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Mesa/BoogieMulti-Watt Dual Rectifier 100W head

£2,329

Originally appeared in: Guitarist 327, April 2010, p103

One of the best rock amps in the world gets an update. But can Mesa really improve on a legend? by Nick Guppy

Long before many of the guitarists in today's metal bands had even been born, Mesa Engineering founder Randall Smith had already written his own chapter in rock history with the creation of the original Boogie amplifier. Possibly for the very first time, here was a manufacturer who was totally hip to the concept of the guitar amplifier as a musical instrument in its own right. Players such as Santana and Larry Carlton developed a significant part of their styles based on what the Boogie could do and soon guitarists weren't only noted for being Les Paul or Stratocaster aficionados, but also 'Boogie' players.

That would have been enough for most amp designers, but in 1989 Randall and his team scored another direct hit with the amp that would provide the sound for an entire new wave of heavy rock music: the mighty Dual Rectifier. Just like the Mk 1 Boogie, the Dual Rec raised the bar at a crucial point in time and gave many players the tone they'd been craving, along with new styling that's become an icon in its own right.

The first 500 or so Rectifiers had two channels, after this the circuit was redesigned with three channels and a number of other component changes. Predictably, a mythology has since grown up around the 'pre-500' units suggesting that they're the 'holy grail' of tone, although post-500 users will usually disagree. Now, after nearly 20 years of uninterrupted production, the Dual Rectifier has had another update. Is the new version going to be the ultimate holy grail of rock guitar tone?

In common with most other Mesa products, the Rectifier's styling, fit and finish are practically flawless. The closer you look, the more obvious it becomes that someone has thought long and hard about every aspect of this head's appearance, including things that aren't immediately obvious, such as the way it balances perfectly when picked up by its single carry handle.

Inside the immaculately presented steel chassis, the electronics are almost all PCB-mounted, with one large high-quality main board and three smaller ones for the rear panel jacks and switches, output valves and rectifier components. The wiring is neat and cleanly routed, with separate leads to all the front panel controls, making service replacement easy.

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