Marshall 1912 112 Cabinet

Bought this speaker cab new in May 2006 for $327, so I've had it a year so far. The cab is versatile enough for me and my music styles: acoustic folk guitar, rock, blues, jazz, gospel, Contemporary Christian, Country Western, anything through this thing. However, that's after I modified as noted in the next section. I wish it had an additional jack in back so you could daisy chain it to another speaker. It's just one 12" speaker, so there's not much to it! I think it came with a 150 watt Celestion speaker which would be the max I'd ever drive it.

This speaker cab can make any sound you need it to. However, I have replaced the original 150 watt Celestion speaker with a 12" Eminence Legend GB12 Speaker. This is a Greenback clone and I think it sounds better and it also costs about $30 less than a Greenback. The original speaker sounded very boxy and in need of air. It has a closed back and I think it really needs an open back. But I didn't want to mess with modifying the back panel, so I got the Greenback clone. It was a huge improvement, giving a much airier, less boomy, less boxed in sound. I drove that speaker in the box to distortion last night. It sounded good, crisp and deep enough bass to give it a lot of body. It's not noisy. My rating is for the original speaker.

I've had this cab for a year and have used it regularly. My original intention was to use it with my 1977 Fender Vibro-Champ amp which had been modified into a head, its speaker having been professionally removed and the cab reduced to head size. Since I replaced the speaker as note above, I've used it a lot with all my amps. The constrution is rock solid and it't totally reliable. It's never broken down.

No repairs needed so far, and none are anticipated.

I've played guitar for 43 years. I have piles of gear. A Crate PCMB 500 watt P.A. amp, a Carvin FET 401 monitor amp, Cerwin Vega 12" 2 way floor monitors, dbx 160 compressor, 2 Soundtech B2E 12" 2 way main speakers,Digitech 2101 studio tube pre-amp, Shure SM 57 & SM58 mics, Yamaha 4 track cassette deck, Marshall JCM 800 2210 amp, Marshall 8008 Stereo Valvestate Power Amp, a 1997 '65 Fender Twin Reverb Reissue tube amp, 1977 Fender Vibro-Champ tube amp, Mesa-Boogie V-twin tube pre-amp pedal and Boss foot pedals. If this cab were lost or stolen, I'd get another one or another one fairly similar to this one.

Made 2004

Very versatile - being an extension cabinet it lends itself to whatever is powering it. The driver is transparent enough to cope without being too bland and lacking its own colour.

Very compact and a nice depth for balancing things on top. Not too heavy - more about construction later. Giving an eight as this cab isnt quite as versatile in usage as one might think - nothing to do with sound. More to do with what it can handle.
As you will find out below I had to have the driver replaced. When the shop did this I saw inside. Have no bones about it... this cab uses mdf in its construction. I feel a bit cheated for 200 quid considering there is only one driver and the size of it.

Eight ohms which is nice and sensible.

I use this with a variety of guitars:- strats with bill lawrence l250s, a godin tc artisan and a gibson les paul standard. I use this cab with my '76 marshall 2203 (100w tube master volume head) and a rack set up comprising a jmp1, tc g major and a mesa fifty fifty.

I play for a living and this gets used for all sorts of styles. Blues, funk, jazz, country... whatever i need.

This cab is very versatile and will sound chunky and balanced whatever you do... it has a very live friendly sound... the frequency response lends itself to a busy live mix.

Unfortunately I disagree with the user below in that it cant handle a 100w marshall head. Using my strat and an original marshall guvnor pedal at local small pub gig it started to fart like mad with my 2203. This is a bass frequency issue. Unfortunately the cab was permanently damaged and the shop very kindly replaced the driver under warranty. Turns out the 150w celestion is a bass driver anyway! Now if i have to use a 100watter through it i turn the bass off. This is not convenient but does allow a bit of safety in its use. Anyway most of the time i use it with the mesa in mono. I have a vintage 30 loaded marshall 4x12 for stereo or big gigs.

The clean sound is broad and warm. The dirty sound is smooth although has great impact and a nice width to it. Alex Lifeson and Martin Barre style power chords with the fith on the bottom sound nice and authorative.

I wouldnt depend on this cab as i dont think it can handle what it says it does. This may be a production fault in the speaker, or a major standing wave/resonance issue in the small cab as it is not ported in any way. If you leather a guitar like i do and you use a 100watt tube amp, which is more than capable of throwing many more watts out than its rating when pushed hard, then I would not recommend using one of these cabs on its own. I wouldnt want to sit on it too much either considering it is made useing particle board (mdf), but otherwise it is the usual marshall depenability we have come to know.

Marshall are great people and will answer your beck and call, I have no qualms about this. You get the usual warranty and they will send you a nice letter thanking you for buying their gear. I bought a cover for this directly from them. Cost 15 quid and two days. Thats nothing to be sniffed at. Marshall have been very supportive in the past with other equipment. I trust them. I just wish theyd been a bit more up front about the construction and handling of this cab.

Ive been playing since i was five, Im now twenty five. I play for a living and teach guitar and theory and other instruments. I have a lot of old and modern gear and it all has its uses, you just have to be aware of limitations and learn how to work around them.

I really like the tone of this cab and would well recommend it with a fifty watter or a small valve amp like the other users below. Check out buddy whittington with john mayall he does a great job with a little drZ and one of these.

Overall any piece of gear should be based on the way your audience percieves it. Nothing else matters. And providing you dont blow it up this cab will deliver a great tone.

