So is there really any point to having a 4x12 anymore?

[amiller]

I used to have this same debate with my brother. I was using a MESA combo at the time. I don't remember how it happened but I ended up doing a gig with a 4X12 for some reason. I remember think..."oh, now I get it." I used 4X12 cabs from that point on...never looked back.

I don't gig any more I just record in my home studio with my new Kemper...real cabs are a moot point.

 

[Ampaddict]

Can't get the thump with anything else.

 

[Valtyr]

First of all, rock n' roll doesn't have a fucking point. It's about doing whatever the hell it is you want to do. I happen to like the sound my 4x12" makes, so that's what I play out of. The argument that a 4x12" puts out too much bass and steps all over the bassist is hilarious. People have been using 4x12" cabs at miked gigs for decades and have been able to manage the mix just fine. If a proper half stack is too heavy for you to lug around, maybe you should start playing in a smooth jazz band. God damn, when did guitar get so pussified?

There is something to the "stepping all over" each other argument, but the problem isn't the fact the guitarist may be using 4X12's. Having more bass and more sound dispersion available is not a bad thing. I have heard groups where the bass or other instruments dominate the guitar and the overall sound isn't great in those situations either. I think it has more to do with EQ than the size of the cabs.

In an earlier post someone mentioned the lack of audible bass in AJFA. As a bass player, I have found that adding in too much distortion can make my bass tone blend in with the guitar tone to the point where it becomes nearly indistinguishable from the overall guitar sound. If his tone had been a little more different from the guitar tones then it would have seemed less inaudible, even in a shitty mix.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Depends on the situation. If you have the house to youself for given times then why not. If you're like me and have a 3 month old and a 3 year old a 4x12 makes no sense to me. And I'm more than happy with the way my Electra Dyne 2x12 combo sounds. I have a IIC+ 1x12 combo and the amp sounds great, but that tiny combo does sound small and boxy even with the 200 watt speaker. But it's great for mouse fart levels and I may just add a thiele 1x12.

 

[metalmaniac93]

And I just picked up a used Marshall 4X12 1960 BHW!!!

 

[D-Rock]

We can't hear the bass on AJFA because James and Lars removed it from the mix to mess with Jason. They kinda secretly hated him and never stopped using him as a punching bag.
It had nothing to do with the guitar tones having too much lowend or gain. The guitars were very tight and kinda sterile. Bass guitar would have improved the sound.

Also, 4x12's don't make you louder.
They just add fullness and disperse the sound more.

Try attaching four sprinkler nozzles to a hose. Does the water pressure increase? No. You just get more wet.

 

[metalmaniac93]

Depends on the situation. If you have the house to youself for given times then why not. If you're like me and have a 3 month old and a 3 year old a 4x12 makes no sense to me. And I'm more than happy with the way my Electra Dyne 2x12 combo sounds. I have a IIC+ 1x12 combo and the amp sounds great, but that tiny combo does sound small and boxy even with the 200 watt speaker. But it's great for mouse fart levels and I may just add a thiele 1x12.

Wait until they are in their teens and come down in the basement and tell you to turn it down because the house is shaking and they cannot concenrate on their homework or for some kids cannot concentrate on Xbox!!!

 

[dirtyfunkg]

Also, 4x12's don't make you louder.
They just add fullness and disperse the sound more.

Try attaching four sprinkler nozzles to a hose. Does the water pressure increase? No. You just get more wet.

Knew this, must have made the mistake or not clarified. Still don't get the absolute need for dispersion in a miked situation. though.

 

[primerib]

just one 4x12? I gig with a full stack. and I've never had a problem hearing myself on any stage because of it. \m/

 

[RG955TT]

Dispersion so you can hear yourself and still move a little and have it not go all away. Angled cabs disperse upwards which is really helpfull in hearing yourself and controlling stage volume especially when you are in tight quarters. I will play louder only because I have to in order to hear myself over the stage mix. I hear myself best w/4x12 over any other combi, 2 single 12's, or a 2x12 especialy since the cab and speaker are so low.

