Size

Please explain the whole 1x12 2x12 and 4x12 stuff!!
Whats my 100watt marshal valve state?
Is 4x12 4 cabinets?

Originally posted by Axl_Rose
Please explain the whole 1x12 2x12 and 4x12 stuff!!
Whats my 100watt marshal valve state?
Is 4x12 4 cabinets?

The 12 stands for 12 inch, which is the most used size drivers that are put in guitar-speakers. a 1X12 has one 12" driver, a 2X12 has two, and so on...
So, a 4X12 is one speaker, with 4 drivers in it.(this is the stuff you always see on the back of the stage with bands who wanna look cool) ;)

Is your Marshall a head or a combo? If it's a combo it's most likely just one 12" driver. If it's a head, you have to hook up external speakers.

if you get a cabinet make sure the rated impedance (eg, 8ohms) is at least as "large" as the rating of your amp/head. It should also tell you this on the amp and the cabinet somewhere.

If you put [say] an 8 ohm amp into a 4 ohm cab you can draw too much power though the amp(s components) and ... goodbye wallet.

Shop bought 12" cabs usually give a better sound to a combo amp for a huge number of reasons, important among which are:

A good company will have speakers capable of handling 75 to 150 watts [rms]each,and, depending how it's wired this gives a potentially enormous potential output - so if you put a 50 watt amp into it, it's a bit like driving a Ferrari at 30mph, it can so very easilly take it.

12" speakers for guitar (drivers) have a design which makes sure they'll handle the highs and lows of most decent sized amps,so no farting out or high rattles.

I got a 15w squire the other day (about £15 as part of my wheelings+dealings) and put it into my el cheapo home built 2X10 and [expletive] me! it rattled the room on mid volume- ok,it's a small room- but yer get the point.

Call me lazy, but I just hate repeating myself. Please take a look at this thread for an explanation of speaker impedance.