Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

poweredbysoul

poweredbysoul

New member
Just to give a little info before advice is given, I'm in a 4 piece band. I am the guitarist along with a bassist drummer and singer.
We will be playing small to medium size venues in the new year.

I run a 50 watt Koch tube head thru a 2x12 Meas Boogie Stiletto closed back cab. The cab sounds great but is short, around 16 inches in height. This set up has alot of power and projection. Now My bass player runs a 6x10 cab and head. His sound is monstrous, and I find the mix isn't as good when we jam and he brings that. i have trouble hearing myself. Now the simple answer is to elvate my cab so it isn't shooting all the sound at my feet. How much will this effect my tone and what would you recommend to raise it up a few inches. Besides a chair!!! The other thing I was thinking of doing was adding another Mesa cab which is a 1x12 open back and stack them, the open back would help distribute the sound.
As a side not we won't be miking our instruments. Only vocals and the drums, as this is all the band pa will accomodate!
I realize this is probably a real noob question, but I'm new to alot of this, even though I have been playing guitar for awhile now!
 
Last edited:
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

i was having a hard time hearing myself on bar stages when i used my 5150 4x12... all the volume was shooting past my legs... soundmen at the clubs we played never mic'ed me as i was too loud... and the cab was very directional so it was killing some people...

i started using a 1x12 Marshall cab instead of a 4x12 and had it on a tiltback stand pointed at my head like a monitor... no matter how loud the other guys played, that cab pointed at my head i could hear fine... and the soundmen where mic'ing me again for a better outfront mix even in a small place...

so get yourself a tiltback amp stand...
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

Can you open the back of the existing cab? I use either 2/12 or 1/12 open back cabs which makes for a much bigger and fuller sound.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

ps... in that same band towards the end of it i had switched my 5150 and Marshall set up for a smaller, lighter, lower volume Classic 30 combo with a sealed back extention cab... the sealed back cab added a better bass response to the sound and the open back cab did distribute some sound around... the drummer never had a hard time hearing me as the open back cab filled the back stage area with me sound...
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

I was looking at amp stands which is a good idea. I'm assuming that the head won't sit on the cab properly and have to be put somewhere else.
I know what you mean about open back cabs they fill the room! The best of both worlds would be to run the closed and open. Especially when playing bars un miked.
I'm looking at a 1x12 mesa lonestar open back cab that will stack on the 2x12 perfectly. which will not only fix my need to hear myself but also add more open sound.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

poweredbysoul said:
I was looking at amp stands which is a good idea. I'm assuming that the head won't sit on the cab properly and have to be put somewhere else.
Click to expand...

ya i ran into that when i switched to the 1x12 with a head still... what i use is a wooden crate... it is like a wooden treasure chest kind of idea... it was used as a retail store display for Duracell Batteries when they had a contest for a trip to some Island...

it works out great as i can place all my power and guitar/speaker cables, plus effects in the box, and once at the show my head sits on the box...
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

I use an open back 2x12 cab or the Fender Combo with 2x12s....I stick a 2x4 under the cab to get the projection and the sound up a bit...Has always worked for me.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

I'd start with an amp stand just for the cab...it will change you sound a bit but you can tweak things and make it closer to what you are used to hearing...

If you want to try it w/o spendig any money first a few milk crates go a long way!
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

a smaller cab sounds like what you're looking for.

id shoot for a mesa recto 2x12 with vintage 30s.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

If you're gonna put the head on something else, you could find a pair of the tilt back legs that Fender uses on some of it's models. They go in a certain place on either side of the cab, and then you can kick it back to a 30 degree angle.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

guitfiddle said:
If you're gonna put the head on something else, you could find a pair of the tilt back legs that Fender uses on some of it's models. They go in a certain place on either side of the cab, and then you can kick it back to a 30 degree angle.
Click to expand...

