Mesa tremoverb CAB?

[kham]

I want to get a 4x12 cab to go with my tremoverb head. But my ? is which cab has a tighter more raw rock tone to it. A Marshall cab with Gt75s or a Mesa cab?
I have played the rect cabs they where kinda lose sounding to me. I use VHT amps and cabs and bought the Mesa to change my sound a little. It sounds good with my VHT cab just a little dark and i have a cab loaded with Celestion Classic lead 80s that cab sounds the best with the Mesa but its not a giging cab need something to get so i can use it on the road.

So what would you get can you get the mesa cabs with out v30s?

 

[siggy14]

Mesa traditional cab, also know now as the stiletto cab. Or a marshall with 75's will be nice, or a marshall with greenbacks. All will give you classic rock tone, however the V30's will also give you a nice modern rock sound.

I want to get a 4x12 cab to go with my tremoverb head. But my ? is which cab has a tighter more raw rock tone to it. A Marshall cab with Gt75s or a Mesa cab?
I have played the rect cabs they where kinda lose sounding to me. I use VHT amps and cabs and bought the Mesa to change my sound a little. It sounds good with my VHT cab just a little dark and i have a cab loaded with Celestion Classic lead 80s that cab sounds the best with the Mesa but its not a giging cab need something to get so i can use it on the road.

So what would you get can you get the mesa cabs with out v30s?

 

[Russ]

If you get a Marshall get an older one. The newer ones suck. But then again, a road/gigging cab should be older anyway so you don't have to worry about it getting beat. You can find Marshall cabs for a couple hundred bucks that are already a little road worn. These cabs are great utilitarian cabs. They may not be pretty but they do their job. Even a slightly beat Mesa cab will be more expensive than a nice/relatively minty condition Marshall cab. These are just some things to consider anyway...

On the other side of your question, Mesa cabs sound better. They are heavier too though. After a gig, do you want to be hauling that cab around? I can almost literally throw a Marshall cab into the back of my truck that is lifted 10". I probably could but it wouldn't be pretty. I have trouble lifting my Mesa cab that high off the ground.

With regards to speakers, 75's are a good basic speaker even if slightly mid scooped. Some don't like the bottom end because it doesn't handle the Mesa Rec bottom end while detuned and heavily chugging. Others don't like them because the highs can get piercing. The V30 seems more brash though with more mids. Some don't care for the mids you can't get seem to get rid of. They do handle the heavy Rec bottom and detuned chugging though better than 75's for some reason though. As was suggested you might like a greenback sound. I wouldn't necessarily use the greenback because it breaks up too easy. Maybe try the 65. The 65's sound like a greenback but hold together better due to better power handling.

 

[kham]

Yea thanks for the info guys. But can you get a mesa cab with 4 of the c 90 speakers? My fav combo of speakers i have found yet are 2 v30s and 2 classic lead 80s or all classic lead 80s. So i wounder if all c90s would be a good fit. I do use Gibson les pauls with emgs in drop C tuning.

 

[Elpelotero]

You can custome order alsmost anything from the Mesa shop, but it may take a while to get to you.

You can also scour ebay and what not for used Mesa cabs which may be fitted with EV's or C90's.

As a final note, be sure to go back and check which Mesa cab you played. There are two types:

-Standard ("Oversized")--these are made specifically for rectos. they have a lot of bass and can get very loose and woofy as you described.
-Traditional ("Stilleto")--these are much smaller, about the size of a Marshall. They are made for tighter riffing and are not at all loose sounding.

 

[kham]

It was a rect cab. Standard ("Oversized).

 

[Russ]

Try the Stiletto (formerly Traditional) cab. I like mine better with my Dual Rec than my Marshall with 75's anyday. They are loaded with V30's.

 

[alejandro]

Don't forget to measure the foot-print of the Tremoverb, as it's wider than mostly everything out there. You want that thing stable on top of a cabinet, unless you have some contraption that allows using a smaller cabinet.

 

[ThunderMonkey]

I have to say it until all are converted: :lol:

4x12 Halfback :!: :!:

If you've never tried one, check 'em out !

 

[dap9]

You can custome order alsmost anything from the Mesa shop, but it may take a while to get to you.

You can also scour ebay and what not for used Mesa cabs which may be fitted with EV's or C90's.

As a final note, be sure to go back and check which Mesa cab you played. There are two types:

-Standard ("Oversized")--these are made specifically for rectos. they have a lot of bass and can get very loose and woofy as you described.
-Traditional ("Stilleto")--these are much smaller, about the size of a Marshall. They are made for tighter riffing and are not at all loose sounding.

I have a TOV head that used to be a combo. So I played some different cabs thinking that for sure I would love the "Traditional" size. But after A/Bing them (thank god!) I went w/ the Oversized cab. The Trad cab was very mid rangy and annoying. The Oversized cab sounded all around more even to me. The highs were nice and clear and the bass was even. Not at all what I expected. But I guess you could call the tone "loose" - I could see where some would find that

FWIW, I play mostly gritty tones and clean tones. I don't go anywhere near the Numetal that the DRs are known for. If money was not problem, I'd get one of each cab LOL.

