Marshall 4x12: A Review

Like MANY people over the years, I was interested in a good compromise between a guitar and bass amp.

I was told that no guitar amp works for bass, stop trying.

Then it's oh no, the cabinet must be designed in accordance with the oracle of Aiwass, lest he release his wrath in the form of "wasted money", which seems to be less of an issue when discussng $3000 jazz bass copies or $300 fuzz pedals or a third Stingray because you liked the color.

So I looked into it. Actual research.

And it seems like a classic case of "the loudest, longest speaking mouth at the forum said this, so..." mixed with Hearing With Your Eyes.

Not to debunk every myth cherished in these halls - for instance, the "tuned cab to match the drivers" nonsense.

Yeah, IF it's a ported cab, not merely vented or a sealed cab. Also, do you honestly believe that EVERY cab that comes out has some radically different driver? Google "greenback clone" or "evm 12l clone" or the origins of many a speaker - "customers liked Brand X's Model Y, so we cloned it and smoothed the mids or added some power handling".

Or the similarities between most 4x10s, allowing for quite a bit of customization via speaker choice.

Legends, ignorance, lazy research, downright prejudice. All things in the way of our goals, which tend to be a better addressing of an individual's needs.

So, the Marshall 4x12? Classic 1960a?

Impossible to use for bass and sound good, right?

Not only are we dealing with a sealed cab, thus giving us far more flexibility than with ported designs, the cab itself does have a limitation: it rolls off frequncies below 100hz.

In other words, nature has provided a crossover/HPF for us.

Must be why bassists were getting away with G12H30s back when The Ox was destroying the expectations of what a bass could do.

Looking at the evolution of the 1960a cab itself, it basically stopped around 1973. MDF back panel to dampen the center post. Still built the same way.

After 50 years of competitors "offering something better", whether it be a Dual Showman or a Genz Benz G-Flex or Vader or Mesa Recto Large, even many metal players will point out that 1960a cabinets *simply sound better than the many attempts at making it obsolete*, not unlike a P Bass.

My 1993 Nissan SE-R was revolutionary, kickstarting the "sport compact" craze in the 90's and being praised as nearly miraculous at the time. Fast, efficient, and capable of perfectly neutral handling.

It was also a "happy accident", the chassis is unremarkable (try seeing much difference between the contemporary Corolla and the SE-R), and was literally some sway bars, shocks, and a bigger motor vs. the standard unremarkable Sentra it was based upon.

So don't give me the "best use of a 5x5 sheet" bs. It works.

The "problems" a 1960a cab has are similar to the "problems" an SVT 810e has.

Which, if you play rock metal or loud blues, ain't much of a problem.

Not everyone wants to sound like 'Seinfeld' or play dub reggae.

Some people get the idea of an instrument fitting in the mix, instead of trying to get 3-6 other audio sources to fit a badly eq'd and leveled single SUPPORTING instrument.

So a "lack of lows" makes for a less boomy mix, more room for the kick, etc.

CONTINUED!

 

But, CID, you ignoramus! They had specific bass cabs for Marshalls then!

Actually, the speakers were "special".

The 4x12 bass cabs Marshall offered up to the late 80's ARE 1960a spec cabinets. The bass designation came from the use of H ("heavy") magnets with 444 style "bass" cones.

But they're bass speakers, right?

Kinda.

444 cones are also found on K85/K100s and Vintage 30s amongst others.

They're part of the G12-80 or properly G12H80 speakers. These are what came in many JCM800 bass 412s, forget the 198X code but that was a warehouse code anyway, and "lead" cabinets could be had with the same speakers.

But...wouldn't it be better to just go with a "properly designed bass cab, like the VBC412?"

Interesting that you would ask.

The VBC 412 is 5mm shorter, 5mm narrower, & ~14mm deeper than a 1960a.

Aside from the "massive" depth difference...you honestly think that those tweaks are going to be massively different, sonically?

The YUUUGE difference is that the chamber has been divided in half, 2x(2x12) the same way an 810e is 4 2x10s or a Cajun Cannon is two Thieles.

So this...massively shaging overpriced bauble is sold to bassnozzle nitwits who don't do their own research- aka the Talkbasser "gui****" stereotypes tossed about by you oh so enlightened basstards. Ridiculous gouging both new and used, fueled by the ignorant.

All for a scrap sized piece of MDF & a whopping inch of extra depth.

"But those cabs sound AWESOME!"

Probably because the 1960a has 1.77 cubic feet of interior volume, more than a S2012 Basslite requires, already.

But the "properly designed super special bass speakers! That's the key!"

Now, it gets fun.

Stock speakers are Celestion "Marshall Wolverines".

Oooh, sounds fancy and propritary! Big legend about a Marshall tester personally speccing this custom unicorn hide speaker...

...that is ENTIRELY a G12H80.

Yeah. The JCM800 speaker.

AKA the Classic Lead 80.

AKA the "Celestion Modeling 12" found in Line 6 amps.

So the super-coveted Lemmy 4x12 is a mildly massaged JCM800 4x12 at BEST.

Which stands up to cranked VCA400 heads, aka a SVT with 33% MOAH POWAH.

But allllll of these fellow talkbassers coming out of the woodwork praising stock 1960as or equivalents with GUITAR speakers aren't smoking crack. Or too tin eared to tell the difference. Or never played them live long hard and loud.

Maybe their ears work, they know what they like, and considering the dearth of "ruined" Marshall cabs attested to, maybe these EXPERIENCED PLAYERS with TIME INVESTED and SKIN IN THE GAME should be listened to.

I will say this: the Illiterati sure were right about one thing: seems like stuffing S2012s or Delta/Beta 12as in a Marshall cab IS a waste of time.

Because that's not even necessary, apparently.

Some boring, Google filled shifts saved me ~400 bucks on a S2012 into Avatar Vintage 412 experiment. It'll save me more when I realize I don't need a dedicated cab when, as a guitar(d)ist, I have two loaded and one half loaded 412s hanging around.

My Mode Four MF400A should RULE at this application. 4" taller than a 1960A, based on the 1960TV (tall) cabs, which the Vader and Mesa Recto Oversized are also based on, and loaded with G12K100s.

I bet I could get über fancy & add a 1" spacer ring to relocate the back panel and add cab volume, &/or baffle the interior into two chambers.

IF it even proves necessary.

Thinking Quilter Tone Block, MF400 & my GK ported 212 for "real" lows would kill on either bass or guitar, & the GK is an easy one hander. Or my 100w Laney AOR, 68 Lead Plexi, or VS100RH. Or combo of them.

I'll sign off with a maxim from Car Craft:

"Nothing's cheaper than what you already own."