Which New 4x12 Actually Nails Vintage Marshall Cab Construction & Feel?

[jerrywu]

Hey guys,
I’m currently looking to pick up a brand new 4x12 cab that is as close as possible to a true vintage Marshall (late ‘60s / early ‘70s) spec replica, but I’d really appreciate some input from people who have first-hand experience.
I’m not concerned about the stock speakers, since I’ll be swapping everything to Scumback BM75s anyway, so this is purely about the cabinet itself.
Right now I’m considering:
Metropoulos (so expensive)
MGL
Friedman
Mojotone
or anything else you guys think actually nails the old Marshall cabs
For context, my current rig:
Wizard MC2 EL34 100w
Wizard MTL KT150
Wizard 4x12 (Redbacks)
Planning to order a Ground Zero Hellion V3
For those of you who’ve compared these brands (or owned original vintage Marshall cabs), which one actually gets closest?
Would really appreciate detailed opinions

 

[jski59]

Haven’t owned one yet, but my next cab will probably be a Sourmash.

https://sourmashguitarcabs.com/index.php?route=product/product&language=en-gb&product_id=60&path=37

 

[DanTravis62]

Not sure about the cab construction but

Good call on the BM75s, one of the best sounding speakers I've ever owned

They are ridiculous good sounding

 

[jerrywu]

Haven’t owned one yet, but my next cab will probably be a Sourmash.

https://sourmashguitarcabs.com/index.php?route=product/product&language=en-gb&product_id=60&path=37

Thank you for your suggestion. It looks great, and I'll take it into consideration.

 

[jerrywu]

Thanks so much! Even though I rarely post, I’ve been an avid reader of this community for a long time. I know you have an absolutely legendary collection of gear, and your taste is truly impeccable!

Not sure about the cab construction but

Good call on the BM75s, one of the best sounding speakers I've ever owned

They are ridiculous good sounding

 

[Anje]

Mark at @MGL AmpWorks is currently putting together a dead-on replica of a '68 Basketweave Marshall with Jeff Swanson; if you have the related budget I'd put my money on that if-ever I was looking for a new cab with your spec list - with the assumption Mark will make it available to the public.
I'd contact Mark directly.

I'm sure Germino cabs are great as well; they look to follow the '69 Marshall internal bracing specs.

Both great & passionate persons in my experience, who have extensive experience in the vintage accurate Marshall stuff.

 

[Racerxrated]

Honestly, now that Stone Age has hung it up I'm not sure any other mfr really will. I have a real deal 68 myself. It's a stripped, painted, empty and much cheaper buy vs a 4-7k loaded version in tattered-restored condition. But, it has the OG grill, handles, caster cups, caster inserts etc. I have 68 Pulsonics here so I loaded it up and I've never heard a cab sound SOO good in my life. I have other vintage Marshall cabs here, an Orange from 72, and have had Mesa, Diezel, Bogner, Rivera etc...all are also great too but the 68 is on another level altogether.

I've also heard a new production Marshall TV cab in person and that's a killer cab. I'd maybe roll with that if I were you. They project well and have thump for a GB cab.
The one feature that I find most awesome about the 68 is, for a straight cab it projects anywhere in the room...unlike any other B cab I've had.

 

[jerrywu]

Mark at @MGL AmpWorks is currently putting together a dead-on replica of a '68 Basketweave Marshall with Jeff Swanson; if you have the related budget I'd put my money on that if-ever I was looking for a new cab with your spec list - with the assumption Mark will make it available to the public.
I'd contact Mark directly.

I'm sure Germino cabs are great as well; they look to follow the '69 Marshall internal bracing specs.

Both great & passionate persons in my experience, who have extensive experience in the vintage accurate Marshall stuff.

Thanks a ton for the great info—this has been incredibly helpful! I actually saw on their website that they’re working on a '68 spec cab, so I’m definitely going to prioritize that option.
I’ll also check out Germino, but I remember a old thread saying their cabs used to be made by Mojotone. Is that still true today?

 

[DanTravis62]

Honestly, now that Stone Age has hung it up I'm not sure any other mfr really will.

This was my exact thoughts as well, the only manufacturer that I knew that was trying to get that close to vintage marshall specs was stoneage, and he hung up his boots

So I'm kind of at a loss for a recommendation

 

[Anje]

Yes,

Thanks a ton for the great info—this has been incredibly helpful! I actually saw on their website that they’re working on a '68 spec cab, so I’m definitely going to prioritize that option.
I’ll also check out Germino, but I remember a old thread saying their cabs used to be made by Mojotone. Is that still true today?

