B. Cab Selection for Direct Tones

I. My Favorites

My favorite cab/mic combinations to use for single amp patches are:

Hiway 4x12 + SM57 Off Axis

Great all around tone. A little midsy and maybe a little light on the high-end but nothing EQ can't solve. Nothing sounds fake or washed out here. The only problem is it's a little noisy compared to its on axis twin, and the Tread V-30. This is my go-to cab/mic.

Hiway 4x12 + SM57 On Axis

A little thin and overly midsy. Top end can be a tad too harsh. Even with the high end and mids dialed down, something is still just slightly off compared to the off axis. It's louder and cleaner sounding, but the tone is just slightly lacking. Still the 2nd best choice, I think.

XXL V-30 4x12 + 409 Dynamic

Offers plenty of punch and a good bit of high end, but suffers in the upper mids. If you boost presence, the tone can become a little harsh and noisy. Good for a chug-a-chug metalcore tone.

Tread V-30 4x12 + SM57 Off Axis

Offers the most traditional sounding hard rock tone, IMO. Great everything but a little thin - needs more punch/bass. It can sound slightly plasticky. I can get the same tone with the Hiway, but it doesn't sound fake, so I now use that instead of this. However, this cab is louder and less noisy than the Hiway.

Greenbacks 4x12 + SM57 Off Axis

Huge mids, good top-end bite. Sounds a little more vintage than the Tread V-30 4x12, but it also has more bass. I used to use this for more of my Satch/Vai/EVH/Rhodes patches, where I needed a good midrange response but also some crisp highs, but it has taken a backseat to the Hiway.

Uber 4x12 + SM57 Off Axis

A good hard rock tone. Like the Tread V-30/off axis tone, but more bass/punch and a touch of vintage to it. I don't really use it, but it's certainly not bad.

Tread V-30 4x12 + 421 Dynamic

The 421 mic tends to have a scooped sound, which is bad with most cabinets but it works ok here. The tone isn't as clear as other options, but it does sound really heavy.

Greenbacks 4x12 + '67 Condensor

Very midsy and vintage sounding. Can make a good lead tone if you dial out the fizzyness.

I used to rely on the Treaplate 4x12 + SM57 on axis combo, because of its rich highs and upper mids; but I felt it left the tone way too thin, lacking in punch, warmth, and bass. Trying to dial that in never resulted in a satisfactory tone. So I switched mostly to the SM 57 off axis, which doesn't quite have the same clarity in the top end, but has a better overall response across all frequencies. Recently I've noticed there's still something fake-sounding in my tone and went back to the drawing board, trying to really test out all the cabs in detail. The one that stuck out was the Hiway 4x12. Both 57 on and off axis work well with it, and deliver a very real-sounding tone.

I also have different favorite mic/cab combinations for my dual cab patches. See that section for those.

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