Mesa Mark V continues to impress.

[Gtrjunior]

ill never buy another 4x12 again. a good 2x12 does everything i need it to do and even if the size difference isnt huge, the extra weight is unnecessary.

I have 3 2x12 cabs and just bought a Splawn 1x12 which surprisingly is only slightly smaller than my Marshall 1936.

I got rid of my 4x12 about 5-6 years ago and havenā€™t looked back

[jeremy]

I have I think 4 or 5 4x12 cabs and I agree, they don't present an advantage for me at this point......

If anything, I'g do 2x12 and smaller 2x10 -to get that 10" aggro punchy blended in with the big fuller range 12s before going 4x12 again.

i have exactly four guitar cabs: one 2x12, one 2x10, and two 1x12. and i cant imagine needing more. most of my amps are 1x12 combos so i can add a cab if i need more dispersion or if im running one of my two heads, i have options.

[PFDarkside]

I think the Mesa 2x12 Recto-Cab turned my TSL100 into the amp it was supposed to be.

What speakers were you running it through before? The V30s are the perfect rock speaker for me. I used to think Greenbacks and the variations on them were, but no… V30 is just it. If you were playing T75s and went to V30s plus the bigger Mesa cab…. That’s a huge difference!

[gsammo79]

If you've never heard a Ceriatone Overtone Special 5O it's one of the nicest amps you'll ever hear for country or blues. I'm waiting to order one, just to have it if I need it. Yes they are that good.

Thanks. I'll check them out, man.

[chadd]

ill never buy another 4x12 again. a good 2x12 does everything i need it to do and even if the size difference isnt huge, the extra weight is unnecessary.

I have a couple of each and prefer the 4x12 by a wide margin. I need the sound at my ears, not my knees to hear the cab. On smaller stages, you can't get far enough away for the sound of a horizontal 2x12 to get up without getting too loud. A good 4x12 slant gets the sound up to ear level at lower overall stage volume. More often than not, I find folks with 1x12 or 2x12 are running much higher stage volume without realizing it, because they can't hear it as well.

[Demanic]

I have a couple of each and prefer the 4x12 by a wide margin. I need the sound at my ears, not my knees to hear the cab. On smaller stages, you can't get far enough away for the sound of a horizontal 2x12 to get up without getting too loud. A good 4x12 slant gets the sound up to ear level at lower overall stage volume. More often than not, I find folks with 1x12 or 2x12 are running much higher stage volume without realizing it, because they can't hear it as well.

Part of what I like about the old Carvin straight cabs. The baffle is angled back about 12 degrees so more of your sound hits your ears. Or of course you can use an angled top cab. I suppose even a couple of door jams under the front of a straight 4x12 cab could improve the sound on a smaller stage.

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[Gtrjunior]

I have a couple of each and prefer the 4x12 by a wide margin. I need the sound at my ears, not my knees to hear the cab. On smaller stages, you can't get far enough away for the sound of a horizontal 2x12 to get up without getting too loud. A good 4x12 slant gets the sound up to ear level at lower overall stage volume. More often than not, I find folks with 1x12 or 2x12 are running much higher stage volume without realizing it, because they can't hear it as well.

I just run a little bit of guitar in my monitor. That way the actual stage volume doesn’t need to be too loud.

[PFDarkside]

I used to put my 2x12 up on a tall keyboard stand. Put the amp head on top of that, and it was the perfect height to tweak knobs while standing. I really need to get together a rig like that again. Lol, I have my Hot Rod Deluxe on a tilt-back stand, and with the controls on the top, they are severely angled away from me while I'm seated. It's still no picnic when I'm standing. I think that amp might have to go. I would put the money toward a Mesa. I think Mesas are my kind of amp.

Did you used to have a JVM410H?

[PFDarkside]

Yeah. I am kinda glad I sold it. It was a first-year unit with the floating pot shafts, which I was never crazy about. I was always afraid I was going to break them. That, and it would red-plate once in a while.

The Mesa Road King is like it’s Mesa brother. 4 channels, tons of options, three voices per channel, plus EL34/6L6 and cab switching. That or a Mark V would be awesome.

[chadd]

Part of what I like about the old Carvin straight cabs. The baffle is angled back about 12 degrees so more of your sound hits your ears. Or of course you can use an angled top cab. I suppose even a couple of door jams under the front of a straight 4x12 cab could improve the sound on a smaller stage.

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The problem with lifts under the front is making it slightly less stable for the head. A vertical 2x12 would be my ideal, but those don't pop up very often around here.

