Open Back VS Closed Back Guitar Cabs | Guitar Check | Thomann

[@Fret-knot]

I preferred the Open back in all instances. The notes seemed more open and less muffled, to my ears at least.

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

A cool trick with open back is you can also mic from behind. Make sure to flip the phase though. ☝️🤓

[@simply8670]

You should mic it from the back if you are recording, it can completely make the sound. It saved a metal band i recorded who only had a small Marshall DSL40 combo which was open back, logically i miced it front and back, flipped the phase and it sounded unreal for only being a 1x12.

[@gcvrsa]

Yes, of course it matters, and yes of course they sound different. For direct listening, I generally prefer open back, because the phase cancellations add dimension to the sound, but sometimes, the more coherent and dry sound of a closed back cabinet is what you might want. And there's nothing that says you can't mix the two types.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Exactly! A nice mix of both gives you the best of both worlds. Cheers //Kris

[@markpell8979]

Gemma, I'm with you and Burnt Gerbil on this regarding putting a mic on the back of the speaker with an open-back cab. The opposite phase sound waves radiating off the back of your speaker can be used for interesting 'doubled' guitar sounds in your live mix or recorded tracks. Assuming you have sufficient extra channels available on the board.

[@cesarportela1273]

You dont hear that much difference because the amp is close to the wall, if you put it far from a wall there is a loooot of difference between closed and open

[@joshs100]

Open back crates allow the sound to be free and sustain out if you will, the closed ones are direct and personal and sustain inward. Both linger and sustain sound in different ways. The mid back crates .. you get the idea. I personally prefer the open ones.

[@SomeKindOfMadman]

Personally, for my rig, I prefer open back. Thanks for the upload guys. You both rock.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks a lot buddy! Yeah, the player's experience is very different when using open or closed cabs. Even though a lot doesn't come through a close mic it's still very different in the room. Cheers //Kris

[@kevinkwmiller]

I'll be the first to say I preferred the closed back. It was darker and heavier to my ears.

[@johanjotun1647]

I'm contemplating screwing a chunk of plywood to the back of my combo to see it it makes it loud enough to play with a drummer.

[@patdalymusic]

@@johanjotun1647It probably won’t sound louder. In fact, an open back might seem louder because the sound can spread out more and fill a room. Also, keep in mind that closing the back of your combo might interfere with proper cooling of your amp.

[@vonicrimson3619]

⁠@@patdalymusicthats why you have to not cover the ventilation for the amplifier but it depends on the type

[@szymonszymanski3]

Happy Birthday Kris! I love the sound of the closed back - sounds more focused

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks a lot man! ☺️ Yeah closed backs tend to be really tight, no wonder rockers stick to it for such a long time. 🙌 Cheers //Kris

[@joelongstaff7601]

our bass player and I went through this several years ago. Running 100 wat tube amps. We built three pairs of cabs . Each with four 10 inch eminence speakers and three with a 15 inch cabs. One open set one closed set and one closed set where we obsessed with behind the speaker cubic inch space according to speaker manufacturers direction with padding to reduce sound pollution between each speaker. Our conclusion was in small venues it depended on what type of music we played. In larger spaces it was irrelevant as inhouse amps or event equipment ruled. We play blues and at home or small space we like 10 inch folded cabs with both 3 tube and solid state preamps on the peddle board. For guitar I run closed back 60s Trainer amp and cab. It what I started with and there's nothing else. I had to replace the speakers and went Celestion.

[@thomasVA9707]

So some advice needed guys, I've built my own one x12 cab with the option of open or closed back or small gap open, i designed it around the marshall 1x12 inner dimensions, it sounds amazing, the difference has a big impact in different rooms at different volume (when my wife has had enough i move to the garage wich is a much bigger room where i also play louder, untill she feels bad again then im back in the house😂😂😂) and also clean or gain play has a preference, so your style and circumstances of playing makes the options the difference you want, but a friend told me not all speakers can be closed so now im not sure if i can close it and i cant find much info on this, its the celestion V type G12 speaker. Did that harley benton dual cab have any extra ventilation holes cause the V type is a very similar design to the v30

[@pokezodia]

Open cabinet! My Blackstar HT0 Stage became a beast once I removed the back cover. Its less muffled and muddy.

[@tonytrotter2708]

The room mic made the difference more obvious and I really liked the open back, it sounded more airy, cleaner and balanced between the bottom end, mids and top end. Great comparison video, thanks guys you have really helped me make my mind up.........now where is my saw!

[@ThePierrezx]

We especially heard a difference when Chris was playing with the room mic (more deep bass, and more aerian sound). But it is not surprising at all, open cabinets have always had deeper bass since speakers exist. As it is in Hi-Fi where the bass-reflex speakers have always sounded far way better than closed ones.

