Cabinet Type for the AFD 100 and VM

[Vavoom]

I have just recently purchased to great Marshall Heads: The AFD 100 and the VM 100. I love em both. However, I have not been able to get good sounds from them (and I know they are in there) from my current cabs.....until now. The two cabs I currently have been using are:
Handwired Straight Cab 4x12 loaded with a mix of GT-75's and V-30's. These are 16ohm speakers. Other cab is 1960Lead 4x12 with GT-75's these are 16ohm speakers also. I don't think my problem is in the speakers. I think it is the ohm rating. For some reason, 16ohm speakers sound to thin and tinny for me. Just for the heck of it I played my VM and AFD 100 through a Mesa Boogie 1x12 C-90 Black Widow speaker cabinet. It fuc$ing rocked!! Holy sh!t ! I could hear all my bass come back, all the note articulation. Night and Day difference. This cabinet was an 8 ohm cabinet. Well I decided to try an experiment...a 540.00 one. I bought an Avatar 4x12 cab loaded with 8ohm 25 watt greenbacks. I should get it maybe tomorrow. I'll let you guys know what it sounds like. I never really played through 16 ohm cabs until I came upon the ones I currently have now owned for a few years. I just don't like them compared to the similar 8 ohm cabs I have played through.

Any thoughts on 8ohm vs 16?

[335guy]

That is a question that I also had. The mathematics may indicate no difference. I wonder what some of the guys here that have had experience would have to say.

[surfnorthwest]

The ohms you operate under is not making the big sonic differences you think it is although it will make a slight difference.

I find running 16 ohm cabs yield a smoother tone at high volumes. When it comes to tube amps the speakers and cabinets used makes a big difference. The type of construction of the cabinet, the wood used, the thickness of the wood used, and of course the speakers used all play into the overall sound and tone experience of your amp. I am going to assume you matched the ohms on the back of your new amps to the same ohms of the cabinets you were sampling and not operating under a ohms mismatch.

I am not a fan of Marshall's 1960A or B cabinets that come stock with G12T-75 speakers, to my ears they are very muddy cabinets. But many players do like them and many pro players use them so again this is all subjective. In fact speakers and cabinets are just as subjective to players as amps are, I think you are finding this out.

Marshall makes some great cabinets though and the 1960AX/BX cabinets or the 425A/B cabinets are my favorites. If you can swing the cost the Marshall Handwired series cabinet are the best, 1960AHW/BHW.
You can research and read many topics on the forum in the speaker section.

The Avatar cabinet you have coming is a good one, Avatar makes very good cabinets, their Contemporary Series cabinets are the best sounding cabs I have heard for metal and hard rock. However you bought it as a 8 ohm cabinet which is fine BUT make sure both of your amps are set to 8 ohms on the back when using the cab. You may prefer the bass tightness the cab offers running at 8 ohms. Also be aware that if you ever decide to operate another 4x12 cabinet it also will have to be a 8 ohm cabinet and your amps will have to be set to 4 ohms. So you sort of limited yourself.

The Greenbacks are my favorite with the VM, cannot speak for the AFD but others will chime in.

[slash-ed]

The VM just doesn't like G12-75s, that's a fact!

[maxamus]

Im in the same boat as you guys i finally got my AFD100 and must say from the hour ive spent playing it its a amazing amp.At the moment i have only been able to try it through my avt50 combo speaker which i changed to a Classic lead 80s and it does sound pretty good but im looking at all other options V30s,G12h30,Gm25s etc.Is there really a big difference in sound as the V30s and the classic lead sound very similar from what ive heard mainly youtube vids, im having alot of trouble deciding which cab to buy and the prices here in Australia are shocking most cabs start at $1100 so i need to get the right one as im not cash up after getting my AFD.If anyone can give me some suggestions i would greatly appreciate it.Cheers

[kissfanps]

It is definitely not the ohms. It is this speakers you dont like and mostly likely its the GT-75's. They sound like absolutely piss with the VM and I would imagine its the same with AFD. The reason you liked the Mesa cabinet was because it is a different speaker, not because it was rated at 8 ohms. You will love the Greenbacks with both these amps. First off the VM and the Greenbacks were made for each other. Second, they will warm up the tone of the AFD.

I am going to assume that you haven't really played through 4x12s before the ones you have. Generally speaking, 4x12s are rated at 16 ohms.

[Vavoom]

It is definitely not the ohms. It is this speakers you dont like and mostly likely its the GT-75's. They sound like absolutely piss with the VM and I would imagine its the same with AFD. The reason you liked the Mesa cabinet was because it is a different speaker, not because it was rated at 8 ohms. You will love the Greenbacks with both these amps. First off the VM and the Greenbacks were made for each other. Second, they will warm up the tone of the AFD.

I am going to assume that you haven't really played through 4x12s before the ones you have. Generally speaking, 4x12s are rated at 16 ohms.

I disagree. I think there is a sonic difference with the ohm ratings on speakers. At least to my ears. Especially at lower volumes then say large club volumes. Surf mentioned the smoother sound from 16ohm speakers at louder volumes and I would not doubt that statement. Also, having two 16ohm cabs together (which I rarely ever do) would be a thought to get a good sound from these monster amps.

I have played through at least 50 or more 4x12 cabs in ALL configurations. And have heard differences with cabs that had the same speakers, wattages and so forth. You will get guys that swear by 16ohm and others with 8ohms. My observation is almost EVERYONE and their brother are putting out 8ohm cabs.

