Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: dave_mc on January 06, 2012, 10:42:24 PM
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Hi everyone,
I've been thinking what I really need (!) is another 2x12 cab to use with my Laney GH50L and Marshall 18 watt clone. I already have the Laney Lionheart cab which I use with it, but sometimes it's a bit dark (it has those 55hz g12h30s) and it also can be a bit crunchy in a 70s sort of way. I want something that more suits classic rock and 80s rock and metal tones- slightly more conventional rock guitar tone, basically. Greenbacks should work ok for that, right?
Deal-breakers:
- no mdf or particleboard guff. Must be ply (or solid wood, i guess, but normally marshally-type cabs are ply i think).
- either has greenbacks or similar stock or is cheap enough to retrofit them.
- good quality. it's a false economy if i cheap out and it sounds like cr@p. It doesn't need to be Mills Acoustic quality but I want it to be a "good" cab.
- closed back construction
Not deal-breakers, but would be a bonus:
- option to switch between open-and closed-back construction
- cool colour
- enough wattage to also use with my 100 watt engl
So far I've come across the Traynor IronHorse DHX212 2x12 cab (http://traynoramps.com/products.asp?type=2&cat=18&id=434) for ~£280/335 euro. It's made in Canada, has two greenbacks already loaded, and has the option to switch between open- and closed-back. Colour's a bit boring, but at least it doesn't look horrible. And it's only 50 watts, but that wouldn't be the end of the world- I rarely crank my Engl anyway, plus I could set it to triode mode if I really cared.
I'm not seeing anything much to beat it on price/value- anything I'm missing? Has anyone actually tried this Traynor cab? The Traynor stuff I have tried has been pretty nice, but I haven't tried this cab.
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TL;DR: Are there any better-value closed back 2x12 cabinets available than the Traynor Iron Horse DHX212 2x12 cab which is £280/335 Euro?
Thanks in advance for your help. :drink: and sorry for the length (I did try to keep it short :oops: ).
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I spied this earlier and nearly pulled the trigger, looks like it could be a winner but I have some family stuff to sort before I can get a 2 x 12. Hope this link works... Oh, great price and colour too
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290650080809?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
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Zilla fatboy.
I dont often say this but
/thread
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^ ^ thanks, i've never heard of them before. will take a look. EDIT: holy cack they're cheap! I can also get them in red (which will sound better, of course). Are they any good, though? :lol: EDIT #2: Just noticed that the cheaper one has smaller dimensions... but the dearer one would work out at a similar price to the traynor. Which at least is another option, if nothing else. Thanks very much, I'd never have thought of them. Have you tried them, by the way?
^ thanks mark. i'd thought of zilla, but they seem to be more like £400 loaded with speakers (maybe even slightly more). Not that I'm saying it wouldn't be a nice cab, just i'm trying to keep the price down.
though someone on UG said that they often have ex-demo stock at teh price i'd like to pay, so i might email them to see.
:drink:
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Yes. I've tried a fatboy (Blankplanks). Its a superb sounding cab. We should all rue the day that Mr Zilla figures out that by the quality of them he could get away with charging much, much more for them. Tight, clean, very big sounding and punchy for a 2x12, smooth, thick, articulate. Kicked the living shite out of my orange 2x12 with a very similar loadout (swamp thangs in both, a jensen c12k in the orange and legend in the fatboy).
It kinda sounds like a mini Bogner Ubercab (my main cab), which is about the highest praise I can give to it.
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yeah i know they do have a pretty good rep. just they're pretty dear- compared to what i can get for cheaper, anyway. i'm well aware that if they're as good as you say they are that £400 is still pretty good value.
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If you can stretch it, I would most certainly recommend the Fatboy. It really brought my entire rig alive. You can get it unloaded and get the speakers later on if you so wish. I'll be getting another this year for definite. I paid £400 for mine which included speakers, recessed handles as well as a top strap handle, and castors. Literally the only thing I didn't choose was the dimensions (technically I did, because I picked a Fatboy, but heh), and Paul was fantastic to work with every step of the way. Build time is about 2 weeks I think.
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Hey Dave, I haven't tried those cabs on Ebay or even heard of them before but for that money, ply construction I doubt you could lose assuming the final build is good.
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My zilla was an empty ex-demo stock studio-pro which i subsequently put a swamp thing and a wizard into. It's worth talkig to him directly as he may have something that suits and he's also a nice guy to deal with.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5242/5226590455_06428da796_z.jpg)
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I have an older 90s Marshall 1936 (fullsize) 2x12 from when they still made them here for sale if you'd be interested? (worth a try on my part I guess! :lol:)
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There seem to be some Jet City cabs on ebay at good prices at the moment. I think they may only be 4x12's though. Are thy much cop or rubbish?
Cheers
Roy
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thanks for all the replies :drink:
BlankPlank: thanks. yeah I suppose i could get it unloaded, that's a good point. though it wouldn't sound too great until i got speakers into it :lol: And I'm guessing it might be marginally cheaper letting them load it (as postage to NI on speakers can add up very quickly!).
d1dsj: thanks. that'd be my feeling, too. Of course, if the build quality is rubbish, all bets are off. that's sorta the gamble, unfortunately. :(
shobet: thanks. i probably will email zilla just to see what they have. someone on anotehr forum mentioned getting an ex-demo cab from them at a pretty great price so it's probably worth an email, if nothing else.
