Rectifiers

You people are taking names too seriously. Rectifier is just a model name that MESA came up with to name a range of their amps.

What technology here and there, the basic working principal is still the same.

Every single amp running of the wall plug (AC power), MUST have a rectifier stage in the power supply circuit.

MESA, created this dual/triple rectifier by putting 2 or 3 diode rectifier tubes in the power supply, and also a switch to flick between silicon diode (modern) and tube diode (vintage), technologies. It's this power circuit which they have the design patents to.

Just a general knowledge thing, tube rectifier and silicon rectifier have its own characteristics. In tube rectifier, we have what we call power sagging when high current is drawn. But in silicon diode, the properties are more linear, it does not suffer from sagging (negligable effect).

Power sagging means as the current drawn higher, the voltage will be reduced momentary, restored when current reduced. This will result in a "browner" sound from the amp, which is desirable to certain kind of tone. Normally will happen during performance, which the amp is driven hard, so some of the old live vids you see, could attribute this effect to their unique sound. It's not a desirable effect for quite a number of type of songs.

So I hope this will clear up the air on the term rectifier, just a nickname for mesa sound. So some effects will name mesa sound as rectified or rectifier.
 
Grain's Four Tones studio got Mesa Boogie Rectifier which you can actually use.
 
darkballa said:
how much are the roland cube 30s? and if they have a 15-20 watt version how uch is that?

roland cube 30 is list for 500 and theres also a 15watt verison which i think list for 300..you just miss the Great Swee Lee sale..if your thinking of getting it.
theres a review of the cube30 in the review section :wink:
 
mikemann said:
So I hope this will clear up the air on the term rectifier, just a nickname for mesa sound. So some effects will name mesa sound as rectified or rectifier.

Arent there a few types of Mesa sounds i.e. the early Mark I-IV sweet sustain classic rockish sound to modern scooped dual/triple recto sounds?
 
You're right. Santana's sound is the prime example of a Mark I sound. Mark IV is geared towards a more modern sound, so they can also make the massively distorted rectifier sound, not to mention the knobs of a space shuttle launch control room.
 
i just found out that im stuck with the cube 30 because the cube 15 doesnt have the rectifier feature. let me verify something, is a rectifier an effect? or simply a performance boost?
 
Hi there. For an explanation of the term 'rectifier', please re-read my post and mikemann's. But in the case of Cube 30, the rectifier setting is a TYPE OF SOUND, which is characterised by a massive overdrive. You can say it's an effect built in to the amp. Hope that doesn't confuse you.
 
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