[@AndrewAHayes]

apart from a practice amp my other 3 amps are open back, the only amps I have heard in person that are closed back are non valve and they dont interest me much apart from the modelling amps

[@JosephGallagher]

I literally closed my eyes during the audio runs, and even though it is very subtle (and even less noticeable in a full mix) I think the closed-back cab would work best for a recording situation

[@johnwillard6198]

I agree :) half open - primo❤

[@eguitarplayer6689]

If I have an open back i usually add a panel to make it closed. It seems more responsive. The speaker is important factor for determining closed/open.🤘

[@SCOTT-ki3ve]

I use a 2 x12 closed, and a 2 x10 open cab together

[@jcugnoni]

With open back, the sound in the room also depends quite a bit to the distance at the back between the cab and walls (and also of the angle of the cab wrt the wall... You will get a very different sound with an open back in a corner of a room vs in the middle).

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Very good point! The room plays a much bigger role in the experience when playing an open cab. You definitely need room mics though, if you want to capture any of that. 👍 Cheers //Kris

[@mivani84]

I have the revv 1x12 cab. I will try open cab soon. Btw Kris. I got a t syle guitar now. A strandberg 😅. I like it alot. And of. Happy bday

[@NickGranville]

Open back is even more noticeably different when you have a cabinet that is tuned to be open back. But good experiment all the same. Personally, I prefer open back on combo amps

[@guenterbortz5957]

There is a drastic difference, even close miced it's noticeable! And personaly i like the open cabs for the last 50 years 😄 it's more "open" "airy" if you know what i mean... 🖖

[@beakerstreet1090]

I play a tele, and thought the strat sounded better with the open back. The Les sounded a little cleaner on the open, but way thinner? So, I will go with the close back on the Les.

[@gesp5151]

Isn’t the open back more of a wider room reverb type sound? To my ear it’s a space and reverb difference

[@PooNinja]

Sealed for bass!!! I prefer running a sealed 412 and an open back 212 to get a good blend of both worlds. I’m really interested in the bareface custom vented cabs.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Best of both worlds. YES! 100% agree Poo! //Kris

[@jacksoncrate]

thats what i do!!

[@SCOTT-ki3ve]

Francis sounds great!

[@goodandbadtimes]

Back in my day ... the 'late 60's' (small gigs, pre-stack), we played with 'open back' combos. Selmer / Vox. As the gigs got bigger and 'stacks' became available, the Drummers (yep - those guys), insisted we play 'closed back' as they often complained they couldn't hear the vocal if there were 'open back' cabs in the line. That is (perhaps?), why they got the reputation of playing too loud? P.A. systems were an afterthought at that time, and didn't really show up until the '70's. The moral to this story? Never ask a Drummer.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha, don't trust the drummer! 😆 Love the morals here. But actually that's a good point. Sometimes you want the projection purely to the front and sometimes you want to fill that room. Important thought indeed. 👍 Cheers //Kris

[@sirdeetoh]

A closed back cabinet can become an open back easily, an open back is more difficult to close if needed because of the measures, is not intended to be closed so it's not guaranteed that the volume of the enclosure produce proper results. So the optimal solution is get a closed back and open or close it depending con the context ;)

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

Hey Kris, Ich wünsche dir viel glück, gesundheit und erfolg im neuen lebensjahr 🎉😂 You Rock 👍

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Aww 1000 Dank! 🙌 Es ist immer schön dich hier zu sehen. Ciao //Kris

[@miguelpessanha]

Closed Back sounds best for sure closed miking - much tighter and fuller. Open Back sounds better in the room - Louder, looser bottom, more opened and less directional. You could argue that: - Heavier sounds would benefit from the tight, fuller and direct response of closed cabs (especially live to minimize the bleed) - Cleaner sounds would benefit from the openess and airyness of open back cabs.

[@Lack0]

Could you make a comparison with a closed back 212 cabinet, but only with one speaker in it? I have read about this in a forum and such a ported cab is said to be louder as a filled 212. Curios how the sound would be.

[@jamujesperandersen8699]

I build a copy of Mesa boogies 2x12” buttom closed, top open - best of both worlds.

[@marquisdecarabas1312]

I didnt watched yet the clip but i can say: it matters. I dont know if it does something with recording, live situations ore things like thag but for me as a bedroom guitarist it does a lot with the overall sound in my bedroom 🙂✌️ i tried it with two identical practice amps..one with the back plate on and on the other inscrewd the plate off. Without the backplate the sound was more open in the room. But i am not a music tech ..so what do i know? 😅

[@AlexG-qv8ri]

As a bass player I prefer the more controlled sound on the close, more focused and surgical, specially if you have a guit player heavy handed on the volume (as most actually are 🙄). For myself I use a ‘68 Orange Matamp with 2 huge cabs 2X15 spider greenback, CLOSED!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

I fully agree Alex! On both things. Closed cab for bass, yes. Guitarists are (too) loud, also yes. 😅 //Kris

[@AlexG-qv8ri]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBassesThanks Kris, BTW I bought a DB meter as yours and (stage apart) I point him to it avoiding discussions 😂 Anyways if he pisses me off the last resource is usually a retaliation with the infinite headroom of my nasty Orange 🙂

[@MariJu1ce]

open back sounds a bit more diffused and phasy slightly. I like Closed back for more punch and tigher bass

[@andreyms4318]

Как насчёт 412 ? Там неверное больше разницы было бы?