Brow: I'd really rather go new, but thanks for the offer. Apart from anything, in my experience shipping to Northern Ireland if you don't go with Royal Mail is ridiculously expensive (and even if you do is still a fair bit). good luck with the sale.
dragonfire709: thanks. yeah i'd noticed them before, but they only seem to have the 4x12s and 1x12 now. And while a good price if you're leaving them stock, i don't think i'd be saving a whole load if i were buying it solely to upgrade the speakers.
Don't think i missed anyone there. Thanks again for the info and replies everyone :drink:
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(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5242/5226590455_06428da796_z.jpg)
MR box... That wouldn't be a lightsaber per-chance would it? 8)
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Aherm...
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I was going to say Jet City 2x12 cabs, but someone already beat me to it. I own one and they are great sounding cabs for the money and sound great at gig levels.
However if you have the money hit Paul at Zilla cabs up for a FatBoy 2x12 cab as they are fantastic value for money and beautifully made. Try and buy British whenever I can, but besides that Zilla are a great company to deal with.
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^ thanks
Someone on another forum said teh traynor wasn't much good. Dang.
I think it's between the zilla and the roadkill now, more or less.
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Another vote here for Zilla.
It's been said already but Paul is a very nice bloke & his work is excellent.
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Dave if I were you I would get in touch with RK and ask for a bit more info and maybe some photos of the inside and possible a cab that hasn't been tolexed yet. That way you can see what the construction is like, as well as how many fingers hold those joints together. Just my twopenneth.
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If you do post how it went look good so far these RK cabs
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^ ^ ^ thanks. I definitely am considering them.
^ ^ problem with that is I don't really know enough about diy to judge! :lol: But that'd be a good idea if anyone did know about making cabs.
^ don't worry, will do. :)
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Get the pics and post them here, there are loads of guys who could give you their honest opinion as to whether or not it's worth the risk.
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I got my Framus 2x12 from Thomann, and it's been great. Dead cheap too.
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^ ^ good point. But i'm guessing even if they do give me pics they probably don't want them plastered all over the net (or maybe they do if it proves they're as well-made as more expensive cabs)
^ i think it went up a while back... i remember at one point it was about £200 and that was really good value. i think it's over £300 now :( (plus i already have v30s in another cab)
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Asked the bloke, he gave permission to post
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Done..also gave me 10 percent off voucher he said I could pass on, obviously wont post..but can pm me
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wow that was quick (i'm used to my timescales :lol: ) thanks! :)
Can anyone tell anything from those pics? :)
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And
Resume thread
I'm changing my recommendation! DCC Engineering.
Based in manchester, new company, looking very, very promising indeed.
http://www.facebook.com/DCCEngineering
I went to university with one of the owners. Top bloke (/assurance that new company is not cowboys. No I have no shares in them!).
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Never heard anyone mention so much as a word about any Zilla cabs other than the Fatboy. Are they just better value than the rest of their range or something, or has it had a couple endorsements/reviews that mean it's the one that gets all the attention?
I'm humming and hawing about actually bothering to buy a cab soon (generally, like most, I just use whatever's there since it's usually a couple 1960s and you know what you're getting), but it'd really have to be a 4x12 and I wonder whether their 4x12s are held in as high esteem?
Sorry for the mild derailment, but it doesn't deserve a thread all of its own.
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I think the aura with Zilla is that they build monsterous 2x12's, and the Fatboy is kind of his flagship product. There's a lot of guys with Studio's and Modern's kicking around the internet, just the people with Fatboy's outweigh them. I only know of one or two people with 4x12's, and one of them is Nolly. If they're anything like their 2x12's, they'll be quality goods. I wish I had the means to be able to use a 4x12, hahah! Also, it's maybe worth nothing that a lot of people with Fatboys and buying 2nd cabs, seem to be buying what looks like a Modern to sit underneath it.
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And
Resume thread
I'm changing my recommendation! DCC Engineering.
Based in manchester, new company, looking very, very promising indeed.
http://www.facebook.com/DCCEngineering
I went to university with one of the owners. Top bloke (/assurance that new company is not cowboys. No I have no shares in them!).
the pics on their site show them using ply with voids (knots), thats not good for guitar cabs - shake, rattle and roll :(
they need to get void-free ply, its more expensive, but your cab won't rattle/vibrate in the wrong way a little down the line.
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And
Resume thread
I'm changing my recommendation! DCC Engineering.
Based in manchester, new company, looking very, very promising indeed.
http://www.facebook.com/DCCEngineering
I went to university with one of the owners. Top bloke (/assurance that new company is not cowboys. No I have no shares in them!).
the pics on their site show them using ply with voids (knots), thats not good for guitar cabs - shake, rattle and roll :(
they need to get void-free ply, its more expensive, but your cab won't rattle/vibrate in the wrong way a little down the line.
Cant see em, at least no major ones (bigger than a cm). Which pics?
