2x12 Horizontal Mesa Cab issue - sounds thin/lacks bass

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Joshwah333

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I was jamming last night and wanted to really hear the difference in my cabinets in my home studio/jam room.

I have a 4x12 Straight, 2x12 Straight Horizontal and a 2x12 Slant Vertical - all Mesa cabs with V30's. My setup was the 4x12 straight cabinet on bottom, the 2x12 horizontal straight cab on top (think of it as a 3/4 stack lol) and the 2x12 vertical on the ground to the right of the 4x12 straight cabinet.

I was jamming on my H&K Grandmeister and Mesa Mark V35 comparing the low end. Surprisingly, the Grandmeister kept up with the Mark V35, even with no EQ in the loop. It's a keeper for sure and will probably be used as a gigging backup amp for my soon to arrive TC-100.

My favorite is 4x12 Straight and the 2nd place as the 2x12 Slant Vertical. To my surprise, the 2x12 Vertical had a much better bass response than the 2x12 Horizontal. I used the same speaker cord, guitar cable, guitar and the Grandmeister 36.

In fact, the Horizontal 2x12 sounded extremely thin and harsh. Could there be a bad connection or blown speakers? I did remove the back and all the connections seemed properly soldered. I do not know how to test for a blown speaker.

I have read that the 2x12 horizontal straight cabs should have a phenomenal bass response - but it did not. Tonight, I'm going to try it again with all cabs on the floor.

My question to you guys: Does having the cab on the floor make that much of a difference? I've never encountered a blown speaker before - what would that sound like?

Anyone else had a similar scenario occur where you can share some feedback?
 
Ok - case closed! It absolutely matters if the cab is on the floor or not. Sounded as expected tonight after installing the casters, setting it up on the floor and putting it to the test. Good bass response!

I definitely prefer the 2x12 vertical due to the slant making it easier to hear when standing up. I think that’ll be the cab I’ll gig with.
 

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