Zilla Custom 4x10 cabinet review

We looked at the Tall Vintage 2x12 from Brit company Zilla a few years back, loaded with one Celestion Vintage 30 and one G12H driver. This time around we have a custom-order 4x10.

Zilla offers up to 40 different standard vinyl/Tolex colour options at zero upcharge, and a number of different grille cloths. Some options cost a little extra - blue sparkle, anyone? - for which Zilla boss Paul Gough will supply you a custom quote.

The cabinet is solidly constructed from 18mm birch ply and finished smartly in 'offend- nobody' black-with-white- piping option. The custom order 4x10 is sizeable (610 x 745 x 315mm) and we've loaded in four Celestion G10 Vintage drivers that add £200 to the base price of £325, unloaded.

Sounds

The cab has been gigged and recorded, using a variety of amps including a Hughes & Kettner Puretone, Mesa Lone Star and Two-Rock Studio Pro 50 - all fairly powerful amps that demand a quality cab.

The 4x10 is something of an acquired taste, with plenty of life and presence in the upper registers; 10s seem to bite a little harder than the equivalent 12s, one reason why players including Philip Sayce and Matt Schofield love and use them.

The bottom end is gigantic and with a high-headroom amp like the Two-Rock it stays very well defined. With the oval Dumble-style open-back, the multi- dimensional projection is truly room-filling: great for blues and roots styles, while heavier rockers will want something more closed and directional.

Zilla cabs offer high build quality, excellent value for money, versatile sounds and a wide variety of custom options and looks. The speakers you choose to inhabit your cab will determine the musical styles in which the cabinets work best.

As it is here, however, the 4x10 cabinet is a rare, slightly indulgent beast that will appeal to blues-based players who love classic and modded Fender- type tones, and who have a thing for playing loud.