Thoughts on the FW15 rectos?

erockomania

erockomania

Experienced
Anyone else finding the Rectos looser on 15? I don't play with them too much so I can't say for sure, but what are your thoughts?
 
Rectos have always been very weird amps in general. I think part of the reason people think this, or at least the reason I've always thought this, is because the amp's visual design writes checks that it can't really cash. Or at the very least, it implies that it produces a type of tone it doesn't really deliver, for better or for worse. To just look at one, you would think it would be one of those high gain amps where the bottom end is rock solid tight and where the top end is super smooth and saturated. In fact it's the exact opposite. The bottom end is incredibly loose and flubby, while the top end is is actually not very saturated at all, but instead quite dry and scratchy sounding. You know how oatmeal can be goopy and mushy while being incredibly dry and flaky in all the worst ways at the same time? To me, that's a Recto every day the week.

The end result is that when you multi-track the amp correctly and put it in the right mix, it sounds awesomely huge and weighty for big, open sustained chords. But to just sit down in front of one and play through it? I've always thought that in the room, they sound and feel terrible to be honest.
 
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Recto + Diezel is my main high gain patch. I was very satisfied in V14. Yet V15 is still a phenomenal improvement. I didn't even need to reset anything. Just instant gratification.
 
All Rectos are not created equal. Some just instantly sound good and some need to be fought to get a good tone; even amps of the same vintage are quite variable. I have certainly played Rectos like GreatGreen was describing, and also ones where you turn them on, turn them up, play "chaaaaang, chug chug chug" and get a boner. :)

I had a very nice Recto sound in V14. I have only spent about 5 mins on the Rectos in V15.02 and I got it... most of the way there. I had just had a tooth out and was on serious painkillers so I wasn't about to trust my ears; I didn't want to spend too much time dialing a sound I would hate tomorrow, but I did think all the sound pieces I needed were there :)
 
+1 on 'never been that tight'. I owned a Single Rect back in the day, and I really liked it, but to imply the damn thing (and the double) was a metal monster I thought was misplaced. For the 'das brootalz' folks, the chain of stuff they had to put in front of it to get it there astounded me. Hard rock, yes (I used it for 'killing in the name of' and it was great), but unless the fooker was at 7 on master, it didn't sound great to me.

The Fractal version sounds 1000X better to me for that drop D stuff, since I can tighten it up nicely.

I use it now to do Jason Aldean covers...it sounds right.
 
In my experience with rectos, they had to be cranked loud to sound good. The only recto I've played that I could get killer tones with at bedroom volumes was my roadster.
 
electronpirate said:
+1 on 'never been that tight'. I owned a Single Rect back in the day, and I really liked it, but to imply the damn thing (and the double) was a metal monster I thought was misplaced. For the 'das brootalz' folks, the chain of stuff they had to put in front of it to get it there astounded me. Hard rock, yes (I used it for 'killing in the name of' and it was great), but unless the fooker was at 7 on master, it didn't sound great to me.

The Fractal version sounds 1000X better to me for that drop D stuff, since I can tighten it up nicely.

I use it now to do Jason Aldean covers...it sounds right.
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Doesn't the guitarist in his band use a roadster? I'm pretty sure when I went with some friends to one of his shows I saw 2 roadster heads on stage.
 
Actually just came on here to ask the same question. Listen to the stock patches and they are a weird farty/flubby bassy mess. I cannot dial in a good recto metal tone to save my life. Went to Guitar Center today and played a Triple Rec. and in just a couple minutes had a brutal tone that sounded nothing like the Axe FX models. Something to me is not with these models.
 


This is the tone I was able to dial in today but cannot get it with the AXE FX. Listen to 3:20. That grainy, sizzle with a nice bite to it. Any suggestions to get this kinda tone out of my unit?
 
deftim13 said:
Actually just came on here to ask the same question. Listen to the stock patches and they are a weird farty/flubby bassy mess. I cannot dial in a good recto metal tone to save my life. Went to Guitar Center today and played a Triple Rec. and in just a couple minutes had a brutal tone that sounded nothing like the Axe FX models. Something to me is not with these models.
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Probably because the eq knobs default at noon, which bass flubness in a Recto. Anyway, always thought they sounded muck in the fractal.......or maybe i just coupled it with the wrong IR cab.
 
deftim13 said:


This is the tone I was able to dial in today but cannot get it with the AXE FX. Listen to 3:20. That grainy, sizzle with a nice bite to it. Any suggestions to get this kinda tone out of my unit?
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Use the Cali cab. Apply eq after the cab to taste.
 
electronpirate said:
Sheeit I don't know. But it sure sounds right in Tattoos on this town, and My Kinda Party. Add a wah, and boom.
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They are listed on Mesa's artist list as using the roadster and lonestar special heads. It was a couple years ago when I saw them and I knew I saw roadsters haha. Dunno what they are using right now though... maybe Axe II?
 
I used to have a rectoverb and yep they can be frustrating. Definitely not what I would call a tight sounding amp. Growly and raspy, yes. Tight, no. Seemed like no matter what I did with the EQ, I could never control the boomy low end. Some guys run a graphic EQ pedal in the loop or out front to help tighten them up. I ended up liking the clean channel better than the gain channel. In the end it was not for me. Sold it and switched to a Mark IV. Now THAT is a tight sounding amp!
 
Work great for me, Factory Recto Modern patch , added drive w/ drive at 0 level 7-8ish and it sounded fantastic no changes at all made except output level to the fact. patch. 15.02 Recto's are awsome !
I own a Triple Rec and I a/b' d it to the AXE a while back ( like fw 13 ) and was able to get nearly identical tones with very little drama . Just my opinion .
 
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