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James... « Good for playing metal on a budget »
Published on 08/10/11 at 20:00I've been around the block a few times with cabs. I've owned and seen all the cheap stuff...peavey, carvin, avatar, marshall. And I've owned and seen the nice stuff and in between...Bogner, Stone Age, Mills, etc... I've learned a lot over the years. If I know anything it's that I'm destined to be continually surprised by different cabs and speakers.
I have probably worked on or played through 10 of these 1960A cabs. They might be the most common 4x12 out there. Marshall, being one of the most popular tube amp companies of all time, has basically chosen this is its main cab. Now I'll talk about Marshall cab quality in a bit, but first I want to comment on the speakers. I think a lot of people seem to think "celestion = great" when they see these. They have the G12T-75 which Marshall itself insists is a great match for the JCM series. Truthfully, I have to disagree and I think a lot of pro guitarists will agree. The 75's have scooped mids, sizzling highs, and boomy lows. In theory this is a good match for a JCM amp, eq wise. But for everything but heavy metal...it's not. A lot of grunge and nu metal used these in the late 90's and I guess that's where the popularity comes from. They're great for the scooped mids thing. The bottom line is that the 75's just aren't as good a match in real life as they are on paper. Ideally I would say the best speakers for these are greenbacks or G12H. Vintage 30's are okay but the mids can get rough.
Marshall cabs are not made very well. The MDF is fine and the materials are decent enough, but the joints aren't secure. There is major air leakage going on. This can be remedied with a simple Caulk/sealing mod but honestly for a name brand like marshall it's sad. The good news is that these are very cheap on the used market so it's not like you're getting duped.
I can't say I would recommend this to many players. If you are into the modern metal sound or like scooped mids with sizzling highs, it's a good cab. I could never bond with these speakers so I have always stayed away from using the 1960A, but it's such a common cab that I see them almost every 2 or 3 months. It's hard to give it a rating but for my uses it's pretty mediocre. I will say though with a sealing mod and some tasteful speakers it's a solid 8.
I have probably worked on or played through 10 of these 1960A cabs. They might be the most common 4x12 out there. Marshall, being one of the most popular tube amp companies of all time, has basically chosen this is its main cab. Now I'll talk about Marshall cab quality in a bit, but first I want to comment on the speakers. I think a lot of people seem to think "celestion = great" when they see these. They have the G12T-75 which Marshall itself insists is a great match for the JCM series. Truthfully, I have to disagree and I think a lot of pro guitarists will agree. The 75's have scooped mids, sizzling highs, and boomy lows. In theory this is a good match for a JCM amp, eq wise. But for everything but heavy metal...it's not. A lot of grunge and nu metal used these in the late 90's and I guess that's where the popularity comes from. They're great for the scooped mids thing. The bottom line is that the 75's just aren't as good a match in real life as they are on paper. Ideally I would say the best speakers for these are greenbacks or G12H. Vintage 30's are okay but the mids can get rough.
Marshall cabs are not made very well. The MDF is fine and the materials are decent enough, but the joints aren't secure. There is major air leakage going on. This can be remedied with a simple Caulk/sealing mod but honestly for a name brand like marshall it's sad. The good news is that these are very cheap on the used market so it's not like you're getting duped.
I can't say I would recommend this to many players. If you are into the modern metal sound or like scooped mids with sizzling highs, it's a good cab. I could never bond with these speakers so I have always stayed away from using the 1960A, but it's such a common cab that I see them almost every 2 or 3 months. It's hard to give it a rating but for my uses it's pretty mediocre. I will say though with a sealing mod and some tasteful speakers it's a solid 8.