Mesa D350: which 1x12 cab?

[tedw]

I've been enjoying my new D-350 with my old Epifani UL112 and UL110. But this is only in my little practice room. The church where I play is all IEMs. But someday, somebody is gonna ask me to play a live show with real amps and speakers on stage. For this reason, to make sure I'm ready, or just because I want it … I plan to get a Subway 115 because I've heard so many great things about it.

 

[akukulich]

Save yourself the analysis and just get the Subway 112. You will not regret it. It's a great cabinet.

 

[skygzr]

The Subway 1x12 is noted for having a "mid forward" voicing. Not a bad thing, its just how they're built. Play one first if at all possible. They're well built and easily portable.

 

[burgerdj]

+1 on the Mesa SW112. They don't pop up used very often, and when they do they it is with modest depreciation. If you're looking for something a bit more affordable, the Genzler NuClassic lineup is great and an easy schlep.

 

[Gervais Cote]

The Subway 1x12 is noted for having a "mid forward" voicing. Not a bad thing, its just how they're built. Play one first if at all possible. They're well built and easily portable.

Do you know if the Subway 1x15 is more balanced in comparison ?

 

[Chuck M]

Opinions.....we all have them.

The SW112 is the only cabinet in the Subway line that was not usable for me. It is voiced way too mid forward for me to use as a stand alone cabinet. The SW115 is perfect for me and is a very even...almost hi fi sounding cabinet.

In the past I have used the Aguilar GS 112 cabinets and loved them. I still have one that stays at church and I used it yesterday with my Modulus Q6 and my Mesa D-800+. Sounded great.

I also have one of the newer GK NEO IV 112's and it is a great cabinet. It is voiced well and works great for a stand alone cabinet. I recently used mine with my D-350 for a quiet country gig and I enjoyed it very much.

I have tried to love the newer Aguilar 112's but they just don't work for me. The SL 112 has a very indistinct sound to it....blurry? I have not tried the DB 112 but have never been happy with any rear ported cabinets. If they are against a reflecting wall, they can be okay but on outside gigs with nothing behind the stage and the sound really suffers.

I vote for the GK NEO IV 112. 30 pounds of excellent cabinet.

 

[Al Kraft]

There really isn't _all_ that much difference in size or weight between the 1-15 and the 1-12. They're both great cabs, for sure. But the 1-15 has more muscle in the bottom end. There will be times in a band mix you'll be glad you have that muscle available. Get the 1-15.

I could not agree more. If I had to own only one lighter weight, minimal sized cab to cover as much gig territory as possible, the SW 115 would be my choice without reservation. Specifically both the SW 112 and 115 share the exact same footprint. While the 115 is only a few inches taller and few pounds heavier, the performance difference is much larger than those small numbers would make one think.

 

[SactoBass]

Google, AI, and even some opinions are often wrong. Sometimes, very wrong.

And *THAT*, good sir, is one of the many reasons why it is so fortunate and beneficial to have you here on Talkbass.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I'm of the general opinion that a 112 is not quite enough for a 'medium gig', and if it is enough then it's being driven harder than I'd prefer (relatively strong drummer, bass carrying ~120- person room).

If you can wait a couple weeks for a custom build, consider a RevSound RS115 - mine's about 25 lbs (no tweet), not much (if any) bigger than a 112, and within your budget. I suspect it outperforms any 112 (and most 115s, too).

Good call.

 

[lastminute]

Opinions.....we all have them.

The SW112 is the only cabinet in the Subway line that was not usable for me. It is voiced way too mid forward for me to use as a stand alone cabinet. The SW115 is perfect for me and is a very even...almost hi fi sounding cabinet.

In the past I have used the Aguilar GS 112 cabinets and loved them. I still have one that stays at church and I used it yesterday with my Modulus Q6 and my Mesa D-800+. Sounded great.

I also have one of the newer GK NEO IV 112's and it is a great cabinet. It is voiced well and works great for a stand alone cabinet. I recently used mine with my D-350 for a quiet country gig and I enjoyed it very much.

I have tried to love the newer Aguilar 112's but they just don't work for me. The SL 112 has a very indistinct sound to it....blurry? I have not tried the DB 112 but have never been happy with any rear ported cabinets. If they are against a reflecting wall, they can be okay but on outside gigs with nothing behind the stage and the sound really suffers.

I vote for the GK NEO IV 112. 30 pounds of excellent cabinet.

Out of curiosity, couldn't the mids of the SW112 be dialed out using the voicing knob on the D350?

 

[Chuck M]

Out of curiosity, couldn't the mids of the SW112 be dialed out using the voicing knob on the D350?

I had the SW 112 long before the introduction of the D-350. I tried the 112 with my D-800+ and decided it was not for me. I have since improved my skills in using EQ so perhaps I would do better with a SW 112 now but the SW 115's are perfect for me. It is almost impossible to make them sound bad.

There are other players who adore the SW 112 and their opinions are certainly as valid as mine. My sonic goals are easily achieved with other cabinets.

Andy designed the SW 112 with specific goals in mind and the design works perfectly for some players. It may very well work for you.

 

[ole Jason]

Aguilar GS112

 

[agedhorse]

Out of curiosity, couldn't the mids of the SW112 be dialed out using the voicing knob on the D350?

Some, but it's not really the same spectrum. Also, there are other this going on with the voicing control that can get in the way of using it like this.

In the D-800+ and WD-800, the parametric mid eq could better be used for this IMO.

 

[Topkat13]

Since the Mesa Subway 112 gets rave reviews and it's the same brand I would recommend one of these. Like what gtirard posted. This is kind of like asking for a toilet paper recommendation.

 

[RColie]

All great suggestions. However, other than one mention above, Genzler doesn't often get mentioned in these types of threads. They have three excellent varieties of 112 cabinets (although you'd have to go used on the BA112 to stay within your budget). All are voiced a bit differently, and all are top tier.

 

[Al Kraft]

Out of curiosity, couldn't the mids of the SW112 be dialed out using the voicing knob on the D350?

If the SW Voicing controls were simple, mid-scoop designs and in the right frequency range it might work, but the SW voicing controls have a bit more complexity in the circuit design and would not IMO be very useful for that.

I would instead bring up the Low and Low Mid EQ settings to add what you want once you set the initial voicing. The SW 112 responds nicely to EQ and with a little push fills out quickly in the low range. It won't be as deep as the SW 115 (for some obvious reasons) but it can produce a very solid punchy bass.

 

[Bleeder]

The Genzler Amplification Base Array Series 2 112SLT would like a word…

 

[HelpImaRock]

I have been very happy pairing my D350 with a Schroeder Mini 12+L. It also sounds great with my GK Neo 115 III.

 

[GDUBS]

Lots of good recommendations in this thread. Another option worth considering is the Genzler Nu Classic 112 cab (sells new for $799, weighs 28 pounds, and it has a ceramic magnet rather than neo).

And you probably already know this, but if you go with a single 12" cab (or *any* cab for that matter) that is 8 ohms, your Mesa D350 will be putting out a max of 175 watts RMS into that cab. To get the full 350 watts RMS out of that amp, you'll need a 4 ohm speaker load (either a single cab that is 4 ohms, or a pair of cabs that are 8 ohms each).

Enjoy cab shopping!

Love my genzler nu classic 12

 

[SactoBass]

Love my genzler nu classic 12

Please share what you like about that cab. I've never played through one. Do you have just one, or a stacked pair?