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Vintage Marshall help needed...

E

eb3

Sep 8, 2006
30
2
#1
I found an old Marshall cab with the bass logo in the top left corner which was loaded with 4 x 12" speakers.

Since I'm a guitar player, I just wanted to check with you guys if this was made for bass. I thought an old marshall bass cab would have come with 4x15s.

Can anyone help?

Also, an old Marshall Super Bass head...I own one, but it was modded for guitar. Do I need to run 2 cabs with a 100 watt head when playing bass at higher levels?

Thanks for your help. I live in the 6 string lead guitar world and need to become more educated about your bass world. :confused:
 
#3
I used the marshall bass cabs back in the late 60's. They were just like the one you described. I would just use one bottom for smaller jobs but if yours is as old as the ones i used they had weak celestion speakers rated at 25 watts each making each cab 100 watts. I've heard that jimi hendrix also used the same cabs for guitar. I used a marshall plexi guitar head with it "100 watts" and worked fine using just one bottom, just be carefull how hard you push it.
 
#4
IIRC there were three types of Marshall 4x12s in the late '60s.
1) no logo in corner = 50w guitar cab (one for a 50w head, two for a 100w head)
2) "100" in the corner = 100w cab, two cabs for the 200w heads (guitar or bass)
3) "Bass" in the corner = 50w bass cab (one for a 50w head, two for a 100w head)
I'm sure it was also ok to use one 100w cab with the 100w head.

The Marshall 4x15 was taller than wide (I one I saw).

Jimi used a lot of stuff, but I've never seen a picture of him using a Marshall 4x12 with the Bass logo.
 
#5
Thanks guys. i want to use this cab for bass. We are playing lots of Cream and I want that Jack Bruce sound.

I just want to make sure these 4x12s were made for bass. As mentioned, I thought vintage Marshall bass cabs had 15s. :ninja:.
 
#6
Wow, I didn't realize there was such a thing as a vintage Marshall 4x15 cab. Pretty cool.

This thread has some great 4x15 pics. Also has a video of Deep Purple live with their bassist playing a Ric through one (actually several):

Invalid Link Removed

RE the 4x12 Marshall bass cabs, those used the Celestion G12H speakers didn't they? I think it it was G12M in the guitar cabs and G12H in the bass cabs. Jimi apparently liked the G12H's because they didn't break up as early and had deeper lows and brighter highs.
 
#7
Yeah, that's a nice find.


I'd just have a look at the speakers first, just to make sure the surrounds aren't dry-rotted, seams coming apart or anything, make sure they all work, etc. If it looks good, use it. In the 60's there wasn't the vast world if difference between bass speakers and guitar speakers like there is today. Bass players didn't have much to choose from back then and little if any of it was designed specifically with a bass in mind.
 
#8
GlennW said:
IIRC there were three types of Marshall 4x12s in the late '60s.
1) no logo in corner = 50w guitar cab (one for a 50w head, two for a 100w head)
2) "100" in the corner = 100w cab, two cabs for the 200w heads (guitar or bass)
3) "Bass" in the corner = 50w bass cab (one for a 50w head, two for a 100w head)
I'm sure it was also ok to use one 100w cab with the 100w head.

The Marshall 4x15 was taller than wide (I one I saw).

Jimi used a lot of stuff, but I've never seen a picture of him using a Marshall 4x12 with the Bass logo.
Click to expand...

Close Glenn. The lower power 4x12 had 20W speakers for 80W. Then there was the 100W with celestian green backs. Both available in straight front or slant. Both were used for bass though the 100W version was the most popular. I bought the 100W slant front. Used it with Marshal JTM45 with KT66s, a Leak 50W power amp with KT88s and a single 12AX7 pre-amp I built, a couple of my own design tube amps and finally, just before I left the UK a Fender BF Bassman.

Paul
 
#9
That's true, Paul. I was sloppy in wattage ratings on the cabs; I think the 100 had four 30/35w speakers making it a 120/140w cab. The point I was trying to make was you could just look in the corner of the 4x12s and tell which head/s Marshall intended them to be used with (assuming the 100 or Bass logo was still there).
 
#12
I had a Marshall Major 200 watt head and two 4x100 100 watt green back cabs, a slant front and a flat front. No bottom! Very disappointing for bass, IMHO. When I sold them and got an Acoustic 301 cabinet, it was much much better on the low end—and louder!
 
#13
There were two versions of the G12H30, a high resonance version for guitar, and a low resonance (55 Hz) model intended for bass. Celestion still makes the 55 Hz model, it's the G12H Heritage, and those aren't cheap. Hendrix was fond of the low resonance version, and the low resonance version is most likely what Jack Bruce would have played through. The G12H30's handle 30 watts each.

There are lots of companies making clones of the G12H30-55Hz model for cheaper than Celestion prices.
 

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