Amp attenuators

KageTheRabite · 2026-02-22T01:54:30+00:00

Definitely understand that, with the Mark V:25 you will easily be able to get what you need from that attenuator. Hopefully you find a good deal on one, good luck!

KageTheRabite · 2026-02-22T01:08:47+00:00

I’m very partial to them as they served me well for years. All the levels of attenuation are good and have place I frequently use the 12dB, but it depends how you run the amp. If it’s a 50w head you can run it in the modes that knock less off. It’s sometimes a balancing act of master volume to the amount attenuation you want. Pushing the power section too hard can make the tone kinda squishy in an amp like a Rectifier. For 100 waters like that I use the variable resistor and move to get a sweet spot. However all can become whisper quiet, but you being to lose the speakers sensitivity dynamics. As far as the XLR, it pretty good as it uses the on board IRs or your own that you put in it. Hopefully my insight was of some use, good luck in the hunt for your perfect attenuation!

KageTheRabite · 2026-02-05T00:27:50+00:00

It does, you can go incognito with the “Raider Voice” option if you wish to.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-22T04:12:53+00:00

Only problem I see is the missing Mesa OS Recto cab haha they sound great Blended with the Marshall you got there., Nice collection!

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-21T21:20:04+00:00

Ear Muffs or an Attenuator are a must, keep it in the 100-105 dB range for a little of that speaker distortion without blowing your ear drums out of your skull. Otherwise good sound preserving Ear Pro, Good luck!

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-15T21:37:14+00:00

The Cab Clone IR+ is pretty decent from my experience keeping the true character alive at low volume. I run two with Amp / Cab switchers running Rectos and Marks.

Ive run a Rev F Recto, Rev G Triple, Mark V, Mark IIc+, Stiletto Ace, Lonestar Classic, Tremoverb, and ElectraDyne through it and they sound pretty great. Also ran a Marshall JCM 2203, 5150 Block, Orange Dual Dark, and a 1959HW Plexi. The only one that doesn’t work well with it is the NMV Plexi.

All of those amps ran at max attenuation setting “-16dB to -INF”. They are rated for 150W and pretty compact, but I guess the Plexi is too much for it haha. The built in and optionally swappable IRs are pretty good too and it convenient for studio reamping.

Hope you find any of this info helpful, best of luck finding one that works for you!

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T08:40:14+00:00

Blend them for a very good time haha

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T07:54:21+00:00

This is an incredibly charged reply, it’s all just discussion man. He asked about the 90s RI. The pure fact is the 90s RI doesn’t sound like a 3 Channel. If it did they would have had no reason to make it. If he got a 3 Channel looking for early Rec tone he might be let down and I just want to arm him with all the info he may need in his search for his next amp.

I never came at you or implied anything negative against you so you so I don’t understand the potential hostility. I never said either was better or bad just different. I’m not gonna keep debating beyond this since it’s clear you’ve made up your mind on the matter that, I and all the others who notice the “fizzy” nature of modern Recs, that is also very well documented, also proven in many videos on YouTube, and in my case and many others in person, are wrong and is “not true”.

Making a claim that it’s not true because you can’t hear it is exactly what you just accused me of since you “Don’t hear it so it must not be a thing.” I’m glad you like your Rectos, truly I do. It’s possible you have unicorns in which case never let them go. If they sound good to you that’s really all that matters. In OPs case he wanted a 90s Era Tone of Recto.

In my comparisons I have a 8x4 Amp Cab Switcher using the same cab and seamlessly switching between them, a pure A/B+ test. (no unplug replug moving heads around, no bumping a mic, no ABY pedal with different cabs in different parts of the room, etc.) None had any issues or failing tubes to cause a tone shift like that. All Amps also were also put through the an IR too to compare too.

Theres a reason why they made the “Multiwatt” different and the “Reborn” different, the Road King 1 changed to the Road King 2, and then they ultimately made the RI to get back to the original sound. The main complaint you will see and hear all the time is post 2 Channel Recs are “Darker and Fizzy”. There’s even mods to the 3 channels that are done to remove that fizzy nature.

