I was just downstairs in my studio pulling the back off of my Mesa cab to check date codes out of curiosity with all the information out there about the early 2000s vintage 30s. I get the date codes and look them up and find out all four speakers are from 2000 and was stoked. I sit down on my couch and Open RUclips and this video was uploaded 4 minutes ago. Like what are the odds haha. Really cool stuff as always!
I owned a Mesa cab from 2000. It was one of the best cabs I’ve ever used, but only after some mods. I did greenbacks in an X pattern with the V30s and screwed the rear baffle into the center brace to keep it from rattling during palm mutes. I so regret selling this cabinet after all these years, it was truly special. Someone at a Guitar Center in Charleston, SC got the cab of a lifetime in 2008/9.
It's interesting. In the talking part I like the 2000 upper right very much, but at the end in the double tracked comparison I liked the 2000 upper left the best.
About the bottom speakers being darker: in my experience, Mesa cabs have the greatest effect on speaker tone depending on where the speaker is placed in the cabinet. With mine(a 2002 one, btw) it's the opposite: the top position makes the speakers sound significanrly darker and tubbier. You might try putting the bottom speakers in the top slots and seeing what happens
Man this guitar is really cool too! Both speakers are cool, they sound great in all positions. So can we expect some IR's soon? I want to hear all the cabs and more mesa tests! All of the above!
There is a reason, I have 17 different IR packs of V30 speakers... I liked both the top left and top right in the 2000 cab, different flavors of great. The 2002 is just awesome, it got everything.
Excellent video! To my personal tastes, my favourite speaker in a mix is the first one, top left, of the 2000 cab! That’s more my type of tone for heavy music, I prefer depth and growl over modern « bite » and tightness. That’s just me though! Great job, I love how in depth you go (but you could have also tracked the 3 remaining speakers of the 2002 cab… it’s not too late :D)
I would say that every speaker in this cab is usable, even the bottom left. A 421, Unidyne, or an i5 on it may balance it in a very good way, and micing it as a blend to tame a brighter speaker could be great. Also, that specific Sm57 may not be playing well with it (not sure if you have tested your Sm57s against each other)
My favourite is the 2002 speaker that you mic'd. However, I think that blending the really bright one from 2000 cab with the really dark one could produce a really nice overall sound. I'd like to hear that in the future if possible :)
I just bought a late '99 UK made V30 (8ohm), and it sounds a heck of a lot like some of the best 2000 V30s I've heard... either way, I've got it in a Zilla Fatbaby, and it's a great sounding 1x12 cab!
Awesome video! I think my favorite was still 2002, especially in a mix. Would you ever consider 2003? According to Nolly, 2002-2003 is the golden era speakers, so it would be more interesting deep-dive into it! Awesome video again, Kohle!
The v30's in my Mesa 4x12 are from 2001. They are closer to your 2000's then your 2002's. One of the 2023 Chinese 8ohm v30's I bought for a Marshall cab sounds similar to your favorite 2002, the other one is pretty nasty sounding. V30's are all over the place. You've really got to test them out individually and find each speakers sweet spot when micing them. Cheers fron the United States Kohle!
Great video as always! I love both the 2002 speaker and the 2nd speaker from 2000. I think the 2002 one (and the 1st and 4th one from 2002) would work great, if you combine it with another more mid-focused guitar track. The 2nd speaker from 2000 should work perfectly, if there is only two guitar tracks available for example!
Do speakers have an effect on the mic'd sound of the others? Has anyone ever tried micing a fully loaded cab, then removing a speaker without moving the mic on one left in the cab? Probably negligible and not worth the time to test it out, but might be interesting
That was a great comparison video! What would be interesting is a comparison of your 2002 and new favorite 2000 v30 in a mesa cab and the same speakers in both the fryette and driftwood cabs. That way you can determine which cab you actually prefer, rather than which one sounds best with the speakers that are in them. That way you can see whoch is adtually the king of the cabs. I don't know if I worded that very eloquently haha
@KohleAudioKult , I know every speaker is different, but I've got a mesa 412 with V30s dated for May of 2000 and overall it sounds much more like the 2000 cab you tested here. I've got a second mesa 412 cab however with V30s dated for like October of 2000 that overall sounds much more like the 2002 you have, more upper mid grind. I keep both because I tend to like recording the October speakers they tend to be a bit more present/in your face. The earlier "smoother" speakers though I think sound better cranked in the room sort of thing, the "woofiness" tends to be less present at higher volumes in person. Would be an awesome live/stage volume cab. Overall awesome video always love the V30 content!!
