4x12 Speaker Cabinet "Holy Grail"

[MatrixClaw]

The two cabs I own now are the best I've ever heard - a 4x12 Emperor loaded with GK100s/V30s and a Soldano 2x12 with Eminence V12 Legends. The Emperor sounds great with everything. The Soldano is super picky. It doesn't sound good with a lot of amps and also doesn't record as well as the Emperor, but if you want to do metal, it absolutely crushes with an American voiced high gain head. Some day I'd like to pick up a Bogner 2x12 OS or something similar though, just for more variety, plus I just love the aesthetic ?

 

[turboblues]

For me it is a 1986 Marshall 1960 B cab. It sounds better than the ones I had with Greenbacks. I also like my Bogner Uberkab with 75's and V30's.

 

[fek]

1960B with greenbacks. I am getting older and tend to prefer brighter cabs and amps. Must be some type of high end hearing loss!

 

[Tone Monster]

Mesa Traditional straight with the grill cloth cut off. Tight and musical. Perfect really.

Traditional is a great cab , I like miine alot. I guess sonetimes it can be a bit dark or congested ..... Some cabs sound a bit more open but its still a hard one to beat. Im wonderong if you cut your grill cloth off to get a more open sound ?

As a bedroom hack, all I was doing was recording. There was a huge thread started at Gearslutz by Slipperman and he said to cut the grill cloth off and get the mics right up on the speaker. So I did. It definitely gave me more clarity recorded tone wise.

 

[romanianreaper]

I really would like to try a bogner straight cab with V30's cause i've always heard good things. Derek B had a cab from VHT that had Green backs in it & it was one of the best sounding cabs I've heard.

Wow, haven't heard that name in awhile! DerekB. Ordered an amp from him back in the day while he was getting a haircut. LOL!

As far as 4x12s go, I really haven't heard enough in my life to make an accurate assessment. I remember being blown away hearing 5150 III cabs, Mesa cabs as well. I know people used to rant about the Bogner cabs and I almost got one years ago.

It is nuts with the weight issues and decrease in a need for a wall of 4x12s, that they are more and more rare. I know my hernia surgeries were probably tied to when I was loading my 4x12 for gigs. LOL. What a pain in the ass but thankfully our Honda CR-V had the perfect clearance for a Marshall 4x12. I mean it fit perfect.

 

[skullfxr]

Peavey Butcher/VTM cab with K85s. It's virtually indestructible and sounds awesome with every amp I've put through it.

I agree 100%.i have two I paid under $200 for each. Hard to beat IMO.

Riveras sound especially good through these cabs.

Oddly enough that's what my tee has been hooked up with for the last few months. Couldn't agree more

 

[Fret-Shredder]

Friedman 4X12 sounds amazing. Greenbacks on top and V30s on the bottom.

 

[fearhk213]

Mesa Traditional straight with the grill cloth cut off. Tight and musical. Perfect really.

Traditional is a great cab , I like miine alot. I guess sonetimes it can be a bit dark or congested ..... Some cabs sound a bit more open but its still a hard one to beat. Im wonderong if you cut your grill cloth off to get a more open sound ?

As a bedroom hack, all I was doing was recording. There was a huge thread started at Gearslutz by Slipperman and he said to cut the grill cloth off and get the mics right up on the speaker. So I did. It definitely gave me more clarity recorded tone wise.

I've been experimenting with grill on vs grill off with one of my cabs that has a removable grill. It's definitely brighter and seemed louder in the room with the same settings (the perceived loudness may be due to the increase reflections). When close mic'd in the same spot there is also a noticeable difference as well. I could see some preferring one way over the other due to different tastes or when using different amps.

 

[Kevin11]

Bogner 4x12 Straight with V30s was the best cab I’ve heard/had.

This. Even though I gig with 2 Bogner 4x12 slants, which are also not too shabby.

 

[LP Freak]

Mesa Traditional straight with the grill cloth cut off. Tight and musical. Perfect really.

Traditional is a great cab , I like miine alot. I guess sonetimes it can be a bit dark or congested ..... Some cabs sound a bit more open but its still a hard one to beat. Im wonderong if you cut your grill cloth off to get a more open sound ?

As a bedroom hack, all I was doing was recording. There was a huge thread started at Gearslutz by Slipperman and he said to cut the grill cloth off and get the mics right up on the speaker. So I did. It definitely gave me more clarity recorded tone wise.

I've been experimenting with grill on vs grill off with one of my cabs that has a removable grill. It's definitely brighter and seemed louder in the room with the same settings (the perceived loudness may be due to the increase reflections). When close mic'd in the same spot there is also a noticeable difference as well. I could see some preferring one way over the other due to different tastes or when using different amps.

Different grill cloth materials sound very different also

 

[thegame]

Different grill cloth materials sound very different also

Very true. I've played on 3 Mills cabs with the only difference being the grill cloth. From thinnest to thickest material:

Black - most neutral, uncolored sounding. Had the most lows & highs and transparent mids.
Salt'n'pepper - Absolutely more midrange. Lows & highs slightly attenuated. Mids don't protrude too heavily into the lower or upper mid regions
Cane Biscuit - The most midrange out of them all. The least lows and highs. Mids shifted up towards the upper mid region, giving a slight honk quality.

As noted by Rick St. Pierre of Wizard amplification in an old Guitar World magazine with AC/DC on the cover, thicker grill cloth provides more dampening and limits speaker cone excursion.

 

[Luca79]

I restored 2 Marshall cabs; one was a a '70 the other from '90. I tried different wiring, cables, back panels and dumping.
Small modifications can make a cab can sound different and improve. I prefer my Marshall with 8ohm V30 to the Mesa OS.

 

[JackBootedThug]

I would love to have these----->

https://offerup.com/item/detail/946255642/

 

[stephen sawall]

Peavey Butcher/VTM cab with K85s. It's virtually indestructible and sounds awesome with every amp I've put through it.

I agree 100%.i have two I paid under $200 for each. Hard to beat IMO.

Riveras sound especially good through these cabs.

Oddly enough that's what my tee has been hooked up with for the last few months. Couldn't agree more

I have owned about a dozen of these cabs. Had them side by side with most of the cabs mentioned in this thread. Easy the best cab for my subjective bias taste.
....the cabs sound great with other speakers too.

 

[guitarmike]

I picked up a 1971 Marshall 4x12 with the original speakers. My Friedman modded Marshall sounds incredible with that cab. I paid $250.00 for it in 2014/2015 because the tolex was ripped off. I will not sell it, it sounds perfect.

 

[panhead]

Other than the high gain thing Marshall got it right along time ago. Late 60`s/ early 70`s Marshall

 

[maddnotez]

Always depends on the amp and chain. One of my favorites has been a peavey ms412 with Chinese V30 x WGS 75. Cheapest cab ive owned and sounded great.

I currently own a mills afterburner and it has been the most consistent.

Mesa OS pairs amazingly well with the JP2C.

Really want to try a mesa trad 412 and an ENGL.

 

[Racerxrated]

Another cab that should be considered in this thread are the Rivera V30 cabs...they sound nearly identical to a Mesa Traditional 4x12. I had them side by side a few yrs ago

 

[romanianreaper]

I picked up a 1971 Marshall 4x12 with the original speakers. My Friedman modded Marshall sounds incredible with that cab. I paid $250.00 for it in 2014/2015 because the tolex was ripped off. I will not sell it, it sounds perfect.

Holy shit dude, what a steal!!!

Wow, I would love to get a deal like that. The ripped tolex makes it look cooler imo.

 

[the4thlast1]

Anyone have experience with the smaller sized Mills 4x12 ? I'm wondering if it projects like the big boy