A Mesa Boogie combo vs head and one twelve with 23" cabinet

[bandit2013]

I saw them a while ago. May have been before the Mark VII came out.
Mesa revised their cabinet range and that is when I saw the 410 cab. Same width as the wide body. Just a little taller, more of a full square shape. The Filmore line has one too, but I do not see that on Mesa's website. It does show up on Sweetwater.

https://www.mesaboogie.com/en-US/Amp/0.B410.AB.G10/0-B410-AB-G10

 

[bandit2013]

Have no clue what it will sound like though, cannot find any videos, reviews, or anything relating to a 410 guitar cabinet. All I see are Bass cabs in video.

 

[woodbutcher65]

This is just me but I always prefer heads. I've bought combos when the deal was good, though.

I'd like it if the Mark VII was available in a widebody version. I also prefer widebodies. Widebody heads are best.

 

[clyvediggins]

I’m curious to see how you will like this 4x10 with creambacks. Same here on info/videos, ect. Couldn’t find any. I posted a while back about this looking for input but didn’t receive any, maybe not many have this cab? I was looking for something to pair with my Fillmore 50 head, instead of or along with my 1x12x23.
Please let us know what you think!

 

[bandit2013]

I see that Sweetwater has the cabinet to match the Filmore amps. Still based on the Boogie cab. Same speakers.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...-by-10-inch-boogie-open-back-cabinet-fillmore
They have been selling the cabs. So why no reviews? There is even a version for the California tweed but it will cost more.

I am not expecting delivery until around Christmas.

 

[Eevil]

Well.. If one can tolerate or even enjoy the tonality of the open back cab then it is the best of all worlds

I’ve ventured to combo-lands multiple times and got frustrated every time.. and steered back to head and closed back cab. Heavy maybe but my tones are in there

 

[bandit2013]

I am more of a closed back cab user myself. However, once in a while I like to relax a bit and push some air around with a different cab. I am not limited to one form or another. I can pair a head with any type of cabinet I choose. I only have the one 112 cab as I bought it for use with the JP2C paired up with an EVM12L speaker. Just a means for downsizing the rig without compromise.

My first experience with V30 in open back format was the RA100 combo. Swapped in some creamback H75 and thought those were great. Went back to the V30 and used the combo on top of a horizontal 212 for that half back sound. Paired that up with the RA100 head on a 412 and that was magic. Just the variation between the two amps had a really nice effect when running the pair in stereo.

As for the Mark Combo, the Mark III combo I ran was all I needed during the band days. Mind you I did go through power tubes quicker than expected due to pushing the limits on a single speaker but it held up and cut through the mix. That Mark III was loud enough to drown out the drummer. That was with the EVM12L black shadow speaker.

I got through phases, I do my own thing when solo, mostly guitar. In the group I play the drums. It is all classic rock. Led Zep, AC/DC and some Pink Floyd. Sometimes I want to play the blues, sounds better through an open back cab. Love the California tweed, Bought the combo and the extension cab, sounds great. I can even get it into the Mark Territory with the Flux drive pedal. Interesting amp. As for the Mark VII, it sounds really good with an open back 12 inch speaker. I have not tried it with the MC90 yet, I sort of favor the EVM classic for now.

That 4x10 cab just said buy me. Tried to resist but. Now I am waiting for delivery that will take a while due to back order.

 

[Revelation]

Openback vs closed back: I would think if your into jazz, blues, some classic rock or worship music, most would prefer open back. If your playing heavy rock or metal, you would prefer thr tighter more mod focused closed back.

It would be interesting hearing the difference between a 4x10 vs 4x12 cabinet

 

[bandit2013]

Yeah, It would be interesting too.

 

[Throttlegtr]

I have multiple mesas, and every one of them is a combo. For at home playing, or even small gigs playing out, they are just more convenient. I also don't play music that is reliant on having the super tight sound of a closed back cabinet.

If you are just going to be playing at home and in the studio, I would think the combo is fine, especially if you don't already have some cabinets to plug it into.

 

[Throttlegtr]

The VII combo is surely versatile for tone on each channel. It takes a bit of tweaking to get exactly the sound you want and the again when you change guitars (mainly from humbucker to single coil) but with a little tenacity, it can be done! When you finally find “that sound” you’ve been seeking on each channel, photocopy the blank tone settings page in the manual and write it down until you commit it to memory. Two important things to keep in mind (especially if you’re a fellow gear head) are: 1) usually your audience is not as sophisticated as you with regard to amp tone and specific sounds - for good sustain, all you need are the amp controls and a good compressor pedal, and 2) don’t forget that in a performance situation, you’ll most likely be going to the front of house through the direct out and you can further sculpt your sound using the IRs on the back panel. You can even load in your own, if you don’t like the stock ones, so, really no worries unless your hobby is GAS and tweaking endlessly! Also, if it’s a small venue you’re playing or recording, problem solved with just the combo (and maybe an interface)! Enjoy!