Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

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Guitarman555
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Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Guitarman555 » Sat Mar 06, 2021 1:47 am

What cab would you recommend? I wanna buy a vintage greenback G12 H or G12 M, and put it in to one of 1x12 Marshall cabs. Or another cab?
MODEL 1912 - 150W, 1-12 in. extension cab designed for use with the JCM900 1-12 in. combos, mfg. 1989-1998.

MODEL 1931A/1931B - 75W, 1-12 in. G12T75 speaker, angled cabinet, designed for use with the Model 3310, mfg. 1989-1991.

MODEL 1933 - 65W, 1-12 in.G12 65 speakers, extension cabinet designed for use with the JCM-800 Model 4010 and

Model 4210 1-12 in. combos, mfg. 1984-89.

MODEL 2053/2053B - 100W, 1-12 in. speaker, lead/organ application, extension cabinet sized for a 4-12 in. with flared "picture frame" cosmetics, 2053B has caster cups, mfg. 1972-73.

MODEL 2064/2064B - 100W, 1-12 in. Powercel speaker, lead/organ application, straight front, extension cabinet designed for use with full-sized heads, 2064B has castor cups, mfg. 1973-75.

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HarlowTheFish
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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Sun Mar 07, 2021 9:26 pm

For a Greenback, I'd say probably stick it in something deeper and a bit bigger that's either sealed or front-ported. The Mesa-Boogie Thiele cab would be a good one, IMO.

The Greenback's a bit bright, but it sounds really nice if you can balance it out -- a cab that puts out a bit more bass and low-mid, or (if it's mostly for recording) mics that do the same and can trim off a bit of that top end. Much as I like them, Creamback-y speakers are more my preference because they're a bit less fussy about the cab/mic, if I want that kind of vibe, or a V30 if it's going into a busy mix. What's the amp and use case? There's a ton of options out there that'll work better or worse depending on what you want to do with it.

Keep in mind too that if you're after the classic Greenback tone, it's the sound of four of them in a big-ass 4x12, and it's much harder to nail that in a smallish 1x12 with just the single speaker.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Guitarman555 » Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:26 pm

Hey, many thanks for your points. Well, meanwhile I paid 1931 from beginning of 90´s, with GT-75, that i will change. So maybe I shoud change it to Creamback, because as you said, Greenback would sound too on high frequences in the open back cab? I use Marshall PA 20, old one.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Guitarman555 » Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:33 pm

Well I tested the head with my Jensen 8ohm 50w speaker and in the Deluxe reverb box that is of course open, as all Fenders have, it has plenty of basses. So Greenback will be way different if it sounds to on high end in open back.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:17 pm

It's not that open-back cabs don't have plenty of low end -- I run an open and a semi-open 2x12 (the latter with higher-wattage Greenback-ish speakers) and they have plenty of low end. It's that, especially recorded, the low end you hear in the room can be a bit deceptive compared to when you have a mic in front of it. I can pretty much guarantee you this: you put that Greenback in a nice cab, use that PA20 and run a nice guitar into it, and you're gonna get some great tones. Whether they're the tones you want, as with anything else that's this subjective, I can't really say.

The caveat to this is that Greenbacks (IMO) are a touch looser in the low end, and that open-back cabs give you some great bass and dispersion in the room, but can lack a bit of focus when you have a mic up against the speaker. If you turn up the bass enough to get it sounding balanced through the mic, you run the risk of getting something that sounds kinda tubby in the room and can get a bit flubby especially with some gain (and, again IMO, getting a nice balanced sound that's as close to what you want to hear in a mix straight from the source is the best way to go about it).

Heck, one of my favorite tones is a Greenback-loaded AC15 (all the ones I've played have been open-back) running hot, but I'd always want some pre-EQ from an OD or compressor to tighten it up, and my idea of a balanced sound is pretty lean in the bass. It's not like you're gonna be wasting your money, because if you just have a vintage Greenback kicking around, it's not exactly hard to pick up a 1x12 that will balance it out if it doesn't work out for you in your 1931 cab.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Guitarman555 » Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:35 am

Ac15 seems to have similar open space range at the back as 1931, so maybe it will work well too.
Buy following you mean that it would be worth to buy another 1x12 cab that would be closed to balance out the sound right?
"It's not like you're gonna be wasting your money, because if you just have a vintage Greenback kicking around, it's not exactly hard to pick up a 1x12 that will balance it out if it doesn't work out for you in your 1931 cab."

