Post by morecowbell on Feb 13, 2006 13:52:49 GMT -5
Ok, finally got around to doing a straight ahead a/b test with the four 4x12's I have. The test was done at home using only a newer QR head, at medium volume , not bedroom level but not gig volume either (like maybe master at 8:30). Guitar was an '86 Jackson with BBQ bridge. Here's the cabs I tested:
Splawn 4x12 w/ Eminence Redcoat Gov and MOW in x-pattern.
Marshall 1960ax w/ English made Celestion greenbacks.
Marshall 1960bv w/ Celestion v-30's
Carvin 4x12, early 80's model with Celestion G12M70's
I didn't spend hours and hours doing this test, just back and forth a few times between different cabs, enough to determine their character relative to one another, maybe an hour total. I'm a believer that not all cabs work best with all amps, in this case I was curiuos about how the cabs worked with the QR.
The Splawn cab was easy, it sounded like it was made for the QR because it was. It had a beautiful eq curve, nothing flabby or spikey, and great clarity. The best clarity of anything I have. It accentuates the midrange "rahhhh" I always hear in the QR, awesome. I don't know if the grill cloth has anything to do with it, but it had the smoothest top end too. No need to pull back highs and presence, everythign was balanced perfectly.
The Marshall 1960ax, I was really surprised how good this cab sounded. It sounded slightly mid scooped in comparison to the Splawn cab, a looser bottom, and a little grainier mids and highs. Highs seemed smooth, nothing ice picky, but more raw than the Splawn. It does the old VH thing REALLY well, it's got that sort of grind going. I could use it without a whole lot of setting changes to my amp. I was impressed, it works well with the QR.
Marshall 1960bv - This cab was the real shocker of my test, it sound the most like the Splawn out of any of my cabs. It was great. I don't know what people are talking about with v-30's, because this cab has never sounded ANYTHING like what people keep complaining about. I had an av cab which I didn't like, but the bv sounds totally different for some reason. Anyway, this cab had a really similar eq to the Splawn but with a little more of the grainy stuff. Not bad, just sounded a little more dirty, a little less refined. But I dug it alot, I could gig with it immediatly without hesitation. I heard not an ounce of the hi mid spikey thing people complain about, it really sounded even. And like the Splawn it had that mid range open vowel tone I like so much. Not as perfectly voiced as the Splawn cab, but it definately sounded reminiscent
The Carvin cab has been my #1 go to cab since I bought it new back in the early 80's. I've a/b'd this thing so many times, and I've always come back to it, at least for certain amps. Against these cabs it had way more high end than any of the others, I wanted to reach for treble and presence on the amp real bad. The lows were nice and solid, and the mids were good albeit a little prominent. I'm sure with the highs pulled back it would have really come into focus because this cab has always had the clearest tone, but with my regular QR settings it was too high endy. It had that Celestion graininess too, but not real bad, expecially considering hot the highs were accentuated. This cab sounded louder in every way than enything else in my test. Come to think of it, it was the only cab in the test without grill cloth (it has that old Mesa style metal grate stuff), so I'm wondering how much that effected the tone, expecially the highs. I bet alot now that I think about it, my QR settings are based on a very smooth cab with heavy grill cloth, and this cab comes in naked, and sounds right in your face. Anyway, this really is a cool cab that I have alot of history with, it's just not the best choice with my QR settings. With my Splawn Marshall 1987xl, it sounds like god.
Build quality, the Splawn cab is amazing, as is that older Carvin cab. Far beyond either of my Marshalls.
So the result is yes, the Splawn cab works best with my QR. It's got it all, it's just a perfect match. I didn't expect much from the 1960bv or 1960ax, but both sounded good, with the 1960ax sounded more "different" but still cool. I didn't think either was put to shame. But the Splawn is the one I've been gigging with, and it ain't going nowhere.
Splawn 4x12 w/ Eminence Redcoat Gov and MOW in x-pattern.
Marshall 1960ax w/ English made Celestion greenbacks.
Marshall 1960bv w/ Celestion v-30's
Carvin 4x12, early 80's model with Celestion G12M70's
I didn't spend hours and hours doing this test, just back and forth a few times between different cabs, enough to determine their character relative to one another, maybe an hour total. I'm a believer that not all cabs work best with all amps, in this case I was curiuos about how the cabs worked with the QR.
The Splawn cab was easy, it sounded like it was made for the QR because it was. It had a beautiful eq curve, nothing flabby or spikey, and great clarity. The best clarity of anything I have. It accentuates the midrange "rahhhh" I always hear in the QR, awesome. I don't know if the grill cloth has anything to do with it, but it had the smoothest top end too. No need to pull back highs and presence, everythign was balanced perfectly.
The Marshall 1960ax, I was really surprised how good this cab sounded. It sounded slightly mid scooped in comparison to the Splawn cab, a looser bottom, and a little grainier mids and highs. Highs seemed smooth, nothing ice picky, but more raw than the Splawn. It does the old VH thing REALLY well, it's got that sort of grind going. I could use it without a whole lot of setting changes to my amp. I was impressed, it works well with the QR.
Marshall 1960bv - This cab was the real shocker of my test, it sound the most like the Splawn out of any of my cabs. It was great. I don't know what people are talking about with v-30's, because this cab has never sounded ANYTHING like what people keep complaining about. I had an av cab which I didn't like, but the bv sounds totally different for some reason. Anyway, this cab had a really similar eq to the Splawn but with a little more of the grainy stuff. Not bad, just sounded a little more dirty, a little less refined. But I dug it alot, I could gig with it immediatly without hesitation. I heard not an ounce of the hi mid spikey thing people complain about, it really sounded even. And like the Splawn it had that mid range open vowel tone I like so much. Not as perfectly voiced as the Splawn cab, but it definately sounded reminiscent
The Carvin cab has been my #1 go to cab since I bought it new back in the early 80's. I've a/b'd this thing so many times, and I've always come back to it, at least for certain amps. Against these cabs it had way more high end than any of the others, I wanted to reach for treble and presence on the amp real bad. The lows were nice and solid, and the mids were good albeit a little prominent. I'm sure with the highs pulled back it would have really come into focus because this cab has always had the clearest tone, but with my regular QR settings it was too high endy. It had that Celestion graininess too, but not real bad, expecially considering hot the highs were accentuated. This cab sounded louder in every way than enything else in my test. Come to think of it, it was the only cab in the test without grill cloth (it has that old Mesa style metal grate stuff), so I'm wondering how much that effected the tone, expecially the highs. I bet alot now that I think about it, my QR settings are based on a very smooth cab with heavy grill cloth, and this cab comes in naked, and sounds right in your face. Anyway, this really is a cool cab that I have alot of history with, it's just not the best choice with my QR settings. With my Splawn Marshall 1987xl, it sounds like god.
Build quality, the Splawn cab is amazing, as is that older Carvin cab. Far beyond either of my Marshalls.
So the result is yes, the Splawn cab works best with my QR. It's got it all, it's just a perfect match. I didn't expect much from the 1960bv or 1960ax, but both sounded good, with the 1960ax sounded more "different" but still cool. I didn't think either was put to shame. But the Splawn is the one I've been gigging with, and it ain't going nowhere.
lol
