4X12 Cabs vs. 1x12/2x12's

[themetallikid]

So I'd love to explore some of these.  Yes, I know I can just do it, but I love the sound of the 4x12's I have dialed in.  My current project plays a wide variety of rock styles, even a dabble of some countryish songs.  

 

What is the advantage to using a smaller cab vs a 4x12?  I've always had a 4x12 in real life, much less an open back style cab.  So if I were to go exploring, what am I going to find while searching that would be a target principle of using those cabs?

 

 

[theElevators]

Single 12” for me over anything else!  
 

I play 1500+ seat venues. I’ve also played outdoor festivals. For me a single 12” is plenty loud. I love the focused crisp sound.  
 

For some reason in my experience, a 4x12” just rattles the stage, is not focused, and is very muddy. 

Nowadays, the cab onstage is to just hear yourself. If you are too loud, the sound guy will be upset. Keeping a single 12” allows me to hear myself. I can adjust how loud I hear myself by simply stepping away from the cab. There are some parts in the songs I play where hearing myself too loudly will actually throw me off.  
 

Unless you are Angus Young, and you need to hear yourself all around your ginormous stage that is .3 miles long…outdoors, a single 12” speaker powered by a 30W amp is perfectly legit loud. I usually put my amp on like 2/10. Plus sound guys don’t like when the stage volume is too loud.  
 
 

 

[themetallikid]

On 7/17/2023 at 8:21 PM, theElevators said:

Single 12” for me over anything else!  
 

I play 1500+ seat venues. I’ve also played outdoor festivals. For me a single 12” is plenty loud. I love the focused crisp sound.  
 

For some reason in my experience, a 4x12” just rattles the stage, is not focused, and is very muddy. 

Nowadays, the cab onstage is to just hear yourself. If you are too loud, the sound guy will be upset. Keeping a single 12” allows me to hear myself. I can adjust how loud I hear myself by simply stepping away from the cab. There are some parts in the songs I play where hearing myself too loudly will actually throw me off.  
 

Unless you are Angus Young, and you need to hear yourself all around your ginormous stage that is .3 miles long…outdoors, a single 12” speaker powered by a 30W amp is perfectly legit loud. I usually put my amp on like 2/10. Plus sound guys don’t like when the stage volume is too loud.  
 
 

 

Agreed on that aspect, was referring more to choosing a cab in Helix.   More the tonal differences between the different sizes, open/closed versions.  

[theElevators]

I honestly think that all of the speaker options can sound very similar by EQ’ing the amp or adding a separate EQ. I can conjure my sound out of nearly any amp / cab, if needed. 
 

In the Helix my choice amp is Mail Order Twin with a pretty clean sound. Stock cab settings. I run all of my sounds through it: surf/clean/distorted/feedback/metal. 
 

 

 

Back in the 1960s/70s MOST well known hits were recorded with small amps in the studio. So something with a 12” open back speaker was used most often, I believe. To replicate that sound live, I would also favor that configuration, virtually. 
 

Also from the various rig rundown videos, I’ve noticed that guitarists favor small cabs that are mic’es in the isolation box. They just sound more focused, more immediacy, and no nasty boominess that is hard to get rid of.  So another argument towards a single 12”, open back. 
 

Also watch this, you’ll see what actually makes a difference in terms of cabs. 
 

 

https://youtu.be/-eeC1XyZxYs

 

[Schmalle]

On 7/18/2023 at 3:49 PM, theElevators said:

In the Helix my choice amp is Mail Order Twin with a pretty clean sound. Stock cab settings.

Great amp choice! Love the Silvertone.

 

You MUST try the Mandarin 80 with that Mail cab! Like the Silvertone it also has a (James) tonestack that works great with the Jensen C12Q - it can fill the hole in the low mids. Set mids on 5 (authentic setting), explore and enjoy!