guitar cabinet questions - differences between models

[dkusu]

I have a question regarding the differences between 4 x 12 guitar cabs.

what would be the GENERAL DIFFERENCE between all these different types of models in the market??

I understand that expensive it is, high quality the speakers are going to be/ better job on the soldering/wiring/better wood/etc. but I still don't understand the difference between the sounds.



Also this might be a little off topic but I currently use a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 (100 watt) head w/ Carvin V412 cabinet.
When I play with my band, the sound seems to hide in the mix for some reason (the other guitar player is using a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 50 (50 watt)
w/ Marshall 1960A cabinet.)

When I experimented with my Fender Concert (60 watt) 1 x 12 combo amp (w/Celestion G12 speaker) I noticed that when I play with my band, the sound seems to go through the mix a little more clearly.

I was wondering if anyone can tell me why a 60 watt Fender combo amp has a better work of cutting through the mix compared to 100 watt Marshall??

[gusfinley]

The biggest difference in Cabs is going to be the speakers inside them. Some cabs have different dimensions. The "Vintage Marshall" cabs are just few inches smaller (or larger on of them) that the 1960A.

By the way, I you can spare the shame of owning a "non-Marshall" cab, http://avatarspeakers.com can get you the sound of a marshall vintage cabinet for less than the cost of a 1960.... It'll all the be same inside the Box, and more importantly insdie your ears

[Outlaws]

Originally Posted by dkusu

I have a question regarding the differences between 4 x 12 guitar cabs.

what would be the GENERAL DIFFERENCE between all these different types of models in the market??

I understand that expensive it is, high quality the speakers are going to be/ better job on the soldering/wiring/better wood/etc. but I still don't understand the difference between the sounds.



Also this might be a little off topic but I currently use a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 (100 watt) head w/ Carvin V412 cabinet.
When I play with my band, the sound seems to hide in the mix for some reason (the other guitar player is using a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 50 (50 watt)
w/ Marshall 1960A cabinet.)

When I experimented with my Fender Concert (60 watt) 1 x 12 combo amp (w/Celestion G12 speaker) I noticed that when I play with my band, the sound seems to go through the mix a little more clearly.

I was wondering if anyone can tell me why a 60 watt Fender combo amp has a better work of cutting through the mix compared to 100 watt Marshall??

Easy. You are using too much gain? When that happens things get mushy. Also you might not have enough mids in your EQ.

That or its a normal problem of small practice spaces where everyone can hear everything just fine...except themselves. Thats almost as common as egos when it comes to bands.

[gcapel]

Are you using a clean tone? If so the fender is going to be much bolder. If distorted the marshall will win. If you want the best of both worlds i would go boogie. I don't even bother on the new marshall stuff. I owned a jcm2000 100 watt head for a week. I thought it sounded thin and no guts what so ever. I just went back to my trusty Mesa DC-5 head. If your looking for tube distortion I would look at older marshall or boogie. JCM 800 is an excellant choice (they can be hotrodded). I thought the JCM900 was a good amp aswell. Any of the older mesa mark series amps are killer. I own 2 mesa DC-5 heads (50watts). 50 watts sound like 150 compaired to the weak JCM2000.

Notice also the cab. I own older 1960a and b cabs, when the celestions were made in the UK (now China). If I were going to by brand new speakers I would get emeince. I know a lot of shops quit selling celestions. I have also built a 2x12 cab using Jensen mod 12 speakers that work o-so-well for clean tones.

the closer you match the wattage of the speaker to the amp the more brighter and crisp it will sound for a clean tone. And the opposite for tube distortion, you want to rated the speakers a little higher than the amp.

I lot of artist use two amps live for this reason.