Mesa Split Back Vertical 2x12 With Celestion Alnico Cream 90s Came Today

[László]

I had to squeeze the new cab into my amp area, and move everything else around, re-cable the head and cab switcher, etc., but I got it installed.

Fortunately my brother was around to help me get it down the stairs to my studio!

I was glad Mesa agreed to install the Alnico Cream 90s at the factory, I hate installing speakers, but then, I also hate having to change strings on guitars, so you might call me lazy!

These speakers sound absolutely perfect for my needs with the Mark VII, and also sound quite excellent with my other amps.This is honeymoon time, of course, but I couldn't be happier with a speaker cab and the speakers I got for it. I did a lot of research on which speakers would best meet my needs (I'm not a metal player), and these were the result.

Here's a pic, kind of an Arc of Doom thing, but I'm really happy with the layout. I'll write a better piece on how everything sounds later this weekend. I'm just really happy with the whole thing.

 

[László]

Geez, this cab is great sounding -- I'm genuinely excited about it!

I figure Gibson will eventually turn Mesa into a shadow of itself, but for now, they're still making wonderful equipment, so I'm glad I got in for the Mark VII and this cab while the gettin' is good.

I officially have too much clutter in my recording area. I also realized I don't need the two V-30 PRS cabs. I'll probably send one to my son or move it when I can set up a shelf or rack to hold the heads. Right now, they have to sit on something, so it might as well be the cabs.

This is one very cluttered fucking room, and less conducive to recording than I'd like. I'll have to move a shelf or the emergency power cart or something. I dunno. I'm too tired to think about it after getting everything cabled and set up!

 

[AlbertA]

That’s cluttered?

This is clutter

 

[maddnotez]

Very nice looking stack, I really need another Mesa one day.

 

[László]

That’s cluttered?

This is clutter

That one's more like my storage room.

Very nice looking stack, I really need another Mesa one day.

Thanks! I'm glad I got this rig; there wasn't another cab like it with these speakers, so, honestly, I'm lucky it all worked out.

 

[la szum]

Still cracks me up they reissued these DIY/Mesa Boogie Garage-Era Cabs.


So silly!

Mine is beat to hell, and I would have bet someone $1000 that they would never
be in demand to be reissued. Maybe if more people cut themselves on the wrought
iron fencing disguised as a grill then they, too, would know better.

Seriously, not seriously, they are simply (some of) the best sounding 2x12s ever made. To me.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Still cracks me up they reissued these DIY/Mesa Boogie Garage-Era Cabs.


So silly!

Mine is beat to hell, and I would have bet someone $1000 that they would never
be in demand to be reissued. Maybe if more people cut themselves on the wrought
iron fencing disguised as a grill then they, too, would know better.

Seriously, not seriously, they are simply (some of) the best sounding 2x12s ever made. To me.

It's Gibson, baby!! We're well into the Land of Reissues! I'd love a DC-5 reissue with a fixed loop from the factory, and a volume taper that didn't go from off to "rip your balls off".

 

[László]

Maybe if more people cut themselves on the wrought
iron fencing disguised as a grill then they, too, would know better.

It's exactly like the grille material I had on the cab for my Bass 400+ amp back in the early '90s.

It's not really fencing material like chicken wire; it's nicely stamped, flat but fairly thick steel, fully finished with no rough or sharp edges anywhere. It's mounted on rubber stand-offs.

I don't love the look, either, but it's actually made well, and as you say, it's a great sounding cab.

You'd have to try very, very hard to cut yourself on this grille. Maybe if you launched yourself into it head first, running at full speed you could wind up with some stitches, but you'd also wind up with stitches running into a smooth door or a wall.

I wouldn't recommend either course of action!

One advantage of this type of grille is that it's very easy to place a mic where you want it without having to guess about placement.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

It's Gibson, baby!! We're well into the Land of Reissues! I'd love a DC-5 reissue with a fixed loop from the factory, and a volume taper that didn't go from off to "rip your balls off".

I'd be down with a DC series reissue, one of my favorite series from Mesa. I used to have a DC-10 that I really liked. I did the serial loop mod on it, which was really easy to do. Great amp.

 

[newholland]

I'd be down with a DC series reissue, one of my favorite series from Mesa. I used to have a DC-10 that I really liked. I did the serial loop mod on it, which was really easy to do. Great amp.

i loved my el84 50 cal! i wonder if knowing what i know now about mesa front ends if id do any better wthe the lead channel... ive heard them siund pretty great!

 

[GuitarBilly74]

i loved my el84 50 cal! i wonder if knowing what i know now about mesa front ends if id do any better wthe the lead channel... ive heard them siund pretty great!

I had a 6L6 50 Caliber. Loved that amp, I've actually been low key looking for another one at the right price.

 

[la szum]

It's Gibson, baby!! We're well into the Land of Reissues! I'd love a DC-5 reissue with a fixed loop from the factory, and a volume taper that didn't go from off to "rip your balls off".

Haha! You are giving me Corrosion of Conformity vibes! That's a killer amp. I


I do wonder when the Mesa Reissue Well will run dry. Will Gibson let it? I mean, there is not
that much left out there with the nostalgiac mojo to get people to separate from their $$$, is there?

 

[paisleywookiee]

Haha! You are giving me Corrosion of Conformity vibes! That's a killer amp. I


I do wonder when the Mesa Reissue Well will run dry. Will Gibson let it? I mean, there is not
that much left out there with the nostalgiac mojo to get people to separate from their $$$, is there?

I kind of think they’ll do a mark iv issue

 

[László]

I kind of think they’ll do a mark iv issue

I'd be kinda excited about a Tremoverb.

 

[laxu]

I do wonder when the Mesa Reissue Well will run dry. Will Gibson let it? I mean, there is not
that much left out there with the nostalgiac mojo to get people to separate from their $$$, is there?

Wouldn't be surprised if they end up reissuing the Lonestar Classic as part of this. Tremoverb could be possible too.

I don't think anything else has a big enough following to make it viable. Mark IVs and IIIs can be bought on the used market for reasonable money.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I officially have too much clutter

This is one very cluttered fucking room

 

[László]

I guess what I meant is it'd be nice to have more room when I want to record a small ensemble, f'instance for some classical stuff.

For recording guitars and most of what I do, this is fine.

 

[Solarflares]

I’m a big fan of the Celestion Alnico Cream 8ohm.
My journey has been a long one, and I began with EMG ‘S’ single-coils into a Lab Series L5, after ditching 70’s Fender pickups and Marshall MV amps. The L5 with an Echoplex was sublime.
But, being that bit older and hopefully wiser now, I’ve sought ways to improve my amp’s response, but also to be more guitaristic in stuff like sag and top-end roll-off. The days of in-your-face hard sounds are long behind me.
I rediscovered valves back in 2000, and went through rack pre-amps, and assorted setups, before settling down with a valve head into a Palmer, with a valve power amp after my Palmer-fed fx.

So fast-forward to today, and I use an S for neck pick-up, but now have Alnico SA and SLV as middle and bridge pickups in my Strats.
Both my Victory Sheriff 44 and my Seymour Convertible 100 have wonderful Mullard 161’s from 60’s Blackburn, and are adjustable-bias with very nice original St.Petersburg Svetlana winged-C’s.
Both amps are soaked down by Palmers, and a blended (filtered/un-filtered) signal from each high-gain amp feeds a modest stereo mixer/fx-rack, before hitting a modified Peavey Classic 50/50 valve power amp - with Mullards.
The icing on the cake was to go with Alnico speakers.
Two 1x12 Montage cabs with 8ohm Alnico Creams - I collected the drivers off the production line whilst the glue was still warm!
The great thing about the Cream was that it still sounds good at 1W, and was designed to be linear. So you can dial-in sounds at home comparatively quietly, and they will relate when you ask them to faithfully reproduce at gigging volumes.

I know people love the 65W Creamback, and I do have one in a Victory 10W combo.
But running that combo’s amp into one of my Cream 1x12’s - it’s simply up another level in terms of maturity, warmth, and linearity.