Looking for some opinions on 4x12 cabs.What's your favorite new,or semi-new cab? Bogner,diezel,vibroworld,marshall, divided by 13,orange,germino,etc..? I know most love old,late 60's marshall cabs,but a bit out of my price range.What gets the closest?Let's NOT worry about speakers,just the cab. Also,is there actually a sonic difference with a ply back,as opossed to particle board?What about insulation inside cab?Did the old 60's marshall cabs have a 2"x2" board from baffle to back of cab,or was it more like a 2"x4"? Also,any preferences between taller cabs,and standard size?(Were the early marshall cabs 3" taller,or 6" taller?I've heard people say both.)Pref in grill material(basket ,black ,pinstripe,etc..How does this effect the tone) And last,11 ply,or 13ply (3/4")? Front loaded,rear loaded?Tonal differences? Lots of questions! Thanks for any answers.
Dimensions, cabinet stiffness, grill cloth, dampening material, all affect the sound, so there simply isn't a best, never will be. A fuzzy grill cloth will disperse the high freq's a little more. Bigger cabinets with center braces sound better to my ears as long as it's airtight. Voodoo is doing some cool stuff with their cabinets. Hard to beat a Mesa Standard with Greenbacks, or a Marshall 1960TV, two of my favorites, since they are the only two 4X12's I own. Long time ago I had Peavey Mace 4X12's that sounded great with the Mace head. I'd look at the joints and the ply [like you already mentioned] in addition to grill cloth of a few cabinets, and then make your decision based on your budget. But the speakers are going to play a huge role, so you cannot just discount that while looking, otherwise you'll not make an informed purchase. Sticking Celestion Classic Lead 80's in a Marshall TV style cabinet would produce a overly bassy cabinet. It all works together really.
If you're in Chicago - go to Make N Music -- they have a special Bogner 4x12 that will knock you on your butt with great tone!
My favorite two 4x12's are the Bogner 4x12 with V30's and the VHT fat bottom with P50E's. I like full, regular sized (Marshall) cabs. I bought my Bogner cab when looking at the Mesa 4x12's (good cab too) and found it for about the same price ad the rectos were going for used on eBay so it was a no brainer. I thought the cab was a bit over-hyped but I was pleasantly surprised that it really is a great cab, it sounds great with whatever amp I use it with too. The VHT is of equal quality sound and construction wise. I just haven't tried it with any other amps, I put my VHT 50 CL on it and it hasn't moved since Perfect match for that amp in my opinion. The Soldano 4x12 is the loser of the bunch, its not a bad sound cab its just that the other ones just sound much better. Also the Soldano cab is a little smaller too. The 1960A is also a great cab and I leave it paired with the 2203 Here's the current set-up
Just my 2 cents.. I think most everyone agrees old marshall 4x12 cabs rule ..and i dont think it was voodoo ..the knew what they were doing and had the right formula for a great sounding cab. I understand Mojotone did a tear down,spec'd one out and builds a dead to spec basketweave replica empty for $450 empty, if i wanted a new 4x12 thats the route id go..throw in some g12-h celestions and i bet it'd stomp the aformentioned brands..look at the internal construction of a Bogner compare it to a real basketweave ..doesnt even look close in my book
I'm patiently waiting for the new Marshall 1960BHW handwired series 4X12 loaded with the new Celestion G12H Heritage series speakers
I've had a few 4x12's over the years to include Marshall's, Bogner, Rivera, Boogie, Peavey (5150) and VHT. My favorite 4x12 by far was a straight VHT with V30's on the bottom and Greenbacks on top that I had in the early 90's, before the P50 speakers. I sold it in a move and nothing has compared since. I had 2 very popular Bogner 4x12's, one V30 and the other Greenback loaded. They sounded nice but not magical like the VHT, damn that VHT sounded great! From classic rock to modern and everything in between it's been my favorite. Steve
I have been considering a Germino 4x12 Birch Ply Closed Back (with a removable middle back panel) Cab loaded with 4 Heritage Greenbacks for a while. This is strictly based on "Want"...not "Need" however. Cause everytime I carry the Z-Best 2x12 around....I'd hate to deal with a 4x12. Also...when I HEAR the Z-best....I quickly dismiss the 4x12 idea althogether. Although it would be REALLY cool to have! Mark
I haven't tried a ton of brands, just because there aren't many stores around here. But of 4x12's I have tried the Marshall 1960 series, Mesa Rectifier Cabs, Carvin Legacy, Behringer, Avatar (w/ V12, G12H80), Splawn (w/Governor, G12T75 clone), ENGL Vintage, and a handfull of not so popular ones. I have to say that my favorite is torn between the ENGL Vintage and the Splawn. I only played the Splawn for a little while, but it was very balanced and just sounded great. The ENGL is more aggressive and works really well with the Vintage 30's. But I have also heard nothing but good things about Splawn for all sorts of styles. Their cabs are incredibly well made and can be customized.
