rather call them awesome hard-rock amps, because they don't do metal that good. It's very important to forget these titles and try the amps yourself. There are so many amps which are better than the recto, so don't be a fanboy and don't buy an amp because there is a "Mesa Engeneering" sign on it. I've sold my recto some weeks ago. // 7

Comments

[HavokStrife]

People like you are the ones that give Mesa a bad name because they don't understand it really takes a lot of time to tweak a Mesa because there's literally anything you want in that box. They don't have that time, or an equalizer to speed the process, so they sell it as soon as they give up.

Sorry, but my 55 watt Nomad has a tight end for whatever the hell death metal band you wanna throw out, and I can't imagine a Recto not sounding way better than my amp.

[job4acowboy_]

should i buy a mesa/boogie i have a marshall jcm2000 full stack and im also running a b-52 head i am thinking of getting a dual or triple rec. or a stilleto would it be worth it?

[garrett5]

Man I want a Mesa Boogie.

[llama]

You should not buy a Mesa or a Marshall. And no, job4ashittyband, it's not worth it. Just get a Carvin V3. You will NOT regret it.

[sum41freak8733]

lol llama you didnt have to sound so harsh with the "job4ashittyband" comment , but i do agree with you , get a carvin V3

[DOOdooroCK]

job4acowboy_ wrote:

should i buy a mesa/boogie i have a marshall jcm2000 full stack and im also running a b-52 head i am thinking of getting a dual or triple rec. or a stilleto would it be worth it?

wtf man i envy u

[Golem29]

"There is a myth that Rectos are awesome the metal amps. I'd rather call them awesome hard-rock amps, because they don't do metal that good."

Had to laugh at that one. Rectos are the industry standard as far as i'm concerned. Theres so much tweakability it's unreal, you can coax almost any sound out of them. Poorlly written review, and it's much too short to give a suitable impression.

[DrappedInBlack]

mesa's not all its cracked up to be neither is marshall they just played thier cards well and advertised to get bands to use them

[Mosquitocoil]

I own this amp, and it sure as hell does metal for me. This review is terrible! The clean isn't GREAT, but I can definately play it without breaking up... that was the first sign to me that this guy's a douchebag.

It's REALLY damn tight, still heaps bassy and boomy for low quick chugging, but really really tight too.

For the record, I'm playing an Ibanez SZ -> Mesa Single Recto 50w -> Marshall 1960A, and I can get a million sweet sounds out of that rig.

Spend at least a few days playing with an amp before you review it.

[which ones pink]

DrappedInBlack wrote:

mesa's not all its cracked up to be neither is marshall they just played thier cards well and advertised to get bands to use them

I agree that Marshall is pretty much a sell-out nowadays, but Mesa still knows where it's at. The main reason you say this is because when someone says "Mesa", everyone automatically thinks, "Dual recto". Now Mesa has a lot more amps than the Rectos, an plenty of them are better. For example, this amp.
This review is crap.

[which ones pink]

I mean this is the better of the Rectos.

[CrimsonRoc]

wow. Another amatuer with too much money and not enough intelligence. And who the hell said that you can't get a good clean out of a mesa? lmao.

[which ones pink]

^Exactly. I played a Mesa F-50 earlier today, and the cleans weren't Fender-good, but they weren't bad either. If I had had a chorus pedal that thing would have sounded awesome.

[RG_FANMAN]

you gotta sit with a Mesa and EQ it just right, otherwise they can sound pretty shitty. After you EQ it right (yea, it takes a bit, but it's worth it), it sounds great.

[hippyheaven1]

hang on... mesa say this about the single recto

we took all the essential circuitry and ingredients of our fabled Dual Rectifier® and simply stepped down the displacement

surely thats basically sayin "we took the dual rectifier and made it less good so you can afford it"???

im not saying mesa dont make great amps... it just seems to me that the single reto HAS to be a compromise... to meet a price point - isnt that what its all about ???

marshall jtm30 MAJORLEY underrated amp !!

[fokus2k3]

no they lowered the displacement, as in wattage. so then the people who dont need 100 watts can push the tubes to get the best sound.

[Guitargod12345]

I've been to the mesa factory in Petaluma and they test everything single amp they put together to make sure they don't put out a shitty amp.

[PaperStSoapCo]

i might be able to get one of these babies pretty soon. and cheap too. can anyone recommend a cheap cab that will go well with it? just going for a basic hard rock sound. Tool-ish sound, i guess. or will any old cab be fine?

thanks

[gwitersnamps]

llama wrote:

You should not buy a Mesa or a Marshall. And no, job4ashittyband, it's not worth it. Just get a Carvin V3. You will NOT regret it.

I tried a V-3 next to a recto a while ago. The V3 sounded like shite.

[mp3stalin]

gwitersnamps wrote:

llama wrote:

You should not buy a Mesa or a Marshall. And no, job4ashittyband, it's not worth it. Just get a Carvin V3. You will NOT regret it.


I tried a V-3 next to a recto a while ago. The V3 sounded like shite.

^ THIS

[convictionless]

its funny, how much time did you spend tweaking both amps, you probly spent 1 hour tweakign the mesa and 1 min tweakign the v3. i work in a studio with soldano's, uberschalls, vox and marshalls and mesa's and a V3. when a super BROOTAL band comes in to record. i make them use the V3. its funny cause they all want to use a mesa but i tell them to use a V3. i have tweaked it perfectly and when i perfectly tweaked a mesa also. i put them side by side. the V3 has a more open and more of a boom compared to a mesa.

[travd92]

PaperStSoapCo wrote:

i might be able to get one of these babies pretty soon. and cheap too. can anyone recommend a cheap cab that will go well with it? just going for a basic hard rock sound. Tool-ish sound, i guess. or will any old cab be fine?

thanks

an avatar 212 with celestion vintage 30's will do you good. the mesa cab that comes with this thing is 1000 dollars (rip off from hell) and it has V30's in it. but you can get an avatar for a lot cheaper.