which cab to choose??

[Randyt]

I am presently playing through my MESA M6 carbine 2 x 12 combo...just love it...but Im looking to expand / build on my sound....
I would like to purchase a 4 x10 cab (4ohms)
it must be 4 ohms to be compatible to be played in conjuction with the 2x12 combo. I want to be able to play both cabs together and/or separately.

I have narrowed my search down to three choices:

Mesa 4x10
or
Bergantino HD410
or
Markbass 104HF or 104HR...

Their Price point are all very close..so $ is not a problem

Which one would you choose ...and why?

Thanks for your help
Randy

[Joe Louvar]

I think most people here recommend using two incidental cabinets - for example, two 212s or two 410s - but not a 212 + 410.

[nickrs540]

I'd say get another 2x12. Im running a 4x12 and its balls to the wall amazing. Plus matching cabs are always a better choice.

[Randyt]

Thank you for the input guys...Well, this kinda throws a curve ball at me...never thought of getting another 2x12...I always thought of getting the 4x10 for more punch and possiblitly clarity (describing tone..almost impossible for me...if you know what I mean)....looks like im going to have to demo a few 2x12's....what about adding a 1x15'???...still not a good combo?

Thanks again.

[RickenBoogie]

Matching cabs ALWAYS outperform mixed cabs. In this case, a 4 ohm Mesa Powerhouse 212 is the ideal mate to your combo. Read the FAQ's at the top of the page: you cannot judge a cab by the diameter of the speakers alone, ie: 10's are not punchy as compared to 15's, and 15's are not deeper sounding as compared to 10's, etc, etc.

[NickRich]

The problem here is that Mesa's 212 is quite different from the 212 in the combo. It's the same speakers, but the cabinet is tuned differently I think.

I tried both in a store and these two are voiced quite differently so the usual "You should match cabs" is hard to apply here IMO.

[cableguy]

Ditch your cab and get a fEARful 12/12/6.



I always did like the Mesa PH2x12 cabs. It's what I was going to get before I built my fEARful. The Mesa PH2x12 just sounded awesome when I had a chance to play through one. I never played through their combo though so I can't say how they would sound together. Any dealers by you? I would go check it out. Only thing better than a 2x12 is a 4x12.

[Joe Louvar]

Originally Posted by NickRich

The problem here is that Mesa's 212 is quite different from the 212 in the combo. It's the same speakers, but the cabinet is tuned differently I think.

I tried both in a store and these two are voiced quite differently so the usual "You should match cabs" is hard to apply here IMO.

Well that isn’t good - plus the two don’t look like they would stack well either.

Randy - in this case you might want to consider owning two bass rigs. Keep the Mesa combo as is and use it for smaller gigs and buy a bigger bass rig for the larger gigs. Or sell the combo (I think they’re discontinued now anyway) and just buy a bigger rig. Or you could just take your chances and try a few ext cabs out and maybe you will get lucky and find a match you like. Good luck