Guitar speaker cabinets

See also this list.

1x12
2x12
4x12
(1x10?)
(2x10?)
(1x15?)
Comments

Comments

The Carvin E-series and GC-series look like good deals, but their Web site doesn't supply enough information about them. Is the GC212C an open-back or closed-back cabinet? More to the point, they are only 10.25" deep, and that isn't as deep as I'd like to see for a good resonant cabinet with room to breathe. Then again, they are almost as big as the THD 2x12, which Guitar Player said had really good bottom end, better than their Marshall 4x12.

Generally speaking, the amount of information available at the manufacturers' Web sites and at Musician's Friend is pretty disappointing. The items above are the bare minimum of information I'd want before spending money on a cabinet, and much of what I've compiled here I had to dig out of product manuals, magazine articles, and user reviews at Harmony Central.

Price-wise, that $350 used Mesa slant-2x12" at McKenzie River Music starts to look like a pretty good deal, even if I can't talk them down. But the new ones weigh 75 pounds! Yikes.

I discovered why there is such a disparity in weights between cabs. Carvin and other makers are using 1/2" plywood for some of their speaker enclosures now; Boogie uses 5/8", and some still use 3/4" ply. Marshall and others use MDF. J Design uses solid pine or plywood depending on the model. I'd like a cab that is sturdy, but I'd like a cab that I can carry.

I really should do some listening to these things. On the one hand, I like the idea of a solid bass response from my cabinet. On the other, I sometimes think Peavey warped the response of the Classic 30 trying to get chunky low-end thud, and certainly that's true of the Boogie Recto 412s. My preference between a good balanced tone and a hyped-up solid thunk is something I'll have to figure out for myself.

20060331

I've been thinking about buying a speaker cabinet to use with the Mini-Plex. Why, I'm not sure, because the only playing I ever do is at my apartment, where the pemissible volume levels are much more appropriate to the JM60 than the Mini-Plex, and where the Mini-Plex can play through the Bandit's speaker without causing the blown-speaker kinds of noises I heard from the Bandit during my crank-testing last weekend. An external speaker cabinet would allow more crank-testing, which would be fun, and it would allow me to get a sense of what all my other amps would sound like with different speakers.

McKenzie River Music has a wider selection of speaker cabinets in stock than the much larger Guitar Center store in Eugene, and the models they have are of much better qualilty, too. None of them are super bargains, compared to say the Carvin line, so I've been wondering whether to pay more locally or try out a new Carvin enclosure. I've also been wondering whether to get a 1x12" or a 2x12" cabinet. I imagine a 1x12" would be fine for the Miini-Plex, which after all only puts out 12W. I don't know if a 2x12" would provide more low-end tone; I like a solid low end. A 2x12" would make a better cabinet for a 50-60-100W head if I were to go nuts later. It would be heavy, and heavy is a hassle, but it might also be louder, an advantage if I were to haul my 12W amp to a hard rock jam or band rehearsal.

I guess the way to choose would be to haul my Mini-Plex to McKenzie River Music and plug it into as many cabs as I can. Or, alternatively, tell them I need a cab for a head and I don't really want to subject them to nasty high-volume high-distortion cab testing all day, so can I buy a cab and trade it in for another if I don't love it? And think about it -- there really aren't that many cabs I'm serious about. The Boogie Three-Quarter-Back 1x12", the Boogie Three-Quarter-Back 2x12", maybe one or two 4x12"s for reference purposes, and the used Boogie 2x12" vertical cab if they still have it. If they had any other 2x12" cabs, I could try those -- Fender Super-Sonic?

Make	Model		Type		Tagged		Actual		Weight
Boogie	used vert.	2x12"		  $350		  $275		75lbs?
Boogie	3/4-bac		1x12"		  $390		  $350?		47lbs.
Boogie	3/4-back	2x12"		  $560		  $500?		48lbs.
Boogie Clssic WB	1x12"		  $400		  $360?		
Marshall?		4x12"		  $550 used	  $475?		100+lbs.
used Jensen box		2x12"		  $275		  $250?		45lbs?
Fender	Super-Sonic 	2x12"	 	  $500?		  $450?		74lbs.
Carvin	C212E Vai	2x12"		  $365		  $365		40lbs.
Carvin	212E		2x12"		  $275		  $275		37lbs.
Carvin	Vai 412		4x12"		  $580		  $580		90lbs.