I'm hitting on a very subjective area here. I heard that Eric Johnson prefers 8ohm speakers configurations also....but then, again, he can hear the difference of a vintage and non vintage dog whistle.....

After I get my Avatar cab (tomorrow), I'll submit a review on it and how it sounds through the AFD and VM. Also, I'll try and get a sound clip comparison on here and compare the following speakers (isolated with an SM57)

V30 16 ohm
GT75 16 ohm
Gm25 8ohm (Greenback)
C90 8ohm (Blackwidow)

I'll buy some 8ohm speakers sometime and add them to the shootout.

I'm not surprised some guys on this site have many cabs, like Surf. I think he has 6?? I wish I had 20 or so with a big a/b/c/d/e/......switch!!

[surfnorthwest]

I'm not surprised some guys on this site have many cabs, like Surf. I think he has 6?? I wish I had 20 or so with a big a/b/c/d/e/......switch!!

What I learned when I tested all different types of speakers for myself because I was tired of listening to opinions of others, was that the speakers and cabinets make a big difference. I have six cabs all with different speakers. It is wonderful to have these tone options when chasing a certain tone.

1960BX - G12M-25
1960AX - G12H-30
1960BX - G12M- Heritage
425A - G12C
425B - Vin30s
Carvin Legacy - Lead 80s

[edhead]

the afd100 was designed or voiced with v30's in mind...so to get the true "intended" sound of the afd100...it'd be best to use v30's.

that said...the afd100 really smooths out if you use gb's. (more of a vintage vibe) the 1960bhw with g12h30 heritage is kinda like a mix betwen the v30 and gb's.

personally...i find the afd100 sounding best with v30's.

[kissfanps]

It is very subjective like you said. You're test however has too many extra variables to definitively say that it was ohm rating and not the speakers themselves. You would really need to get yourself a 1960 with 8 ohm GT-75s and then compare that to the 16 ohm cabinet you have. It's just poor scientifc method really to say that the you don't like the cabinet because of the ohm rating when you are comparing it to a 1x12 with a completely different speaker. It's not even apples and oranges, but more like apples and a cheeseburger - two totally different things.

I do think you are going to love your new avatar, but again you won't be able to definitively say that you like it better because of the ohm rating. You will be comparing two very sonically different speakers.

I have no doubt that there are sonic differences between an 8 ohm and a 16 ohm speaker. And although I can't say the following with any first hand knowledge, but I would venture to guess that the differences are not all that drastic.

[Slashwannabe1]

the afd100 was designed or voiced with v30's in mind...so to get the true "intended" sound of the afd100...it'd be best to use v30's.

You're wrong actually Every record Slash plays on features his 100 watt Greenback 4x12 cab EVEN Appetite For Destruction, so why would it be voiced for V30s? it wasn't because Greenbacks were the ticket for his recorded tone.

Heres Slash's thing...

Greenbacks in the Studio, for that nice break up tone.

Vintage 30s Live, for more power.



Its a common misconception that Slash uses only Vintage 30s but it makes sense once you think about it and then compare the records to live and the typical tone of Greenbacks vs Vintage 30s. I'm pretty sure if you go back and listen to some live & recorded stuff you'll say right away thats gotta be Greenbacks on the records. This is not me blowing smoke either, it was confirmed by Adam Day his tech of many years. :)

I'm in the hunt for a 100 watt Greenback 4x12 (Hopefully a purple 425A) cab and a Vintage 30 cab, the cab I have now has rebranded V30s (the Celestion Rock Driver) but its factory sealed by H&K for a heavier tone.

[maxamus]

the afd100 was designed or voiced with v30's in mind...so to get the true "intended" sound of the afd100...it'd be best to use v30's.

I think that this means that the AFD100 was designed to sound like the AFD album and in getting that sound the were using V30s so everytime slash tried out the amp he would use the v30s and they would adjust the amps specks to work with those speakers.The original amp Slash used for the album was just a normal marshall design to sound however the owner like it,So one was made to sound a specific way and the other was just a amp that slash turned into a Legend.I think if Slash had both amps and had the same settings on both and run them through the same cabs say v30s they would sound different.

[Slashwannabe1]

the afd100 was designed or voiced with v30's in mind...so to get the true "intended" sound of the afd100...it'd be best to use v30's.

I think that this means that the AFD100 was designed to sound like the AFD album and in getting that sound the were using V30s so everytime slash tried out the amp he would use the v30s and they would adjust the amps specks to work with those speakers.The original amp Slash used for the album was just a normal marshall design to sound however the owner like it,So one was made to sound a specific way and the other was just a amp that slash turned into a Legend.I think if Slash had both amps and had the same settings on both and run them through the same cabs say v30s they would sound different.

Why are you still talking about Vintage 30s? I told you Adam Day (Slash's tech) said Greenbacks for his recorded tones!, thats LAW Slash obviously knowing which cab he's always used for recording would take that into account when designing the AFD100.

Vintage 30s are used Live, There maybe might be a few times where he's used Vintage 30s for odd ball recordings or sounds but AFD,UYI 1&2,S.I Snakepit & VR are Greenback driven tones. I think Gtrman would agree.

I really appreciate seeing another dedicated Slash fan on the forum though, we're all brothers

[Hellhound]

It seems to me that it's the 1x12 that created the tone you prefer, not the ohm rating.

How's the Avatar bearing up?

[Mats A]

I got a 425 cab and i think the AFD doesn´t sound so good with it. It sounds better with my V 30 cab. But my JVM sounds real good with my 425 cab.