Cab and speaker recommendations (need a huge sound at low volumes)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tommy Von Voigt
  • Start date Start date
The mesa OS cabs have a bigger more filling sound. Now they can sound dark with some amps, and you may need less NFB in the amp to get them sounding right.

Also mixing speakers has a bigger 3D-ish effect, might play with that too. This works great in smaller marshal size cabs. Tried mixing in a mesa OS, and not good IMHO.
 
When u do the 9v test do ALL speakers pop out for all your cabs?

It has to be one way on all in OR out. Not both.

Otherwise im still guessing phasing.
 
CrazyNutz said:
The mesa OS cabs have a bigger more filling sound. Now they can sound dark with some amps, and you may need less NFB in the amp to get them sounding right.

Also mixing speakers has a bigger 3D-ish effect, might play with that too. This works great in smaller marshal size cabs. Tried mixing in a mesa OS, and not good IMHO.
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Makes sense. My main amp has no negative feedback and feels like it is made for the Mesa OS.
 
Nigel said:
Makes sense. My main amp has no negative feedback and feels like it is made for the Mesa OS.
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Yup. The OS was designed for the recto's which have NFB removed (depending on the mode). If you have an amp that sounds good with a marshal 1960, or bogner 4x12, but blah on the Mesa OS. It's the NFB, you'll need 20 - 50% less NFB to get it sounding right. For this reason I always put an NFB switch on any amp build I do.
 
CrazyNutz said:
Yup. The OS was designed for the recto's which have NFB removed (depending on the mode). If you have an amp that sounds good with a marshal 1960, or bogner 4x12, but blah on the Mesa OS. It's the NFB, you'll need 20 - 50% less NFB to get it sounding right. For this reason I always put an NFB switch on any amp build I do.
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That’s my kind of detail, brother. Thanks for that insight!
 
Well, I found a Mesa OS 4x12 (slanted straight), bought it, and sure enough, that did the trick. Of course I had to make some EQ adjustments for apartment volume, but suffice to say, this fixed the problem I was having. I am now going to buy a second one to match it.

I got rid of the 73 Marshall straight cab with the G12H30 55hz speakers yesterday as well. I may never know what the issue was. The speakers? The cab? Were those speakers beat? Or were they just never going to sound good at low volumes? Why did the Scumbacks sound terrible in that cab too? Why did my 2 Marshall cabs together sound like they actively hated music? No clue.

Circling back to the Mesa OS cab - I mean no disrespect to fans of Marshall cabs, but the Mesa cab just straight up feels like a better built product. It feels tight, solid...it even rolls around better than any of the Marshalls I've had, and I've now had 10 of them. It just straight up feels like a more solid foundation for anything you may want to do. Speaking of...

I can see myself wanting to maybe experiment just a little at some point with the speakers. But, I'm certainly in no rush, now. When I ran through the pair of Mesa OS cabs w/ Vintage 30s the other day at the rehearsal space, and cranked up, wow, it was glorious! But I do find myself wondering if popping in a pair of EVM12Ls in the bottom two slots would make for an even more balanced sounding cab at any volume, very low OR very high. I of course welcome the opinions of anyone who has tried such a thing.

In the meantime, yeah, major step forward here. I can now stop stressing my cab situation, and start stressing other things instead. Funny how the solution for my problem ended up being EVEN LARGER CABS than what I had. Go figure!
 
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