I just run a little bit of guitar in my monitor. That way the actual stage volume doesn’t need to be too loud.

It's not going out to the crowd, but it still contributes to volume on the stage. I've played with guys that were so loud on the other side of the stage that I can't hear myself, even with a monitor and a 4x12. I used to carry a black plywood shield that I would put about two feet in front of my cabinet. It wouldn't beam the crowd and whenever the other guy got that loud, I could just take a couple steps back and hear myself.

The Mesa Road King is like it’s Mesa brother. 4 channels, tons of options, three voices per channel, plus EL34/6L6 and cab switching. That or a Mark V would be awesome.

I had a Road King II, utterly fantastic amp. Channel 3 with EL34s was my favorite and got in the ballpark of Marshall tone. Channel 1 on tweed was the most versatile. Cut a little low end with an EQ to get almost Vox level chime and it took boosts (clean or added dirt) really well. Being able to choose which output (out of two cabinets) each channel's output went into blew my mind the first time I saw it.

[Bogner]

the idea that a 4x12 somehow magically and automatically yields the best tone, is ludicrous.)

Unless you are playing at volume, then it becomes frighteningly obvious that it is the right choice. If you are playing at bedroom volume or minimal volume then it is less obvious. At proper stage volume, nothing touches a 4x12.

[Bogner]

Are you assuming the same speakers? The skepticism of my earlier post was against the assumption that a 4x12 with any speaker would always sound better than a different cab configuration of any speaker. I do not doubt that there are times when a 4x12 could have real advantages.

No I am not assuming that, it would be foolish to do so. We were talking about cabs, not speakers. The "trend" is less is more now a days and it will never work. I see people all the time deciding to go with a 1x12 or a 2x12 over a 4x12 yet they want the 4x12 feel and sound. Not gonna happen. Same with amps. People want that 20 watt amp to sound and respond like a 100 watt amp. Not gonna happen. Funnier yet is trying to get their studio monitors to sound and respond like their 4x12 at volume did. Not gonna happen. Then you see the same folks adding another 1x12 to the equation to get that big sound that came naturally with the 4x12. Meanwhile, if they would have just plugged their 100 or 50 watt amp into the 4x12 they would have been there but they can't because "oh my aching back"...lol. So they finally plug all their stuff up, turn it up and it farts out because it can't handle what you are throwing at it.

On the flip side, I get it. Some people just want a "good" sound with minimal stuff taking up minimal space and the ability to plug in after a long day at work for 20 minutes and fart around and play some licks a couple times a week. 99.9% of anything I ever say is not directed to that audience. Truth be told, even that guy, if he turned his rig way up and played at volume would gravitate towards the 4x12 if given the option side by side.

So no...I am talking cabs, not speakers. A lousy speaker will always be a lousy speaker no matter the size cabinet you place it in.

[devastone]

There is a compromise somewhere, we were being told to turn our 50W Marshalls into 4-12s down 25 - 30 years ago, by the time we turned down to make the soundman happy, we weren't in the "magic" zone. Best tones I've ever had was a rack with a Kasha preamp into a Rocktron Intelliverb and Replifex through a MosValve (yeah...) power amp into 2 Avatar 2-12s, they had Eminence Redcoat speakers, don't remember exactly which ones, I had a small pedalboard in front with some front of amp pedals, channel switcher, and a small MIDI controller. It didn't exactly do bedroom volumes, but it would do reasonable practice volume, or, it could move air and overpower a drummer if necessary. And yeah, I'm sure it would have felt amazing thru a couple of 4-12s, but, not necessary, at least for me, YMMV.

[JamesPaul]

I love this time in guitar history. I hear about an equal number of people saying that the only way to rock out is with a tube amp running into power valve distortion into a 4x12 or two, and people saying no one needs a 4x12 anymore and that it can all be done with digital modeling straight into the board. I hear people telling me that a 2x12 combo is overkill for an apartment, that I cannot possibly make it sound good and not get the neighbors, cops, and landlord on me. And others say that I might be able to get good tone in an apartment, but not without a 4x12. Meanwhile, I am the only one who actually knows what any of this sounds like in my room.

We may want 100W tube heads into 412 cabs. If we are playing out, what matters is what the audience wants. If you are playing in your room, what matters is what you want.

[JamesPaul]

The audience wants what they're conditioned to want.

I think the audience does not care if it comes from a $3000 tube amp or a $300 modeling amp as long as they get what they want.