Tone is subjective. The old saying "One man's trash is anothers treasure" could definitely be applied to guitarists. The ideal tone of one guy could be nothing but brittle, thin mush to the next. And I'm glad it's that way, otherwise we'd all be playing the same amps with copycat tones. To me, a difference in opinion among guitarists is a good thing!
For the Recto's...I've owned more than I care to admit. I've tried to count them up, and at this point, I know it's been well over 10. That spans 2 channel and 3 channel models, Dual and Triple, pre-500 and later 2 channel, etc. Of those, the one I decided to keep was a '94 Dual (from 5/94, still made with attached power cord, small logo, etc). Why? Because I liked it the best and it had the tone I was looking for more so than the others.
I've ran them through multiple cabs at various times. Initially a Marshall 1960A (which sounded surpringly good with a '99 Dual I bought new back in the day), a Marshall 1960BV w/Vintage 30's, Mesa Standard (Oversized) Recto Slanted 4X12, Mesa Recto Traditional (Normal) 4X12 (which I kept), etc. I've played with Gibsons, Epiphones, Fenders, etc...and with multiple pickups...EMG's, Gibson Iommi and 496R/500T sets, etc.
With that said, I started my "tone quest" by buying my first Recto new at the time - a '99 Dual (back when they were only $1199). That amp sounded amazing. Thick tone, punchy, tight and articulate, etc. I sold that amp (unfortunately) to move after college, did some amp swapping, and ended up with a 3 channel Triple once I got some cash saved up again. Didn't even know they started making a 3 channel model until I bought that one (new), which was a first production run of the 3 channels. That amp was killer. Say what you will about 3 channels, but that amp was insanely good. I decided I was going to go to grad school at that point, and once again, I had to sell a great amp to afford it. The joys of college life!
After that, I bought a 3 channel Triple Recto used. My first one sounded great, so I assumed they all would...and I couldn't have been more wrong! It sounded weak, thin, and fizzy compared to my original 3 channel I bought new. So, I sold it off, tried another...same results. After swapping through multiple 3 channel models, I never found another that sounded as remotely good as my first one. So, I decided to try a 2 channel model. Sure enough, it sounded good! So, I started trying out various 2 channel models over time.
When I tried out the 2 channel models, I tried older pre-500 models (serial less than 100, all black models, etc) as well as later models. I ran across my '94 Dual in my search, and it was pretty much the tone I was looking for. But, there was so much hype about pre-500 models, I had to give them a try. I called Mike B. and some others at Mesa to discuss them. I wanted to inquire about the differences and see if it would be worth my effort to try a pre-500 model. To paraphrase, I was basically told "There's minimal differences in the pre-500 and the '94 you have. The overdrive is virtually the same, with the main difference being you currently have an improved clean channel. I'd rather have the '94". And there's no money motivation for them to tell me that. The 2 channels were discontinued at the time, I was buying used, and either way it was no extra cash in their pocket.
Well, I couldn't take it at face value and decided to try multiple pre-500 models. I bought them and compared them with the '94 I really liked. A handful of models later...I ended up keeping the '94 and selling off the pre-500 models (along with a IIC+ I had at the time). With a little tweaking, I did get the tones nearly identical in the amps, and sure enough, I liked the clean channel better in the '94.
So, from someone who A/B'd quite a few, I can say that back then I was able to get nearly identical tones. I don't know the logistical difference, but a small tweak in the bass and presence knobs here and there let me dial in tones that I doubt hardly anyone could pick apart in a blind tone test. The clean channel was much improved in the '94, though.
And despite the "3 channel models suck" mentality, looking back...one of the best I've ever had was an original run 3 channel Triple. I'd probably take it second only to my '94 I have now. That amp sounded so **** good that I actually tracked down the guy who bought it from 2 years prior at that point and told him to let me know if he ever wanted to sell it...but it was already sold.
Anyway, let your ears decide, not preconceived notions on what's "supposed" to sound good.
