Opinions on Front Loaded vs. Rear Loaded cabs

[carl roa]

Just wanted to ask peoples opinions on the sonic differences between front and rear loaded cabs. What's your preference?

 

[PaulyPanacea]

Front loaded prefferred here. Tighter sounding & more direct. Handles low end better IMHO. RL cabs little more forgiving & traditional sounding.

 

[guitarslinger]

Rear Loaded for me. It seems to sound "nicer" at ever angle.

FL always sounds like a laser to me, "in your face standing here.......then, can't hear it when I step out of the beam"





plus I like the ease of wiring a RL cab with the rear panel removed.

 

[thegame]

Front load = you hear mostly speaker tone. Very little cab coloration.

Rear load = a good one will give you that deep, warm woody 'knock' whilst still being tight and percussive.

 

[the4thlast1]

I've owned a few of both and prefer rear loaded. In general Front loaded can sound tighter, more focused than a rear loaded cab. However they also can be a bit 1 directional sounding and give less tone coloration which you may or may not want. I felt that a quality rear loaded cab like a Splawn was already very tight and focused but also offered more warmth and resonance than a front loaded cab. I guess it would be nice to have one of each but if I had to choose it would be rear loaded.

 

[noob_pwn]

It depends on the cab, speaker, amp & tone you're after IMO. I love my fatbottom to death but every other FL cab I've tried I disliked. I would say it's a case by case basis. I actually think it disperses better than the Mesa I used to use live most recently, funny that a few people say otherwise about RL cabs.

 

[carl roa]

Thanks for the opinions ... I do have a FL Cornford 4x12, and it is a very tight sounding cab ... Makes sense that different cabs and speakers would behave differently. Was curious as to the general consensus. Thanks again ...

 

[nighttrain69]

i prefer front loaded, more natural sounding to me , with rear loaded the sound seems flatter, some may like that..

 

[steve_k]

I found that they are not general purpose cabs Carl. By design, they are going to be more punchy, given identical speakers and amp. For amps that naturally run a little scooped in the mids or players that intentionally dial out the mids for metal and mega gain, I think they help punch through the mix. I can't imagine for the work and playing ability of yours, that you would need anything front loaded. Another thing I found was grill cloth and metal grills have a huge impact. Elmwood makes a front loaded V30 cab with a metal grill and it spits nails at you. Diezel's on the other hand are much more user friendly. I am sure the new Bogner is similar to the Diezel. The only other front loaded that is popular is a Fryette. I am still looking for clips and a reason to try one out. Their proprietary P50 had a purpose.

Steve

 

[Devilinside]

This discussion fell at the right time. Im trying to find the right cab for my Fortin bones I just got from mike. Carl you may be able to help me out, as ar as what you used with your fortins.
My marshall brings the mids but not enough fullness/ass, and my port city brings tons of ass but doesn't match up with the bones mids, so I was considering frontloaded as well but don't know about the laser beam these are known for.

I was thinking about possibly a fryette deliverance cab but have read some people say these can be a little scooped sounding, so that is going the opposite direction. Also curious about Marshall 1960TV cabs maybe with an x pattern of some sort.

 

[threadkiller]

So the question is do you like it in the front or in the rear

Might be part of the reason my front loaded 2 x 12 is so directional. I have another post going regarding this. Might try a rear loaded cab.

 

[Inca Roads]

Front loaded prefferred here. Tighter sounding & more direct. Handles low end better IMHO. RL cabs little more forgiving & traditional sounding.

I prefer Front loaded also.
Like (the4thlast1) said "Front loaded can sound tighter, more focused than a rear loaded cab."
I like more aggressive, in your face type cabs. They seem to be a bit brighter
which works well for me, I tend to dial my amps a bit on the Darker side.
Front loaded doesn't seem to be as spongy and Dark. The type of amps I play
work well with my FL Engl Pro's (Splawn Quickrod, Wizard Metal 100) EL-34 Tubes
Hot Rodded Marshall Tones seem to sound Punchy and aggressive through
them. 6L6 tube based amps, like my old Soldano SLO did not sound as good
through them, I also take into consideration of speaker choice. The Soldano SLO
and VHT UL don't seem to get along with V30's.

Apples and Oranges, Ya know?

