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So I have this hartke angled 4x12 which I bought with my head. It weighs a shit ton, the casters are crappy and it just doesn't sound all that great. It was my first and only cabinet purchase and I'm just ready for something new. I use a laney AOR 50 watt, which has a super ton of low end rumble. I would mainly be using this cab for the DOOOOOOMZZZZ downtuned to A, loud and heavy. I thought about going with an emperor 4x12, but I feel strange spending that much money on a cab. Is it worth it?...Probably. I've been searching craigslist but I'm just not sure. I don't know too much about speakers either. I found this ampeg v4 4x12 for $175 OBO. Should I consider this?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/3799740658.html

Or should I get a 2x12 and a 1x15 for some variations on a tone? Chankgeez suggested a 15 inch speaker because I'm using a baritone. It would really make the guitars sound shine.

All the help is much appreciated! Ultimately, should I get a 4x12, if so what do you recommend? or should I get two smaller cabs? Thanks y'all

Sweet deal on the V4 cab, are the speakers good to go in that thing?

An Emperor is DEF worth every penny, amazing cabs. They utilize a unique internal design and they resonate like no other cab I've owned as a result, sound is absolutely HUGE! Speaker choices are immense but the stock Weber 65 12s are KILLER, smooth highs, nice mids, lots of tight controlled bass, probably the best speakers I've ever owned in terms of versatility. I don't think you'd be let down and I honestly don't know of a better cab value on the market, most bang for the buck, easily.

You can get a custom 4x12 with your choice of speakers, stain, grill, etc for around $800, cheaper than a lot of mass produced cabs that don't compare imo. I replaced some Orange and Marshall cabs years ago with Emperors and I ain't ever going back, totally in love and I have a wide array. 4x12, 2x12, Oversize 2x12, vert 2x12, 1x12s, they all rule. Look beefy as fuck but they really don't weigh much at all until you go getting 6x12s or 3x15s. Mine are far lighter than my old Orange stuff. Plan to get a 1x15, pair with one of those 2x12s, then all done.

Mammoth and Olde Crow make some cool shit too.

And there's always Avatar if you wanna save some bucks. People around these parts seem to like those cabs quite a bit. Regardless, some of 'em are pricey enough that I would just save up a little longer and get exactly what I was after.

If you can wait till the end of June you'll be able to answer a few of those questions with personal experience.

Thanks schnikes, some good info there. I figured all the hype over emperors was for a reason. It's just hard for me to make a decision without having heard it with my own two ears, but I value your opinion, especially since we both love that mustang! Also, about the v4, I haven't contacted them but my assumption is that they are stock speakers. From what I read the stock speakers do the job but are nothing to write home about. I'm not going to make a hasty decision on it and I will most likely settle into the greatly resonanting emperors. They pop up on CL from time to time around these parts.

Skip, I've waited about a year so I can definitely wait till the end of June. I look forward to that conversation!

Peavey 215 cheap and deep

Oh you peavey. I have heard one of those bad boys on bass and it was massive and sounded real cool. I'm not sure if I want just 15s but then again I have never heard my guitar through a 15. Today I did get to use my buddies Marshall 4x12 jcm 900 lead series cab and that sounded worlds apart from my stupid cab. It seemed much more accurate to the sound I wanted. Dark, muffy fuzz. Now I really am enticed to hear my setup through an emperor. I don't mind spending a chunk of change and I don't want to settle on anything less than excellent!

Well if you haven't then you NEED to try it. I don't play guitar much but when I do it's through an old peavey combo with a black widow.

I dunno man, ive seen plenty of gutshots on the emperors and there is nothing fancy goin on in there. NOr any other major cab company. Ive seem mataamp/orange/ENGL pro and a few ultra high end cabs in and out. Fact is, were basically just taking about big plywood boxes with some speakers bolted to them they are all pretty similar...

Dont get me wrong, some cabs are better than others either buildwise and soundwise but its still just a plywood box. Ive built one so far, pretty much copied emperor flat out and ill admit that, put really nice weber axis 12s in it and it sounds fucking good. Im making another of my own design with 2 15 inch eminance deltas and my guess is that itll sound good too.

