Astraight baffle (left) has the greatest internal volume; any slant on the baffle (right) will eat into this volume and alter the tone
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZILLA CABS
You might have noticed how some cabs have a completely straight front, have a slight slant on the baffles, and others (normally vertical 2x12 or 4x12s) have a straight bottom and angled top speaker. I often find during the ordering process, customers have already considered the different options and picked the obvious topics, such as speaker choice, size and type of back. So, choosing between the three baffles might seem to be based more on looks rather than anything else. However, it’s very much an overlooked aspect of a cab’s design and has important practical implications on your tone. As such, we’re going to look at how each type affects the sound of your cab, the positives and negatives, and in what scenario each will work for you.
Straight-Up Sound