How much difference does a 4x12 cab make? verusus a 2x12?

[GtrGeorge!]

How much difference does a 4x12 cab make? verusus a 2x12?
Does a Marshall 1960cab sound that much better with an RM4-Rt2/50 than say a randall 4x12...or somebody elses?

 

[GtrGeorge!]

hello??? Is this thing on?

 

[RD/Rich]

Having both types of cabs I've a little experience w/ both. The basic difference to me was that the 4x12 seems to be fuller sounding w/ more low end. The 2x12 sounds a little more focused and is a bit tighter sounding. I love playing w/ 4x12?s but my favorite rig is 2x12?s upright in stereo. I can always turn up the lowend on the amp if I feel I need a little more umpf.

As far as the difference between different cabs, Marshall?s have been a standard forever. The do sound a little brighter than a few other manufactures but they do sound good, especially for rock. Our Randall cabs are a little warmer sounding than the Marshall equivalent, more along the lines of a Bogner cab but not as dark as a Dezeil. Mesa cabs our between ours and Marshall in that they aren?t as bright but also not as dark.

 

[Mailman1971]

I recently(This past year) went from a 2X12 (No name) sounded OK, to a 4X12 CAB(B-52) sounded good but tweaky then just bought the Randall Lynch BOX CAB and that was a 50% sound improvement! Brang the tone to life and added depth and overall tone. I now know that the wood/speaker combo makes a HUGE difference where in the past I was more interested in buying different Amps to find the "sound" when half the battle was in a good Cab. Hope this helps.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

Thanks for the input guys...for a while there I thought this post was DEAD.
Yeah, I plan on doing some A/B test where I pit my Randall 2x12 against a Marshall 1960A cabinet (4x12). They both have celestions, but Randall cab doesn't say what kind on it, anywhere. In fact, there is no model name or number on my Randall cab...
Whats Up with THAT??????????????????????????????

Anyway, I love stereo,too, Rich...but id give it up to have a MEATY sound that doesnt sound forced. I know what ya mean by the MesaBoogie 4x12 cabs...Kinda hi-fi and sterile at the same time. Might be right for a Dual Rectum-fier..but I have no use for those cabs at all.
Love My Randall gear...still.

 

[reilly]

From my experience the 2x12 MTS Randall Cab I had with V30's destroyed the Marshall 1960 cabs in sound (I played marshall for years but was never really impressed with there cabs). The Randall IMO is Much bigger sounding and has more character . Currently im using a Randall G3 cab with 2 celestion seventy 80's and 2 WGS veteran 30's and it sounds great (I think im going to swap the other to celestions for Veteran 30's as well). I played a Recto Cab the other week at one of our gigs where we were sharing the other bands cabs and both my other guitarist and I weren't to impressed, I kind of expected more from the mesa cabs since they are way more expensive than my Randall Cab, They weren't bad but it wasn't amazing either And I typically like mesa stuff.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

So I opened my randall 2x12 cab and I took some photos. Its hassle to post em here, but there are 2 Celestion seventy 80 speakers inside.
I never heard of these models of Celestions..so I googled and spoke to a friend who has worked guitar retail for 20 years, the upshot is:
They are chinese made Celestions, liked by some but not by all. Generally V30 are favored. I think I need to buy some Celstion Vintage 30s..know anyone who wants to swap???????????????????

 

[joey_truelove]

So I opened my randall 2x12 cab and I took some photos. Its hassle to post em here, but there are 2 Celestion seventy 80 speakers inside.
I never heard of these models of Celestions..so I googled and spoke to a friend who has worked guitar retail for 20 years, the upshot is:
They are chinese made Celestions, liked by some but not by all. Generally V30 are favored. I think I need to buy some Celstion Vintage 30s..know anyone who wants to swap???????????????????

Aren't those still made in China? You could go with US made clones of higher quality and at half the price instead - unless you're made of money, of course!

