So I picked up another Mesa Recto 2x12 cab last week from Gumtree. Clips in post 2.
I'd been looking for a while and the price was decent so I went for it. I was told that there were guitars there to test with so I didn't take my own. Annoyingly both his guitars had wiring problems - a Peavy Wolfgang he had lasted until I turned the volume pot slightly then it cut out, then his strat sounded very bright to me (and the tone pot did nothing until on 0). I also didn't turn it up very loud as he had a young kid there... I put my ear against the grill and it sounded like both speakers were making noise so I bought it. Outwardly it is mint.
Soon as I get it home, I realise A - Mesa have done two different shades of black Tolex at some point, and I've managed to get one of each, great. But more worryingly B - my old cab annihilated it when A/B'd. The guy said he'd never played it out of the house and had bought it ex demo from a closing store. I figured the reason it was bright at his house was his guitars, and the fact it might not be very broken in (my old cab has probably hundreds of hours at high volume). But yeah something was up, really obvious when the volume was cranked up a bit it felt like there was half the amount of bass I'd expect...
It didn't sound like phasing, but I decided to try the battery test anyway as step one in diagnosis before pulling it apart - right speaker cone moved, left basically didn't. Tested with a multimeter it was within range but it sounded terrible beyond whisper volume next to the other speaker and felt like it wasn't producing power. I checked the wiring and it was all correct and the cab tested within range (about 6.9 ohms IIRC). The cone of the speaker is a bit tough to the touch, doesn't exhibit the usual dull 'thud' when you touch a cone, sounds more like just tapping on card. So I think it might have been frozen? Either way it sounded rubbish despite checking out ok on the Multimeter so I've removed it and replaced it. I am annoyed that I cocked this up and didn't notice in the room but I genuinely thought it seemed ok at the volume I tried it at and genuinely thought it was the fault of the guitar. Things happen!
It gave me an excuse to order a H75 Creamback. So I may have spent more than I wanted to right away but I did want to try this anyway.
Quick test and the thump is back in the cab. Hurray!
So far I have a couple of hours of home volume in on the speaker. It sounds pretty cool from what I can tell. VS my old cab (two well broken in V30s) this cab is brighter, and a bit looser - which I didn't expect but maybe the H75 is looser than a V30? The H75/V30 cab also seems to have a bit more chewyness, and overall brightness to it. Feels flatter across the mids. It is a bit hard to tell as I'm always hearing it next to the V30, but the balance seems really good, and the balance vs the other cab is good too.
First big test will be rehearsal next week, but so far I'm pretty happy with it at home. I guess I'll update my impressions here after I've given it a spin at higher volume.
Comments
I shot two very quick demos with a Zoom iQ5 attached to an iPhone. These are roughly 2 feet away I think, though it looks closer because of how the iPhone sort of zooms in for videos vs pictures. Volume might be low, I don't know how to increase it from my phone. I've only just found out how to stop sending everyone iMessages, I'm still an iNoob.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I'm just going to write it off as a lesson learned, especially as I do like the outcome of the Creamback H so far.
It has made me realise just how dark I set my home tones though. The H75 seems to add a nice brightness to my home tones without being harsh, I'll have to experiment with finding a balance I like. I know it is silly but I like the colour too.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein