MESA 2x12 cab-- HOLY COW!!!

Colo Springs E · May 10th, 2004, 03:18 PM

Man oh man, glad I took the advice of some of you here (Ben Harmless for instance) who said to not go for a cheap cab, go with something good.

Well check this out. Right now I have a Fender Stage 100 DSP combo (solid state, 3 channels, effects; 12" Celestion). Actually not a bad little combo. You should hear this thing thru the cabinet! I can't WAIT to get a real live high quality head (I'm lusting for a Marshall JCM 800 series) to run thru this thing, cuz even this s/s Fender combo sounded SUH-WEEEET thru those 2 Vintage 30s. Man oh man, talk about CHA-CHUNK!!

I'm a MESA cabinet fan for sure.

-Eric

Ben Harmless · May 10th, 2004, 06:32 PM

Well, to be fair, I said I would avoid the Behringer. Other cheapish cabs can be good, but that Mesa has got to be killer. They're just about the best thing being mass-produced at this point. I'd choose one of those over a Marshall, Fender, Peavey, Crate, whatever any day.

My cabs are Avatar with Celestions, which are about all I can afford, but they're 100% quality ply - no particle board in there, and they can hold their own. Still, I'd rather have a Mesa. Cooler looks and sturdier everything.

I may be trying my hand at some cabinet building soon, and the Mesa tall 4x12 would be my blueprint.

You can try my '800 through it if you want to stop by the East Coast...

Did you get the vertical or horizontal?

Colo Springs E · May 10th, 2004, 10:41 PM

.....Hey Ben, yeah it's a horizontal model, beat all to heck too.

I like the look (and of course, sound) of a half-stack and may eventualy go that way. But I'm thinking when I eventualy get a head, I may just sit the cab up on a stand (a flat stand) with the head on top.

I've heard good things about those Avatars! And what a good price too.

What kind of amp(s) are you running thru it?

Take care and thanks for the advice.

Ben Harmless · May 10th, 2004, 11:42 PM

The Avatars are cool, but they're a bit shallower than most others. They make up for it a little by mounting the baffle forward of where Marshall (for instance) puts it.

I run a Reverend Hellhound and a JCM800 2204. The Marshall is in on the edge though. I just don't know if it's going to do what I want in the long run.

My experience with Mesa cabs was with a Dual Recto that I used on a brief tour, but didn't belong to me. The Recto puts out a lot of juce, but the cab didn't even flinch, let alone fart out. I wasn't really using a ton of gain, but I saw no sign that it would've been a problem. I'm pretty confident that it was loaded with 4 Vintage 30s. It even sounded good clean. Those Rectos are a lot more versitile than people give them credit for.

A friend of mine also got one to run under his Peavey Ultra Plus. That combination was killer. The same ultra-solid tone was apparent there too.

Colo Springs E · May 11th, 2004, 08:51 AM

.....what do you mean by the Marshall being "on the edge?" Is it about to die?

What do you think of the tone?

How 'bout that Reverend? I've heard good things about those too...

-Eric

Big Cookie · May 11th, 2004, 12:41 PM

I have an Avatar 4x12 with 2 V-30's in the top and 2 G12H30's in the bottom. I use it as part of an amp switching rig with a Bedrock Lead 50 Top. The clean side is a 73 Marshall 4x12 with the same speaker alignment and a Mesa SOB head set crystal clean. The cabs sonic differences are barely discernable when A/B ing the heads. Great construction on the Avatar.

Colo Springs E · May 11th, 2004, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Cookie

I have an Avatar 4x12 with 2 V-30's in the top and 2 G12H30's in the bottom. The cabs sonic differences are barely discernable when A/B ing the heads. Great construction on the Avatar.

I like hearin' that coming from you Cookie! I had heard good things about those cabs, must be true!!

-Eric

Ben Harmless · May 12th, 2004, 12:41 AM

Hehe. Yeah, coming from Cookie I feel a little better about mine too. :D

The Marhsall is doing fine overall, and a retube with JJ E34Ls helped a bit, but I'm just not sure if it's the be-all and end-all of the tone that I want. Unfortunately, the tone I want may not actually exist. I'm coming to the conclusion that the tone I hear in my head is really the tone of a whole band playing, and I'm just not going to get that in my bedroom.

