I'm looking for a final cab setup for the Sundown amp conversion I just finished. The amp is basically like an older Ampeg Gemini or Portaflex now. It has a very full, round sound, but clean and clear. I'm currently running it into a 2x10 cab that contains a Ragin' Cajun and a Celestion G10S-50. I have to use a Weber Z-Matcher because the cab can only be set for 4 or 16 ohms and the amp has an 8 ohm output. Also, I don't think the 10s are allowing the total fullness of the amp to come out. I jacked it into the 15" in my Delta Blues last night and it sounded a lot fuller and smoother. So...I'm looking to get a nice cab for this amp. Now, if there are some great 10" speakers that will give me the full sound I'm looking for, I'd go like that, but I'd want them to be either 4 or 16 ohms so I can wire the cab for 8 ohms total. I don't want to have to haul the Z-Matcher around all the time. I'm thinking that a 2x12 or 1x15 setup might be the best way to go though. Any thinguts or suggestions along any of these lines is welcome The sound I'm going for in this amp is its basic clear, full sound, lots of depth and bottom, clear mids and round highs. Thanks!
I think that both the 10" speakers would be fine if the ohms matched and that you just have to use them in a bigger and better cab. I think Port City is making 2 X 10" cabs.
Thanks, bosstone. Anyone have experience with 10" Weber Thames speakers? There's a pair of 16 ohm for sale on the Weber BBS that would wire up to my required 8 ohm load. My cab is sort of large for a 2x10 at 24x20x11. It's a well built cab by TGP'er Shovelhead. Maybe just a different speaker load would help out. I might try playing with the back opening, too. I was sort of folling around yesterday using a pillow to partially block the opening and it definitely affected the way the cab sounds.
I have a pair of Eminence Delta Demons in my '64 Vibrolux Reverb. These have a very big sound for 10" speakers.
Thanks, slider. I had a Delta Demon paired with the Ragin Cajun initially. I felt it was too dark for me.
No experience with the Weber Thames,but their Blue Pup is an excellent sounding speaker.I have the ceramic mag.
I see the Thames says it uses the Blue Pup cone. Maybe a higher powered version of the Pup? BTW, this amp is a 100w head, so I need some stout speakers
Other that overall volume, the depth of a cabinet effects bass most. For my own use, 12" depth is the minimum. If you want to compare 10" speakers to 12" speakers, in all fairness, you must use cabs of equal size.
Thanks, OOG, that's one that slipped my mind. I hear ya, bosstone. I have a 1x12 cab that's the same HxW as my 2x10 but shallower. It's hard to do a direct comparison, but even in the shallower cab the 12"ers I have sound fuller.
I can't comment on the TT ceramics but I had a TT, AlNiCo, Hemp Cone and with a single tone control, it was impossible to get enough treble without getting too much bass. I tried it against 6 other speakers, including Webers, Celestions and Jensens and it was by a mile, much darker and very dull. It was literally like there was a packing blanket over it. The treble end was also tightly focused and had no dispersion. This was an early version and hopefully they have cured this problem but for $259.00, I would strongly suggest you try before you buy. The cab has a lot more to do with the bigness of the sound than a speaker. I tried all these speakers in a single 10" detuned cab and they all sounded huge it that cab. It sounded bigger than any single 12" speaker cab I have heard and this includes Port City.
Well, I think I've decided on either a 2x12 or 4x10 setup. I'm looking at Lopo Line cabs, don't want to break the bank on this. Their 4x10 cab and 2x12 Diagonal cab are almost the same size. Here's a question about ports. I don't want a closed back cab, that did sound too directional and the vol was cut in my experiments. Lopo offers their cabs with two 2.5" round ports on the back near the bottom corners of the cab. They have an optional 4" round port, too. How would the round corner ports work towards getting the combo open/closed sound? Are they going to be bass enhancers only, or will they help open up the sound of the cab?
I don't know about ports on those cabs but I have experimented with three Marshall 4 X 10" cabs. The best combination was a 1965B cab that I made my own rear baffle for. It has a rear port that is cut horizontally across the middle of the back. The port is 9" tall and has rounded ends that measure 15" at the widest point. It got rid of the boominess of the bass, made the speakers more efficient, disbursed the sound wider and I think it improved just about everything. I know several others have started to do this mod as well. These cabs come with Celestion G10L-35 speakers which sound to me like a cross between the Celestion green backs and the Rola Celestion G12-65s. They have the warmth of the G12-65s but break up a little earlier like the green backs. You can usually find these cabs for $300.00.
I got some more info back from Lopo Line. I'm leaning towards a ported 2x12 from them. I wanted to go the 12" route initially anyway. So, here's my question now. Given a 24" x 24" x 14" cab with 2 x 12" mounted diagonally, where would you put two 4" round ports on the back? I found I can have them placed anywhere I want for only $20 over the standard cab price. The 2x12 Diagonal comes with a closed back as standard. Here's how they build the std 4x10 cab with 2.5" ports. The 2x12 Diagonal is the same size and I can put two 4" ports anywhere on the back.
