Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

My favourite 4x12 cab is a 1970s Orange cab which I bought for £130, but during it's life, it's been painted black and had a Marshall badge stuck on it.
There's bits of Orange starting to show through the black paint, it looks quite cool actually
It has 2 30 year old Celestion 25w Greenbacks and 2 25w McKenzie speakers in it. These speakers break up quite early on, so this cab suits my Orange AD30 perfectly

Very nice!

Those old Orange cabs are some of the best IMO!

 

[Brow]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

Very nice!

Those old Orange cabs are some of the best IMO!

It all depends on the sound you're after really.

If you require a perfectly clean sound, then this cab isn't the best to use, as it's speakers break up relatively early. But, if you're playing classic rock, or anything else where you don't use a pristine clean tone, then it's a great cab. Lots of mojo

The newer Orange cabs come with 4 V30s. I've thought about buying 1 of those when I finally find a job and have some spare cash

 

[Rocker35]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I've bulit a few Hi-fi speakers too, and i greatly understand the various aspects with speaker building, sound reproduction, and the laws of fysics.

Errrr, that'll be laws of PHYSICS then Erlend ????:biglaugh:

Wow, don't normally see you this animated mate!!!

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I swear by Modded Marshall cabs:

Get a cheap 1960 JCM cab, rip out the backpanel (particle board! ) and stereo/mono switch (do we ever use it? I bet 9 out of 10 guitarist don't).
Get a nice birch multi-ply cut to size, take off the old tolex from the old backpanel or get some new and install a good jack (I recommend Neutik or something similar), replace the thin ****ty wires on the inside with good isolated speaker wires and solder them to the speakers and jack.
Then glue in some isolation foam (I just used the grey type that is shaped like egg cardboard) on the backpanel (yeah that means on the INSIDE!) and on the sides, bottom and top(not the front). Screw the new backpanel back in and you're set.
You'll get more clarity, bottom end and note definition after this mod.

Resources consumed: a couple of hours, a few beers, $50 on wires, jack, glue, foam and wood... All in all you won't get past $500 for a good cab that says Marshall and sounds good to modern standards.

I'm still on the lookout for 2 more V30's so I can change out the speakers for all V30's.

+1 to that. I had a marshall JCM800 straight 412 that I did that to and it made it sound much much tighter and handled the higher volumes on highgain alot better. Except i left all the Celestion 75s in there.

Currently I have a VHT on order.. if I dont end up likeing the VHT 412, then I'll definitly sell it and purchase not 1, but 2 Marshall 412 cabinets and do those mods to them again .


Cheers

 

[KLINKDETROIT]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I own 3 4x12 cabs. 2Voodoo amps cabs and 1 mesa (smaller). My favorite cabs are the Voodoo amps models. I have a closed back front loaded and a rear loaded type. The front loaded one has a great percussive thump to it and is a little brighter and lets some sound out the sides of the cab. All positive attributes. The Other Voodoo. is darker and has the most frontal projection of any 4x12 cab I have ever played. It wins over all the other cabs as recorded and live it sounds killer. I kinda like the sound out the side of the cab from the closed back voodoo and the mesa but the sound from micing the rear loaded voodoo is the best as it projects all the tone out of the front of the cab. I like my Mesa too but Voodoo makes the best cabs compared to the ones I have played. Bogner uber cab, Marshall, VHT

 

[Erlend_G]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

Errrr, that'll be laws of PHYSICS then Erlend ????:biglaugh:

Well, i were about to write "Physics"... but then i started getting pictures in my head about those damn "phsysic sue" telephones you can call to try gettin in contact with your dead relatives.

So, i thougth it was a bit better to write "fysics" :bigthumb:

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

You're very right about that! Years ago, I had a regular Marshall 1960A, and I did the same thing. It had Vin 30/G75T in an X pattern, new back panel/jack, and Corning insulation inside. It made the cabinet really sound better. Marshall should create a new series of cabinets that are basically upgraded 1960's, doing what we're talking about.

Did you use the vin 30/g75t combo with your Bogner? Or do you like all v30's better?

I have all g75t's in there now and thinking about either doing the x pattern or all v30's.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I forgot the Orange cabs - but damn they are soooooooooo wild lookin', too wild almost

I tried a Diezel thru a Diezel cab 300w, and rather liked it with the Diezels

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

It all depends on the sound you're after really.
If you require a perfectly clean sound, then this cab isn't the best to use, as it's speakers break up relatively early. But, if you're playing classic rock, or anything else where you don't use a pristine clean tone, then it's a great cab. Lots of mojo
The newer Orange cabs come with 4 V30s. I've thought about buying 1 of those when I finally find a job and have some spare cash

The early break up has nothing to do with the cab and everything to do with the speakers...I was saying that the cab itself is one of the best. In fact I love the old Orange cabs...the reissues are good but the older ones are a bit better IMO.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I vote mesa cab or bogner - both sound great, both have great resale value (for all the gas/gearheads this is a plus I have not overlooked myself)

I built a subwoofer box for my car when I was 17 years old, you just calculate the square footage, use some thick MDF and insulation and wammo! It was semi-fun, but you can buy a cheapo cab for super cheap these days and it really is not even worth the effort & you won't really save any money and results will be less good.

