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Speaker Cabs: 2x10 vs. 2x12, 1x12 vs. 2x12?


DaveGrima

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Which would you rather use? What do you think the pros and cons of each are?

Im gonna get a cab made for my THD head soon and am torn between these two options. I might end up just getting a 2x12, not sure yet, but If you had to choose between these 2. .

 

Thanks.

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I'd go with Pi R Squared.

 

 

3.14159265 x (5x5) x 2 = 157 Sq inches

3.14159265 x (6x6) x 1 = 113 Sq inches

 

so more air being pushed with the 2x10

 

They'll also be a bit more punchy.

 

The only thing I'm not as sure about is the bass response. Sure, a Fender Bassman uses 4 x 10, but when you listen to a nice 1 x 15 they can also bring in a heck of a nice thunk. But I'd still say 2 x 10

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Yep. That's what I did. I was perusing GC used yesterday, and they have several Marshall 1936's, which are very nice cabs.

 

 

How much?

The problem is the name brand cabs are really expensive for good ones. Theres a number of online companies that custom make real birch, finger jointed cabs for a lot cheaper. Avatar being a really popular choice. Im probably gonna go that route.

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Im probably gonna get a 3-piece closed back that allows me to take out the middle slat for open backed .

 

 

 

Yes, that's the way such cabinets are usually constructed, with that removable middle slat on the back, which allows your speaker cabinet to sound like a combo amp's cabinet.

 

I've seen a few people take the whole back off of a 4x12 speaker cabinet for live performance use. The idea, I believe, was to supposedly let the sound of that cabinet bounce around and "envelope the stage" (yoikes).

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How much?

The problem is the name brand cabs are
really
expensive for good ones. Theres a number of online companies that custom make real birch, finger jointed cabs for a lot cheaper. Avatar being a really popular choice. Im probably gonna go that route.

 

 

Man, do yourself a favor and pick up a Marshall 1936 212 cab. They go used for around 300. Extremely versatile. Extremely loud if you need it to be. Great clean, great dirty. Not too expensive. Tough, not too heavy. I mean, it won't be a perfect sparkly new boutique cabinet, but it will sound great.

 

I just think a 212 is a better investment. It will hold you over until you feel you want a 412, or you could always add a 115 or 210 to it for some tonal spiciness.

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I have heard zero improvement in tone made from going to two speakers instead of one, and you end up lugging so much more weight, speaker upgrades cost twice as much, and for what? Most venues mic your amp anyway and stage volume is just an easy way to upset the people who like you enough to stand in front of the stage.

 

Go 112, man.

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I have heard zero improvement in tone made from going to two speakers instead of one, and you end up lugging so much more weight, speaker upgrades cost twice as much, and for what? Most venues mic your amp anyway and stage volume is just an easy way to upset the people who like you enough to stand in front of the stage.


Go 112, man.

 

 

But which speakers did you use? There's no way to say "1x12 is better than 2x10" if you don't know which speakers are involved. I have a 2x10" Celestion Greenback (tubetown cab with removable middle slat on the back) and it's one of my favorite cabs, it sound bigger and deeper than any 1x12 cab I've played (and I have a few, with V30, G12H30, Celestion blue ...).

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I'd go with Pi R Squared.



3.14159265 x (5x5) x 2 = 157 Sq inches

3.14159265 x (6x6) x 1 = 113 Sq inches


so more air being pushed with the 2x10


They'll also be a bit more punchy.


The only thing I'm not as sure about is the bass response. Sure, a Fender Bassman uses 4 x 10, but when you listen to a nice 1 x 15 they can also bring in a heck of a nice thunk. But I'd still say 2 x 10

 

 

It's not that simple. You need to take excursion into account when calculating air flow. Airflow measurement is a volume/time ratio. Speakers are cones which are three dimensional, not circles which are two, so the area of a circle formula doesn't apply accurately. Also efficiency will determine which cabinet is moving more air rather than just

 

Personally, of those two, I'd go with 1 x 12 because usually they sound better, but I rehearse with a 4 x 8 and gig with a 4 x 10.

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I have heard zero improvement in tone made from going to two speakers instead of one, and you end up lugging so much more weight, speaker upgrades cost twice as much, and for what? Most venues mic your amp anyway and stage volume is just an easy way to upset the people who like you enough to stand in front of the stage.


Go 112, man.

 

This is true for some but not for others. It all depends on your band and whatnot. We love to play basement shows, no mic'd amps there. I need at least a 212 to keep up with my drummer, though I vastly prefer a 412 because the other guys in my band play an ampeg 812, and a Mesa Triple Rec half stack. That and our drummer is LOUD.

 

I mean yeah, nothing wrong with reasonable volume levels, and I'm not tryna say "HEY MOTHERFUCKER IF ITS TO LOUD YER TOO OLD! PARTY! PUNK RAWK!!! :rawk:" But sometimes, you might need some oomph. I don't think 212's sound bad at all with a low wattage head at a jazz type volume sounds bad at all. :idk:

 

I'm not sayin you're wrong, I even agree with you because yeah, too much stage volume is silly if you're mic'd... but sometimes you're not mic'd and some bands are just gonna be louder than others. I think a 212 is more versatile. 212's can do quiet, but 112's can only get so loud. :idk: Just my two cents.

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Which would you rather use? What do you think the pros and cons of each are?

Im gonna get a cab made for my THD head soon and am torn between these two options. I might end up just getting a 2x12, not sure yet, but If you had to choose between these 2. .


Thanks.

 

 

Playing live or just at home?

Big gigs or small ones?

Have a bad back or have to lug gear around a lot?

 

Those things might also play into what you get. When I got my cab I was looking at home playing only so loud wasn't a big concern for me and I went White Cab 1x12 with a convertible back which works well for me but depending on your application you might have completely different needs

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Yeah Im probably gonna go for 2x12, mainly because they dont seem to be that much more expensive than a 1x12. And if I really want I can always disconnect one speaker if I need less sound for whatever reason. Another cool thing you can do with 2x12s is mix and match different speakers.

Another compelling reason for me to get a 2x12 is so I can use it with my 2x12 Marshall combo to make a short stack. If I ever start playing live again it would be nifce to have a Marshall 50watt half-stack. :idea:

 

Why don't they ever make cabs with 1x12 and 1x10?

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Another compelling reason for me to get a 2x12 is so I can use it with my 2x12 Marshall combo to make a short stack. If I ever start playing live again it would be nifce to have a Marshall 50watt half-stack.
:idea:

 

This is the best reason to buy a 2x12, given your situation. I don't know how many people really buy a 2x12 so that they can put different speakers in it. It sounds good in theory (especially in a recording environment), but I just don't know anybody who does it.

 

Anyone else know of this practice?

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I prefer open back 2x12s. I just like the sound of two speakers much better than one, and I feel that the open back fills the room better. For late night playing I use a closed back 1x12 pointed right at my head.

 

I do mix speakers, it is almost an addiction. I can get some interesting tones by mixing speakers. Very fun stuff, especially when you mix ceramic and alnico.

 

There are a lot of options for cabs out there now. I had Mather cabs build me some custom cabs and they did a great job for a great price. One 2x12 cab built to my specs was $300 plus shipping. Pretty good for getting exactly what I want. I will definitely be having them build my cabs in the future.

 

http://www.mathercab.com/

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