Engl Pro 4x12 or Mesa Trad 4x12 cab?

[SickBoy]

Okay, so the both cabs have the widely beloved V30s inside and both are normally sized. Those of you who have had an opportunity playing/comparing them - which one would you choose and why?

The thing is I've bought an Engl Blackmore recently and I somehow feel my 80s Marshall G12-65 cab doesn't do it justice. There might be an opportunity for me to get a used straight Mesa cab for some $1000 (well, it's a relatively normal price when you live in Europe... ), up to now I've been considering getting a brand new Engl Pro cab for $1400. Wish I could compare them myself though, but as it is, I'll have to rely on your experiences... Thanks folks!

 

[Metaltastic]

Seeing as how they're pretty much as identical as you can get (Multi-ply birch, front mounted speakers, V30's as long as you get the Engl Pro), I'd say go for the one you think looks better or you can get a better deal on. However, the Mesa "Standard" cabs are actually oversized, which are the equivalent of the Engl oversized, and the Mesa "traditional" cabs are their version of the Engl (and everyone else's) standard.

 

[AdamWathan]

If you can get the Mesa cab in good shape cheaper than the ENGL cab, get the Mesa... I'm sure the ENGL cab is fantastic but the Mesa cabs are tried and true industry standard cabs and it'll save you some dough too.

 

[Gnash]

I saw a recent pic of Jimmy Page playing through an engl cab. huh? huh? huh? Just giving you shit dude. I've been lusting for an Engl Savage lately. I envy your prediciment.

 

[theBlackLOBSTERmurder]

get the engl, sounds awesome!! and once a month I see one selling for 600€, so just look out for those deals. you`ll never get a mesa cab that cheap, just cus of their name

 

[SickBoy]

get the engl, sounds awesome!! and once a month I see one selling for 600€, so just look out for those deals. you`ll never get a mesa cab that cheap, just cus of their name

I wish I was in Germany...

With Germany's population about 20 times larger than Croatia's, you get a bigger and better market for anything. So it's no wonder you keep seeing such bargain offers. I saw one for 360€ on ebay.de too, but German sellers would rarely send it internationally and often don't accept PayPal payments. Higher class stuff like Engl, Mesa, Rivera and whatnot are very scarce in ads here unfortunately, in contrast to Marshall, which appears oftenly... I suppose anyone who buys higher end stuff does it after much thought and tends to keep it rather than sell it to try something else

We don't really have a kind of shop that stocks various quality stuff you can come in and try out for yourself - again because of the small market issue.
Those living near, let's say, Italian borders often go to shops like Esse Music and make a proper tryout of whatever interests them. I'm not in a position to be able to do that so I bug you nice people here on Sneap board

 

[poidaobi]

I fucking love my ENGL!

 

[Disconnekt]

+1 Engl E412VS/E412VG. It sounds beastly and has a unique and instantly recognizable snarl. It's the sound of pretty much everything Fredrik Nordstrom recorded 1999-2001 or so, and I've heard it on some of his more recent recordings, too. Also, Tue Madsen has taken to using the XXL recently, which sounds similar. I love mine, and even if I get rid of my amps in favor of ReValver MKIII (depending on how good it is), I'll still hang onto the cab so I can make my own impulses whenever I feel like it.

The Mesa sounds great too, of course, but it's more of a standard sound... most V30 cabs have a similar character to the Mesa, from what I've heard, except the Mesa tends to be a bit more balanced across the spectrum than most others (the Marshall cab with V30s, for example, sounds a bit more shrill in the upper mids, and ditto for similar Randall cabs). So yeah, if you want the standard, go with the Mesa, but if you want something that just sounds downright mean (and unmistakable), get the Engl for sure.

 

[kev]

Have you moved to Croatia on army duty dude?

 

[SickBoy]

+1 Engl E412VS/E412VG. It sounds beastly and has a unique and instantly recognizable snarl.

The Mesa sounds great too, of course, but it's more of a standard sound... most V30 cabs have a similar character to the Mesa, from what I've heard, except the Mesa tends to be a bit more balanced across the spectrum than most others (the Marshall cab with V30s, for example, sounds a bit more shrill in the upper mids, and ditto for similar Randall cabs). So yeah, if you want the standard, go with the Mesa, but if you want something that just sounds downright mean (and unmistakable), get the Engl for sure.

Well, I think any of those two cabs would be a major improvement over my Marshall JCM800 with G12-65's...

Have you moved to Croatia on army duty dude?

No, I just happen to be Croatian... If you're maybe refering to that "Panzer division" thing, it sits there since I've joined UM because of Jag Panzer's forum...
Why did you think I was on army duty here after all?!

 

[SickBoy]

Now I just realized that there are new Hughes & Kettner V30 cabs available for about 600€ / $900 , does anybody know how they compare to Engl and Mesa?

 

[Razorjack]

Now I just realized that there are new Hughes & Kettner V30 cabs available for about 600€ / $900 , does anybody know how they compare to Engl and Mesa?

If you were going to get a H&K V30 cab I'd recommend you look into getting one of the new Line 6 Spider 4x12's instead, cheaper with much better construction and still have Vintage 30's.

 

[hoehlentroll]

I love my engl 4x12 pro cab! it's great. If you're on budget get the harley benton V30 for just 348€. for that price it's real good. some guy posted an IR for that box, if you'll like to check it out.

 

[SickBoy]

If you're on budget get the harley benton V30 for just 348€. for that price it's real good.

Yeah, I've heard it's nice, but the price would rise significantly not just with s&h, but with Croatian customs fees and our taxes, so it's out of the question. If we were part of the EU then things would obviously be different (and easier), but for now it's like that...

And I prefer staying with my current cab for a while and getting something really nice than cutting the expenses at all costs. After all, it's gonna be with me for a long while...