4x12 Speaker Cabinet "Holy Grail"

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My friend had an old Marshall cab, with greenbacks, it was old, probably 70s, and it was unbelievable. Tight, defined, punchy like you would not believe, this thing was a high gain fans dream!! It was also chimey and sweet sounding for cleans, all around total winner.

I have a bogner 2x12 with a vintage 30 and creamback and it also kills! I usually can’t stand vintage 30s, but with creamback it’s awesome. Great for gain and clean.
 
1960AX and 1960BX.

I had splawn cabinets and found them too modern and too efficient - they made every amp sound boomy.

Had 5150 cabinets but they are working mans cabinets - they were good but not as good as my Marshall’s.

I find my current cabinets have just the right amount of give and cut with stock Greenbacks. I don’t really want a different cabinet, possibly more of the same if anything.
 
Been through a few 4x12 cabs over the years, and the ones that stayed are:
-1967 Marshall slanted 4x12 with 20w Greenbacks, this is my all time favorite cab. Perfect for Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. It actually sounds like what I hear on the classic records that I like. Closest thing I've heard to it was a very well broken in early 5153 4x12 cabinet.
-1997 Marshall 30th Anniversary cab. It's slanted and particle board back, but it just sound amazing for everything, including modern metal with very low tuning.
-WEM reissue from the 2000s. Loaded a set of G12-65 speakers and the cabinet became a monster for modern metal. Very dark sounding, but incredibly punchy.
-Kerry Wright 4x12 with 30w Greenbacks. While the 1967 Marshall is the one that sounds like an old record, the KW is the one that sounds like nothing else I've heard before. It's the most high fidelity cabinet I've heard. Lows, sub-lows, mids, highs and presence in this cabinet are as clear as a bell. Best recording cabinet I've heard to this day.
These are my top four.
 
SBlue said:
Been through a few 4x12 cabs over the years, and the ones that stayed are:
-1967 Marshall slanted 4x12 with 20w Greenbacks, this is my all time favorite cab. Perfect for Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. It actually sounds like what I hear on the classic records that I like. Closest thing I've heard to it was a very well broken in early 5153 4x12 cabinet.
-1997 Marshall 30th Anniversary cab. It's slanted and particle board back, but it just sound amazing for everything, including modern metal with very low tuning.
-WEM reissue from the 2000s. Loaded a set of G12-65 speakers and the cabinet became a monster for modern metal. Very dark sounding, but incredibly punchy.
-Kerry Wright 4x12 with 30w Greenbacks. While the 1967 Marshall is the one that sounds like an old record, the KW is the one that sounds like nothing else I've heard before. It's the most high fidelity cabinet I've heard. Lows, sub-lows, mids, highs and presence in this cabinet are as clear as a bell. Best recording cabinet I've heard to this day.
These are my top four.
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That ‘67 with those 20 GB’s must be incredible!! The Kerry Wright 412 has been my favorite cab too. It’s the only one my friend has accepted for his re-amps. The other cabs I’ve had are “nice”, but not as good. If you haven’t done so yet, you gotta try it with great vintage speakers. I’ve got in it right now a combo of ‘60’s Alnico Blues and orange frame JBL D120F’s. It’s very responsive to different speakers and has been what I use for testing different combos of speakers

Of my current cabs, my Diezel 412 FL is maybe 2nd fave, but a distant 2nd. Those old blues are glorious and imo some of the best speakers on the planet. I’ve always much preferred the tone of 20 watt GB’s to the 25’s, whether it’s the old or current heritage versions
 
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braintheory said:
That ‘67 with those 20 GB’s must be incredible!! The Kerry Wright 412 has been my favorite cab too. It’s the only one my friend has accepted for his re-amps. The other cabs I’ve had are “nice”, but not as good. If you haven’t done so yet, you gotta try it with great vintage speakers. I’ve got in it right now a combo of ‘60’s Alnico Blues and orange frame JBL D120F’s. It’s very responsive to different speakers and has been what I use for testing different combos of speakers. Of my current cabs, my Diezel 412 FL is maybe 2nd fave, but a distant 2nd
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Thanks man!!!
Yeah, I have this 1967 since 1999. At some point in the early 2000s, I had eight Basketweave cabs, and decided to only keep one. After an entire day of shootout between them, this was the one to keep. Now, with the prices they are going for I wish I had space to keep them all. lol
Regarding the Kerry Wright, I've tried a few different set of speakers in it. I'm not a fan of mixing speakers in the same cab, unless if it's a Matchless combo. Just my personal preference.
But man, I've never head a V-30 being so punchy like it sounded in this cab! Had blackback 25w 75hz, blackback 30w 55hz, 80's G12-65, 1995 V-30s, 1967 greenback 25w... and decided to go with Heritage 30w 55Hz. These were a lot tighter than the old 25w but not as stiff as the blackbacks. I was really curious about how the Creamback 65 would sound here, but once I find something I really like, I tend to stay with it for a long time. I really wanted to find one or two more KW 4x12, but they are so expensive now that I gave up searching for.
If I could only have three of them, with 25, 30 greenbacks and one with V-30, along with my 1967 Marshall, I probably would never gas for another cab.
 