According to these specs, the Boogie 3/4-back 2x12" is only 1 pound heavier than the 1x12, and the cabinets are the same dimensions. The main difference then would be the extra $170 for the second driver, and presumably close to double the power handling. They must make some killer margins on that second driver.

Yeeks. $390 for a 1x12", or $560 for a 2x12", that don't even have name-brand drivers (they are Boogie's house-brand "C90"). By comparison, Carvin sells a Celestion Vintage-30-loaded 1x12" for $220 and a 2x12" with V30s for $365 -- that's the closed-back-optional version, the open-back tweed "vintage" version is $275. Carvin's top-end 4x12" with V30s is only $580.

I should pay off my VISA in full before I buy a speaker cabinet anyway.

For my lifestyle, the ideal solution is to own only the JM60. No Bandit 65, no Classic 30, no Fargen Mini-Plex, no external speaker cabinet, no pile of effects gear. One simple, small, self-contained amp for use with the pile of guitars I seem bent on accumulating.

20060414

I bought the used Boogie 212 vertical half-and-half cab from McKenzie River Music. It's big, heavy, and it sounds good to an extent. I find it a little harsh and ear-fatiguing due to the prominent upper mids, and it lacks bass compared to my much smaller Peavey Classic 30 112 combo. So that's the Celestion Vintage 30 sound? I'm unsure whether to keep this cab. I'd certainly like to compare it with others in search of smaller, lighter alternatives with a little smoother and more solid sound.

Fargen says

Review synopses

Boogie TQB 1x12": Sounds huge, but colors sound to get there. Not neutral, open, or airy. Lots of people are happy with the "huge" sound because they bought this to get the 4x12" sound in a smaller, lighter cabinet. The "Black Shadow C90" driver has a label saying "Celestion Custom 90". Some reviewers either replaced the driver in their cabs or plan to.

Boogie Widebody 1x12": Sounds huge, also has 3/4-back (?), people like them but don't provide a lot of usable detail. Only a few reviews. It's hard to tell from the HC category whether this is Boogie's "Compact Widebody 112", or their new "Classic Widebody 112", but the latter is so new I don't know if there would be reviews yet.

Boogie TQB 2x12": Sounds huge. Really solid bass response. Can be "muddy". "Had trouble cutting through the mix and replaced drivers with Celestions." "Dark sounding, brightens up at higher volumes . . . but I can't play that loud (at gigs)." "Replaced Marshall 4x12, like this better -- solid low end, better dispersion" "If you buy this for a practice amp and play at bedroom levels, expect a dark sound. You need to crank up to power tube distortion levels to hear the mids and highs open up." Lots of people buy these to replace 4x12"s, and are happy. They say they'll buy another to stack for the big gigs, but find the 2x12" more convenient and portable and sufficiently loud. "This 2x12" with the "Celestion/Black Shadows" isn't as thumpy or as bright as a Recto 4x12" with Vintage 30s, but it has a better balanced sound." One guy bought this to stack with his TQB 1x12" and says the 1x12" is a bigger cab and sounds much better -- but I think he was talking about a different 2x12", cause this one is the same size as the 1x12" according to Boogie. One guy says the low end is on a par with the Marshall 1960A 4x12"; another says this made his 1960 sound thin.

Somebody brought up that a closed-back cab is directional, so band members couldn't hear him; open-back cabs disperse sound more widely, so the drummer could hear him again. Several people thought Boogie's TQB is a nice compromise between the two.

20060502

My Boogie half-back cab is really big and heavy. I'd like something more portable.

I was tempted to order a Carvin 112E, because it's light, small, has a name-brand speaker, and is the cheapest available option despite its price increase to $240. But I already have a much larger cabinet with two of the same speaker installed, and I find it lacking in low end, so I can't imagine I'd love the 112E's sound.