 

[joey_truelove]

Seems my previous post on here didn't stick. In that I said the volume of air per speaker is usually greater in a 4x12 and the percieved resonance quality is increased by the combined area of the speakers. For instance two 12" ones would equal the resonance of one 16.9". Yikes! Four 12" would equal one 23.86"

 

[GtrGeorge!]

I intend to do an A/B this weekend...and learn more about that4x12 Marshall I liked so much versus the 2x12 I have and dont like. Saty tuned for results.

 

[Smokey]

Short answer is the Marshall 1960A are a reference point. They are so readily available that they give you a good reference point to compare other cabs to and they are cheap, but ......they are not a fantastic cabinet.
They are not quality made cabinets. Compare a Marshall 1960A quad to an Orange 2x12, Bogner 2x12 or Ulbrick 2x12 and you'll never touch the Marshall brand again. Orange cabinet are much thicker
I'd recommend getting an oversized 2x12 with Vintage 30's. A 2nd hand Bogner, Orange, THD or even Genz Benz (a few guys here use them). Another option is a Mesa vertical 2x12. It really depends on what sort of sound you want.

 

[Ugg]

When you guys are comparing the Marshall 1960A are you talking about the 1960A stock with G12T75's or the 1960AV with V30's? I am using a 1960A cab modded with V30's and they are night and day better than the G12T75's that were in there. Will I get a better sound from the same V30's in a different cab? Also, how do the Randall cabs compare with the brands that Smokey mentioned?

 

[jimosity]

Check out the Genz Benz G-Flex 2x12's.
Sound and low end is bigger than almost any 4x12...

 

[JKD]

Check out the Genz Benz G-Flex 2x12's.
Sound and low end is bigger than almost any 4x12...

I had a GFlex 2x12 when I had my first RM100M and I felt that the low end could easily get overpowering..but I felt that particular RM was dark and bassy to start with...so YMMV.

 

[khingpynn]

in my experience a 2x12 has a more open sound more air and a 4x12 in general is more focused... that said I'm speaking from my own personal experience which is all 2x12's I've owned have been open backed and all 4x12 have been closed back.
Wood and speakers aside that is the best way I can describe it... it is IMHO a good thing to have both cabs described at your disposal.

Craig

 

[Ugg]

So is the Marshall 1960A w/ V30's really that bad? Anyone?

 

[RD/Steve]

i have owned the caa 2x12 and the randall 2x12 smokes it for balls.

 

[khingpynn]

So is the Marshall 1940A w/ V30's really that bad? Anyone?

Thats a great cab! V 30's are agressive and overal tonality = dark. Really suits a Marshall JCM 800 or Plexi well... IMHO

 

[GtrGeorge!]

So I went back to the rehearsal room and A/B'd the Marshall 1960B Lead cab versus my randall RM4/Rt2 50 into a 2x12 with Celestion seventy 80s in it.
The result?
I liked the 4x12 better. But not by much. granted, the test was hindered because I felt it was unwise to hook the 4x12 up to the Rt2/50. The impedance was 16 ohms for the cab and ,if I remember correctly there is no16 ohm setting on the back of my Rt2/50....now that I think of it..maybe I screwed up and there is....
anyway, the head feeding the 4x12M cab was TSL 60 (its a tube head, 3 channels).
Results: The seventy-eighties (2x12) were less focused than the 4x12...but I sincerely think the MEATY sound I am after will be there once I put in V30s in that 2x12 cab. If anyone here loves celestion Seventy-80s I will have 2 for sale soon.
And I will do another..better A/B test 3 days from now.

 

[wildwood]

Haven't posted here in a friggin long time. I've been reading though, and thought I'd finally throw my cents (that's probably all it's worth). Anyway, I use a well crafted home-made oversized 2X12 cabinet at my jam space and a mesa 4x12 cab at home. The mesa has V30s and I beleive the home-jobby does too. Anyway, they sound increadibly similar. The only reason I lug that friggin mesa cabinet out of the house is for looks on stage. I mean that mesa cab is so increadibly heavy that I can barely get it up the stairs by myself! And so for that reason I would recommend a good 2X12. Unless you got roadies! haha