Still, I tried a Mesa Heartbreaker at Guitar Center the other day, and it was pretty sweet. The only thing keeping me from seriously entertaining the idea of trading everything I own for it is that it's got 12 tubes inside, and that's a lot of glass to take care of. I'd probably crate around a case of replacements for emergencies. The tone though... My Marshall doesn't sing like the Mesa does, even when the Mesa's dialed in with very little gain.

I think that eventually, I'm going to want one of everyhing. I'll take a JCM800, a Bassman, and one of those Heartbreakers.

Then again, my friend's Bogner has a whole lot of good tones in it... That might have to wait 'till I win the lottery though.

Tom P. · May 12th, 2004, 08:15 AM

I heard one of these @ a house jam and was flabbergasted. HUGE sound but just schweet. Kinda expen$ive though.

Blockhead

Marky D. · May 12th, 2004, 02:23 PM

Eric,

What are the specs on the cab? I.e. size, open or closed back, type of speakers, model#.

I've been thinking of getting an 8 ohm 2x12 cab to run w/ a Marshall head, Pro Jr., or Deluxe Reverb in situations where more volume is needed.

I tried a VHT (open back) w/ 2 Vintage 30's once...nice!

Colo Springs E · May 12th, 2004, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marky D.

Eric,

What are the specs on the cab? I.e. size, open or closed back, type of speakers, model#.

Rectifier, 2x12 closed-back cab, 8 ohms, with Celestion Vintage 30s. Honestly not sure of the power handling capacity, I'm running a 100w into it right now at 8 ohms. I will likely shop for a 50watt head.

It sounds LARGE.

Highly recommend!

-Eric

Geno · May 15th, 2004, 09:06 PM

My Mesa 2/12 is same as yours and you are right it makes all the tones.I use my Hot Rod into it and love it,I have a Boogie Mark IV and a Studio 22+ but prefer the Hot Rod it just has those clean twangy Tele sounds.Been thinking of selling the 2 Boogie amps and getting a Fender head for the cabinet.It is heavy and awkward to move around though.

May 10th, 2004, 03:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
Colo Springs E Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 5,281 5 Photos	MESA 2x12 cab-- HOLY COW!!! Man oh man, glad I took the advice of some of you here (Ben Harmless for instance) who said to not go for a cheap cab, go with something good. Well check this out. Right now I have a Fender Stage 100 DSP combo (solid state, 3 channels, effects; 12" Celestion). Actually not a bad little combo. You should hear this thing thru the cabinet! I can't WAIT to get a real live high quality head (I'm lusting for a Marshall JCM 800 series) to run thru this thing, cuz even this s/s Fender combo sounded SUH-WEEEET thru those 2 Vintage 30s. Man oh man, talk about CHA-CHUNK!! I'm a MESA cabinet fan for sure. -Eric __________________ Think I'll pack it in and Buy a pickup Take it down to LA...

May 10th, 2004, 06:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
Ben Harmless Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany, NY US of A Posts: 3,375 12 Photos	Well, to be fair, I said I would avoid the Behringer. Other cheapish cabs can be good, but that Mesa has got to be killer. They're just about the best thing being mass-produced at this point. I'd choose one of those over a Marshall, Fender, Peavey, Crate, whatever any day. My cabs are Avatar with Celestions, which are about all I can afford, but they're 100% quality ply - no particle board in there, and they can hold their own. Still, I'd rather have a Mesa. Cooler looks and sturdier everything. I may be trying my hand at some cabinet building soon, and the Mesa tall 4x12 would be my blueprint. You can try my '800 through it if you want to stop by the East Coast... Did you get the vertical or horizontal? __________________ "I think I'll go for the life of sin, followed by the last-minute, presto-change-o, deathbed repentance." - B. Simpson

May 10th, 2004, 10:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
Colo Springs E Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 5,281 5 Photos	Horizontal.... .....Hey Ben, yeah it's a horizontal model, beat all to heck too. I like the look (and of course, sound) of a half-stack and may eventualy go that way. But I'm thinking when I eventualy get a head, I may just sit the cab up on a stand (a flat stand) with the head on top. I've heard good things about those Avatars! And what a good price too. What kind of amp(s) are you running thru it? Take care and thanks for the advice. __________________ Think I'll pack it in and Buy a pickup Take it down to LA...

