Mark V through 2x12 recto vs cab clone

Hi all - I've got a Mark V 90 head that I play through a 2x12 vertical recto cab with Vintage 30s and then the Cab clone for headphone jams late at night. I've noticed there are some major differences, not just in tone (expected), but most notably in how the gain knob interacts. For example, when I'm playing through the V30s on the Tweed voice, there's virtually no breakup even with the gain maxed out. Then when I play through the cab clone, there's plenty of breakup that is seemingly more in line with the manual's description of the voice. This gain difference is definitely most notable on the tweed setting, but just about every voice has more gain through the cab clone and there's almost a lack of saturation through the cab. And FWIW, i prefer the heavier saturation of the Cab Clone and would like that reaction from the cab, but it's just not there.

Anyone else experience something like this?

Hi,

I’ve got that same set up. I’ve used Cab Clone alone and a Recto Cab alone. For my guitars, TWEED breaks up pretty much at 11 to 12 o’clock on the gain dial using the Recto Cab.

The GAIN knob on the amp is all pre-amp stuff, so I’m not sure how the pre-amp would “know” or “care” what type of load is on the power amp section (passive Cab Clone vs. an active Recto Cab). Maybe the more techical guys will weigh in.

Do you change the CHANNEL MASTER levels at all between Cab Clone and Recto? Maybe you’re driving the power tubes into clipping on one and not the other?

Thanks for the reply. I am able to run the channel master and the overall output volume higher using the Cab Clone than the Recto cabinet. Maybe that's significantly impacting the overall headroom. I've tried running the channels on Variac power in 10w modes through the Recto and it's still nowhere near the gain level through the cab clone. I'm definitely not a tech head either when it comes to amps, so for now I guess it is what it is.

Somewhere in the manual I recall reading that the cab clone was designed to be used with lower volume and wattage settings. Even though it’s rated for 100 watts it states something along the line of not to be used as an amp attenuator.

I've read somewhere on here that running the Cab Clone by itself with no speakers will produce a different tone. I also use a Cab Clone with my V in Tweed mode at gigs and have to often turn down the knob on the Cab Clone to keep the clipping down to the level I get from my cab. I've only tried silent playing once and really did not like what I heard. But, when paired with the speaker, it was a dramatic improvement.

I'm surprised how much I like the headphones out of the cab clone. There are a lot of hot takes on the internet about it, but I found the tone very useable. I'm using a decent pair of headphones (Status Audio Open Back headphones). I find the open headphones don't produce an overwhelming amount of bass and I can hear noise when I stop playing.