I have always used closed backs. Recently bought an open back Orange 2 x 12 Neo Creamback Vertical Cab. Wow... Im loving it.

I own a Fender open back tube amp. Love it. I have a Vox closed back tube amp. I love that too. They have different tones but each satisfies in a different way.

Hahaha…..great title. I too struggle with open or closed back cabs. They both sound great, yes they have a time and place, however I’d recommend to have both if you can.

I too grew up with open backs. My friend had a Marshall and I would try it sometimes. To be fair I didn’t spend enough time with it to figure it out but it always felt good to plug back into my open back Fender.

You have put a smile on my face again. Good morning.

Open back cans breath and give a more open sound. Closed back give a more controlled/restrained sound better for heavier gain driven sound.

I have and appreciate both..... in Combo form! The "closed back" in my arsenal is a original 1st production test run of the Rivera Suprema, an EL-34, 1X12 amp...that has a raised chassis section to allow the speaker cab portion to be closed and not interfere with the air flow to the amp section. Sounds killer! My open-back is the Rivera Quiana 4X10 with 6L6GC tubes... (think a "Super" Super Reverb!) Love them both for their awesome and very different sounds.

One thing I didn’t hear (or maybe missed) in this video is when closed backs are sealed. It delivers an even punchier, tighter sound than a non sealed closed back because the air the speakers are pushing don’t have anywhere to go beside back out the speaker. It’ll make the sound focused in front of the cab which results in full output from the speakers

I love both open and closed backed cabs. Love the tweed deluxe and champ and how they "breath" when cranked. But, my favorite cab is a closed back Traynor YCX12 with an 80-watt Celestion 7080 speaker. It's soooo tight. Goes incredibly well with a Dr. Z Carman Ghia and anything else you put in front of it. One of the best features of this cab is the grill -- behind the grill cloth is a perforated medal plate that's been powder coated black. You can kick it, hit it, stomp it, do almost anything this this monster.

I've had both and never even gave the tone a thought. I do like that I can store cables and pedals in the open back. Ah ,nerds!

Depends on what I'm playing. I have a 2x12 oversized Avatar closed back cab that sounds ridiculously awesome for my Les Paul rock and heavy stuff. For my country and single coil stuff, open back 1x12 generally.

Open backs give a warmer sound because the speaker's response back and forth is not under so much pressure. Another advantage is they allow the sound to travel against the wall and then down the wall. Allowing the sound to be heard by other band members a little better. Closed backs have a sharper response do to the pressure causing the speaker to respond faster.

Bioshock was a GREAT dark scary game. One of my favorites! Love hearing you all geek out all over the place. Great video.

When I 1st started playing, back in the 60s, it was generally open back for guitars and closed back for bass. But then we mostly used Fender, Silvertone, Vox, etc. Then came the Marshalls, Kustom, Orange, etc and it all changed. I played bass thru a Magnate M35 in the early 70s. Then traded it for an Acoustic.

I have been a 50 watt plexi into a 4x12 Greenbacks guy forever. I have found a single 12 that is tuned to give you a faux 4x12 sound. I put in the new Celestion Neo Creamback. It is half the weight of even a single Greenback but sounds like a vintage Greenback yet at 60 watts can handle the Marshall.

This is why I love you guys. Eternal Darkness was a great game! Open back combos for life.

Open back for guitar, closed for bass for me.

You could also use ur combo amps as cabinets for your heads to see if you prefer a particular setup before taking everything apart and swapping things

I use my Two-Rock Bloomfield Drive with an Universal Audio Ox and It is perfect!

I have a Blues Jr that I love, and I took it to my guitar tech buddy to have the reverb tank swapped out for a 5-spring tank. He called me to ask if he could do some other tinkering to it. I will soon have a Blues Jr in an aged tweed Deluxe cab with a speaker upgrade, reverb tank swap, and tone control mod. It’s going to be lighter and more resonant just from the cabinet, and I can’t wait to get it back!

