Ever Seen This??? - Old Marshall 4x12

LPMojoGL

LPMojoGL

Well-known member
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This 1980 Marshall straight cab always seemed particularly dark to me, 1980 g12-65s with 1777 cones. I didn't get it. Thought maybe it was a dud. Turns out, the speakers are mounted with this crap in front of them. It's somewhat strong metal, with lots of little holes. May as well be a blanket over the speakers.
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Yeah, that's me pulling it out. Hope purists aren't appalled.

And then, on the other side of that, before the grill cloth, is more metal wire. 2 layers to be precise. Some window screen stuff, followed by some heavier grid shaped wire.
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I noticed these last 2 layers in the slant cab too. Figured they're to protect the speakers? But there's none of this near-solid gold stuff in the slant cab.

I was surprised how great these speakers sounded in the Bogner OS212 or an open back 1x12. Way more bright and lively. Now I know why.
Is this normal for late 70s, early 80s Marshall cabs? @Scumback Speakers ?? @RACKSYSTEMS ??

Am I killing value while ripping this stuff out?
 
mikey said:
What would possess someone to do that? I wouldn't be able to remove that crap fast enough.
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It's already gone.
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Now I have to decide whether to pull the baffle and remove the wire under the grill cloth. That would consist of carefully removing, then reattching the grill cloth. I may reinstall the speakers and see hownit sounds first.

Ya know, vintage gear is a kick! You never know what you're gonna get. I got way more entertainment than I bargained for when I snagged these "stock" cabs. Heh.
 
If I had to guess, someone probably installed it to keep beer bottles and crap from getting thrown into their speakers, in bars, etc.......or were trying to create some sort of beam blocker device (ala' Weber)..........or to quiet the cabs down a little for home use........there is no way of knowing.
 
OUTLAW1969 said:
If I had to guess, someone probably installed it to keep beer bottles and crap from getting thrown into their speakers, in bars, etc.......or were trying to create some sort of beam blocker device (ala' Weber)..........or to quiet the cabs down a little for home use........there is no way of knowing.
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I thought of protecting speakers and beam blockers, to tame a bright JMP 2203.
Didn't think about attenuating volume. This has to be the worst way ever to do that.
 
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No, that’s definitely not stock. Like you mentioned, some idiot put that in to protect the speakers.
I’ll bet it’s killer now. 3120s are my fav, the brightest of all the cones. 3054 should be a touch darker.
 
LPMojoGL said:
Yeah, that's me pulling it out. Hope purists aren't appalled.

And then, on the other side of that, before the grill cloth, is more metal wire. 2 layers to be precise. Some window screen stuff, followed by some heavier grid shaped wire.
noticed these last 2 layers in the slant cab too. Figured they're to protect the speakers? But there's none of this near-solid gold stuff in the slant cab.

I was surprised how great these speakers sounded in the Bogner OS212 or an open back 1x12. Way more bright and lively. Now I know why.
Is this normal for late 70s, early 80s Marshall cabs? @Scumback Speakers ?? @RACKSYSTEMS ??

Am I killing value while ripping this stuff out?
Click to expand...
None of that metal crap was stock to the cab, or at least the dozen or so I've had from that era. Those aren't the original speakers, either. You can see the mounting gasket/tape on the backs of the frames, not the front, where it should be for a rear loaded Marshall cab. The old G12-65's can be great sounding speakers. I used to run two in my 4x12, some Carvin/Eminence speaker on the bottom, with my last cover band 40 years ago (yes, I played with Moses in the sandbox...).

G12-65's in action with an Ibanez Artist, Randall RG-80, no fx, and the G12-65's.
 
I’m guessing it was to protect the speakers…but obviously it will affect the sound in a big way.

I’ve mentioned before that I use to run 3 grill cloths on an early JCM800 slant cabinet. It had large checkers, then basketweave, then black. It was a tight fit getting the baffle in, but it sounded great with H75’s. Keep in mind I used a slightly modded JCM 800 2204 with it. Many times I was running the amp on 6. It was stupid loud.
 
stephen sawall said:
What sound changes did it make ?
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Ripping that stuff out and cutting out the other metal mesh crap made the cabs sound more open, brighter, like they're supposed to sound!
I did a lot of speaker swapping, keeping the straight cab loaded with GBs. Selling the slant cab and the G12-65s from the straight cab.
 
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