W/D/W

[Exo-metal]

I'm building my sorta kinda Poland rig as seen in one of my other posts and I have a question about the speakers/cabs I'm considering to use. My main cab is loaded with G12M-25w creambacks and nothing will ever come through them that isn't brutal. What I don't have covered is the slaved setup. I thought a lot about what to use since I already have the hammer down the middle but do I run a pair 1X12 loaded with EVM12L for the stereo split or should I introduce more grit by using a pair G12M-65's or similar breakup?

I need some insight because I'm not going to run three 4X12s...at the most I may try to find a old marshall 8x10 cab and load it up and lay it on it's side.

 

[psychodave]

I run four 4x12 cabinets with my wet/dry/wet rig. Two center cabs are dry, the two outside cabs have both wet and dry signal. All cabinets are loaded with G12H30’s. I use modded amps and use a custom Suhr ISO box to get a line level. I run into a mixer to get the dry signal and wet signal together. I use a Korg DL8000r effects unit and an HH V800 power amp. I also use a Boogie Strategy 400 power amps at times.

 

[Exo-metal]

That is absolutely deadly. I imagine how it feels playing through it. Let me ask, if you had to choose between the two poweramps which would you choose and why?

 

[psychodave]

That is absolutely deadly. I imagine how it feels playing through it. Let me ask, if you had to choose between the two poweramps which would you choose and why?

I’d take the HH V800. It’s solid state and really doesn’t color the tone, but it sounds like a tubes amp. It isn’t flat or generic sounding. It’s the platinum standard of power amps.


The Boogie S400 adds tons of low end since I have it modded with depth pots. It a cool alternative when I want to color my wet tone. It also sounds amazing with my modded triaxis preamps and custom EQ.

 

[jasonP]

I run 6, 4x12’s and run 2 center dry cabs and 2 wet left and right cabs. I use a Suhr line out into a Lexicon MPX-1 then out to a Mesa Strategy 500 power amp. I’ve tried SS power amps but they just sound fake and processed to my ears. I have 3 cabinets have V30s and others have lead 80’s and one with GT75’s for different flavors.

 

[glpg80]

I ran 3 cabinets years ago as a W/D/W. I had an '83 marshall cabinet loaded with original G12 65's for my dry cabinet and ran 2 5150 cabinets with stock speakers completely wet on the ends. I used a G major for my wet tone and a 5150 II for the main tone source. Stereo wet cabs were powered by a peavey classic 120/120 I'd found on ebay and retubed. 5150 II's come with a pre-amp out so I just used that to tap off my sound.

I sold all of it off but the 5150 II. I sold the marshall to a user on here, the peavey stuff locally, and the g major on ebay.

I preferred tube for the wet cabinets, but it sucks when a preamp tube goes noisy in the wet cabinets. You'll hear crackling but only in the artifacts of the wet tone. It did sound massive and was way overkill for anything I'd ever want. I certainly wouldn't want to haul it around on a regular basis.

 

[shredtilimdead13]

I run 6, 4x12’s and run 2 center dry cabs and 2 wet left and right cabs. I use a Suhr line out into a Lexicon MPX-1 then out to a Mesa Strategy 500 power amp. I’ve tried SS power amps but they just sound fake and processed to my ears. I have 3 cabinets have V30s and others have lead 80’s and one with GT75’s for different flavors.

dear...god...
what's your dry heads/amps? and does this see gigs? that would be epic.

 

[McLeanAB]

Load everything with Alnico Creams... best speaker I've ever heard...

 

[Exo-metal]

Load everything with Alnico Creams... best speaker I've ever heard...

For cleans or crunch? I've always preferred ceramic for heavy distorted tones. Please clarify...

 

[McLeanAB]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fd3zAhwk2U
Check out the last few minutes...

And this one too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiEmYq8YsnI

He's not playing anything too 'metal' but the high gain stuff is good...

I have an Alnico Cream in my Theta Combo and my Vector 2x12... and I used to LOVE my Creambacks... they sound dark and woody (in a bad way) comparatively to my ears now...

Give 'em a try... and keep researching some vids... I love my Alnico's and I play some heavy stuff!!

 

[Exo-metal]

Any others have the same opinion coming from using these for brutal metal tones? For me it's a total waste of time trying to get anything else from my rig, when I plug in all I want is heavy. Don't misunderstand, I play plenty acoustic guitar but I don't subscribe to a belief that one rig can do it all, because they can't. I'm not into playing my computer and using headphones or monitors.

 

[psychodave]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fd3zAhwk2U
Check out the last few minutes...