I've used both open back and closed back. I used open backs for regular club gigs where I have them up close a wall or curtains. I use closed back cabinets for large stages or out door event stages like festivals. I noticed a drop in volume and bass response from the amp when playing on large out door stages or on theater stages. You will get better volume projection and bass response with a closed back amp cabinet in larger stage environments. Marshall Amps were originally designed for bands playing larger venues not small bars with 40 seating compacity.

I played my Victory Kraken through Victory's open back 1×12 for a few years before finally purchasing the matching closed back 2x12 cab. Same speakers in each cab. The 2x12 sounds like what I wished the 1x12 would sound like all those years. Closed back sounds like rock to me. It's the sound of rock I grew up listening to (90s, 2000s). I won't ever be going back to open back for the rock thing again.

I had Sam Hill Custom make me a 1x15" cabinet to look similar to my vintage RCA Victor. It is an oversized solid red oak cabinet with a two rock style oval cut out back panel. It was very reasonably priced an is as attractive as any of my furniture. Despite being made of an unconventional wood it surprisingly manageable to lift and sounds fantastic with the EV SRO 15 speaker I have installed.

I have two 2x12 convertibles that I usually leave open and a 4x12 divided by 13 I leave closed. Then I use a cab switcher to select or blend. My convertibles are closed with strong mag’s so easy to swap around. When I play out it depends on the venue and if we are mic’ing or not.

Orange open back 212 best cabinets I’ve ever played, mids for days!

I run 2 cabs. DrZ 2x12 open back one GreenBack one Cream..... 2x12 Mesa V30's closed back. Thump and Airy mids, you can run separate mics if you like. Love the two diff cabs.

I'm always amazed by the shit that comes out of Baxter's mouth. Hahahaha. And Jonathan always catches him and reels him back in. Lmao. What a great pair.

A friend made an open back panel for one of his Orange PPC212s and then A/B'd them. Same speakers, but they sound totally different.

I have an attenuator with the rockcrusher recording option that I can dial in and emulate specific speakers. It definitely makes a difference.

I also had to feed the old wood burning forced air furnace in the basement when I was younger as well :) Also had the pleasure of splitting the fresh supply of wood each year . Some will call it the good old days. Especially with todays gas prices

Even when I can take off the back, I typically kept it on to keep dust and crap out of the back of the amp. I used to really want the Marshall distortion sound, so I liked closed 4x12s, then I fell in love with the the glassy Tele neck with Vox AC 15/30 clean bell sounds, so still closed back. And I really loved the solo Blackstar HT-5R closed back sound for practice at home alone so the tone gets a little thicker without a band. I guess I'm just into that British tone? I love Fenders blackfaces, but since I mostly play Fender guitars with single coils, the tone is very ear piercing, but it is fun to be able to actually play with a tone knob on a guitar when I'm hooked up to a Fender. I prefer humbuckers with a little more meaty mids to fill out the Fender mid-scoop tone. I guess it also changes when you go Blues Driver or Tube Screamer and/or a thick and creamy distortion or thinner distortion.

Gotta have both, I am lucky to own an 8 ball 412 and a Bogner open back 410, hell yeah

My JJN 2 speaker cap has a section that's held on by Velcro. I can pull that off and it becomes an open back. I have not experimented with that yet but now I think I will

I once had a Traynor YGM3 from the 70s. 22watt combo. Closed back. Very nice amp. Last closed back I had. Prefer the open back.

I have two 2x12 cabs, one open and one closed. The way I've always viewed them is open backs are like listening to an original record. They have a warm, more spacious and natural sound to them. Closed backs on the other hand are like listening to a modern remaster of that record. They have more definition and punch to them.

Played only open backs for the first decade..now I have two Suhr closed backs (Badger and 2x12 PT) and a Marshall 4x12 TV and I don't miss anything (my open backs don't get used now). Just try a lot of cabs and get what you like.

I made myself not an open back and not closed, but ported (sort of Barefaced style) ... and I can play clean and chuggah chuggah like a champ. What it also does is spread the sound around the room like no other.

My Orange and Marshall rigs have closed back cabs. My Magnatone Super 15 rig is opened back. I love all of them equally. All head/cab rigs. No combos. The Magnatone really surprised me on every aspect though. I always thought I was a closed back or nothing until I got the Mag. It's my smallest rig but sounds the mightiest. Perhaps that's the open back nature? Idk

Hi Baxter, You should do a video about the using combo amps or amps that are separate head and cabinet.

