are mesa heads and marshall cabs a really bad combination

[chennie]

Actaully, Mesa uses 8ohm Celsetion V-30's still made in England! Most other cabs are loaded with 16ohm Chinese made Celestion V-30's! There is according to Mesa's Doug West a noticable difference: a crisper attack and tighter sound! Refer to the June '05 issue of GP, the Stilleto review!

What about the 2x12 recto cabs? Those are rated with a total 8 ohm impedance. Thus you will need two 16Ohm speakers. Or 2x4 Ohm speakers, but that will be likely. So what's with that?

that can't be anymore wrong.

Well, I believe that I'm right. But I'm not ignorant, it's just from my point of view hard to believe that I'm wrong about this. Can you, or anybody else prove to me that I'm wrong? And not using "well somebody said" or "I read it somewhere"
What can I say, I'm a criticus.

 

[Jaroslav]

Well, somebody open your box and we will see

I have heard V30 in the Rectifier standard 4x12 box. Then I have heard a V30 i have bought locally. Absolutely the same sound.

Maybe the difference the guy from the review referred to was in breaking in the speakers...I don't know.

Anyway, I think this topic as most of "guitar sound" issues are overhyped. And highly subjective. I believe, that if I told somebody, that speakers in one box are chinese V30 and in the other english V30, then he would probably hear some difference even if the two were absolutely the same...

 

[dylan7620]

Anyway, I think this topic as most of "guitar sound" issues are overhyped. And highly subjective. I believe, that if I told somebody, that speakers in one box are chinese V30 and in the other english V30, then he would probably hear some difference even if the two were absolutely the same...

true, someone may hear what they want to here out of a certain peaice of equipment even though the spec are exactly the same. though as always no two of anything could sound exactly the same, different woods, construction. even though all sorts of little thing no one would really be able to tell. bt if you get say 10 or 12 or those little things to add up they can sound pretty different as the result :wink:

 

[Jaroslav]

One factor, often forgotten, is the room, where you play in. And of course the listening position. It does not matter much, when your ear is one inch far from the membrane...but then, how would you play the guitar

And If I say two exactly same cabinets, I mean two sequently manufactured at one day, loaded with the same batch of speakers, etc. Moving your head half an inch to the left (or right) would IMHO make much greater change in preceived sound as the possible objective difference of these two.

By the way, I like very much my vertical M/B 2x12, top loaded with V30 8 ohm and bottom with B&C 12HPL64 (italian made PA speaker with neodymium magnets, specswise and soundwise very close to the well known EVM12L, but weights only 2,5 kg.

 

[Marshall_Fascist]

The latter is because the power rating of a speaker is not only dependable of its own construction, but also of its housings: the cabint (volume, construction, baffle size etc)

I'm sorry, but I can put a V30 outside of cab and let it be by it self wothout a housing and the power handling will still be 60 watts. Volume, construction, ect. dont effect the power handling. It just makes the speakers sound better or worse...

because you claimed its a lot better, so I asked you to prove it.

How do you wan't me to prove it? It is JMO! Nothing more.

 

[oyster]

I quote this because the thread has gone way off topic...although the discussion of V30s is interesting, cpepper is asking about using the marshall 1960A vs a mesa cab. In my previous posts I noted I actually own both of these (1960 and mesa standard 4x12) and have A/B'd them on many occasions with my single recto. My conclusion being the mesa sounds better and doesnt have that brittle tone he is talking about with the marshall. cpepper I think you will come to the same conclusion as the difference in tone from these two cabs is very obvious to any listener.

Ok I admit I have not had the chance to buy a mesa cab yet most of my mesa's I have owned I have paired with a marshall 1960 lead cab with what I believe are celestions gt 12 75 watt speakers. I notice that when I turn my amp up the sound of my mesa's get very brittle and especially on the higher gain settings it sounds when the amp is turned up it doesn't sound like high gain but brittle almost horrible broken up tone. I have always tested the heads on mesa cabs at the store but of coarse never allowed to crank them their. I am just looking for advice before I shell out
$1200 canadian on a cab.

Gibson Sg, cry baby classic wah, eh small clone, stilleto duece head, marshall 1960-A cabinet

 

[lookslikemeband]

I play my Boogies into TWO Marshall 4X12's and I get compliments on my tone ALL the time.

I like it... I guess it's been said a thousand times... If YOU like it... go with it! That's all that matters!!