[@Chris-yq7xv]

The open back with the single coils sounded brighter and more articulate whereas on the open back using humbuckers sounded thinner and not as clear or cleaner sounding. Overall, I preferred the Strat tones on both closed and open over the Gibson. Kris, have a great day and enjoy your birthday. Chris

[@HappyHermitt]

Best comment!

[@B_Wolfen]

I can't decide and run a Greenback in a closed 1x12 combined with an open back loaded with a Red Coat Private Jack...best of both worlds 🤭

[@miniguitarjams]

Definitely a difference. Interesting

[@VictorMan289]

"Is there even a difference?" That part is obvious hope... Here are my findings that I learned not from the video but from actual live playing and studio recording: Closed back = better bass response, better frequency projection, more focused mids. Open back = more air, "roomy" sounding, less bass, a bit softer on the high end. Applications: Closed back = ballsier, for heavier genres of music OR if you play funk guitar, which needs tight response, holds better in the mix, better suited for studio recordings Open back = creamier, for blues, alternative, R&b, also better suited for practice sessions of if you want to record a more unique-sounding guitar solo that might benefit from spatial effects (delay, reverb, panning etc. - a la David Gilmour for example) So no, I don't think it's about personal preference, but about the type of tool best suited for the job.

[@joshuadillon4396]

Which amp were you using?

[@ilovelamp22]

Doesn't Matter -Jim Lee

[@eldorado5319]

Open back for me 😃

[@danielsgrunge]

Both are geat for different uses I guess Open back sounds more organic and dynamic It sounds sharper, more definied to my ears

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

Hört mal jungs ihr müßt mal mit dem herrn Francis reden, man hört überall einen glasklaren unterschied zwischen open und closed back außer in der zweiten runde von 4.07 bis 4.30 . Ist da was schief gelaufen oder wie ? Plötzlich ist alles verdreht, bei closed back hört man mehr highend und bei open back mehr lowend, Ich hab extra nochmal geschaut ob er da vielleicht seinen fiffi auf hatte aber nixda 🤷‍♂️

[@Barry101er]

I prefer open backs, as it is lighter.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha, fair point! :) I can only agree. //Kris

[@kosmonument2682]

I feel like the open cabs have slightly more note definition.

[@kmichaelp4508]

When playing at home you get more from open back. When in a band situation? The low end needs to disappear! Projection

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

I agree with you Mike, an open back sounds wider in a room which gives you a pleasing tone. On stage it's a different story. That depends on the band and style. Cheers //Kris

[@kmichaelp4508]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses , good to hear from you Kris. Bill never answers. And a good morning to you too pal 😂

[@RICO_SUAVE21]

Closed back definitely sounds better for the gain. Clean I like the open back…. But who the hell plays clean 🤷🏽‍♂️🥸😄

[@typedeaf]

Open back was more full range sounding, but only by a very little. With a band or with other instruments, it probably makes no difference.

[@VSNxx]

honestly, I did Not hear any difference between the open and closed back cab. I think this is because the cab is closed to the wall. They should have done this video with the cab far from the walls.

[@randygomez9595]

I thought the difference in tone was rather small actually. So I think it's not a matter of one being better then the other but rather just personal preference.

[@tman6495]

Bose headset says, open back low end is fuller

[@trigliderider]

Humbuckers with gain = closed back. Single coils cleaner sounds = open back.

[@toilpainter]

Not much of a difference either way. Impressive. That being said, I prefer an open back for practice and recording

[@blackie75]

Les Paul sounded amazing, but he should have stepped on it a bit and got some air moving instead of stroking it like a baby bird lol.

[@fraenkiboii]

I will probably go to hell for this, but I prefer the ML mesa 412 OS IRs running on my Quad Cortex. 😇🤓🤐😬 The difference was… … let’s just say two consecutive farts sound more different.

[@DolemiteSammich]

Open back for guitar. Closed back for bass

[@darwinsaye]

I’ve seen so many people demo the difference between open and closed back cabs who only use a close mic for the demo and I always shake my head. Yeah, sure there will be some difference that way, but the whole reason to choose open or closed is how it sounds *in the room*.

[@Bobby_Digital37]

Closed back was definitely more dynamic and lively

[@timgray8055]

"No Difference"

[@MariJu1ce]

there is a huge difference in the room when you are playing with the amp. In recording its slightly less important but I still hear a difference in bass tightness etc.

[@mgoo1713]

Open by a mile

[@WaleshiddenhistoryMD]

Close back sounded a hell of a lot better, especially on the les paul