Cabinet recommendations

[Eric***]

Hello everyone,

Before I start looking around and get my hopes up, can anyone offer up some recommendations for cabinets? I'm always looking for the lower-cost options, but would like to know what you think is worth it when it comes to brand, config (1x12, 2x12, 4x12, 4x10...), sound vs. portability, etc.

This will most likely be coming out of a Crate Powerblock (if/when I get one), which is 75w mono/150w stereo, but I think the amp/cab will operate primarily as my personal monitor, with a separate line going to FOH.

I've only had combo amps up to this point, so I know little to nothing about cabinets.

My main application for this will be the weekly church playing (which can get pretty loud), but in general I play mainline rock/punk pop/britpop/classic rock, with maybe a touch of prog and/or indie rock.

Gracias!

[ZMAN]

I swear by the Avatar brand of Cabinets, (not the movie). They are reasonably priced, you can order what speakers you like, the color, the style.
I have a 2/12 with Eminence Legends, and I use my Marshall combo amp to power it. You can usually use just about any amp as long as it has an output jack, and you match the output impedence. I unplug the internal speaker and use the Marshal as a 40 watt "head" . I have also put my Blues Junior and 65 Deluxe reverb through it. Check out their website.
http://www.avatarspeakers.com/
Oh and I forgot to mention they are very well constructed. A lot of cabs now come with fiberboard, these are birch plywood, with really sturdy metal handles, and very good quality speakers.

[rev156]

Crate GT112SL

I picked this up cheap to use as a companion to my 2x12 and it is fantastic.
Great sounding, 100w, and as I just found out when I googled it, it's made to go with the powerblock.

http://www.guitargearheads.com/modul...hp?storyid=174

Cheers,

[R.B. Huckleberry]

www.lopoline.com



...They made the 1x12 I put my Dr. Z MAZ 18 through. I bought it loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30. Built like a brick house, and sounds great!

[Eric***]

Are there any rules of thumb I should bear in mind if I go craigslisting?

Since this won't have anything to do with the house sound, I'm thinking about something on the cheap end of things. I'm not sure if there are any red flags or names I should look out for or avoid altogether.

[Commodore 64***]

The only rules of thumb I can think of for Craigslisting is the type of cab you want...open back, ported, front loaded, whatever. My VHT is a front loaded, closed back cab, and quite frankly, I wish it was open back. It's just too boomy for me. I've always got the bass knob on my Blackheart at like 1 or 2.

Almost wish I'd have got a 10-inch cab or at least an open back 12.

[Eric***]

open back, ported, front loaded

OK so I know what open back is, though other than your comments about bass, I don't know how it really affects things.

What do ported and front loaded mean?

Also, how do you match up impedance with cabs? Crate says the powerblock is mono 150w RMS @ 8 ohms and stereo 75w RMS @ 4 ohms. I suppose it would be best to get it to match up directly, but is there a direction in which you can safely err?

I was trying to figure this out and went back to P = I^2 x R and V=I x R, but I still wasn't sure of anything. If you assume the power is constant, then higher resistance would lead to lower current, which seems like it would be OK, since then you wouldn't fry anything. Any help on this one? I'm not sure of many/any of my calculations.

[Plank_Spanker]

The Power Block is solid state - as long as you don't go below the minimum rated impedance (4 ohms) you're golden.

Front loaded cabs have the speaker mounted on the front surface, instead of behind the mounting board.

Ported means the cab is closed back, and there's a hole (port) to allow air to move in and out of the cab. This, in theory, loosens the bass response.

All of this does impact the tone.........................but not by any degree that would be a show stopper. Your main concern will be the speakers.

A 2x12 cab sounds perfect for what you're seeking. ZMAN mentioned Avatar cabs. They have a solid reputation, and they won't cost you an arm and a leg depending on what speakers you load them with. An 8 ohm mono cab should fit the bill for you.

Then you have to choose speakers, and that's another issue where you'll get a thousand different opinions................................

[Eric***]

A 2x12 cab sounds perfect for what you're seeking. ZMAN mentioned Avatar cabs. They have a solid reputation, and they won't cost you an arm and a leg depending on what speakers you load them with. An 8 ohm mono cab should fit the bill for you.

Thanks for answering this. I think it helps clear up some stuff.

[Plank_Spanker]

Thanks for answering this. I think it helps clear up some stuff.

Good luck on your quest, Eric. What stuff are you not clear on?

[Commodore 64***]

Speakers:

For Clones (I have a Green Beret in my 1 x 12"): http://warehousespeakers.com/
For Eminence: http://www.parts-express.com/wizards...AT&srchCat=565
Webers at Eurotube (pretty bad website, folks love eurotubes): http://www.eurotubes.com/euro-weber.htm
Celestions and Hellatones (horrible website, you gotta dig for them): http://www.avatarspeakers.com/

[Eric***]

So...with something like this, I take it the head should be a max of 50W?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/1606624288.html

Doesn't that seem like kind of a low threshold for a 2 x 12? I dunno...just my gut reaction. Is this a good deal? Still calibrating my inner shopper...

[tunghaichuan***]

So...with something like this, I take it the head should be a max of 50W?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/1606624288.html

Doesn't that seem like kind of a low threshold for a 2 x 12? I dunno...just my gut reaction. Is this a good deal? Still calibrating my inner shopper...

Yeah, if the head put out 50 watts, you'd think that H&K would put in two 50W drivers for the safety factor. Mating a 50W head to a 50W cabinet is just asking for trouble.

The only way to be sure of the ratings of the speakers is to pull them and see if the wattage handling is on the speaker anywhere.

Edit: found this link on H&K's site:

http://www.hughes-and-kettner.com/pr...ode=prod&id=26

That is really weird, two 25W drivers in a 2x12 cab. Maybe you're supposed to use two for a 50W head?

[duhvoodooman***]

Late to the party, but a couple of years ago, I bought a 1x12 cab from THIS GUY through eBay, and it's really nicely made. He obviously used to work for Lopoline--he's located in the same city and his construction looks identical. But his prices are significantly lower. You can see my 1x12 here:

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=4242

[Eric***]

Late to the party, but a couple of years ago, I bought a 1x12 cab from THIS GUY through eBay, and it's really nicely made. He obviously used to work for Lopoline--he's located in the same city and his construction looks identical. But his prices are significantly lower. You can see my 1x12 here:

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=4242

Wow, those are nicely priced. I might go that route when it's time -- either that, CL, or Avatar, anyway. Thanks for the tip.

[Bloozcat]

A couple of other factors to consider when choosing a speaker cabinet:

Closed back/open back were mentioned, and your choice is usually dictated by the venue in which you're most likely to play. The closed back cabinet is directional and generally used where you want to project your sound over a greater distance. For instance: If you're playing in an auditorium/gym setting where you want to ensure that your sound reaches accross the room, over the people in it, and is clear and audible in the back of the room.

An open/semi open back cabinet is more suitable for smaller venues like clubs where you want the sound to "surround" you and your audience - which will likely be in close proximity to the stage. Think Marshall stacks with their closed back cabinets being used at large venue concerts vs. open back combo amps used in club settings.

Speakers sound different depending on which back you choose as well. Some like closed back, some open back, and some do both well...differently, but well.

And then there's the size of the cabinet. There are formula's as you noted (like the "golden rule formula"), but they are mainly applicable only in closed back cabinets. Still, a cabinet should be of sufficient size so as to allow air to move around an not stiffel the tonal range of the speakers. Some cabinets on the market are just too small to allow the speakers to "breath" properly and the tone is thus affected.

The size of the Avatar 2X12 cabs are similar to the older Fenders and others out there. The Avatars, and others of this size/dimension, have sufficient volume to allow the speakers to properly breath. When I make a 2x12 cab, I use the dimensions from an older Bandmaster cab because I know that size works...for both open or closed backs.

[deeaa*]

Hey Eric,

Cabs are largely a matter of taste I guess.

IMO the best way to go for compromise in big sound and usability is a 2x12" cab, and most preferably one you can use both open and closed, i.e. has a partially removable back panel, so you can choose according to the venue/use. Something like the Framus 2x12", but the Framus isn't exactly the best materials or build - sort of light/flimsy even.

Closed back: best for gigging, and punchy rock - good projection and no spilling of sound everywhere you don't want, plus they always sound much the same despite the room they are in. Basic 4x12" closed is the ONLY cab that can truly deliver the biggest and best rock sounds live IMO especially with more than one guitars playing.

Open back: best for recording and bluesier/softer stuff and reverb use etc. and work arguably the best for single big lead guitars etc. Usually 2x12" works quite well. Downside is the sound can change surprisingly much according to placement/proximity to walls behind etc. and it can be hard to get a really punchy rock sound from 'em, and the wash of the sound can drown other guitars present.

Mixing cabs is always good...a 4x12" with a 2x12" open back on top can sound incredible.

Mind you, one of the best cabs I ever had was a 4x12" with just 2 speakers installed...open at front it sort of had best of both open and closed backs to it, but was a tad big though.

Ported cabs...their problem is the port is tuned to a certain frequency, which means they have to be matched with the amp.

Put a Marshall thru some ported cab and it's possible the frequency the cab is tuned to is way wrong and the low end sounds just damn weird. They usually work best for bass amps and such, which also have compreshensive EQ's - acoustic guitar cabs etc. But I'd not get one for rock guitar.

All you really need for good rock rock guitar sound is one good 12" speaker in a solid enclosure, open or closed is matter of taste.

But for live applications, 2 or 4 is better.

4x10" cabs like the old Marshall Mosfet series cabs can be really nice and tight too, but they won't have the flab-yer-pants power of 4x12"'s.

[Plank_Spanker]

So...with something like this, I take it the head should be a max of 50W?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/1606624288.html

Doesn't that seem like kind of a low threshold for a 2 x 12? I dunno...just my gut reaction. Is this a good deal? Still calibrating my inner shopper...

The Power Block is SS and needs some clean headroom. At its 75 watt rated output, that's shaving the headroom. That cab should be fine with the Power Block...................you're not going to dme it.

[Eric***]

The Power Block is SS and needs some clean headroom. At its 75 watt rated output, that's shaving the headroom. That cab should be fine with the Power Block...................you're not going to dme it.

Yeah, I figured it was too low for a power block (which I did manage to score last month for $60), but was just asking in general. Seems like most 12" cabinets I have noticed are well above 100 watts, like 300 watts or something.