I'll just speak for myself, but I don't see any advantage to multiple speakers, and I darn well know there are lots of disadvantages. A single source generally leads to a cleaner recording with few phase issues. You can usually drive the speaker to a good sound without shaking everything in your studio and making a lot of external noise. Now, if you are close micing, you can avoid phase issues with a multi-speaker cabinet. So if you need a multi-speaker cab for live use and you have sculpted your tone around it I'd use it to record. But if it's just for recording I'd go single speaker all the way. I had a cab built that makes it very easy to change speakers, so if I want another flavor, it's a few minutes work to change.

I concur. I DO like the idea of two different speakers for recording. Personally I also like the open back cabinets as you can get some very cool tones mic'ng the back of a cab or an amp. A single as Bob said is mostly what I prefer though for the same reasons stated.

Are you looking at a head in a very low wattage as a specific recording device? I know you have really good amps already, was just wondering if you need this as a way of keeping down the volume.

Bob and Dave, thanks for the input. The phase issue isn't something I had even considered, which is why I enjoy asking questions here.

Dave, I am looking at the mesa lonestar special. It does have low watt capabilities, but that is not the specific reason I'm looking that way. I got bored and ended up in a local music shop and played through it for a couole of hours one day. It has a couple of features that my vox doesn't and a little more tone shaping ability as well, and I'm keeping my conrad as my big headroom american sound. Right now, the solution is to plug whichever speaker suits my mood at the time into the head until I make a decision on the size and type of cab I want, and, what to load it with.

Did the Conrad come with the Webber or the emminence? I KNOW you like that one.

I had him put a weber blue dog alnico in it, and yes I'm definitely diggimg and using that amp a good bit. Its the vox that I'm looking to replace/supplement with the mesa head.

My Conrad covers American tones really well. Just looking to change my british side up a little bit

I have the Velvet Hammer and the 3-10 Echelon in on loan right now and all the tracks are yummy in so many ways!! I recently heard one of those new tiny Marshalls. Pretty much a Marshall sound in small wattage and size. Chinese built I think cause they not a lot of dough. Its nothing like the Vox though......just musing............

Here, I have a few reasonable amps and cabinets to choose from, but the two I like most are the VHT Pittbull ( real good valve sound,
but almost too loud for studio ) and my Herbert, made by diezel. Here, a few sound samples:
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://diezel.typo3…"]DIEZEL Guitar Amplification: soundclips[/]="http://diezel.typo3…"]DIEZEL Guitar Amplification: soundclips[/] Peter Diezel builds his amps just a 100 km away from me ( but the demo clips are not from me!! )

What else? There is a Marshall stack, FBT Bass combo from the '50s (all tubes, no semiconductor) , a rare Hughes & Kettner AS 64 ( stereo combo, 3 different
pre-amps, 1st midi controlled guitar amp, ever ) a little Fender amp and a Soldano ( which is under repair, atm. )

I record with 2 cabinets...lol...
Only the upper is connected, though. I hate crawling on the floor, so I put the other one underneath to bring it up higher.

I always wondered why some colleagues are insisting to use 8, 10, 12 ( was the highest I ever heard) mics around the cabinet...
Me thinks, a better amp / guitar / strings / player, what ever, would do the trick much better... I mean, what if you want to re-do part of a recording after a week?
How big are the chances to get the very same sound ever again??
Nah, ... 1 or 2 mics and a decent collection of components and off you go with 1 cabinet... I never had any complaints about bad guitar sound, yet..Not with Herbert..lol...
But if I added a few extra hours to get a multiple mic setup right, I guess, there would be a few raised eye brows...

I am a HUGE fan of older VHT amps. The PitBulls are really great. A friend I jam with from time to time has a 30 watter. It is one of the ONLY amps I've ever heard that retains its tone when backing off the guitar Volume pot. The drive decreases but the tone stays intact.

BigK.....you sound like a man who would greatly appreciate a Conrad amp. Theres a website. Jeremy (aka:prsnut) has one too....I get them into my studio as often as Conrad lets me have one. I have a Velvet Hammer all mic'd right now.....

You remember Sunn amps? 'Sundholm' is the clue here........

Jeremy....maybe you should look into the VHT line...get an older one....Made In Jolly Olde...

Super nice Amps!! I wonder , if there is a distributor for Conrad in Europe.
I'd love to have a try ...

Hello Jack...
Yes, the 50 W Pittbull I have is really cool. No matter if it is a single coil or Humbucker PU, if you turn down the volume it gives you a nice tone just less crunch and the best: you have an incredible control over the tone with your playing technique. Pick it softer and it sounds like a well driven almost clean valve amp, hit it harder and it gives you a beautiful HiGain sound, without fiddling with the nobs*... And it has huge power reserves. By the time you get the output stage to cut in as supposed, it is already extremely loud. You can play a hall with those 50 tube watts, which should be equiv. to maybe 100 solidstate watts, I guess. I have not yet found the right power soak for it, but there should be some new ones comming up, soon.

I bought a VHT 1x12" cabinet with it, which sounds quite nice, too. When recording I connect that instead of the internal Speaker and that gets rid of possible vibrations and mechanical strain on the valves. Sometimes a Marshal cabinet is the better choice, though. Depends on the type of sound you want, of course.

Btw, to all owners: if the amp start to interupt sound and or the volume falls low, clean the send /return sockets on the back, first, before thinking of broken tubes. It had me worried some years ago and was fixed with 10 cents of cotton swaps and contact spray.

* Call me psycho, but I have the impression that you can speak with this devil. If you stay on a note and press the strings harder with slight vibrato it gives you feedback in form of more sustain and a slight change in sound, that is not as perceptible with other amps. If you can play your axe, you can "think" your sound... so much fun when doing the blues..lol..

Conrads are made in Conrads shop right here in Oregon. Theres not many people at the shop. There's Conrad, and err...Conrad. So no distro on the European peninsula.....He's a mad scientist and is always building something new. Fortunately, I get to demo some of it.

You could always email him, tell him I sent you, and maybe YOU can be the European distributor!

A great review on the VHT BTW. Spot on. The Conrad amps react in much the same way. And man, are they quick!

My opinion: Nothing. 99% of the time the engineer or whoever will just set up a mic on one of the speakers and ignore the rest. Go for the 1x12. They're cheaper, or you can get a better speaker for the same money as a 2x12. Good luck.
_____________
Amateur | [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.axessult…"]Axess Ultrasound[/]="http://www.axessult…"]Axess Ultrasound[/] | Pro-Tools