Need opinions on 1x12 8-ohm cab with 100 watt handling

[romanianreaper]

I'm looking at an 8 ohm 1x12 again to use with my Synergy 20IR but also with my Orange Dual Baby which is 100 watts.

I am considering an Avatar 1x12 cab with a GK100 or Redback speaker or a Mesa Thiele cab. The reason I'm not super excited about a Thiele cab is that it had 90 watts handling and don't want to blow it. Granted, I'd using a 100 watt transistor amp at less than half volume, so im sure that wouldn't be an issue. Definitely wouldn't be an issue for the Synergy.

 

[RaceU4her]

marshall 1912 is 150w

 

[romanianreaper]

marshall 1912 is 150w

I forgot about that one

 

[7704A]

I just double-checked, and the Orange actually does put out 100W @ 8 ohms. Nice. I'm used to solid state amps being labeled with max power, usually only achievable at really low and often unpractical impedances.

The reason I'm not super excited about a Thiele cab is that it had 90 watts handling and don't want to blow it. Granted, I'd using a 100 watt transistor amp at less than half volume, so im sure that wouldn't be an issue. Definitely wouldn't be an issue for the Synergy.

A Thiele with an EV would do the trick.

 

[mcstinger]

Also Marshall 6912, but I have never had played it. Also there is Celestion G12T100, which is IMHO not bad at all.

 

[romanianreaper]

I just double-checked, and the Orange actually does put out 100W @ 8 ohms. Nice. I'm used to solid state amps being labeled with max power, usually only achievable at really low and often unpractical impedances.

A Thiele with an EV would do the trick.

Yeah it is loud, even 70 watts at 16 ohms. My Orange Super Crush 100 combo is basically the same amp section as the Baby amps and at gigs ,I'd have the volume at 10 or 11 o'clock.

 

[PiggySmallz]

These are all options for a 100W through a 1x12:

Eminence Swamp Thang - 150w
Eminence Texas Heat - 150W
Eminence Man O War - 120W
Celestion Redback - 150W
Celestion GT12-K100 - 100W

 

[romanianreaper]

These are all options for a 100W through a 1x12:

Eminence Swamp Thang - 150w
Eminence Texas Heat - 150W
Eminence Man O War - 120W
Celestion Redback - 150W
Celestion GT12-K100 - 100W

A lot of good choices! That GT12-K100 speaker is in my Orange Super Crush 100 combo so know that sound works. I've been curious about the Redback too.

 

[PiggySmallz]

A lot of good choices! That GT12-K100 speaker is in my Orange Super Crush 100 combo so know that sound works. I've been curious about the Redback too.

I had some K100s mixed with V30s and went back and forth on them.

Really like the redback! A swamp thang will give you some good smooth low end but it may be a bit bland and dark on its own.

Havent tried a man o war or a Texas heat but from clips they sound like they have a bit more high mid voicing similar to a V30 but without the harsh spike at 4-5k

 

[Shask]

A lot of good choices! That GT12-K100 speaker is in my Orange Super Crush 100 combo so know that sound works. I've been curious about the Redback too.

I like the K100 and Swamp Thang. They are actually kinda similar in some ways. The Swamp Thang just dont have that Celestion fizz.

 

[Speeddemon]

I like the K100 and Swamp Thang. They are actually kinda similar in some ways. The Swamp Thang just dont have that Celestion fizz.

Did you find the K100 have any fizz then? I'm playing vintage G12K85's and sure, ageing and break-in will come in play, but I found it to be one of the more rounder/smoother top-end speakers from Celestion.
Now a brand new T75 or G12H 70th Anniv OTOH...jeez...

 

[ChurchHill]

Did you find the K100 have any fizz then? I'm playing vintage G12K85's and sure, ageing and break-in will come in play, but I found it to be one of the more rounder/smoother top-end speakers from Celestion.
Now a brand new T75 or G12H 70th Anniv OTOH...jeez...

FWIW, I have a set of late-80s K85s and a set of newish K100s. While I can tell the K100s are newer, they still sound pretty much the same. Neither have fizz. The new ones are a little brighter (not much) and a little tighter (not much), but that's what I'd expect compared to something I've pummeled for 30+ years.

And yeah, the 70th Annis are harsh and that's putting it mildly. I seem to keep trying to like T75s, but I just don't.

 

[Shask]

Did you find the K100 have any fizz then? I'm playing vintage G12K85's and sure, ageing and break-in will come in play, but I found it to be one of the more rounder/smoother top-end speakers from Celestion.
Now a brand new T75 or G12H 70th Anniv OTOH...jeez...

I find all Celestions have some sort of fizz / crunchy sound in the highs. Around 4khz. It is their signature sound. The K100 has less of it than some of the others I have tried, like the V30, but it is still there compared to other brands.