Always here for the tangents!

Closed back for metal. I put a slab on the back of my cheap Marshall combo and it made a big difference. I bet the Katana would sound better doing the same thing

Fender hot rod deluxe. Open back. I tilt the amp back, with the back facing up, when I’m practicing. It’s a bit more mellow & warm. I heard Joe Bonamasa state that he actually did that once on stage. “The Neverending Story!”

I’ve done this recently with my Orange crush 12 added a EXT speaker to my 15”Peavey plus cab now I’m rebuilding the cab an unplugged the cab an opened the back of Crush 12 . An it gave me more bottom end bass bite now the amp is open and now I have plans to leave the Cab back open.

😎 Thanks Casino ⚓️

Currently playing through a Vox ac10, which is a closed back. However I really want the ac15, which is open back. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the ac10 but it has some problems that I just can't justify spending the money to get it fixed when I really want to save up for a new ac15. I bought the ac10 used.

I guess it’s like anything else and probably depends right? I have a Fender Blues Jr and a Mesa Boogie Dual Rec half stack with 4 V30s. The Fender is open and the Mesa cab is closed. They are WILDLY different amps for WILDLY different sounds and purposes.

I love my open-back Fender combos for certain types of heavy stuff but, for rhe more doomy things I do, it's all about an Orange head with a closed back Marshall 4X12 cab. Oh, baby. DOOOOOM COUNTRY.

Rock on Brothers!

Man, I saw Nightmare on Elm Street as a young kid, I think it was the first one, that scene with "Tina" is BURNED into my memory. I remember it very clearly and I haven't seen it in over 30 years.

How do you guys feel about late '60's Gibson amps?

I’ve learned lately that I have no idea what I want with regards to speakers and cabinets. Barely know what kind of amp I want and now tubes went out to get cigarettes… Seems like the amps I’ve had or played that were open back were hard to dial in unless they were cranked loud

I tuned in for help with my golf stance now I need an amp for my golf cart

Oh boy you guys heard of Glenn Fricker over at Spectra Sound Studios? He says the cab don't make difference, especially when recording. It's all about the speaker and microphone. The microphone doesn't pick up "in the room" cab tone.

Yeah n.e.s had Friday the 13th as well nighmare on elm street games they were my favorites

I have 10 various combos 10W or less, but only the Vox AC4C1 is closed back. Well, the Greta is a closed back combo, but with a cheap 4" speaker, it works better as a head LOL. I have two open back 1x12 cabs with Greenbacks and one closed 1x12 with a V-30 that I can use with five assorted heads. I've just moved into a place where I can use all of it at a reasonable volume so I'll be experimenting with all my music gear once I get it in from the garage.

Try KTR into Belle Epoch into the amp. Works wonders.

Listened to all the tests and decided on closed back orange ppc212. Sounds so good in my house and recorded. When used live however the drummer couldn't hear it at all and the crowd heard mostly my band mates guitar. The closed backs are tooooooo directional for live f you are not miced up and its not talked about enough.

I'm deff an open back guy.40+ years ofplaying and I can think of only 2 sealed back cabs I've owned. 1 I still have. I have several Fender amps and my eyes others. Talk about messing a kid up with a scary movie. I took my 10 y/old brother to the Drive In, way out in the middle of the woods one Friday night. We saw the original Halloween, The Hills Have Eyes and the beginning of some movie where this guy has a Hotel in the swamps of??? 10 minutes in he beats his paying customers to death with a rake and feeds them to the gators living under the place. By that time my brother looked like I was going to have to take him for Psych care, so we left. I miss that Drive In

I have a convertible cabinet and the difference is huge. A lot larger of a difference than one would imagine. Each has their own application. Be careful practicing with an open back and then going outdoors, the sound is not the same due to the environment.

Can I borrow the pink tele?

It’s simple for me. Closed back if I am playing anything rock related or anything with a good amount of gain. Open back for cleans and bluesy / jazzy sounding.

