2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

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griff
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2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by griff »

Hey fellas.
Sorta fallen out of love with my home made 2x12 with a V30 and WGS Reaper. It doesn't seem to pair well with my Jet City 22h.
So I'm now in the lookout for something else. The 22h is a bright amp, but in a good way.. its cuts through and the Soldano OD is amazing.
Probably as no surprise because it's home made, but my cab is quite bright and beamy. I hear other guys on you toob and such playing through V30s but through decent cabs such as Splawn and Whitebox, and their tone is great. The highs are subdued but still articulate and not harsh
I have done various other things.. I have done a high cut mod on the amp, tube changes etc. Helps a bit but still not where I want it.
A speaker change may help but I want to start with a different cab enclosure first and go from there.
With that said, what 2x12s (I dont want a 4x12) have impressed you the most? Orange, mesas, evh, marshall, splawn, whitebox etc seem to be at the top of the heap.
As always, your advice is much appreciated.
Chur!

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by sizzlingbadger »

Turn it up, record it through a decent mic and play it back via YouTube and it will sound great.
Tube amp and guitar tones straight from 1958… amazing how believable the sounds were back then, even without the modellers...

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by NippleWrestler »

Depends, what music do you play? I use my recto 2x12 for one sound and my DIY open back 2x12 for another.

The open back cab attenuates the highs though, it has a softer, smoother, wider palette than the closed back recto.

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by Reg18 »

Cab dimensions, thickness of ply used, how dense the speaker cloth is all contribute to the sound.
Open back/closed back, detuned the list goes on!

I remember when I bought my first Orange 2x12 putting it side by side with a Mesa 2x12 (both with V30 speakers)
Sounded very different despite the same speakers.
Orange 2x12 just sounded bigger! It seemed to attenuate the highs a bit more, probably due to the thick basket weave cloth. The Mesa was more beamy I reckon.

The depth of the cab is fairly important if you want ‘thump’

Beam blockers could also be helpful in your situation
https://www.tedweber.com/wbb12-4

Do you have any reference guitar sounds you could post so we know what your aiming for?

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by griff »

Hey that beam blocker thing is cool! something to look at for sure. Man I love EVH's tone, which is actually very similar to what my Soldano channel can ahieve. Crisp yet smooth, although I realize a lot of production is in this. I should mention this is purely for live situations not recording.

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by Single coil »

I had a jca100 head and the 2*12 eminence copy cab thing.
I won’t say it was the best amp I’ve ever heard (but it was bloody good); I ran a 50w cornford something (belongs to Higainer) through it also, and it sounded a bit fizzy - I believe this is because I was asking too much of a 50 watt amp.

The cab seemed to take kindly to everything else (Marshall 6100 iirc); the highs were there but weren’t piercing, the low end was great without being flubby, and there were just enough mids there to really be kicked when it was solo time.

Perhaps you could build a cab to those specs?

The only other 212 I’ve had was a Marshall 1936. It was heavy and underwhelming. The JC was all ply too. The marshall was mdf and cost about 3 times as much.

Also, beam blockers.
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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by godgrinder »

Aside from beam blockers, it might be worth in lining up the back panel with acoustic foam.

I wouldn't completely write off a 4x12". 2x12"s are horrible bang for the bucks in NZ used market, because everyone wants a lot for theirs. In the meantime you can find 1960A's for ~$500 all the time. It's not really any louder either.
Amps:
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Fryette Pittbull CL | Marshall 2203KK | Krank Rev 50 | Mesa Mark 2A

Rack stuff:
VHT/Fryette GP3, GP/DI & 2/90/2 | Peters FSM/Chimera
Verellen Meatsmoke | Synergy SYN1 | Mesa Studio

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by griff »

Yeah I guess 4x12s could be an option. It's just the footprint of the things, and the whole 'great I have to carry a 4x12' thing. But if it has the sound I'm after then I would probably get it.

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by godgrinder »

The footprint is the same as an usual horizontal 2x12", just taller.

And if you actually play live you'd realise you can almost always borrow other band's quad. Usually the band that's booking the gig would let everyone else to use their cabs.
Amps:
Soldano SLO100 x2 | Wizard MC1 & MC2 | Diezel Herbert
Fryette Pittbull CL | Marshall 2203KK | Krank Rev 50 | Mesa Mark 2A

Rack stuff:
VHT/Fryette GP3, GP/DI & 2/90/2 | Peters FSM/Chimera
Verellen Meatsmoke | Synergy SYN1 | Mesa Studio

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by griff »

We dont usually play with other bands. But you have a good point. I know a couple of guys who have cabs that I can try out

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by Molly »

Reg18 wrote:Cab dimensions, thickness of ply used, how dense the speaker cloth is all contribute to the sound.
Open back/closed back, detuned the list goes on!

I remember when I bought my first Orange 2x12 putting it side by side with a Mesa 2x12 (both with V30 speakers)
Sounded very different despite the same speakers.
Orange 2x12 just sounded bigger! It seemed to attenuate the highs a bit more, probably due to the thick basket weave cloth. The Mesa was more beamy I reckon.

The depth of the cab is fairly important if you want ‘thump’

Beam blockers could also be helpful in your situation
https://www.tedweber.com/wbb12-4

Do you have any reference guitar sounds you could post so we know what your aiming for?
This video really demonstrates what you're saying here:


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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by griff »

Cool. Hence my reluctance to keep swapping out speakers and look at the actual cab itself

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by Molly »

griff7628 wrote:Cool. Hence my reluctance to keep swapping out speakers and look at the actual cab itself
Shouldn't be a black art, eh? You'd think there would be a set of simple rules you could follow (maybe there are) that'd get you the right cab for the style of music you play. Then it'd just be a question (just...) of choosing the right speakers to compliment that.

Good luck getting it sorted.

As an aside, I'm planning on making a closed-back panel for my 4x10. Of course, Mitre 10 don't do 'void-free Baltic birch' ply so it'll have to be something far more ordinary.

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by NippleWrestler »

Then don't go to mitre 10, they stock mostly shit. Go to a proper ply supplier and get the good stuff. If you're putting in the work you may as well do it right.

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Re: 2 x 12 cab advice. Can certain cabs attenuate high frequencies?

Post by jeremyb »

Your local ITM will have decent grade ply, marine ply etc, it's the place to go.
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