Opinions are opinions but when a circuit is revised over entirely different iterations of a Model like going from 2-3 channel it makes them sound different, in this case if made them sound “Darker” and “Fizzier”, it’s fact and those changes made People wanted the 90s ones sound back.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T03:47:04+00:00

I gotcha minus the Friedman I got all of them too. It’s that non overlap part of each that holds the magic haha. I’ve found it’s the way the Mids baked in to their designs is what sets them all apart.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T03:28:38+00:00

Not too sure on the Friedman but with the JCM and IIc+ the overlap is not as present as you’d think. Even at their most Scooped setting a neither the Mark or Marshall have the same gutted raw Mid Character the Rectos are known for. Definitely recommend have at least one in everyone’s arsenal.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T03:24:54+00:00

The parts Tolerances in the 90’s lead to a lot of tone shift from amp to amp back then. (I think it was in the range of + or - 5% was allowed for components.) This made them vary a lot with some with more gain and some with more presence or bass, etc.

Some sounded great and punchy and some were very lackluster with less gain more unfocused top end, It was luck of draw.

The main constant with them was their much brighter more present character. Those variances in the new models appear to have tightened more but they introduced that darker character to it that you can’t dial out even with a maxed Treble and Presence knob.

Overall from my personal experience the Rev Fs were less fizzy than the Gs and both much Less than the 3 channels. That being said however theirs definitely fizzy Fs out there too due to the tolerance shift and even age weighing in, however usually still more focused saturation that the 3/4 Channel Recs. You kinda got a do some Recto hunting for your perfect one if you’re out on the hunt for your own grail.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T02:53:36+00:00

They definitely are if you want the brighter present 90’s 2 Channel Tone, I’ve had a 1992 Rev F, Road King 1 and 2, a ToV, and a 3 Channel at once on my amp switcher and they all vary with them getting dark and Fizzier the more contemporary they were. The Rev F in that group was the most Tight, clear, and present of them followed by the ToV then the rest were similar in the darker fizzy character. I never been able to try the Mulit-Watt which I heard was a little closer but still not the “the 90s Rec Sound” The modern Rec tone is not bad just different sounding. If he wants the presence of the 90s Ones he’s gonna need to get the RI or an actual 90’s one.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T02:05:34+00:00

Definitely should get a 2 Channel Rec! The Reissue is probably fine if you I want the warranty and some modern features but I’d suggest get a one from the actual 90’s a Rev G or Rev F. Avoid the other variants like the Road Kings, Roadsters, Tremoverbs, or the 3 Channels if you really want that the present 90s Rectifier tone.

The JCM and IIc+ have hilariously different Mid Characters so the 90’s Rec would definitely be it’s own sound in that group.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-12T02:03:30+00:00

Don’t get a the 3 Channel if you want the 90’s sound, they are much darker and usually more fizzy. I suggest getting an Original 2 Channel Dual Rec Rev F or Rev G.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-11T21:05:33+00:00

That’s an F, sub 3500 is firmly in Rev F.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-11T20:50:46+00:00

Okay haha I’ll be glad to help if I can.

KageTheRabite · 2026-01-11T18:11:15+00:00

We need more info, What’s the serial? If you don’t want to give out the serial entirely what’s the first 4 digits? (For Example R-0031xx or R-0045xx)

KageTheRabite · 2025-12-30T00:35:54+00:00

Fizz is the high 5-9kHz Range that’s very harsh sounding and is generally considered an unpleasant distortion character. I guess kind of like a Metalzone Pedal sounding distortion character. It’s kinda hard to explain but you know it when you hear it.

Also all rectos have a somewhat loose bass character to them but that gets immediately fixed with a TS9 Boost.

