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"Hybrid" 4x12 options?

3K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  GentleHands McCoy 
#1 ·
I really like the Road King cabs because they're a 4x12 that's half (closed back) V30 and half (open back) C90. They are also pretty expensive at ~$1250.

Are there any other options out there like this? I want one so that I can use it like a pair of 212s and run two different amps (at different times) to them. It'd also be really nice to be able to quickly A/B speaker options.

I realize that the cab was made to pair with the zillion channel-assignable options in the RK head, but it's just a slick package and I'm surprised that I can't find any other cab manufacturers doing it.
 
#4 ·
Jared at Mauler Cabs could probably build you exactly what you want - but it might cost as least as much as an RK...
 
#13 ·
The Road King cabs are cool, but a lot of people find them of limited use, closed back 412s do OK near walls, but open back/partial open back in the tone closet might not sound good. Those are meant to be placed in the center of a large room.

Way into internally partitioned 412s though, as well as front loaded cabs as opposed to rear loaded ones for extra tightness. My 412 isn't internally partitioned, but I have it wired as 2 2x12s because I run a wet dry sort of thing with two amps and a splitter up front.

I say just swap out however many of the v30s you want to get what you are after. 2 or 4. Most x patterned cabs aren't internally partitioned. You can mix and match.

There is a very high chance that whatever you think will be made more optimal by switching to a partial open backed setup has more to do with speakers. You might not need the extra "airy" feel of an open backed sort of thing as much as you need less of the v30s nasal honk.

You can find the Road King ones pretty cheap used though, especially if you live near a major independent Mesa dealer. Since 412s are a bitch to buy/sell/return quite a few people buy them thinking it will give them something extra with the partial open backed thing and offload them when they find they don't like it. I have a buddy who has a full stack of two Road King cabs. I actually don't know anybody who has bought a Road King cab new. :lol: I know a few people who have got them used for around the same price as regular Mesa 412s though.

FWIW, if you do want to buy a non standard Mesa cab, the dealer will probably have to order it from Mesa, they don't stock the irregular stuff. I had to wait quite a bit to get my Stiletto 212.
 
#14 ·
The main reason I want this thing is that I can have two separate inputs, and basically have two separate, unique cabs in the space of a 4x12. I don't gig and my gear doesn't move, so it'll be in the same place. My Mark V is open back and sitting on top of an open back Mesa 1x12 and it sounds fantastic. :yesway:

I already know I like the sound, I just want the utility at this point.
 
#17 ·
The main reason I want this thing is that I can have two separate inputs, and basically have two separate, unique cabs in the space of a 4x12.
I have mine wired as two 212s for that reason. (I actually think most contemporary Mesas are wired for stereo operation, though it's not true stereo, Most people call it stereo, but it's not actually stereo since there is no stereo imaging. It's just two separate mono cabs combined in a single form factor.)

I'm actually not a fan of X pattern style division of speakers. I have the top section as one thing and the bottom section as another. I don't remember if the stock Wiring Most Mesa cabs have is split top bottom or right left.



You have to keep in mind though, that if you are using Amp A into one portion of the 412 and Amp B into the other portion, you have to be cognizant of the fact that the phase flips after every gain stage in conventional amplifier design, so if you are using two different amps into one cab with the same signal going into each and they have different numbers of gain stages it might sound like shit and you will need a way to flip the phase on one. Some AB splitters have them integrated.

A lot of companies don't bother with an internal wooden partition. It's not like cabs are made out of high quality hardwoods anyways. It's baltic ply. They just use polyfill or Dacron some other foam inside. The Bogners use that. I threw some in mine.

Unless you absolutely need the open back I would just use polyfill or something inside of your existing 412. I don't know the exact brand most cab companies use, but I'm sure someone does. Of course that's assuming the "two separate cabs in the space of one" is more what you are after than the open back bit, in that case, you should probably just get the Road king.
 
#15 ·
Hmm. I haven't checked the sizes, but I suspect a pair of the 'compact' Recto 2x12's would be no bigger than one oversized 4x12. You could stack them, and pop the back panel off one of them :yesway:
 
#18 ·
Yeah dude I actually want a closed back 2x12 w/V30s and an open back 2x12 w/C90s. The RK cab is exactly what I'm looking for, I just want to know if there's anything else out there like it. There are zero times I actually need a 4x12, I play at dad volumes in a 14x12 office. :lol: I just like the flexibility and gadget factor.



I actually have plenty of room on either side, the Closet of Metal Destiny is quite cavernous. :jj:

I can't find a price on those 3/4 back 2x12s but the standard closed back one is $800 new. So $1500-1600 for the stacked vs. $1250 for the RK, the RK gets the nod.

I'm really not looking for alternatives, I just want to know if there are any other brands that make half and half 4x12s.
 
#20 ·
I like the MG treatment anyway, it's what we do. :lol:

"I want this thing."
"No, you need this other thing, a dremel, a flux welder, three gallons of industrial lubricant and twice the budget."
"But really, I just kinda want this thing?"
"Don't forget to account for import duties."
 
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