Marshall 4x12 questions

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Ron
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Marshall 4x12 questions

Post by Ron »

I'm posting this for a friend of mine who wants to buy a Marshall 4x12 cabinet.
- What's the major difference between a JCM800 and JCM900 cab?
- What's your favorite model Marshall 4x12?
- Except for driver type, slant/flat and wiring options, is there any difference between Marshall cabinets?
... and then the wheel fell off.
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metalchurch
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Re: Marshall 4x12 questions

Post by metalchurch »

Ron wrote:I'm posting this for a friend of mine who wants to buy a Marshall 4x12 cabinet.
- What's the major difference between a JCM800 and JCM900 cab?
- What's your favorite model Marshall 4x12?
- Except for driver type, slant/flat and wiring options, is there any difference between Marshall cabinets?
Ron
-I believe that the JCM900's are the same as the JCM800 more or less, as far as I know the 900's were the predecessor to the 800.
They both used the "1960" name, I think?

-MY fav is the JCM800 1960 "B" cab because of the straight front design, which provide a deeper low end compared to the 1960 A, or slant cab.

- I know that the Mode 4 cab are much bigger than the 'standard' Marshall cab such as the JCM800 1960 cab. I believe that they were built to provide an even deeper sound than the 1960B offered, which is better suited for low tunings.

These are the cabs in production;
Here's some specs:
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Here's a link for the cabinets offered at the Marshall site:
http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp ... geNumber=1
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metalchurch
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Post by metalchurch »

Ron,
I forgot to ask you, but what kind of head does your friend have? And what type of music does he play?
The reason I'm asking is that some heads might benefit from a Marshall cab loaded with Vintage 30's compared to a 1960 cab, which is loaded with G12T75's

There's also a few other Marshall cabs that weren't listed on their site that are cheaper alternatives to the one's listed. For ex:
MG412 - it's their low end cab, loaded with 4x12's and it actually sounds really good for the price, which I beleive is around $250 or $300 max.

AVT412 - this cab is available as an angled or straight front design and it's loaded with Marshall/Celestion speakers. Which are Celestion's made for Marshall specifically for this cab.
I've owned an AVT straight cab, and it was really nice. The overall dimensions of the cab are slightly smaller than my 1960B cab, and it did not have casters. The MG412 does not have casters either, but they can be easily modded for them. If i remember correctly this sells for around $575 new

The MG412 and the AVT412 are 8ohm mono cabs, which another thing to consider.

In my opinion the 1960A or B cab is the best overall cab.
It has casters which makes transport easier.
It is switchable between 4-8-16 ohms in either mono or stereo, so it's very versatile. The 1960A&B cabs sell for $800+

The 1960V or vintage cab has a larger overall size than the 1960 and has a black/grey tweed front cover. They "V" cabs are loaded with 70w Celestions compared to the 75w of the 1960 cabs.
The 1960V or AV (angled) cabs sell for a little higher than the 1960.

They are the standard cab for rock and metal, and with good reason.
I'd opt to pickup a nice used one rather than buy new. They can be bought for around $375-500 used.
In fact I think that there's one listed in the items for sale section.

I'm sure there's some other guys on here that can give you more specifics or opinions than I could.
Good luck
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Ron
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Post by Ron »

Thanks, Joe. I think that he actually going to power it with a 100W Marshall tube combo. He likes the sound of a cab better than the open back combo setup.
... and then the wheel fell off.
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metalchurch
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Post by metalchurch »

Oh ok,
well a Marshall 100 watt combo amp is more than capable of powering a 4x12 cab that's for sure.

Tell him to check out the Marshall 1936 2x12 cab it may work well with that setup.
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Post by Bloodsong »

the Mode Four cabs sound NOTHING like a 1960 cab; the MF has special low tuned Vintage 30s (60watts) and a 1960 typically has Celestion 75s; the Vintage 1960s have Vintage 30s or Greenbacks if i'm not mistaken. the MFs are great for low tuned stuff like metalchurch noted; it sounds like a Mesa Recto cab and is similar in size (bigger than standard) but not as smooth or quite as tight in the low end as a Mesa cab, but the Marshall is bigger sounding with a little more teeth and cut. the 1960s have very little mid (cause of the 75s) but a Marshall cab doesn't need alot of mids if you're playing a Marshall head; they have really strong mids inherent to their sound already. i can tell you this- i HATE the way a Mesa Rectifier sounds with 75s. way too scooped sounding and "crunchy" or "fizzy" for my ears. the MF sounds really good with a Mesa though...

bottom line (to my ears)- Marshall cabs are not as transparent and tight as other high end cabs (Bogner, Diezel, ENGL, etc.) but are a little more "relaxed" and edgy sounding- not nearly as "round" as a boutique cab. wheteher that's good or bad is up to your ears.
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metalchurch
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Post by metalchurch »

Jason, I'd say that is a fair assessment and analysis of the Mode 4 cab. Well said.
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Post by Bloodsong »

usually got no time for reviews, Joe; i'm to busy killin' muthafuckas...
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Ron
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Post by Ron »

Bloodsong wrote:usually got no time for reviews, Joe; i'm to busy killin' muthafuckas...
LOL!
... and then the wheel fell off.
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metalchurch
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Post by metalchurch »

Bloodsong wrote:usually got no time for reviews, Joe; i'm to busy killin' muthafuckas...
Hahaha!! LOL good one bro! :lol:
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Post by KyleMayket »

Bloodsong wrote:usually got no time for reviews, Joe; i'm to busy killin' muthafuckas...
no, he's being honest, he killed me last week.
If I ever see an amputee getting hanged... I'm just gonna start yelling out letters...
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