1992 Mesa Dual Rectifier 2ch Rev. F

Overview

I don’t want to overstate this amp, or be yet another voice gushing about how incredible these early revision Rectifiers are. But now that I have one of these, I can see why people love them so much. I don’t think it’s the perfect amp for everyone, and I actually think the Revision G is the better amp for certain tones (particularly, 90s nu-metal, punk, and general rock rhythm sounds). However, there’s a certain area this amp lives in where it truly exceeds all expectations, with a characteristic, aggressive and punchy tone that is really hard to beat.

This particular amp is early in the Revision F run, which was about SN 0643 to about 3180, and has the “Mk III” style transformers. These transformers were actually phased out during Revision F, so it’s possible to have a Revision F with later transformers (those would be #562105 and #561140), starting sometime around SN 1300-1500 or so. There are some great resources on the web for this, such as this fantastic website that I’ve referred to countless times while researching these.

So what’s different between this Rev F and the later Rev G? Well it’s hard to say. There are some component value differences, and a lot of people point to the early transformers in particular for contributing to the intangible magic of these amps. I normally would throw quite a bit of doubt at statements like that but after playing the two amps side by side for hours now, it’s true - there’s something about this Rev F that just speaks to my playing style that the G doesn’t. I think this Rev F is the better lead amp for sure, and if I were doing chugging metal rhythms (boost or unboosted), this would be my pick. The low end just feels more clear and punchy, and a lot tighter than a Rev G, but it still has this modern hi-fi full spectrum kind of sound. The high end is definitely recognizable as a rectifier type tone, with a lot of hair but it tapers off in a way that’s very pleasing to the ear and doesn’t get too harsh, even through my Mesa cab with V30’s which can be a bit peak-y with other amps. I’ve heard it said that these amps were designed more for the hair metal scene, before grunge really hit in full force, and I can definitely see that - this would make for a killer metal amp with amazing solos and punchy palm mutes. While the Rev G can do that stuff too, that amp is just a little more tweaked towards a power chord kind of rhythm sound, and playing them A/B it’s very clear to me. Whether that story is true or if it’s just a happy accident I’m not sure, but as a big fan of 80s metal I’m definitely going to be putting this amp to use in that context.

Revision F Schematic (De-Falsified)