SBlue said:
Thanks man!!!
Yeah, I have this 1967 since 1999. At some point in the early 2000s, I had eight Basketweave cabs, and decided to only keep one. After an entire day of shootout between them, this was the one to keep. Now, with the prices they are going for I wish I had space to keep them all. lol
Regarding the Kerry Wright, I've tried a few different set of speakers in it. I'm not a fan of mixing speakers in the same cab, unless if it's a Matchless combo. Just my personal preference.
But man, I've never head a V-30 being so punchy like it sounded in this cab! Had blackback 25w 75hz, blackback 30w 55hz, 80's G12-65, 1995 V-30s, 1967 greenback 25w... and decided to go with Heritage 30w 55Hz. These were a lot tighter than the old 25w but not as stiff as the blackbacks. I was really curious about how the Creamback 65 would sound here, but once I find something I really like, I tend to stay with it for a long time. I really wanted to find one or two more KW 4x12, but they are so expensive now that I gave up searching for.
If I could only have three of them, with 25, 30 greenbacks and one with V-30, along with my 1967 Marshall, I probably would never gas for another cab.
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Yeah the Kerry Wright does take very well to regular V30’s. For me it depends on the speakers, but I do usually prefer a mix rather than just all 4 the same, especially in recording. I had the other day those same Orange JBL D120F’s mixed with heritage 20 watt GB’s and was a really killer combo. Those heritage 20’s and Alnico gold’s are the only non-vintage speakers I still use sometimes. I thought the gold’s also mixed really great with v30’s and ‘80’s vented T75’s. Those gold’s and JBL’s break the stereotype that Alnico’s aren’t aggressive or good for metal. I’ve got over 50 speakers and have tried them all at one point in my KW lol. I always tinker even if sometimes I lose the best sound I’ve ever heard lol. Can always go back to it (usually at least)
 
braintheory said:
That ‘67 with those 20 GB’s must be incredible!! The Kerry Wright 412 has been my favorite cab too. It’s the only one my friend has accepted for his re-amps. The other cabs I’ve had are “nice”, but not as good. If you haven’t done so yet, you gotta try it with great vintage speakers. I’ve got in it right now a combo of ‘60’s Alnico Blues and orange frame JBL D120F’s. It’s very responsive to different speakers and has been what I use for testing different combos of speakers

Of my current cabs, my Diezel 412 FL is maybe 2nd fave, but a distant 2nd. Those old blues are glorious and imo some of the best speakers on the planet. I’ve always much preferred the tone of 20 watt GB’s to the 25’s, whether it’s the old or current heritage versions
Click to expand...
That old Marshall your buddy brought to SIR last year was the baddest I’ve heard. The knock was amazing!
 
braintheory said:
Yeah the Kerry Wright does take very well to regular V30’s. For me it depends on the speakers, but I do usually prefer a mix rather than just all 4 the same, especially in recording. I had the other day those same Orange JBL D120F’s mixed with heritage 20 watt GB’s and was a really killer combo. Those heritage 20’s and Alnico gold’s are the only non-vintage speakers I still use sometimes. I thought the gold’s also mixed really great with v30’s and ‘80’s vented T75’s. Those gold’s and JBL’s break the stereotype that Alnico’s aren’t aggressive or good for metal. I’ve got over 50 speakers and have tried them all at one point in my KW lol. I always tinker even if sometimes I lose the best sound I’ve ever heard lol. Can always go back to it (usually at least)
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Yeah... those Heritage 20 and the Golds are phenomenal speakers!
 
Nigel said:
That old Marshall your buddy brought to SIR last year was the baddest I’ve heard. The knock was amazing!
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Hey Nigel! Hope all is great with you! We need to do another get together!
Yeah, that 73 4x12 with 25w that Kris got it's one of the best ones I've heard too. That cabinet smokes!
 
Late to the party

For heavies: Diezel FL-K100 or UberKab 30/75
Everything else: Bogner RL-OS412 V30 or Bogner OS212C

Honourable mention to the highly underrated Fryette Deliverance 412 (load with whatever ya want, but V30 bottom, G25 top? Killer)
 
Devin said:
My modern (Fryette-built) Sound City 4x12 is my favorite cab i’ve ever played, and pretty much everyone else who’s heard it or played through it is blown away.

It has Fryette’s “V-brace” (whatever that is), a slim bottom rear port and is loaded with custom Fane Sound City Power speakers.

It’s also insanely heavy lmao.
Quite an expensive cab but 100% worth it in my opinion
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Tried one of those a while back, very slick cabinet. Quite beefy sounding.
 
I see ya'll bumped my old thread. I had a chance to try a few more cabs since then. I was on a search for a Mills 4x12 straight front and found one with v30s. To be honest I was a bit let down by it and ended up selling.

I also got a Bogner 4x12 straight cab with v30s. It might be my favorite cab out of anything Ive had. I still have my Mesa and my Splawn but the Bogner is more balanced to my ears. All three are great sounding cabs though. One other thing I will mention is that I definitely prefer 8ohm speakers over 16. Now you guys got me thinkin bout Kerry Wright lol.
 
I agree that the amp has to like the cab, my only 4x12 is the MESA halfback with all EVM 12L's and the upper back panel installed. Heavy as all get out, but a very true to the sound from the C+.
 
Here is a good friend playing his R-9 with my JTM45 and my favorite cabinet to this day, the 1967 Marshall that I mentioned earlier.

Here another friend playing the same amp/cab, but using my 51 Esquire.
 
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