replace Marshall cab spkrs with 4x12 bass NEOs?

G

GGman

Oct 17, 2008
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#1
Has anyone ever installed four 12" NEO speakers for a bass amp setup in some old Marshall 4x12 cabinets? Slant and straight cabs for a traditional stack. I have thought about doing this for a long time. I see some old Marshall 4x12 cabs for sale at less than $200. Is it possible to also tune the cabs with an additional port for bass guitar. I would also add some bracing and new carpenters glue around all internal joints. Call me crazy, but I even thought about finding an old Marshall head and putting a new class D amp inside it to get around 1000 watts out to all those eight NEO speakers.
 
#4
It may be alright to retrofit them, but do the work first.... Run the numbers before you buy anything. Find out the exact dimensions for the cab. Marshall 412 cabs have many different sizes. Some are quite large and may have the right internal dims. MF cabs are pretty big IIRC.
 
#5
Yes, the old stacks were mostly for guitarists. But there were also some bass players that used Marshall 4x12 stacks. Jack Bruce in Cream, Noel Redding in The Jimi Hendrix Experience, David Bowie's bassist in The Spyders From Mars, The Free, etc. Marshall recently did have a stack that was made for bass guitar. It was a 4x12 stack with a 400 watt tube amp. It is also very expensive. That is why I was thinking of putting the 12" NEO bass speakers inside the very low cost for the used guitar 4x12 cabs. I am just trying to achieve that old look of the Marshall stacks, but new technology inside.
 
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#6
Box winds up kinda small for 4 12s. Might do better doing 2 12s and cover the holes and port it, maths, keeps the look. Better dispersion too. Depending on speakers, might work sealed, but most neos are engineered to suit ported cabs. Pretty compromised compared to doing a proper cab design though.
 
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#7
it's possible, some eminence neos work well in sealed cab. but yah you wanna brace that front baffle pretty good. And add some damping material. a lot people gonna scream bout this lol. there's enough airspace and some of the straight cabs are pretty deep. I wouldn't try a slant cab. just cause it's 2piece baffle and be weak for bass.
 
#8
Foxen, that's a good idea, two 12" NEO's per cab. Also saves a lot of money for buying those Neo's. It's the nostalgic look I was thinking about. I wanted to see if anyone else has ever done it before.
 
#10
yeah definitely a 2x15 in a guitar style 27" to 29" wide form factor has been done by fender and Randall and few others.
I really like the old Randall and even Yamaha wide 2x15 they kept it vertical and have huge reflex horn ports
 
#11
GGman said:
Yes, the old stacks were mostly for guitarists. But there were also some bass players that used Marshall 4x12 stacks. Jack Bruce in Cream, Noel Redding in The Jimi Hendrix Experience, David Bowie's bassist in The Spyders From Mars, The Free, etc. Marshall recently did have a stack that was made for bass guitar. It was a 4x12 stack with a 400 watt tube amp. It is also very expensive. That is why I was thinking of putting the 12" NEO bass speakers inside the very low cost for the used guitar 4x12 cabs. I am just trying to achieve that old look of the Marshall stacks, but new technology inside.
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The late '60s Marshall 4x12 cabs were designated 1935A slant 1935B straight and said Bass in left upper corner. The guitar cabs were 1960A or 1960B. No word in upper left corner. The 100w cabs said 100 in upper left corner and were 1982A or 1982B.
 
#12
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GGman said:
Yes, the old stacks were mostly for guitarists. But there were also some bass players that used Marshall 4x12 stacks. Jack Bruce in Cream, Noel Redding in The Jimi Hendrix Experience, David Bowie's bassist in The Spyders From Mars, The Free, etc. Marshall recently did have a stack that was made for bass guitar. It was a 4x12 stack with a 400 watt tube amp. It is also very expensive. That is why I was thinking of putting the 12" NEO bass speakers inside the very low cost for the used guitar 4x12 cabs. I am just trying to achieve that old look of the Marshall stacks, but new technology inside.
Click to expand...

yes I've done it, but with ceramics
reloaded ampeg guitar V4B straight cabs with eminence gamma 12a2 they don't make those speakers anymore. And by the way I too thought Noel Redding was using Marshall. he used sunn 2000s bass head and matching 2000s 2x15 cabs
 
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#13
Man. Those Cabs sound fantastic just as they are with a bass amp. They amazingly can handle a ton of power. At least the one I played through did.
 
