Mesa Rectifier 4x12 & Marshall 1960AV users

Diego Rugiero

Diego Rugiero

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Sep 17, 2012
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Hi guys, I own a Marshall 1960AV cab (V30 speakers made by Celestion for Marshall cabs)

My main amp is a 5150 signature head, tubed with JJ and stock bias.

I'm considering to buy a brand new Mesa 4x12 rectifier slant cab.

I understand Mesa cab is better for some reasons:

- Better construction and wood.
- Speakers are 8 ohms (tighter sound).
- More low end.
- "Real" V30 speakers (not Marshall 16 ohms version).

The thing is that here in Argentina a Mesa cab is very expensive (2200 dollars or more), so I can't decide yet if this cab will make a big difference compared to my 1960av.

What do you think?
 
Diego Rugiero said:
Thanks guys! Jake, I only know that straight cabs are better because I could mic the top speakers without floor reflections. I'm missing something more? In my vision slant cabs looks cool and I can hear them better.
Click to expand...

Yes, correct. Straight front cabs also have easier to control reflections, since they are more directional. You will get less reflections off the ceiling.
 
Slanted cabs are fine. Andy's recorded plenty of bands using a slanted cab.

The Mesa is significantly darker sounding than the Marshall, less of the 3-4k fizzy stuff and more lows/low mids. It's a beast of a cab!
 
Diego Rugiero said:
I understand Mesa cab is better for some reasons:

- Better construction and wood.
- Speakers are 8 ohms (tighter sound).
- More low end.
- "Real" V30 speakers (not Marshall 16 ohms version).
Click to expand...

Those are "the" two industry standard cabs. About which one has the real V30s, I'd say Marshall is the only cab that has original V30s these days. If my information is correct, Celestion has altered their design for V30 speakers but the Marshall spec V30 speaker (70w version) is the original spec they did back in the day. The Mesa V30s are darker sounding than regular V30s so they are probably further from "the real V30 speaker".

Ofcourse what is original and real doesn't matter but it's the sound and surely both the Marshall and Mesa are awesome cabs but different. I can't say which one is better than the other. BUT if I was looking for a new 4x12 V30 cab I would buy the best one which is neither of these cabs. It's the TRADITIONAL Mesa cab that has less fizz and more mid range than the Rectifier/Oversized Mesa cabinet.

Check this video out.. ignore the beat up guy:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I used to have the Stiletto traditional cab, but sold it for a Rectifier oversized (which I had to sell a couple of years back unfortunately), and never once looked look back - huge sound improvement in favor of the oversized; the traditional felt stuffy and overly dense around 400 Hz, not a fan

Btw, they're back to calling it the Rectifier traditional again
 
I would prefer a straight mainly because the top speakers on a slant sound noticeably thinner than the bottom speakers when miked - however they only started making the straights a few years ago, so they're much harder to find used, so if you find a bargain on a used slant I totally think it's worth it over a new straight (I just miked up each bottom speaker, then opened the cab and flipped the top row with the bottom and miked those to pick the best one of the four :D)

And as for reflections from the floor, just put the cab on a coffee table or something (right on the edge)

Cab.jpg
 
I went from a 1960 to a straight recto OS 4x12 and the difference is huge. The marshall cabinet ( maybe the one I had) started to rattle a lot when doing palm mutes and such, tightened the center post on the inside, screwed it to the back...but it still rattled. I also had to back off the presence on my 5150 a lot, it was hard to get a "modern" and tight sound out of it. Got really harsh sounding easily too.

The mesa's darker but more focused IMO. It also has better construction ( oh god marshall casters...or handles, they break really fast)
 
Thanks guys, I can't find any used mesa cab here, so I will buy it new. Price is the same for slant or straight (2200 dollars). I know that the straight one is better for recording, but I'm thinking in rehearsals, and probably I will hear the slant one better, right?
 
Well I've got two Orange 4x12 cabs and one of them is a slant and one of them is straight. The slant sounds surprisingly much better in the room and rehearsals. Mic'ing a slant is a bit different but I wouldn't say it's worse. That being said... if I'd buy a Mesa cab I'd probably get a straight one since that one will be a keeper in the studio for all eternity.

A stereotypical Stiletto/Traditional cab sound would be John Petrucci's tone and here's a good example of it:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Marshall, Mesa, Bogner, and Orange all receive speakers from the same factory which produces speaker to a single intended spec. There are natural variances due to the manufacturing process though, so after testing and sorting, each may demand a certain range of the spread. As far as I know, those four manufacturers are the only big name companies who are contracted to receive the original British made V30s, and all others receive V30s from China.
 
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