anyone using randall cabs, what?s the difference inbetween..

....XL Series and MTS Series. ( Celestion V30)

Also I would like to know about experiences with 2x12" and 4x12" boxes.

I?m using a Laney 4x12" Cab (Gs412LA) with my Randall RM100M amp but I?m not really happy about this. So I think to try some other cabinbets !

..using 1086, XTC and Blackface Modul
...washburn N4 guitar
...Line 6 pod pro effekts and preampsounds swiched with a midi looper in the FX-way.

I have the 2x12 MTS cab. I've A-B'd it against a Mesa cab and a Marshall cab and a Genz Benz G-Flex cab. I tried all four cabs side-by-side, one after the other. The MTS cab sounded better than every one of these cabs (fuller, louder, more "hi-fi"), BUT...the G-Flex produced more low end.

I bought a new Randall V2 head recently and this head puts out more bass than any head I've ever had. In fact, it puts out more lows than the MTS cab can handle unless I remove the top/back panel.

With that said, I may end up selling my MTS cab and buying a G-Flex.

I love the sound MTS series cabs. I own the 412CB and I played thru the 2x12 once with impressive results. Both are clear and focused. I AB'd the MTS cab against a friend's oversized Mesa and the MTS reigned supreme by a long shot.

Only gripe - The casters are suffice for the weight of the cabinet but once you throw a heavy-as-hell MTS series amp on top, your mobility is limited and you risk having the whole thing topple over (almost happened to me). Also, I did between 70 and 80 shows with mine last year and the wheels are not nearly road-worthy enough as they started to become stiff and eventually fell off en route to a gig.

This was a blessing in disguise though because I upgraded and got some heavy duty quality casters that work like a charm and can trudge thru anything which comes in handy during a Detroit winter. Bottom line - The MTS cabs sound great but save yourself the hassle and replace the wheels before you're forced to.

ok, this opinions sounds very well

I?m going to find a dealer where I could check this out and A-B?d it

so far,

grex

I own a Randall RS412XLT and a Marshall 1960BV, and a Marshall 1960 BHW...I used to own a GB G-Flex and 2 Ear Candy Buzz Bombs.

The 2x12 cabs just flat cant hold a candle to the 4x12's...they sound like your playing in a sewer tube or something. IMO, 2x12's are a joke for rock music...4x12 with casters arent that much heavier and because of the casters, I think the 4x12's are easier to transport. FWIW, the Ear Candy's sounded terrible IMO...the GB was OK, but still didnt hold a candle to any 4x12 I own.

I find at gigging volumes that the Randall XLT cab is a bit more punchy and tight. Still, I prefer the airy, crunchy quality of the Marshall better for my vintage rock preference. At low levels, I like the Marshall much better...the Randall seems fuzzy at low levels...that could be becuase the Marshall has a lot of miles on it and the speakers are broken in while the Randall is fairly new and the speakers are a bit tight at this point. For the money, its hard to beat a used Marshall IMO...you can pickup a used 1960B with the V30's in it for $500.

The difference between the MTS and the XL cabs is that the MTS is a slightly less expensive cab (I think its slightly cheaper wood...11 ply vs. 13 thus the lighter weight)...the XL cabs are Randalls top of the line...still, for the money a used 4x12 will get you more bang for the buck. Check out Craigslist in your local area...if you can find a used but not abused Marshall or a Mesa (traditional cab not the Recto cab), you'd be money ahead and have a great cab.

I thought the MTS cabs are the top-of-the-line and the XL are a bit cheaper. Hmmm...

And for what it's worth, most of the Marshall cabs I've seen are made of cheap particle board, NOT plywood.

According to the Randall Website, the XL cabs are the professional line of cabs and made with 11 ply...the MTS are for the modular stuff and made with the cheaper 7 ply ...my Randall rep told me that the top of the line cabs are the XL cabs.

Why no love for Marshal? Their cabs find themselves on more touring musicians back line than all the other cabs combined. It is true that the back of the newer 1960 cabs are particle board, but that's easy to fix (Mojo music supply)...or just leave them alone, they still sound better than most other 4x12's IMO. but again, I tend to lean towards appreciating the open, airy, dry crunchy tones vs. the woody, compressed, juicy tones. I do think Randall builds a tighter cab that is more compressed and woody sounding...so if thats your preference, the Randall will fit the bill.

