My recto module

[Murderball]

Hey guys nice to meet you. I just picked up an older Rm100 head and had a question about the recto module that is in it.
So when I read the background of the module it said its modeled after the dual rectifier, which as we all know has a potentially very heavy sound,ok.
So when i fire it up and get to the recto it has the slightest bit of gain and has like a blues-ish quality. Is this right?
If not I figured what could be the problem, 1) With stock pickups from a jap-made dean, could that totally demolish the real sound of the amp. 2)I have a cheap Kustom cab which has celestions, but I have had it for 5 years. Could the cab be destroying the real sound. 3) Would bad tubes do this? 4) Could it be all these things(hope not)?
My head i had on there before(Crate v33h craphead) sound just fine with my metalzone in front of it, actually was far heavier than this recto module.
Now this module along with the metalzone does get heavy, but I really dont want to have to use pedals for an amp i bought so i wouldnt have to.
Thanks guys

Dave

 

[Mattfig]

Hey man,

Sounds like a tube issue...You may want to experiment to find the offending tube which could be V1 or V2 of the module itself (likely V1), the input tube on the RM100, or even your effects loop tubes (if you use the loop)...

Should be an easy fix...The Recto should be anything but bluesy....It's supposed to rip your face off with gain...

If you like the recto, you should try a Grail sometime...Even better...

 

[crankyrayhanky]

stock Recto was a bit dissappointing to me with the lack of over the top gain- but it still should give you more than blues.

Who wants to tell him? Time for modded upgrades my gain seeking friend

 

[maximus1]

nothing is wrong trust me i ownes 4 different rect modules. they suck. not even close to a mesa. they sound weak and have too much bass. barely has enough gain for old black sabbath. imo the mts amp system is the same. nothing has enough gain maybe only barely enough at best and thats on the highest gain modules they have. the whole amp is sluggy and sounds weak. you can get good tones out of it but be prepared to spend a **** ton of money. with the right tubes and some mod work it can get decent but for the price of the randall plus the money u will spend to get it to sound good u could have bought any other high quality amp that the randall is trynig to be like. this is truth. trust me i've owned it twice and done all the homework and spent tons of time with it only to go back to playing 6505's. i ve owned some pete mods and they werent any better than some of the stock mods i used. the egnater modules r better but still. there is nothing tight or fluid about the randall mts. its all about stiff , weak and flubby, and to me that not only describes the recto module but also everything else i ever played through all tubes combonations and high quality guitars and cabs. the amp has potential but its an uphill climb. good luck though

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I don't know which Pete mods you had, but I've tried most of them and they are clearly an improvement

Sure I could sell my rig off and pick up 1 amp, maybe 2.....but not the number of tones I get now. If you have 1 tone you like- 6505- than mts is not for you. I've A/B the Pete SL+ & Recto against the real deal and it is on the same level if not better; ditto Stonerverb in an rm20 vs Tiny Terror. Based off of clips, the Mamba delivers the Cobra tone, and so on.....
I do agree on the stock modules- mostly dissappointing. Stick with the used market and get upgrades from there and there is tremendous value to be had.

BTW, I skipped a deal on a 5150 head to order a S1S0 for similar cash, that's how I feel about Salvation's work

 

[Mattfig]

Yeah...Wow...MTS can have a lot of gain and dynamics...I've owned many amps over the years...This setup is the best...Yes, it takes tweaking and some outboard gear but in the end, it's worth it...Gotta stick with it, get the right mods, add a boost if need be, and retube...It'll do you wonders!

Obviously it ain't for everybody...But if you wanna work with it, it can truly be what it's supposed to be...A lot of great amps in one box...

And sorry, the rectos aren't my fave either...But they'll certainlt go well past Sabbath tones...And try a Grail, very high gain and great dynamics....

Rectos are tough on the MTS because while the preamp circuit can be duped, the magic of a recto is in the power tubes and some trickery there...Although, I have to say that if you got a Salvo Mamba, you would laugh at the next Mesa Recto you hear...

 

[jitterybit]

OP:
sounds like maybe a tube issue?
I have a JF recto and it has a lot of gain. Still needs a little boost, but nothing major. Try putting a boost in front of your amp, even your MZ just acting as a boost, and see if the sound is still thin.

 

[JKD]

In a way I can sympathize with maximus1 plight...just like a real Recto, the Recto style circuit modules come alive with a boost in front of them.

The stock Recto/Rectified module from Randall goes bleur bleur bleur on the RM100...it lacks clarity, has too much low end on the module itself (and in the RM100....but that's another story) and not really any punch.

Now the Gigmods Recto was a different story, it had added clarity and warmth and really came alive in my RM50...not so much in every RM100 and Lynch box I've tried...had to be really careful on the Depth, bring the volume up higher than I'd like and in the end the only tubes that were 'tight' enough for me without using a boost were EL34/KT77 types....add an SD1-1 or an OD-808 to that equation and it killed in either the 50 or 100 watter.

