What should I look for in a 2nd hand cab?

[TheYoungGuitarist]

Hello!
I am on the verge of buying a Peavey 5150 4x12 cab for £85, mainly cos its a bargain and Im still in school and dont have all the money in the world! The guy insists there is nothing wrong with it and it is in perfect working order and that I can take my head and give it a try. Im just not exactly sure what to look for, if anything, when buying a 2nd hand cab.

Obviously sound coming out of it is a good sign but should i take a look in the back of it or... I hear that making sure the original speakers are still in there is important but I dont know why or whether it is important or not

Hope to hear from y'all soon!

[ibanezking]

You should be looking for "Mesa" , "Mesa/Boogie" , or "Mesa Engineering" on the front.

Quality ain't cheap and you get what you pay for............
I have a 1x12 and a 2x12 boogie cab - they sound BIG!!!

I have a friend, who has tried the peavey cab(to go with 5150) and says its poo compared to a Marshall 4x12. He'd have a boogie 4x12 but they are expensive and HEAVY.

Bigger isn't always better - i was talking to this same friends wife and she said he has a tiny **** but its amazing what he can do with it ;-))

Max

[Lefty Robb]

Originally Posted by ibanezking

You should be looking for "Mesa" , "Mesa/Boogie" , or "Mesa Engineering" on the front.

Quality ain't cheap and you get what you pay for............
I have a 1x12 and a 2x12 boogie cab - they sound BIG!!!

HAHA Amen to that.

[DEADTUNES666]

it's all subjective to the personal tastes of each player...I had a Mesa 4x10, and what a crock of crap it was. My Marshall 4x10 blew it away. However I can play a 5 string banjo with 2 missing strings through a tomato soup can and hold my own, so you never know...

You should play any used cab at a pretty good volume on your clean channel to really hear for any imperfections. Switching between distorted and clean, if it sounds good without any rasp or farting, like the Mesa crap is known for, then you have a decent cab to buy.

The true test will come over time to see how it performs for you...Good luck!

[TheYoungGuitarist]

Thanks guys lol