Youy're welcome, glad it helps. Mark is great.
I don't know who Greg Germino contracts to build his cabs; better to ask him directly.

 

[jerrywu]

Honestly, now that Stone Age has hung it up I'm not sure any other mfr really will. I have a real deal 68 myself. It's a stripped, painted, empty and much cheaper buy vs a 4-7k loaded version in tattered-restored condition. But, it has the OG grill, handles, caster cups, caster inserts etc. I have 68 Pulsonics here so I loaded it up and I've never heard a cab sound SOO good in my life. I have other vintage Marshall cabs here, an Orange from 72, and have had Mesa, Diezel, Bogner, Rivera etc...all are also great too but the 68 is on another level altogether.

I've also heard a new production Marshall TV cab in person and that's a killer cab. I'd maybe roll with that if I were you. They project well and have thump for a GB cab.
The one feature that I find most awesome about the 68 is, for a straight cab it projects anywhere in the room...unlike any other B cab I've had.

Thank you for the detailed insights; they’ve been extremely valuable. I’ve noticed Stone Age cabs receiving unanimous praise here, and while I’m genuinely intrigued, I’m currently based outside the US, making the purchase of a used cabinet quite challenging.
I actually had the chance to play through a friend’s '71 Marshall Cab locally, and it absolutely blew me away. As for the TV Cab, I used to own one too, but sadly I sold it over a year ago.

 

[Racerxrated]

@Exo-metal recently picked up an Atlas cab for a song recently; and he LOVES it. These small builders usually do great work and when one comes up for sale, go for little money. You could check them out as well.
The one feature in the late 67-68 Marshall cabs that no other year had is, a long brace that ran the length of the baffle on the bottom of the cab. In 69 that disappeared and they used small wood triangles. The Atlas cab, and vintage Orange cab I have uses that brace as well.

 

[jerrywu]

@Exo-metal recently picked up an Atlas cab for a song recently; and he LOVES it. These small builders usually do great work and when one comes up for sale, go for little money. You could check them out as well.
The one feature in the late 67-68 Marshall cabs that no other year had is, a long brace that ran the length of the baffle on the bottom of the cab. In 69 that disappeared and they used small wood triangles. The Atlas cab, and vintage Orange cab I have uses that brace as well.

Thanks a ton for sharing this! I had no idea about the long brace in late '67/'68 Marshalls and the small wood triangles in '69 models.
It’s really helpful to hear how this translates to the cabs I’m looking at: MGL uses the long brace, while both Metropoulos and Germino go with the small wood triangles.

 

[shar-vell Dan]

Can't beat it for the money.

 

[anomaly]

My Avatar vintage g412 has about the dimensions of an old Marshall cab, sounds excellent too. Don't think they make 4x12's anymore though. Just 2x12's and 1x12's. You could find one online, second hand though.

 

[Humbucking]

I think the MGL 1968 cab is the closest anyone has got with the correct specs. He has a pretty detailed write up on his website on the cab. He is using Fir for the bracing and sound post just like Marshall did. I dont think anyone else does that. He also used one of his vintage cabs as a template, so everything is in the right place/accurate.

 

[Exo-metal]

What Racerxrated just shared was accurate about the Atlas but you can ignore it and believe the only one is the MGL without verifying it haha..

 

[tallcoolone]

Can't beat it for the money.

That is a solid cab—picked a mint one up last year for $300. Also prob the quietest 4x12 I have (got 12 atm ) which is a nice niche to have in the stable.

 

[anomaly]

That is a solid cab—picked a mint one up last year for $300. Also prob the quietest 4x12 I have (got 12 atm ) which is a nice niche to have in the stable.

By quietest do you mean no unwanted noises? or SPL's? I think Mesa makes the most solidly built, even overly built, sealed cabinets. If you're talking sound pressure levels, doesn't that have almost everything to do with the speakers?? Maybe not entirely I guess??

 

[tallcoolone]

By quietest do you mean no unwanted noises? or SPL's? I think Mesa makes the most solidly built, even overly built, sealed cabinets. If you're talking sound pressure levels, doesn't that have almost everything to do with the speakers?? Maybe not entirely I guess??

Of course yes—it is a well built cab but the 20w low sensitivity speakers make it less efficient (I think that’s the term lol) which makes it a nice cab to grab when heading to a volume sensitive venue.