4x12 Cabs with V30's

wcfieldskx

Power User
Obviously there are several different companies that use V30s in 4x12 cabinets. My question is how different do these cabs sound from each other when they are using essentially the same speakers, and is it just the materials used on the cabs that makes them sound different from each other? For example some people swear by the Orange 4x12 w/V30's over the Mesa Rectifier 4x12 also with V30's? Are they really that different?

I've only ever owned a Mesa Rectifier 4x12, so i dont really have any other cabs w/V30's to compare it to.
 
SOOOO number one point, and this is absoutely key: Not all of those V30s are the same speaker. New MiC retail, old MiE retail, Mesa, Marshall, and Orange V30s are all different speakers, and I think there are a few other variations out there too. In my not very unique opinion, the Mesa speaker is far and away the best sounding but of course there are fans of every variety.

When you're comparing the same actual speaker in different 4x12 cabs, there are of course differences but they are relatively subtle most of the time. The Mesa cabs tend to be deeper and volumetrically larger, which can give them a huge but flubby low end. I think the internal box size is probably more impactful than the material used, and then of course certain cabs have ports or venting or internal baffling that can mess with things too.
 
There are at least seven variations of the V30 speakers so even depending on which of those V30s your cabinet has it'll make a huge difference. Resonance, materials, build, cabinet size.. they all play a big part.

One of the most common cork-sniffery-quotes in the guitar hipster circles is "I don't like the sound of V30s, they have a nasty high middle spike". This will be a short rant so I pre-apologize. I've shot IR's of at least a hundred different V30 speakers. None of them have a high middle spike and all of them sound at least a little bit different and the difference between an 1987 V30 and a 2017 V30 is HUGE... I MEAN YOUUUUUGE!! Still I think I can out-hipster a guitar-hipster by just saying "which of the at least seven variations of V30s are you talking about and 8ohm or 16ohm?" :p
 
Thanks guys

@ML SOUND LAB I have heard quite a few people comment about the nasty high mids in V30's...

What are the best sounding V30 speakers / 4x12 cabs in your opinion?
As old as you can find them in the best condition, that's what you want. A 90s Mesa cab will have really nice V30s in it. The Silver Jubilee Marshall Vintage cab will be amazing as well. Those are the ones. :)
 
I owned a LOT of Vintage 30 loaded 4x12s over the years, the best was MiE V30 Bogner straight cab from around 1993. Rear loaded, 14 ply birch cabinet, the wheat grille cloth, superb.
 
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