Avatar G212H Premier 212 Cabinet

2007 spin on the "traditional" style of Bandmaster/Bassman or Showman cabinet but with significant differences:
13-ply Baltic birch dadoed into the top/bottom sides if cabinet
This one was ordered with an open/oval back to let some sound out to the back. Speakers rear-mounted w/ T-nuts, and upgraded speaker wire to a upgraded jack plate w/ two 1/4" jacks for daisy-chaining. Rubber feet instead of metal ones w/ grills secured by screws, not velcro. Recessed steel bar handles on the sides top off the features.

Excellent materials and construction, great speaker options, and user choice of back design give the buyer the sound he/she wants to get. This cabinet is loaded w/ Celestion Classic 80's & a CAE UD-100 head. I'm getting s total range of sounds from clean to mean with PRS, Zion, and other guitars. I'm getting all the sounds I want.

So far, so good: made well and with good materials, and it won't be used as a prop for 'Jackass'.

This is where Dave & Eric shine: e-mails & calls are answered 99% of the time with no sign of being put off or bugged. Coupled with fast service, shipping and care: they're a rarity in the music retial business.

After 40 years of playing at a professional level, and using Mesa, Bogner,Suhr,Fuchs,Star,etc., there have been no snags. I got what I wanted so there's no wishes or regrets other than not having known about this company years ago.

2x12" speakers mounted with T-nuts, birch plywood construction all around, perfectly applied tolex, perfectly straight grill cloth, metal corner protectors, parallel jacks, recessed metal side handles, sturdy rubber feet...what more do you need? I was expecting some corner-cutting at this price, but there's none to be seen. The attention to detail is impressive, it's a very handsome cabinet.

How to rate the sound? I'd say it depends largely on which speakers you choose. Dave offers a nice selection. I went with one Hellatone 30 and one Celestion Alnico Blue. The Hellatone 30 is a Celestion G12H 70th Anniversary that Dave breaks in for a warmer tone. I took a chance on the Hellatone 30 since I'd never actually heard one and I must say, it's a fantastic speaker. Very smooth response. Big, tight, full bottom and a beautiful high end, never shrill. The Alnico Blue mates well with the Hellatone 30 adding some sparkle and mid range punch. It's a great combination and it's nice to have two speakers to choose from when mic'ing the cabinet.

Have yet to take it out of the studio, but build quality seems top notch. No concerns.

Simply THE BEST gear purchase I've ever experinced. Great communication and friendly service. All emails were answered promply. My cabinet arrived in about 3 days, and I'm in Michigan! You can stop shopping for cabinets right now, these are the people you want to deal with.

I've had this cabinet for a while now, I wanted to give it some time before I submitted a review. You'll find a lot of praise for Avatar cabinets on the web and let me tell you, it's absolutely warranted. I was initially considering a Mojave 2x12 cabinet, but they're a bit pricey. The Mojave is a bit fancier(gorgeous exterior!) and the construction is top notch, but I don't think the Mojave has anything on the Avatar which was half the price! I've since purchased another cabinet from Dave and I'm equally pleased. I can't recommend Avatar enough. To spend more on another cabinet is frivolous IMO.

2006 G212H PREMIER cab with Celestion G12H30 Anniversary and one Celestion Vintage30 speakers Blonde Cabinet w/ Oxblood Grill with a Closed back 16 ohm

You can get many different color and speaker combinations but this is the one I configured from the website http://www.avatarspeakers.com/

I also got the Dual Jack for daisy chaining other speaker cabinets

I use a 04 LP Standard and a 05 Am Dlx Strat with Marshall amps - a JTM45 and a SLP
This cab sounds utterly fantastic. The 30w and 60 combination lets me got from the Who to Metallica in 3 seconds flat. I have a Marshall 4x12 100w cab 4x25w greenbacks. The Avatar cab has as much punch as that cab and the bottom stays nice and tight because of the closed back.

The cab was professionally packed. The amp is built like a tank and I was awarded with a free dovetail jointed cab which is a normally charge based upgrade, for FREE. The normal cabs are dado joined

I placed the order with Dave, the company owner on a Saturday. He actually answered the phone as I called to leave a message !
He was more then happy to chit-chat about tone, speakers, guitars, amps etc. We had a extremely detailed discussion about my current amp/cabinet, impedance, ohms, pedals, room sizes, etc. setup which helped my electrical wiring, speaker and jack selection/choice

The amp was shipped the following Monday and scheduled for the next Monday delivery. I got the cabinet Wednesday !! Good call for using DHL for shipping Dave !

I also spoke with a few other staff that were just as nice !

How long have you been playing?
15 years
What other gear do you own?
Marshall baby !
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
I would purchase the exact same Avatar cabinet
what do you love about it?
Lightweight, beautiful looks and TONE TONE TONE !!!
What do you hate?
Nothing
Did you compare it to other products?
It is built,sounds and looks like a 100% professional piece of a gutiarists gear
Which ones?
Marshall 2x12 and a Earcandy Buzzbomb
Why did you choose this one?
The Marshall was just way too expensive the the Earcandy cab sounded just like the subwoofer the neighboors kid has in his Nissan

G212H Premier Cabinet (open back) with 2x12" Celestion Alnico Blues wired for 4 ohm. I was looking for a "Super Clean" sound as I believe if you start clean you can taylor your sound exactly the way you want it with boxes or whatever.

I have two different heads I run through this cabinet, a Mesa Boogie F50 and a Marshall JCM2000. Both these heads are two channel, 50 watt, tubed heads and have excellent clarity in the clean channel, combined with this cabinet it's definetly a "Thumbs Up"

I'm not a professional player but enjoy having good quality equipment that produce great "professional level" tone.

At first I was concerned about the speakers being rated at 15 watts each (combined 30 watts) since both heads I'm running are 50 watt output. After talking with the folks at Avatar, I was told if I didn't go past 70% total volume ability on the head these speakers would be fine, and they are. I play mostly at home in my music studio, okay it's my music room. But occasionally get together with the guys for jamming so I wasn't worried about over doing the output of the amplifier. I believe they just came out with the Alnico 50 watt Gold version if you are afraid of blowing these.

I have only had the cabinet about 3 weeks so I haven't tried all my guitars through it just yet. What I have used are a Tom Anderson Hollow T, Pickups H1, SK2, H2+, Fender Strat with Van Zant Blues single coils in the neck and middle and a Seymore Duncan in the Bridge. Epiphone Les Paul clone with EMG-85 and EMG-81 pickups. Epiphone "Joe Pass" completely reworked with Seth Lover 50th Anniversary pick-ups.

Effects I have currently hooked up are an Analog Man TS9, Metal Zone MT-2, Voodoo Labs Microvibe, Ibanez Chorus, Ibanez Delay, and just last week got my Klon Centaur (yes, it's everything you read about, awesome).

I play a variety of music and styles, blues, rock, and some jazz. From a clarity perspective I don't think it gets much cleaner than this, like I had mentioned previously, throw your boxes at it and off you go for what you are looking to hear.

As I increase the output of my amps the speakers hang in there asking if "that's all you got?". Really no break up to speak of even as I approach 5 and 6 on the volume, these speakers will push some serious air. I can't say enough about what a clean sound these speakers have.

Now, as I start using pedals for a variety of different distortion and boost that's when the smile will hit your face. The voicings that I can attain with my stuff gives me new inspiration to play more, and that's a good thing right? I can get crystal clear Allman Bros. tones that sing like a Godess, I had never been able to do much with my Epi Les Paul and the TS9, but now I love it. I guess another thing that is very noticable is an increase in harmonics, nuances, and it is very reactive to what your hands and fingers are doing to the strings. With this much positive response at your finger tips you need to make sure you clean up your playing and fretting of notes or you will hear it.

This is my second Avatar cabinet and I can tell you they are first class quality manufactured. I don't ever see an issue coming up with their performance.

My other cabinet is a closed back Avatar, 2x12", 4 ohm, one Celestion 50th Anniversay and the other is Celestion Viintage. Having two different types of speakers really does give that cabinet a versatile sound.

Easy to get someone on the phone, Dave at Avatar answers your email questions and is available for phone discussion as well. Prior to getting this cabinet I bought a 4x10" cabinet to see what that would sound like. I wasn't pleased with the sound as I felt it had too much treble and lacked bass response, just my impression. Avatar lets you test drive their cabinets for two weeks so I just called them up and they said send it back for a full refund or switch to another model. That's when i decided to go with the cream of the crop.

I have been playing since I was around 14, am now 48. I have played in public a few times, wedding, industry event, and a public festival but mostly just garage band playing. It has only been the last five years that I had got bitten by the "Tone Searching" bug. Since then I have been on the hunt and at this point I think I finally have it in my posession as I have quite a collection. Some of my other amps include a Fender Quad Reverb, Fender Twin Reverb (black faced), Fender Ultimate Chorus (gotta have one solid state right?), Sovtec Mig 50, Carvin MTS 3200 combo, and an ART DST-830. Although I have a small music store of amps and guitars (12) it's nice to have all that variety. As you may have guessed, I have been divorced for about six years now so exploring my hobby is now my bidnezz... :o)

I would probably get another one if it was lost or stolen. It is without a doubt the most expensive 2x12" cabinet I own but the speakers themselves are $250 a piece so that adds up pretty quick.

Highly Recommended!

Features are exactly as I ordered the cab. I was seduced by photos of the orange with Fender grille and script logo. I chose the open-back and a pair of Hellatone 60s wired in parallel for a resulting impedance of 4 ohms. Since the Hellatone 60s (broken-in Vintage 30s) have an SPL of 102 dB each, the pair has an SPL of 105 dB. I wanted the high efficiency as well as the 120W power capacity. The steel handles in the ends and large rubber feet make it easy to move around. The appearance is stunning.

I just received it this week and have been playing it with a Mesa/Boogie LoneStar 100W amp. The guitar I have been trying it with is a homebrew Tele clone with Lindy Fralin Blues Specials in the bridge and middle with a Razor (Allparts) Hot Neck pickup. The guitar also has a "sweet" switch for bridge and neck combinations in addition to the 5-way switch combinations. It is very loud and full-sounding. It is very bright as well as bassy. Since I play in large venues as well as outdoors quite a bit, the open-back was chosen to distribute the sound behind as well as front. So far, I am able to get all the sounds I wanted.

The cab is built from void-free birch plywood with dovetail glued corners so not expecting any structural failures. It would probably survive a fall from an airplane. The tolex is flawless and is apparently glued on as well as possible. The steel handles are far more rugged than competitors' rubber strap handles. The large rubber feet absorb shock if the cab is dropped. Some competitors use steel glides. Speakers are bolted in with bolts and T-nuts. I take great care with my gear and intend for no harm to come to it. I don't have a great deal of experience with Celestion speakers at high volume levels but trust that operating them within their RMS rating should ensure reliability.

Dave at Avatar is at the pinnacle of customer support and service. I have purchased from him before and he has always promptly answered e-mails honestly and is generous with information. He has long experience playing guitar and also in the audio business. It is really refreshing to be able to deal with someone this honest and competent.

I have been playing for 46 years. I play blues, jazz, swing and country. I have two Mesa/Boogie LoneStar amps, A Boss VF-1, two Rocktron VooDu Valves, a Line 6 POD XT Pro, POD XT Live, A couple of homebrew combos using 300W plate amps with and effects processor and high-efficiency 15" speakers. Also have several other speaker cabs, primarily tuned and ported with cast-frame speakers. Guitars include the above Tele, a FrankenStat, Ibanez AM255, Cort M800, Cort M1200, Hamer SATQ and a couple acoustics.

If it were lost or stolen I would replace it with another.

I love the appearance and sound and trusted Avatar's reputation.

I compared to other on-line cab makers but none had the exact features this one has.

If Dave asked me what I would change about it, I would suggest front-loading the speakers, creating a hinged cover for the opening in the back and optional protective covers.

Bought new. Black Tolex with Wheat Grille, White Piping & Script Avatar Logo, 2X12 Celestion Vintage Neo Speakers, Open Back, 25Lbs! Sturdy recessed metal side handles.

Built like a tank, Great looking Cab.

I'm running my new THD BiValve into this thing, it's PLENTY powerful and I'm thankful for the built in Attenuator, even it it does affect the tone somewhat.

I play a LP Special HB with 11's... makes for a very heavy signal, and this new cab handles it beautifully. These Vintage Neo speakers have a great bass response and I wanted the open back for a well rounded overall balance. This cab delivers, and the speakers aren't even broken in yet.

This cab has no odd rattles or undesirable "other" sounds at any volume.

This thing is sturdy. You'd have to use a sledgehammer to hurt it really bad.

Celestions? I don't know anyone who's ever had any problems with them.

Dave at Avatar is the man. It's so nice to talk to somebody who knows WTF they're talking about, and who is genuinely interested in helping you get what you need.

My cab was assembled and shipped to me on the same day I ordered it. Shipping took a week since I'm on the east coast and the cab arrived in great shape.

I've been playing for 15 years. I also own a Silverface Vibrolux, Music Man 4x10, and JC-120. The BiValve is way more versatile than all since you can tube swap, and the new cab is simply awesome. Amazing tone.

Avatar has special pricing on THD amps if you also buy a cab. I got lucky since I was in the market for both, and saved a bundle on the amp compared to other dealers.

If you want to spend more $$$ on a custom loaded cabinet you can and I'm sure it would also be a quality product... but why? Go to Celestion's website and you'll see Avatar listed among all the mega & boutique manufaturers on the "Meet the Makers" page.

Avatar is the real deal.

Solid cabinet. 1 Celestion Vintage 30 and 1 G12H30 70th Year Anniversary 30w. Orange Tolex, Silver Fender Grill Cloth, Script Logo. Rounded hole semo-open back. This cabinet looks awesome, and is built like a tank. Wiring and Jack Plates seem fine.

