Marshall/Orange/Peavey 2x12 Guitar Cabinet Shootout

[Razzle]

Hey folks.... let's have some fun and then some opinions! (never a shortage of THAT!)

I am always looking for things purple. Not only guitars, but amps & cabinets too! I had been looking for a basic small cabinet in purple without paying an arm and a leg. I came across a cab builder, SourMash, and I loved their Marshall 1936 cabinet, so I bit. I used to have one back in the day but alas it was stolen. I was excited enough that I decided to buy TWO (as I have plans to run a dual amp with a looper, but that's another story for another day). I ordered them back in March and in the meantime I got a great deal on a mint cab loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's, it was a Line 6 Spider Valve cabinet (very well built, with the logo at the bottom), good enough for me. I got the cabinets this last month, loaded 'em up, and wanted to do a shootout with a few other cabs I had (that I was waiting to sell until after I did the shootout).

Here are the four 2x12 cabinets in the shootout:

• 1 (UL) - Marshall 1936 w/ G12 Vintage 30 (Sourmash build), in closed back config)
  2 (LL) - Marshall 1936 w/ G12 Vintage 30 (Sourmash build), in open back config)
  3 (UR) - Orange w/ G12 Vintage 30, Open back
  4 (LR) - Peavey w/ G12M Greenback, (in open back config)

I had purchased the Marshall cabs with a converter option (open or closed) so I was able to do that as a comparison: exact same cab, exact same speakers. And for comparison purposes it was nice that the Marshalls had the same speakers as the Orange (I think they use the same china made spec speakers). The results were very interesting since my Orange cab was always a killer cab but compared to the 1936 builds I liked them better. And what was surprising was the Peavey cab (probably because it was the only one with the Greenbacks, which I may like better than the V30s) kicked butt! Anyone looking at one of these won't be disappointed, different ohmage options and open/closed back option. I recorded the cilps using my little ole iPhone, and just recorded simple clips with the amp on clean. I gotta put a nod in to SourMash, these cabs came perfect with NO issues at all. They have all the appointments - nice handles, corners, converter options and they came pre-drilled for the logos. I am very happy with them.

Here are the speakers:


So tell me what YOU think, vote!

SHOOTOUT #1


SHOOTOUT #2


SHOOTOUT #3

[toomanycats]

This blew all my presuppositions out the window.

In most of those examples I much preferred the closed back Marshall cab with V30s. It sounded big, articulate, full, and warm.

By comparison the open back Marshall and Orange cabinets sounded choked and thin.

The open back Peavey cab with Greenbacks sounded anemic, muddy, and indistinct after hearing the three preceding examples using V30s.

What I was expecting was for the Greenback cab to sound best, and especially for it to be the most clear (because of the open back), and warm (because of the low wattage and early breakup).

I am wondering how different the sound would have been with a SM57 or Sennheiser e609 on the grill. Your phone was essentially a room mic and no doubt picked up some of the sound coming out of the rear of the open back cabs and bouncing off the back wall.

If I had those four cabs at my disposal I would be mightily tempted to take one of the Greenbacks from the Peavey cab (#4) and make the cab #1 a 2x12 with one V30 and one Greenback, and likewise with cabinet #4. Best of both worlds.

I love how you use the light bulb to show which cabinet is being used. It's very artistically creative and unobtrusive.

[glasshand]

I thought #1, the closed back Marshall cab, definitely sounded the best by itself, BUT on the other hand I wonder if #2 or #3 might actually sit better in a mix. I felt like #3 still sounded "Orange-ish" despite having the same speakers and using the same amp as the others! I did not care for #4 - boomy lows and muffled highs, IMO.

Like toomanycats, I wonder how they would sound if miked differently. Also, it looks like all of the cabinets are pretty close to the wall and parallel to it; moving them away and angling them differently might change the sound a bit.

And ditto on the light bulb!

[tonebender]

For this particular test I had to vote for the closed back Marshall as it appears most did. I like the Orange second. The absolute best sounding cab I have ever owned is an Orange 1x12 closed back with a V30. I've used it with various small tube heads the best of which is my Luker boutique head. It was and still is my go to rig when mic'ing up. I use open back combo amps strategically placed when not mic'ing so the drummer can hear it too.

[Rollin Hand]

I liked the closed-back Marshall best, except for the last vid, where I preferred the open-backed Marshall

To me the Orange didn't sound great in any of the vids.

The Peavey often came in 2nd for me, but realistically, option 1 was out in front by a fair margin.

One of the vest sounding cabs I have heard (on a vid) is the Peavey Invective 2x12. V30 and a Creamback.

[Razzle]

Thanks to everyone that provided feedback, appreciate your time to provide such articulate responses. I listened to all of your inputs and you are right and you changed my mind, I kinda liked the closed back marshall better. Except for the #2 vid it seemed to not win, but I wonder if I didnn't do a little something different in my test (like trim the vol down on the guitar a bit, that's what it sounds like).

Not sure what you're presuppositions were @toomanycats, but mine were that the open back was the winner. Thanks on the lightbuld, what a creative description (more creative than my implementtation which was just functional). You're right, the closed back did sound better. That's a good idea on switching the speakers, I could do that. I'd like to hear those greenbacks in the marshalls so I could hear the difference with only the speaker, all other things being equial (same cab design). I'll be selling the orange but keeping the peavey for a while, I could just switch 'em out. Hmmmm

I think you're right @glasshand , I think #2 and #3 definately had more of those mids prounounced so it would be good for the guitar in the mix. Although I do think now the closed back sounded a bit better, I think it is more scooped. Yea, I thought of mic'ing it up but it would have been such a much bigger production (to run the board audtio sync'd with the video, at least for me it would have), so I did a quick and easy phone recording.

That's interesting @tonebender . I DO think Orange cabs are really well built, would have been interesting to seal the back of my cab and do the shootout with the closed orange and closed marshall. I tell ya though, a production closed back Orange 2x12 is a beast!

I hear ya @Rollin Hand , I wasn't crazy about the Orange in ANY of the vids, which was the thing that surprised me the most. I thought the peavey was decent but I agree with toomany that it was muddy. Yup, I think the closed back marshall was above the rest in all the vids.

[andrewsrea]

I prefer closed back thump, but also like 'convertible' cabs where you can make them into open back.

[Razzle]

I prefer closed back thump, but also like 'convertible' cabs where you can make them into open back.

It was a nice option when I had them built. Are there situations where you'd covert it to open?

[tonebender]

......... Are there situations where you'd covert it to open?

When we were not mic'ing up I would use an open back cab or combo amp and place it with the grill about even with the kick drum face. This allowed the drummer to hear my amp nicely out of the back. When we mic'ed up I could use a closed back cab and the drummer got the sound in his monitor.

[Partscaster]

I liked best the open back marshall.
For two cabs paired I was thinking the two marshalls.
For two speakers paired in one cab, I might mix the Greenback with a v30 sourmash in the open back Marshall.
With smaller wattage amp heads ( <20w) , I think a bigger open back cab size, made of 1/2" or 9/16" birch ply vs 3/4' ply, is my preference.
But that is with somewhat limited amp experience.

[andrewsrea]

It was a nice option when I had them built. Are there situations where you'd covert it to open?

Absolutely. I find open-back in general very useful for specific tasks. For instance, a bar band where you are the only guitar player. A big stage, where you combine an open and closed back. On overdub in a studio with a nice sounding room (placement in the room is important, due to phase from the rear.} . I also opened the back of my Leslie cab (made from a wrecked Hammond organ Leslie) a bit to allow the 'dry' sound to mix more with the front 'vibrato' sound.