Kristian, first off, I love your content and your love for metal, secondly and something I'm not sure you've brought up or looked into yet, I apologize if you have, have you looked into the early 2000s Randall XL cabs? As far as I can tell, those cabs are Randall's response to the Mesa OS cab, differing in only 1 inch in height. They came loaded with V30s and are amazing cabinets. Truth be told, I haven't been able to officially A and B it with a Mesa OS cab in the same room, but was lucky enough to take one of amps to a friends recording studio and plug into his Mesa OS cab and remember thinking they sounded similar. If you can get your hands on one of those Randall XL cabs from the early 2000s, do it, they are usually well priced, they come with XLR out, and they can be split to accommodate stereo. I saw your video with Marshall Mode Four cab, and I think these Randall cabs might be way better than those, especially after you opened up the Marshall cab and showed us that poor build quality. Cheers from California.
Hey man! My first V30 cab ever actually was the Randall Isocab which sounded so good compared to all the Celestion G12T-75 I had heard in Marshall cabs. I'd love to check out the Randall XL. Hard to find over here though!
@@KohleAudioKult yea, you’re not lying about that, I guess just keep your eye out, maybe that’s proof of those of us who own them don’t want to let them go, I’m just really interested hearing the side by side comparison with the Mesa OS, especially the coveted early 2000s model. Do you have a video comparing the OS with the Traditional Mesa utilizing the same amp and settings?
Your original 2002 for me... after that, the #2 in the 2000 cab. I have a 2004 or so version of the same cab, and it's the upper right v30 in that one, for me. Hey, it almost sounds like the #3 (lower left) v30 in the 2000 cab is either not getting full signal/power, or perhaps not really working at all? It seems that much quieter and so muffled that I'd be suspicious I wasn't just hearing the other v30s bleed on that mic. Cheers Kohle!
on a 4x12 , i'd start with a room mic, on axis - to get the overall Bloom. (U-47 6-12 feet away ?LoL) confirming Tone & Volume-in-the-Room. yes, a 57 on each , begin center cone (confirm proper cone extension) move between "Glue Spots" position & spiral from there, circling outwards - hopefully finding the right spot before going beyond the Edge ! repeat on each, listening to the build-up (and checking Phase). any grit/grain diff ? BTW no EQ , Comp or any process - it's finding where the pre-amp works best for you. compare directs & room mics. in a tight mix , you should'nt need the room - but nice to have. the same spot can work well with similar mics; if you're re-amping , take the time to try diff mics & combinations. (great options to get contrast in diff sections of arrangements) obvious but important; start with 4 mics that sound the same ...
I wish i would know how these cabs compare to your 1997 mesa cab. I have a chance to get a 1997 oversized straight/slant but im afraid it would be too scooped. My only base of comparison is a 2005 traditional straight mesa cab im using now.
I liked how all of the speakers sounded in the 2000s cab. I think #3 could be good being blended in with another speaker for some nasty/swampy low-end, or just something that could pair pretty well with something like a BOSS FZ2 because of that dampened high end. #4 really had a more aged sound (in the mix), it reminded me of W.A.S.P.’s debut lol Overall, I think it’d be a good “classic” vibe to your 2002, as everything in the 2002 just sounds more modern & refined. They all rip regardless.
No 2 is the best in 2000 cab, but 4 could be a nice addition to the garage, grindcore sound, that is not so direct, but really dirty and gritty (that hardness you talked about).
About datecodes: it seems like that datecodes are stamped in batches, potentially after QA. So there’s a lot fewer datecodes for a given year than there are workdays in a year, hence a higher likelyhood of getting the same batch code.
Would love to see a vid with the Driftwoods compared to the Mesas maybe even the Coffee. Maybe taking the top right speaker, or the 2002, and putting it in those cabs to get a good representation of what they offer/there clean difference rather than speaker difference
It’s correct that you can only hear the real difference between two cabs (I mean two different models) with the same speaker. Otherwise you’ll always hear the speaker + cab difference. On the other hand people wanna know how the Driftwood or the Fryette sound with their stock speakers. You see, my life ain’t easy 🤪😵💫
Fane speakers!!! I'm a big fan. I have the Avatar/Fane M65 and it's a great mix with V30's in my over-oversized 4x12 cab. Would love to hear more comparisons!
"HAAAW" -- I like your 2002 the best, the clear winner for me. I have a Bogner OS 2x12 I got in either '01 or '02 with V30's. I took them out a while ago and put in some Scumback's (that I love). I will have to pull those out of my closet of speakers and other things I don't use and check em out.
Would love to see a video about the Driftwood Cabs. Did you use one of those cabs for the Kanonenfieber 'Kampf und Sturm' Mix? Love the rhythm guitar tone on that song!
Top right 2000. Still asking about a video on 10'' speakers for heavy guitars btw! I'd like to try a Fane Medusa 10-75 myself but cant find one for years now.
