If only I had a 12 inch...

Mr. CooL ICE · 23-12-2004 11:58pm #1

Just been researching my purchase after i get a job for the summer, and is there any difference in sound between an 8", 10" and 12" speaker? I recall reading in bassists interviews in the past about how they switched from using 12" speakers to 10" speakers and so on.

By the way, I'm switching from Laney 120w combo up to something which I havent decided on yet

Giblet · 24-12-2004 12:08am

Tighter, more trebley sound from a smaller speaker.

It wasn't me! · 24-12-2004 12:43am

The larger the speakers, the more low end they can carry. Check out the Leviathan thread. There were suggestions that Karl Hungus might have to use a separate 1x15 cab to get the low end out of the eighth string. The same theory applies to bass. If you want low frequencies, they sound better through bigger speakers. If you want higher frequencies, they sound better through smaller speakers. I'm not a bassist primarily so Doc J might have to correct me on this but I think as a rule of thumb it's 10" for top end concentration, 12" for mid-range concentration and 15" for low end concentration. Like I said, I'm not a bassist primarily so the Doc will probably have to correct me.

feylya · 24-12-2004 1:51am

IMO (in theory though) a nice setup of 10s and 15's would be the ultimate bass and guitar setup. Mind you, I've never tested this.

Doctor J · 24-12-2004 10:20am

TBH the whole speaker thing is all down to personal preference. If I were only playing as low as regular E I'd get a decent 4x10" and be happy as a pig in shyte. I'd get all the low and high end I'd ever want out of it. Even as far as low D perhaps. However, a good 15" is vital for real low end, say from a 5 string with a low B. In my experience, a 10" starts to lose definition below low D, though you can get away with it, I just think it sounds kind of fluffy. A 15" on its own doesn't really have the mid range punch of a 10" but I've got a low B so I've got to have the 15".

I have this

gonna get one of these too

and that's the last bit of bass amplification I'll ever buy. That way the relevant frequencies are covered and covered well. You can go as far as 18" and smaller than 10" (that 2x10" has a tweeter too, for example) but a 15" and 10" setup will do just fine.

Eoin Madsen · 24-12-2004 1:35pm

There are some other factors too. A 2x10 has a better bass response than a 1x12 for example. Increasing the number of speakers can quite dramatically improve the frequency response, at both ends.

Jay (Tony Fitz's bassist) just got a Gallien Krueger combo with a 2x10. For the first time I can hear his open B string perfectly.

Mr. CooL ICE · 24-12-2004 5:18pm

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I might aim for a 1x12" or a 2x12" cos im a fan of high lowend, low midrange and high highend (a hollow effect), although i use a 5-string. So i wont go near a 10" and ill just stick to 12"s and 15"s.

Karl Hungus · 27-12-2004 11:09pm

Out of curiosity, how would one set up 2 cabs?

Mr. CooL ICE · 28-12-2004 5:19pm

Doctor J and Karl, i heard ye use 5 and 6 string basses. What are your setups like in relation to the low B string, and what are they like when you move to a simple setup, such as a 50W combo?

On a slightly different topic... My Laney 120w combo has a tendency to blow its fuses every so often, roughly 6 months. The first time it happened, i brought it into the shop where i got it and it was fixed free of charge (under warranty) but after that, i just replace the fuses myself. It came using 2x 3.15A fuses. Would it be dangerous to use 5A fuses? The amp has never been damaged, except for blowing the fuses

Karl Hungus · 28-12-2004 5:29pm

I use a Trace Elliot Boxer 30, just plug it straight in, no additional messing about needed.

****ing phenominal tone from it altogether, and it's incredibly sturdy. Blows the crap out of just about anything else I've heard. And to be honest, I've no idea about fuses, as I've never had to change them, so I can't help you there really.

Doctor J · 29-12-2004 1:43pm

LordChessington wrote:

Doctor J and Karl, i heard ye use 5 and 6 string basses. What are your setups like in relation to the low B string, and what are they like when you move to a simple setup, such as a 50W combo?

I don't move to a simple set up, but head into cab isn't that complicated either. 50W isn't strong enough to push out a fart in real low end terms. Not sure what you really mean by "What are your setups like in relation to the low B string"

Doctor J · 29-12-2004 2:32pm

Karl Hungus wrote:

Out of curiosity, how would one set up 2 cabs?

Depends on the amp and the wiring of the cab (and nasty shyt like ohms which come into play). In the case of the Ashdown stuff I have, there are two outputs on the amp, 1/4" and speakon, and each cab has 1/4" and speakon too. The idea is that you run the signal to multiple cabs in parallel (so the ohm (resistance) is halved and you get more power from the amp. I think the Ashdown cabs are wired so that you can daisy chain the cable from the amp to the first cab and from that to the second cab and it routes the signal in parallel anyway. Both cabs are rated at 8 ohms so in a parallel pair they are rated at 4 ohms. The amp is rated for 300W at 4 ohms so you never get the true power of the unit with one 8 ohm cab. If they were wired in series (the signal passes through the first speaker and then into the second speaker) the ohmage would be doubled so the two cabs would be rated at 16ohms, which means it would be quiter, as the resistance to the amp's signal would have doubled.

Damn electronic sorcery

John · 30-12-2004 1:46am

Doctor J wrote:

Depends on the amp and the wiring of the cab (and nasty shyt like ohms which come into play). In the case of the Ashdown stuff I have, there are two outputs on the amp, 1/4" and speakon, and each cab has 1/4" and speakon too. The idea is that you run the signal to multiple cabs in parallel (so the ohm (resistance) is halved and you get more power from the amp. I think the Ashdown cabs are wired so that you can daisy chain the cable from the amp to the first cab and from that to the second cab and it routes the signal in parallel anyway. Both cabs are rated at 8 ohms so in a parallel pair they are rated at 4 ohms. The amp is rated for 300W at 4 ohms so you never get the true power of the unit with one 8 ohm cab. If they were wired in series (the signal passes through the first speaker and then into the second speaker) the ohmage would be doubled so the two cabs would be rated at 16ohms, which means it would be quiter, as the resistance to the amp's signal would have doubled.

Damn electronic sorcery

I lost you after the first line. Speakon? And ohms wreck my head.

John · 30-12-2004 1:46am

Bad pun time:

Ohm my god!

Doctor J · 30-12-2004 10:56am

Speakon, it's a sort of locking socket and plug thingy, commonly found on PA's and the like.

Mr. CooL ICE · 30-12-2004 11:38am

Like a cannon input or that one that goes into the back of speakers?

Doctor J · 30-12-2004 11:43am

Nah, cannon is a different thing altogether.

Edit -> This is speakon

This is cannon (XLR - mic lead for example)

John · 30-12-2004 3:01pm

*lifts veil of ignorance from face*

Now I know what a speakon is. And I re-read the rest of the post and got where you were going with the ohms. I feel so intelligent all of a sudden. Pass me that quantum physics textbook, I'm feeling saucy!

Doctor J · 30-12-2004 3:04pm

The universe is your lobster

feylya · 30-12-2004 3:06pm

Mmm, lobster...

Damn, I'm hungry.

John · 30-12-2004 3:15pm

No lobster here my friend. Just high quality smoked salmon (I have a dealer)

If only I had a 12 inch...

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