Took a router to the back of an old Marshall cab years ago. Best move I ever made for my personal preference. I would never purchase another closed back cab.

Nightmare on Elmestreet is officially the first movie that legitimately scared me. Seriously 😳. And yea l had already been through the Alien movie’s and The Thing.

I have a Mesa three quarter back cab.

I used to find horror movies funny because I knew they weren't real. I liked them but they didn't scare me. The only movie I ever saw that honestly scared the life out of me was Threads (1984) which we had to watch at school. That movie was terrifying, and I've never forgotten it.

I've only had entry level modeling amps that are all closed up. Sound waves are better if they can breath.

Far too complicated a question for me guys. 😂😂👍🥃Respect to you fellas. PS dose it no depend on the type of wood they're made from?

Have you guys watched the first episode of Moon Knight?! It is so cool

Getting scorched on a hot stove, or getting their head cut on a corner was what the parents of Gen-Xers and prior generations called "childproofing". The kid's never going to do it again. That's how I learned about electricity with a big damn hatpin and a light switch. Twice. I'm a hard learner sometimes.

I bought my second Marshall amp and 4x12” cab yesterday. I hate myself.

Open backed Marshall 1x12 combo? Love it. Closed back 4x12 Marshall cab? Love it. Oval-rear-ported custom SourMash 1x12? Love it. Closed-back (well, modified to convertible) oversized extra-deep 1x12 cab? Beat to dogsh@t but it sounds cool, too. There's a cab for everyone, sometimes 4 or 5!

“Strange as it may seem, horror loses its power to frighten when repeated too often.” Michael Ende, The Neverending Story

Dirty open back for me. And I’m cool with it. My Mississippi Marshals are all open back so…

Baxter, I’ll will call the Fashion Police every time you commit a fashion feu pas.

Speaking of really brutal war moviies, has Baxter seen Come and See? It's a Russian WWII movie and it's super intense. Probably not for the kids, maybe the older kid but it's just really hard hitting and you have to read because it's got subtitles. Still a great movie, not a feel good film though.

...I used to think about open and closed back cabs ...now I think about my liver , my knees etc etc

Battlestar Galactica reference FOR. THE. WIN.

tryed closed and immediately opened it much better

If someone brings up something as deadly serious as Stalingrad it will elicit certain responses. Someone apparently didn't like the German viewpoint of WW2.

There is DEFINITELY more bass n open-backs. I make both types of cab and sell them on reverb, and it’s not your imagination, the open back design allows more of the lower frequencies to escape from the speaker and more low notes will bounce off the walls and constructively interfere to add up and produce more low end.

I wake up wayyyyy too early if I’m the first one to like it lmfaoooo

Eternal Darkness was SOOOO good. It was Gamecube.

I had a Traynor 212 cab that had a removable window on the top part so you could run a semi open cab. It was such a great sounding cab.

Keith Richards and Bob Hite lookalikes discussing good stuff.

My two Fender cabs are open while my Marshall is closed. The only difference for me is where the cabs are. PLACEMENT.

Soldano SLO30…WGS Veteran 30s…closed back cab!

Baxter , I too hope to discover two rocks one day Lmfao

closed.... especially once the volume gets turned up...

Good morning

Closed

OPEN BACK!!

My open backs have an open sound. The closed backs have a more closed sound. I can't beleive this conversation.Are you sure you dont do drugs?

The problem with pink guitars... there is a little known law from the 80s that requires anyone playing a pink guitar to appear wearing a white wedding dress... And i just can't say yes to the dress... I started playing guitar in a different setting than most playing larger "venues" sometimes including open fields. I learned you can always turn down, but you can not always turn up louder. But even with the various combo amps I used to my 4 x12 cab, open and closed back have never really made a difference to me.

Closed just for bass I think

It's an open and shut case..............closed quads, ported 1x12's.

Why not have ..Both... :-)

I have both, to be honest I don’t really care either way.

Like so many things regarding gear, I dont think it actually makes much of a difference.

fender open, marshall closed...

Taking a break on guitar gear. The market is way too inflated. Going back to guns until it settles down. Much more bang for your buck, so to speak.