May 10th, 2004, 11:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ben Harmless Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany, NY US of A Posts: 3,375 12 Photos	The Avatars are cool, but they're a bit shallower than most others. They make up for it a little by mounting the baffle forward of where Marshall (for instance) puts it. I run a Reverend Hellhound and a JCM800 2204. The Marshall is in on the edge though. I just don't know if it's going to do what I want in the long run. My experience with Mesa cabs was with a Dual Recto that I used on a brief tour, but didn't belong to me. The Recto puts out a lot of juce, but the cab didn't even flinch, let alone fart out. I wasn't really using a ton of gain, but I saw no sign that it would've been a problem. I'm pretty confident that it was loaded with 4 Vintage 30s. It even sounded good clean. Those Rectos are a lot more versitile than people give them credit for. A friend of mine also got one to run under his Peavey Ultra Plus. That combination was killer. The same ultra-solid tone was apparent there too. __________________ "I think I'll go for the life of sin, followed by the last-minute, presto-change-o, deathbed repentance." - B. Simpson

May 11th, 2004, 08:51 AM	#5 (permalink)
Colo Springs E Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 5,281 5 Photos	Hey Ben... .....what do you mean by the Marshall being "on the edge?" Is it about to die? What do you think of the tone? How 'bout that Reverend? I've heard good things about those too... -Eric __________________ Think I'll pack it in and Buy a pickup Take it down to LA...

May 11th, 2004, 12:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
Big Cookie Banned Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ennis, Texas Posts: 693	Avatar Cabs I have an Avatar 4x12 with 2 V-30's in the top and 2 G12H30's in the bottom. I use it as part of an amp switching rig with a Bedrock Lead 50 Top. The clean side is a 73 Marshall 4x12 with the same speaker alignment and a Mesa SOB head set crystal clean. The cabs sonic differences are barely discernable when A/B ing the heads. Great construction on the Avatar.

May 12th, 2004, 12:41 AM	#8 (permalink)
Ben Harmless Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany, NY US of A Posts: 3,375 12 Photos	Hehe. Yeah, coming from Cookie I feel a little better about mine too. :D The Marhsall is doing fine overall, and a retube with JJ E34Ls helped a bit, but I'm just not sure if it's the be-all and end-all of the tone that I want. Unfortunately, the tone I want may not actually exist. I'm coming to the conclusion that the tone I hear in my head is really the tone of a whole band playing, and I'm just not going to get that in my bedroom. Still, I tried a Mesa Heartbreaker at Guitar Center the other day, and it was pretty sweet. The only thing keeping me from seriously entertaining the idea of trading everything I own for it is that it's got 12 tubes inside, and that's a lot of glass to take care of. I'd probably crate around a case of replacements for emergencies. The tone though... My Marshall doesn't sing like the Mesa does, even when the Mesa's dialed in with very little gain. I think that eventually, I'm going to want one of everyhing. I'll take a JCM800, a Bassman, and one of those Heartbreakers. Then again, my friend's Bogner has a whole lot of good tones in it... That might have to wait 'till I win the lottery though. __________________ "I think I'll go for the life of sin, followed by the last-minute, presto-change-o, deathbed repentance." - B. Simpson

May 12th, 2004, 08:15 AM	#9 (permalink)
Tom P. Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Eastern Ct. Posts: 909	Just to Muddy the Waters...... I heard one of these @ a house jam and was flabbergasted. HUGE sound but just schweet. Kinda expen$ive though. Blockhead __________________ Just Pickin'

May 12th, 2004, 02:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
Marky D. Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN Age: 48 Posts: 314	Details, Eric? Eric, What are the specs on the cab? I.e. size, open or closed back, type of speakers, model#. I've been thinking of getting an 8 ohm 2x12 cab to run w/ a Marshall head, Pro Jr., or Deluxe Reverb in situations where more volume is needed. I tried a VHT (open back) w/ 2 Vintage 30's once...nice!

May 15th, 2004, 09:06 PM	#12 (permalink)
Geno TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Anchorage,Alaska Posts: 48	My Mesa 2/12 is same as yours and you are right it makes all the tones.I use my Hot Rod into it and love it,I have a Boogie Mark IV and a Studio 22+ but prefer the Hot Rod it just has those clean twangy Tele sounds.Been thinking of selling the 2 Boogie amps and getting a Fender head for the cabinet.It is heavy and awkward to move around though.