But I'll tell you what: I'd put my 1960 Hand Wired Marshall cabinet up against any cab in the world...including Bogner, Orange, Mesa (all of whom I demo'd side by side with the Marshall before I bought it). BTW, the hand-wired cab has a wood back, hand soldered connections and Celestion Heritage series speakers. I bought one BRAND NEW for $950 (these normally retail for a $1200 but you can easily get your dealer to go $1000)...I paid $800 for my Randall XL cab...tell me the Marshall isnt worth an extra $150-$200? Hell, the speakers alone sell for $200 a piece. Like I said, I'll put my hand wired Marshall cab up against any cab in the world and beat it for clarity, punch, build quality, and most importantly, tone.

I'm not sure why Marshall cabs get bad reviews...I avoided them for that reason unitl 6 months ago...now my entire back line is entirely Marshall (a 1960 BV and 1960 BHW). I only use my Randall at home for practice...never gig with it...dont get me wrong the Randall is a fine cab, but for the money, Marshall has better tone IMO...and if you ever try to re-sell your Randall...good luck...I doubt you'll get $300 for it (I've tried to sell mine twice now and cant unload it). The Marshall on the other hand will have a better re-sale value and have a much higher demand if you decide to sell.

Bottom line: I think its a matter or tone preference...if you like a woody, compressed, focused, honky, juicy tone then Randall is the ****. If you like airy, crunchy, open, expansive tones then Marshall is the ticket. Different strokes for different folks...tone is so subjective.

I gotta and old Green Marshall 1960 cab. I wish I could find out when it was made. It sounds great with my rm100. Some dude sold it to me for $350 bucks and it looks old It has limited edition logo on the bottom corner instead of the 1960a logo. I gotta a Randall cab I am going to put some eminence texas heats in and see how that sounds...

any cab wth v-30s in it rules for these amps.

I don't think Randall makes a 2x12 XL cab. Just MTS.

I was looking at their catalog last night. It looks like the MTS series cabs offer the 2x12. I really like the idea of that Neodymium 2x12! Wonder how it sounds.

kewlpack said:

I was looking at their catalog last night. It looks like the MTS series cabs offer the 2x12. I really like the idea of that Neodymium 2x12! Wonder how it sounds.

Click to expand...

I have one of the 2x12 MTS cabs with the Neodymium speakers. I like it...the cab itself is quite big for a 2x12, but with those speakers it is really not very heavy at all. As far as the sound goes, it seems to have a bit of a hi-fi sound...I think it works well if you play with FX and want to hear the subtlties of the FX. Guys who like more of a classic rock type sound will want to go with the V30 version of that cab.

Has anyone tried the cabinet simulator/mic eliminator outputs on the Randall cabinets? They do sound really good. Quite a few bands are using them instead of live mics with great results.

We've been using them live for about a year now. They sound great.

I agree with Spiderfingers that V30's sound best with the modular equipment. Over the past few months I've been A/Bing V30's, Greenbacks (G12M) 25 watters, G12T-75's, Heritage G12H30's and the Marshall Vintage speakers...to my ear, the V30's sound best with this cab. I dont care for the V30 with my other amps, but with the Modular stuff, they sound the best. I hope to try out some Lead 80's, standard G12H30's and the new Heritage G12M's with the equipment in the near future.

Bruce, I havent tried the built in mic eliminator...yet. I'm using my Switchblade to split the signal internally in my rack and then I send one to the Dry out on the VHT and one to the Wet out...but, some day I hope to get my hands a few different mic pre's and try out the mic eliminator circuit to do my W/D setup. For live play I just have the sound guy mic one dry speaker and one wet speaker...I wouldnt mind retro-fitting my Marshalls with the mic eliminator...thats a part that could sell well separately IMO...I bet there would be several live players that would retro fit their live cabs with one.

I have a MTS 4x12 with V30s and i really like it.

I bought this cab with a RM100 on eBay a last year and was planning on using the cab built-in mic eliminator but my cab wasn't equiped with this feature .

The head has tubes that are dated 2003 if i remember and head and cab were bought at the same time i believe, so maybe that feature was not offered at that time.

I wonder if anybody knows, as Photios metioned, if there is a possibility to get the mic eliminator from Randall as an upgrade ???
I'd be interested for sure !