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Advice needed on Cabinet for Marshall DSL50 head
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:57 am
by starbuckered
I am looking to finally upgrade my MG100DFX to something abit more respectable, that being a DSL50 head.
But the problem is I don't know anything about cabinet, so I ask the great community of shortscale for your assistance.
I have a small budget of about £200 for a Cabinet, I am looking to possibly buy a 2-4x12 Cab, preferably a Marshall one.
I have seen these two so far
Marshall MC212
Marshall AVT 412xbt
Will either of these work with the head, is one better than the other or has anyone got any better surgestions about cabinets
Thankyou
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 2:09 am
by the isaac eaton
I was gonna say get a mesa boogie cabinet, those are the best cabs ever. but then I saw your budget. haha. You should have a look into avatar cabinets, I hear alot of good things about them.
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 3:01 am
by dots
if space is a concern, 2x12 should do the trick, but there's nothing like having a half-stack.
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 9:43 am
by Doog
I'd plump for a secondhand Marshall 1936 cab- better resale value and sounds to be had from it, based on the reviews I was just looking at. I run my DSL50 through one and it sounds just darn spanky.
I say fuck 4x12s- sure, they look cooler but the extra weight and space needed is just a pain in the cock; a pain not even really justified in the sound department- a decent 2x12 will rival a decent 4x12 for low end and projection.
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 9:46 am
by Mike
1936 2x12" all the way. They are brutally good. I absolutely adore mine, and also have a JCM800 4x12", it definitely gets to into the sonic ballpark without all the disadvantages of a 4x12".
Re: Advice needed on Cabinet for Marshall DSL50 head
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 9:48 am
by Mike
starbuckered wrote:I have a small budget of about £200 for a Cabinet, I am looking to possibly buy a 2-4x12 Cab, preferably a Marshall one.
Marshall 2x12" 1936 can be had new for a bit over that (
£277 these days, they used to be £215), and definitely second hand for £70+ less. This is your option, join the rock!
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 10:53 am
by starbuckered
Right I am going to buy the DSL50 and the 1936 2x12, I manage to "secure" extra funds.
Does anyone know the type of speaker cable that they use?
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 11:12 am
by Doog
Bog standard 1/4" speaker cable- DON'T USE A GUITAR OR PATCH CABLE. You can get away with this on a solidstate amp, but you're likely to blow up a valve head using a non-speaker cable.
If you're buying the head new, it should come with a speaker cable.
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 12:09 pm
by Fran
Sorry to pull this off track a bit but does anyone know of a supplier of bare cabs?
I have two 4x12s, i looked at cutting one in half to make two 2x12s but the majority of it is chipboard construction that once messed around with usually falls to pieces.
Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:46 pm
by Doog
James got a cab kit from a company's whose name I forget.. maybe they sell more basic kits too?
Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:49 pm
by Mike
Torres. they're proper flaky with the contact though.
I wanted to give them £29 for the book on Tube Amp Design they wrote, never replied to my emails.
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:54 pm
by starbuckered
My DSL50 has arrived but my cabinet hasn't so I can't try it out yet, but for £500 on looks alone this is a bargin.
I went for the limited edition British Racing Green, because it was the same price and I liked the look of it.
I also went for the 1936 2x12 cabinet, I don't think I will need anything bigger for a long time.
Thanks for everyones help and advice, it was very much appreciated.
And thanks for not taking the piss out of my last amp selection.
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:01 pm
by Mike
Very swish, you will be very much enjoying the sound of life when teh 2x12" comes. I believe it comes with a speaker cable.
Remember to set the head to 8 ohms and use the 8 ohm Mono input on the cab.
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:12 pm
by dots
Doog wrote:I say fuck 4x12s- sure, they look cooler but the extra weight and space needed is just a pain in the cock; a pain not even really justified in the sound department- a decent 2x12 will rival a decent 4x12 for low end and projection.
hate to disagree, but i do. 2x12's do sound good, but i've not heard one yet that sounds as good as a 1967. the 1/4 stacks have it over on space, weight, and price, but nobody would make 4xAnything if there wasn't a difference in sound compared with the 2x counterparts. of course, i play a 100w amp, too, i'm economizing anywhere at this point.
anyway, that's a sharp looking marshall, dude. are you getting a green cab to match? post pics of whatever you end up with.

Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:17 pm
by James
Doog wrote:James got a cab kit from a company's whose name I forget.. maybe they sell more basic kits too?
Yeah it's Torres. But I got it from ebay. 2x10, cost about £30 without speakers. I think the kit I have is about £100 from Torres, I'd rather go 2x12 Marshall than pay that. It had the added bonus for me of being the same width as my head (well, slightly larger but much closer than a marshall).
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:26 pm
by starbuckered
My cabinet has finally arrived, here is a picture of it with my SG
but I didnt notice until now that they sent me a DSL100 and not a DSL50

So I guesss I got more for my money.
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:21 pm
by Mike
hahah indeed you did! nice one!
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:08 pm
by Progrockabuse
that's a pretty good score. does the 100 have a half power switch?
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 5:07 pm
by starbuckered
Im not sure I havent seen one, if there is one would it be on the back?
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:02 pm
by Doog
Nah, it doesn't have a half power switch. If you're after a bit of breakup at gig volumes, you could always convert it to 50w by pulling 2 powertubes and rebiasing it accordingly.
But obviously, don't do this until you know HOW to do it properly and safely.