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:30 pm

Guitarman555 wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:35 am
Ac15 seems to have similar open space range at the back as 1931, so maybe it will work well too.
Buy following you mean that it would be worth to buy another 1x12 cab that would be closed to balance out the sound right?
"It's not like you're gonna be wasting your money, because if you just have a vintage Greenback kicking around, it's not exactly hard to pick up a 1x12 that will balance it out if it doesn't work out for you in your 1931 cab."
If you stick the Greenback in the 1931 and you don't like it, you still have a great speaker and a solid cab -- the speaker can go into another cab that will suit it better, and the 1931 can get a speaker that works well in it.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Guitarman555 » Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:35 pm

I see, ok, sounds reasonable. I am still on my hunt for greenback but no success yet, too overprised. Btw what year of Creamback would you recommend, they seems more affordable..

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:10 pm

Guitarman555 wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:35 pm
I see, ok, sounds reasonable. I am still on my hunt for greenback but no success yet, too overprised. Btw what year of Creamback would you recommend, they seems more affordable..
I like the modern Neo Creambacks. They're 60W but stay clean pretty much the whole way up, and in general I find neodymium speakers to respond more to my liking, a bit drier. I'm no speaker connoisseur, mind you, I'll use whatever as long as it sounds nice and breaks in okay.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Guitarman555 » Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:49 am

I found Celestion G12H30, Pulsonic cone, greenback speakers from 1972, reference T1976, 16 ohm, for a good price, around 160 EUR. This type T1976 was not used in Marshalls but in Armstrong. T1976 is a G12H Celestion greenback model often found in old Laney supergroup, Laney klipp, and Dan Armstrong cabinets. It has a 75Hz cone and silver dust cap.
Maybe this is an inferior Greenback, or do you think it can be same quality like classic Greenback T1221 and the famous ones?

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Larsongs » Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:26 pm

A Vox AC-15.... A Celestion Alnico Blue is even better..

If you had 4 I would have said Marshall......

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:19 pm

Larsongs wrote:
Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:26 pm
A Vox AC-15.... A Celestion Alnico Blue is even better..

If you had 4 I would have said Marshall......
Ehhh I dunno man, I like the Blues a tiny bit better for cleans, not that the Greenback's a slouch there, but for anything mid-gain and up it's not even a contest -- I like the Greenback waaaay more.
Guitarman555 wrote:
Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:49 am
I found Celestion G12H30, Pulsonic cone, greenback speakers from 1972, reference T1976, 16 ohm, for a good price, around 160 EUR. This type T1976 was not used in Marshalls but in Armstrong. T1976 is a G12H Celestion greenback model often found in old Laney supergroup, Laney klipp, and Dan Armstrong cabinets. It has a 75Hz cone and silver dust cap.
Maybe this is an inferior Greenback, or do you think it can be same quality like classic Greenback T1221 and the famous ones?
Honestly, I couldn't really tell you. I see Greenback, and I'm pretty happy, especially if it's broken in -- these really need to be IMO.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Guitarman555 » Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:46 am

"happy, especially if it's broken in -- these really need to be IMO." - you mean that any greenback is fine, right?

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Sat Mar 13, 2021 8:09 am

Guitarman555 wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:46 am
"happy, especially if it's broken in -- these really need to be IMO." - you mean that any greenback is fine, right?
For me, yes. I don't have bat ears or anything, and I'm not the pickiest, but every Greenback I've played has been pretty great.

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Re: Which 1x12 cab is the best for vintage Greenback?

Post by Logrinn » Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:39 am

Have a look at what Zilla cabs offers and also their many shootouts between different model speakers in different cabs. Highly recommended.
https://youtu.be/imhUIixVrLs

I recently ordered a Fatboy from them. Put two different Jensen speakers in it and together with the Greenback in my AC15HW it sounds massive.

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