This cabinet's sound is inspiring! I been using a variety of Ampeg and Lee Jackson 50 watt heads through this thing. So far I have tested this cab with an R50H Reverbrocket head, a V-50H, a VL-501 and a Lee Jackson XLA-500. The cabinet sounds great with all of them. I have a bunch of other cabs with a good selection of Celestion, EV, Eminence, etc, speakers in them, and I just could not get quite the sound I was looking for. This Avatar has now gotten me there. I was looking for a modern take on Pete T's Live at Leeds sound. Its that raw energy that is hard to capture. I dont really have the resources to get a full stack vintage Hiwatt. I was really close with the Lee Jackson head and celestion loaded closed-back 4x12, but not quite. I think what gets me there now is the 2 x 12 configuration and the choice of speakers, combined with the rounded sound hole in the back. I have read other Avatar reviews of the regular 2 x 12 special, and they led me in this direction... however, I wanted the added features of this new Premier series... especially the orange colored tolex!

I have only had this cabinet for a short time, but I own a stack of Avatar's Pro Series Bass Cabinets loaded with the Eminence 10" Kappa speakers... I play the crap out of these things, beat them up pretty good out on the road, and they keep on ticking.. they are built like tanks, and I suspect without any doubt that this new Premier cab will be very reliable...

I have spoken to Avatar Dave on the phone a few times, and he is always very cool. He is also very responsive to emails. I have not had any issues with the speakers, so I cant comment on any actual support experiences, but I would guess Dave would be just as accomodating if a problem would arise.

This is an incredible cabinet. Built like a tank. Sounds amazing ! And it is orange and silver... which is cool as hell ! I am already thinking of buying another one !

It's a speaker cabinet. It holds two speakers. Other than that, it really doesn't have any "features." I ordered mine with black Tolex and a wheat grille. The Premier comes with the Avatar script logo, which looks nice.

So far, so good. Mine's loaded with a pair of reissue Celestion AlNiCo Blues (purchased separately from Avatar), which sound fantastic in this cabinet. I like the rear-loaded semi-open back design.

Mated with my Valvetech Hayseed 30 head, which is a hand-built AC30 clone, the thing just sings all day long. Perfect for old-school rock, punk, garage or power-pop.

This thing seems built like the proverbial tank. I like the fact that both the jack plate and recessed handles are made of steel, rather than plastic. The fasteners seem to be very solid, too. And the birch ply should be good for years to come. The Tolex work was good as well.

Dave is the man to go to for all things speaker related. Avatar's customer service is unimpeachable. Do yourself a favor and give them a call.

Great value -- especially considering the top-shelf construction and components. Quick shipping, too. Best deal in the biz.

2X12 Open back cabinet in brown (Cocoa) Tolex with wheat grill. Combination of Celestion Vintage 30 and G12H30 70th Anniversary speakers. 16 Ohm speakers in parallel for an 8 Ohm cab.

The cab sounds fantastic now that corrected the speaker wiring, which had the G12H30 out of phase. Solid low end now, but I had serious buyers remorse until I verified the wiring.

Seems well built. Plywood sides, top, and bottom with what appears to be an MDF baffle board. Speakers are rear mounted with machine screws and t-nuts. Tolex appears to be the exact same as my Mesa Lone Star Special combo's Cocoa Bronco vinyl. Handles are steel and recessed into the sides. Rubber feet are substantial.

Wiring could be of better gauge and soldered to the drivers rather than using spade connectors, but that's a minor nit at this price point.

While I have not dealt with them for any warranty issues, I was very pleased with them through out the pre-sales, sales, and shipping aspects of the transaction. Dave was a very nice guy and replied to my initial email on a Sunday afternoon only a couple hours after I sent it. Very responsive, and shipped the cabinet the day I called with credit card information. I received it well packaged (and wrapped in plastic inside the box) 3 days later via FedEx ground. I decided to go with Avatar based on reviews here and the price and I was not disappointed.

Overall I could not be happier with the cab for this price. I considered at a bunch of other cabinets, including Mesa's classic cab to match my Lone Star Combo. The Mesa 2x12 Classic new would have run almost twice as much after tax. Other cabs in this price point were all MDF construction and came only in black. Once Avatar added a brown vinyl cabinet my decision was easy. The tough part was deciding on the drivers I wanted.
If I could have done a 9.5 here I would have because of the speaker polarity problem. I had been anticipating the arrival of the cabinet and it was a big let down when I first tried it out due to the speakers being out of phase and the complete lack of low end response as a result. But it was simple enough to correct and once I did the joy came back.

Bottom line, a solid product at a good price.