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Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2026 2:37 pm
by mdc
I really like the sE V7X on snare.
They're cheap as hell and sound great - very similar to an M88.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2026 2:37 pm
by mdc
I'd put pretty much every sE mic in this category tbh - they make great stuff.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2026 5:32 pm
by TylerDeadPine
Frankie99 wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 2:35 pm
eephus wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2026 9:55 am
llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Sun Nov 30, 2025 12:41 am Shure KSM137 (or 141). Its never really the coolest mic to grab for anything but it seems to work for everything. For $150 used they are no brainers.
They are great.

Yamaha G100 guitar heads/combo amps
Yamaha FG Series acoustic guitars
MIM Fenders
Avatar guitar cabs
Are avatar cabs good? I see them around and always equated them with low tier modeling stuff.
they're usually ply built and you could spec the speakers so when you see them used they can have anything in them, but usually pretty good. there was a point in the 2000s where it seemed everyone had one and they were always good, looked fine. Never upset to see one on a backline

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2026 7:19 pm
by Frankie99
Noted - Thanks.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 9:00 am
by Dr Tony Balls
I'm kind of of the opinion that cabs is cabs. About anything is good within the following parameters:

- this only applies to cabs for guitar, not bass.
- speaker choice is crucial. a good cab with bad speakers is a bad cab.
- there are limits to the geometry. an extremely small closed back cab is probably a bad idea.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 10:38 am
by TylerDeadPine
Dr Tony Balls wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 9:00 am I'm kind of of the opinion that cabs is cabs. About anything is good within the following parameters:

- this only applies to cabs for guitar, not bass.
- speaker choice is crucial. a good cab with bad speakers is a bad cab.
- there are limits to the geometry. an extremely small closed back cab is probably a bad idea.
Speakers don't get the respect they deserve from guitar players - they'll change amps/pedals over and over and over. Love a good speaker.

i had the fortune/misfortune of having to be part of my boss building 10-20 cabs and changing dimensions in relatively small increments to figure out what sounded best and most maximized wood usage from falloff. Calculations of bass response etc. seemed like it wouldn't make much of a deal but we were surprised how clearly we could hear the difference (with acoustic guitar mind you, and a relatively full range speaker) in 0.25-0.5" of depth different on a 16x16x9d, 1x10. Still, it all sounded good, and if I had many any of the cabs in my garage, would have been happy. Acoustic guitar getting into bass territory so it makes sense.

I still think cab tuning gets into weenie territory pretty quickly.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:12 am
by losthighway
TylerDeadPine wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 10:38 am
Dr Tony Balls wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 9:00 am I'm kind of of the opinion that cabs is cabs. About anything is good within the following parameters:

- this only applies to cabs for guitar, not bass.
- speaker choice is crucial. a good cab with bad speakers is a bad cab.
- there are limits to the geometry. an extremely small closed back cab is probably a bad idea.
Speakers don't get the respect they deserve from guitar players - they'll change amps/pedals over and over and over. Love a good speaker.

i had the fortune/misfortune of having to be part of my boss building 10-20 cabs and changing dimensions in relatively small increments to figure out what sounded best and most maximized wood usage from falloff. Calculations of bass response etc. seemed like it wouldn't make much of a deal but we were surprised how clearly we could hear the difference (with acoustic guitar mind you, and a relatively full range speaker) in 0.25-0.5" of depth different on a 16x16x9d, 1x10. Still, it all sounded good, and if I had many any of the cabs in my garage, would have been happy. Acoustic guitar getting into bass territory so it makes sense.

I still think cab tuning gets into weenie territory pretty quickly.
Yeah, my 30 watt is in an overbuilt cab for a 12" speaker. Set at lower volume it still has way more low mid oomph than my Blues Jr (yes 15 watts) does with the bass cranked. The Blues Jr always looks like they squeezed the 12" into the smallest possible box.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:16 am
by Dr Tony Balls
losthighway wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:12 am
TylerDeadPine wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 10:38 am
Dr Tony Balls wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 9:00 am I'm kind of of the opinion that cabs is cabs. About anything is good within the following parameters:

- this only applies to cabs for guitar, not bass.
- speaker choice is crucial. a good cab with bad speakers is a bad cab.
- there are limits to the geometry. an extremely small closed back cab is probably a bad idea.
Speakers don't get the respect they deserve from guitar players - they'll change amps/pedals over and over and over. Love a good speaker.

i had the fortune/misfortune of having to be part of my boss building 10-20 cabs and changing dimensions in relatively small increments to figure out what sounded best and most maximized wood usage from falloff. Calculations of bass response etc. seemed like it wouldn't make much of a deal but we were surprised how clearly we could hear the difference (with acoustic guitar mind you, and a relatively full range speaker) in 0.25-0.5" of depth different on a 16x16x9d, 1x10. Still, it all sounded good, and if I had many any of the cabs in my garage, would have been happy. Acoustic guitar getting into bass territory so it makes sense.

I still think cab tuning gets into weenie territory pretty quickly.
Yeah, my 30 watt is in an overbuilt cab for a 12" speaker. Set at lower volume it still has way more low mid oomph than my Blues Jr (yes 15 watts) does with the bass cranked. The Blues Jr always looks like they squeezed the 12" into the smallest possible box.
In an open backed cab I think dimensions make even less of a difference.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:26 am
by losthighway
Dr Tony Balls wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:16 am In an open backed cab I think dimensions make even less of a difference.
Which brings me back to my lingering suspicion that a different speaker could change my Blues Jr from "handy little guy" to amazing.

Re: Under-appreciated Gear

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:54 am
by Dr Tony Balls
losthighway wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:26 am
Dr Tony Balls wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2026 11:16 am In an open backed cab I think dimensions make even less of a difference.
Which brings me back to my lingering suspicion that a different speaker could change my Blues Jr from "handy little guy" to amazing.
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