Emperors look cool and sound good, if you wanna pay for that, than Mr.Schnikes advide is perfect ( and so are the other companies he mentioned) , and its a bit cheaper than say an ENGL cab of same size. otherwise you can totally buy up a used craiglist cab with non blown and decent speakers and youll probably do fine. Check the charts online and look for speakers with your prefered frequency response. you current cab might sound awesome with a simple speaker swap. BUT if you are playing doom, buy like 2 more cabs to cover your ass and youll be fine

I agree with Wood Wizard, cabs are all essentially the same basic design and good build quality is shared by many a company. Also, just to clarify my earlier statement, Emperor stuff def looks like your standard fare from gutshots and I'm not claiming they revolutionized cab building/reinvented the wheel. But while they use the thick fronts, the sides and tops are thinner than usually used on most cabs I've owned and the things react similar to an acoustic chamber. Those shits resonate, a key aspect to their awesome sound when A/B'd against other cabs. In my experience at least.

I think it was Skip/Ancient and I discussing this here before but there's been times when moving my cabs while my buddies are banging away on bass/guitar/drums or whatever and the cab is vibrating like a MOFO in my hands, only cabs I've owned that reacted like that. There's probably others that are just as badass, I just haven't had the chance to play one yet.

Plus I'm a total sucker for how they look.

Here's my advice on speaker cabs.

Buy a cheap one with decent speakers.

When you get it home, take pics of the wiring scheme and how it all goes together and then gut it. Pull the speakers, wire, everything.

Mix up small batches of wood glue with HOT water. about 50/50.

Angle the cab so that the glue will seep into the joins one at a time. Use weights or something to apply pressure once its seeped in a bit.

get all 4 corners and any parts on the front that are joined with glue.

Let it sit 24 hours.

Take some cue tips and deoxit the speaker connections. Use some needle nose pliers to tighten up the female end connectors.

Get some insulation/ porous foam / old sweaters whatever. Use a staple gun to attach this all over the back and side of the cab.

Put everything back together and the cab will sound better than new.

When tightening down the speakers, not to tight, try to make them all the same. add some loctite to the screws after they are situated so they wont back out from vibration.

For all the wood bits that screw back together, add some CA glue to the holes with enough time to let it dry before reassembling. this will help them have some more bite into the wood if its worn out.


I think thats about it. This can make a HUGE difference in the sound. Like, night and day difference. If its old and beat up it'll add another 30 years of life to it.

Holy Schnikes wrote:I agree with Wood Wizard, cabs are all essentially the same basic design and good build quality is shared by many a company. Also, just to clarify my earlier statement, Emperor stuff def looks like your standard fare from gutshots and I'm not claiming they revolutionized cab building/reinvented the wheel. But while they use the thick fronts, the sides and tops are thinner than usually used on most cabs I've owned and the things react similar to an acoustic chamber. Those shits resonate, a key aspect to their awesome sound when A/B'd against other cabs. In my experience at least.

I think it was Skip/Ancient and I discussing this here before but there's been times when moving my cabs while my buddies are banging away on bass/guitar/drums or whatever and the cab is vibrating like a MOFO in my hands, only cabs I've owned that reacted like that. There's probably others that are just as badass, I just haven't had the chance to play one yet.

Plus I'm a total sucker for how they look.

Oh totally, I wasnt insinuating that you were calling them magic or anything. Ive only ever played one in person and it was very nice of course. although I didnt notice the resonance thing really. what in particular is different in thickness? they look to be 3/4 all the way around to me (didnt get to take it apart though). Feel free to PM me as well if you like, id like to hear more about your cabs without highjacking the thread too hard hahaha

fungalattack wrote:... I found this ampeg v4 4x12 for $175 OBO. Should I consider this?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/3799740658.html

I'd at least check that out. See if the guy'll let you play your head through it. That price is pretty good.

Even if nothing else, it's probably better than what you're playing through now and will hold you over until you can find what you really want.

There's also this:

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/3828762787.html

or this:

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/3823979605.html

i tried getting in touch with that dude about the v4 cab, never heard back.

i have a 80's peavey ported 4x12 that can get pretty bassy, i always wondered what it would sound like with a peavey 2x15

Probably pretty awesome. Especially if it has Black Widows in it.