Enter the Deadplate.....that thing is freakin leathal, if you can't get a heavy Recto style tone with that....give up..and I think maximus did! However, I said I could sympathize with him...coz if you look at the $ you have invested in a Deadplate and used RM100 (probably close to $1k)...you could grab a Mesa amp....now for my taste, I'd still keep the Randall but in a purely economic equation if I''m looking for that tone..I can have it from a Recto for $1k all day long or under $800 for a Rectoverb.

Substitute any of the stock modules for the Recto above and the argument likely still applies...that said:

I do not agree when we start talking Signature modules...every single one of those is a refined version of the stock tones or modded original/stock amp tones....there's not really a dud amongst them...they do all sound better at 50W playing at home, cos the 50W has greater clarity/warmth right out of the gate.

 

[maximus1]

i did all the post amp work. wasn't dissing pete's work just saying i had some mods but found other stock ones more suitable at the time. one in paticular was the recto of his. it wasn't as good as a stock grail for me and for that matter nothing mts related recto sounds like the real thing, anyway. in the end i spent way too much on tubes and boosts and mods just to realize i could have bought 2 or more of the amps i was trying to chase. i mean you can only play one tone a time and the rm100 holds three pre amps. if u figure one is a clean than any amp will have that be it what it is. all in all it is a decent amp with potential but it is very lacking in the gain department stock and it feels stiff period u cant argue with that. u can dial any of the mods to sound alike and if u play through same cab and speakers its not much difference if any. in the last couple of years i gave the rm100 all i could and in the end it wasn't for me. when an amp cost 1700 and has multiple modules described as high gain. they better be and in the case of the mts it is not. never would i spend 400 on a module when i can get the real version for a little more. when someone plugs into a recto module thinkin it will sound like the red channel off a dual and they find that it sounds like classic 30 it really says something about the amp sorry guys but for high gain the mts is way off and that is strange considering the randall solid state stuff is very high gain and for what it is smokes the mts for grind

 

[JKD]

When someone plugs into a recto module thinkin it will sound like the red channel off a dual and they find that it sounds like classic 30 it really says something about the amp

I *loathe* the sound of the stock Recto but...I think the only thing it says is that perhaps there is something wrong with the module or maybe the amp and we all missed the point

To the OP - have you done any troubleshooting? Set all the controls at noon and start with gain at 0, then increase it..you should get a clean tone uo through some light gain into some medium/high gain..finally into distorted, overly compressed muddy mess passed around 2:30 on the dial.

Assuming this is working, set the gain to 12 o'clock and verify that all teh other controls affect the tone through their range of sweep.

Note: In the stock design all the controls at zero (except the channel level) or just the gain at zero means there will be no sound.

 

[chuckmehh]

Being an exclusively high gain player, I feel your pain sir. The stock Recto was immensely disappointing for me and does not really have over the top gain. What you need to do with the Recto is buy a nice OD pedal to boost it and then you will be there. It makes a world of difference in my opinion. It is still no Ultra XL (the best stock module out there )

 

[JKD]

Being an exclusively high gain player, I feel your pain sir. The stock Recto was immensely disappointing for me and does not really have over the top gain. What you need to do with the Recto is buy a nice OD pedal to boost it and then you will be there. It makes a world of difference in my opinion. It is still no Ultra XL (the best stock module out there )

+1

The only one worthy of being called a true high gainer in the chug-tastic cookie monster metal sense..

My high gain palette now consists of the following:

Salvation Angel
Gigmods Mark
Salvation Deadplate
Modded Grail (c3 cap mod)
Modded Ultra (c3 cap mod)

 

[chuckmehh]

Being an exclusively high gain player, I feel your pain sir. The stock Recto was immensely disappointing for me and does not really have over the top gain. What you need to do with the Recto is buy a nice OD pedal to boost it and then you will be there. It makes a world of difference in my opinion. It is still no Ultra XL (the best stock module out there )

+1

The only one worthy of being called a true high gainer in the chug-tastic cookie monster metal sense..

My high gain palette now consists of the following:

Salvation Angel
Gigmods Mark
Salvation Deadplate
Modded Grail (c3 cap mod)
Modded Ultra (c3 cap mod)

Sounds super tasty sir! I had a Gigmods Modern, Jaded Faith Ultra XL, Kyle's Dragon XL, and a stock Ultra XL and liked the stock XL the best!!! Crazy, I know....

Then I got a Salvation 1666 and my life changed :twisted:

 

[alowerdeep]

I dont get any of the not enough gain stuff..i have a stock xtc module and that thing rips....and it sounds so huge and articulate...I just found a Gigmods recto for a great price and I cannot wait to hear it...all of the youtube clips I hear and the clip on Randalls site all sound like they have plaenty of gain,actually sound a little cleaner than the real recto,not as fuzzy...

 

[chuckmehh]

I dont get any of the not enough gain stuff..i have a stock xtc module and that thing rips....and it sounds so huge and articulate...I just found a Gigmods recto for a great price and I cannot wait to hear it...all of the youtube clips I hear and the clip on Randalls site all sound like they have plaenty of gain,actually sound a little cleaner than the real recto,not as fuzzy...

Glad to see you made it to this forum man haha And the stock XTC has more gain than the stock Recto (at least the ones I had)...What head did you end up getting?