Calling Avatar cab owners

[Tone]

Hey guys.
Just wondering what you guys think about everything about these cabs, like quality, looks, sound, construction, etc. I know I could get some reviews on HC, but I wanted to get some truthfull opinions. :)

Thanks!

[Calloway]

I have a 2x12 open back cab with greenbacks in it. it sounds great, has held up very nicely with the various gigs i've played. it is very light which is a nice change from some other cabs that i have owned. nothing fancy in the construction, they feel solid. i have some friends who prefer other more costly cabs, but for the price you can't beat em, at least in my opinion.

[big mike]

Love em! Mine also has Greenbacks at the moment. I've had 2 of them. Nicely built, sound great, and Dave's customer service is very good.

[TIG]

2x12 with v-30 & g12h..open back..great cab..great price...great folks to deal with...my next cab will come from them!!

[Tone]

How do you guys feel they compare to other brands, like Bogner, Mesa, Dr.Z etc.?

[Jon Silberman]

2X12 open back with a pair of Classic Lead 80s.

Haven't done the comparison thing. Why further complicate my life with the Avatar having given me everything I want from a 2X12 from the start?

[Tone]

Anyone happen to have close up pics of theirs? Is the tolex the real plasticy looking type like on the cheaper Marshalls? Any internal shots too?

Thanks!:dude

[dbeeman]

Tolex is standard stuff. Box Construction is first rate.

Prices are great.

Customer service is second to none

[MetalHeadd]

I own one now with vintage 30s in it and owned another in the past with an eminence v12/gb12 combo, and they both sounded great. Built like a tank, it's too heavy, and handles being moved around really well.

[sabbath90]

i've got a 2x12 with one V30 and one G12H-30. i use it all the time and it sounds great. really good service too.

[gkelm]

I have one of the "Specials" with G12h & V30 open/oval cut....great cab all the way around. A/B'd it in a local shop here with a THD (excellent cab too), and actually preferred the Avatar for its punchy presence.

Also A/B'd with my friend's J Design, same speakers, pine, can't remember if it was closed...both sounded great, but the JD was a bit warmer, perhaps due to the pine.

I'm complicating my life with a Germino (mojo) 2x12 on the way...more comparisons to come. I'll probably end up with diffrent speakers in the Germino.

To get picky, the grill cloth is not stretched perfectly along the top edge...otherwise, very nice.

Greg

[Guy from Idaho]

Originally posted by dbeeman
Tolex is standard stuff. Box Construction is first rate.

Prices are great.

Customer service is second to none

yep. Have Greenbacks in mine, sounds great with Germino Lead55 head, looks great too. :dude

[HeeHaw]

I currently own 2 blonde and wheat Avatar cabs. One of them is a closed back loaded with celestion g12m's and the other is a semi-open back loaded with celestion vin 30's. I really like both of them and construction is really solid with no rattles or whistles whatsoever.

I'm offering the greenback loaded cab up for sale at the moment due to space considerations, but otherwise, I'd keep it. I HIGHLY recommend Avatar cabs.:cool:

[blong]

I own a blonde with wheat grill to match my Rake head. It is one of the best cabs I have ever heard. I have the G12-H30/V30 combo, semi-open back (the oval cutout). I have compared mine to a THD cab and a mesa 2x12 open and closed back cab, and myself and several others couldn't believe the Avatar really sounded much better with several different heads. We tried a THD bi-valve, VHT pittbull 45, my Rake, a Rectoverb, a 1967 Bassman head, my ADA MP-1/Peavey Classic 60 setup, and buddy's Deluxe Reverb into each. The Avatar cab sounded better in every test. This was a 2 and 1/2 try out at low and high volume with clean and dirty tones, and the Avatar really sounded much better in every person's opinion but 1, which was 6 people to 1. This guy also likes to set treble and bass knobs on 8, middle on 2 - 3 on any amp he tries, and then says he likes the bottom end of the THD better. The THD was closed-back and did have slightly more bottom at higher volumes, but that could be compensated for on the Avatar with a little twist of the tone knobs of the amps.

The richness and full sound of that cabinet had me walking out of there feeling like a champ and my buddy, who had just bought his bi-valve, a great amp, by the way, and the cab feeling a little let down b/c he thought it would blow my Avatar away.

The Avatar cabinet is great at any price, and much cheaper than all the others. Get one, you won't regret it. I am now going to order another in black to go with my mp-1 setup. One of my buddy's that heard it is ordering one this week. He couldn't believe it either.

Bob

[bullfrogblues]

I have 2 Avatar 212's, black/wheat with G12H30/V30 combination. I love them, though I haven't compared them to many others. The build quality and tone performance make them quite a good buy.

Allan.

[hawkeyeinexile]

kinduva sidenote but i use a bass cab, 2x10. very happy w/it for sound, function, construction, cost, younameit.

