Advice on modding a V30 4x12 for bigger sound?

  • Thread starter Thread starter GJgo
  • Start date Start date
GJgo

GJgo

Well-known member
Hey all,

So I just traded into a Crate G412SL (sealed, slanted) cabinet (8 ohm) loaded with 4 V30s. I was pretty stoked, I traded up & I've wanted a V30 big cab for a long time.

I've been playing a Randall Diavlo V30 1x12 ported cab (with my RD20) for a while now. I have to say, that cab sounds very big, bright, killer bass response.

This new cab initially I'm a little underwhelmed with the tone & I was thinking if it's worth modding to fit my needs or if that would screw it up & I should just sell it. As it sits, it's actually kind of muddy with poor bass response. The Randall cab (with the same speaker) sounds way cleaner & punchier.

- I think (?) putting a port in it might help? (seems to me V30s like a port.) There is a little room right in the middle right between the 4 speakers. Another thought, my mom is a bass player & she has a Mesa cab with a port firing at the floor & it sounds huge on stage, has anyone done a down ported guitar cab?

- I noticed when I looked in the back of this thing, the wires are probably 22 gauge. Crazy small. Would it make any difference to up it to say 12 gauge wiring to match my input cable? Originally it was a 100w box & now it's 240w.

Other thoughts? Thanks.
 
Is the thing plywood or mdf?

Don't overtighten the screws holding in the speakers, but otherwise try to tighten up the screws and such.

Maybe try a layer of polyfill batting over the inside of the back panel.

But generally, you may want to just patiently wait for a V30 loaded Marshall 1960 to pop up locally for a good price.
 
First off, are you sure they are V30s? Pull off the back and check. I remember a buddy years ago had an old Crate cab and he swore they were V30. Nope. M70s..yuck. And what the previous poster said...foam on the back panel and making the cab airtight will help. Good luck. Edit...I see you already had the back off. Check to see that its wired correctly...if someone swapped them previous to you who knows if they are wired right. V30s should have decent bass to them......
 
Thanks. The box is plywood, I checked with a multimeter & it is 8 ohms wired, the screws are all a good tightness, and I did confirm they are 8 ohm V30s.

What does the foam do on the back panel?

I live in a small city so the selection of used stuff isn't super awesome. :) I want to make this thing sound good if I can!
 
When you put some foam on the back panel it seems to tighten the sound, and trying to make the cab airtight also helps tighten/focus the sound. That's the best way for me to describe it. Google this subject and you can get lots of ideas. It could be though, that your V30s are just worn out. Never encountered that myself but its a possibility. Just putting some on the back panel can make a big difference.
 
From talking to the guy I got it from I think it may be that the speakers are still new & not broken in yet. That would explain the stiffness, but I'd still like to see more bass response for chugga.
 
One of the things you notice about all of the great sounding and expensive cabs is the batting/foam inside. They have a method of how/why they do it and I certainly can't explain it. But when I saw the insides of some of these cabs I noticed the insulation/foam and tried it with some cabs, and just putting some on the back panel has improved the tightness/focus of some of the Marshall cabs I've had over the years. Of course the wood/ply/particle board construction is obviously most of the tone but the foam can be a really cheap modification. Hell I used carpet padding once and it worked well.
 
If the cab doesn't suit you I would refrain from attempting to modify it. It will probably cost you more money and time than it is worth. It is much easier to just find a cab as you wish it to be and go from there.
 
Guitar Center.com is a good source for used cabs. They'll ship it to you for like 20 bucks, and you can return it in 30 days to the nearest GC for a refund if you don't like it. Lots of used Marshall 1960 cabs on there...if the Crate is cheap enough keep it and look for a used Marshall 1960 and just swap speakers.
 
Huh. I think I can come up on some foam padding easy enough. Worth a try.

Has anyone tried side porting in a guitar cab?

Any thoughts on what gauge wire should be in there?
 
those crate 4x12s were hit and miss....sounds like you got one of the better ones with v30's. even so, they're pretty underwhelming cabinets tonally.

one thing you might want to check is the phasing....make sure all the speakers pop out or bump in when you do the 9v battery test. put the positve of the battery on the tip of your cord, and the negative will touch the sleeve....when you do this with the cable plugged into the cab, the speakers will make a distinct popping noise (nothing to worry about)...but, they should all either pop out or bump in like i said. if they dont, the wiring will need to be corrected so they are all in phase. i would check the randall cab too, and then make sure both are in phase with each other....weak sounds are a good indication of phase issues in a <1 speaker setup.
 
GJgo":1rg2kkbs said:
Huh. I think I can come up on some foam padding easy enough. Worth a try.

Has anyone tried side porting in a guitar cab?

Any thoughts on what gauge wire should be in there?
Click to expand...
Not sure about porting. Just put foam on the back panel. You could get some lampcord at a hardware store, those are nice thick and cheap for speaker wire. Just strip and solder them in. Less than 20 bucks to see if that improves it.
 
What amp are you using? What volumes are you playing at? V30s are all upper mids and highs. They work well with amps that have a lot of bottom end not so much with others. That said, they won't compare bass response wise with a speaker voiced to accentuate lower frequencies. I would recommend mixing them with either g12T75, variants k85s etc. or g1265. Need more about your set up and what sound you're after though to be more specific.

To give an example of amps , I was quite surprised what amps respond well to vintage 30s. After using a three different 4x12 cabs, ampeg ss-4x12 with g12t75s, marshall 425a with g12cs, and a jcm800 B cab with g1265s. I picked up a mills acoustics 2x12 with v30s. I played all my amps through it. Ranging from JMP 2204, Marshall vm 2466, jcm2000 DSL 100, Soldano SLO, jet city jca-22. Long story short, the 2204 sounded the biggest with the best low end of all these amps. DSL 100 was second SLO was very close behind. V30s also don't produce low end until you crank your amp. You have to push them hard to come anywhere close to the other speakers I mentioned above as far as getting low end. At least with the amps I have used.

Keep in mind , your rig has to work together. From the pick in your hand, all the way to the speaker, and everything in between. Look at how it all works together, not just one factor. That JMP sounded massive with the mills cab and it surprised the hell out of me.
 
Thanks everyone. :) I'm running a Diavlo RD20, just jamming around the house. Always searching for that magic sound.

Tried some foam padding, that does help to define / tighten the sound. It didn't do anything for the tone, though. I think it may just be a poorly designed cabinet.

Did the 9v battery phasing test, all speakers pop out with the juice.

I picked up some 12 gauge speaker wire because overkill. Not sure it helped at the volumes I'm pushing but I feel better about it.

I tried G12T75s previously with this Randall head & it did not sound good. It really likes the V30s, and the Randall V30 ported cab sounds killer. I agree, it's all about every single thing in the chain- down to the strings & picks. Sure is fun to try out different things though.

Next I think I'll pop out a side handle to see how side porting would sound.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top