Cheap 212 vs Amazing 112?

[0rimus]

Just looking for something to run my Katana 100h through other than the 5" built in speaker. Though that little speaker does kick ass.

I was pretty set on getting the Marshall Code vertical 212, since it's super cheap $200-$250, and I've been wanting a vertical 212 forever.

But... YouTube guitarists and my fellow peers have REALLY been pressuring to up our speaker cabinet quality lately. Everything's got be super neatly joined, braced, solid birch or pine, none of that MDF or whatever.

So a Mesa Thiele 112 is almost twice as much, but it's a fucking Mesa, comes with a much nicer stock speaker (assuming here), and I know people rave about them here.

Plus it should fit the width of the Katana almost perfectly (Katana is almost exactly 18" wide and the Thiele is like 18 7/8" or something).
Plus even aesthetically the Thiele matches the Katana really well.

I'm probably gonna swap speakers regardless of whichever one I get, but I have a suspicion that the Marshall branded speakers are where they cut alot of the costs.

Not gigging currently, but if it could keep up with like a little drum kit, you know, little jams kinda deal. Mostly be a recording, home practice ho kinda cab. Not super loud.

Was also looking at that cool ass Mojotone slanted iso cabinet deal, but that's like $700 if I remember correctly...

TL;DR
Is it worth the extra scratch to get a Mesa Thiele over a cheapy vertical 212?

Any input or alternatives?

Thanks friends

 

[TheFireSky5150]

I think its dependant upon the head. I personally dont see purchasing an expensive cab for a solid state head. If you have a truly great head and really want the valve tone to sustain and flourish, thats when an expensive cab would come into play for me. All my opinion.

 

[erdiablo666]

Keep in mind a 112 won't be able to handle as much power as a 212. Example: one Celestion G12t-75 speaker can handle 75W. Two of them (as in a 212) can handle 150W. The Katana head has adjustable power output so that's not a huge deal, but if you want to blast loud at 100W through your 112 then you may end up damaging the speaker, depending on what it can handle.

 

[DarthV]

^^ Or damaging your ears

You could look for a good used 2x12 or go with a new non-premium badge, like Avatar or Port City? Last summer Avatar had their V30 loaded contemporary 2x12 for something like $350-400 shipped.

 

[Scordare]

I voted 2x12. If you're going anywhere near a band/jam situation you'll need the extra speaker..

 

[0rimus]

Well, the speaker I'd put in either cab would probably be the new Celestion Copperback at 250w, when that comes out. Or my tried and true Celestion TF1225e, which is a 300w PA speaker but sound fantastic for guitar. I also have a Celestion K100 and a V-Type laying around also.

Plus, the Code 212 is 100w, and the C90 Celestion the thiele comes with is 90w.

And the Katana head has a power scaling switch from 0.5w to 100w.

While I'd contest that the Katana sounds pretty good even with the 5" built in speaker, whatever cab I pick may also end up running a Satan 50w or a KSR Ares, or a Revv 7-40 in the near future.

So this cab will probably be running higher dollar tube amps in the future... though I'm not really sure if that's a valid point or not. Just wanna get great home tone outta the Katana for now.

 

[Wolfos]

Just looking for something to run my Katana 100h through other than the 5" built in speaker. Though that little speaker does kick ass.

I was pretty set on getting the Marshall Code vertical 212, since it's super cheap $200-$250, and I've been wanting a vertical 212 forever.

But... YouTube guitarists and my fellow peers have REALLY been pressuring to up our speaker cabinet quality lately. Everything's got be super neatly joined, braced, solid birch or pine, none of that MDF or whatever.

So a Mesa Thiele 112 is almost twice as much, but it's a fucking Mesa, comes with a much nicer stock speaker (assuming here), and I know people rave about them here.

Plus it should fit the width of the Katana almost perfectly (Katana is almost exactly 18" wide and the Thiele is like 18 7/8" or something).
Plus even aesthetically the Thiele matches the Katana really well.

I'm probably gonna swap speakers regardless of whichever one I get, but I have a suspicion that the Marshall branded speakers are where they cut alot of the costs.

Not gigging currently, but if it could keep up with like a little drum kit, you know, little jams kinda deal. Mostly be a recording, home practice ho kinda cab. Not super loud.

Was also looking at that cool ass Mojotone slanted iso cabinet deal, but that's like $700 if I remember correctly...

TL;DR
Is it worth the extra scratch to get a Mesa Thiele over a cheapy vertical 212?

Any input or alternatives?

Thanks friends

Dude just search around for the right used deal on a Mesa 2x12. I just got one last week for $300 Canadian so that's like $5 US. All because the rubber on the handle needed to be replaced! Best cab I've ever heard.