 

[Chi3f]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

i have an avatar 4x12 cab with 2 vintage 30's and 2 gt75's in an x and i love the sound that comes from it.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I am torn between getting a Marshall 4x12 1960B with V30s or a Mesa Recto cab with v30s

then with the Mesa do you go oversized?

I have a Mojave with G12H30s but I want a more modern sound like the V30s. Then again, the Greenbacks are always sweet but mush out when loud?

So what's the most versatile 4x12 cab out there that goes from clean to metal AND in between? What is tonal bliss?

THis Cabinet ->

Custom built 4x12. 2" Baltic Birch Ply, aluminum ball corners and edges, 8Ohm mono or 2x16 Ohm stereo, currently loaded with Eminence WIzards. The pic is a bit older when the cab still had Ruby Tubes / Magic Parts SP12CEL in it which I removed and scrapped (not sold) for moral reasons.

 

[shreder75]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

splawn 4x12 with eminence x pattern speakers

great price, built like a tank and sounds great! can't beat them

 

[Bludave]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I am torn between getting a Marshall 4x12 1960B with V30s or a Mesa Recto cab with v30s

then with the Mesa do you go oversized?

I have a Mojave with G12H30s but I want a more modern sound like the V30s. Then again, the Greenbacks are always sweet but mush out when loud?

So what's the most versatile 4x12 cab out there that goes from clean to metal AND in between? What is tonal bliss?

It really depends on what you are plugging into them. Certain speakers work better/worse with certain heads. If you play a Plexi... I would probably lean towards a MArshall with greenbacks. If I played a DSL I would probably go with Vintage 30's. It just really depends. Its one of those things that if you have a great head it will sound great thru just about any 4 12" cab... it may sound "different" but not bad. I have not used a Mesa cab, but I have used a Marshall cab with the 75Watt Celestions and I did not really care for that. I like the more vintage sound of greenbacks and vintage 30's.

 

[Enghell]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I would say my current one,an ENGL Standard Slanted 4x12.And why?It fits my ENGL Powerball head perfectly.

 

[Brow]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

The early break up has nothing to do with the cab and everything to do with the speakers...I was saying that the cab itself is one of the best. In fact I love the old Orange cabs...the reissues are good but the older ones are a bit better IMO.

Sorry, I didn't word what i meant very well.

I meant that if I want a pristine clean sound, then I won't use this cab as (like you said) the speakers break up quite early.

It does seem to be a very solid cab, and I got it at a good price. So that's fine by me

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

I have a Mesa 412 (and a 212, too) that is one of their Half-Back cabinets from the 1980s. The 412 has two Celestion/Mesa Black Shadow C90s in the open top. The bottom is closed with two EVMs. This cab is about 3/4 of the size of a standard Marshall cab, so it is very compact. Workmanship and cabinetry is EXCELLENT! This is a very tough, road-worthy cab.

The Mesa 212 is vertical, and has the C90 in the open top as well. The bottom of this cabinet is Theile ported, and it has the Mesa/Eminence 150-watt Black Shadow. The 212 is big for a 212, but I think it's one of the best 212s ever made.

These cabs are excellent, both for club and concert stage, and recording. The open-back of the top gives combo like "air", dispersion and perspective. The C90s give nice breakup at high volume. The closed-back bottom portions are equipped with very punchy-sounding speakers, capable of handling high power levels.

These cabs were discontinued by Mesa several years ago, yet they typically command high prices at re-sale time.

If you want to find well-made 412s, look around for some of the older Ampeg (from the V-4 stack), Music Man, and late 1960s-early 1970s SUNN cabs. The cabinetry will be excellent, and you may find a good deal on some very desirable speakers.

Bill

 

[rainsong86]

Re: Your favorite 4x12 CAB and WHY?

if you have a mesa head... a mesa traditional cab is the way to go IMO.. I've played a few mesas at the store through some of the best new cabs near, but not greater than, 1,000 dollars.. the straight front traditional was the best to my ears.. of course you don't get that sound dispersion closer to your ears with the angled cab but I noticed I hear less highs and mids when I'm 4 or 5 feet above the cab (which I use to justify cranking it up because higher frequencies damage hearing faster)... their straight front cabs look like perfect rectangular prisms which seems to be the best for acoustics (no interference of sound waves).. and DON'T oversize unless you need a sh*tload of headroom or you downtune or hate mids.. buy it used too if you can find one in a reasonable pickup distance, you can grab one minty for aobut 600.. good luck