New amp gear - Randall R212CS cabinet

Having had two V30-loaded 4x12s for the past few months has led me to a realization... For my purposes, two 4x12's is overkill: 1) I never need to push that much sound for rehearsals. 2) I'll never use more than one speaker cab at a time for recording. 3) We gig pretty infrequently, but even if we did gig more often, I'm too lazy to haul around more than one 4x12 cab anyway. :) So after finding a good deal on a Randall R212CS 2x12" cabinet, I decided it was time to unload my Rocktron 4x12.

The Randall 2x12 is appealing for a couple reasons... First, it has the same width/depth as the Randall 4x12, so it will safely stack to create a 6x12. Second, it will give me a 2x12 to use with the Egnater JTM45 and other heads for a more "portable" rig. From a features standpoint, the cab is pretty basic, but does have a couple of things worthy of note... It can operate as either a closed-back or 1/3 open-back cab by removing a panel. More interesting, IMO, it has the Randall Mic Eliminator, yet another one of Bruce Egnater's creations. The speaker jackplate has the standard 1/4" ins and mono/stereo switch, but also adds two XLR outs, a ground lift switch, and a voicing switch for dark/normal/bright. I haven't tried this yet, but the concept is that you could gig/record by plugging the cabinet directly into the PA system... no need to fuss with microphones, less stuff to trip over on stage. Sounds good in theory... we'll see how it sounds in practice. Overall, the Randall is quite well constructed out of 3/4" birch with heavy-duty handles and casters... definitely feels a bit more durable than the old Avatar 2x12's I had. Aesthetically, it looks pretty sharp too, with a "silver checkerboard" grillecloth that's unique compared to the industry-standard Fender silver grillecloth.

Since this was a used cab, the original speakers (Celestion V30's) had been swapped out for Eminence Texas Heat's, which I ended up swapping out for Celestion Classic Lead 80's--I dig the CL80's in 1x12 and 2x12 cabs because they sound massive without getting either muddy or icepick-y at high volumes. (I actually thought twice about doing the speaker swap... I'd never been overly impressed with any Eminence speakers in the past, but the Texas Heat's have got a warm, round tone and tight bass response, without excessive mids or highs. Only downside is that they were a bit too dark with the Egnater JTM45 head.)

Of course, no acquisition is complete without a pic... here's the cab stacked up with two other new acquisitions... a Zinky Superfly head and Hughes & Kettner Switchblade head:

Um, so know anybody that wants to buy a Rocktron 4x12 cab? Or maybe a couple Texas Heat speakers? ;)

--B