Short version: I have a 1x15, feels like it is just barely up to the job of band practice. Thinking of getting more cab. Deciding if I want more speaker cab, and if so what.
I have a circa '90 Ampeg SVT-200T (solid state 200 Watts @8ohms, 360ish @4ohms) and a 1x15 cabinet that is 8ohms impedance.
Band practices, I’m cranking the amp to around an 8 on volume, with 4-5 for gain (I often dial it back to 2-3 with the multi-effects board). Things seem to be starting to get a bit muddy at that point. I feel like maybe I want more headroom.
My thoughts:
2x10, 8ohm. Pair with the 1x15 (but now I’m lugging 2 cabs frequently)
4x10, 8ohm. Option to pair with the 1x15, but that is likely to not play well together
4x10, 4ohm. Release all the power. Leave the 1x15 at home for practice, only worry about the 4x10 for most situations.
Other? 2x12?
Thoughts? I had been originally aiming for the 4x10 @8ohms to have more midrange punch at practice, but the option to pair with the 1x15 if I really want, but now I’m suspecting that combo wouldn’t pair well together. There is an Ampeg SVT 4x10 4ohm on FB market that would likely pair well with my amp.
This is a personal preference thing but I really, really prefer how a 2x10 sounds than a 1x15. A 4x10 will be a lot to lug though - ever tried moving one?
I could just get a 2x10, see how I like it and combine with the 1x15 when necessary.
Nope. I move heavy and bulky things at work a lot though.
There’s also the strong probability that we’ll be starting to use my brewery as practice space, so I’ll just leave it at work and move it from room to room as necessary.
I played an Epifani UL2 212 4 ohm cab neo cab and it could be just what you’re looking for to resolve your problem. Howard is right about the weight of a 410 cab. The old Hartke 4.5xl ceramic I played weighed about 90lbs.
Even some 410 neo cabs are on the heavy side. That 212 neo cab I had weighed just 52lbs and a Genzler NuClassic 212 is just 44lbs. Nu Classic 212T - Genzler Amplification. The nice thing about a 212 is it avoids having to tote around two cabs. Or, get two 8 ohm 112 cabs for ever greater flexibility.
One more thumbs up for a 2x12. If you get a chance, I suggest giving the GR Bass AT 212 and AT 212 slim a listen. I have their AT Cube 500 combo (1x12) paired with their AT 112 cab. The AT stands for “AeroTech”, a custom carbon fiber enclosure. The 212 weighs 26 lbs (700W) and the 212+ weighs 29 lbs (900W). The 212 slim weighs 22 lbs (700W) and the 212 slim+ weighs 25.5 lbs (900W). All are available as either 8 ohm or 4 ohm. The speakers are custom by SICA/Jensen. They are clean. Any coloration would come from your head and pedals.
Listening to the video with headphones, I don’t really hear any difference. Listening in the room, the different [sic] is quite noticeable. Even though the sound pressure from both is the same, the non-Slim version has a lot more low end heft. The Slim cabinet still sounds great, and in fact it has been my best-selling GR Bass cabinet out of all the models, and everyone who has gotten one loves it. In terms of maximum sound per pound, it’s the clear winner at only 22 lbs. But if you don’t mind the 26 lbs. and added real estate needed for the regular size 212, you will be rewarded with more air movement. The bottom end does sound noticeably fuller, not that the Slim version is a slouch by any means. But just as they say in the car racing world, “there’s no replacement for displacement”.
Okay. I’m going to look into the 4ohm 2x12 option then.
When I got my 1x15, I’d initially been thinking I’d get two separate 8ohm 1x12s. But the stock available at Music Go Round was slim there, and I liked the sound of a 1x15 more than a 1x12.
For lugging stuff around, I think I’d rather make one trip with a 2x12 or 4x10 than make two trips with a pair of 2x10’s or 1x12’s.
A 60 or 70lbs cab is not a big deal for me. A 5 gallon keg is ~67lbs, and I routinely carry one in each hand. I’d prefer to stay under 80lbs though.
Having separate cabs is easier because the big cab can stay at work or in the garage and get loaded up only if necessary, and the 1x15 can stay in the bassment for low-volume practice.
But this is. (Or was at my peak 2 years ago. I had some health issues that I’m still building back up from. I could probably “only” lift about 375lbs/170kilos today.)
Yeah, if you’re toting around beer kegs one in each hand weight isn’t much of an issue for you is it? I think you’ll enjoy a 212 cab. They’ve become pretty popular. Genzler just put out a 212 version of their Bass Array cab as well so now they offer three different versions of one. One w/ceramic speakers and two w/ neo speakers.
Ah…how I pine for those days. My back is a mess which is why that Epifani 212 Cab had to go. Even at 52lbs it was to bulky too carry up or down 21 steps from my place to the ground floor. Now with the Genzler Bass Array rig of which the combo weighs 23lbs and the 110 extension cab 19lbs I can one hand it again.
This can also be the room size, and shape basically the acoustical treatment of that room. Plus the bigger the speaker can feel slower than smaller 12” or 10” especially in smaller venues. 1x15 should be kicking a$$ anytime most time if you feel that you need more, maybe it’s worth checking the room treatment and eliminating bass traps or straight flat wall that can cancel bouncing sound waves.
I don’t think I’m that much younger than you. I’m 43. My wife is 51. We started lifting heavily at the start of Covid lockdowns.
I’m a big proponent of free-weight strength training, especially as you get older. Keep your abilities up. It doesn’t just strengthen your muscles, but also your ligaments and your skeleton.
Everyone loses strength as they age. But especially if you start training in middle age and keep with it. You can expect to be as strong as an average 30 y.o. into your 70’s or even 80’s.
Hrm… there’s almost certainly some of that in the practice space we’ve been using. One day we were having really horrible feedback resonance on one note (Eb or something, I forget what). Was driving me nuts. I thought it was the guitar but it turned out to be me (probably was both of us).
Big fan also. I’ve got 2 40lb adjustable kettlebells and that’s it for weights. A weighed down chest press just feels good and I use them for shoulders and squats. Besides that, it’s all resistance bands and gravity for me nowadays. I have no interest in throwing barbells with big ass weight plates on them around anymore.
There’s a lot of research that loading up your skeleton with heavy weights for things like squats or deadlifts has a huge impact on maintaining bone density.
“Heavy” is relative though. I don’t think you need to be doing >2x bodyweight. Some farmer carries with 40lbs dumbbells would probably be an excellent exercise for that.
Racing motocross, mountain biking, mountaineering, climbing and a multitude of other outside sports have earned me in excess of 20 separate accidents with broken bones / trauma. So fractured skull, jaw, femur, pelvic socket, tib/fib etc
Multiple pins, screws and a plate.
But the real one is two compressed vertebra from a climbing fall (80ft to the ground - good times).
A medical specialist has banned me from jumping off anything (cliffs on skis, jumps in the bike park).
So yeah, I’m not much older (53) but I have a physical job that means if I don’t have to lift anything heavy unless I need to; that’s where I’m at.
I don’t regret anything. Except the arthritis and constant back pain for the past 30 years
This is why I took up bass. To have a hobby that wasn’t tough on the body.
