Recto 2x12 Cab Problem

[JohnnyCrazy]

I bought a new 2x12 Recto cab 2 years ago. It has never sounded quite right. I recently to it back to the store where I bought it to have it inspected. The store owner tested out the amp and said it seems to have a speaker out of phase. Simple solution, right. Well, I talk to the tech today and he said he inspected the amp and found that the speakers were not out out of phase. He said neither of the speakers are blown and that all of the wiring is in good shape. He said he will call the Mesa rep to find out what to do next to correct the problem. I'm sure the cab is still under warranty.
It seems like the gain in all of my heads is choked out and I have no sustain.
Has anyone else had a problem like this with a Recto cab? Any suggestions?

 

[nomad100hd]

gain in your head being choked out doesn't seem like the cab. If it's with all your heads it's the guitar or something between your guitar and your amps. Unless you use the same speaker cable for every head maybe it's that, but i doubt it's on that end.

 

[JohnnyCrazy]

I just had the tech at the store in which I bought the cab check it out. He says it's definitely the cab. He tried it with different heads and guitars and noticed the lack of gain and sustain also. He called Mesa and was told that they would only exchange the amp if it was up to one year old.
I'm looking at having to buy new speakers. I'm really disappointed with the Mesa people in regards to this.

 

[nomad100hd]

So speakers are blown? i don't think i would replace it if i were mesa a lot of people blow speakers because they don't know what they are doing. Not to mention the abuse at places like guitar center. You might try http://warehousespeakers.com/index.php for speakers.

 

[JohnnyCrazy]

The crazy thing is that the tech said the speakers are not blown. He say's the speakers are not out of phase and that the wiring is right.
I don't know what the problem could be. I bought the cab new and have never gigged with it or cranked the head through it. There's no water damage or anything obviously wrong with it.
Could there be another explanation that the tech missed?

 

[boogiemon]

hm.

How did the tech determine that the speakers are not out-of-phase?

Was it a visual wiring inspection or did he do the "battery" test?

i would plug a cable into the back, get a 9-volt battery & then watching the speakers from the front, touch the tip of the cable to the "+" side of the battery & the ground to the "-" side. You should hear a *pop* sound & both speakers should move in the same direction: both in or both out. If one moves in & the other moves out, then they are out-of-phase. The quick fix is to reverse the wire connections on one of the speakers. i would then also re-test.

good luck.

The crazy thing is that the tech said the speakers are not blown. He say's the speakers are not out of phase and that the wiring is right.
I don't know what the problem could be. I bought the cab new and have never gigged with it or cranked the head through it. There's no water damage or anything obviously wrong with it.
Could there be another explanation that the tech missed?

 

[JohnnyCrazy]

He said that he took reading. I'm assuming some sort of volt meter. He says he wants to disconnect one speaker and test a head through the other speaker in order to determine if one of the speakers is "bad."

Can a speaker be "bad" if it's not blown? I bought a Recto 4x12 cab and my Mark IV and Recto sound great through it!

 

[boogiemon]

He said that he took reading. I'm assuming some sort of volt meter. He says he wants to disconnect one speaker and test a head through the other speaker in order to determine if one of the speakers is "bad."

Can a speaker be "bad" if it's not blown? I bought a Recto 4x12 cab and my Mark IV and Recto sound great through it!

i'm guessing that "reading" in this case means impedance measurement. This will not test polarity/phase.

peace

 

[JohnnyCrazy]

Thanks for the input. I'll give your suggestion a try.

 

[boogiemon]

Thanks for the input. I'll give your suggestion a try.

np. i hope it turns out to be a simple fix like this...

p

 

[nomad100hd]

I would question the tech they're only so many things that can be wrong with the cab. A meter wont test polarity, and also wont necessarily tell if a speaker is blown. Sometimes the voice coil just over heats and warps causing it to rub. THe coil can be burnt open, or it can be shorted to another part of the coil. Also why would he even talk to mesa about the amp if it's a cab? Something just reads fishy. Easy way to see if the phase is an issue swap the wires on one speaker and see if it fixes the problem. I sure hope your not paying this guy I would have it diagnosed and fixed in an hr.

1. a speaker or speakers are bad
2. the wires/wiring bad
3. speaker aren't mounted right and or baffle board is loose.
4. someone filled the cab with a bunch of poly fill.