:cool:

[HeeHaw]

My Avatar semi open back with V30's mics and records very well.:) :cool:

[leecow]

Looks like feedback is on the 2x12 - what's the verdict on the 1x12? I'm looking to downsize a bit and the Avatar 'buzz' has me interested.

[Dave Cowley]

Originally posted by leecow
Looks like feedback is on the 2x12 - what's the verdict on the 1x12? I'm looking to downsize a bit and the Avatar 'buzz' has me interested.

Hey, Lee! I have a pair of Avatar 1x12s with Emi Governors in them and like 'em a lot. Their bass response is pretty surprising, given their size. If you're running just one, it doesn't disperse the sound very much, so IMHO you have to place it carefully. So I use a pair with my Flexi to make a pint-sized stack.

[Testudo]

I am yet another Special owner, and I am perfectly happy with it in all respects. Certainly it is unbeatable for price. Construction is solid, the tolex is like all other tolex. The grillcloths on mine both fit fine.
I have a second open-back 2x12 cabinet, currently housing a Stonehenge and Tonker.
Can't adequately compare it to any other maker's cab, but I can find no negatives to the Avatar.

[leecow]

Originally posted by Dave Cowley
If you're running just one, it doesn't disperse the sound very much, so IMHO you have to place it carefully.

Thanks Dave. I'm always close-mic'ed so don't think that will be a problem. Now I just have to decide whether or not I care about the 'snob' factor enough to drop extra money on a Swanson or Bogner Cube ;-)

[dave s]

There pretty much what everyone says: Great quality and value for the money. Excellent build quality, nicely wired with your own personal choice of speakers ... what more could you ask for?

The 212 open back horizontal model loaded with G12H30s is a GREAT match for my JCM800 head.

dave

[bluesbreaker59]

I had a 4x12 with G12H30's and it was a HEAVY MOFO.

WAY HEAVIER than a Marshall 1960TV cab that I had prior to it. In fact the Avatar was 92 lbs. The Marshall I think was more like 70-75.

It sounded good, and had lots of low end, in fact it had more than the Marshall. The grill and the tolex was applied nicely and the price is hard to argue with. Looking back though I should've gotten two 2x12's instead of one 4x12.

:)

[Nigel]

How does the 2x12 open back Avatar sound with greenbacks? Is there enough bass? I really like the sound of greenbacks but haven't put them in an open back because I've always heard they'll lose too much bass.

[Nigel]

Calloway? big mike? Anybody?

[HeeHaw]

Originally posted by Nigel
How does the 2x12 open back Avatar sound with greenbacks? Is there enough bass? I really like the sound of greenbacks but haven't put them in an open back because I've always heard they'll lose too much bass. I'll chime in here, because I tried my open back with greenbacks and didn't like it at all. It seemed to me like the speaker cone got out of controll at higher volumes. I put the closed back on my Avatar and liked it very well.

On the other hand, my vintage 30's sounded good in an open back Avatar.:)

Sadly to say, I sold both Avatar cabs and am going back to a 4x12 with greenbacks and g12h30's.

[skiltrip]

i just got an Avatar G212H open back cab with 1 v30 and 1 g12h anniversary speaker. i can't believe how awesome this thing is.... and i paid $207 brand new on ebay. If I order the speakers alone from musicians friend i would have paid more!

construction is really basic. but very good quality wood. construction wise, i do feel like the tolex is a little bit on the cheaper side. it's not the same quality stuff you're gonna find on a marshall cabinet, but again, look at the price. it's a little more soft vinyl feeling if you know what i mean. my first gig out i got a couple tears in the tolex. the grillcloth could be stretched a little tighter too.

but seriously, these little things don't bother me at all, and i totally want to get another 2x12 of the same type.

I play in two different bands, one is relatively gainy pop-punk, and the other is an indierock band with a natural breakup on the clean channel sound. using this cab with a traynor ycv40 by the way. in all cases, the Avatar rocks. and for JUST over $200, how can you possibly go wrong?

[roushc]

I'm thinking about getting a 4x12" Avatar cab put together with 2 G12H30s on the bottom and 2 Greenbacks on top.

Anyone try this? Suggestions? Words of sage wisdom?

[meterman]

Seems like you can't beat them for the price loaded....

One issue though, that came up on another forum. Apparently they are front loaded rather than rear loaded like most cabs, which according to one owner made it very difficult to change speakers in them as the grill is not removable (something about having to remove 40 screws to get the grill out and access the speakers). I haven't seen it myself but the guys that said it know their $hit.....just something to be aware of and maybe ask about if you like to tweak and swap speakers around.

[bullfrogblues]

Meterman, don't know about the 412's, but my 212's are front loaded, and all it takes is removing 6 screws from the inside and the grill comes off. One of mine was changed to rear loaded using T-nuts, but I can't tell much difference in tone. Both have the same speaker compliments.

Allan.