Cab for rack setup

[guitar_gazza]

Can anyone please tell me what is the best choice of 2 X 12 Mesa speaker cab for a Triaxis/2:90 rack setup?

 

[lento]

It might be worth also considering two 1 x 12 thiele or half-back cabinets. The older styled cabs had the EV speakers whereas now they have Celestion C90's. I definitely prefer the EV's.

You have an advantage of working in stereo 8) and either stacking or placing your cabs apart for a bigger soundfield. Even using one cab if the venue is small, or weight is an issue !

 

[elvis]

I'm using a pair of 1x12 recto cabs. I really like them, both because they sound good and because they are quite small and light. Very easy to bring to gigs. Have to watch the power, though, as the speakers are 60W V30s. For 1x12, you would be safer with C90s on a 2:90. I like the sound of the V30s, though.

I used to have a pair of 3/4 cabs, but they're really quite large.

The 2x12 recto cab is like 70lbs, so it's a pain to move. And the stereo spread is not much.

I generally play in situations where I am not mic'd, so I can set up my own stereo situation. I put one cab on each side of the stage and crank up. That way everybody can hear me. When I run thru the house system, I run mono, because they usually don't go stereo.

 

[guitar_gazza]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I would prefer a 2X12 cab just for convenience and also most of the time I wouldn't be able to separate the two speakers if I had 2, 1 X 12 cabs. I've been looking at the Mesa website and it seems that the 2 X 12 cabs won't handle the 180 watts of the 2:90. The cabs seem to be rated at 120 watts so I'm confused about this. I'm also wondering about the volume of the 2:90, most of my work is in orchestra pits where level is a bit of an issue. Does the half drive option on the 2:90 give you the same sounds at half the level? Thanks again for any help.

 

[dbone]

I have a recto 4x12 straight slant which I ordered like that so I could more easily stack a small Triaxis rack on top of it. I moved the rear rack feet in a couple inches and it sits comfortably on top, more like a head setup. You could probably order a Mesa vertical 2x12 in the same configuration. I don't think those come standard in stereo jack so you would have to request that as well.
Also I bought a Avatar G212 guitar monitor this year and I'm really digging it.
It's a forward ported 212 monitor cab and they come standard with V30's. I ordered mine with celestion alnico golds and it sounds great with the Triaxis 2:90 rig. The forward ported cab seems easier on my ears when I'm playing right in front of it in comparison to my non ported recto cab. I got mine with the smart jack so it's can be mono or stereo.
http://www.avatarspeakers.com/Pro%20Monitors.htm

The half drive feature on the 2:90 will drop the volume a few DB's though it still helps. The clean headroom will be a bit less but it's still allot of power. I use the half power mode most of the time at home. I just build a set of patches for the lower volume bedroom settings and a sepapte batch for full power.

 

[guitar_gazza]

Thanks that's all a big help. I'll chew all that over. Cheers

 

[elvis]

The 2x12 cabs assume you will run both either in parallel or series on a mono amp, so the 120W comes from 2 60W V30 speakers. In stereo, it would be 60W per channel.

In addition to half-power mode, you could run 8 Ohm speakers from the 4 Ohm outputs of the 2:90. This is legal, and will reduce the power that the amp drives into the speakers. It will affect the tone, but in a different way than the half-power setting. It's something else to try if you don't like the half-power. Of you can do both...

 

[rjriley1]

I never understood why someone would buy a 2X12 cabinet when a 4X12 is about the same price used. I have bought my Mesa Traditional 4X12 cabinets with W30's for $425-$550 each. I would spend the extra $50-$150 and buy a 4X12 unless you own a sub compact car and a 2X12 cabinet is the only thing you can fit in your car. It just seems a better bang for the buck. 4X12 cabinet 2 more speakers and stereo capablity. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Moritz]

There's no such as a best choice.
It's a personal thing which cab you prefer. Best advice is to listen and let your ears judge.
I use the Road King 2x12 horizontal cabinet myself several years with the Traxis and the 2:90
Features of the cab:
Left Open-Back & Right Closed-Back •Open Back Side = 12in Speaker at 90 Watts •Closed Back Side = V30 Speaker at 60 Watts
•150 Watts (L&R Combined) •Wired for Mono or Stereo •4 Ohm Mono / 8 Ohm Stereo
I never turn the volume of the 2:90 all the way, but enough for the stage.
Due to the two different speakers, open back side at the 90 watts and both channels of the 2:90 at the same level
you get two different dynamics of sounds out of your cab at the same time. For me personally this is more than ok.
If you run through the house, use two mic's if you want the crowd to enjoy your stereo sound.
Good luck
:wink:

 

[trippy]

It might be worth also considering two 1 x 12 thiele or half-back cabinets. The older styled cabs had the EV speakers whereas now they have Celestion C90's. I definitely prefer the EV's.

I own a pair of Thiele design road ready 1x12" cabs loaded with the famous EVM12L (200w each), I feed it with a 2:90, the sound is pure heaven!
Power is there all the time, just turn the knob and it blasts, the EVM's like to be driven hard, the road ready cab make it very easy and protected when I move it around.
However, after something like 10 years with them, I'm selling them so I can buy a recto 4x12".…...way ? Because I need a change, that’s all.
They are all good, it's just depends on your needs and how deep is your pocket / crazy your imagination is.

 

[bluestometal]

Hi

I'm not an electrician but I'm quite sure with the 2:90 (stereo) you're using 90w per channel, so you're putting 90w into a 120w 2x12 cab. Anyway I've used a 2x12 Recto std with 50w, 90w and 100w amps (never seen a Dual or a Lone Star on a 2x12?) and never had any problem, just google Mesa 2x12 and you'll find tons of guitarists playing with that configuration. Speaking of the cab itself: in my actual band both the other guitarist and I use a 2x12 Recto Std and we're very, very happy with it. It's not light but it's not too heavy (I can easly carry it with one hand for a "from the car to the stage" ride and I'm really out of shape ). You can easly carry it in any car and get a HUGE sound out of it. Of course that's mono but you could otherwise look at a Roadking 2x12 with v30-c90 configuration and stero wiring.

I never understood why someone would buy a 2X12 cabinet when a 4X12 is about the same price used. I have bought my Mesa Traditional 4X12 cabinets with W30's for $425-$550 each. I would spend the extra $50-$150 and buy a 4X12 unless you own a sub compact car and a 2X12 cabinet is the only thing you can fit in your car. It just seems a better bang for the buck. 4X12 cabinet 2 more speakers and stereo capablity. Just my 2 cents.

I've used 4x12 cabs for years untill I day I discovered I was no longer 18 years old and I started to ask myself "do I really need this monster?". I kept using it while the other guitarist already switched to the 2x12 and it was really hard for me to find a reasonable amount of "more projection" on my side to justify the 4x12. Watch, I love using a 4x12, if I was a touring pro, with a crew carrying and assembling my gear in studio and live I would use four 4x12 just to feel that shake at the back we all love but I've to carry my stuff by myself, in my car, and I play in small-to-medium venues and when I play in big venues I'm mic'd (and there's just 1 mic in front of your cab, if you use 4 speakers or not) and when I play in studio or rehearsal the drummer has to hit very hard to be hear cleary throug that wall of tone out Mesa amps deliver (and we use the master knob very carefully to not demolish the room's walls). Also you say the 2x12 new cost as much as the 4x12 used, that's a good point but you could consider someone wanna buy his stuff new.