Hey, I was wondering what my bass compadres' opinions were on this age old question. Okay, maybe it's not age old, but you dig what I'm saying.
I've never owned a sealed cabinet, but I was wondering what you guys (and gals) prefer. Do you think that the sacrifice in speaker efficiency is worth going sealed? Anyone use all-tube heads and find that it's easier to mic the cab when it's sealed vs. when it's ported (because I hope that anyone using an all-tube head isn't putting a pre-EQ DI right after their bass )? I played what I believe was an SVT reiusse about a month and a half ago through the time-tested classic Ampeg fridge and it was pretty sweet*. I was surprised and how punchy the cab was, not to mention smooth. It wasn't Eden-smooth, but it was pretty damn smooth. I was also surprised at how much I liked the highs coming from it without the aid of a horn or high-frequency driver...and I'm usually a "turn up the horn, gimme more 1.5khz" type of guy. I'm not in the market for a new cab or anything, just wondering what everyone's preferences were.
*Yep, you heard that right. bassist_25 finally met an Ampeg rig that he actually really liked.
"He's the electric horseman, you better back off!" - old sKool making a reference to the culturally relevant 1979 film.
I've got one of each, and they have their own pros. My Acme 4x10 smokes, but is one of the least efficient cabs I've ever played. It's rated 700watts rms, but the maker suggests not using less than 1G just to get the drivers to "fully express the tonal qualities." Not bad for ported cab.
The other cab is a different monster all together. Yes, the guy who hates all things Crate and Ampeg, owns an old sealed Crate 4x10. It's one of the only Crate bass cabs I can stand to hear. Since it's lower power, I use it for practice at home more than anything. It still sounds good, just can't handle any decent amount of power, so it may never see a gig again.
I personally try not to think about the characteristics like that until after I hear the cab.
Paul, this made me think of something else along somewhat the same lines.
I know that some guys like to take their cabs apart and seal the seams with silicone. They say it tightens up the cab and you get better response from it.
What I'm trying to say is that if you want a tighter bottom, put some caulk in your crack.
Or wait that's the opposite, sorry.
I did hear that though. I believe that Mustaine does that mod to all of his cabs, among others.
I've been wanting to do it myself. (Seal the cab) (Had to clarify, Read above)
Any thoughts on this?
I've made some custom cabinets over the years, and I always seal any
seams with caulk whether they are sealed or ported cabinets. I had a
Peavey 5150 cabinet which had a real bad resonance to it (vibration). I sealed it and viola problem solved!
My Aguilars are made from MDF, which isn't as physically strong as plywood, but it's suppose to be acoustically superior to plywood because it's not porous. I don't really know, as I don't have an exact cab made from plywood to A/B the Ags with.
The MDF does bruise easier, in my experience. Some people say that it wouldn't stand up to a tour as easily as plywood, but if I were touring, my cabinets would be in flight cases anyways, regardless of what material they were made out of.
"He's the electric horseman, you better back off!" - old sKool making a reference to the culturally relevant 1979 film.
I can't say for sure if I ever heard of that before. Thanks I learned something new today. What's it made of? Don't say Fiberboard of a medium density.
"Gentlemen, there's a new product on the streets and in our homes, it's called Fiberweed" Cheech & Chong.
It's basically made of compressed sawdust and glue. There is also HDF, the high-density version, but it's hard to find and will dull a sawblade quickly.
I just recently replaced the light bulb fuse in my Acme, which led to a very small headache. I was always impressed that there were no resonant traits of the cab and wondered why. Now I know. The rear panel is internally mounted, so that blocked that path. I went for a handle next. No dice. Eventually I went one of the driver openings. I realized there are foot-long tubes connected to the rear ports. These come quite close to handles, so they were glued, nay fused, to the inside of the handles. Also, instead of chaulk, an adhesive ring was between the driver frame and the wood hole.
And it's made of very heavy plywood. Just ask anybody who's tried to pick it up. Not to mention the cross-bracing.
Ya gotta love the Acmes. You need a small nuclear reactor to power them, but you probably won't find any other 4x10 that can reproduce the B string like the Acmes.
"He's the electric horseman, you better back off!" - old sKool making a reference to the culturally relevant 1979 film.
)? I played what I believe was an SVT reiusse about a month and a half ago through the time-tested classic Ampeg fridge and it was pretty sweet*. I was surprised and how punchy the cab was, not to mention smooth. It wasn't Eden-smooth, but it was pretty damn smooth. I was also surprised at how much I liked the highs coming from it without the aid of a horn or high-frequency driver...and I'm usually a "turn up the horn, gimme more 1.5khz" type of guy. I'm not in the market for a new cab or anything, just wondering what everyone's preferences were.
