Guitar Cab - Grill cloth vs. Open faced

[Aaron Miller]

I think the effect of the grill clothe will be small, like smaller than moving the mic half an inch in any direction or turning the presence/high controlson the head just a hair.

[joeq]

I notice a slight loss of highs using a pop filter on a mic, but I think vocals are more 'critical'. I would guess mids will be affected less.

Maybe the Carvin speakers ARE bright? Or maybe it's just the visual impact of seeing them exposed? One way to know for sure.

you can BUY a yard of grill cloth for like $10-20

hang it in-between your speaker and your mic and see if it makes any difference.

[Aeolian]

Are you comparing this to cabs that have the drivers mounted from the inside? Or to things like Mesa cabs that also mount the drivers to the front of the baffle? There is a distinct difference in sound. The front mounted drivers will sound more aggressive or "forward" if you will. Rear mounted speakers couple to the baffle more and you will hear more colorations.

Some time ago I came up with a way to sonically combine the best of both. I thought about patenting it but the cost of the patent plus the cost of defending it wasn't worth it. So it's just something I have in my own cabinets. Although I've sold some off so at some point someone will pick up on it and market it better than I could.

[muziekschuur]

Great cab. Get a different microphone...

[bryan k]

Originally Posted by joeq

I notice a slight loss of highs using a pop filter on a mic, but I think vocals are more 'critical'. I would guess mids will be affected less.

Maybe the Carvin speakers ARE bright? Or maybe it's just the visual impact of seeing them exposed? One way to know for sure.

you can BUY a yard of grill cloth for like $10-20

hang it in-between your speaker and your mic and see if it makes any difference.

your a genius!

I just ordered a yard of this

Ill do a recording test with and without it and see if it does any difference.

[The Pressman]

When building speaker cabs I've always found the effect of grill cloth vs. different grill cloth vs. open faced has been negligible.

And if it does make a difference - hey, that's what the tone controls are for!

So as vain as it sounds, I generally just choose the cloth that looks the best.

[bryan k]

at extreme club volumes, i can see it really not having any effect (grill cloth versus no cloth)

but at a lower volume, and sticking a mic up to that cab.....possibly the difference might be subtle, but i think it will be there.

Its like saying a pop-filter doesnt tame the highs a bit on a vocal recording. it does to some degree......but very subtle.

[drbob1]

It's believed that the "basketweave" grill cloth on late 60s Marshall and Orange cabs tames the high end a bit. Can't speak to any experimental data.

[ciociosan]

I AB'd a 2x12 cab with and without the grille (off-axis 57 on one speaker and 421 on the other). The difference was really small, in a mix it wasn't possible to tell. FWIW I take the grille off of cabs when I can because it makes mic positioning easier.

[jitterybit]

I've got one of these I picked up unloaded. Just planned on removing the formed metal all together... That way I can experiment with the proximity without restraint. Will be putting four different speakers in it for recording only uses. Got several other projects up first tho.

A thin sheet with low thread count would probably sound about the same as grill cloth.

[bryan k]

Originally Posted by jitterybit

I've got one of these I picked up unloaded. Just planned on removing the formed metal all together... That way I can experiment with the proximity without restraint. Will be putting four different speakers in it for recording only uses. Got several other projects up first tho.

A thin sheet with low thread count would probably sound about the same as grill cloth.

I did the same.

Ive got Celestion V30s and Celestion Greenbacks in it (X-pattern). You can mic different speakers for different tones. Plus it sounds killer live........

[jitterybit]

Right now I'm set on a eminence man o war and governor. I have a G12 already. #4 is up in the air. Kicking around Eminence Black Powder or Swamp Tang...
Leaning toward the swamp thang at this point.
I won't be using it live. It's going to the amp locker I built in the basement and never coming out so the X pattern isn't needed.

Now, greenbacks are pretty freakin bright in that 2-3k range...SEE HERE...

[bryan k]

dont let that frequency chart fool you. Compared to the V30, its very MELLOW and not bright at all......

best way to describe a Greenback to me is "woody" and "smooth"

[bryan k]

Well, my grill cloth came in last night.

Not to excited about it. The material is very Plasticky and almost like a window screen material. You can see through it pretty easily. Not exactly what i expected........

After installing it......

I must say my amp does look pretty damn cool though. I even grill clothed the face of the amp head to match the cab. As far as sound differences......i didnt test it out yet, but im almost willing to bet there will be none.

[jitterybit]

soooo.....

Myth Busted?

[TeamContra]

Any o e know how to open to grill for a Mesa cab and Marshall 1960??

[bryan k]

Originally Posted by jitterybit

soooo.....

Myth Busted?

I believe so, or at least in my attempt it was.

I went back to a old project where i recorded my amp with the old metal open grill, and re-recorded the guitars with the new grill cloth (same mic, same placement).......

and heard no difference what so ever.

Now it may be due to the fact the grill cloth i received was a VERY loose weave, so loose i can easily see through it and find a mic placement without having a tough time (with a flashlight).

Im sure its possible that a more heavy-duty grill cloth with a tighter weave might make a difference........but mine did not.