Comparison of each speaker in a recto 4x12

outloaf

outloaf

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Dec 15, 2009
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No eq on the guitars and I went back a second time to verify that the tones were identical as far as mic placement goes per speaker so mic placement is identical on each speaker. Interesting how different and wide some are compared to others. Chain: fernandes monterey w/81's > mesa Mark V > recto cab > sm57 > audient ASP008 preamp.

Top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right in order. Oddly enough, the bottom right almost has a GT75 type of phasiness...

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7220288/4x12 recto speaker comparison.mp3
 
Very nice, really liked nr 2. 3 was cool too. Would use either one depending on the style I was going for. Didn't like the last one at all. Like you said, it sounds a bit...weird.
 
I think I prefer 1 and 3 because they sit a little better in the mix and to me seem to have a bit more of that identifiable Mesa sound. Speaker 4 should be put out of it's misery..haha
 
Have to agree there. I personally prefered 2 because it DOESN'T have that typical tone, so makes sense that you wouldn't pick that one then. Not a big fan of the mesa-cab sound here :)
 
Nimvi said:
Have to agree there. I personally prefered 2 because it DOESN'T have that typical tone, so makes sense that you wouldn't pick that one then. Not a big fan of the mesa-cab sound here :)
Click to expand...

True that it doesn't have that typical mesa tone but it's got some nasty stuff happening between 1-4k that grates on my eardrums. What is your preferred cab?
 
Yea, I noticed that too, altough I'm not in a good listeningposition right now. it would probably need some taming around those areas.

About the cab: hard to say really; I seem to change my mind about that question every six months or so hehe. But generally I have always liked your typical Marshall with V30s/Greenbacks (I wish I owned one of those...), but currently my maincab is an Engl with V30s. That one too has a very typical sound that can either be PERFECT or completely miss the mark, so I have a true love/hate relationship with that one. If you haven't used that cab before, think of In Flames around the Clayman era (IIRC). Awesome for that style, but may not be your best bet for everything.

Funny enough, another cab I really enjoy, and have picked over the Engl on some occasions, is that ultra-cheapo Harley Benton cab with V30s. It has a bit of a spike around 1-2kHz (can't remember) but as long as you are aware of that it's a pretty decent cab. I originally bought it in 2x12 format as a practice speaker to lug around, but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I expected :D

Btw, I wouldn't say I don't like the Mesa cab. It has probably been used on a ton of albums I love. But I think it has a sort of typical grind to it that doesn't match well with my personal playingstyle. I prefer a bit of a "barkier" tone. Man, don't you just love discussing qualities of sound over forums...
 
I absolutely love discussing tonal qualities in general! I'm definitely In need of an engl cab for sure. Are they all front mounted speakers? I love that boost around 600hz that front mounted speakera have without getting bloated or woolly sounding; they have a very forward sound to them and also seem to be a bit more balanced between 1-5k in my opinion. Another cool thing that i notice is that the stereo spread, when doubled and hard panned, seems to be wider with those types of cabinets.
 
these kind of drastic differences lead me to the question of, WHERE and in WHAT KIND of room did you record these clips in?

Especially the last one. No way that speaker sounds that nasty.

Only reason I bring it up is because I usually just pick the top left or right by default, whatever happens, happens, hahahaha.

I did like the top much more though overall. Was this a straight or a slant?

BTW, I've REALLY been digging the 1960B if you want a MUCHHHHHHHHH barkier tone but it honestly DOES need quite a bit of post EQ....
 
Hi Charles, thanks for chiming in; I love your work! The cab is a straight and its seen close to 1000 shows and 7 years of touring. I Mic'd it up in my basement, elevated and with absorption panels so there aren't any noticeable reflections happening albeit not an ideal spot. I also didn't open the amp up a lot because I don't want to irritate the neighbors; maybe ill so that tomorrow and see if I can get some speaker breakup to play a role in this test.
 
I'm pretty sure they are front loaded yes! And "forward" is a perfect description of how that cab sounds when you play it in the room. I honestly had to get used to that when I first started using one. It sounds very dry in a way. Great for recordings, but also very revealing to every flaw in your playing. I'm pretty sure I've become a better guitarplayer in part due to that cab.

Btw, I got it on an absolutely ridiculous deal with a friend of a friend, so I didn't even try it before I got it. I think it cost me about 200 euros in the end, not even kidding (it's the Engl pro 4x12 with v30s). I even mentioned to him that it was an absurd deal, or I would have felt guilty about it still. But he was a great guy and he just wanted me to be happy with it and have something small in return. He picked one of those small Vox tube amps, so he could jam out in his tiny apartment without the neighbours becoming all pissy. I hope he is still rocking out on it.

Charles J said:
BTW, I've REALLY been digging the 1960B if you want a MUCHHHHHHHHH barkier tone but it honestly DOES need quite a bit of post EQ....
Click to expand...
Yea man, the B is a pretty great cab! Worth the EQ-ing headaches I'd say :)

Sooo, anyone else have an opinion on those sound samples? :D
 
I had a 1960b with 2 v30s and 2 gt75s for a few years as well, it had a whole lot of unmusical resonance stuff happening that I couldn't eq out for the life of me.
 
1.. then 2.. then 3.. then 4..

But seriously the first one sounds fucking great! And the bass compliments the guitars perfectly. If i could I would match eq the shit out of those guitars.

And yeah, number 4 sounds like she's seen things that can't be unseen.
 
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