Tell me about 4x12 cabs

  • Thread starter Thread starter sandman
  • Start date Start date
Can't go wrong with an old marshall 1960, uberkab, engl xxl, and the Diezel stuff.

The Fryette Fatbottoms are great 4x12s too.

My favorite cabinet of all time for heavy stuff is a redplate though

PXL_20250131_021807008.jpg



I like old uk v30s, scumback bm75lds, and evm12Ls
 
Cab porn? I don't have these cabs anymore so it's kinda like looking at pictures of the hottest ex girlfriend I've had. I don't know if it was their oversizedness (36" tall), the staggered speaker placement or the unique way they are constructed (all of it obviously), but my old Emperor cabs just sounded huge. I'm still rocking a pair of old Peavey VTM/Butcher cabs that sound as good as any standard 4x12 I've played. But yeah, the Emperors sounded great.


1739188781866.jpeg
 
I have Marshall 4x12; but I have Mesa and Engl 2x12 which sound tighter and more defined to me.
 
Last edited:
Down tuned death metal. I’m not into rear loaded cabs.

Best cabs in the room, all slant. Soldano (under sized, baffle is cross shaped, sort of like a Diezel). Carvin C412 Vai Legacy. VHT (pre fat bottom design). Diezel FL. Carvin (90’s?, smooth black tolex, white piping).

Best recorded: Avatar Traditional Straight. Soldano. Avatar Trad Slant. Carvin C412.

Speakers: Evm12L/Redback. Evm12L/Greyhound. Evm12L/Scumback H75.

I think I’ve had around 20 different cabs and a ton of different speakers and those are the winners.
 
Down tuned death metal. I’m not into rear loaded cabs.

Best cabs in the room, all slant. Soldano (under sized, baffle is cross shaped, sort of like a Diezel). Carvin C412 Vai Legacy. VHT (pre fat bottom design). Diezel FL. Carvin (90’s?, smooth black tolex, white piping).

Best recorded: Avatar Traditional Straight. Soldano. Avatar Trad Slant. Carvin C412.

Speakers: Evm12L/Redback. Evm12L/Greyhound. Evm12L/Scumback H75.

I think I’ve had around 20 different cabs and a ton of different speakers and those are the winners.
I miss having a Carvin cab like that. That was a great box. I just had it in my head that their electronics (amps) sucked and the company made garbage, but the cab was solid. It always sounded great with whatever speakers I had in it.

My Avatar Traditional cab was good too. It was front loading and after I sealed it all up good and tight, it was great. It just had the doofy red tolex that was starting to fade. I flipped that too.

Right now the best I got is a Splawn cab. Better than the Bogner, Mesa Traditional, and the Rivera cab. The Bogner is a close second for me though.
 
Cabs are like amps. No two cabs, even from the same manufacturer, will sound the same. At this time I have 2 JCM 800 slants, both loaded with 80s Marshall Vintage speakers. They are my fav cabs ever, even over some vintage Marshall cabs(79 w/65s, and a 72 w/pulsonic GBs). I also have an EVH cab with Heritage 20Ms. 2 JCM 900 straights, both with greenbacks and 2 of those GBs are 1966 H25s.

2 empty cabs, one Mode 4 B cab, and a 1968 Sound City straight cab that I got (empty) in a trade for a Boss SD1 lol.

I've also had 3 Mesa half backs, with EVs/C90s, all EVs and one with MS12s. 3 Mesa V30 cabs, 2 traditional and 1 OS. 2 Bogner V30 cabs, and 1 Rivera V30 cab. If you want a V30 cab that hits equally to the Mesa Traditional look no further than the Rivera K412s....that Rivera cab sounded identical to the Mesa V30 cabs. They also came with 75s.
Had a LynchBox cab as well, another great cab IMO. Came with an Eminence version of a GB. Hard to find though.
The most disappointing cab I had was a VHT Fatbottom cab with those P50s. Worst fn tone ever. Read up here on how great it was supposed to be...absolute garbage. Couldn't return that cab fast enough.
 