Im with Braciola, price not being a big object, I'd wait for the new Marshall 1960BHW handwired series 4X12 loaded with the new Celestion G12H Heritage series speakers. They absolutely Oooze cool..and the HW stuff is REALLY well made..and those new Celestions are supposed to absolutely kill! The question is when the come out can you buy a real vintage one for the same price? lol Actually i think they'll drive the old ones up in price though..the Lead & Bass 20 heads used to be able to be gotten for around a grand if you could find one..then they reissued it at $1750 and all of a sudden guys with old ones figure if a new one is worth $1750 my vintage one has got to be worth alot more than that.
Has anyone listened for the difference in solid back,ply back,composite board back in a 4x12? Does it make any tonal difference? What about insulation inside vs. no insulation? Tall cabs,or regular size? Front loaded ,rear loaded tonal differences? Thanks.
The 4x12's I have played and loved: Harry Joyce/George Scholz Orange Old Mesa metal grille cab (not the recto cabs) Vintage Hiwatt The 4x12's that didn't get me there Mesa Recto Tone King Galaxy (open back 4x12...ungodly loud) 80's Marshall slant cab The 4x12's I cannot wait to try VHT Wizard
There's no such thing as the "best 4x12". All speakers accentuate different frequencies which can agree or disagree with your ear, your amp, or both. I've tried a lot of cabs, and what I ended up doing was just getting a custom 4x12 from vibroworld.com and swapping a bunch of speakers until I found a combo I liked.
Whatever would be the closest to an old Marshall (pre-1975) 4x12. Those things rule, in every way. BTW - What's the deal about a "handwired" Marshall 4x12, I would assume that they ALL are? Loudboy
Mojotone claims they totally spec'd out a 68 marshall 4x12 right down to the bracing..so id say probably that is closest right now..they run $450 empty so by the time you get killer speakers in it ..its kinda pricey. I agree "handwired" is kinda silly..i mean i didnt know robots did all the other cabs in the world..or maybe they were wired by their toes..lol.. But seriously, I had a 2061CX 2x12 Handwired..and the thing wasnt that it was "handwired" its that it was really well built ..lhad total vintage styling..and had good speakers. Now they are comming out with the old 4x12 reissue and it will be similarly well built, have no chipboard in them, oooze vintage look, and have --what is antipicaped to be the best pre-rola clone speakers available in them..that why the buzz.
Vintage Marshall 4x12 Ampeg v-4 cab with vintage Marshall speakers A friend on this site told me just to suck it up and buy a vintage Marshall cab ('68 basketweave) It will only go up in value...so I did. There is nothing quite like it. I'm very suprised as to how much brighter the old 25's are compared to the new stuff. (in a good way) IMHO.
This week-end, I tried a Marshall 4x12" with G12 65s as well as my Marshall '75 4x12" with blackback G12Ms. Tried that with a CAA OD100, Rivera M60, Orange Rockerverb, VHT CL 100. The G12Ms sounded sweeter (esp. the top end), "silkier" and warmer. More suited to bluesy and classic rock stuff . Impressive with the Rockerverb. However, the G12 65s were great with the VHT for mid-scooped metal sounds. My choice? Blackbacks anyday.
