[stuh84]

Hey guys,

I've been looking into different cabs for the oncoming Engl Invader (a few months away yet, probably April/May, but every passing day brings me closer), and as much as I like my current Mesa cab, I have this feeling it will not do the Invader justice.

It is one of the old Mesa Road Ready cabs with 4 V30's, and while it works great for recording (and I'm a big recording buff), the Invader is going to be used live a lot, so I want the best of both worlds.

Now I'm in the UK, so import duties + shipping and the like pretty much make the Vader cabinets an improbable/way too expensive option.

So far I've been looking down the line of the VHT Fat Bottom 4x12's, which I contacted Zimbloth about and he enthused about them obviously , but as far as other cabs to try, I'm not 100% sure.

I do like V30's for recording, but I'm a bit sick of their live sound, so unless its dramatically changing the V30 sound, I aint too interested.

To explain the type of tone I'm going for, I'm currently in one band, and starting another up after christmas, and I also have my own material (hence the need for recording standards).

The first band, Extractminds, is down a Meshuggah/Decapitated/Textures route, so definitely need a very tight sound for this kind of thing, as well as clarity. The second band, Devouring The Lexicon, is going to be closer to Cryptopsy/Vital Remains/At The Gates, so still needing that clarity, especially when playing tremolo picking sections, so any muddyness/sag could get in the way. My own stuff is more Progressive Metal, with influences from Evergrey, Nocturnal Rites, Symphony X, Meshuggah, Necrophagist etc, so for leads it needs to be pretty thick and not too harsh (although that can be taken care of with EQ on the amp and post processing).

So basically, I'm looking for tight as hell, clear as anything, thick leads, and not a huge amount of harshness. The most important band for me is Extractminds, so if I have to trade something off, I want things to be right for EM rather than the other two, but if I can get all three covered then fantastic

Sorry for going a bit overboard on this post, I'm just always picky and specific about what I want

[budda]

You want an orange PPC412. since you're in the UK, you should be able to find one used for a reasonable price.

[stuh84]

That was another I was thinking of too. I'll look into both the Orange and VHT, compare the two and see which I prefer. If the Orange could match the tone in my head live, and then record as well as my current cab, I'd be a happy bunny

[budda]

since you're in the UK, matamp/orange might be cheaper then VHT (should be, in theory).

im curious as to your findings

[stuh84]

Yeah they do seem a little cheaper, although second hand I've seen a Fat Bottom turn up on eBay many times recently for £500-550, which is the price of the Orange cabs new. However I haven't seen a PPC412 on eBay in quite a while, apart from one in a flightcase which is on now, for £650.......

I'm curious to try other cabs if anyone has more ideas, the Engl cab I played the Invader thru originally was pretty sweet, but I just have a feeling I could do better with other manufacturers cabs

Bump....anyone with any other suggestions?