Edit: Go for the Revv! I just got my Generator 7-40 yesterday and it sounds beastly through that cab!!!

 

[budda]

In the US? Used avatar 212.

 

[0rimus]

Just to reiterate, any 212 I'd get would have to be vertical.

Been playing guitar for 15 years and I hate horizontal 212's. I'd rather go back to 412's at that point.

I know, I know, it's weird. But I just can't stand em.

My G-Flex 212 gets a pass because it's pretty tall and possesses sonic demons hitherto unknown in any guitar cab known to man...

But I also never move it lol. It's 90lbs mass is parked under my 80lbs Randall V2 never to be moved or gigged out for all eternity

 

[buriedoutback]

Edit : not vertical - sorry - turn it 90 degrees?

Mr Screamy-Pants (Glenn Fricker) on youtube highly recommends the harley bention 2x12 with celestions.
1400 reviews on thomann.
right now its on there for like $260

 

[0rimus]

Haha, yeah I thought about that, might mess with my ocd too much though.

Funny, I was about to make reference to that video. I preferred the Harley over the Mesa. Also his cheap head/expensive cab vs expensive head/cheap cab video...

Idunno, 212 is killing in votes so far. Maybe I'll take one for the team and try out that Code 212v with a speaker swap to see if it's a sleeper cab.

I'd only be out $200 lol

 

[buriedoutback]

Maybe I'll take one for the team and try out that Code 212v with a speaker swap to see if it's a sleeper cab.
I'd only be out $200 lol

I was a big fan of the old Marshall MG412 cabs way back before I discovered mesa 4x12 cabs - so maybe that Code 212v will be ok. keep us posted!

 

[buriedoutback]

ps. for like $285 (plus tax/etc) they have a harley benton 2x12 vertical with celestions on thomann ....

 

[0rimus]

Damn, that's a good shout. Was just looking at those a couple weeks ago and kinda forgot about em...

$240 + $35 for shipping isn't bad

Plus I've had a long standing hatred for V30's, listening to them on Youtube, friends' cabs, jamming at Guitar Center

It'd be interesting to see how they held up in my rig. Plus, those I could possibly resell... hmmmm

 

[buriedoutback]

Plus, those I could possibly resell... hmmmm

ya celestions sell for like $145 new!

 

[TedEH]

Between the original two options, I'd take the Mesa cab any day, but not if you're just going to rip out the speaker. I jam with a Mesa 1x12 regularly and have gigged with it- it sounds great to me. The C90 sounds great with some amps IMO, I definitely prefer it over v30s for some things. Also, in terms of power handling, it's worth keeping in mind that everything is not going to instantly explode because a 100w amp is sitting on a 90w speaker. The amp will only put out as much power as you make it via your volume knob. Don't crank your amp and nothing will be harmed, as far as I would imagine.

 

[bostjan]

I sound like a broken record, but my goto is a DIY Seismic lightweight open back cap with a pair of Lil Texas Neodymium speakers. I made a horizontal cab for better sound diffusion, but there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to affix the logo and install the feet such that the cab is oriented vertically instead, since all of the parts were a la carte.

Seriously, installing the grille, feet, crossover, wires, and speakers took about 10-15 minutes, and the whole thing cost me a couple hundred bucks. My cab weighs 20 pounds, no joke, and it sounds great.

A Thiele Mesa cab would probably sound better, but it'll cost 2.5x as much and weigh probably 3x as much, plus it'd only handle half the power and be half as loud with more of a beam-focused geometric sound response pattern.

If I had a little more organized woodworking space, I would have loved to have tried to cut my own plan, but, really, $80-100 worth of plywood, $30-40 worth of tolex, and still needing the feet and grille and crossover and speakers and wiring, and I likely would have paid more, when it was all said and done.

 

[0rimus]

Yeah, I'm surprised the Thiele didn't win in a landslide honestly.

Marshall doesn't say what the Code 212v is made out of, which makes me kinda nervous that it's MDF.

The Harley 212v says it's 16mm plywood, which I'd feel much better about putting a thousand plus dollar tube amp on. Plus the screwholes would be less likely to strip if I'm constantly swapping speakers...

Plus I'd be able to run a V30 in tandem with that K100 I have laying around, the quintessential metal speaker combo. Gain massive street cred lol.

Think we got a winner. Last time I ordered from Thomann it took like 3 months to get here, but I'm not in a rush.

 

[0rimus]

440 makes an unfinished empty vertical 212 for $129 I thought about getting and tolexing etc

But it was only 16" wide so the amp heads would be hanging off and that's no bueno

 

[Alex79]

2x12"
You can hear yourself better in the mix with more speaker membrane going on. 1x12" are more directional.