Clip: Mesa OS vs Traditional

[Brandonrz]

The Omega? Yeah they look really cool haha. Best sounding amp I have at the moment!

I really don’t understand the grano hate. It sounds crushing. Love mine. Thought the obsidian got pretty boxy sounding though.

In regards to the cab I think end of day both can be killer… different strokes different folks. But man, I love micing up an angled OS Mesa with v30s and a 57… also might be a bit of the difference mine have always been angled. I did always chase that sound and cab because of the sneap albums in the early 00s… my cab definitely has that thing going on. I thought the study Kohle did and talked with Nolly about on cab construction and how adding the angle (some straight cabs do this too like Marshall’s on purpose) add a real pleasant dip at 500hz, which is probably why I always go after that…. A bunch of 500hz to my ear for metal just doesn’t do it for me. Also as @anomaly said Marshall like circuits don’t seem to do the best with a Mesa OS. I usually have done my wizards with them on video because it’s what everyone has and might be easier to reference…. But I actually prefer them with my 80s Marshall b cab.

 

[Nigel]

My ‘03 OS sounds like the trad but bigger and deeper like an OS should.

The video doesn’t lie.

That cab sounds uncool and kind of like mine did before the mods, which is why I did the mods in the first place.

Probably good for numetal and active rock stock, and likely pretty different at stage volume with a hot power amp cooking too.

Not for me tho. I’d mod it or sell it.

 

[FourT6and2]

There's a huge difference between a real, physical cab that you hear in the room and a digital recreation...

 

[FourT6and2]

In the video he’s comparing UK V30’s in the standard and Celestion V30’s in the traditional (OS).

No he isn't. They are all Mesa UK V30s. And before you say, "Oh... well the OS has older speakers and the trad has the newer ones that are somehow different...", I literally had a brand new OS next to a brand new Trad and the results where the same to my ears. OS went bye bye.

 

[FourT6and2]

I've owned both the traditional and OS cabinets. I now own 4 traditional cabinets. To me the OS wasn't the fact it was boomy or woofy it's more beamy with less mids and pearcing highs. I had the OS for many years and finally sold it and never looked back. That cabinet made a lot of amps sounds like shit. I almost wonder if it was wired incorrectly with 10 gauge wire from the factory.

Exactly. I don't know where all this boominess talk is coming from. Boominess is the least of the OS cab's issues. It has these piercing highs and zero mids. Just a scooped mess. I know some people love their OS, and that's great. But have those people put a trad next to it to compare?

 

[jasonP]

Exactly. I don't know where all this boominess talk is coming from. Boominess is the least of the OS cab's issues. It has these piercing highs and zero mids. Just a scooped mess. I know some people love their OS, and that's great. But have those people put a trad next to it to compare?

Many years later after I sold my OS cab, a good guitar friend got an OS cab and we heard exactly what we are describing again. Just reconfirming it and knowing that it wasn’t just that one cab I owned that sounded this way. Pretty interesting.

 

[glpg80]

No he isn't. They are all Mesa UK V30s. And before you say, "Oh... well the OS has older speakers and the trad has the newer ones that are somehow different...", I literally had a brand new OS next to a brand new Trad and the results where the same to my ears. OS went bye bye.

You’re right I misspoke - I meant to say UK Made (2025) vs Chinese Made (2005). I also agree the cabinet makes all of the difference regardless and I also prefer the standard cabinet over traditional.

 

[Greazygeo]

Exactly. I don't know where all this boominess talk is coming from. Boominess is the least of the OS cab's issues. It has these piercing highs and zero mids. Just a scooped mess. I know some people love their OS, and that's great. But have those people put a trad next to it to compare?

Mine does not have the piercing highs/ no mids thing. It is not boomy either. It’s very balanced sounding. I generally hate v30’s, for whatever reason, this one sounds and records great.

I have 7 4-12’s. No Mesa traditional cab thoigh. My two Wizard 412’s, one has two Marshall vintage while other has 2012 V30’s. Wanted to try them, they are awful. Those have the piercing highs and not much else. My 76 Marshall straight cab I bought recently has Scumback M55 65 watt speakers. It is brighter than the Mesa OS, but not the piercing highs. Have to dial the amp a bit differently.
The Wizard cabs with gbs were not bright.

