In regards to speaker cabinet construction in my "SLO Effects Loop" thread, I decided that this may be worthy point of discussion in a new thread. Here goes...
Per my experience, cabinet resonating can be a good thing. It is most certainly part of what makes the old tweed combo amplifiers so special. Fender vintage tweeds were built using old growth pine which is no longer available. 99.9% of pine cabinets today are made from new growth pine slabs. New growth pine adds a overly prominent signature contour, that cannot be simply dialed-out with an EQ. You can improve conditions, but there will always be a prominent level of resonating effect. To my ears, new growth pine can sound fabulous, as long as the gain and volume are kept in-check. Note: Injecting a pine cabinet with intense levels preamp distortion is like putting catsup on a hotdog... "Nobody, and I mean nobody, puts catsup on hotdog!" IMO, nothing kills tone as uniquely as excessive preamp distortion.
I prefer little to no resonating effect, in both cabinets and most electric guitars. I suppose the best example of resonating effect in a guitar, is to consider the sound of a Les Paul vs an Explorer. The LP uses a maple cap which lessens resonating effect, thereby reflecting most of the sound into the pickups. The Explorer all mahogany body absorbs more of the vibration, giving the guitar a milder, softer, more "squished" type sound. The way to balance this, is to use a thinner maple cap over the mahogany slab body (or) go with a thinner mahogany body. If you really want a smooth yet articulate lead tone, a Gibson SG will get you there. Take a listen to Steve Hunter's lead intro tone on Aerosmith's Train Kep't A Rollin... IMO, that is a perfectly balanced lead tone. Steve Hunter used a vintage SG w/P90 pickups for that recording session.
My point is this... Whether it's a cabinet or guitar, woods matter! Before you go modding your amp, before you replace your pickups, try playing through a selection of cabinets first. Try alternate speakers as well. Sometimes the best modification is finding the right speaker for your particular cabinet, and adding a 1/3 octave EQ to fine-tune the tone to your ears.
Per my experience, cabinet resonating can be a good thing. It is most certainly part of what makes the old tweed combo amplifiers so special. Fender vintage tweeds were built using old growth pine which is no longer available. 99.9% of pine cabinets today are made from new growth pine slabs. New growth pine adds a overly prominent signature contour, that cannot be simply dialed-out with an EQ. You can improve conditions, but there will always be a prominent level of resonating effect. To my ears, new growth pine can sound fabulous, as long as the gain and volume are kept in-check. Note: Injecting a pine cabinet with intense levels preamp distortion is like putting catsup on a hotdog... "Nobody, and I mean nobody, puts catsup on hotdog!" IMO, nothing kills tone as uniquely as excessive preamp distortion.
I prefer little to no resonating effect, in both cabinets and most electric guitars. I suppose the best example of resonating effect in a guitar, is to consider the sound of a Les Paul vs an Explorer. The LP uses a maple cap which lessens resonating effect, thereby reflecting most of the sound into the pickups. The Explorer all mahogany body absorbs more of the vibration, giving the guitar a milder, softer, more "squished" type sound. The way to balance this, is to use a thinner maple cap over the mahogany slab body (or) go with a thinner mahogany body. If you really want a smooth yet articulate lead tone, a Gibson SG will get you there. Take a listen to Steve Hunter's lead intro tone on Aerosmith's Train Kep't A Rollin... IMO, that is a perfectly balanced lead tone. Steve Hunter used a vintage SG w/P90 pickups for that recording session.
My point is this... Whether it's a cabinet or guitar, woods matter! Before you go modding your amp, before you replace your pickups, try playing through a selection of cabinets first. Try alternate speakers as well. Sometimes the best modification is finding the right speaker for your particular cabinet, and adding a 1/3 octave EQ to fine-tune the tone to your ears.
Last edited:
