4x12 Speaker Cabinet "Holy Grail"

the4thlast1

the4thlast1

Well-known member
We love amps here I get it BUT whats the 4x12 cab that blew you away. One that has stood out above the others you've tried. Room filling, mix dominating, clear/tight etc

For me so far my go to cabs have been Mesa traditonal with v30s and Splawn with green back type speakers. I had a Mills at one point that was very interesting, it dominated a live mix like no other but I didnt love the tone , it had a dry kinda sterile thing going on. I always wondered if there is a cab out there that would project like the mills but have a tone more to my liking. The Mills was so interesting because the sound was even everywhere in the room. It did not project in a straight line like most cabs.

Anyways I have my eye on a couple new designs out there such as the Omega amps cab and the 3rd power 4x12 . Has anyone reinvented the wheel or its just the same thing over and over ?
 
There are many cabs I've used and liked/loved, most of them fall into pricey territories. On a cheaper hand, I've played a very great sounding Blackstar Artisan 4x12.
 
My oversize Mesa was a Favorite but ieventually sold it in favor or a normal sized cab. I got a great deal on a Marshall 1960BHW with the Heritage G12h30's. I miss having a higher powered cab though & have always wanted a Broken in Mesa Traditional from the 90's- early 00's.

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.
 
Hard to say, they all have different characteristics depending what head you have plugged in.

I'd say my tops are, Marshall 1960AV, and BV, Mesa OS, Bogner 412ST, and the Friedmans.

I've had soo many 4x12's, and the ones I mentioned are the only ones I've kept for extended periods, or still own. All the others have been flipped quickly.
 
Here is my personal list of best cabs (not limited to 4x12s) I have ever played.

  • Coffee Audio Lungo 4x12 with Celestion Marshall Vintage or G12H-150 Redbacks: Tight, fat, open, fast, musical. Perfect for metal.
  • Diezel 2x12 rearloaded half open-back with Celestion G12-65 Heritage: Best cab for rock music with Diezel Hagen and VHX.
  • Diezel 4x12 frontloaded with Celestion G12K-100: Best cab for metal music with Diezel Herbert Mk3 and VHX.
  • Zilla 4x12 oversized with Celestion Marshall Vintage: For me it's the best sounding cab among the Marshall 1960 variations (Friedman, Bogner, etc.)
 
I have two favorites, one being my workhorse Engl E412 Vintage. It's an incredible cab; super throaty and rough, really adds some aggression to whatever amp you run through it. I only use it for recording because it's also extremely fucking heavy and I'm a crybaby when it comes to loading-in and out. The other is a Marshall 425A. I've never actually owned one but I used one and it kicked ass. It had the vibe of V30s but with a little more grind and crunch. I need one of them to round-out my Personal All-Star Guitar Cab lineup (made up of a 1960AV, 1960B, E412 Vintage, and Mesa Traditional 4x12).
 
I think my favorite cab for what I like to play is the Fryette Fat Bottom with Fane F70G speakers. Speakers make a difference in this cab because I absolutely hated the cab when it had p50e speakers. lol

I think the Omega cab may be the next one I get. I have a Granophyre that's close to being finished. If it's a keeper, I'll probably buy the cab to go with it.

For perspective 412 cabs I've owned include:

Mills Afterburner
Mills standardard sized cab
Diezel - RL, early FL, and more recent BAD FL
Bogner - Uberkab - RL and standard Bogner RL
Fryette Fat Bottom - with p50e and Fanes
Fryette Deliverance - with p50e
Friedman - RL
Splawn - RL
Wizard - RL
Mesa - Standard Recto slant
EVH
 
I really like my Marshall 1960A with 16 ohm Creamback H-75's and Relic 30's in an X pattern. I'd love to try a better-constructed cab like a Mesa with that speaker combo. Or maybe an oversized cab with that combo as well for some slightly less prominent midrange.
 
For me its the deliverance 4x12. Light-weight, easy to move, and extremely punchy. I had the recto cab which is the gold standard for cabs and I vastly preferred it. The p50e's just do it for me.
 
ZEEGLER":23brlr9b said:
Peavey Butcher/VTM cab with K85s. It's virtually indestructible and sounds awesome with every amp I've put through it.
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I agree 100%.i have two I paid under $200 for each. Hard to beat IMO.

Splawn makes awesome cabs in general. I love my Splawn 2x12 with small blocks. Very well rounded IMO.
 
guidedbyechoes":dmzoky5m said:
For me its the deliverance 4x12. Light-weight, easy to move, and extremely punchy. I had the recto cab which is the gold standard for cabs and I vastly preferred it. The p50e's just do it for me.
Click to expand...

That was the one I could not get along with the most. I did however like the light weight of it. Maybe I just needed to give it time to grow on me.
 
CNutz":108xiop6 said:
guidedbyechoes":108xiop6 said:
For me its the deliverance 4x12. Light-weight, easy to move, and extremely punchy. I had the recto cab which is the gold standard for cabs and I vastly preferred it. The p50e's just do it for me.
Click to expand...

That was the one I could not get along with the most. I did however like the light weight of it. Maybe I just needed to give it time to grow on me.
Click to expand...
Me also, wanted to love it but it sounded very average with both the 60 and the 120.

Hard to beat a vintage Marshall cab, something about the 70s cabs I've owned that just have 'it'. Right now I have a 79 with 65s, 76 with M25s and the other day finally nabbed a 72 with original Pulsonic M25s. Now I get why those speakers are so sought after. Amazing cab.

I also have a Mesa OS, and Mesa metal grill with EV/C90s. Also great cabs. Perfect with Mesas.
 
swamptrashstompboxes":2swgd23w said:
ZEEGLER":2swgd23w said:
Peavey Butcher/VTM cab with K85s. It's virtually indestructible and sounds awesome with every amp I've put through it.
Click to expand...

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

Riveras sound especially good through these cabs. ;)
 
To chime back in on some cabs you guys mentioned. I've tried a couple peavey cabs that I thought sounded good , but Ive never tried a butcher cab.

At one point I had a Diezel 4x12 rear loaded that sounded great, I probably should have held on to that cab. BUT out of every 4x12 I've owned the only one that sounded very different from the others as I said before was the Mills. I like that it was an innovative design that brought something new to the table. Which is why I'm looking at cabs like the Omega, 3rd power , maybe a port city. I dunno, something that might fill a room different than a "standard" cab.

With all that being said I'm open to trying more "traditional" design cabs as well. The Fryette Fane loaded 4x12 has my attention mostly because of how much Mhenson likes them.
 
mesa metal grill with 2 mc90's and ev's
mesa metal grill with 4 ms12's
randall slime green with 2 v30's and 1 emi 15.
had a gflex 2x12 that was pretty killer also.
 
Racerxrated":1ew5lcy8 said:
CNutz":1ew5lcy8 said:
guidedbyechoes":1ew5lcy8 said:
For me its the deliverance 4x12. Light-weight, easy to move, and extremely punchy. I had the recto cab which is the gold standard for cabs and I vastly preferred it. The p50e's just do it for me.
Click to expand...

That was the one I could not get along with the most. I did however like the light weight of it. Maybe I just needed to give it time to grow on me.
Click to expand...
Me also, wanted to love it but it sounded very average with both the 60 and the 120.

Hard to beat a vintage Marshall cab, something about the 70s cabs I've owned that just have 'it'. Right now I have a 79 with 65s, 76 with M25s and the other day finally nabbed a 72 with original Pulsonic M25s. Now I get why those speakers are so sought after. Amazing cab.

I also have a Mesa OS, and Mesa metal grill with EV/C90s. Also great cabs. Perfect with Mesas.
Click to expand...
Couldn’t agree more about the vintage Marshall 1960’s

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