I use these on both of my 212 combos. They are awesome!
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

Sorry but I really didn't like my 2 x 12 Recto cab for many reasons, it was very dark, very directional,got lost in the band mix and the rest of the band could never hear me. However, at least I could hear myself by standing it on it's side until I sold it like a vertical 2 x 12.... it just looked odd.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

d1dsj said:
Sorry but I really didn't like my 2 x 12 Recto cab for many reasons, it was very dark, very directional,got lost in the band mix and the rest of the band could never hear me. However, at least I could hear myself by standing it on it's side until I sold it like a vertical 2 x 12.... it just looked odd.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree 100%! I had a Tremoverb head and the V30 2x12 Recto cabinet and it was dark and never cut through right....I tryed just the cabinet with other heads and hated it...Sold it..

I Like the spacial spread in front of and behind an open back cab....I've always preferred either 2x12s or a 4x10 cab...I don't like playing through anything less than the 2x12 cab normally though.

The 2x12 Recto cab would be a step in the wrong direction for sure!
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

The stiletto cab sounds great and is very tight in the low end. The V30s also sound great.
I konw there are pros and cons of open and closed back cabs. I think once I elevate the cab it willl help alot! I will try it at next rehearsal and give feed back.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

For gigging I either use a 2x12 open back Marshall combo or a closed back Marshall 2x12 cab with a head. Whichever it is I stand it on of those plastic grocery baskets you get from supermarkets - they're about 10" high and I find that's just the right lift for me to be able to hear clearly. An alternative would be a beer crate or similar. I don't like tilted stands as I find the effect too extreme - all the sound coming straight up at me.

The open back combo certainly spreads the sound better around the room but I have made a great improvement to my closed cab by fitting some of these Fizzy Lifters. They are a cheaper simpler version of beam blockers and the cab sounds great since I fitted them - the sound is less directional, better distributed and more consistent from different listening angles.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

are you unhappy with your live sound or rehearsal sound?

if live, are you judging from your position on stage or out in the room?

be careful about you are trying to fix so as not to have an unintendex negative consequence with some other aspect

and remember, for rehearsal, lowering the overall volume should be at the top of the list if things to try

also, are you scooping the mids way out of your sound? if you are, there is another suspect as to why you cant hear yourself

good luck and let us know what you come up with
t4d
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/On-Stage-Stands-RS7000-Tiltback-AMP-STAND-100233584-i1175214.gc

448848.jpg


I have one and it's great. If you haggle, it's more like $25. Since guitar players as a rule want to hear themselves louder than anything, it makes sense to point the cab right at your head.

You'll likely lose some low end compared to what you're used to, with the cab flat on the floor. But, once you get it dialed in, you'll find your sound is more consistent. The stand will help take the floor out of the equation, and your sound won't vary as much depending on the type of floor (solid concrete, hollow wooden stage, etc.)

If the cabinet is beamy, and others have trouble hearing you, consider switching to a half-back or open back (you can probably make a new back for your cab yourself). Also consider beam-blockers or something similar to help smooth out the cab's dispersion pattern.
 
Re: Advice on 2x12 cab and hearing myself better.

Hey guys
Just an update. Went to Walmart and picked up to rubber maid step stools, one for each side of the cab to keep sturdy,
Raised my whole rig about 9 inches off the ground. Perfect!!!! Turned up my bass a little but thats it. I can hear myself and don't need as much volume. My tone is even better then I thought!!!
Thanks
For the replies!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

xxxplorer
Played a Peavey JSX and XXX cab
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Fender_Punk
Fender_Punk
S
Crate Stealth GT-50C Combo to head conversion
Replies
2
Views
332
Masta' C
Masta' C
MikeS
NAD - Friedman JJ Jr.
Replies
1
Views
306
justFred
justFred
PS412
The King Is Dead
Replies
16
Views
922
Ascension
Ascension
Jermo3178
Epiphone '59 Les Paul bridge pickup replacement... BB3 sucks
2
Replies
31
Views
4K
Jermo3178
Jermo3178
Back
Top