I want to hear them all. I currently use a Blackstar HT Stage 100 (the first version), and I have it running stereo into a Bugera 4x12. I don't know what the stock speakers are in it, but I have been debating about changing them. Predominantly black metal is what I play. Upper right 2000 is my favorite on it's own but in the full mix at the end, I prefer the 2002 on this video.
The 2002 speaker sounded the best for the ending riff, that chuggy Death Metal sound, but 2000 mid forward speaker I'd imagine would be great as a blend or as an option for a heavily scooped amp sound like a Dual Rec. Also that speaker might be nice as a stoner metal speaker, since it might make the boomy lows less so and push the mids for clarity.
would like to see a shootout between the 2000's v30s the fanes and the dv-77's personally like the upper right and lower left speaker maybe combine them together get a fuller sound?
Regarding tone, cabs, speakers, IRs for bass and guitar. Can you review Celestion BN12-300S: Celestion recommend these for BOTH guitar and bass, their support (signed as Dr Decibel) just warn that using them in a semi-open guitar cab will lose some bottom end, though it's totally safe even to play bass through a setup like that. Some big names in boutique cabs market use them (Zilla, Barefaced, Quilter), and some people use them with a poweramp instead of FRFR for modellers. I'm thinking to load my H&K 100W 2x12 combo with these for capturing "moving air" with a mic, and blending that with tracks with IRs using Captor X or similar, both bass and guitar. I wonder how these would work for guitar/bass metal tones for someone who knows what they're doing, and how much using these in different types of cabs (2x12 vs 4x12, open vs closed, etc.) and/or using EQ at the end of the signal chain in effects loop would affect the tone.
@@Van020280 It's not that black & white... And if you watch the entire v30 master class with Nolly he goes over which v30 production years were as smooth as mesa v30s and which were overly harsh and different to how v30s generally sound etc etc and what caused it. You're way over simplifying reality.
So your saying not to buy a Brand New Messa Boogie 4x12 cab with vintage 30's...become i was about to order one? But considering Marshall with the G12T-75...really would love to hear a 2024 Mesa boogie rectifier Oversized 4x12 with v30
I've only worked with one Mesa cab and I don't know the year of the built, but gotta say it was the easiest cab to get a great sound out of basic 57 setup. Just threw the mic pointing at between those clue marks and that's it. :D Probably if I had more time working with that equipment I might have found even better sound but all I had was maybe half an hour so it worked surprisingly well. I also blended that mesa with hesu cab with demons and it was way harded to get something usable out of that hesu demon. :D
@@KohleAudioKult No, just played it in rehearsal space. I think it was recorded at some time. Need to ask - been a while. Not sure about the speakers in the cab.
Hi. I would like to see Engl E412XXL vs Mesa, vs other cab that you own. I would also like to see more "live sound" videos, as opposed to strictly adhere to recording sound of the cabinets. "Inside the room type of sounds", comparison of the cabs recorded with some transparent condenser mics, which will be close approximation of how each of the cab sound against each other in the live settings, when you sit next to them.
I think Ola Englund did that for a while, trying to capture the room sound. It's not really an option for me. Ironically the close-miked sound is what I'm used to as a producer and I haven't heard any great examples of high gain room recordings so far.
Man, I love how much individual character cabs, and speakers within a cab, can have. Could watch Mesa 412/V30 content all day!! Would be great to hear those Driftwood cabs too! A question.... is there a definitive guide somewhere for working out date codes on UK V30s? One of my Mesa 412s has two of speakers (T4335) I've dated to 19th October '93 (19th oct is my birthday too, a neat coincidence) but the other two (T3903) I can't work out. The 4335 codes are number number letter letter, whereas the 3903 are letter number number number. Anyone know?
It would have been nice if you had swapped out the speakers from the upper floor to the lower floor and vice versa. I found that if I have the mic on the upper floor it sounds better for me but it might be more the position in the cab instead of the speaker itself 🙃 Could be a thing with the angled cabs…
That was interesting! Thank you for that! :-) But how do I know that all my four SM57s sound the same beforehand? Put them around one speaker in the "same" position (meaning same radius from the center)? Thanx for everything! 😀
The differences between different 57s isn't that much of a problem. I do have one 57 that sounds quite a bit darker, all the others sound really close. At least way closer than any two V30s you'll find.
I know I'm off the seldom kind in that I actually like the brighter newer v30 more, which is still to muffled for me, which is why I try to stay away from it and go for more open sounding speakers.
After GGD released their new Contender IR pack and Nolly did the walk Thru with the guy who sampled all the cabs, I realized why I never like the GGD IRs before. The ones Nolly apparently engineered. Is he talked about his ideal tone and it had no high end. Different ears and tastes of course but my point is the 2002 speaker is 10X better than all those “special” year of these 2000 speakers. That lack of highs is just not something I’m into at all, Oh yeah but that new Contenders plugin sounds great!