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Depends on the head. If you have a darker voiced amp like a Bogner, then front loaded. Bright plexi type amps prefer rear loaded. Balances everything.

 

[glassjaw7]

Rear Loaded for me. It seems to sound "nicer" at ever angle.

FL always sounds like a laser to me, "in your face standing here.......then, can't hear it when I step out of the beam"





plus I like the ease of wiring a RL cab with the rear panel removed.

My experience is the exact opposite. My RL boogie cab is very directional. Laser beam in front, woody and airy to the side up close or standing above. And the further you walk away from it, the more low end you lose but the highs come through like a knife.

My FL Carvin cab sounds balanced and mostly the same everywhere in the room.

 

[Devilinside]

Front loaded prefferred here. Tighter sounding & more direct. Handles low end better IMHO. RL cabs little more forgiving & traditional sounding.

I prefer Front loaded also.
Like (the4thlast1) said "Front loaded can sound tighter, more focused than a rear loaded cab."
I like more aggressive, in your face type cabs. They seem to be a bit brighter
which works well for me, I tend to dial my amps a bit on the Darker side.
Front loaded doesn't seem to be as spongy and Dark. The type of amps I play
work well with my FL Engl Pro's (Splawn Quickrod, Wizard Metal 100) EL-34 Tubes
Hot Rodded Marshall Tones seem to sound Punchy and aggressive through
them. 6L6 tube based amps, like my old Soldano SLO did not sound as good
through them, I also take into consideration of speaker choice. The Soldano SLO
and VHT UL don't seem to get along with V30's.

That's why I was thinking about a vht cab with the bones. Tight and plenty of mids I hope.



Apples and Oranges, Ya know?

 

[Ventura]

Pends on the amp itself and the style... I prefer FL's 'generally' over RL's. But I've got some RL's I'd not let go of due to their awesome tone and 'knock' (whoever used that term before, I needed to steal it, great description).

I'm not doggin' RL's or FL's, but I've had both and it really depends on the amp and style of music you're into. I've got FL for my Diezel, RL for my Bogner as well as a FL, and now am looking into a FL Deliverance for my Fryette/Mak 4 rig. But Mills Acoustics make awesome cabs that are ALL RL config.

So hard to say... Personal preference all the way.

V.

 

[Greazygeo]

Rear loaded for me....although the Deliverence 2-12 FL cabs I like. FL have no depth or thump.

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

Rear Loaded for me. It seems to sound "nicer" at ever angle.

FL always sounds like a laser to me, "in your face standing here.......then, can't hear it when I step out of the beam"





plus I like the ease of wiring a RL cab with the rear panel removed.

My experience is the exact opposite. My RL boogie cab is very directional. Laser beam in front, woody and airy to the side up close or standing above. And the further you walk away from it, the more low end you lose but the highs come through like a knife.

My FL Carvin cab sounds balanced and mostly the same everywhere in the room.

you may be hearing the deference in wood, as much as the FL or RL thing. most of the old Carvin cabs are made with Poplar.

 

[gbsmusic]

Front load = you hear mostly speaker tone. Very little cab coloration.

Rear load = a good one will give you that deep, warm woody 'knock' whilst still being tight and percussive.

This. I couldn't have said it better.

 

[steve_k]

This discussion fell at the right time. Im trying to find the right cab for my Fortin bones I just got from mike. Carl you may be able to help me out, as ar as what you used with your fortins.
My marshall brings the mids but not enough fullness/ass, and my port city brings tons of ass but doesn't match up with the bones mids, so I was considering frontloaded as well but don't know about the laser beam these are known for.

I was thinking about possibly a fryette deliverance cab but have read some people say these can be a little scooped sounding, so that is going the opposite direction. Also curious about Marshall 1960TV cabs maybe with an x pattern of some sort.

Not what you wanted to hear, but..........the Bones sounds great with a Mesa Recto cab and V30's or a Mills with V30's. Got the mid hump and loads of ass......

Another cab that it sounded great with was an old Bogner Ubercab....the rear load ones with V30/T75's. Loads of ass, good grind, and a little cream on top.

A lot of people here think the V30 is shit, but it has its place. When I had my Bones, the Mesa was great with it. As an alternative, have Jim get you a Scumback cab built. A 68 Marshall or TV with H55/H75 Scumbacks. He loves V30's too and is trying to recreate one...

Steve