What's the point of a 4x12 in 2022? - Genuine question

For me, there's a presence (sound wise not physical), projection and 'room filling' sound of the 4x12, it pushes out so much air - it's unique.

I agree with the points of 80s hold over from the 70's monitoring. When I gigged 87 onwards, unbelievably in pubs in the UK - I'd be using a Marshall 50w head (Jubilee) and 2 4x12 cabs. My bottom cab was under the top cab of the other guitarist and his bottom cab was under mine - and that was how we monitored.

Looking back it's horrific stage volume, not just stage - it was too loud in the car park outside!

But that was the perceived wisdom for local bands at that time.

The few times in the last 10 years I've played through a half-stack, wow! It's the sound of rock n roll for me, cranked Marshall into a 4x12 - but...

There is no way I'd have one now, they're just too damaging - hearing wise (remember EVH said he never used the top cabs to try and keep the sound away from his ears) and also just moving the things! I used to have to take all the seats out of my car to get them in - they are large, heavy and very awkward.

But for IR production? Yes please.

For me it's like so many things, why are they part of 'that' sound? Because that's what we're conditioned to hear, if Hendrix had played a whiteguard Tele through a blackface Twin - we'd be used to that, but he took a different direction...
 
I've never used 4x12's but this discussion reminds me of a band I was in where the other guitarist used one.

He used to kick it down a flight of stairs, maneuver it around to the top of the next flight & kick it down (3 or 4 times) to the bottom of the building.
He always had a beer in his hand so there was never 'two hands free' to lug it around.

I never did get to see how long that cab lasted. He lived up to his nickname 'Caveman', so didn't last long in the band.
 
sound-wise, anything less than 4x12 just doesn’t give me the feel and my response to it that I crave for. I kinda learned to listen to my studio monitors, but the enjoyment is not on the same level as when playing with 4x12. I once hooked up axe 3 to 2 large 2x15 PA speakers and that was the only time, when I really enjoyed the experience as much as with 4x12. for me it’s not about playing at loud volume, but more about the sound pressure and clean reproduction. The best experience I ever had was playing with 4 different mesa 4x12 cabs at the same time, with volume not louder than 90-95db. it was pure heaven. never experienced better sound in my life. If I could, I would have wall of 4x12´s in my living room and play at no more that wife´s-not-home moderate volume levels :)
 
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Funny thing that . . . at my loudest I was playing through two Marshall 4-12 cabs (one of which had had two blown greenbacks replaced with JBL D120s) stacked on top of two Acoustic 2-15 bass cabs. That rig was room filling and full spectrum. My drummer and bass player hated me. It wasn't until we played a couple of big, outdoor events where even my stage volume wasn't enough and the sound man looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked which speaker I wanted him to mic that I realized my problem: my tone was a composite of all the speakers and cabs blended together.
 
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deathbyguitar said:
I feel like I might be missing something very obvious. - What purpose does a 4x12 serve in this day and age? It seems like if you're playing a tiny place with no PA or only a PA for vocals, a 2x12 would probably give you more than enough volume. For a larger room with a more robust PA, wouldn't a 4x12 be overkill since you'd mic the thing instead of cranking it way up to fill the room?

It seems that just about EVERY nationally/internationally touring metal band is playing through modelers with no cabs on stage. Is this mostly a cost cutting/logistics decision or do bands actually prefer this nowadays? Everything is so loud regardless that I doubt the audience notices a difference. I still see bands playing arenas bring out full stacks and such but I figured that's probably because they'd have roadies and their stuff being carried in a semi. The only nationally touring acts I see are metal bands so I don't know if this approach is popular in other genres.

Really curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this.
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Fun.
 
Home use.
That is the only answer.
I have two 4x12s in my studio. They're a blast to use for rehearsal.
 
It's like asking what's the point of a V8 if a 4 cylinder gets you from A to B. Yes there are practical applications for a V8, but sometimes people buy them just for fun.

There's no doubt that playing through a 4x12 is a ton of fun. Mine sits in my basement but when I'm going to jam or a gig, I don't even think about it - grab the 1x12 and go.
 
Personal enjoyment. its a thing.

Also, 412s can and usually do sound great at any volume.
I wouldn't personally haul one to gigs due to the hassle but I enjoy them in semi-fixed installations.
 
You can set stuff on top of it and have it at a decent height. Drinks, amp heads, rack gear with a AxeIII, you name it. Great piece of cool looking studio furniture if nothing else
 
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bleujazz3 said:
Heh, reminds me of the vintage Hollywood-style movie sets which used western store-front facades, but supported by 2x10 beams behind the store-front. The interior footage was an indoor real set, until it spilled out into the street again. Good film editors were in high demand back then...
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Maybe that image actually came from a film set.
 
There's a concert film of Rush where they have stacks of washers and dryers behind them. What was that all about?
 
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Tonedeaf said:
There's a concert film of Rush where they have stacks of washers and dryers behild them. What was that all about?
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That's Rush being "cheeky" - Early on, Rush was all about walls of amps, but after going ampless, Geddy needed something on stage to replace his badass ampeg stacks, so he went to badass mic'd washers (Fridgidaire, I believe, mic'd with 57s at 45deg + positioned to the sweetspot, and, legend has it that these were modded with a unique rinse control to maximize top end clarity) - but then washers went out of vogue, and he moved on to the badass chicken rotisserie machines (which, though they accentuated sizzle, were a pain to maintain as a chef needed to go out and baste the chickens every 15min to retain tonal consistency). Alex has tended to remain more traditional at stage right.
 
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412s are great to hid behind if there's a shooter, and if you have a wall of them then more safe space + they sound pretty good still, well at least mine still do...
 
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