The Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo is a Mesa Boogie amplifier. Close alternatives include the Mooer Micro Preamp 008 Cali 3 and the Universal Audio knuckles. It pairs well with the Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition and the Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp.
Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie · amplifier
The Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo is the 50-watt combo version of the Badlander, a two-channel Rectifier-family amplifier running EL34 output tubes for a tighter, more British midrange than the 6L6-powered members of the series. Each channel has three selectable modes called Clean, Crunch and Crush, so the amp spans sparkling clean tones through to high gain across its two channels. Mesa's CabClone IR is built in for direct recording and silent stage use. At 50 watts in a 1x12 combo it is far more practical than the 100-watt head while keeping the same voicing. It suits hard rock and metal players who want a tight modern Recto sound in one box.
What stands out
“Mesa's CabClone IR is built in for direct recording and silent stage use”
— from the listing
“Each channel has three selectable modes called Clean, Crunch and Crush, so the amp spans sparkling clean tones through to high gain across its two channels”
— from the listing
“It is premium-priced and voiced for modern high gain”
— from the reviews
“The onboard CabClone IR DI makes silent direct recording excellent”
— from the reviews
“it suits hard rock and metal players who want a tight modern recto sound in one box”
— from the listing
- direct recording
- high gain
- modern
- silent
- crunch
- tight
- clean
- tightness
Good for
- Live
- Silent Recording
- Studio
Genres the Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo is commonly used in
- Metal
- Hard Rock
- Djent
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Christian Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metalcore
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo
Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition
Walrus Audio
24% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition takes that high gain character and pushes it toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
23% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
The Buzzter's transparent boost feeds the Badlander combo's tight, high-gain crunch without smearing its already-tight low end.
Goes in front of the amp
Keeley Red Dirt Overdrive
Keeley
23% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Feed a high gain signal into Keeley Red Dirt Overdrive and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Wampler Cory Wong
Wampler
18% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Ahead of the Badlander's tight, silent high-gain channel, the Cory Wong's punchy optical compression evens out funk picking before the amp's own gain shapes it.
Goes in front of the amp
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo after Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo in the signal chain, clear of Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2
Hungry Robot
14% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Run the Moby Dick in the Badlander's loop for massive, lush ambient reverb well beyond the amp's own silent-recording metal gain. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Hungry Robot The Borderland
Hungry Robot
14% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → modulated)
Keep Hungry Robot The Borderland in Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo's effects loop, clear of Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Mesa Boogie Tone Burst Boost
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Put Mesa Boogie Tone Burst Boost in front of Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo
Alternatives
Mooer Micro Preamp 008 Cali 3
Mooer
72% similarityMooer Micro Preamp 008 Cali 3 recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Universal Audio knuckles
Universal Audio
72% similarityUniversal Audio knuckles recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Mooer 008
Mooer
72% similarityMooer 008 recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Airis Effects SPEC-Defier
Airis Effects
72% similarityAiris Effects SPEC-Defier recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Laney Ironheart Foundry DualRig 65W Head + 2x12 Cab
Laney
62% similarityShared character: two channels, countless rock and metal players, metal
Laney Ironheart Irt-SLS 3-Channel 300W Head
Laney
57% similarityShared character: countless rock and metal players, metal, hard rock
Laney Ironheart Foundry LeadRig 112
Laney
53% similarityShared character: countless rock and metal players, metal, crunch
Soldano Astro-20 Combo
Soldano
50% similarityShared character: two channels, countless rock and metal players, hard rock
Laney Ironheart IRT30-112 1x12 Combo
Laney
50% similarityShared character: countless rock and metal players, metal, hard rock
Blackstar HT Club 40
Blackstar
49% similarityShared character: two channels, crunch, high gain settings
Revv Dynamis D25 25W 1x12 Combo
Revv
49% similarityShared character: high gain settings, clean, studio
PRS Archon 50 2-Channel 50W 1x12 Combo
PRS
49% similarityShared character: countless rock and metal players, metal, hard rock
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo?+
The closest matches in character are the Mooer Micro Preamp 008 Cali 3, the Universal Audio knuckles, the Mooer 008.
What pairs well with the Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander EL34/50 1x12 Combo?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition, Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp, Keeley Red Dirt Overdrive — Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition takes that high gain character and pushes it toward clean boost.