Does size matter?

DiMarco

DiMarco

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Question...



I have only been playing for 25 years now and haven't decided yet.

What I do know is this:

  • With just 10" drivers I find myself dialing in lots of lows and the speakers flap out way too easy.
  • With an 18" and to some extent 15" drivers the sound in the room (an average pub) has too much low end when it is good on stage. In larger rooms FOH guys will hate you.

Yesterday evening at band practice I was using the stack on the left hand side in this image, combining 2x12 with 2x10. The 2x12 has lots of low end with neutral EQ on the amp and remains tight, the 2x10 could just cope but yeah I was being really loud (for testing purposes).

What is your favorite stack composition in small and medium size rooms where there's no FOH system?
 
I understand what you say.

I´ve always prefered 10"´s, and with Orange Taste I usually play with (Ashdown) 2x10, or 6x10" when the venue is big enough, ofc. But I know sometimes having big lows could be an issue, depending on the venue.

Since I got the BC300 combo (1x15" + tweeter) I´ve been very happy with the sound I get from that single speaker, for normal Irish pubs it fills the rooms nicely.

My feelings about this: 1x15" + horn bring enough of everything for pub, bar gigs.
 
I think ultimately the speaker that sounds best really depends on the room acoustics.
If you put a 18" in a small basement for instance you can't expect good results, and 6" on a huge stage dont produce enough pressure.
 
The best amp for small gigs was my Trace Elliot combo. Already best sound rsults at low volume. Too bad I sold it. I play all gigs with the full Ampeg stack. Ofc there is no low volume possible without a breaking in of the pressure.
 
I have 4x12 TECH for the low ends (X-over at 300-400 Hz) and 2x10 + tweater Trace Elliot for the highs.

I love this combination for almost everything. For smaler venues I leave the 4x12 at home.
 
I am currently planning to change my Warwick WCA210, 115 rig which is very nice to a Glockenklang 210, 212 rig as the 10s give it nice highs while the 212 handles everythign else. the 15 gives massive lows but Is not quite as aggressive/tight as a 12.
I would like to keep both rigs but, well, lack of space happens :)

Your milage may vary depending on cab and speaker.
 
HI Marco,

It is not only about loudness, and frequencies, it is about how close or far the sound "opens"
Smaller cabs 2X10, 2x12, open close to the cabinet, while usually larger cabinets are louder 4-6 meters away than in your spot, I am sure you noticed that. The result is that the sound guy will close the bass guitar in front, and when the club is full your sound will be uneven across the room.
Since I always play with the bass amplified in FOH, I don't really care how my sound is in my rig alone, but the result what is coming from of PA, monitors, room, etc. In most of the places there are already too many lows, so this is not what I need from my rig.
In small venues I need punch and growl to come from my rig, usually a good 2X10 cabinet is perfect.
 
I used to combine a TE 1810 (way too big and heavy with a swr redhead (true love!) (first type, 2x10 inch + horn). Biamping with an gp11 preamp, low to a green audio fireball and the 1810, and high to the swr. Loved that sound but too heavy, but very good for sixstring and basssynth.

If I could pick my fav setup out of your candystore :)

I would like the 18 inch you have with the 2x10inch swr on top of it as cabs.
use the trace (18) and the ... for the seperate swr.. THAT would be cool. With a fat chorus between the stack low & high. Yum.

Nowadays I play 15 inch.....hmff.
 
I'm quite happy with my 4x12 Mesa cab. More low lows than I could ever want and it fills a room easily. The sound guys I've worked with seem pretty happy with it too.
 
I found out that the ^pretty unusual combination I have is quite versatile.
I have a SWR Redhead Combo (240W on a 2x10), and below the infamous Henry The 8x8.
Sound wise, I hear Tight lows delivered thru the 2x10, while lowmids and Hi are pulsed by the 8x8.
Beforehand, I had a 2x15". What I lost in term of Low, ballsy low-ends is IMO compensated by the "tightness" (for lack of a better word) of the sound. My "basic" set up is +25% bass, -25% Mids (adjustable on the SWR, I play with the mid frequency depending on the bass), 0 Hi's. On the bass, it's usually 60% neck P'up and 40% bridge, 100% bass, treble 50%.

But I think you'll have as many answers as there are configurations in this forum :-) To each his own :-)
 
No matter what I used I never heard myself live.
In a rehearsal it wasn’t a problem but live forget it.
 
It doesn't matter, nobody is listening to the bass anyway... :-)
 
Florin said:
It doesn't matter, nobody is listening to the bass anyway... :-)
Click to expand...

:evil:Our fans are listening to the bass, no matter if they want or not! There is no escape, they all get ampegified!!! :evil:
 
I have always used a 4 x 10 with a 1 x 15. Found the 15 rounds out the tone. I miss it when I only do the 4x10
 
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