Cabs are like amps. No two cabs, even from the same manufacturer, will sound the same. At this time I have 2 JCM 800 slants, both loaded with 80s Marshall Vintage speakers. They are my fav cabs ever, even over some vintage Marshall cabs(79 w/65s, and a 72 w/pulsonic GBs). I also have an EVH cab with Heritage 20Ms. 2 JCM 900 straights, both with greenbacks and 2 of those GBs are 1966 H25s.

2 empty cabs, one Mode 4 B cab, and a 1968 Sound City straight cab that I got (empty) in a trade for a Boss SD1 lol.

I've also had 3 Mesa half backs, with EVs/C90s, all EVs and one with MS12s. 3 Mesa V30 cabs, 2 traditional and 1 OS. 2 Bogner V30 cabs, and 1 Rivera V30 cab. If you want a V30 cab that hits equally to the Mesa Traditional look no further than the Rivera K412s....that Rivera cab sounded identical to the Mesa V30 cabs. They also came with 75s.
Had a LynchBox cab as well, another great cab IMO. Came with an Eminence version of a GB. Hard to find though.
The most disappointing cab I had was a VHT Fatbottom cab with those P50s. Worst fn tone ever. Read up here on how great it was supposed to be...absolute garbage. Couldn't return that cab fast enough.
I have heard same thing about the p50s from a guy i trust. So strange. I wonder if they work with vht amps. No way fryette would put out shit
 
Cabs are like amps. No two cabs, even from the same manufacturer, will sound the same. At this time I have 2 JCM 800 slants, both loaded with 80s Marshall Vintage speakers. They are my fav cabs ever, even over some vintage Marshall cabs(79 w/65s, and a 72 w/pulsonic GBs). I also have an EVH cab with Heritage 20Ms. 2 JCM 900 straights, both with greenbacks and 2 of those GBs are 1966 H25s.

2 empty cabs, one Mode 4 B cab, and a 1968 Sound City straight cab that I got (empty) in a trade for a Boss SD1 lol.

I've also had 3 Mesa half backs, with EVs/C90s, all EVs and one with MS12s. 3 Mesa V30 cabs, 2 traditional and 1 OS. 2 Bogner V30 cabs, and 1 Rivera V30 cab. If you want a V30 cab that hits equally to the Mesa Traditional look no further than the Rivera K412s....that Rivera cab sounded identical to the Mesa V30 cabs. They also came with 75s.
Had a LynchBox cab as well, another great cab IMO. Came with an Eminence version of a GB. Hard to find though.
The most disappointing cab I had was a VHT Fatbottom cab with those P50s. Worst fn tone ever. Read up here on how great it was supposed to be...absolute garbage. Couldn't return that cab fast enough.
I remember liking those older JCM800 cabs I’ve tried more than other Marshall cabs. I didn’t like the Fatbottom I tried in the past with stock speakers, but mine has regular Chinese V30’s and K100’s, nothing amazing (gotta change them later), but has been the cab I’ve played most often all these years I had it and liked Yehuda’s just as much with Fane F90’s. Not holy grail or anything, but like it a lot. Tight, punchy. I’d probably like Tiago’s WEM more if AB’ed or maybe a Mills (haven’t tried one), but otherwise quite like the FB. Especially good for thrash imo
 
I remember liking those older JCM800 cabs I’ve tried more than other Marshall cabs. I didn’t like the Fatbottom I tried in the past with stock speakers, but mine has regular Chinese V30’s and K100’s, nothing amazing (gotta change them later), but has been the cab I’ve played most often all these years I had it and liked Yehuda’s just as much with Fane F90’s. Not holy grail or anything, but like it a lot. Tight, punchy. I’d probably like Tiago’s WEM more if AB’ed or maybe a Mills (haven’t tried one), but otherwise quite like the FB. Especially good for thrash imo
I dont know if you tried fane f 70s, also dont know if those differ from 90s, but they are very good. Remind me of a little more balanced redback
 