 

[jbird]

The difference between the two? The Mesa Boogie's that are still made in England use old-fashioned air-dried adhesives, instead of modern fast-drying types. [Different adhesives have different weights and other properties, and speakers can be sensitive to these subtle tone-altering differences.] Again, from the June '05 issue of GP.

 

[cpepper]

Hey thanks for all the replys and help. I think the problem was I didn't like the sound of the speakers at gigging levels. I know the stiletto has a brighter more trebly sound than other mesa amps but it was that sound that made me purchace the head in the first place. Anyway's I went down to a used instrument store today and which ironically had a mesa oversized 4x 12 cab and on a whim I paired it with a crusty old marshall plexi anyways I was allowed to crank it in the store and the sound was a lot warmer than the marshall 1960 lead that was next to it. I bought it, took it home and put it to the real test with the stilleto head and the sound was perfect cranked that brittle sound comeing from the speakers at high volumes was non existant. THe vintage 30's rock. Anyways thanks again for the help.

 

[wolfgang6505]

I use Mesa Cabs there cool

 

[Bobbypols]

my trad. cab is not sooo bitter but it is flubby i can only imagine how flabby your cab is.. if not can u tell me what settings and what guitar/pups that would be great thanks.

 

[cnumb44]

I don't care where they are made. I have played lots of speakers through several cabs and amps of the last couple of years and I always go back to the V30s. To me they are just the right sound of warm, loud and clear high tones with solid bass and ability to hold up to a driven amp. Sorry to keep the thread going, but just wanted to put in at least 1 of my 2 cents.

 

[cpepper]

In response to bobbypols question I don't have that flubby sound at all mabey the stilleto is a different beast or something else. Anyways I don't go for a full onslaught metal sound but I do play heavier music. With most mesa amps I find the more you crank the gain the more you loose definaition and that usually is when the flub is brought on. Now the controls on the stilleto are a little different and the sound I get is more of a old jcm 800 maxed sound.

channel 2 tight gain

master 12:00
presence 8:30
bass 1:15
mid 10:10
treble 12:02
gain 2:00
and of coarse adjust to taste

now here's the kicker I use a gibson sg standard with a burstbucker pro in the bridge and a burstbucker one in the neck. I have the head loaded with gt e34ls (which are jj's groove tubes does not make their own tubes)
and gt 12ax7 c's. The mesa cab definently has a bassier side but it works well with what my set up is and the best part is after playing for 3 hours straight my ears have not fatiged yet. Anyways Im stoked and good luck with your sound.

 

[Bobbypols]

LOL you wanna hear a funny story...i was playin with the stiletto on single coils and i hit a note...then my right became soooo sensitive for a week. Ya my ears fatique fast as hell on the stiletto do to its high piercing shrill top end. I found a old jj12au7 and put it into v1 and the high pierce was gone...improvement was very dramatic...It could be that the tubes suck but also that there going becuase i ended up buying a floor model.

 

[oyster]

good stuff, glad you like the new rig. That cab is pretty great with a mesa amp indeed.

 

[xnfx]

dont get a recto std. , the bass will be flabby.

You think this might be the reason why everyone thinks the stiletto or some other Mesas have a flabby bass?

Also, you said you popped in a differece preamp tube that tamed some highs. What other changes in tone did you notice if any?

 

[Bobbypols]

dont get a recto std. , the bass will be flabby.

You think this might be the reason why everyone thinks the stiletto or some other Mesas have a flabby bass?

Also, you said you popped in a differece preamp tube that tamed some highs. What other changes in tone did you notice if any?

Ill get back to u when i get my set of jjs...still waiting for em . Um to be honest i beleive a cab makes a difference but if the amp is not sending signals to cause flab, it generally wont flub out.

 

[xnfx]

Sounds cool, let me know how those JJ's work out for you.

What do you mean by not sending signals to flub out? Dialing in too much bass?

 

[Bobbypols]

I beleive the amp is the reason for the bass being flabby not the cab is what i mean. It seems to be a common problem for mesa rectos after a certain date. Its not the bass either cuz when i turn the bass waydown it still is flabby.

 

[oyster]

how loud are you playing the amp when you experience this flabbiness? my rehersal/gig volume on my single recto with std 4x12 is with the master at about 10:30 or maybe 11:00 and I have yet to experience this flabbiness... :?: