Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cabs - Opinions?

alan67

alan67

Well-known member
I may possibly be able to pick up two for a decent price. What are ya'lls opinions/thoughts on them?
 
I LOVE my 1960TV, slightly taller cab with UK made Greenbacks. I've had many 1960A variants over the years and really liked them. Sure the back panel is mdf and not solid birch ply like a lot of high dollar or aftermarket cabs, but Marshall 4x12s are the standard for a reason. I really dig the 75 watters, and didn't really care for V30s like so many people do.
 
I like the BX versions, but not the standard 'A' with modern T75's. It's hard to describe, but it's like the sound sort of 'gathers' maybe 10 feet in front of the cab, very projectionally, but if you walk around on stage (playing live perspective), you have these tremendous 'dips' in tone and volume.
They're a bit beamy basically. My Engl 4x12 Pro (with 2x V30 and 2x G12K-85) sounds soooo much better...but also weighs almost twice as much.

In combination with the EVH 50W, the BX cabs are really good match in adding that woody mid-crunch and compression, while de-emphasizing the top-end.
 
They are my favorite cabs and I have 3 of them. Stock 1960AX with UK Greenbacks and a pair of 1960A’s that I swapped the speakers. One has Heritage G12-65’s and the other has Neo Creambacks on top and Mesa spec V30’s on bottom.

At one time I had 2 of the 1960A’s, a Bogner Helios 4x12, and the EVH 4x12. I spent many weekends swapping around the same speakers into the different cabs. The 1960A always won out by a good margin. Or maybe my old ears just like the slant. And BTW, all three of my 1960A’s came with ply backs.
 
Bought 2 new one back in 93.
Never did use them.
To hard to carry around.
Use to grab the head abd a 1 12 bottom.

Took me forever to sell them.
Practically gave them away $750 for the set.

I was happy to see them go.

Only cost me $1000 back then for both
 
Mine is from 2013 and has a plywood back.

I mean... the thing is built like ass compared to Mesa, Bogner, Diezel, Friedman, etc.

But it's hard to argue with how it sounds, especially mic'ed up.
 
I have mostly 1960A cabs, with a few Bs and 1 Mode 4 B cab. To me, speakers make the cab more than anything. But Marshall 1960 cabs are typically good sounding, and they tend to be a little 'snappier' than say a Mesa or Bogner cab.
The one thing to check when you get one, are the screws inside holding the baffle, and the speakers themselves. They sometimes need tightening. This will ensure you get the best sound esp when you turn up.
 
FLUXX said:
Nothing holds it's value like a 1960A.
And they are work horses.
I've had mine since the early 2000s,
and it's as tough as ever, and still sounds killer!
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Absolutely.

Let's face it, they are the standard when it comes to a 4x12. Sure plenty of variants through the years of "equal and sometimes" better construction but the Marshall 1960A and B are legend.

Me personally I've never owned a bad one and I cannot say that for "some" other companies when it comes to "tonally". Obviously speakers play a huge part but I have had great cabs from other companies that I simply do not get along with.
 
I’m trying to sell/trade a DRRI and someone offered me a JCM800 1960b for it, I got all kinds of excited until I saw it has the G12-70’s and seems every recording of them sounds like ass. Is that generally the case for those speakers?
 
RevDrucifer said:
I’m trying to sell/trade a DRRI and someone offered me a JCM800 1960b for it, I got all kinds of excited until I saw it has the G12-70’s and seems every recording of them sounds like ass. Is that generally the case for those speakers?
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The 70's to some are trash but on the flipside, two of the better sounding cabs I owned back in the day were loaded with them. In fact going from the 70's to 75's is was like being stabbed in the ear with an ice pick of mids initially. I've since come to like 75's. The GM-70's are just a very scooped somewhat neutral sounding speaker. I also think coming from the iconic 65's to the 70's was rather drastic, then even more drastic the 75's. So the 70's have generally gotten a bad rap. Thing is, 800B is a great cab, if you don't like them just replace.
 
jabps said:
The 70's to some are trash but on the flipside, two of the better sounding cabs I owned back in the day were loaded with them. In fact going from the 70's to 75's is was like being stabbed in the ear with an ice pick of mids initially. I've since come to like 75's. The GM-70's are just a very scooped somewhat neutral sounding speaker. I also think coming from the iconic 65's to the 70's was rather drastic, then even more drastic the 75's. So the 70's have generally gotten a bad rap. Thing is, 800B is a great cab, if you don't like them just replace.
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It’s tempting, but not sure it’s worth a mint DRRI in a straight up trade.

Thanks for the thoughts!
 
Huge price drop on almost every Marshall product!

Does not look like a sale but new lower prices, better than the price drops in the Fall.
 
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