Whats the best cabinet using 5150 II heads?

[Froception]

I've heard Orange, Vader, Mesa 4 x 12's are all great. I play a Peavey 5150 series II with a Boss SD-1 pedal and a Boss NS-2 pedal. Your thoughts?

 

[danenachtrieb]

you hit the nail on the head with those three. i'd hold out and grab the cheapest one of the three whenever you get a good deal. i was hellbent on getting a vader cab but the orange came around for cheap so i grabbed it. been very happy with it. but id say mesa, orange, and vader are all in the same league and you'll be very happy with any of them.

 

[Collapse]

I use the old style Mesa Half back cabs which are perfect with the 5150 II

 

[MF_Kitten]

i´d say orange over mesa if you´re using v30s, but vader uses eminence, so i wouldn´t know about that one.

 

[poopyalligator]

I have got a 6505+ which is basically the same thing, and use it with a mesa recto 4x12 cab and it sounds great.

 

[Leuchty]

MESA 412.

 

[loktide]

the best cabs i've heard a 5150 through are an orange 412 and a recto 412. the orange cab project really well and has a fast, and extremely precise bass response. i would say the recto sounds deeper and with more low-mids, along with a rounder, slower bass response.

 

[Vstro]

I think it depends on the sound you want. I can't speak for the Orange cab but to me the Mesa and Vaders both have a distinctly different tone. They both sound great, its just what sound you like more.

 

[Groff]

I played mine through a Marshall 1960A 4x12 when I first got it (at my techs house when he was fixing it up).

I have yet to hear a better tone come from that amp. And my 4x12 with Swamp Thangs is pretty damn good!

 

[budda]

it's entirely a preference thing - go and test out as many cabs as you can.

 

[155]

mesa 412

 

[matttttYCE]

As Groff mentioned that his sounded best through the 1960A, I'd recommend trying out a cab with a pair G12T-75s (what the 1960As have in them stock) and pair of V30s, like the Bogner Uberkab, if you can find one. I've played a 6505+ through a Mesa oversized with this setup (speakers in an "X" configeration) and it sounded AMAZINGLY sick!

 

[zimbloth]

It's about the speakers and cab design more so than the brand name. I would avoid GT75s as they're very scooped. If thats what you're after, cool. Personally I think they're meh. Same with V30s, although 5150s tend to be good matches for V30 cabs there are still better options out there IMO.

 

[Andii]

Anything with v30's will sound great. I use the 6505+ with 2 mesa rec. std. straight cabs and I like it a lot.

 

[MFB]

Anything with v30's will sound great. I use the 6505+ with 2 mesa rec. std. srtaight cabs and like it a lot.

I wouldn't say 'anything mesh's with V30's", today we mixed a VHT Deliverance 60 with my V30 loaded Avatar cab and it was a bit fuzzy but still slayed

 

[Andii]

I wouldn't say 'anything mesh's with V30's", today we mixed a VHT Deliverance 60 with my V30 loaded Avatar cab and it was a bit fuzzy but still slayed

He has a 5150II. I sort of feel like your experience with the vht is irrelevant in one or more ways.

 

[zimbloth]

I wouldn't say 'anything mesh's with V30's", today we mixed a VHT Deliverance 60 with my V30 loaded Avatar cab and it was a bit fuzzy but still slayed

Yeah, not to sound like a broken record but V30s are blues/classic rock speakers that IMO have been holding generations of guitarists back from getting the most out of their amps. However, one of the few amps V30s are a good match with is the 5150. For whatever reason those two mesh well together, but there are still other cabs way more flattering.

V30s are alright but they don't hold up as well as others when being pushed. Very loose bass response, honky mids and harsh highs. Compared to Peavey speakers they sound killer, but when you A/B V30 cabs to more metal-friendly speakers out there it's night and day.

All that said, a Mesa v30 cab isn't a bad choice for the 5150 II. You could do a LOT worse, but I'd still dig deeper and find an alternative.

PS: I'm talking about in a live environment. In the studio that's a whole other story.

 

[MFB]

I find the V30's to mesh well with my Mark III but I've also always been huge on the tone of people who've used them so it's natural to me. V30's to me are probably like you to the VHT/Freyette Eminence custom's (I'm assuming your cabs are still stocks and that they're matching to your head)

Not making this sound like a pissing match - just stating opinions and such

Like Nick said - you could do a LOT worse, but I'd say just take your 5150 II down to a store and play with different cabs

 

[matttttYCE]

Yeah, not to sound like a broken record but V30s are blues/classic rock speakers that IMO have been holding generations of guitarists back from getting the most out of their amps. However, one of the few amps V30s are a good match with is the 5150. For whatever reason those two mesh well together, but there are still other cabs way more flattering.

V30s are alright but they don't hold up as well as others when being pushed. Very loose bass response, honky mids and harsh highs. Compared to Peavey speakers they sound killer, but when you A/B V30 cabs to more metal-friendly speakers out there it's night and day.

All that said, a Mesa v30 cab isn't a bad choice for the 5150 II. You could do a LOT worse, but I'd still dig deeper and find an alternative.

PS: I'm talking about in a live environment. In the studio that's a whole other story.

So Zim, what speakers would you recommend? You mention that there are other cabs/speakers that could be alot better but don't give us any examples...so what are they? haha What would be some suggestions to try out with the 5150?

 

[zimbloth]

I find the V30's to mesh well with my Mark III but I've also always been huge on the tone of people who've used them so it's natural to me. V30's to me are probably like you to the VHT/Freyette Eminence custom's (I'm assuming your cabs are still stocks and that they're matching to your head)

Not making this sound like a pissing match - just stating opinions and such

Like Nick said - you could do a LOT worse, but I'd say just take your 5150 II down to a store and play with different cabs

I was used to them too. I had a Mesa 4x12 w/ V30s for 8 years. Then I heard other speakers which completely destroyed them and I moved on. Tone is subjective, but there are some things that are measurable/obvious (tightness, clarity, harshness, mids being honky and abrasive, questionable power handling, etc).

I'm not saying people who love V30s are wrong. I just think -most- people who love them probably haven't tried out a lot of good alternatives. And I don't blame them. Sadly V30s have become the 'industry standard' so most high-end cabs come loaded with them. You have to go out of your way sometimes to find better ones.

So Zim, what speakers would you recommend? You mention that there are other cabs/speakers that could be alot better but don't give us any examples...so what are they? haha What would be some suggestions to try out with the 5150?

Obviously I love the Eminence built speakers that Steven Fryette designed in his cabinets. I also really like CL80s, G12K100s, Mesa/Boogie 'Black Shadow' speakers, various other Eminence models, etc.