“An original icon built by the same artisans who built them 30 years ago”: Mesa/Boogie is reviving the Dual Rectifier – the hallowed amp head that defined the sound of 1990s high gain music

Mesa/Boogie is set to continue its current form of reviving cult classic tube amps with the announcement it will be bringing back the hallowed Dual Rectifier.

Set to drop January 14, the upcoming tube amp will reissue undoubtedly the most influential guitar amps of 1990s electric guitar music, and continue the legacy of an amp that was championed by metal, hard rock and blues rock guitarists alike across the decade and beyond.

The original Dual Rectifier was originally intended to cater to guitarists of the late 1980s, at a time when high-gain amps truly came to the fore through hair metal, heavy metal and other heavy genres.

However, despite starting work on the amp in 1989, it wasn’t until 1992 that Mesa/Boogie officially introduced the Revision C Circuit Dual Rectifier to the market – at a time when grunge was taking hold of the music scene.

“It took us longer than we wanted to bring the Dual Rectifier to market because we kept working on it,” Mesa/Boogie R&D Director Doug West once said. “We were originally shooting for the late-’80s hair metal crowd, but by the time we finished it, the grunge era began.

“We thought we were too late, but our timing turned out to be pretty good after all. The Rectifier Series became much more popular than we ever dreamed it would be, especially with the dramatic shift in music. From 1993 to 2004 those amps were over half of our business.”

Official Trailer: The MESA/Boogie® 90s Dual Rectifier - YouTube

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This massive popularity was spearheaded by some of the biggest acts in the guitar game spanning a range of high gain genres. Everyone from Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Foo Fighters, all the way to Blink-182, Tool, Korn, Limp Bizkit and countless others all used Dual Rectifiers.

The fact it was favored by grunge, alternative, metal and nu-metal bands alike spoke of its versatility, and now – in news that will please many fans of such circles – the Dual Rectifier is officially coming back.

“With reverence and pride, we announce the ’90s Dual Rectifier,” Mesa/Boogie writes in a launch trailer, “a faithful recreation of the tube amp that redefined high gain and provided much of the soundtrack of a generation, with some welcome upgrades like improved cleans that enhance but don’t distract.

“Here’s a chance to own an original icon built by the same artisans who built them 30 years ago.

The brand adds, “The new ’90s Dual Rectifier amp is a faithful recreation of the sound that dominated the decade, powering metal, thrash, nu-metal, rap-rock, 90s grunge, pop-punk, and arguably every iconic track on your ’90s rock and metal playlists.”

It’s the latest historic Mesa/Boogie to be revived this year, after the firm – which is now part of Gibson’s stable of brands – resurrected the Mark IIC+.

Visit Mesa/Boogie in the meantime to find out more.

In related news, Randall Smith – the Mesa/Boogie founder who left his role as head of the company last year – recently recalled the origins of the legendary “Boogie” name and how he developed his brutal hammer test.