Mesa Cab Clone info??

[bonedarrell]

I am wanting to revisit this piece of gear but, I need some feedback from people that have used it with something other than Mesa Boogie amps (since those are the only youtube clips I can find?)

Anyway, here's the deal. I bought one of these the first week they came out and did not have a good experience with it. I tried it with a Ceriatone Liverpool and I could not get it to sound right at all. I chalked it up to the Cab Clone just doesn't work well with non MV type amps or perhaps just my amp in particular??? And yes, I hooked it up right and tried it through many applications….studio monitors, PA system etc…… It only sounded "OK" through the headphone output with headphones?? That's not what I needed.

I REALLY want one of these things to work out for me!!! Especially since they are only $300!!!! So now, since they have been out for a bit, perhaps somebody could give some objective feedback and/or clips of this thing.

I was amp thin for a bit but have added a couple of pieces (XTC and a Wizard) that I would like to find something to make recording easier….ie. the Cab Clone. I already know about the Two Notes stuff and realize that is a great way to go. That's not out of the question for me but, the Cab Clone is so small, simple and inexpensive!!! So, in the spirit of not leaving any stones unturned, any help, tips, clips etc….on the CB???

Also, the only local store that carries these things has an "no refund/exchange only" policy. Been there, done that. So the simple answer of just buy and try is not that simple in my area.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Honestly, with amps like that, why would you cheap out on the recording side of things? What i mean by that is, why rob yourself of the experience and the tone just to make it easy? I would agree with the statement above that cabclone is a bit of a one trick pony and prob geared more towards their own amp offerings than EVERY amp and that you do in fact get what you pay for. Or maybe the sound just doesn't cut it when you spend some time with it. I found it to appear to lack options. It might be usable but not the ideal. IF you have problems recording good sounds, then i would say you probably want to look into two notes. That said, I still think a real mic beats it! You could get a good attenuator to load the amp down and then use a direct out into your DAW and use REDWIRE cab impulses through a software interface but again, that is essentially like owning a two notes Live or cab etc... If I were you, i would by a reamp box, record a clean direct signal, then when nobody is at home, pump that back through the speakers and use mics to record. This is what I am set up to do now. I don't go too crazy with the amps volumes but i am able to push up the volume to 4 or 5 on my Marshalls by using baffles around the cab and it isn't bringing the house down. Use the cab clone to practice. If you play out live a lot, maybe you want a two notes unit to go direct to the board.

 

[bonedarrell]

Honestly, with amps like that, why would you cheap out on the recording side of things? What i mean by that is, why rob yourself of the experience and the tone just to make it easy? I would agree with the statement above that cabclone is a bit of a one trick pony and prob geared more towards their own amp offerings than EVERY amp and that you do in fact get what you pay for. Or maybe the sound just doesn't cut it when you spend some time with it. I found it to appear to lack options. It might be usable but not the ideal. IF you have problems recording good sounds, then i would say you probably want to look into two notes. That said, I still think a real mic beats it! You could get a good attenuator to load the amp down and then use a direct out into your DAW and use REDWIRE cab impulses through a software interface but again, that is essentially like owning a two notes Live or cab etc... If I were you, i would by a reamp box, record a clean direct signal, then when nobody is at home, pump that back through the speakers and use mics to record. This is what I am set up to do now. I don't go too crazy with the amps volumes but i am able to push up the volume to 4 or 5 on my Marshalls by using baffles around the cab and it isn't bringing the house down. Use the cab clone to practice. If you play out live a lot, maybe you want a two notes unit to go direct to the board.

I should clarify a little more. I am just talking about home, demo, recording. I realize there are many inexpensive plug in options to use for the sake of getting ideas down. I don't like the way those sound and, I just happen to like the sound of my amps better. So if there was a quick, simple, less expensive option like the CC that would give me that option....why not? I am not looking for an alternative to mic'ing a real cab in the studio. I do appreciate your tips though!

I am going to simplify my question....

Does anybody have any feedback and/or clips of the Cab clone to share?

 

[fearhk213]

I have one and have only used it with non Mesa amps, but they're all master volume amps. I think it's good, but if you use it as a load for silent live or recording use it will roll off the highs and lows and leave you with a sort of dull, mid forward sound. Not unlike what you experienced I'm assuming. There's a noticeable difference when using it as a load and bypassing it with the cab thru and using an actual speaker as the load. Using the speaker load gives a far superior tone imo. If you don't have to use it silently, I'd definitely use the cab thru route. There's a comparison clip on youtube that shows the difference. Honestly, I think the cabclone's bread and butter would be for a band that still uses cabinets, but doesn't want to screw around with the hassle of miking. That aside, I find I can make up for a lot of what's lost when using the mesa's load by increasing the bass and treble/presence on the amp. It's still not as good tonally or dynamic as using a speaker load, but enough that I'm happy with it.

Compared to the Two Notes, they each have their strengths and weaknesses, and I have gotten great tones with each. The Two Notes stuff obviously has greater flexibility, and a better load imo. The Cabclone I find easier to get a workable tone that sits in the mix with little fuss, even when using it as the load. Granted the tone with the load is not very "exciting", but the mid forward sound tends to not be in the way of anything else, and you can get some of that "excitement" back by raising the bass and treble. The Two Notes I feel takes more tweaking to get it to sit with stuff. Not as much with the new cabs, but I still feel there is more tweaking involved overall to realize it's full potential. Ultimately, I think the Two Notes is capable of superior tones when compared to using the cabclone and its load, but depending on your needs it may or may not be worth the extra time & cost.

 

[baron55]

I bought one, sent it back after 20 minutes. Mesa's clips are bogus, notice the amps they used in the clips were all miced up.

 

[fearhk213]

Yeah, I saw the mics in the clip, and it definitely seems suspect. I'm far from a Mesa fanboy, but I'd be surprised if they used only the mics in their clips. Maybe they blended it with the cabclone, which would be pretty crappy of them too. In any event, they certainly did not use the cabclone's load for those clips. To me it actually sounds like they used the cab thru to bypass the cab clone's load and added a touch of verb. There is a HUGE difference in the sound. I'd like to see this product with a reactive load and/or some low/high compensation when using it as a load. Anyway, here's that comparison clip I mentioned:

 

[PBGas]

The other option is to try and just use the clone as your amp load (unplugging the speaker) and then go out through the 1/4" into your DAW silently and use a plug-in like Two-Notes for the recording.

I may pick one up and try to use it that way.