 

[Ventura]

Also, 4x12's don't make you louder.
They just add fullness and disperse the sound more.

Try attaching four sprinkler nozzles to a hose. Does the water pressure increase? No. You just get more wet.

Knew this, must have made the mistake or not clarified. Still don't get the absolute need for dispersion in a miked situation. though.

The pure mic'd aspect isn't an issue. If you're going with full PA and FOH, great. But you'll also need monitors for you and your band to hear the mix, and maybe not every club or gig will have these. If you wanna keep it real, just have the 4x12, you can rely on it for your stage presence and feel of the playing, and you can still mic it, and you can still use stage monitors with it.

And as mentioned, it's also a penis thing.

 

[steve_k]

I find using a Recto 412 when playing live is the perfect height for supporting drinks. Anything lower, would be a struggle.

 

[dirtyfunkg]

I find using a Recto 412 when playing live is the perfect height for supporting drinks. Anything lower, would be a struggle.

lol. My gear is off limits for drinks. I've already had a drunk guitarist put his beer atop my bass amp and, not 5 minutes later, fall into it. We were rocking out, then someone asks, "what's that burning smell?" and I see steam coming out of my overturned amp.

He never reimbursed me or replaced it.

Fucking douche.

 

[Ventura]

Employing midgets to hold drinks on stage, or the ubiquitous ashtray, I find to be better bets.

 

[stephen sawall]

Not all bass players stay on the bottom .... personally I prefer bass players that use the full range like a keyboard.

If I really liked the sound coming out the monitors at most gigs I would want everyone in the band including the drummer and bass using a digital rig in most cases.

Using a 4x12 has more to do with my taste than any of the topics mentioned above. I just like the wall of sound..... after doing live gigs for 35 years I have a pretty good idea about what I like....

The only thing I do not like about 4x12's is hauling them up & down stairs by myself.

 

[colimofsmoke]

I use a 4x12, sometimes two of them.

I use my VHT Delvierance cab usually because it sounds huge, and you can feel it ripping through your chest.

Id just tell your other guitarist to buy a better amp and keep the Mills.

bah, don't say that, I want it back!


in all honesty, the times I've played mic'ed gigs with a band, when I used a 412, i kept getting yelled at by the sound guy and my bandmates. with a 212, I was able to open the amp up more, so I actually got closer to the sound I wanted than having a 412 turned down. or at least, that's how it seemed to me at the time. but now I play almost exclusively non-mic'ed gigs, and it's 412 all the way for me. soon it will be two of them, with two heads.


which reminds me, I went to some CMJ shows this week in NYC, one particular grindcore band had the bassist using an Orange Terror Bass while his bandmates had 100w Dual Recto half stacks. I was like

then they started playing and the bassist was loud as hell. almost couldnt hear one of the guitarists. score one for the lunchbox head team.

 

[colimofsmoke]

not to mention the discovery that one of the most brutal bands I listen to is only one guitarist using a digital rig and a drummer. no bass. blew my mind.

 

[Zachman]

Not all bass players stay on the bottom .... personally I prefer bass players that use the full range like a keyboard.

If I really liked the sound coming out the monitors at most gigs I would want everyone in the band including the drummer and bass using a digital rig in most cases.

Using a 4x12 has more to do with my taste than any of the topics mentioned above. I just like the wall of sound..... after doing live gigs for 35 years I have a pretty good idea about what I like....

The only thing I do not like about 4x12's is hauling them up & down stairs by myself.

Yes!! ^^ THIS^^

 

[supersonic]

Wait. Has perceived penis size been mentioned as a reason to have and use 4x12s yet??

Just wondering. Cuz, well, this is a valid reason.

Mo

Well I play a 4x12 and have a large penis! Maybe it IS relative.

 

[JTyson]