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Mesa 2x12 - hmmm

#21
Fletz said:
So I A/B'd the ampeg and Mesa in the store and found the ampeg to be brighter and the Mesa to be a little more articulate at the bottom. Both sound fantastic of course but I kept leaning toward the Mesa. Gonna probably pick it up next week and maybe sell my ampeg to reface this riddle again!

Does Mesa make a matching 115? ;)
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Surprising that you would find the HLF to be brighter. However, remember that the Mesa cabs have a nice adjustable crossover that lets you not only change the level of the tweeter but also the frequency setting of the crossover. Lowering that crossover setting will bring a more aggressive upper mid response (i.e., brightness) into the sound. Impressive design.

The only thing that I don't dig about the Mesa 12's is that they don't take true advantage of the neo drivers by using a lighter weight cabinet design. I guess it would be difficult to have a totally different cabinet build for their 12's than the ceramic 10's and 15's. Shame though, since they could easily take another 20 pounds off those cabs with no negative.

Other than that, Mesa 212 all the way over that particular Ampeg cab.
 
#23
Fletz said:
Anyone compare it to an ampeg 410 hlf?
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Not the HLF, but I used to play an Ampeg 810e, I switched to Mesa cabs and will definitely be sticking with their gear. They're rock solid cabs, and after about a year and a half of gigging my PH412 it's still in near mint shape.

I own a PH610 and PH412, but for $500 new I'd honestly probably pick up a PH212 too. I think you'll be really happy once you get it to band practice.
 
#26
I used to have the 410hlf, way too boomy for my taste. So I started looking for some other cab with more definition and ended up with the Mesa ph212. I would never ever go back! The mesa has a nice natural mid bump, articulate lows and plenty of highs (I turn the tweeter completely of 95% of the time, but that's mainly because I like to use dirt pedals and they tend to sound horrible through tweeters).
I got the 8ohm version, so that later if necessary I could get a second 212 and run @ 4ohm.
It is a pretty heavy cab though (the wheels do help, until you get to the stairs ...).
 
#27
Fletz said:
So, would I only pair another 212 if I added a second cab?
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That is typically the safest way to go. Mismatched pairings can often lead to negative interactions between the two cabs. However, this is not always the case. Some "mix-n-match" pairing produce excellent results. With regard to the PH212 in particular, I just love it with a PH210 on top. Great pairing, IME/IMHO.

Like Ken, I am surprised that you found the Ampeg to be brighter than the PH212. I would expect the PH212 to be much more articulate from bottom to top, compared to the 410HLF, but the Ampeg would have a bigger, more blooming low end. It might be that you are hearing more separation between the driver and tweeter on the 410HLF, whereas there is more upper midrange content from the PH212, making the impact of the tweeter less obvious.
 
#28
tombowlus said:
Like Ken, I am surprised that you found the Ampeg to be brighter than the PH212. I would expect the PH212 to be much more articulate from bottom to top, compared to the 410HLF, but the Ampeg would have a bigger, more blooming low end. It might be that you are hearing more separation between the driver and tweeter on the 410HLF, whereas there is more upper midrange content from the PH212, making the impact of the tweeter less obvious.
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I think I used the wrong terminology, and A/B'd it a little incorrectly. What I found most important was the punch (not highs) that the bottom and mids got. Playing in a bar band, I feel I have to own the mid and low very articulately.
 
#32
Fletz said:
Playing in a bar band, I feel I have to own the mid and low very articulately.
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I think you & I have similar tonal needs in a live mix. I don't want to try to slice through the mix with upper mids & high end sizzle, I want to punch within the mix with articulate sounding low mids, and round low end. I need to hear and feel the notes, if that makes sense. I think the PH212 will be right up your alley.

Congrats on your new cab. You got one heck of a deal on it too!
 
#33
Fletz said:
I just picked it up. Brand new at Guitar Center. $529.97 with tax. Cover included (I didn't expect them to have it!) Really psyched to play it tomorrow night at rehearsal.
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Very cool. Make sure you do your homework on that very nice top end voicing control panel on that cab. LOTS of sound in there. Enjoy!
 
#34
Arthur U. Poon said:
I think you & I have similar tonal needs in a live mix. I don't want to try to slice through the mix with upper mids & high end sizzle, I want to punch within the mix with articulate sounding low mids, and round low end. I need to hear and feel the notes, if that makes sense. I think the PH212 will be right up your alley.

Congrats on your new cab. You got one heck of a deal on it too!
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Thanks. It took me a lot of years to realize that! As a fan of Geddy Lee, I always wanted to be able to be that "lead bass player" but in 90% of the stuff we do, there is no call for that.
 
#35
Fletz said:
Thanks. It took me a lot of years to realize that! As a fan of Geddy Lee, I always wanted to be able to be that "lead bass player" but in 90% of the stuff we do, there is no call for that.
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Oh, you'll definitely still have a great tone for soloing. Like Ken suggested, experiment with the 3 position crossover. I have mine set at 5K, and roll my tweeters back, but I go for more of a John Paul Jones meets Jack Bruce tone. :bassist:

And I'm also a big Geddy Lee fan too! I think I wore out 3 copies of the Hemispheres album to cop his lines when I was in high school! :)

Take care, can't wait to hear your report back after your first rehearsal with it. :cool:
 
#37
OK - here are the pix ...


10689125355_7a474deeb0_o.jpg


10689176746_288c13f6d9_o.jpg
 
#39
Arthur U. Poon said:
Sweet rig! Nice choice in basses, too. Can't go wrong with a Jazz & a Precision. Dig the Flyers sticker as well. My Dad grew up in Philly. :cool:

So how'd the new cab sound at rehearsal?
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Thanks. After 30 years of playing (since I was 12), I have finally come to realize all you need to cover the full spectrum is a Precision and a Jazz. :cool:

I loved the thump but found it hard to get a great feel for the tone in our cramped rehearsal set up last night. I did find that the settings on my Genz Shuttle 12.0 will need to be completely reworked. For some reason I was overdriving the head way to easily with this cab. When I turned off the high and low gain buttons, the buzz went away. I always want a little overdriven tone, but not as much as was happening. It will take some tweaking, but I'll get it there. Over all, I loved the "articulated thump" I was hearing. I think I'm in for a long run with this cab. Very happy with it.

I am selling my Ampeg 410 here on the classifieds... :smug:
 
#40
So I sold my Ampeg 410hlf as a result of falling for this powerhouse 212. However, I still needed something as a "practice" amp. After spending 60 minutes at Rudy's in New York City, I bought a new powerhouse 112. I loved the articulate bottom end and I feel like it will even be decent for small bar gigs (any thoughts on that?). The 112 will stay at rehearsal and will be taken out on occasion for small places. I also think that if I run direct from my head, the 112 will make a nice stage monitor for me.
 

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