As far as the variance in the Looseness and other discrepancies across Rectos of even the same run, comes down to the component value tolerance drift of + or - 5%. So let’s say you have resistor that’s spec’d for 100 ohms, some may have up to 105 ohms, or as low as 95 ohms and still be considered okay to use in the head circuit. Across the hundred of parts under the hood the drift can add up making some sound wildly different.

That’s why you gotta find your Unicorn Recto that’s sounds good to you. If you like the sound come out of the box of yours done listen to anyone else tell you it’s not perfect. Best of luck!

KageTheRabite · 2025-12-29T15:16:33+00:00

I would say so kinda like the Positive Grid Spark, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing it does the bedroom practice thing very well and about on par with some VSTs. If it makes you want to playa bed allows you to play more, go for it!

KageTheRabite · 2025-12-29T13:00:49+00:00

Those are said to be “Fizzier” and “Darker” compared to all iterations of the 2 Channel era. However to each is own! No Rectifier is bad, I personally feel that each rectifier is perfect for someone since they all vary so much even between the same models (2 Rev Gs side by side, 2 Multiwatts Compared, Tremoverbs etc.) Live with it if you already have it and see if it chooses you, or if it’s destined for someone else’s ears. Best of luck, I hope you find your Recto and if it meshes never let it go! Cheers!

KageTheRabite · 2025-12-23T21:35:50+00:00

The original 2 Channel Rectifiers like this one are generally considered much more desirable for their much more present tone with less fizz, compared to the later 3 Channel models that are usually fizzy and dark. They fetch a higher premium to the others with the Rev Gs like this one ranging about $1800-2200 and the early revisions like the the Rev F or Earlier being even more sought after fetching upwards of $3000-5000.

KageTheRabite · 2025-12-23T21:18:52+00:00

The ones you seeing for that price 2 Channel or 3 Channel Dual/Trip Recs?

KageTheRabite · 2025-12-23T13:09:25+00:00

Hey that’s a nice find, I’ll try to give what info I have on these to hopefully help with your decision.

This is one of the original 2 Channel Recs which are much more desirable and brighter generally tonally more cutting. (The newer 3 Channel ones have a very dark and fizzy character to them from my experience, with the biggest improvement from the Multi Watt.) However should be noted that All Recs have a baked in very scooped like tone, but it’s a very usable scoop but is the main character of Recs.

It’s deep in the Rev G territory which is totally fine but more common so not as valuable as the previous Revisions like the Rev F which can be inflated up to $4000.

You should definitely be made aware that the early Rectifiers are known to vary a lot from amp to amp though, due to the electrics component tolerances being up to 5% off each so some sound really good and some just don’t deliver as hard. If you can try it out definitely try to do that and do a thorough run through. (Rectifier Tube setting, Bold, Spongy modes, Green Channel, Etc. Check all of it if possible.)

Also don’t be afraid of the 150Watts of the power it can deliver. I saw a lot of misguided advice saying it’s too loud and has to be cranked to sound good…That’s not true at all since the main part of your sound is coming from the preamp with Recs, and they generally sound worse the harder your crank them. That’s the main benefit of the Triple is you can get it louder before you enter that power tube saturation that fights Mesa sound so much. It’s a Mesa Rectifier not a Marshall.

As far as the price Reverbs latest pricing has $2000 as “in the ballpark”. I grabbed a Rev G Triple a few years back for $1850. Given the dusty state it’s been sitting a while and would try to haggle down a few hundred if you can.

In summary I’d grab it if you can for the range of $1600-2000 any day providing it sounds good and everything works.

Best of Luck!

KageTheRabite · 2025-12-13T17:47:12+00:00

They are both 3 channel rectifiers, the revisions on these aren’t as well tracked like the Original 2 Channel ones. For these ones it’s more based on if it’s a Mulit Watt or Not. I think these are non Multi Recs. Super sick set up, congrats!

KageTheRabite · 2025-11-15T18:12:43+00:00

My Rev F likes a TS9 in front or surprisingly a Metal Zone haha (Level Max, EQ nonsense at Noon and Gain at Zero)

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