4x12 Speaker Cab Recommendations?

[Coned1969]

Just curious what you guys would recommend for a decent, affordable 4x12 cab? I'm not really looking for a higher-end cab like the ones George makes...I would prefer decent tone at a more affordable price, rather than authenticity.

I've been searching Craigslist for a Marshall 1960AX cab and there's not too much available on the used market. Seems like the prices have really shot up on these over the years...just wondering if anyone could recommend a way to get champagne on a beer budget.

[BaronGreenback]

buy a used vintage marshall cab in any condition and it will walk all over the AX series, or handwired series marshalls. marshall dont make their cabs thesdays anything like they used to.

go for the old wood ;o)

[Coned1969]

Thanks! I found a 1980's JCM800 cab -w- Greenbacks on the Guitar Center website for $399.00. I know it's not as "vintage" as you probably had in mind, but I think it'll do nicely, at least for now.

[BaronGreenback]

The JCM800 cabs are decent quality, just less wood used on them than in the 60's. mdf back panel too. id take one of those over a modern marshall cab.

i wish i had taken pictures of the 1960AV cab I restored a while back. the back panel literally crumbled away in my hands. not the kind of quality you would expect from a cab that retails at around £450 to £600 new.

[Coned1969]

I got the cab in on Friday...here's a pic:



Pretty well worn on the outside, but the speakers are perfect and the cab sounds great. I'm really happy with it, and the price was right ($399). It does have the MDF back, but it's solid and doesn't look like it'll fall apart any time soon.

On a lighter note, I cleaned off what appeared to be vomit from one side of the cab and I'm still trying to figure out the white stain on the grill cloth.

[BaronGreenback]

looks a decent cab, but that white stain would bug me. yeah the back panels were a better grade back then, made from mdf, not chipboard. they seem to use chipboard instead thesedays. there is a difference.

mdf = medium density fibreboard (dense panels made from fine wood grains or 'sawdust')
chipboard/particle board = (less dense and made from wood chippings)

the chipboard on modern cabs is all over the front of the baffle too where you cant normally see it, hidden by the grill material. £600 GBP retail for cabs that are half made from chipboard and loaded with G12T-75's. people still buy em over much better made cabs from other brands, or older better made marshalls for half the price.

pretty sure the JCM800 cab baffles were still made from ply & pine all over, just less of it than the 60's cabs.

[Tone Slinger]

Check the codes on the back of the speakers. If you see '6402' then you know the speakers are probably original. The 1989 jcm 800 cabs were the first to see the reissue greenbacks (6402 coned). Its funny, but the 25 watt greenback speakers took a 10 year break from production (1978 or '79 to 1989). I had a brand new '89 slant cab (got it in '90), and it just KILLED. I new the speakers were 25 watt greenbacks,but wasnt aware of speaker codes. Me and a buddy swapped speakers for a few weeks (he had vintage 30's), and I was happy getting my greenbacks back . I sold that cab in '95 I believe it was. I was into combo's for awhile. In the mid millenium I got back into Marshalls and went to checking out cabs again. The new greenback loaded cabs just werent sounding as good. I did research and discovered that the greenbacks were chinese made (not English anymore). The speakers in my jcm800 were the british made '6402' cones. Ralle's cab is a slant jcm 800 with the 6402 cones, as were Rockstah's (6402 cones). I ended up aquiring a '83-'84 era jcm 800 slant that has replaced grillcloth, which is the vintage basketweave looking material. Also, the stock 65 watt celestions that came stock in it had been replaced with 6402 coned greenbacks. This cab sounds very similar to the other cab as I renmemberd it . Of course, as previously mentioned, the Jcm800 cabs are just better made than the newer Marshall stuff, so the speakers benifit from that alone.

[Coned1969]

Unfortunately they're "made in China" Greenbacks (black label on each speaker says so). Looks like they were changed out pretty recently...they look almost new. I'm happy with the sound of the cab, but maybe later on I'll swap them out for some Scumbacks.

[Tone Slinger]

Actually, I wouldnt worry much about the Chinese greenbacks. Celestion obviously have quality control, regardless of the outsourced labour, etc. I'm more inclined to thinking the cab itself is of greater importance to the overall sound than the speakers. In other words, a quad of Chinese greenbacks will sound BETTER in a good cab than English greenbacks in a mediocre cab. And some folks are super pleased with thier chinese celestions and wouldnt consider replacing them.
I've often seen a JCM800 cab used to demonstrate different heads in a shootout,even when more vintage cabs were there to choose from. The 800's are bad assed. You probably have a very nice sounding cab

[yngwie308]

Just curious what you guys would recommend for a decent, affordable 4x12 cab? I'm not really looking for a higher-end cab like the ones George makes...I would prefer decent tone at a more affordable price, rather than authenticity.

I've been searching Craigslist for a Marshall 1960AX cab and there's not too much available on the used market. Seems like the prices have really shot up on these over the years...just wondering if anyone could recommend a way to get champagne on a beer budget.

You're missing the point of George's True Replica cabinets if you think that their main quality is authenticity... it's their tone!
Mine sounds exactly like my old late sixties Marshall cabs I had in the UK.
The quality of the materials and build are not just dead nuts perfect, but they sound awesome..seriously.
yngwie308