4x12 Speaker Cabinet "Holy Grail"

[DanTravis62]

Cabinets are strange.

One of the best cabinets I've ever owned was a Crate Blue Voodoo (!) 4x12 from the mid 90s, loaded with UK V30s.

I ended up keeping that over a Mesa OS, an Orange PPC, and an ENGL.

It just sounded better.

That being said, the cheap PCP for the speaker jack finally broke recently, so I bought an unloaded RedPlate Magicka cabinet to transplant the well-broken-in V30s to.

 

[Racerxrated]

I picked up a 1971 Marshall 4x12 with the original speakers. My Friedman modded Marshall sounds incredible with that cab. I paid $250.00 for it in 2014/2015 because the tolex was ripped off. I will not sell it, it sounds perfect.

I just paid 1600 for an original 72 Marshall slant with original Pulsonics..had to scratch that itch and try them. They are all that is advertised, very unique sounding/feeling speakers. I can see why they are sought after. Only other cabs like this out there were over 3K. Goes perfectly with my 72 SuperTrem.

250 is a hell of a score...I always kick myself for not grabbing a vintage Orange cab from '70, they wanted 550 for it. All original matching H30s. Couple yrs ago.

 

[Bad.Seed]

Lots of great cabs out there these days, and luckily they seem to sell for cheap on the used market. Cabs can be more fun than amps, some days!

I've had a Mesa OS straight/slant for the last 10 years and it's typically my go to. Every amp I own sounds good through it. Some amps excel through other cabs, but I just don't seem to have a problem matching any setup through that cab and making it sound great. I also refute all claims of these cabs being boomy or muddy. They're honestly quite stiff when compared with a lot of other cabs due to the air tight construction.

I've also owned probably 15-20 of the Peavey Butcher/412ms cabs. I have a full stack of them right now that I paid less than $120 for, all in. They're also great sounding cabs with the K85's in them. They are so solidly built that they also can be a bit stiff when compared to a 1960 or other similar styled cabs, but as a metal guy, I love the quick response.

I picked up a Friedman cab from a fellow forum member last year, and that has pretty much taken over as my go to cab for all marshall style amps. It just compliments so well, seems to widen out the sound spectrum without taking away from the upper mids, and just makes each amp sound huge and musical. Really in love with this thing.

Honorable mention: Marshall Mode Four MF400 cabs. These babies are well built responses to the Mesa OS craze from the late 90's early 2000's. They do not have the airtight construction, so they can be boomy, but I make sure to open them up and tighten down all of Marshall's notoriously loose hardware every now and then and they stay good and tight under riffing. Really love these with my Splawns, and they also do well with 5150's when tuning down a bit.

 

[Detroit1973]

Lots of great cabs out there these days, and luckily they seem to sell for cheap on the used market. Cabs can be more fun than amps, some days!

I've had a Mesa OS straight/slant for the last 10 years and it's typically my go to. Every amp I own sounds good through it. Some amps excel through other cabs, but I just don't seem to have a problem matching any setup through that cab and making it sound great. I also refute all claims of these cabs being boomy or muddy. They're honestly quite stiff when compared with a lot of other cabs due to the air tight construction.

I've also owned probably 15-20 of the Peavey Butcher/412ms cabs. I have a full stack of them right now that I paid less than $120 for, all in. They're also great sounding cabs with the K85's in them. They are so solidly built that they also can be a bit stiff when compared to a 1960 or other similar styled cabs, but as a metal guy, I love the quick response.

I picked up a Friedman cab from a fellow forum member last year, and that has pretty much taken over as my go to cab for all marshall style amps. It just compliments so well, seems to widen out the sound spectrum without taking away from the upper mids, and just makes each amp sound huge and musical. Really in love with this thing.

Honorable mention: Marshall Mode Four MF400 cabs. These babies are well built responses to the Mesa OS craze from the late 90's early 2000's. They do not have the airtight construction, so they can be boomy, but I make sure to open them up and tighten down all of Marshall's notoriously loose hardware every now and then and they stay good and tight under riffing. Really love these with my Splawns, and they also do well with 5150's when tuning down a bit.

What Speakers are in the Friedman Cab?

 

[RedB4Black]

Anyone have experience with the smaller sized Mills 4x12 ? I'm wondering if it projects like the big boy

I had one at the same time as the Afterburners. It’s a great cab. I preferred the oversized ones though. It projected just fine just didn't sound as big and fill the room like the Afterburners.

 

[Bad.Seed]

Lots of great cabs out there these days, and luckily they seem to sell for cheap on the used market. Cabs can be more fun than amps, some days!

I've had a Mesa OS straight/slant for the last 10 years and it's typically my go to. Every amp I own sounds good through it. Some amps excel through other cabs, but I just don't seem to have a problem matching any setup through that cab and making it sound great. I also refute all claims of these cabs being boomy or muddy. They're honestly quite stiff when compared with a lot of other cabs due to the air tight construction.

I've also owned probably 15-20 of the Peavey Butcher/412ms cabs. I have a full stack of them right now that I paid less than $120 for, all in. They're also great sounding cabs with the K85's in them. They are so solidly built that they also can be a bit stiff when compared to a 1960 or other similar styled cabs, but as a metal guy, I love the quick response.

I picked up a Friedman cab from a fellow forum member last year, and that has pretty much taken over as my go to cab for all marshall style amps. It just compliments so well, seems to widen out the sound spectrum without taking away from the upper mids, and just makes each amp sound huge and musical. Really in love with this thing.

Honorable mention: Marshall Mode Four MF400 cabs. These babies are well built responses to the Mesa OS craze from the late 90's early 2000's. They do not have the airtight construction, so they can be boomy, but I make sure to open them up and tighten down all of Marshall's notoriously loose hardware every now and then and they stay good and tight under riffing. Really love these with my Splawns, and they also do well with 5150's when tuning down a bit.

What Speakers are in the Friedman Cab?

Greenbacks up top and V30's on bottom.

 

[motorboy1]

^^ I've had a Mesa OS straight/slant for the last 10 years and it's typically my go to. Every amp I own sounds good through it. Some amps excel through other cabs, but I just don't seem to have a problem matching any setup through that cab and making it sound great. I also refute all claims of these cabs being boomy or muddy. They're honestly quite stiff when compared with a lot of other cabs due to the air tight construction.

I so agree with this statement. I just got a well broken in MESA OS slant and its fantastic.

 

[Racerxrated]

^^ I've had a Mesa OS straight/slant for the last 10 years and it's typically my go to. Every amp I own sounds good through it. Some amps excel through other cabs, but I just don't seem to have a problem matching any setup through that cab and making it sound great. I also refute all claims of these cabs being boomy or muddy. They're honestly quite stiff when compared with a lot of other cabs due to the air tight construction.

I so agree with this statement. I just got a well broken in MESA OS slant and its fantastic.

I haven't tried a Marshall through it other than my Jubilees and I agree..Rectos and the 2C+s all kill through it of course. I will say the Traditional does sound tighter than the OS with the same amps, but not as 'big' sounding.

 

[JimAnsell]

I gotta give the oversize cabs another chance in my older age. 10 years ago, i had a few and i could never dial out the boomy.
I have an ad on craiglist RN locally trying to barter product from my wink wink, nudge nudge, garden for a mesa 4x12
shit, its worth a try... i might just be cutting out the middle man for someone.

 

[Tone Monster]

I gotta give the oversize cabs another chance in my older age. 10 years ago, i had a few and i could never dial out the boomy.
I have an ad on craiglist RN locally trying to barter product from my wink wink, nudge nudge, garden for a mesa 4x12
shit, its worth a try... i might just be cutting out the middle man for someone.

Hated my Mesa OS for Z boomy.

 

[PBGas]

I had a well worn in and older Marshall 1960AX with the greenbacks. That was the best sounding cab of all that I have owned in the past.

 

[the4thlast1]

I have tried a few of the Mesa OS and for whatever reason some of them have been boomy and others not. A friend of mine has one that I have tried several times and it is not boomy or loose at all. Then Ive been to several rehearsal spaces that stock the OS cabs and most of them sound and respond like a flub dub . I guess if you have a good one don't sell it !

