Custom Zilla 2x12 cabs

JDM_Dave

JDM_Dave

Member
I am looking to place a order with zilla for a vertical 2x12 cab, most of my options have been decided. I am undecided weather to have a slanted or a straight cab, 16ohm or 8ohm impedance? in series or parallel? currently going for a v30 and a cream back having the v30 on the top but this is still open to change. I play 7 and 6 string progressive or (Djent) style rhythm riffs using high gain amp models, diesel, peavy etc. im not a lead player as such. what do people think will be better suited? I understand this topic is subjective to tastes but ill be using the fractal to dial in things that could be missing from my tone. the cab is going to be used at home or jam sessions/recording sessions. are there better speaker combinations that could work better? I hear good things about k100's and the f12-x200's. does the slanted cab make a really difference to low or high tones? im looking for a nice compromise between low and mid to go with the 7 and 6 string guitars. cheers
 
You may want to try those f12 x200s if you are always using your III, tho I haven’t heard them live myself yet, they are getting pretty solid reviews. . Are you going to install the speakers yourself , of let Zills do it?
 
bradlake said:
You may want to try those f12 x200s if you are always using your III, tho I haven’t heard them live myself yet, they are getting pretty solid reviews. . Are you going to install the speakers yourself , of let Zills do it?
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it will be a loaded cab by zilla. the x200's are a speaker I have been curious about but being FRLR I don't know much about them. mixed reviews at the moment.
 
The main advantage of the x200s may be they allow you to more easily incorporate your Axe cabs in your sound....I may try one in my MBritt Xitone powered cab.
 
bradlake said:
The main advantage of the x200s may be they allow you to more easily incorporate your Axe cabs in your sound....I may try one in my MBritt Xitone powered cab.
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its definitely a contender, and going off what they are designed for it makes sense as the axe 3 is going to be my only "AMP". do u think slanted cabs with these speakers would change much in way of tone? do u think I can get away with the Duncan power stage 170? trying to keep size and weight down as ill be moving around with it
 
I'd suggest going with a straight cab with the Creamback on top and V30 on the bottom. You can always use it vertically or horizontally to hear the differences, but with the Zilla I just shot, the Creamback had a great throaty midrange and solid low end, and the V30 had more bite and aggression. They blend well together, but if you're playing loud you'd probably want more Creamback flavor coming through.

They make great cabs, so you'll be stoked with whatever you go with. Just know that it takes a while to break it in, but it's worth the effort.
 
York Audio said:
I'd suggest going with a straight cab with the Creamback on top and V30 on the bottom. You can always use it vertically or horizontally to hear the differences, but with the Zilla I just shot, the Creamback had a great throaty midrange and solid low end, and the V30 had more bite and aggression. They blend well together, but if you're playing loud you'd probably want more Creamback flavor coming through.

They make great cabs, so you'll be stoked with whatever you go with. Just know that it takes a while to break it in, but it's worth the effort.
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thank you for your input, its one of those things that needs to be certain before I order. I understand speakers can always be swaped out. the v30/creamback was my original plan so maybe not rushing could save time and money. how would the fractal need to be set? im guessing I can't use my cab sims?
 
bradlake said:
You may want to try those f12 x200s if you are always using your III, tho I haven’t heard them live myself yet, they are getting pretty solid reviews. . Are you going to install the speakers yourself , of let Zills do it?
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My experience with the Celestion F12-X200, was they wer too tinny and sterile sounding, so I sent them back. In all fairness it could have been my closed back cab. I know all our ears are different, but I don't like a tweeter in a guitar cab for the same reason. Sure you can stomp on the highs to get a more guitar tone. But I favor cabs without hi freq drivers. I found the Creamback 65 to be a way better sounding speaker than the V30s, I had, and its sister the Creamback 75. It works well for both classic rock and metal with eq tweaking, or just plain using one of the famous presets.
From Celestion: The G12M-65 Creamback is a modern take on the G12M Greenback, bringing low end grunt complementing the warm and vocal mid range, crunchy upper- mids and sweet, refined highs. My Translation: smoother than a V30, less bassy than a Creamback 75.
Always let your ears decide.
 
JDM_Dave said:
thank you for your input, its one of those things that needs to be certain before I order. I understand speakers can always be swaped out. the v30/creamback was my original plan so maybe not rushing could save time and money. how would the fractal need to be set? im guessing I can't use my cab sims?
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No problem, man. The V30/H75 Creamback is a classic choice for that cab, but I’d also suggest checking out the WGS Retro 30, which sounds more like a UK V30 to my ears. You can check out my ZILA 212 thread in the Axe III Cabs section to hear some mixes of both V30/H75 blends, just V30 mixes, and just H75 mixes to get a feel for those speakers in that cab and see if those tones are in the ballpark of what you want to hear from your cab.

As far as how to set the Axe, that all depends on how you’re listening to it. Personally, I would use cab sims to send to FOH and your monitors, and use output 2 (no cab sims) to go from your power amp to your cab. That way, you’ve got great tone going to your sound guy, and you‘ve got the raw cab sound on stage where you control the volume of the live cab.
 
I have slightly different musical goals than yours (more mainstream cover work, less metal in general), but I use a slanted vertical 2x12 (Marshall Studio Vintage). I went with that over a few different 2x12's as I wanted that top speaker angled up to my head. The top end from the cab really comes into focus when I'm standing about 6-8 feet away from it. I don't get that same experience from a straight or horizontal 2x12.

I also ended up swapping out the V-type speakers for an ASW KTS-60 and Celestian Cream Alnico. I liked the thicker lower mids and tamed high end of the ASW for the bottom speaker and the barkier midrange of the Alnico on the top (both punch better overall compared to the V-types). Power by a SD 170. Probably the happiest I've been with my stage sound for quite a while now (FOH gets cab sims straight from the III).
 
After having a think and talking with Paul at Zilla cabs I have decided to go with a super fat boy, straight, vertical 2x12 with a H75 cream back in the top and a V30 in the bottom. Paul and the team have been amazing giving me information on helping me decide. you guys here have also helped me in which road to go down, so I thank all of you for the replies.
 
York Audio said:
No problem, man. The V30/H75 Creamback is a classic choice for that cab, but I’d also suggest checking out the WGS Retro 30, which sounds more like a UK V30 to my ears. You can check out my ZILA 212 thread in the Axe III Cabs section to hear some mixes of both V30/H75 blends, just V30 mixes, and just H75 mixes to get a feel for those speakers in that cab and see if those tones are in the ballpark of what you want to hear from your cab.

As far as how to set the Axe, that all depends on how you’re listening to it. Personally, I would use cab sims to send to FOH and your monitors, and use output 2 (no cab sims) to go from your power amp to your cab. That way, you’ve got great tone going to your sound guy, and you‘ve got the raw cab sound on stage where you control the volume of the live cab.
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Thank you for the info, I will bare this in mind for a setting up a live session. its seems like the way to go. I will definitely check out your work
 
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