 

[xnatex]

i run my DR through a JCM 900 1960A cab and i am perfectly happy. my band will be recording in 2 weeks so i can get some clips soon.

 

[Grendeltone]

I always recommend the 4x12 Halfbacks.. whether it is the top or bottom... the HB cabinets have higher wattage speakers and just translates the sound of the DR amps (including the DR TOV)...

I had my 4s12 Half Back Bottom converted to stereo wiring... when I used to use a rack... and that was the Furman conditioned rack w/ Korg DT-1 Pro, Lee Jackson GP-1000 to ADA MP-1 to my Roland GP-8 then the loop had my ADA Pitchtraq, to the floor effects and into my Rocktron Pro Q w/ my Dunlop Wah and 395 Power amp (that amp killed... and rocked..) into either both 4x12 Half Back cabinets (I had a top) or just limited to the bottom w/ the stereo split...

Half Backs are great... they give the openness and bigness of a combo w/ the tight bottom...

 

[jdurso]

lately I have been checking out what eminence has to over and i have to say that i think the celestion name is pretty over rated.... dont get me wrong they make great speakers ( love the v30s and the g12k100s) but a lot of the hype across the board is getting a little old. I played a mesa traditional cab the other day my friend had taken out the v30s and replaced them with 2 Texas Heats and 2 Govenors and man it brought that cab to another dimension.... almost sounded like 2 v30s and 2 75's in the same cab with alot more clarity and a broader spectrum of frequencies..... he told me he tried the combination in a few project cabs before he gutted his mesa (one was an '89 Peavey cab and the other was a b52 cab that he bought very very cheap unloaded) and he said all 3 cabs sounded amazing with that combination..... actually he's going to work on making the b52 a tuned vented cab with that combo of speakers to try and emualte the design of the freda cabs in a 4x12 option (my idea and hopefully it will work because i'm going to buy it form him).....

anyhow there are a bunch of companies right now that are realizing there are other speakers out there beside celestion.... i would seriously look into a Basson cab because you can get them cheaper than a Mesa, marshall, VHT, etc. cab and they way tighter than any of those other cab....right nwo they're letting you pick the speakers that will go in it..... standard they have eminence legends which are absolutley killer.... its worth looking into

 

[alejandro]

lately I have been checking out what eminence has to over and i have to say that i think the celestion name is pretty over rated.... dont get me wrong they make great speakers ( love the v30s and the g12k100s) but a lot of the hype across the board is getting a little old. I played a mesa traditional cab the other day my friend had taken out the v30s and replaced them with 2 Texas Heats and 2 Govenors and man it brought that cab to another dimension...

Uuh... Hey, jdurso! What's that!? *tranquiliser in your neck!*

Stuff like that has to be secret if you want that edge. Especially since it's in total disguise by being in a cabinet. Make it look like you've got "stock" tone. Well, that's what I do anyway.

*puts your opiated body on a train bound for the Mexican desert*

 

[jdurso]

lately I have been checking out what eminence has to over and i have to say that i think the celestion name is pretty over rated.... dont get me wrong they make great speakers ( love the v30s and the g12k100s) but a lot of the hype across the board is getting a little old. I played a mesa traditional cab the other day my friend had taken out the v30s and replaced them with 2 Texas Heats and 2 Govenors and man it brought that cab to another dimension...

Uuh... Hey, jdurso! What's that!? *tranquiliser in your neck!*

Stuff like that has to be secret if you want that edge. Especially since it's in total disguise by being in a cabinet. Make it look like you've got "stock" tone. Well, that's what I do anyway.

*puts your opiated body on a train bound for the Mexican desert*

the whole tranquilizer thing brought that scene from Old School in my head... anyway... yeah i know some of those secrets give you the edge sometimes but i respect what this board is about and the guys in here have really shared a lot of great stuff and i figure i can do what i can too..... i just find the whole amp/cab industry is very sterile and a lot of the compnaies control people's opinions.... thats only because theyve never had the chance to play through different speakers or different style amps or cabinets..... and the companies who do want to be on the cutting edge dont have a bigger spotlight on them which means people like me can't go out and try different things.... thats what pisses me off....anyway thats all i got

 

[alejandro]

Argh! Browser crashed my very excellent reply.

Short and sweet: I call the entire realm of this "homogenisation." I agree with you 100% on everything you say. Manufacturers have to rely on some economy-of-scale to get their products off the floor and out of the docks. And amp & cabinet makers are more of the opinion that their signature intention of tone is simply by the design and quality of the amp and the dimensions and materials of the cabinetry. Unfortunately, every one is using the same tubes, speakers, cables, pups and guitars. I say: experiment with your tone, and find that individual edge that is unmistakeably liberating.

 

[PC Biz]

Another vote for the half back 4x12. I just bought one of the older wire grille 4x12s from Guitar Center, only $370 including tax. C90s in the top and EVs in the bottom. Currently the top back is on, but I can take it off for jazzier gigs.

Comes in mono, but I'm going to wire it for stereo. Mesa sent me the stereo jack plate and the photos for doing that. Check them out here:
Wiring 1
Wiring 2
Wiring 3
Wiring 4
Wiring 5