As it is a slant cab maybe you could try to swap upper speakers to lower positions and vice et versa ;-) It could react quite different in the mics \m/
So basically, It’s hit or miss on speaker tone. The model of the speaker may get you in the ballpark but the tone varies widely between the individuals speakers. Interesting. 🤔
i think the 2000s one sound more new metal i prefer the 2002 because for the extra bright attack what is great for extreme metal . but my really favorite v30 style speaker is the wgs retro 30 because it has more agression than the v30
I would love to hear more from both of the cabinets in this video. I'd love to hear you blending the speakers together. Mix and match from within the same cabinet, and the cross mix and matching between speakers from both cabinets. I realise this would be a tonne of work, but I honestly don't mind the extra work you'd have to do. I'm okay with waiting for the work to be done. I'd offer to help but I don't want to (that seems like too much work). But it's fine for you do it! That's how the world functions, correct? Us lazy people are fine with you hard working people doing everything 🤣🤣🤣
In there that much variation in Vintage 30s in ANY year? For that matter, is that there that much variation in any model of speaker from any brand? The difference in volume between #1 and #2 is the first surprise. The difference in tones, especially from #1 to #3 and #4 is pretty shocking! I liked #2 best but I'd take #1 to go with the 2002 speaker.
I'm wondering: doesn't the variation in those speakers kind of negate the whole story of the production year? Or is there *even more* variation between them? It honestly just feels like a complete crapshoot at this point..
So which speaker is your favorite? I'm curious! 🙄
Upper right 2000 speaker is my favourite but the 2002 is a really close second
No. 2 (upper right) is the winner. I own 2 Mesa 4x12 now....and it's all your fault! 😆
By itself, #1 is the fullest sound. In the track though, #2 has more character.
Number 1🎉
2000-1
I was just downstairs in my studio pulling the back off of my Mesa cab to check date codes out of curiosity with all the information out there about the early 2000s vintage 30s. I get the date codes and look them up and find out all four speakers are from 2000 and was stoked. I sit down on my couch and Open RUclips and this video was uploaded 4 minutes ago. Like what are the odds haha. Really cool stuff as always!
Magic! 🪄😇
Yes, your own 2002 was the most Hi-fi sounding to me. Great when the raw tone sounds closer to the end result!
I owned a Mesa cab from 2000. It was one of the best cabs I’ve ever used, but only after some mods. I did greenbacks in an X pattern with the V30s and screwed the rear baffle into the center brace to keep it from rattling during palm mutes. I so regret selling this cabinet after all these years, it was truly special. Someone at a Guitar Center in Charleston, SC got the cab of a lifetime in 2008/9.
It's interesting. In the talking part I like the 2000 upper right very much, but at the end in the double tracked comparison I liked the 2000 upper left the best.
Whoa whoa whoa! Did someone say Vintage 30s?
😂 That was fast, John!
My V30 sense was tingling
Danke!
Ich danke dir! 🤘❤️
About the bottom speakers being darker: in my experience, Mesa cabs have the greatest effect on speaker tone depending on where the speaker is placed in the cabinet. With mine(a 2002 one, btw) it's the opposite: the top position makes the speakers sound significanrly darker and tubbier. You might try putting the bottom speakers in the top slots and seeing what happens
Man this guitar is really cool too! Both speakers are cool, they sound great in all positions. So can we expect some IR's soon? I want to hear all the cabs and more mesa tests! All of the above!
There is a reason, I have 17 different IR packs of V30 speakers...
I liked both the top left and top right in the 2000 cab, different flavors of great. The 2002 is just awesome, it got everything.
2002 speaker sounds killer. I think it would be a great rhythm tracking speaker, and the 2000 #2 speaker would be great for leads.
The volume seems quite a lot lower on the lower left and lower right speakers on the 2000 cab.
Excellent video! To my personal tastes, my favourite speaker in a mix is the first one, top left, of the 2000 cab! That’s more my type of tone for heavy music, I prefer depth and growl over modern « bite » and tightness. That’s just me though!
Great job, I love how in depth you go (but you could have also tracked the 3 remaining speakers of the 2002 cab… it’s not too late :D)
Of course we want to here all your great vidéos of speakers ! 👊👊👊👊
I would say that every speaker in this cab is usable, even the bottom left. A 421, Unidyne, or an i5 on it may balance it in a very good way, and micing it as a blend to tame a brighter speaker could be great. Also, that specific Sm57 may not be playing well with it (not sure if you have tested your Sm57s against each other)
i was thinking it could be the 57 as well
I actually forgot to move the mic to the center. That would have helped as well.