#15
Mr. Foxen said:
Other way to have real good cabs is rearrange a Dually style to the format, 2x15, and get the volume from front to back depth. You lose some of the dispersion benefits and need to rejig the bracing, but has the look once done up.
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a friend of mine who also plays bass did that back in the 70's. He used two straight cabs with jbl 15's stage left and right while the guitar player used two slant cabs with the stock 4x12's.
 
#16
BogeyBass said:
View attachment 841838 View attachment 841839

yes I've done it, but with ceramics
reloaded ampeg guitar V4B straight cabs with eminence gamma 12a2 they don't make those speakers anymore. And by the way I too thought Noel Redding was using Marshall. he used sunn 2000s bass head and matching 2000s 2x15 cabs
Click to expand...
I remember seeing him in some docs and youtubes using Marshall stacks. I also saw some videos and pics using the Sunn amps. I think the Monterrey Pop Festival had Marshall stacks. I might be wrong, tho. I just Googled Noel Redding and saw some of his pics with Marshall stacks behind him.

On another note, I think David Bowie bass player (Ziggy tour) used a Marshall that used 4x15's and the 200 watt amp head.
 
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#17
GGman said:
Foxen, that's a good idea, two 12" NEO's per cab. Also saves a lot of money for buying those Neo's. It's the nostalgic look I was thinking about. I wanted to see if anyone else has ever done it before.
Click to expand...
I am doing this exact thing with an old Ampeg V4 cab.
Another thing to consider is that with 4 12"s you will either have a 2 or 8 Ohm cab.
 
#18
I've thought about adding a Marshall 4x12" cab as part of my rig, as well. Of course, it's one of those perhaps down the road, if I have the money, and all of that jazz ideas. :p Still...
 
#19
GGman said:
Has anyone ever installed four 12" NEO speakers for a bass amp setup in some old Marshall 4x12 cabinets? Slant and straight cabs for a traditional stack. I have thought about doing this for a long time. I see some old Marshall 4x12 cabs for sale at less than $200. Is it possible to also tune the cabs with an additional port for bass guitar. I would also add some bracing and new carpenters glue around all internal joints. Call me crazy, but I even thought about finding an old Marshall head and putting a new class D amp inside it to get around 1000 watts out to all those eight NEO speakers.
Click to expand...
I can't remember which band it was Miss may I or something like that maybe, but it has been done. Not going to give you the best results but it can look cool onstage and if your running a DI to FOH anyways go for it. All these people that get way into into specs and crap for cabs need to chill out a little bit. I replaced the speakers in my ampeg cab and it sounds fantastic. The only thing I'm worried about is the additional volume eventually destroying the joints in the cab.

I'm also pretty sure the avatar 412 cab is exactly this a guitar cab with bass speakers. Or maybe it had PA speakers.
 
#20
BogeyBass said:
View attachment 841838 View attachment 841839

yes I've done it, but with ceramics
reloaded ampeg guitar V4B straight cabs with eminence gamma 12a2 they don't make those speakers anymore. And by the way I too thought Noel Redding was using Marshall. he used sunn 2000s bass head and matching 2000s 2x15 cabs
Click to expand...
Noel did then when the Experience tried Sunn for awhile Noel kept with it. His were loaded with Altec 421As.
Bassist with Ten Years After used two stacks. Ron Wood used two stacks of Majors. Entwistle used one early before the Hiwatts years.
 
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