2002 Mesa Triple Rectifier 3ch

Overview

I acquired this amp via a trade for one of my Splawn Quickrod heads. I had two of the same revision, so it made a lot of sense to me. Back when I was first getting a handle on guitar and tone, I used to visit a local music shop that was a Mesa dealer, and they let me play many amps in their back room while I was trying to pick my first tube amp head. I ended up with a Marshall, but I spent a lot of time playing Dual and Triple rectifiers in the 3 channel variation just like this, so I always wanted to pick one up when I could.

It’s a killer and instantly recognizable sound, especially on Channel 3’s Modern mode for high gain tones. It is very powerful and can shake a room with ease. Channel 2 is identical to Channel 3, except for a different value presence control, so it’s also nice to be able to set two similar sounding tones and switch between them for rhythm or solos. I also find the Vintage mode to be excellent, it retains some of the bite of the modern recto tone, but rolls off the highs and lows for more classic metal and classic rock sounds. Raw is essentially a crunch mode, and while I don’t find myself spending much time here, it’s a great option to have especially if using this amp on a gig where you need to cover a lot of ground. Channel 1’s clean tone is really fantastic for a high gain head, and the pushed mode is also a great crunch tone - I actually prefer it to the “raw” settings - but it is smoother and less gritty than something like a Marshall crunch. I think of it more like a Fender Deluxe being pushed into mid gain, but without the need for the high volumes that would take.