Cab for ENGL Fireball?

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Brandon E.

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May 9, 2007
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Well so I'm looking to get a cab for the Fireball I'm about to purchase this weekend and I'm looking for some suggestions as to what cab I should get...I've heard that the Fireball is lacking in the low end so I guess I need a cab with tons of low end. So far I'm thinking Mesa Recto oversized 4x12... Anyone got any better ideas? Some cabs I want to ask about are the Vader 4x12 and 2x12 cabs, and the avatar 2x12 contemporary cab. I've also heard that Splawn makes very good cabs. Suggestions? Any knowledge/advice you may have is helpful!

EDIT: Oh and the budget is about $600-$700 used

Thanks,
Brandon
 
There really is no better cab than the Rectifier Oversized IMO! I tried the Mesa Stiletto (they're version of the standard square-shaped 4x12 with V30s) for a few months and it was unpleasantly dense and stuffy sounding - since selling it for a Recto cab I've never looked back!
 
I don't really find the Traditional cab stuffy sounding at all, but I guess different strokes for different folks. :D

I suggest checking out one of these, or an oversized mesa, or even an orange.

DEFINITELY DON'T check out the ENGL XXL cabinet...they sound horrible.
 
My friend uses a Vader 4x12 cabinet with his Fireball - sounds godly. I've recorded him before, but his Fireball into my Mesa OS 4x12...dunno which I like more, the Vader seems more br00tz in a way.
 
Dylan S said:
I don't really find the Traditional cab stuffy sounding at all, but I guess different strokes for different folks. :D
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, it's useable, but in comparison there's no contest IMO! (and just wait until you try recording with your traditional :erk: )

And I still have yet to hear a single recorded clip of a Vader, and I definitely have my doubts about how good they'd sound! (since they seem geared towards "MAXIMUM POWERZZZ ARRRGGGHHH GRUNT GRUNT METAL" rather than, say, good tone
 
Well it definitely sounds like Recto 4x12 is the way to go, but is there actually a difference between straight and slant? and I'm also looking to acquire a 2x12 as well, any suggestions for that?
 
well, first things first, the fireball surely isn't lacking any low end...don't know who told you that :D

as for 212 cabs, i'm in love with my framus 212cs.....it's like half as much as e.g. a marshall 212, but sounds just beautiful - to the point i considered ditching my 412 and getting another framus 212 so i could use these live....actually, the only thing that keeps me from doing so is my urge to spend most of my money on new studio gear ^^
 
Well my main goal is to give it enough low end to prevent it from getting swallowed in a live environment by a 5150 haha. Again does anyone have any 2x12 suggestions? looking at the avatar contemporary 2x12 and the mesa recto 2x12, I'm guessing the mesa is a better bet
 
How come you want a 2x12? Portability? Cuz sound wise there's no competition between a 2x12 and a 4x12, and anyone who tells you the Recto cab has too much bass needs to learn how to tweak an amp! (or in the case of some amps, use a tube screamer, though I've heard Engls don't benefit from one)

As far as 2x12's go though, I would definitely get a Mesa Rectifier Vertical 2x12, cuz that extra height and the slant are godsends in a live environment! (I have an ancient Mesa vertical 2x12 that I got for $120 and pretty much converted to the modern version's specs, and it works great)
 
Morgray said:
Well my main goal is to give it enough low end to prevent it from getting swallowed in a live environment by a 5150 haha. Again does anyone have any 2x12 suggestions? looking at the avatar contemporary 2x12 and the mesa recto 2x12, I'm guessing the mesa is a better bet
Click to expand...

well, the 5150 is going to kill your fireball, regardless of the cab...i know, there were times where we used that exact setup in my band. die fb just isn't as cutting and "dominating" as the 5150, in a live setup at least.

besides, beefing up the lows won't help you with stacking up against a 5150 (or any amp for that matter)...it's in the mids where cut sits.
actually, in a live setup the guy with the thinner tone will usually cut through better, as really beefy tones will only compete with the bass guitar when the whole mix is playing, and that's a lost game really.
while this is true for studio work too, imho it applies even more to a live setup where everything's just so much louder and more intense, especially stuff like bass guitar.
 
Metaltastic said:
How come you want a 2x12? Portability? Cuz sound wise there's no competition between a 2x12 and a 4x12, and anyone who tells you the Recto cab has too much bass needs to learn how to tweak an amp!
Click to expand...

Well, I want a 4x12 for live and recording, but I also want a cheap horizontal 2x12 just for bedroom use and portability, I'm not trying to go for either or, I'm looking for both :)

As for the 5150, I know its going to kill my fireball no matter what haha, I'm just wondering if there's anything I can do to make that less marginal. And if the mids are what I want to boost, it sounds like the Mesa recto 4x12 isn't a great choice because listening to comparison clips it sounds like it has a considerable mid scoop...

Also, I was offered a Marshall MF280A Mode Four oversized 4x12 cab for 400, is that worth considering?
 
Nah, that's too much for that cab; good construction, so-so V30-derivative speakers - the most I'd pay is $300, and only if it was in excellent shape!

And about the Recto cab, I too was at first turned off by people saying it was scooped sounding, but I think it's more appropriate to say that smaller cabs (e.g. Mesa Stiletto/Traditional) have too much mids, they feel dense, stuffy, wooly, etc., and the Recto cab just has a better balance by shifting the emphasis down from wool to chuggz. But don't just take my word for it...

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/equipment/485633-mesa-cab-duel-recto-vs-stiletto.html
 
EDIT: Ok giving them more listening, I think I actually prefer the "not so good" speaker over the other 2 clips, the other speaker just sounds too scooped for my tastes. I think the traditional would actually be my favorite if it just had some more low end :( Are there any other cabs you recommend as a compromise between the trad and the recto? Though I'm thinking the bottom left speaker sounded just about perfect to me, so maybe I should just trust everyone else's judgement and go for the recto
 
I suppose the best middle ground I can think of would be the Marshall 1960AV or BV (angled or straight, your call, though I prefer angled for live), since it's the same size as the Stiletto and has V30s made for Marshall which are a bit brighter than standard (as opposed to Mesa's which are a bit darker than standard) and isn't as heavy, so it's not quite as dense/middy sounding. Still, Recto cab gets my vote, and if you want more mids, there's a knob for that too after all! ;)
 
Thanks a lot for all the gear advice :) I pretend to be all picky now but in the end I'll probably just end up grabbing whatever shows up on craigslist first and never looking back haha. Hopefully I'll get to try a few of the mentioned cabs before making up my mind, but most likely I'll go for the Recto...as much as I prefer a middy sound the traditional is just way lacking in the low end the Recto seems to have plenty of...definitely going to try to check out the 1960AV too

Thanks again!
 
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