It would be interesting to see the ply that, well, all cabs are made of, under the tolex. I doubt for some reason that much care is taken over the ply used in most cabs. I'll pass on the observation though.
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^ yeah that's true
the pics on their site show them using ply with voids (knots), thats not good for guitar cabs - shake, rattle and roll :(
they need to get void-free ply, its more expensive, but your cab won't rattle/vibrate in the wrong way a little down the line.
do you see anything wrong with the roadkill ones?
also a bit concerned there's no contact info on the roadkill site...
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contact@roadkillcabs.co.uk
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Cant see em, at least no major ones (bigger than a cm). Which pics?
It would be interesting to see the ply that, well, all cabs are made of, under the tolex. I doubt for some reason that much care is taken over the ply used in most cabs. I'll pass on the observation though.
my experience with void free ply is that it still occasional has a few small voids which can be easily filled if needed. no big deal.
sometimes this is because a seller is describing the product wrong/dishonestly, sometimes its just a small manufacturing flaw, sometimes its where a knot was. generally they all should have been filled in the manufacturing process, but can still be filled after.
compare it to the ply used by most builders and the difference is easy to spot
edit - just looked at the pics. i see a few small knots which look very solid. cant see how it can be classed as a void unless the knot is loose, which those dont look to be. I also see a few dark bits on the edges which look like small knots or router burn. overall i would be very happy to take that stuff as 'void free'
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^ how about the roadkill stuff? does it look ok? (pic on the last page, i think... if you can even make anything out :lol: )
contact@roadkillcabs.co.uk
thanks :) And welcome to the forum.
I meant no address or anything like that either. I mean obviously it doesn't mean it's definitely a scam, but having a proper address is one of those "look out for" things that anti-scam advice always mentions.
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Tom from rk sent me these pics of build one before sanding rounding, one after
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Guessing sanding just on corners(not finished), not affiliated by the way just passing on pics when I've asked questions about them(with permission)
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I reckon that cab on the Bay is worth a shot!
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Still very happy with my Tube Town that I bought years ago. I love the flex-back option. I leave the back on for playing at home and recording, then take it off for playing with other people. Not sure if they're as good a deal as they used to be though, when I got mine it was about £150 (including shipping from Germany) for the unloaded cab and £100 for a pair of G12H30s from loudspeaker.co.uk.
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^ ^ ^ thanks for the pics :D
Still haven't got round to emailing... i was a bit worried because of no address. Also I thought i'd do a bit more tweaking with my rig first just to make sure i'm not spending money for the sake of it.
But i probably will email them eventually... just don't hold your breath :lol:
^ ^ I dunno... i mean it says it's used. you can get them new from them for roughly the same price (with that 10% voucher)
^ thanks tom. yeah, i did consider tubetown a while back but with the reasonably strong euro they're nowhere near as good value as they used to be. though the euro does seem to be falling a bit so they might get attractive again. plus if i decide i want a pine cab then they're probably the way to go.
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if anyone cares, i took one for the team and went with the roadkill badger. i went with the well-known greenback-style (!) screamin' eagle and red, white and blues. there was sorta a method to my madness, though... i've been wanting another american-voiced cab for a while to use with my vht special 6 and engl, after the texas heat turned out to be a bit dark and more aimed at overdrive and a little modern-sounding (don't get me wrong, i really like it, just it didn't really do what i was after ).
arrived today. what i know about DIY can be written on the back of a stamp, so take what i'm about to say with a pinch of salt, but it seems to be well-made, looks very sharp and sounds badass (at the lowish volumes i'm playing at, anyway). Certainly with the vht special 6 (i haven't tried it with the engl yet). It sounds a bit weird (not bad, just different) with my laney, though that's to be expected as that's a british-voiced amp with american-voiced speakers (and i didn't buy it to use with the laney anyway, i just tried it for the lulz).
I know a guy on another forum says there's something about eminence's midrange that he doesn't like, and i'm sorta wondering if that's at play here... i've still only tried their american speakers, so I don't know if that's just what american speakers are like or if the redcoat range is the same. it did seem a little like the midrange of the laney was clashing with the midrange of the speakers (or it might just be a tone i'm not used to... as i said, it didn't really sound "bad", just "different").
anyway, just in case anyone is thinking of one, i was pretty impressed. certainly for the money, it's very nice indeed.
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Sounds good man!
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That's cool, glad it worked out and you're happy with it, I think they look great and will morethan likely get one when I'm ready for a 2 x 12. 8)
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thanks guys :)
Just noticed, the killer deal they had on private jacks or governors seems to have ended. :( I figured that was only a short-term deal, but still. the unloaded prices are still the same, though.
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Hmm looking at these they look very solid.
I may just have to grab one.
Laney 4x12 & peavey 2x12 for sale :D
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:lol:
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I've exchanged a few emails and calls with Tom and he is a super friendly chap!
We ended up discussing allsorts and it looks like a RK cab or two is in my near future....
I just need to finish this amp and sell it or one of these cabs and ill be good to go!
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oh yeah he was great to deal with, and perfectly willing to do fancy wiring etc. for me at no extra cost :)