I remember liking those older JCM800 cabs I’ve tried more than other Marshall cabs. I didn’t like the Fatbottom I tried in the past with stock speakers, but mine has regular Chinese V30’s and K100’s, nothing amazing (gotta change them later), but has been the cab I’ve played most often all these years I had it and liked Yehuda’s just as much with Fane F90’s. Not holy grail or anything, but like it a lot. Tight, punchy. I’d probably like Tiago’s WEM more if AB’ed or maybe a Mills (haven’t tried one), but otherwise quite like the FB. Especially good for thrash imo
I'd put the reason for my dislike to the speakers...I've never been much of an Eminence fan. Although the Mesa MS12s I believe are made by Eminence and they sound great. Kinda Neutral to my memory. I had a Mesa Road Ready straight cab with them, sounded a little like EVs. I remember also trying a Deliverance cab in the GC; they still had that same 'cardboard' like tone. Just not a fan I guess.
 
I dont know if you tried fane f 70s, also dont know if those differ from 90s, but they are very good. Remind me of a little more balanced redback
Yeah they seemed very solid from what I could tell for recent made speakers. I can see what you mean in relation to redbacks, but what makes RB’s special for me is this unique chewy quality they have in the low mids. On their own maybe they wouldn’t be perfect for me (haven’t tried), but with JBL’s on bottom it’s one of the best my cab sounded and I strongly preferred not mixing speakers in general in my cabs
 
I'd put the reason for my dislike to the speakers...I've never been much of an Eminence fan. Although the Mesa MS12s I believe are made by Eminence and they sound great. Kinda Neutral to my memory. I had a Mesa Road Ready straight cab with them, sounded a little like EVs. I remember also trying a Deliverance cab in the GC; they still had that same 'cardboard' like tone. Just not a fan I guess.
I don’t like recent Eminence’s much either. The MS12’s and other vintage Eminence’s are nice speakers. Some like the ‘70’s Fender Eminence I have are some of the best values I know of (sometimes under $50). As good imo as many celestions of that era with some of their own kind of sound. They seem to have a nice creaminess to them. Not to me top tier, but very nice and for the price very hard to rival

I hear maybe some cardboard-y tone to my FB too (not as much in Yehuda’s I think). I think it’s probably because it’s really about being tight, punchy, clear and direct sounding with its sealed back and mine is physically not as thick from the side as my other cabs in that dimension. It’s not a rich, woody or complex sound, but with amps like my 72 and other punchers, it seems to move things around my room more than my other cabs do. I think that’s why when I try old Marshall’s and other vintage cabs they can come off loose and saggy to me, but with that warmer, woodier sound
 
got rid of them all in the last 4 yrs.
no need for them anymore due to back issues and no one around to help me move them

bought a few 1 12s instead and just stack them when i need to
 
I don’t like recent Eminence’s much either. The MS12’s and other vintage Eminence’s are nice speakers. Some like the ‘70’s Fender Eminence I have are some of the best values I know of (sometimes under $50). As good imo as many celestions of that era with some of their own kind of sound. They seem to have a nice creaminess to them. Not to me top tier, but very nice and for the price very hard to rival

I hear maybe some cardboard-y tone to my FB too (not as much in Yehuda’s I think). I think it’s probably because it’s really about being tight, punchy, clear and direct sounding with its sealed back and mine is physically not as thick from the side as my other cabs in that dimension. It’s not a rich, woody or complex sound, but with amps like my 72 and other punchers, it seems to move things around my room more than my other cabs do. I think that’s why when I try old Marshall’s and other vintage cabs they come off loose and saggy to me, but with that warmer, woodier sound
One thing about redbacks. I love them in a cab, but i was getting almost the presence similar yo g12h30 annies when it was elevated. The thing is so beautiful on the floor
 
I have a pair of Egnater Tourmaster 412A cabs, which came with V30s stock. They're the cabs I have that everything seems to sound good through.

I tend to like low- to mid-gain Marshall tones, with a clean boost in front. 70s/80s hard rock and light metal. From Kiss to Queensryche. Even though V30s weren't the speakers of those eras, I like the teeth they add in the upper mids, and the cut they have in a mix. Part of it could be whatever color the cabs impart. They're built like a tank though; for some reason I think Egnater OEM'd them out to mojotone, or a similar building. Real deal voidless ply, dovetail, reinforced edges, etc.
 
Back
Top