And this one too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiEmYq8YsnI

He's not playing anything too 'metal' but the high gain stuff is good...

I have an Alnico Cream in my Theta Combo and my Vector 2x12... and I used to LOVE my Creambacks... they sound dark and woody (in a bad way) comparatively to my ears now...

Give 'em a try... and keep researching some vids... I love my Alnico's and I play some heavy stuff!!

Both clips...you don’t hear the buzzy bottom end? Sounds crappy to me

 

[McLeanAB]

^^^^^^^

Those vids (and a few others) are why I grabbed my Alnico's... couldn't be happier! It should be note that in my amps, I have subs so the low frequencies are pushed to the subs and the highs and mids to the guitar speaker, so that might be why there's no "low buzz" you hear in the vids.

This one gives some nice comparative samples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiTqHpDWEe4

Not metal, but some high/mid gain stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V3TLCEip1M

Again, not metal, but some great comparisons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHKfVPW9Ytw

I love mine... might not be for everyone, but there's something about the Alnico magnet and my pickups and amps that it just fits for my style of playing... best of luck with your speaker choice!!! It can be daunting! And again, I loved my 65 watt Creambacks until I picked up the Alnicos... the Creambacks are great speakers as well.

 

[jasonP]

I run 6, 4x12’s and run 2 center dry cabs and 2 wet left and right cabs. I use a Suhr line out into a Lexicon MPX-1 then out to a Mesa Strategy 500 power amp. I’ve tried SS power amps but they just sound fake and processed to my ears. I have 3 cabinets have V30s and others have lead 80’s and one with GT75’s for different flavors.

dear...god...
what's your dry heads/amps? and does this see gigs? that would be epic.

It’s pretty ridiculous setup and would never gig with it. For dry amps I have a soldano avenger, deliverance d120, caa od-100, DSL100, and Uberschall/twin jet I built into an old Marshall clone chassis. I want to try two amps at once and then slave out each one a side to the Mesa. I think that would be killer.

 

[Exo-metal]

That is absolutely deadly. I imagine how it feels playing through it. Let me ask, if you had to choose between the two poweramps which would you choose and why?

I’d take the HH V800. It’s solid state and really doesn’t color the tone, but it sounds like a tubes amp. It isn’t flat or generic sounding. It’s the platinum standard of power amps.


The Boogie S400 adds tons of low end since I have it modded with depth pots. It a cool alternative when I want to color my wet tone. It also sounds amazing with my modded triaxis preamps and custom EQ.

Ya know I can't get past the thought of modding a Strategy 400 or VHT 2150 with depth mods. That's sick Dave, your idea????

 

[SpiderWars]

Probably a dumb question but do W/D/W rigs generally sound better with all cabs right next to each other or with some sort of spread? And is stereo worth the trouble?

 

[psychodave]

That is absolutely deadly. I imagine how it feels playing through it. Let me ask, if you had to choose between the two poweramps which would you choose and why?

I’d take the HH V800. It’s solid state and really doesn’t color the tone, but it sounds like a tubes amp. It isn’t flat or generic sounding. It’s the platinum standard of power amps.


The Boogie S400 adds tons of low end since I have it modded with depth pots. It a cool alternative when I want to color my wet tone. It also sounds amazing with my modded triaxis preamps and custom EQ.

Ya know I can't get past the thought of modding a Strategy 400 or VHT 2150 with depth mods. That's sick Dave, your idea????

Haha. Yeah, I added a push/pull pot to each side of the Strategy 400. Pushed in, its going through a .001uf cap, pulled it going through a .003uf cap. Of course I can set both sides to have different depth circuits. Turn the pots all the way off and it’s back to stock tone.

 

[ChurchHill]

Probably a dumb question but do W/D/W rigs generally sound better with all cabs right next to each other or with some sort of spread? And is stereo worth the trouble?

For me, yes, stereo is definitely worth the effort. Even when I only have room for a vertical 2x12, I will always prefer to run it stereo. For me, it's the movement, the sense of space, however blunted it may be from a top/bottom arrangement. I've always run that way since I started playing in '85 (with a 6" practice amp hooked up to the aux in on my ghettoblaster ), and it doesn't feel right if I don't (which is why this is completely a personal preference).

And yeah, I think it sounds better when the cabs can be spread out. Practicality dictates that, at least in a live situation, that's not usually the case. Especially now when stage volumes are much more limited than they used to be, not to mention that what I'm hearing on stage isn't the same as what's coming through the PA (as in the entire mix vs my monitors). So, I typically just set up what sounds best to me in the space I have available. Usually, that's one or two 4x12s facing me from the side of the stage. At home... game on and anything's possible...