(cheap) cab for mark IV combo?

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deftone82

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Hi there

I was wondering if any of you could suggest a nice, not to pricy cab for my mark IV combo.
I first wanted to change the speaker in the combo, but some people said, that was not a good idea. Better would be to buy a closed back 1x12 of 2x12 external cab, with some decent speaker (V30, Thiele, greenbacks?)...

Since I spent alot of money on the amp, not so lang ago, I wanted to cut back on the cost of this cab...

my music style: I mostly play on channel 2 + lead. Want to get a AC/DC, Slashy, little SRV-like style. Just a little bit more raw, dirty then I can get now. In the lead, hence some EQ shifting: Metallica rhythem, Mastodon-like stuff...
I play a Gibson SG with standard humbuckers (thinking of replacing these to)...
Tubes are 6L6 inner slots and sovtek EL84 in outer.
 
And how the quality of this speaker in comparison to, let's say, MB itself?
Heard quite good things about a 1x12 thiele cab, but they can be quite expensive, right?

cheers
 
I found a cabinet through some 2nd hand website...

9337415418.jpg


It has a black shadow speaker in there! Is it anywhere near a thiele cab?

Thanks
 
Black Shadow is Mesa's name for their rebadged celestions. If you want a dirtier more grittier tone step 1: put high quality el-34 tubes in your amp. Step 2: Respeaker either the external cab or the combo with a Celestion G12t-75 or the like. (G12T - 100, G12K - 100 at LEAST 8 ohms) That is one grindy and gritty sounding speaker.

Oh, before I forget. Avatar speakers deals with Celestion, which is the same company that makes all of Mesa's speakers:

A little run down of speaker tones.

1) Vintage 30/ Hellatone 60 / 60L. Very creamy with fairly pronounced highs and upper mids. Sounds buzzy, fizzy, or ice picky at low volumes and absolutely roars at high volumes. Handles 60watts

2) G12m 25 / G12m Heritage. A very creamy and woody sounding speaker. Super warm. Sounds great at low volumes but under a lot of power, the low end can easily fart out. Better in pairs, best in a 4 x 12. Handles 25watts each. Low sensitivity speaker. Quieter.

3) G12H 30/ G12H Heritage / Hellatone 30. A tighter higher efficiency version of the g12m. Warm, creamy woody sounding speaker that still breaks up like crazy but handles the lows marginally better. It has a higher sensitivity so it is louder. handles 30 watts.

4) G12T - 75. Originally designed to be a high power version of the G12m. The tone is gritty or 'scratchy' with a very scooped midrange. There is a lot of cone breakup. low sensitivity speaker that handles 75watts.

5) Alnico Blue. I haven't played one of these but I understand it has that warm vintage chime. A modified radio speaker. Handles 15 watts. COsts $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

6) Alnico Gold. High power version of the Alnico Blue. Handles 50watts. Costs $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
It has a black shadow speaker in there! Is it anywhere near a thiele cab?

The cab on the bottom of the photo is a compact Thiele. IMO, this is the cab you want to use with your Mark IV combo. It wil make your amp sound much fuller/bassier. They can be found for $200-225 if you're patient. The Celestion C90 Black Shadow sounds very good in the Thiele's. The EVM12L sounds even better, but may cost you slightly more.
 
I have IV and have owned a Mesa Thiele cab. They are great if you want more bass and a convenient cab to move around. It is my favorite 1x12 cab.

From the bands you list .... the only real solution for me is a 4x12. Just use the combo speaker or 4x12 depending on the needs at the time. The combination sound well sound OK ....but the speakers in the 4x12 well not be working near as hard and the sound mix of open and closed well sound kind of funky. This is what I do. Who knows maybe a combination well work great for you ?

You may just want a closed back 2x12. But the voicing of the cab well be different than a 4x12. Personally I like the voicing of the 4x12 better no matter what volume I am using.

My personal favorite speakers with the IV is Celestion Vintage 30 / H 30 combined.

I have owned a Avatar cab and they sell a good product. I like the Mesa cabs better.

Buy a cab that sounds the way you want .... buying one because it is cheap or expensive is just a bad idea. It effects the over all sound so much. You have a great amp and your sound is only as good as the weakest link in the sound chain from your fingers to your speaker.

More important than any advise the forums can give you is try a few with your rig and see what you need and want.
 
calaverasgrande said:
for bass guitar?

This forum was originally titled Bass Amps & Cabs which resulted in a lot of discussion of both Bass and Guitar cabs in this forum. They've since made the title more specific, which is actually a good thing. The only trouble is that there really isn't a forum for dedicated cab and speaker discussion.

All this talk about how c90s work best in a thiele makes me want to put the c90 in my thiele to test it out!
 

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