Mark IV: hardwood vs standard cabinet tone differences

[Noe5]

In another post i discuss changing the EV12 inside a hardwood mark IV compact combo for the Vintage 30 in my ext 112 Recto cab. I ended up doing this but found that a lot of the harshness i attributed to the EV was still there, and therefore am thinking that the hardwood cab might be to blame. The EV sounds quite different in the recto cab, with tons of bass and a more 'scooped' sound.

Any thoughts on the differences between hardwood and standard tolex? It seems to me that eventhough the hardwood is so gorgeous, the tolex is certainly a better (smoother) sounding cab.

 

[phyrexia]

hardwood is more dense and would be brighter, I would think.

 

[kdorsey]

I rarely use the EV in my combo and exclusively use my 2x12 half-backs. The EV is too bright or muddy when I get it dialed in for 3 channel (OK, really 2) flexibility. But I think you'd be hard pressed to find an audible difference between a hardwood combo cab and a tolex covered one. Granted, the wood used on MkIII's is different than those on the MkIVs, but again, there's so little surface area involved, I'd be surprised if there was a marked difference...at least using the EV speaker.

 

[DaveP]

I agree in the wood type not being a factor in this equation. I think it just the cabinet being small and boxy to begin with that makes it sound that way.
A speaker change would help in regard to fine tuning the sound to fit your needs.
An EV in a closed back 4 x 12 for instance is something to be heard. It's a night and day difference compared to a 1x12 open back combo.
Even a 4x12 loaded with V30 sounds fantastic. It becomes an entirely new amp when played through the right cabinet.
A combo cabinet is great for having everything in a small (but heavy) package but you sacrifice overall tone.