Stereo hook up

Hi all, i got a question that’s been puzzlin’ me lately?!? I’ll try to be as clear as poss. here. If I have 2 Rectifier 4x12 cabs Fullstack config.!!! knowing these cabs can be run Mono and STEREO on the 4OHM output of the cab. I need to know first of all if it’s correct to hook up both cabs to the 4OHM output on the Mark V amp since I am now running 2 – 8 OHM cabs now??? Secondly: if I run both cabs Mono my Speaker jack would be Mono with one ring on the cable/jack plug, but if I were to run them both Stereo would I need two Stereo speaker cables with 2 rings on the jack/cable plug?!? Or would the mono cable/jacks be fine since I am hookin’ them up to the 4 OHM Stereo Output of the Recto cabs??? Please help . thanks in advance . I am dyin’ to know what two cabs would sound like in Stereo instead of Mono, but I need to know what type of speaker cables I’ll need and how to hook them up?!?. Thanks all for your great help an support. Rock till you drop… :shock: :shock:

Hi, I'm not an expert at this, but I'm pretty positive that the only way to go "true" stereo is you have to have a second power amp. As for the cables, you dont need a special cable. Just standard speaker cable. Never use instrument cable. I have the Mesa 2:50 stereo power amp rack mount. I run it through a Mesa recto 212 cab that I converted over to stereo. If you run 2 412 cabs into the same amp that is only mono, then you will get the exact sound out of both cabs. The great part of running stereo and a lot of guys do this, is the run your dry signal through one cab and your wet signal through the other. So if you like to run effects through the amp, you will still have your dry signal cut through the mix so your sound does not get muddy.

Going true stereo isnt cheap. It usually means buying new gear. I recently revamped my gear and I planned to go stereo from the beginning. When I ran a Mark IV years ago, there was no way I would run stereo after spending that kind of money on a mono amp. Think it over, because it could be an expensive overhaul. Hope this helps.

Oh, by the way....now that I run stereo, I will never go back to mono. Its amazing

Thanks for your great explanation brewboy73, seems to me that you are "EXPERIENCED"!

I'm running an "old school" stereo rig at the moment. Guitar -> ABY Box -> various effects on each side -> Mesa Roadster and Orange Tiny Terror. Its a bit lopsided to say the least but its really fun to play around with.

For a true stereo setup you need a stereo power amp like a 2:90. There is one in the classifieds or $$550 or something which seems like a good deal. I would love to put together a stereo rig using my Roadster -> Roadster Slave Out -> 2:90 -> two 2x12 cabs.

brewboy73 said:

When I ran a Mark IV years ago, there was no way I would run stereo after spending that kind of money on a mono amp.

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If you had a Mark IV B version, you could hook up a Satellite to run stereo.

ricorocks said:

two Stereo speaker cables with 2 rings on the jack/cable plug?!?

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I'm not 100% sure, but, I don't think they make a stereo speaker cable for guitar amplifiers.

What you could do with a second cab and say a 50/50 power amp, is........ run your head through the top cabinet>then run a single instrument cable from preamp out to stereo effects processor>two instrument cables>into 50/50>two speaker cables>bottom cabinet running true stereo.

Or, if we are reading this wrong (with the mention of running STEREO). You're just wanting to run two cabinets. YES, you are correct- two 8 ohm cabinets will plug into the two 4 ohm jacks. You never did mention stereo effects.


Side note: When my band headlines a show, I break out the heavy rig. My 295 pushes 4 4x12s. Yup, two 95 watt full stacks. I don't crank it up for overkill, I just go for a 'big' sound. Sounds awesome in a bar. I don't run stereo, but, I could set it up with any of my multi effect processors. I play old school thrash, hardcore punk crossover and effects aren't really needed.