I think I need a new cab

[Deleted member 22177]

I have a Mesa 4x12 with V30's that I bought in 1998 and recently thinking I need a new cab due to uncontrollable mid honking. I don't know if it's the room I'm in, which is the size of a normal bedroom. Both amps I use have to have the mids almost off in order to sound decent. My amps are a Randall Satan and Peters FSM. Maybe a 2x12 since the room is small?

 

[CrazyNutz]

Oversized, or standard sized? Iv'e never known mesa cabs to be big mid honkers.

be aware, the room can seriously mess with your tone, big time.

 

[Deleted member 22177]

Oversized, or standard sized? Iv'e never known mesa cabs to be big mid honkers.

be aware, the room can seriously mess with your tone, big time.

It's a standard size. What can I do for the room?

 

[Racerxrated]

Since you've had this for 20 yrs, what has changed recently in your tone chain? I agree with the previous poster in that rooms really do change what you hear. But I can't imagine that cab suddenly becoming more mid heavy.

 

[splatter]

you can't scoop the mids and crank the presence (assuming you have a presence knob)?


FWIW , maybe your ear is changing . I played through v30's for years . can't stand them now, they are extremely mid heavy.
If you decide to change things I would keep the cab and swap the speakers .
I switched to g12-H30's and love them

 

[Spaceboy]

Are you playing with a band, or solo? Sometimes things in the mids and high end that sound harsh in practice really make a tone shine with a band. Scooping mids out often makes something smoother and more agreeable to how we want to hear guitar when we practice. Because a lot of the recorded tones we hear are after mastering and EQ from our personal stereos, which are often scooped across the entire mix.

I personally can’t stand V30 if I’m playing alone, but they are my go-to for rock or metal bands and so easy to record too.

 

[CrazyNutz]

Oversized, or standard sized? Iv'e never known mesa cabs to be big mid honkers.

be aware, the room can seriously mess with your tone, big time.

It's a standard size. What can I do for the room?

Have you tried different spots/walls? Pull it away from the wall, or push it closer. Try a corner (usually results in more bass, but worth a try).

Are the walls bare, no pictures, shelves, etc. ?

Is the room carpeted? Is the room empty?

If its not carpeted it could sound harsh, I find low pile carpet, or a rug works the best. That thick pile stuff sucks the highs out.

 

[Deleted member 22177]

Are you playing with a band, or solo? Sometimes things in the mids and high end that sound harsh in practice really make a tone shine with a band. Scooping mids out often makes something smoother and more agreeable to how we want to hear guitar when we practice. Because a lot of the recorded tones we hear are after mastering and EQ from our personal stereos, which are often scooped across the entire mix.

I personally can’t stand V30 if I’m playing alone, but they are my go-to for rock or metal bands and so easy to record too.

What speaker do you prefer for playing alone?

 

[Deleted member 22177]

Oversized, or standard sized? Iv'e never known mesa cabs to be big mid honkers.

be aware, the room can seriously mess with your tone, big time.

It's a standard size. What can I do for the room?

Have you tried different spots/walls? Pull it away from the wall, or push it closer. Try a corner (usually results in more bass, but worth a try).

Are the walls bare, no pictures, shelves, etc. ?

Is the room carpeted? Is the room empty?

If its not carpeted it could sound harsh, I find low pile carpet, or a rug works the best. That thick pile stuff sucks the highs out.

It's pretty much empty with nothing on the walls and is not carpeted. I'm thinking of getting some foam to put on the walls along with some kind of rug or something.

 

[petejt]

Oversized, or standard sized? Iv'e never known mesa cabs to be big mid honkers.

be aware, the room can seriously mess with your tone, big time.

It's a standard size. What can I do for the room?

Have you tried different spots/walls? Pull it away from the wall, or push it closer. Try a corner (usually results in more bass, but worth a try).

Are the walls bare, no pictures, shelves, etc. ?

Is the room carpeted? Is the room empty?

If its not carpeted it could sound harsh, I find low pile carpet, or a rug works the best. That thick pile stuff sucks the highs out.

It's pretty much empty with nothing on the walls and is not carpeted. I'm thinking of getting some foam to put on the walls along with some kind of rug or something.

The foam won't do much, except for tapering off some of the high end.

The shape of the room itself, its dimensions, the floor surface, the ceiling surface, where the speaker is situated and where YOU are situated in the room will all affect how you hear your guitar tone.

This might sound drastic, but you could try sticking some old carpeting on the ceiling? A reflective floor (e.g. bare concrete) can be a good thing, as long as the ceiling is "absorptive".

Maybe stick some stools or armchairs in the corners, to act as bass traps. Put an old filled up bookcase at one end of the room. Hang an old low pile carpet on the opposite end, a couple of inches away from the wall.

 

[Deleted member 22177]

I pulled the cab away from the wall a few feet and that helped a lot, but I do need to put some things in the room to tighten it up. Thanks for the input.

 

[CrazyNutz]

I pulled the cab away from the wall a few feet and that helped a lot, but I do need to put some things in the room to tighten it up. Thanks for the input.

Good deal, put down a rug, and some other things in the room to break up reflections. Stools, chairs, lazy boy, beanbag, pictures, bookshelf, workbench, bong, Asian hooker, etc.