Ed's stripped Tolex 4x12 Cabinets for VH1 Let's discuss!

[NY Chief]

In '78 Ed was using 8-10 stripped Marshall 4x12 cabs on stage. All the ones used live had black grill cloth. Some of the cabs you can clearly see have JBL's in them. Did Marshall even sell 4x12's with black grill cloth in the 70's? I have both a '78 and a '76 cab - both have checkerboard cloth. And the earlier70's marshall cabs had lighter basketweave no? So did Ed strip these and add black screen or grill cloth to them for looks?

In the late '78 Sunset Sound studio pics, you can see one or two stripped 4x12's that do have checkerboard cloth, but I've never seen those cabs in any of the live shots from the '78 tours. Another thing I noticed is that some of those stripped cabs DO have the white piping still - with the black cloth. Weird.

Krylon...Ed was a maniac with the spray bomb...

[vanhalen5150]

The light tan or "fawn" colored cabs had black grill cloth. Mid to late 70's era I think.

[plexified]

Those stripped cabs came off the VH 1 tour and into the studio pics on II . It was done either way good or bad . The cabs were newer though and I would say that when the tolex ages and the glue dries it is more prone to resonate and sing . The new cloth and semi dry glue is kind of sucking off the resonance . Thing is no grill cloth and you might as well be Hendrix smashing the headstock into the cones instead of the roadies and cymbal stands ! SO , go naked - maybe stain that bitch with some color and then run the grille cloth . The basketweave was the reason why some 20 watters could hang with a 100 top . The restriction kept the cone excursion from moving too far forward or bouncing the cone off the back plate and making alot of heat and melting . Jim from Scumback knows this all well and does some killer work , he kills it . I shim the sound posts in my cabs and make em very tight and also love the AMPEG V-4 cabs to load some killer vintage greenies into , its nirvana for sure .

[plexified]

Hey , seemed like plastic corners tell the dateline , just period correct cabs and some noodling . Only the ones miked made a difference and the spread on the stage was tweaked a bit if he had the speakers front loaded . Not the best decision , maybe for him to hear better . But in the hunt ,back mount kept the cone laser line forward like a beam and kept the grind on the outside edge . The front mount trumps the inertia and bite but throws wider and dustier for the very , very close stage passing . Was that what Ed was wanting ? To hear himself with more plexidust close at the cab or throwing better tone into the pit be it a more laser line toss ? I think what ever was on the house mike meant the most and a stage screen was a toss up . He liked to be close to hear himself at the raw loop . Could it be he front loaded the marshall cabs for his own soundfield ? It really meant nothing to the people in the first row or the last .

[vanhalen5150]

Hey everyone, it's Plexified!

Where ya been?

[vanhalen5150]

Those stripped cabs came off the VH 1 tour and into the studio pics on II . It was done either way good or bad . The cabs were newer though and I would say that when the tolex ages and the glue dries it is more prone to resonate and sing . The new cloth and semi dry glue is kind of sucking off the resonance . Thing is no grill cloth and you might as well be Hendrix smashing the headstock into the cones instead of the roadies and cymbal stands ! SO , go naked - maybe stain that bitch with some color and then run the grille cloth . The basketweave was the reason why some 20 watters could hang with a 100 top . The restriction kept the cone excursion from moving too far forward or bouncing the cone off the back plate and making alot of heat and melting . Jim from Scumback knows this all well and does some killer work , he kills it . I shim the sound posts in my cabs and make em very tight and also love the AMPEG V-4 cabs to load some killer vintage greenies into , its nirvana for sure .

Funny you say that. I have 2 cabs with blackbacks 1777 cones. One I put thick basket weave on and added a washer on the post with a screw through the back board sound great to me. Major improvement. Maybe I should shim the whole post surface.

[rgorke]

Those stripped cabs came off the VH 1 tour and into the studio pics on II . It was done either way good or bad . The cabs were newer though and I would say that when the tolex ages and the glue dries it is more prone to resonate and sing . The new cloth and semi dry glue is kind of sucking off the resonance . Thing is no grill cloth and you might as well be Hendrix smashing the headstock into the cones instead of the roadies and cymbal stands ! SO , go naked - maybe stain that bitch with some color and then run the grille cloth . The basketweave was the reason why some 20 watters could hang with a 100 top . The restriction kept the cone excursion from moving too far forward or bouncing the cone off the back plate and making alot of heat and melting . Jim from Scumback knows this all well and does some killer work , he kills it . I shim the sound posts in my cabs and make em very tight and also love the AMPEG V-4 cabs to load some killer vintage greenies into , its nirvana for sure .

Funny you say that. I have 2 cabs with blackbacks 1777 cones. One I put thick basket weave on and added a washer on the post with a screw through the back board sound great to me. Major improvement. Maybe I should shim the whole post surface.

Mine is shimed so that it almost buldges in the middle when all the screws are tightened around the edges.

[plexified]

the back when shimmed about a quarter from center ususally with the marshall rubber pad concept really works nice . The back makes a concave shape and probably works to introduce more waves to shake up the cones , but it does work and the thump really shines with the overall response . Cool to see that you can hear it . David

[MrBeasty]

Could it be he front loaded the marshall cabs for his own soundfield ?

Maybe it's just easier/faster to replace blown speakers when they are front loaded and you are replacing speakers all the time.

[jape88]

Could it be he front loaded the marshall cabs for his own soundfield ?

Maybe it's just easier/faster to replace blown speakers when they are front loaded and you are replacing speakers all the time.

None of Ed's stripped cabs were front loaded?

Ed had a mix of basketweave metal handles and check cloth plastic handles, 25w pulsonics through to blackbacks and the two d120's.
As far as I can make out the older cabs have extra baton beading with fine grill mesh applied on top of the corner bracing blocks, that would probably move close miking, another half inch away from the speaker! The later early to mid 70's cabs all seam to have a finer grill cloth but not as fine as the metal handle cabs.