 

[Smash]

Man. Not the best i heard, but the first cab i ever had, I bought for $150 off of craigslist when i got a XXX. It was a Randall XL and it came loaded with UK V30s. I had asked the guy what kind of speakers it had, and he said g12-65s. I was cool with that. When I played it, sounded amazing. So i took off the back and laughed. Guy had never opened it. Not the most high quality cab ever built, but it sounds really good. I would put it against my Mills. I think Killertone uses those too.

 

[Nigel]

I so agree with this statement. I just got a well broken in MESA OS slant and its fantastic.

I just got my first OS slant, an ‘03 with cover for $400, and it is perfect. No flub, pure magic.

 

[Exo-metal]

Just scored a Lynchbox 412 from Nate and put 70th anniversary G12H-30s and it absolutely slays with my 71 Langner 100w. Randall has been known for making some killer cabs and now I know

 

[Bad.Seed]

I so agree with this statement. I just got a well broken in MESA OS slant and its fantastic.

I just got my first OS slant, an ‘03 with cover for $400, and it is perfect. No flub, pure magic.

Good price too. The prices on these seem to be going back up lately.

I had 2 and just sold my "spare" for $550 which was way more than I expected to get out of it.

I tried selling a straight/slant for $400 5 years ago and it took quite a while to move it.

I will grab another if I ever find a good deal on one again, I just love these things.

 

[Bad.Seed]

Man. Not the best i heard, but the first cab i ever had, I bought for $150 off of craigslist when i got a XXX. It was a Randall XL and it came loaded with UK V30s. I had asked the guy what kind of speakers it had, and he said g12-65s. I was cool with that. When I played it, sounded amazing. So i took off the back and laughed. Guy had never opened it. Not the most high quality cab ever built, but it sounds really good. I would put it against my Mills. I think Killertone uses those too.

I once grabbed a full stack of the Randall XL cabs for $300 with the V30's. Kept the straight because it was mint, sold the straight right away because it had some wear and at the time, I cared for some reason.

Sold the slant last year and made out like a bandit, but I wouldn't mind landing another down the road. I'm a cab hoarder

 

[CornNutz]

I’ve owned a lot of cabs, and the best sounding was a cheap ass Sonic cab loaded with EVM12s. Great cab.

Your ears must be broke

I know how it sounds, but it was a great sounding cab. I was surprised too, believe me. Lol

I had a cheap ass ampeg 4x12 ($299 guitarcenter special from 1995) has some OEM eminence speakers in it. I gave it to my Niece years ago as it was just setting in storage, and then a closet for 10 years. Afterwards she would comment how great is was, and everyone in her ban loved it.

Well short story long, she later had a problem with the jack, and dropped it off for me to fix it. GOD DAMN, I totally overlooked this cab it sounds amazing HAHA. I was kicking myself in the ass for parting with it.

 

[Smash]

Man. Not the best i heard, but the first cab i ever had, I bought for $150 off of craigslist when i got a XXX. It was a Randall XL and it came loaded with UK V30s. I had asked the guy what kind of speakers it had, and he said g12-65s. I was cool with that. When I played it, sounded amazing. So i took off the back and laughed. Guy had never opened it. Not the most high quality cab ever built, but it sounds really good. I would put it against my Mills. I think Killertone uses those too.

I once grabbed a full stack of the Randall XL cabs for $300 with the V30's. Kept the straight because it was mint, sold the straight right away because it had some wear and at the time, I cared for some reason.

Sold the slant last year and made out like a bandit, but I wouldn't mind landing another down the road. I'm a cab hoarder

Well, I will give you the unloaded randall slant i have for free. With speakers, you could just pay the price of the speakers. I don't use it any more. Just sits in my garage. I wouldn't mind giving it to someone that would enjoy it.

 

[thenine]

I have 3 4x12’s and consider my self covered. My fave cab is an ‘82 Marshall with G12-65’s and I just love it. I had V-Boutique rewire it and add a stereo jack. I run 2 heads into it (stereo) and it sounds perfect for me. Incidentally it has been recovered and had that cane crap put on the front. While I don’t prefer that look, maybe the cane is shaving some highs and lows as a previous poster mentioned. I also have an original RL Bogner UberKab which I bought new and a Splawn cab that was owned by Godsmack. I take out that cab when I play out since it’s beat to shit.