 

[FourT6and2]

Mine does not have the piercing highs/ no mids thing. It is not boomy either. It’s very balanced sounding. I generally hate v30’s, for whatever reason, this one sounds and records great.

I have 7 4-12’s. No Mesa traditional cab thoigh. My two Wizard 412’s, one has two Marshall vintage while other has 2012 V30’s. Wanted to try them, they are awful. Those have the piercing highs and not much else. My 76 Marshall straight cab I bought recently has Scumback M55 65 watt speakers. It is brighter than the Mesa OS, but not the piercing highs. Have to dial the amp a bit differently.
The Wizard cabs with gbs were not bright.

Because I now have three Mesa traditional cabs (!), I'm able to experiment with one of them. I'm keeping two stock and the third one I use for swapping speakers and testing various things. What didn't change or improve the sound: changing the wiring. There's a thread about that. But what did make an audible difference was loosening all the mounting bolts, putting washers on them (Mesa doesn't use washers for some reason), and retorquing them all using a torque wrench to 10 in-lbs. I think even, consistent pressure on the speaker frame is key. These simple things did improve the sound of the cab. And I will do it to the other two as well.

As far as the OS, goes... it is what it is. Didn't bond with the one I had at all.

 

[Greazygeo]

Because I now have three Mesa traditional cabs (!), I'm able to experiment with one of them. I'm keeping two stock and the third one I use for swapping speakers and testing various things. What didn't change or improve the sound: changing the wiring. There's a thread about that. But what did make an audible difference was loosening all the mounting bolts, putting washers on them (Mesa doesn't use washers for some reason), and retorquing them all using a torque wrench to 10 in-lbs. I think even, consistent pressure on the speaker frame is key. These simple things did improve the sound of the cab. And I will do it to the other two as well.

As far as the OS, goes... it is what it is. Didn't bond with the one I had at all.

View attachment 449587

I would not have gone out of my way to buy an OS cab nor would I gig with one. This one was $250.00. Figured it was worth a try. My studio space is upstairs, yeah that was fun! Plugged it in and it sounded good, was pretty shocked. Mic’d it up and it records excellent with about anything. But it is a ‘92 cab. Got lucky with that year I would think.

I am wondering if maybe the speakers were /are different between the OS vs Trad cabs.

 

[Exo-metal]

We don't know what kind of tones you or others use it for. Can good tone come out of an OS sure, but no way is it ideal for every tone as is other gear for all situations. For what I like that cab is garbage/useless and uneeded...

 

[Metalhex]

Whats a good price for a traditional cab used if I should find one?

 

[angelspade]

Whats a good price for a traditional cab used if I should find one?

$600 - $800...I have bought and sold several

 

[BABMusic]

Yes, I paid $649 for mine from GC (not including tax) -- shipping was free.

 

[FourT6and2]

I tried to find a used one for years with no luck. Had to finally just buy new. Wish I bit the bullet much sooner.

 

[valve]

There's a huge difference between a real, physical cab that you hear in the room and a digital recreation...

in your words: owning both an OS and trad, the characteristics i hear in mine are there in video also. So I don't think the IR aspect has much to do with it.
The trad. has more forward mids overall (but can get boxy). The OS is more scooped and has the brighter highs which can sound good or awful depending on the amp and user.
another one:

 

[FourT6and2]

in your words: owning both an OS and trad, the characteristics i hear in mine are there in video also. So I don't think the IR aspect has much to do with it.
The trad. has more forward mids overall (but can get boxy). The OS is more scooped and has the brighter highs which can sound good or awful depending on the amp and user.
another one:

That's a better video example. But I'm sure the differences were even larger in the room.

 

[valve]

That's a better video example. But I'm sure the differences were even larger in the room.

of course!

 

[cardinal]

I tried to find a used one for years with no luck. Had to finally just buy new. Wish I bit the bullet much sooner.

Fwiw about buying new cabs;

My fav cab is a Marshall 1960AV that a bought brand new when at the time I owned probably ten other 4x12s (the basement looked ridiculous). I was so disappointed when I first plugged it in. Sounded dreadfully bright and thin. It took a few days of burning in the speakers before the cab warmed up and started sounding right. And as I said it's my favorite cab now and I've sold nearly all the other cabs (except for one 4x12 with greenbacks and an OS412 that I happen to actually like).

 

[peterc52]

He bought the cab without Mesa speakers. I’m pretty sure they are standard model V30’s (also made in UK now)