Bray 4550 + Stone Age ?

[mrbill]

For those of you who own Stone Age cabs and, even better, if you own a Stone Age cab and a David Bray amp.

I have a Bray 4550 on order and, when discussing the tones I like, told David and John I'm aiming for Led Zep studio ( especially Led Zep IV ) + Schenker's "Strangers in the Night" + Roth-era Van Halen. I plan on ordering the cab from Stone Age, and am trying to decide between a 2x12C closed back with Heritage Celestion G12H 75hz, and a 4x12 with Heritage Celestion G12Ms. For the tones I'm aiming at, any suggestions would be appreciated.

I've already spoken both to David and to John, so I have their suggestions … just looking for more input to make as informed a decision as possible.

 

[trailrun100s]

For those of you who own Stone Age cabs and, even better, if you own a Stone Age cab and a David Bray amp.

I have a Bray 4550 on order and, when discussing the tones I like, told David and John I'm aiming for Led Zep studio ( especially Led Zep IV ) + Schenker's "Strangers in the Night" + Roth-era Van Halen. I plan on ordering the cab from Stone Age, and am trying to decide between a 2x12C closed back with Heritage Celestion G12H 75hz, and a 4x12 with Heritage Celestion G12Ms. For the tones I'm aiming at, any suggestions would be appreciated.

I've already spoken both to David and to John, so I have their suggestions … just looking for more input to make as informed a decision as possible.

Well, I've had my 4550 for over a year now. Great amp...I played it and other 4550's through David's StoneAge 4x12. It sounded great...

I used to play my 4550 through a 2x12, but after hearing how great it sounded through a few different 4x12's, I bought a 4x12 a while back. Two M-Creambacks, and two Scumback H75's...It sounds insane with the Bray...

Plexi's love 4x12's...I would like to hear it through John's 2x12's however...

My logic of going for the 4x12 in addition to the great sound, was that a 212 and 412 take up the same space on stage, so why not get the one that I liked the sound of better...Only downside is the three flights of stairs I deal with to load in/out from my house for gigs...Oh well, it's worth it...I'm 44 and a semi-scrawny runner dude, but still don't mind the 100 pound cab lift, haha...

FWIW, I actually have a StoneAge 1x12 on order so the Bray and my PWE can also double as a grab and go rig for tiny gigs and impromptu stuff that pops up at the last minute...

 

[Sirloin]

Get the 412 and do a mix of m and h

 

[fusionbear]

Get the 412 and do a mix of m and h

Ditto...

I owned a 2x12C and I found it harder to man handle than a 4x12B, so it went.

His workmanship is impeccable! Can't say enough of how good the build is...

I also own one of his 1x12 cabs. They are amazing!

 

[mrbill]

Thanks for the responses. As I mentioned, I've spoken to David and John about this, but wanted to get additional feedback. My back says get the 2x12, but, from the handful of clips I've heard, my ears say go for the 4x12. There's a couple of clips of Chelsea Constable playing a Bray 4550 through a Stone Age 4x12 with Heritage Celestion G12Ms that sounds amazing.

Like you guys, David thought a 4x12 with a mix of G12Hs and G12Ms would be good. However, I was wondering if the difference in speaker efficiency ( I believe Hs are rated at 100db, while Ms are rated at 96db ) would cause the Ms to get sort of lost in the tonal mix because of this efficiency difference.

And Howie: I saw some clips on Youtube of you playing some Bray amps at one of the L.A. amp shows ( last year? ). I especially liked the couple of clips of you going through the Bray 100 … really tearing it up, sounded great!

 

[big mike]

You won't notice the efficiency difference

I'd do Scumbacks myself though but that's personal preference. Stone Age cabs are the balls!!!

 

[trailrun100s]

Thanks for the compliment!

I agree with what Big Mike said. You won't notice the difference in efficiency. I certainly don't notice it in my 412, since the Scumbacks and Creambacks are different efficiency...