Mesa revisions and color stripes

[HomespunEffects]

Is there really much difference in the Dual Rec revision letters or the Mark series stripe colors?

I’ve been reading about Dual Rec F & G revisions and apparently one is more desirable or something. I had an F. And the Mark III that I had didn’t have a stripe (at least not that I remember).

Is the revision or stripe the difference between liking one or not or are they nit-picky subtle differences?

 

[MatrixClaw]

There are definitely differences. The F is tighter than the G, but has a worse clean channel. Earlier revisions are even tighter and the pre-500 Rectos command big money as being the best sounding of them all for high gain. The G is the classic Recto sound that you'll hear on basically any early 2000s Nu Metal album. The later 3 channels are looser but a lot more versatile. The Multiwatt was their attempt to bring back some of the tightness of the Rev F but with the versatility of the 3 channels. The Roadster and Road King were evolutions of the 3 channel and can get quite a bit darker, but with a lot more tone shaping options. They are less grainy sounding as well. The newest Recto is a reissue of the Rev G.

For the Marks, they are essentially evolutions of the IIC+. The Black stripe/dot is the closest to that amp you'll find, but they are not super versatile. The various other stripes have different characteristics, some are more aggressive, some have better cleans and mid gain, etc.

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For me, the Rev F was the best Recto I've played. I recently revisited a Rev G and wasn't as impressed as I remember being with them. I'd love to own an F again, but the price isn't worth it to me. I've also owned multiple Mark IIIs. They were all cool, but I'd rather just have a Mark IV. The IIIs were more popular years ago because you could find them for like 1/2 the price of a IV, but now that they're so close in price, I don't see the appeal.

 

[HomespunEffects]

Thanks, man. That helps.

 

[EOengineer]

For marks, I prefer the III over the IV by a wide margin. It’s a less compressed, more open amp. I’ve spent time with several III variants and own a blue stripe that I later modded to red stripe/+ specs.

The differences between stripes is overblown until you hit the blue stripe, what is noticeably brighter and more aggressive than anything before it. It’s a 2-3 component mod to bring a blue stripe back to an earlier variant. The C30 cab largely governs the overall brightness.

For Rectifiers, go MV if you want the most versatile version of that amp. Go Revision F or G if you want the most authentic 90s Recto crunch tone. Opinions differ on boosting. Depends largely on what you’re looking for. Personally the G with EL34s is my favorite, 2000s 3 channel models the least.

I’ll never sell my G or Mark III.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

I’ll never sell my G or Mark III.

Absolute same here.

I have a MW on long term loan, and while I dig it a lot I don’t find it anywhere near as satisfying personally. They’re quite stiff unless you boost them. They can sound killer, but I just think that circuit peaked at the 2 channels, and as great as the 3 channel ones are, there’s a small trade off for the extra versatility.

I think the difference between F and G is a little overstated, it’s all a wash to me. I’ve heard plenty of both sounding killer.

Im not as much of a Mark connoisseur but I think I’d be less fussy with ANY mark after a IIC+.

 

[EOengineer]

Im not as much of a Mark connoisseur but I think I’d be less fussy with ANY mark after a IIC+.

I 100% expect the Mark III to become another coveted amp, especially the fully loaded ones but even the 60 watters are vicious. Your average III is SO CLOSE to a IIC+ I don’t think most people realize. It’s splitting hairs.

 

[HomespunEffects]

I 100% expect the Mark III to become another coveted amp, especially the fully loaded ones but even the 60 watters are vicious. Your average III is SO CLOSE to a IIC+ I don’t think most people realize. It’s splitting hairs.

I had the Simul Class version. I actually didn’t like it much. Mostly because it wasn’t a Marshall.

 

[EOengineer]

I had the Simul Class version. I actually didn’t like it much. Mostly because it wasn’t a Marshall.

It is definitely not a Marshall.

 

[Snave]

I agree with MirrorProfiles about the difference between Rev F and Rev G Rectos being overblown. They both sound like Rectifiers, and you can turn up the presence on a Rev G to get in the same ballpark brightness-wise. I don't feel that the tightness of earlier revisions matters much since 90% of people boost these amps. Supposedly the orange modern high gain mode is better on Rev F and earlier, but I never messed with it much on the Rev Fs I had. Never played the super coveted earlier revisions.

As for Mark IIIs, I've only played the red and green stripe but I'm of the opinion that the biggest differentiator with these amps is the various power sections: 60W, 100W, 75W triode simulclass (black-blue stripe) or 85W pentode simulclass (green stripe). Black dot/stripe and purple stripe are supposed to be lower gain on R2 and lead channels. To me, a 100W red or blue stripe would be the grail Mark III since it pairs the highest gain preamp with the punchiest power section. I'd probably do the C30 mod on a blue stripe though since the red was bright enough already.

 

[HomespunEffects]

The Mark III that I had had the Simulclass switch, graphic eq and a reverb knob but no reverb tank. The previous owner took it out, I guess.

 

[riffy]

Absolute same here.

I have a MW on long term loan, and while I dig it a lot I don’t find it anywhere near as satisfying personally. They’re quite stiff unless you boost them. They can sound killer, but I just think that circuit peaked at the 2 channels, and as great as the 3 channel ones are, there’s a small trade off for the extra versatility.

I think the difference between F and G is a little overstated, it’s all a wash to me. I’ve heard plenty of both sounding killer.

Im not as much of a Mark connoisseur but I think I’d be less fussy with ANY mark after a IIC+.

I think that my rev F and your rev G sounds so similar that it’s a tossup between them. Between what I’ve heard of yours recorded, and mine recorded there is not a hill of beans difference between them.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I think that my rev F and your rev G sounds so similar that it’s a tossup between them. Between what I’ve heard of yours recorded, and mine recorded there is not a hill of beans difference between them.

This is most definitely the case. Recorded, they can sound basically identical. The Rev F Racktifier I had sounded better to me in the room and had more punch than any G I've played.