A cab size discussion...

[Inflames626]

This might help.

https://www.premierguitar.com/diy/amp-diy/anatomy-of-a-guitar-cabinet

What I was calling the crossover is the metal part here where the 1/4" speaker cable jacks go into. I thought perhaps there were electronics inside that filtered out frequencies from the head and sent them to the speakers. What determined this would be how the amp designer wanted the cab to sound.

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[Rex_Rocker]

I think those are just called jackplates? I don't know if there's a technical term for them. Marshall cabs are notorious for breaking and causing connections to break, thus risking blowing transformers. :S

They're not crossovers. They don't separate the bass from the treble frequencies (that's what a crossover in audio is, right?). They just have different options for stereo/mono, parallel/series, or cab linking.

 

[beaubrummels]

IME speakers and cab dimensions impart an equivalent degree of change, but the specific changes are different. For example, different speakers will change the perceived volume by their efficiency and construction materials, also affecting frequency response, while different cab dimensions will alter the frequency response by changing the backpressure on the speaker which alters the settling time of the coil, which changes the detail/tightness and ability of the speaker to reproduce high frequencies vs low end. How "broken in" the speaker is matters also. I've put the same model speakers in closed back and open back, 4x12 vs 1x12, etc. Mic'd at the seam of the center coil, each speaker model seems to retain it's signature, but the ambient sound around the cabinet, in the room, and waves coming off-axis from the front seem to be different, as affected by the cabinet dimensions and how the speaker is working in that cab. I didn't take scientific measurements, however. Just playing and recording and noticing the difference A/B'ing recorded tracks, etc. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Fender_Punk]

The optimal cab size is a 4x12. Sure a 2x12 is adequate but it still leaves you wanting more but at least with a 2x12 you can mix speakers, which I find does a lot to add depth to one's sound.

I have a 2x12 recto cab with V30s, a Randall 4x12 with pairs of V30+T75 that are rear-mounted and a Carvin 4x12 with pairs V30+H30 70th Ann. that are front-mounted. The V30+T75 combo sounds best to me.

 

[beaubrummels]

Don't know about Carvian cabs, but Randall makes good solid cabs. Theirs sound like Marshalls did in the 1960s and early 1970s.

 

[El Dunco]

I’n suspicious of the Harley Benton cabinets being so cheap, they cost less than a quad of the vintage 30s they contain. I’m of the impression they would be worth h it to pull the speakers and load into a bigger, better cabinet. I think played through a friend’s V30 HB and while it’s fine for recording volumes,,it falls apart at rehearsal and gig levels.

 

[Cynical]

And I thought JCM800s/900s came stock with V30s in 1960 cabs until at least the early 90s.

Nope -- the JCM800s always came with T75s stock in the 1960 cabs. Funny fact -- early on, the JCM800 2203 had a reputation for being dark and muddy, because of the T75 cabs vs. the Greenback cabs! This is a reputation that has certainly changed over the years, hahaha.

 

[Inflames626]

I think those are just called jackplates? I don't know if there's a technical term for them. Marshall cabs are notorious for breaking and causing connections to break, thus risking blowing transformers. :S

They're not crossovers. They don't separate the bass from the treble frequencies (that's what a crossover in audio is, right?). They just have different options for stereo/mono, parallel/series, or cab linking.

Thanks. I thought there was more going on in there than what there was.

Yeah El Dunco mentions the most important thing we haven't discussed which is cab durability, which unfortunately seems to come at the cost of weight.

With the touring rig emphasis now on small, lightweight stuff that's easy to transport, I wonder if cab build quality has suffered since 2010 or so when halfstacks started going out of style.

My Carvin was originally a full stack I planned to gig with, but it was overkill so I sold one of the 4x12s.

 

[Cynical]

I think it's pretty common for people not to like JCM800's through V30's.

I think JCM800's sound great through V30 cabs, and I know of plenty of metalheads who use and love that combination. You *will* be heard through any mix with that setup!

 

[Securb]

I would say my best-sounding cab is my 1x15. It is convertible so I can go open or closed back. I have been using it closed these days. The Celestron is very Marshally despite its vintage looks, this is a very modern-sounding cab. I would at some point like to try a more vintage voiced speaker in the cab but for now I have no reason to mess with it.

 

[Securb]

Don't know about Carvian cabs, but Randall makes good solid cabs. Theirs sound like Marshalls did in the 1960s and early 1970s.

My Carvin cab as a lot more thump than my Marshall and better projection IMO. Not that the Marshall sounds bad in any way. They are just different.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I think JCM800's sound great through V30 cabs, and I know of plenty of metalheads who use and love that combination. You *will* be heard through any mix with that setup!

I would love to try one running on 6550's through Greenbacks, but at the same time, 800's aren't really my thing.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Yeah El Dunco mentions the most important thing we haven't discussed which is cab durability, which unfortunately seems to come at the cost of weight.

Not always. MDF cabs are heavier than Plywood, but they're more brittle.

I'm fine with the plywood thickness Mesa and Marshall use, TBH. Mesa does use denser plywood, but neither use plywood as thick as Orange which yields to unruly heavy cabs which I'm not a big fan of how they sound anyway.

 

[Seashore]

I would say my best-sounding cab is my 1x15. It is convertible so I can go open or closed back. I have been using it closed these days. The Celestron is very Marshally despite its vintage looks, this is a very modern-sounding cab. I would at some point like to try a more vintage voiced speaker in the cab but for now I have no reason to mess with it.

Is this the cab you had your Peavey Classic 20 running though when I came over? Great sounding little rig.

 

[Inflames626]

I would say my best-sounding cab is my 1x15. It is convertible so I can go open or closed back. I have been using it closed these days. The Celestron is very Marshally despite its vintage looks, this is a very modern-sounding cab. I would at some point like to try a more vintage voiced speaker in the cab but for now I have no reason to mess with it.

I didn't know 1x15"s were a thing for guitar--just bass.

Anything Orange makes me think 70s, recreational drug use, and Guthrie Govan.

 

[beaubrummels]

Orange are a lot more versatile than that. You just have to know which knobs to twist, how far, and when.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

When I see Orange, I think either YouTube hype trying to convince you they're the first and only company who knows how to make a good solid state amp or smelly flannel shirt dudes playing trendy Doom "Metal" that could use some sit ups from time to time, LOL.

J/K. They do have a pretty wide range. I actually really liked my Dark Terror, and I wouldn't mind owning one sometime again.

I just wished their amps had presence and depth knobs. Presence at the very least.

 

[beaubrummels]

When I see Orange, I think either YouTube hype trying to convince you they're the first and only company who knows how to make a good solid state amp or smelly flannel shirt dudes playing trendy Doom "Metal" that could use some sit ups from time to time, LOL.

J/K. They do have a pretty wide range. I actually really liked my Dark Terror, and I wouldn't mind owning one sometime again.

I just wished their amps had presence and depth knobs. Presence at the very least.

That's why I bought an AD50. It's one of the few that have a presence control.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

That's why I bought an AD50. It's one of the few that have a presence control.

I appreciate the simplicity of their designs... but at the same time, the presence knob is kind of a necesity, IMO. Their amps are not dark, but I do find it to be a necessity to be able to fine tune that uppermost sizzle. I don't think any of their high-gain models give you that option.

 

[Ascension]

It's more than just cabinet size. A bad cabinet design won't sound good no matter what speaker is in it. On the other hand, a really good cab design will sound good with a just ok speaker and great with a good one. Also, some good speakers sound good in a particular cab type and another may not in the same cab. The combination of the right speaker with the right cab design for the tone you're looking for means everything.