Mark V 2x12 Cabinet

[Lahandras]

I finally decided to get a Mark V head and I know there are many discussions about "the right 2x12" cab.
Is it wrong to say that the 2x12 recto cab does deliver a bit more low end, while the roadster cab tends to be tighter?
I don´t want a big head-4x12-midi-rack-whatever anymore. It should be small and easy to transport. Head-Cab-DelayPedal-Guitar thats it.

So here´s my question:
As we always mic our amps and use in-ear monitoring in the rehearsal room, can i go wrong with the roadster-cab? is the gain of transportability worth the loss of low end or is the difference miced-up barely noticeable as both cabs use V30s?

Beeing new to Mesa i really some help on that issue.

thx for your time
Lahandras

 

[J.J]

The Roadster cab is tighter sounding than the recto cab. The Recto is also bigger and 11 pounds heavier so if portability is what you want the Roadster is going to be better. Still, if you are miking your amp and not relying on it to fill the room a ported 1x12 like the Thiele or 3/4 back may be even better. Mesa quote the oversize 1x12 3/4 as being their "biggest" Sounding speaker.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Roadster and Recto cabs are V30 loaded. The Thiele and 3/4 I think are both now C90 loaded. The V30 to my ears has a well balanced bass response. By that I mean it is fairly tight and not loose or thunderous. The C90 naturally has much stronger bass, but can be hard to control.

The MKV, at least to me is a more mid focused amp and has very tight bass so id expect a C90 based cab to be a better match than a V30 cab in terms of getting the bass you want.

 

[rocknroll9225]

I just posted this in another thread, so out of laziness I'll shamelessly copy-paste myself:

I'm a Roadster 2x12 cab owner of 2 weeks and have played the 2x12 Recto cab many times in different stores, so take this for what it's worth. I think that the roadster cab and recto cab have very similar overall characteristics, which makes sense seeing as how they are made from the same wood, same speakers, same construction... the only difference is the size, just like the recto and stiletto 4x12's. But just like in the 4x12's, the smaller size of the roadster cab rolls off a little of the very high frequencies and is tighter in the bass frequencies, making it less scooped sounding (and a little more well rounded and versatile IMO) than the rectifier cab but still with its same inherent tonal qualities. I was concerned that, using the roadster 2x12 with my Mark V, I wouldn't get enough bass response. After playing through it for a little bit, I wouldn't bee too worried. With the cab on the floor, you can definitely still feel the bass transfer through the room and back up into your hands. In my experience, the recto cabs (2x12 and 4x12) don't so much add bass response as they alter the way it reacts. Some people might like what it does for their tone, but I personally think that it just makes the low mids sound really woofy (in a bad way) and takes away some of the definition of the sound. IMO, Roadster cab > Recto cab.

The Roadster 2x12 cab is really easy to carry (very much unlike the recto 2x12 cab). I'm not the biggest dude and I can carry it with one hand pretty comfortably. And sacrificing tone for portability is kind of a non-issue for me as I personally think that the roadster is a better cab anyways.