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So yeah. I'll be trading my Marshall valve combo for a 2x12 extension cab in a month or two so I could do with some opinions on brands and speaker types. I'm after a darker 'British' kind of sound and since local places stock mostly Marshalls, Blackstars and Oranges I'll be going for Celestions unless I save up some more and swap the speakers out for something else. Which is doable I guess, but I'd rather have the 'right' speakers in there to begin with.

How do they compare in terms of build quality of the cabs themselves? What are the sonic differences between V30s (which seem to be in the Orange cabs) and the GT-75s (which seem to be the Marshall standard)? What about other speakers that are worth looking out for?

At the moment my first choice would be either the Marshall 1936 or the Orange open-back...I'll be running the F-50 Boogie or possibly sometime in the future an OR15 head into it so there'll be reverb, fuzz, moar reverb and shoegazey drones rather than tight 'n' bright cleans (which my DRRI covers really well).

BTW, I'm going down the 2x12 route as a compromise between 'fullness' of sound and portability. I can't justify a 4x12 until I'm gigging regularly and/or own a car again.

It depends if you're trading in the amp at a shop or if you can order a cab, but if you can order one I'd go for a Zilla cab and a set of Tayden speakers.

I'm not huge on Celestion V30s as they can be quite spiky and have a very noticeable mid-range boost. If you're using predominantly overdrive though this would be useful in a band situation. Greenbacks are nice too, but I'm not sure they'd have the wattage you'd need for the Mesa.

If you're buying from a shop the Orange cabs are much nicer than the Marshall cabs (in my opinion at least).

If you're looking to swap speakers at some point down the line, take a gander at the Eminence Red Coat series.
I'm looking to replace the speakers in one of my 2x12 and am interested in speakers that are tonally similar to what you described.

Right now, my front runner is a pair of 75 watt Eminence "The Governor"

http://www.eminence.com/support/tone-gu ... overnor_16

Get the Orange open back, it's a great cab, I have one.

I have a Marshall 1936 with a V30 and a Greenback. I've always like the sound, but then i've never played through any other 2 x 12. Keep your eye out for used cabs, I picked mine up for £120 with the Celestions - it was worth that for the speakers alone.

I have a zilla 2x12 cab with v30's. snagged it on ebay for £250. Sounds great is well built and can be carried with one hand.

If you're after a darker British sound, I would advise against V30. Some good choices come to mind, though, mainly Celestion G12-65.

The G12T-75 is not a very remarkable speaker, IMO, but you might like it.

we need to page mickie to this thread. he found a gem a while back, but i don't remember the vendor.

Cheers for the input, folks. I think it's a toss-up between an Orange and a Zilla...both are in a similar price bracket, but offer something different - and probably more rugged - than what Marshall offer.

I fired off a quick e-mail to Zilla yesterday and, to my surprise, Paul replied within a few hours. His suggestion was to pair a V30 with a G12H which presumably offers some all-important lower mids while still giving some bite to cut through the mix in a live situation. The choice of two might also be handy in the studio. Am I right in thinking then that the G12-65 is basically a Greenback that can handle a higher wattage amp? I don't think I'd dig a GT-75 either, TBH; I've read that it's a bit scooped and 'spiky', so probably a bit too 'modern' for me.

I got the huge 2x12 Zilla do a while back, closed back, and loaded it with an Eminence Red Coat series Wizard and a Patriot series Swamp Thang. Sounds enormous and can handle pretty anything.

G12-65 is a much darker Greenback kind of a sound. It's honestly not my kind of thing (I prefer Alnicos), but I suggested since that's what you wanted. But if you do go that route, you have to think about efficiency of speakers you're mixing. It would be absolutely drowned out by a V30 and be sorta faintly in there. However, a V30 + G12H is a tried and trusted combination but once again, I would think it's a very bright combination considering you said you wanted darker. I don't think you can go wrong with two regular Greenbacks either. They are very good speakers that are lacking in nothing, IMO.

A pair of Eminence GB128 probably costs as much as a single G12H (well, at least in America it does) and probably would get you closer. I would think.