What would you do in this situation?

[fenders]

Ok so I'm in a spot here. My current setup is a 6505+ 1x12 combo. Which is loud but it's not loud enough. I have a possible opportunity to trade my combo plus cash for a Mesa dual recto head. Since I don't own a cab, I would be borrowing a friends old line 6 4x12. Or if I choose not to buy the recto, just buy a good cab. So the choice is, buy the head but use a not good cab? Or keep the 6505+ and buy a Mesa 2x12 cab? Just getting opinions

 

[SethTheGreat]

Have you ever used a dual recto? There's a pretty big difference in tone so you need to decide (tone-wise) whether you would rather have a Mesa or a peavey. I personally really dislike Mesas.

 

[SethTheGreat]

(Sorry I was going to say more but I'm at work so I had to hit "post" and get back to work)

A nice head is going to sound like garbage out of a crappy cab.

Im afraid that the 212 still might not get you enough volume without sacrificing tone unless you were planning on buying another cab to set it on in the future (I don't have any direct experience with a Mesa 212 though, any comments with those familiar?)

You could use some of the $500 it would cost to get the Mesa 212 and find a used V30 Marshall cab. You can find those for 300 all over the place. Then use your combo as a head.

It's up to you to decide what tone you want. Mesa and peavey heads both sound great, just different. Marshall and Mesa cabs both sound great, just different.

 

[Trevoire520]

I'm quite surprised you're struggling for volume out of the 1x12, and you certainly should be able to get enough volume if you add a 2x12 to the equation.

My guitar player used to gig with a 65w solid state crate combo all the time without even being mic'd up. I think the volume on that thing was normally on 3 and he had no problems being heard. A 60w valve combo should be plenty loud enough.

Try raising the combo off the floor so that it's pointing at your head and not your legs. Make sure that you're not completely scooping out the mids (doing this with an amp of ANY size/wattage will make you unhearable in a band context) and keep the gain as low as you can to keep some definition.

 

[fenders]

I'm doing most of those ^ but I still find my self pushing to 7,8 and sometimes 9 at practice. I don't really have a way of getting the combo off the floor, but that would certainly help. And I knew that if a 1x12 can stack up with my friends 4x12 I'll be doing good with the 2x12.

And I've played a recto once a loooong time ago. I remember it being awesome and it's kind of always been my dream amp, I'm just worried about playing through a bad cab.

Also, I'd be doing a fair amount of recording soon. If I get the head I'll more than likely be going with impulses, but if I get the cab I'll be able to mic up the 6505+ and from what I hear Mesa cabs are pretty much as good as they come for recording, so it's just another thing to take into consideration. My other guitarist has the block letter 5150, and I've heard 5150/dual recto is a mean combination.

 

[SethTheGreat]

If the Mesa is your dream head and you have a chance to get one I'd say go for it. Borrow for a little while and save up for a Mesa cab to go with it.

I disagree (respectfully) with trevoire. A 112 or 212 can get plenty loud, but there's a difference between volume and headroom. Any amplifier setup reaches a point where you start trading your desired tone for more volume. The more speakers you have, the more air you're able to move = more volume without sacrificing tonal quality.

 

[fenders]

Yeah, i think im going with that option. Btw, anyone have experience with a 5150 4x12 cab all i know is that they have Sheffeild speakers in them, but i can buy one for $250. Don't know if that is worth it or if i should just save my money and go for a mesa.

 

[Sidious]

Yeah, i think im going with that option. Btw, anyone have experience with a 5150 4x12 cab all i know is that they have Sheffeild speakers in them, but i can buy one for $250. Don't know if that is worth it or if i should just save my money and go for a mesa.

I say don't skimp on a good cab. Not that im saying that the 5150 cab. is horible. I never tried one myself. But from what i have read around the web, it's not a good sounding cab.

I know that Thomann.de has a nice 4 x 12" with Vintage 30s, so that would be a good starting point if your on a tight budget.

 

[SethTheGreat]

I've had lots of experience with them. 5150 cabs sound pretty bad. Get a nice cab for sure. Mesa, Marshall, or Orange basically. There's a few more but those are the most common.