What's your favorite 212?

Chistopher

malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
I feel 212's are the current meta as far as the working musician.

I like the Marshall Bluesbreaker The sound is warm yet clear. The clean tones are pleasant. The overdrive is smooth. It responds well to dynamics. The build quality is solid. It looks like the original. The controls are simple and effective. It is loud. It works well with pedals. What more could you need?

What do you guys like?
 
212s are still a little heavy for me, and take up too much space in the car or onstage...I still use 1x12s.
 
I would be interested in a Peavey JSX combo, a Twin Reverb, or a Jazz Chorus. Maaaaybe a Katana. The JSX or Katana could be an all in one solution, the other two would be pedal platforms. But really I would rather have a good 2x12 cab to pair with my heads. I'm also not a "working musician", so maybe it doesn't matter what I think about this. I mostly record at home, and any shows I play in the future will probably be shows that call for my existing 4x12 rigs. My interest in a 2x12 is only for something smaller for practice.
 
Combo? Not a fan. Would rather have a 2x12 cab and a head. Split the weight in two. Otherwise, they get stupid heavy, the tubes wear faster, there is more room for microphincs, there is less volume inside the cab itself for the speakers, etc. Countless downsides I can think of for the style of music that I play, or for most other styles, honestly. Not to mention most combos have open back cabs. Not a fan.

That being said, if I really had to, I don't mind the Peavey 5150 combo granted the speakers are swapped out for a good pair of Celestions. I also like the Randall G3 100 W combo with stereo chorus, but that's more of a budget amp. But I do think the head version of both amps into a good 2x12 cab sounds better and is easier to move.

And for the style of music that I don't play, but I still appreciate the sound of, a good AC30 is hard to beat.
 
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My JC120 was great but the speakers could have been a little better. Currently I am absolutely in love with my AC30. It is probably my favorite amp at the moment.
 
I owned a JVM205C. I sold it in a moment of weakness, and have been thinking about getting a new one ever since, since it has good cleans and basically every Marshall tone you'd ever need in it (although I do think that the now discontinued Satriani version was a little more fluent in the transient between the crunch and overdrive channels). Ironically, the 2x12 version is a lot easier to handle than the 1x12, since it has side handles.
 
I still prefer a 4x12 if I can use it. But if I have to use a 2x12, my addrock isn't bad. I also liked the Port City I've played through.
 
My Peavey 5150 is and will always be my favorite. I know some of you guys are gonna flip but I use my amp clean. I use pedals for my overdrive and distortion. But, I do on occasion bypass the pedals and run the amp as it was intended. One day I'd like to own a Mesa Lonestar 212.
 
I like a 1x12 combo with a 1x12 extension cab. Overall weight is higher, but because there are two boxes it's always easier to move around. Spreads as much sound through the room as a 2x12, but you're a little more flexible in how you point them.
 
Not a fan of combos either..

4x12 almost always for me too.
I did have a black star 2x12 cabinet that was nice (V30s) and I still own a couple seismic 2x12s they are loud enough for a lot of things....

But I always go for 4x12 when I can.... Which is always
 
I'm a combo fan, although I've used heads that were pretty great, too. But the best amp I tried was an early 70s 2x12 silverface Pro Reverb.
 
I am absolutely not a fan of 2/12 combos. They are too bulky and too heavy. I MUCH prefer a head and cab combo
I have 3 heads and my PRS 2/12 Deep Big Mouth cab is a monster. Relatively small and lightweight, that cab really packs a big punch. Add my pair of 50 watt PRS heads, which are also small and surprisingly lightweight. As a result, the head and cab combo of my first gen Archon 50 head and the 2/12 cab is a better sounding and easier to handle rig than any 2/12 combo could be.
It's sad that this PRS cab is no longer being built because it's small compact light and is the best sounding 2/12 I have ever owned by far.
 

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I love my Avatar modern 2x12 cab with creambacks, doesn't matter if I'm using my (powered) kemper or Mesa TA15.
 
Awkward for anything other than a Marshall mini head. The 1966a/b cabs seemed to sound good when I had one back years ago. Had G12T-75 celestions
 
Like Seashore, I'm also not a working musician, so weight isn't a factor.

What I own: Hard to beat a Fender Twin. Mine is the less expensive SS version, but still sounds like a Fender Twin. (At least at lower volumes.)

What I GAS for: I'd love to have a 212 Celestion Blue loaded cab. At 30 watts total, it would match beautifully with my Alchemist. Just a little pricey.
 
I feel 212's are the current meta as far as the working musician.

Not around here, Here you see either 1x12s or a modeller setup with in ear monitors.

I'm not a fan of 2x12s they are just bulky and heavy would much rather have a head and cab set up. If i'm going to go through the inconvenience ill drag around an actual half stack.
 
My favorite 2x12 combo is Fender '56 Twin RI dual rectifier version. Very expressive eq/tone stack and great response/feel. Rolling the bass off can get Marshall-like sounds, maxing everything out can get great ballsy thumpy Fender tones, but you can move the tones to any setting and get good sound out of it. Works well driving it directly, or even having it clean as a pedal platform. It's one of my keepers.
 
if we are talking cabs my Marshall modded MX212 is the best 2x12 I have played. I put the a Marshall stereo jack in it and two Eminence wheelhouse speakers. It is now 300w and the hemp cones are very warm. I use it for my JC120. JCM2000 and sometimes sit the AC30 on it. It is my go to cab for the studio.
 
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