I'm tempted to buy a THD 212, because they are supposed to sound great and have solid low end power. But they are $620, and I already have a 212. I think I'd be better off with a 112 for its lower overall volume and better ability to push the speaker with my small-wattage amps.

I'm tempted to buy a Boogie TQB 112, because it's a 112 cab with "huge" "dark" sound. It is as large and heavy as many 212s, though, and costs more as well. And, McKenzie River Music sold theirs.

20061128

Shortly after the last entry, I bid on an Avatar G212H Custom cabinet with two Neodymium-magnet Celestions, a Century and a Century Vintage. Avatar auctions brand new cabinets off on eBay as a promotional tool, which they told me brings them a lot of business. This cab weighs about 30 pounds (for a 212!) and cost me only $314 delivered. It's light and has more solid low end than the Boogie half-back cab. It's pretty loud, too.

I had thought the next cab I'd buy might be an Avatar with a single Celestion G12H heritage 30 installed. That would be a good match for the Mini-Plex, it is supposed to have a good low-end, and it wouldn't be as loud as the 2x12s. I might order it with a nice hunter-green Tolex and wheat or oxblood grille.

But then I chanced across and bought a Zinky Mofo amp with its matching 2x12 cabinet. So I have yet another 2x12, and this one sounds terrific with the Zinky head. I have yet to test it with the Mini-Plex and other amps.

20070102

Short list

• Avatar G112 with G12H-30 Anniversary or Vintage 30 or Classic Lead 80 (or for extra cost, Heritage G12H or AlNiCo Gold). $265.
• Some other 1x12 with a wider cabinet to support 20"-wide amp heads.
• Boogie TQB 1x12: single speaker yet 26.5" wide (enough to stack a Marshall short box). $390.
• Avatar G212H Special with one Vintage 30 and one G12H-30 Anniversary. $322.
• Avatar G212H Special with two Vintage 30s, closed back. $322.
• Avatar G212H Special with two Eminence Tonkers. Clean sound and 300W handling. $322.
• THD 2x12 -- it handles a lot of power and they say it sounds good. $620.
• Dr. Z Z-Best -- they say it sounds good. $750+.

20070326

Some of the best tone I've heard was a Divided by 13 JJN 50/100 head into a straight-front Bogner 4x12 cabinet with a wheat grille.  There was such generous low end that I wondered if it was an Überkab, but the wheat grille means it probably wasn't.  The guys in the store said the cab had Vintage 30s in it, but I don't know if they actually looked or just assumed.  The Bogner cab is now made with either Vintage 30s or Greenbacks, but examples have been made with G12H-30 70th Anniversary speakers as well.  This cab was used and priced $700; one of the guys at the store bought it.  Can I get that kind of sound but a little smaller with a big roomy 2x12 closed-back cab, or should I just bite the bullet and buy (and haul around) a 4x12?  Would any full-size 4x12 do it, or must I invest the big bucks in a Bogner?

I kick myself for not buying that Bogner 4x12, but there were good reasons.  I don't need that loud a cab.  Since I have to haul my gear out to turn it up at all, it would be crazy to buy a cab that is a back hazard to move by myself.  The rarity with which I use my Boogie 2x12 is testament to that.  I also haven't heard that Bogner cab cranked up, while a good part of my testing of my cabs has been with them under pressure.  It's hard to compare a memory of one cab using a $3000 amp in a store with memories of my other cabs using my motley amp collection in an empty cubicle farm.

What bugs me is this: if, to get the tone I really want, I need to get a 4x12, I'm inclined to plunk down the cash and do it.  I'd rather have one cab that gives me awesome tone than, err, four cabs that give me tone with good and not-so-good aspects.  I just don't know what I'd do about the portability issue.  Have the 4x12 for times when the tone is worth the pain, and keep looking for a smaller cab that sounds good enough to replace the ones I have?

Resources

What is a Greenback?  This thread even discusses which exact über-rare early-1970s G12H Greenback type were used to record the demos on the Komet Web site.

Learn about Celestion speaker date codes here and here.

Comparison with sound clips of various pre-Rola Celestion, modern Celestion, and third-party vintage-reproduction speakers with a 1969 plexi and a 65 London.  The clips are all located here.