I bought new K100s and new T75s a year or 2 ago, and I thought they sounded similar in a lot of ways. The K100 has more mids where the T75 is more scooped, and the T75 has that presence fizz/zing to the top end the K100s dont have. The K100s are brighter overall, but the T75s have that upper end fizz which can make them seem brighter if you dont compensate with your presence control.

The K100 sounds like Slayer to me, lol. As soon as I plugged them in, I am like, yep, 2000s Slayer. That is exactly what they sound like. The T75s sound like 90s metal to me, which is why I like them so much.

Yeah, age will effect it also. I recently bought 2 used Marshall 1960B cabs, one is 2002, and the other is 2025. The 2002 is definitely darker.

I bought the Swamp Thangs around the same time as the K100s. I think they are like the Eminence version of them, because they sound similar in that they both have a broad, fairly flat sound. The Swamp Thangs are a little more scooped broadly, but have the same enhanced bass and treble.

 

[Speeddemon]

@ChurchHill and @Shask you both ought yourself to try some old T75's, preferably the vented types. But otherwise, the white label, serifed-font version will do. Look at how 'G12T-75' is written... THAT font is what I'm talking about.

I've got both types and for A/B ing purposes, put them in one cab once; see image attached.

Both will sound more balanced than the fizzy, scooped ones from the 90's onward. Especially the vented ones have quite thick (low) mids and sound very close to the G12-65's!

 

[napalmdeath]

These are all options for a 100W through a 1x12:

Eminence Swamp Thang - 150w
Eminence Texas Heat - 150W
Eminence Man O War - 120W
Celestion Redback - 150W
Celestion GT12-K100 - 100W

I dug the Swamp Thangs when I had them in a 2x12. For a 1x12, I'm voting Thiele. I doubt you'd blow the MC90, they're all rated conservatively. And the Thiele is a nice punchy cab.

Next choice would be Avatar, and have the pick of the litter for a speaker.

 

[ChurchHill]

@ChurchHill and @Shask you both ought yourself to try some old T75's, preferably the vented types. But otherwise, the white label, serifed-font version will do. Look at how 'G12T-75' is written... THAT font is what I'm talking about.

I've got both types and for A/B ing purposes, put them in one cab once; see image attached.

Both will sound more balanced than the fizzy, scooped ones from the 90's onward. Especially the vented ones have quite thick (low) mids and sound very close to the G12-65's!

Yeah, the older T75s do sound different. I've got a set of the vented ones from '84 and a couple sets from '87 including some skunk-backs. They're better than the new ones, but still just a little too scooped sounding for me. For my tastes, I just like the K100s and 65s better.

I think a lot has to do with the cab, too. I've got a pair of early '80s G12-50s (what later became the widely hated G12M70) that sound killer in an open-back cab but like dog crap in a closed cab.

Several years ago, Celestion had a G12-35XC that I really liked, too, and I've got a set of '76 Blackbacks that are just killer with my JMP 2203.

 

[ChurchHill]

I dug the Swamp Thangs when I had them in a 2x12. For a 1x12, I'm voting Thiele. I doubt you'd blow the MC90, they're all rated conservatively. And the Thiele is a nice punchy cab.

Next choice would be Avatar, and have the pick of the litter for a speaker.

FWIW, I agree with the Thiele and doubting you'd blow the MC90. I believe those are Mesa's version of the Classic Lead, which is also a good sounding speaker. Brighter than the K100, but not fizzy, either.

I think that the CL and the T75 are related, with the main difference being the magnet size. I think the heavier magnet helps bring back some of the upper-mids that I miss in the T75s. I'd have to look at the specs and construction to be sure, but my ears tell me they're in the same family as far as Celestions go.

 

[romanianreaper]

Yeah, I would imagine Mesa knew what they were doing with the 90 watt speaker and figured players were not just going to use those cabs for small wattage amps.

I'm primarily going to be using the Synergy and that is only 20 watts of tube goodness. Although the Dual Baby is loud, it is a transistor amp and never have even had it at half way for practice or gigs.

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

The cabinet you want is hard to find as it’s been discontinued, but I just snagged one two months ago and it’s the Mesa 3/4 back 1x12.

It’s 26 inches wide and mine came with a Mesa V 30 instead of the shadow 90.

It really does sound pretty huge and I compared it to my Friedman 2 x 12 which has been my favorite to 12 for a number of years and it compares pretty well to that, and due to the marginal opening at the top of the back of the cabinet and a little vent in the middle of it, it does bloom pretty well

Guitar center had three of them on sale right when I bought mine for $400 and they’re all gone now.

 

[srommes]

I’m completely in agreement with JYD above. The Mesa 3/4 back 1x12 is the biggest sounding, with the most thump you’ll find in a 1x12. I have a pair of these as well as the 1x12 Recto cubes, 1x12 Thiele’s and 1x12 Lone Stars as well as a pair of 2x12 Recto Horizontal cabs. The Mesa 3/4 back 1x12‘s put out nearly as much low end thump as the 2x12 Rectos. They are just killer cabs. No idea why Mesa discontinued them.