2x12 or 1x12 cube for Dry Cabinet?

So I'm in the process of putting together a stereo W/D W/D or a W/D/W setup.

I had two splawn 4x12's before and loved their tone and build quality, the problem is that even with hand trucks, it was very difficult - if not close to impossible - to move them on my own without help with stairs, doorways, into my truck, etc. After contemplating purchasing more, I've decided it's not something I am capable of physically moving nor is it practical.

I can handle the weight of a 2x12, but don't think the tone of 4x12's is worth more than the hassle of their weight.

So with this, I either need to decide on a 1x12 or a 2x12 for a dry center cabinet. I feel a 2x12 would provide a tighter low end? Or can I get by with a decent ported 1x12 for the dry cabinet?

This is my wet/dry/wet guitar rig at the moment. I use the Stiff 90-AD lunchbox 50 watt amp head and run the send into a Korg DL8000R ( Italo's presets) into a Mosvalve 982 single space power amp (you can see part of it behind the amp). I'm using the Marshall 1912 1x12 closed back cab as the dry signal. The Marshall 1936 2x12 closed back is running the left / right wet signal. I can take advantage of the full stereo sound when I run the chorus/delay/reverb onstage and not take up much space onstage.

I currently gig with an '80s tribute band so I configured my amp/cabs/delay/power amp needs for the wide sounding/stereo or wet/dry/wet guitar rig with a small footprint onstage. The 1x12 or 2x12 cab as a dry cabinet is a perfectly viable solution for your musical needs as long as you don't mind load in/load out/ setting up the gear and have enough space onstage to share with your bandmates.

Guitar George

If you go W/D/W I'd do 2x12 dry and 1x12 cubes for wet. Unless your playing giant stages a 2x12 and two 1x12's will be plenty. Friedman and Bogner's oversized 1x12's sound big and are not that heavy if you want to go with all 1x12's.

tripstan":3n29bvon said:

If you go W/D/W I'd do 2x12 dry and 1x12 cubes for wet. Unless your playing giant stages a 2x12 and two 1x12's will be plenty. Friedman and Bogner's oversized 1x12's sound big and are not that heavy if you want to go with all 1x12's.

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I'm not against a 2x12 for the dry, I feel like that would be optimal. I could bring one of the 1x12's for smaller stages and just plug straight into the amp, or it would provide more versatility with a 2x12, or bring the 1x12's and 2x12 for a full rig.

Can 1x12 cubes hang with a hard hitting drummer? Or do I need to be considering 3x 2x12's?

What's the verdict of CAA 1x12's vs Bogner or Friedman? The CAA's are front ported and look reasonably well made.

One thing to keep in mind if you go all 112 cabs is your amp’s wattage and how that might affect your choice in speakers. And maybe it’s just me but I’ve found that ported 112 cabs tend to sound woofy in the low end. Depending on what style you play it might not be a dealbreaker but it’s still something you might want to listen for when you’re out demoing new gear.

Woofy isn't good, that's for sure. I think I would probably get a sealed 1x12 for the dry and ported or sealed for the wet cabinets if all 1x12's were going to be used. A part of me feels that in order to keep up with loud drummers, a 2x12 needs to be used for the dry cabinet. That also makes sure that I can plug it directly into my amplifier for the dry tone and slave off a signal for the wet cabinets/effects.

Do 1x12's provide enough to hang with a loud drummer in general? Do they need to be propped up somehow?

I've always had 4x12's my entire life but I cannot warrant hauling them - I just don't see it working anymore for me - it's asking to get seriously hurt.

I’ve had to deal with a few places where the space was at a premium. Instead of my 4X12 I brought a 1X12 closed back, ported cab from Ear Candy. It was MORE than able to hang with full band volume. Drummer, 2nd guitar player, etc.
No worries and I was just using my pedal board and the amp/cab. It wasn’t a W/D/W scenario, yet I would put that 1X12 up against anything.

That said, I have also been considering a W/D/W set-up for some situations. I was considering a 4X12 for dry and a pair of the aforementioned 1X12’s for wet.
I suppose I could consider a 2X12 as you have mentioned, yet I already have cases with wheels for my 4X12’s, so that is actually easier than a 2X12 without a case, IMO.

Basically it seems to be most important that whatever you use, you choose to mix wet and dry effectively for the venue and the stage volume needed.
If you are purchasing “NEW” cabs, then I would be sure to try them in ALL the configurations that you need to use them. Only then can you make an accurate decision.
Best of luck!!