My favourite is the 2002 speaker that you mic'd. However, I think that blending the really bright one from 2000 cab with the really dark one could produce a really nice overall sound. I'd like to hear that in the future if possible :)
I just bought a late '99 UK made V30 (8ohm), and it sounds a heck of a lot like some of the best 2000 V30s I've heard... either way, I've got it in a Zilla Fatbaby, and it's a great sounding 1x12 cab!
Awesome video! I think my favorite was still 2002, especially in a mix. Would you ever consider 2003? According to Nolly, 2002-2003 is the golden era speakers, so it would be more interesting deep-dive into it! Awesome video again, Kohle!
The v30's in my Mesa 4x12 are from 2001. They are closer to your 2000's then your 2002's. One of the 2023 Chinese 8ohm v30's I bought for a Marshall cab sounds similar to your favorite 2002, the other one is pretty nasty sounding. V30's are all over the place. You've really got to test them out individually and find each speakers sweet spot when micing them. Cheers fron the United States Kohle!
Great video as always! I love both the 2002 speaker and the 2nd speaker from 2000. I think the 2002 one (and the 1st and 4th one from 2002) would work great, if you combine it with another more mid-focused guitar track. The 2nd speaker from 2000 should work perfectly, if there is only two guitar tracks available for example!
Do speakers have an effect on the mic'd sound of the others? Has anyone ever tried micing a fully loaded cab, then removing a speaker without moving the mic on one left in the cab? Probably negligible and not worth the time to test it out, but might be interesting
That was a great comparison video! What would be interesting is a comparison of your 2002 and new favorite 2000 v30 in a mesa cab and the same speakers in both the fryette and driftwood cabs. That way you can determine which cab you actually prefer, rather than which one sounds best with the speakers that are in them. That way you can see whoch is adtually the king of the cabs. I don't know if I worded that very eloquently haha
I think I liked the 2002 speaker best! And I love the gear testing videos! Keep those up! Definitely test out more cabs and Amos if you can!
Amos?
@KohleAudioKult , I know every speaker is different, but I've got a mesa 412 with V30s dated for May of 2000 and overall it sounds much more like the 2000 cab you tested here. I've got a second mesa 412 cab however with V30s dated for like October of 2000 that overall sounds much more like the 2002 you have, more upper mid grind. I keep both because I tend to like recording the October speakers they tend to be a bit more present/in your face. The earlier "smoother" speakers though I think sound better cranked in the room sort of thing, the "woofiness" tends to be less present at higher volumes in person. Would be an awesome live/stage volume cab. Overall awesome video always love the V30 content!!
technical reviews such as this one are very helpful
Kristian, first off, I love your content and your love for metal, secondly and something I'm not sure you've brought up or looked into yet, I apologize if you have, have you looked into the early 2000s Randall XL cabs? As far as I can tell, those cabs are Randall's response to the Mesa OS cab, differing in only 1 inch in height. They came loaded with V30s and are amazing cabinets. Truth be told, I haven't been able to officially A and B it with a Mesa OS cab in the same room, but was lucky enough to take one of amps to a friends recording studio and plug into his Mesa OS cab and remember thinking they sounded similar. If you can get your hands on one of those Randall XL cabs from the early 2000s, do it, they are usually well priced, they come with XLR out, and they can be split to accommodate stereo. I saw your video with Marshall Mode Four cab, and I think these Randall cabs might be way better than those, especially after you opened up the Marshall cab and showed us that poor build quality. Cheers from California.
Hey man!
My first V30 cab ever actually was the Randall Isocab which sounded so good compared to all the Celestion G12T-75 I had heard in Marshall cabs.
I'd love to check out the Randall XL. Hard to find over here though!
@@KohleAudioKult yea, you’re not lying about that, I guess just keep your eye out, maybe that’s proof of those of us who own them don’t want to let them go, I’m just really interested hearing the side by side comparison with the Mesa OS, especially the coveted early 2000s model. Do you have a video comparing the OS with the Traditional Mesa utilizing the same amp and settings?
That would be interesting indeed.
And no, I have member tried a standard sized Boogie.
Great Video! You could try to put the lower speakers in the upper positions. Might change a lot!
Your original 2002 for me... after that, the #2 in the 2000 cab. I have a 2004 or so version of the same cab, and it's the upper right v30 in that one, for me. Hey, it almost sounds like the #3 (lower left) v30 in the 2000 cab is either not getting full signal/power, or perhaps not really working at all? It seems that much quieter and so muffled that I'd be suspicious I wasn't just hearing the other v30s bleed on that mic. Cheers Kohle!
Have you ever used one as a reference and tried to use an eq in the loop to match, I wonder how close you could get.
Would LOVE to hear a shoot out with those Fane speakers.
Looking forward to hearing them “under the mic” as well.
FANEs are unreal, if in good shape!
I bought a 4x12 traditional. Thing kills
on a 4x12 , i'd start with a room mic, on axis - to get the overall Bloom. (U-47 6-12 feet away ?LoL)
confirming Tone & Volume-in-the-Room.
yes, a 57 on each , begin center cone (confirm proper cone extension)
move between "Glue Spots" position & spiral from there,
circling outwards - hopefully finding the right spot before going beyond the Edge !
repeat on each, listening to the build-up (and checking Phase). any grit/grain diff ?
BTW no EQ , Comp or any process - it's finding where the pre-amp works best for you.
compare directs & room mics. in a tight mix , you should'nt need the room - but nice to have.
the same spot can work well with similar mics; if you're re-amping , take the time to try diff mics & combinations.
(great options to get contrast in diff sections of arrangements)
obvious but important; start with 4 mics that sound the same ...
I wish i would know how these cabs compare to your 1997 mesa cab.
I have a chance to get a 1997 oversized straight/slant but im afraid it would be too scooped. My only base of comparison is a 2005 traditional straight mesa cab im using now.
I preferred speaker one. I like the sizzle.
I liked how all of the speakers sounded in the 2000s cab. I think #3 could be good being blended in with another speaker for some nasty/swampy low-end, or just something that could pair pretty well with something like a BOSS FZ2 because of that dampened high end. #4 really had a more aged sound (in the mix), it reminded me of W.A.S.P.’s debut lol
Overall, I think it’d be a good “classic” vibe to your 2002, as everything in the 2002 just sounds more modern & refined. They all rip regardless.
No 2 is the best in 2000 cab, but 4 could be a nice addition to the garage, grindcore sound, that is not so direct, but really dirty and gritty (that hardness you talked about).
IR pack? 🤔
SM57s have similar variation to speakers. I wonder how much that accounts for the difference in tone between the speakers as well.
Both uppers 00’ and the 02’ are great imo. A mix of upper right 00 or the 02 with the upper left 00 might be huge!
About datecodes: it seems like that datecodes are stamped in batches, potentially after QA. So there’s a lot fewer datecodes for a given year than there are workdays in a year, hence a higher likelyhood of getting the same batch code.
UPPER RIGHT 2002 IS THE ABSOLUTE V30!KILLER SPEAKER!
Nice shirt!
Would love to see a vid with the Driftwoods compared to the Mesas maybe even the Coffee. Maybe taking the top right speaker, or the 2002, and putting it in those cabs to get a good representation of what they offer/there clean difference rather than speaker difference
It’s correct that you can only hear the real difference between two cabs (I mean two different models) with the same speaker.
Otherwise you’ll always hear the speaker + cab difference.
On the other hand people wanna know how the Driftwood or the Fryette sound with their stock speakers. You see, my life ain’t easy 🤪😵💫
I’d like to see your take on a Redback if you ever get your hands on one
I tried one once and didn’t like it.
I don’t remember why though 😇
All the 2000 speakers don't have that nasty hiss spike that I hate in V30s. Bottom right is my favourite one.
How much difference is due to the mics I wonder? Maybe use the same mic on each to compare?
Not much of a difference.
I think your 2002 is the most forward sounding. Also, with it's scooped mid would it work better in a mix with a typical vocalist?
Do these fabled V30s from ~2000 have Mesa branding on them?
Fane speakers!!! I'm a big fan. I have the Avatar/Fane M65 and it's a great mix with V30's in my over-oversized 4x12 cab. Would love to hear more comparisons!
Noted! I’ll do that as I find the time. Stay tuned.
It would be rad hearing the Fryette and Driftwood cabs.
Noted! 🤘
Let’s hear all the cabinets! I’m now really curious to hear each one of my cabinet speakers individually.
Great! That really shows how the speakers define the sound. 😮
"HAAAW" -- I like your 2002 the best, the clear winner for me. I have a Bogner OS 2x12 I got in either '01 or '02 with V30's. I took them out a while ago and put in some Scumback's (that I love). I will have to pull those out of my closet of speakers and other things I don't use and check em out.
What’s a Scumback speaker? 😵💫
@@KohleAudioKult They make updated copies of "Pre Rola" and "BlackBack" era Celestion speakers with variations on power handling from 25-100w.
I have liked the Orange (V30) 4x12 and the Hughes Kettner (v30) 4x12 as IRs.
Would love to see a video about the Driftwood Cabs. Did you use one of those cabs for the Kanonenfieber 'Kampf und Sturm' Mix? Love the rhythm guitar tone on that song!
Haven't used the Driftwood on any sessions yet.
Kanonenfieber was all Mesa V30 + DV-77s.
Top right 2000. Still asking about a video on 10'' speakers for heavy guitars btw! I'd like to try a Fane Medusa 10-75 myself but cant find one for years now.
I just have one 4x10" cab and that one is an open cab. That's not gonna work for metal
I want to hear them all. I currently use a Blackstar HT Stage 100 (the first version), and I have it running stereo into a Bugera 4x12. I don't know what the stock speakers are in it, but I have been debating about changing them. Predominantly black metal is what I play.
Upper right 2000 is my favorite on it's own but in the full mix at the end, I prefer the 2002 on this video.
Servus! I'm still hoping you get your hands on the Jensen Silverbird. As Ignazio suggested at NAMM 2024. Would be cool! 🤘
The 2002 speaker sounded the best for the ending riff, that chuggy Death Metal sound, but 2000 mid forward speaker I'd imagine would be great as a blend or as an option for a heavily scooped amp sound like a Dual Rec. Also that speaker might be nice as a stoner metal speaker, since it might make the boomy lows less so and push the mids for clarity.
would like to see a shootout between the 2000's v30s the fanes and the dv-77's
personally like the upper right and lower left speaker maybe combine them together get a fuller sound?
Yes, we want to hear all the cabs
Noted! 🤘
I'm telling you, I have a v30 and a WGS retro 30. You should really give the WGS retro 30 a chance. I think you'd be surprised
Regarding tone, cabs, speakers, IRs for bass and guitar. Can you review Celestion BN12-300S:
Celestion recommend these for BOTH guitar and bass, their support (signed as Dr Decibel) just warn that using them in a semi-open guitar cab will lose some bottom end, though it's totally safe even to play bass through a setup like that.
Some big names in boutique cabs market use them (Zilla, Barefaced, Quilter), and some people use them with a poweramp instead of FRFR for modellers.
I'm thinking to load my H&K 100W 2x12 combo with these for capturing "moving air" with a mic, and blending that with tracks with IRs using Captor X or similar, both bass and guitar.
I wonder how these would work for guitar/bass metal tones for someone who knows what they're doing, and how much using these in different types of cabs (2x12 vs 4x12, open vs closed, etc.) and/or using EQ at the end of the signal chain in effects loop would affect the tone.
Never heard about that one. I'll have a look!
My Mesa cab is 2003. Definitely way better sounding V30's than all my newer V30 cabs
same here, owing Mesa 4x12 slant cab from 2003, awesome cabinet!
Mesa V30s sound different than the V30s other manufacturers use regardless what year they are from.
@@Van020280 It's not that black & white... And if you watch the entire v30 master class with Nolly he goes over which v30 production years were as smooth as mesa v30s and which were overly harsh and different to how v30s generally sound etc etc and what caused it. You're way over simplifying reality.
So your saying not to buy a Brand New Messa Boogie 4x12 cab with vintage 30's...become i was about to order one? But considering Marshall with the G12T-75...really would love to hear a 2024 Mesa boogie rectifier Oversized 4x12 with v30
I've only worked with one Mesa cab and I don't know the year of the built, but gotta say it was the easiest cab to get a great sound out of basic 57 setup. Just threw the mic pointing at between those clue marks and that's it. :D Probably if I had more time working with that equipment I might have found even better sound but all I had was maybe half an hour so it worked surprisingly well. I also blended that mesa with hesu cab with demons and it was way harded to get something usable out of that hesu demon. :D
Haven’t tried the Hesu demon, but I agree that it’s not difficult to get a great tone with the Mesa / V30 combo.
Best mesa cabs comparison, thank you Kohle!
My pleasure!
Yeah! Show us those Fanes!
What about Diezel cabs, are they any good? Have you tried one?
Unfortunately no Diezel cab has ever made it here! But there’s not much talk about them in the studio world so I don’t assume they’re Mesa killers.
@@KohleAudioKult Front loaded Diesel 4x12 is actually amazing. Had it on a Herbert and my pants are still vibrating.
@gimmenames9039 awesome!
Did you ever mic it? Was it loaded with V39s?
@@KohleAudioKult No, just played it in rehearsal space. I think it was recorded at some time. Need to ask - been a while. Not sure about the speakers in the cab.
Hi. I would like to see Engl E412XXL vs Mesa, vs other cab that you own. I would also like to see more "live sound" videos, as opposed to strictly adhere to recording sound of the cabinets. "Inside the room type of sounds", comparison of the cabs recorded with some transparent condenser mics, which will be close approximation of how each of the cab sound against each other in the live settings, when you sit next to them.
I think Ola Englund did that for a while, trying to capture the room sound. It's not really an option for me. Ironically the close-miked sound is what I'm used to as a producer and I haven't heard any great examples of high gain room recordings so far.
EVM12L is my favorite at the moment.
Legendary speaker.
But it doesn’t sound great close-miked for high gain stuff. That’s why I, as a studio guy, has stayed away from it.
Interesting answer, thankyou.
I have same in my h and k 2020
2002 upper left your go to sound
I wanne see and hear all the speaker comparisons ^^
Noted!
Man, I love how much individual character cabs, and speakers within a cab, can have. Could watch Mesa 412/V30 content all day!! Would be great to hear those Driftwood cabs too! A question.... is there a definitive guide somewhere for working out date codes on UK V30s? One of my Mesa 412s has two of speakers (T4335) I've dated to 19th October '93 (19th oct is my birthday too, a neat coincidence) but the other two (T3903) I can't work out. The 4335 codes are number number letter letter, whereas the 3903 are letter number number number. Anyone know?
I can’t help you here. I always gotta ask Nolly myself.
And yes, I’ll have both the Driftwood and the Fryette on the channel soon
It would have been nice if you had swapped out the speakers from the upper floor to the lower floor and vice versa. I found that if I have the mic on the upper floor it sounds better for me but it might be more the position in the cab instead of the speaker itself 🙃
Could be a thing with the angled cabs…
The position in the cab does have an influence, but the sound of the speaker itself is much stronger.
Wanna hear Fayette. Almost no chance to get one for a reasonable price (even single speaket), but always interesting to hear
Noted!
@@KohleAudioKult thank you!
You win, they win, everybody wins!!!!!! 🎉
Make an IR of that upper right speaker!
I still prefer the 2002 both solo'd and in the mix! 😎
Maybe you have to took the cabinet on the side to get the lower speaker away from the floor
That was interesting! Thank you for that! :-) But how do I know that all my four SM57s sound the same beforehand? Put them around one speaker in the "same" position (meaning same radius from the center)? Thanx for everything! 😀
The differences between different 57s isn't that much of a problem.
I do have one 57 that sounds quite a bit darker, all the others sound really close. At least way closer than any two V30s you'll find.
@@KohleAudioKult Thanx a lot! 😀
I know I'm off the seldom kind in that I actually like the brighter newer v30 more, which is still to muffled for me, which is why I try to stay away from it and go for more open sounding speakers.
Did someone say IR pack?
Check out my Bogren pack. It includes some really nice IRs from the 2002 cab.
@KohleAudioKult have all your packs. Need a 2000s cab now? :)
After GGD released their new Contender IR pack and Nolly did the walk Thru with the guy who sampled all the cabs, I realized why I never like the GGD IRs before. The ones Nolly apparently engineered. Is he talked about his ideal tone and it had no high end. Different ears and tastes of course but my point is the 2002 speaker is 10X better than all those “special” year of these 2000 speakers. That lack of highs is just not something I’m into at all,
Oh yeah but that new Contenders plugin sounds great!
You’re totally right about this being a taste thing. I just did a reamping session with the 2000s speakers just to dial back my 3K with an EQ 😂.
As it is a slant cab maybe you could try to swap upper speakers to lower positions and vice et versa ;-) It could react quite different in the mics \m/
Def want to hear the driftwood and fryette
Noted!
Yesir
I wanna hear everyone of your speakers 😁
nice video!
So basically, It’s hit or miss on speaker tone. The model of the speaker may get you in the ballpark but the tone varies widely between the individuals speakers. Interesting. 🤔
It is always like that. Even with new speakers and from all brands.
V30's suck balls.
So many better options.
Just like Gibson, " you just need ro find the right one."
Fuck that, just make a consistent product.
i think the 2000s one sound more new metal i prefer the 2002 because for the extra bright attack what is great for extreme metal . but my really favorite v30 style speaker is the wgs retro 30 because it has more agression than the v30
V30 is as consistent as a snowflake.
That 2kHz crr crr is fffking delightful
I swear I could point out a tone dialed in by this man lol. Always so much snarl.
speakers from the 2000 cab would be better in a traditionnal sized cab
can you elaborate it more? why and how?
I would love to hear more from both of the cabinets in this video. I'd love to hear you blending the speakers together. Mix and match from within the same cabinet, and the cross mix and matching between speakers from both cabinets. I realise this would be a tonne of work, but I honestly don't mind the extra work you'd have to do. I'm okay with waiting for the work to be done. I'd offer to help but I don't want to (that seems like too much work). But it's fine for you do it! That's how the world functions, correct? Us lazy people are fine with you hard working people doing everything 🤣🤣🤣
In there that much variation in Vintage 30s in ANY year? For that matter, is that there that much variation in any model of speaker from any brand? The difference in volume between #1 and #2 is the first surprise. The difference in tones, especially from #1 to #3 and #4 is pretty shocking! I liked #2 best but I'd take #1 to go with the 2002 speaker.
Yes, there is! It’s a universe of variation
They sound so different even if they are from the same day of production.
I'm wondering: doesn't the variation in those speakers kind of negate the whole story of the production year? Or is there *even more* variation between them?
It honestly just feels like a complete crapshoot at this point..