Open back?

[Cranium]

What are the diffrences/advanatges of having a closed/open back on cabs or combos.

[TS808]

What are the diffrences/advanatges of having a closed/open back on cabs or combos.

I don't know if there are any advantages or disadvantages other than the weight. Open backs are alot lighter if you're lugging an amp to gigs.

Closed backs you definitely get more bottom end and punch, whereas the open backs are brighter. My AD100VT is an open back, and there's plenty of punch though through a 212 combo. It also depends too on the speaker configuration. A 212 open back has more bottom end than a 112 of course, and a 412 closed back will really give you some "thump".

To me, it's just a preference and what sounds best to my ears.

[Nelskie]

In my experience, closed-back cabinets seem to "project" better than open-backed cabinets. What this means is that the sound in front of the cabinet is more focused / defined. As well, the sound moves outward further from the cabinet. An open-backed cabinet, on the other hand, will allow the sound from the speaker to reverberate behind the amp, and then off of whatever is behind it. This creates more of an "ambient" sound, which sometimes equates to the guitar tone being run through it as having more "headroom" - i.e. spatial depth. Both types of cabinets have their advantages, and as TS808 has mentioned, the closed-back types enhance the bottom end, or bass timbres, of a tone.

Myself, I use a Peavey 112E extension cabinet with my Classic 30 amp, and it offers the best of both worlds. The amp has an open back design, which allows for singing highs and open mids; and the x-cab has the closed-back design, which results in a nice, focused low-end.

Depending what type of music you play, as well as where you'll be playing it (clubs, outdoor gigs, practice rooms, garages, basements, etc.) both types of cabinets will offer you different benefits.