4x12 speaker cabs... The WORST gear investment ever. *RANT*

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Deleted member 10619

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Damn are these a PAIN...

You want to buy new? Too damn expensive.
You want to buy used? Nobody is willing to ship because of its weight and most cabs are all beaten up to death.
You want to sell? Everybody is low-balling, don't want to commit to a local pick-up and worst of all, they are worth a third or a fourth of its original price in the used market.

It seems that with 4x12s it doesn't matter where you are in the spectrum, you get screwed no matter what.

The best thing to do is to buy used, get a good deal and keep it.

Or...

Don't buy one at all!

At this point in time, I consider 4x12s to be a luxury item. We have much better options at our disposal.

Playing in your house/bedroom? Invest in a good pair of active studio monitors.
Playing live? Use the monitors on stage or build an in-ear monitor system.
Rehearsing? You don't need a 4x12 since a combo would suffice, or again, you can use your in-ear monitor system.

Also... 4x12s are HEAVY and take up way too much space.

Advantages? They look "cool" and they are considered to be the fundamental rock/metal guitar tone.

That is it! They are a horrible investment overall and its very limited to what it can offer to us musicians in this day and age.

I got rid of mine and won't be buying one anytime soon
 
Buy used and enjoy. I'm going bigger and using a old sunn or amped bass cab on their sides, LR but that's me...
 
I agree with you to an extent. I think that if you are buying a 4x12, just plan to keep it forever or expect to lose money. Of course I’ve had some good luck selling them, usually by selling the speakers online and the empty cabinet locally.

I think it makes more sense to take 2x12s to gigs or plug directly in, but I’ll never not love plugging into my full stack
 
stephen sawall":2tohuiei said:
Buying gear as a investment is rarely a good idea.

Of course there is no real financial gain by flipping them (rarely do we see this in the guitar/musician prosumer world). But meaning, they don't retain their value in the used market and my argument is that they don't offer much to us players now as they did a decade or two ago.

But yes... funny, smart ass remark you did there man, lol.
 
stephen sawall":h4kbjhuf said:
Buying gear as a investment is rarely a good idea.
This X20000000000....Only a few items really can quantify as a good gear investment these days. I have 3 4x12s, and I'd get way more out of parting speakers individually than selling each cab as a whole. 76 1960 w/ original creambacks, 83 1960 with original 65s and a mid 90s BX cab in mint condition with original 6402 coned GBs.
Even at low volumes, a 4x12 is the cats ass tonewise vs anything else.
 
I love 4x12s! They sound better, to me. I don't mind carting them around, either, but that's my choice. If someone else doesn't want to, that's an equally valid choice.

Good condition used 4x12s are out there for decent prices ($400-$500) and GC ships them cheap. Unloaded Splawns are under $500. Mojo, Avatar... many other options that are quality cabinets for realistic prices. Less than a year ago, I bought what looked like a brand new 1960B and its live-in flight case for $400 from GC. Shipping was around $40 for 2-day express.

Think of an auto mechanic... professional tools are expensive, mostly because professionals make money using them. If you're going to work in auto repair, you have to balance the money you spend with the money you make, and you have to spend money to make money. If you're NOT going to work in auto repair, then you have to balance the money you spend with how much pleasure you get from using professional tools as a hobby. In either case, the tools themselves are not an investment (not sure, but I doubt the used wrench market allows for a good ROI for wrench sellers). Rather, the investment is made in the profession or the hobby.

Cabinets, amps, guitars, pedals, etc., etc., are all just musical tools. Either spending the money for professional tools is worth it to you or it isn't. There isn't any right or wrong here, at least outside an individual's unique situation.
 
The funny thing about 4x12s is that the going rate for them is typically the same or LESS than the price of the speakers inside 'em haha.
 
lol. I have TWELVE 4x12 cabinets. I’ve never had a problem buying or selling them. I’ve never lost my shirt selling them.

That said, I usually play through four 4x12’s at any given time. Sadly, to me, using one 4x12 sounds tiny and shitty.
 
I've been through most variations of cabs and landed right back at a good 1x12. I put the pa in for my bands and I've spent just as much time and money getting that pa to sound great as I have getting my dream guitar tone. The result is that every thing is mic'd up and it's far to indulgent to have more than one mic on my cab so no need for anything bigger, I let the pa do the work. Sure 4x12's look impressive and move some air but they take up space on stage and in the van, they're heavy and the size of the venues I play in they would be complete overkill. A 1x12, a good mic and a good pa works for me!
 
They may be tough to move on the used market but they sound and feel great to play through. And for anyone saying they're overkill for certain gigs, they're not really much "louder" than other cabs, they just fill more space and move more air. In fact, I often argue that they can be quieter because they don't have the beam of ear destroying sound that some smaller cabs have so you can turn your amp down a bit and the sound still surrounds you and spreads out more.
 
psychodave":293vg13t said:
lol. I have TWELVE 4x12 cabinets. I’ve never had a problem buying or selling them. I’ve never lost my shirt selling them.

That said, I usually play through four 4x12’s at any given time. Sadly, to me, using one 4x12 sounds tiny and shitty.
:rawk:

I've got 16 4x12s... and 4 2x12s. Never had a problem buying or selling them, either.

I usually only play through 2 or 3 at a time, though. And yeah, the difference between a 1x12 and a 4x12 is about as drastic as the difference between 1 4x12 and 4 4x12. The most I've played through at once is 10, and that was... indescribable! :)
 
Octavio Molina Shaw":1nz4t4g1 said:
Advantages? They look "cool" and they are considered to be the fundamental rock/metal guitar tone.
These two reasons trump and outweigh any weak "investment", "weight" or "size" argument you listed.

Funny, I've heard this before, and its typically a thought process of either a tired seasoned gigging musician, or some millenial thinking they came to an epiphany that must be shared with the world.
 
when i see bands setting up some silly combo amp or whatever non 4x12 bullshit i usually go to the bar or outside.
 
agree with original post. i’m a 2x12 guy by nature. that said i do like some 4x12s and they gotta be slants. every straight cab i’ve had i just can’t tame he lows. but to each their own.
 
I love 4x12s. They take up a little more car/van space than a 2x12 but usually no more stage real estate. And since mine are pretty much staying put in Madison Square Mancave, bulk is almost a non-issue. They are just a luxury for me. But I totally get the OP's lament.
 
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