Mesa Rocket - And let the changes begin

ChasFred

ChasFred

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Well for starts I changed V1 from a 12AT7 to a 12AU7, just to tame the lead gain a bit.
Next I have a Celestion Greenback that I am going to try out. I have several other speakers on the way also.
Once I test them all and chose which I like the best, the rest will be for sale. Of course my Bro's here will get first dibs on them.
The current speaker is an Eminence, not a Black Shadow though.
The speaker date code does not match the amps production years either. The speaker is 3-4 years older than the amp.

More to follow.
 
If the speaker in it is the Mesa 10", don't be surprised if you like the best when you are done comparing. I tried out several different speakers when I had mine and none of them bettered the stock one. Mesa definitely know what they are doing with their speaker selection.
 
I do not think this is the stock speaker. There is no magnet sticker on it like the Black Shadows have, and it is marketed as to having a Black Shadow. Just the Eminence factory sticker and stamp.
 
ChasFred said:
I do not think this is the stock speaker. There is no magnet sticker on it like the Black Shadows have, and it is marketed as to having a Black Shadow. Just the Eminence factory sticker and stamp.
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If you e-mail them (Eminence) the code they will tell you if it is one or not. If it is, I bet you end keeping it in there as it is a perfect match for the amp.
 
OK for starts V1 was changed to a lower gain tube. Did what I was hoping for, PLUS it changed the tone of the Contour channel to where I like it now. ]
I have the Greenback in now and there is a voice change for sure. It is kind of a toss up to which one I like best.
Thats OK though because I have a Jensen on order that will be here next week.
I do believe I see a Recto Verb 25 in my future though. Having eq for both channels would make this amp near perfect.
 
ChasFred said:
OK for starts V1 was changed to a lower gain tube. Did what I was hoping for, PLUS it changed the tone of the Contour channel to where I like it now. ]
I have the Greenback in now and there is a voice change for sure. It is kind of a toss up to which one I like best.
Thats OK though because I have a Jensen on order that will be here next week.
I do believe I see a Recto Verb 25 in my future though. Having eq for both channels would make this amp near perfect.
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The RectoVerb 25 will be your slave to tone for the rest of eternity.
There's no going wrong with that move. That amp is "The Spoiler". Everything else just sounds "normal".
 
Hackmaster said:
The RectoVerb 25 will be your slave to tone for the rest of eternity.
There's no going wrong with that move. That amp is "The Spoiler". Everything else just sounds "normal".
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It’s interesting to hear your description. I’m considering that as my next purchase once I’m done with this Les Paul.
 
I’ve got a Mini-Rec, so same amp without the ‘verb, and I can attest to its awesomeness. I will admit that I slightly prefer my Mark 5:25, but that’s like a blonde vs. brunette equation. They have the same power section and are among the very best amps I have ever played through at any price.
 
So, @gball , @Hackmaster, et al...can you point me to a demo that really showcases the Rectoverb 25? I mean, I've seen a lot of Youtube videos, but Youtube videos can be misleading. Since you guys actually have one, do you know of some demo that really shows it for what you experience it to be?
 
smitty_p said:
So, @gball , @Hackmaster, et al...can you point me to a demo that really showcases the Rectoverb 25? I mean, I've seen a lot of Youtube videos, but Youtube videos can be misleading. Since you guys actually have one, do you know of some demo that really shows it for what you experience it to be?
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To be honest, no. I haven't heard a video yet that truly captures the monstrousness of the tone these things make. The ones on the Mesa website are pretty good but there is something about the Recto tone that I have never heard captured properly in a demo. The sound of a Recto is like a living presence in the room with you.
 
Well I just found out from Eminence that the speaker that came with my amp was NOT one they made for Mesa. Not that its a biggie cause I am testing other speakers anyway.
 
ChasFred said:
Well I just found out from Eminence that the speaker that came with my amp was NOT one they made for Mesa. Not that its a biggie cause I am testing other speakers anyway.
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Can't imagine why some fool would have taken that original speaker out. They were great, but there are a lot of good options out there to try out too. I had a Greenback 10 in mine for a while and it was a really nice match, sounded for all the world like a 12" speaker.
 
gball said:
Can't imagine why some fool would have taken that original speaker out. They were great, but there are a lot of good options out there to try out too. I had a Greenback 10 in mine for a while and it was a really nice match, sounded for all the world like a 12" speaker.
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Yes, I know what you mean. This seemed to let the amp open up more. Will play it hard till the Jensen comes in.
 
ChasFred said:
Yes, I know what you mean. This seemed to let the amp open up more. Will play it hard till the Jensen comes in.
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They take a while to break in if you are using a new one. They sweeten up a lot with play-time. I ended up putting that same speaker into a Rivera Pubster down the line and it sounded great in that amp too.
 
gball said:
To be honest, no. I haven't heard a video yet that truly captures the monstrousness of the tone these things make. The ones on the Mesa website are pretty good but there is something about the Recto tone that I have never heard captured properly in a demo. The sound of a Recto is like a living presence in the room with you.
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That can be said for just about any demo video of a certain amp. There's no way that the actual fidelity and feel can be reproduced thru digital shenanigans. Even crappy amps can be made to sound better than they really are. Some great amps can sound like manure, too.
 
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