First off this review is for a clone of the marshall 1912 cabinet. I built an exact copy of the cabinet out of birtch plywood. I can't see this cabinet needing any more features, so there is not much to say here.

I used to have a celestion G12T-75 in the 1912 and used it with a marshall DSL401. This combo sounded very good, I really enjoyed the closed back sound on the bottom and the open back sound on the top. More recently I put in a modern lead 70 G12M-70. This speaker is kind of a cross between a vintage 30 and a G12T-75. The cab sounds very good with this speaker, but I am not sure I like it by itself. The distortino sounds don't seem to be very full when I just use this cabinet. It does sound much better when I use this cab with a mesa boogie recto 112 cab, that has a vintage 30 in it. I am currently running a mesa boogie mark IV into this and the mesa recto 112 and am pleased with the results. The mesa mark IV can sit on top of the marshall 1912, but does not sit on the rector 112, so go figure.

I do not recommend putting sound absorbing material in the cab, I tried that for a while on the walls and made the cab sound dead.

Never had a problem

N/A

I would definetely build or buy one of these cabinets again. I basically built it since I had wood left over from my other cab building projects. I do wish it was a little wider so heads fit on it better, but its portability is great. Its wonderful for taking to practice and small gigs.

1x12, closed-back cabinet with a 150 watt Celestion 8 ohm speaker.

I have this connected to a Dr.Z Carmen Ghia head. I play classic rock, southern rock and even some current stuff and it handles it all really well. This cab can get LOUD and handle alot of power. I took out the stock celestion and threw in a Vintage 30 and I'm getting better low end now.

I was skeptical about this cab after hearing some negative comments about the 1936 2x12 cab and it being poorly constructed. I have no idea where those are made but this here 1x12 is a Marshall product that is Made in England. Very important because I don't think a bad cab makes it out of the England factory. Plus you can tell this is very well made. I expect to get a lot of use out of this cab with no problem.

Never tried, I really try to avoid large companies because of their usually poor customer support. Hence my choice of amp and my boutique pedals, but we're talking about a well made cab so I don't think I'll need it.

Terrific 1x12 closed back cab. I also have a 1x12 Mesa open back that I recommend. Two very different sounding cabs. As the other reviewers mentioned this is very hard to find and I don't think stores in the U.S. even carry it. If it were stolen I'd be very upset and try to find another one.

Small box, one recessed jack 4 feet and, . . . oh a 12" Celestion SideWinder!
Apparently designed to be paired with small combos such as a JTM30. It is narrower than most Marshall (and other) full-sized amps.
Light in weight, not sound. Holds up well to band use because you don't need to hire gorillas or have a drunk buddy walk backwards to lug it around. Hence it is inherently less accident prone.
As close to a Fender sound that Jim ever made.

Originally used w/ a Musicman 65 Reverb and The Paul on upgraded AGI D100 pickups. Also made an excellent high range driver for a bi-amped bass rig on a 200W channel-- never came close to straining it.
Am having a really hard time getting it back from my buddy who uses it with a Mesa Mark IV (ugh) in place his EVs (poor amp/skr combo). He even prefers to the Celestions (rolas) in his CBS Twin. Time to put my foot down, get it back, and use it for a 15W Teeco (huh?) amp project . A JBL D130F would be louder and Dual Showman cab would be bluesier-- but really . . . who wants an 80 lb. practice/studio amp?
Not your typical Celestion or Marshall sound, really. Best I can descibe the tone is something like having a JBL E120H and vintage Jensen 2x12 open backs together. A lot more portable, of course, and can handle as much power.
It's a creamer, it will sing with nice warmth and detail-- but it's not chunker.
The sealed back design is especially strong in midrange for blues 'n' rockin leads. Would be OK for jazz, pop, c/w if you want warmer tones. Not for metal heads or heavy crunchers because it is light on bottom end (due to the sealed back) and the cone is more rigid which limits cone distortion. EL84 or 6V6 tubes are better distortion generators and cheaper to replace than an overdiven speaker (Greenback) anyway IMO.
My rating in this category is for what amp and music styles are appropriate as described. No speaker does everything great. Some do everything fair. This does well enough for many and superbly for the right player.

Only problem was the original jack would come loose. A bit troublesome because it is recessed in a deep housing. Had to open it up and install a sturdier jack with a star lock washer to cure.
A 100W tube amp is incapable of overloading a Sidewinder. You would have to be an idiot to destroy one-- it is that rugged. A knife through the grille or a shorted transistor output pumping DC would be about all I could see taking it out.
Fit and finish of the grlle and tolex is excellent.

N/A. Any shop should be able to fix minor ills. Wizard Labs is the name of my shop if you are in the Santa Cruz CA area. Cone kits are available from Celestion and aftermarket sources.

I doubt a replacement could be found easily. A non-traditional Marshall product that did not sell well and not for long. Players who own one would not readily part with it, either.

Let me know if you want to sell one. I buy and sell vintage music and audio gear.

1x12 8 ohms Marshall cab,black grille cloth and medium Marshall logo.
It's loaded with a Celestion G12-B 150W.
Very light to move around and well built.

I use this cab with an Engl Screamer 50 head for reharsals and even for small gigs.It can handle the power of my head extremely well.Cleans and super hi gain sounds are excellent.
For bigger gigs I use two 1912 1x12 cabs.

Built like a tank.It serves me faithfully on reharsals and gigs.

I've never dealt with Marshall

I love this little cab:You can carry it with one hand and delivers a punchy and meaty tone.If it were stolen I'd buy it again immediatly but it's not so easy to find it.