A question or two about the Matrix NL12

G

gibvictory

Inspired
I noticed on the Matrix site that the NL 12 has a 60 watt amp in it. There were people posting here using that cab with the GT1000fx, yes? Is that because the 60 watts were not enough? I know they also have other passive cabs. I'm referring specifically to the NL 12. Can it be used with a separate amp? Is 60 watts enough? I'm currently using a Mesa 20/20 and guitar cabs. That amp is plenty powerful for my classic rock band. Getting ready to make a switch.

Can the NL 12 handle a piezo equipped guitar adequately? Don't need perfection.
 
I have a passive NL12 and use it with the GT1000FX. It can definitely get loud! :) I don't gig so you might want to ask a few folks in bands about the NL12. I've cranked it at home and it gets really loud so I think it would be great for you.
 
The NL12 is passive. I believe the 60 Watts RMS mentioned in the product description is talking about the power handling capacity of the cabinet. I use mine with a GT1000FX. Matrix recommends the 16 ohm version of the NL12 for use with the GT1000FX. It can get very loud, and has the headroom to handle clean tones well.
 
Yes it should have said "Power Handling" in the specs to avoid confusion. The NLs are passive cabs. They should work fine with the Mesa 20/20 you have.
 
Regarding the Pizeo question: although I have not tried it yet, I would say that it's not ideal for that. The NL12 is a guitar cab, not a Full Range Flat Response (FRFR) monitor. If you are happy with the sound of a Piezo equipped guitar through the AxeFX into a power amp and guitar cab, then the NL12 should work fine for you. I'll give it a try this evening and report back my thoughts.
 
It's a fairly "neutral" speaker so it may work better than expected. I put some key through one for a customer a few weeks back and was surprised at how well it handled them. Not FRFR but probably as good as a lower end keyboard amp (or indeed acoustic amp)
 
I sort of panicked when I went to the Matrix site the other night and saw the 60 watt rms thing. I had read numerous posts about guys using either the gt800 and the gt1000 with the NL12. I planted my own seed for that because I wanted to see of there was an active version available so I can use a smaller rack. Then I wondered why there was such a difference between the cab being 60 watts and the amps jumping to 800 and 1000 watts. I'm all cleared up now on that issue.

As far a piezos go, what I've been using has been adequate. I have a Mesa 20/20 stero amp. One side for my 1-12 guitar cab and the other side powering (really under powering) a vocal monitor for piezos. The monitor is a 15" and a horn. I get a pretty descent acoustic tone but volume is not enough. The piezos through my 1-12 cab sounds like ass. I would love to play my piezos through the NL 12 and get away with one cab on stage. I want the NL for the traditional cab experience as well as it's light weight and form factor. I only use piezos on a handful of songs. I don't (for now) want a CLR. I should also mention that I play a synth. Although it goes through the monitor as well it does not sound horrible with the 1-12 cab. I'm just monitoring myself but I would like a sonic improvement. I'm probably going to give them a shot anyhow but I would love to hear from someone who has tried it. Anyone in New Jersey with a NL12 I could hear?
 
I just did a quick test with the Piezo pickup from a PRS SC Hollowbody I through the NL12. it's ok to get by for a song of two, but definitely not what I would want to hear for an acoustic tone. I'll stand by my assessment that the NL12 is a guitar cab first, although a relatively neutral one, and is definitely not similar to using FRFR. I think going FRFR is 100% better for piezo pickups than the NL12. YMMV...
 
Thanks for trying that. My acoustic tone sounds fine FOH. Some of my bandmates like my piezos better than my other guitar players acoustic guitar. Although I don't need to sound perfect as a monitor I would hope to get mostly there. Thanks for taking your valuable time to test that out. Much appreciated.
 
gibvictory said:
Thanks for trying that. My acoustic tone sounds fine FOH. Some of my bandmates like my piezos better than my other guitar players acoustic guitar. Although I don't need to sound perfect as a monitor I would hope to get mostly there. Thanks for taking your valuable time to test that out. Much appreciated.
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Yes, it would work fine as a monitor for your piezo, but definitely not suitable for tweaking. Definitely set up you piezo patches on the AxeFX using studio monitors, PA speakers, or an FRFR monitor.

All IMO, of course.
 
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