10" and 12" speakers in same cab
Hi, Skip,
Other than the Megatone model, I never see speaker cabinets or amps with both a 10" and 12" speaker in one cab. It seems like it would be a great idea, and I know David likes his. Are there any drawbacks to such an arrangement?
And would it be much more complicated than it seems like it should, to build a cabinet with both a 10 and 12, with a control to either switch from one speaker to the other or to both, or to "balance" the two depending on the situation? I am thinking of impedance issues, but surely this has been done. Any thoughts?
In particular, I'm thinking of this as an option for use with a Masco MA-17 that is currently being awesomized by you.
Mark,
Let me know how you like your Skip Simmons MA-17. I love mine. It's my main gigging and recording amp now. For really loud gigs I'll use my RI bassman but I almost always use my MA-17, on gigs with keys, guitar, drums, electric bass. It's loud enough - I typically have more room to turn up before feedback. The guitar players I play with don't play too loud so that helps. These are bar gigs, not big stage show gigs or anything like that.
I use a 10 + 2x8 cab I got from vintage 47 amps. The 10 is a Weber 10A-125-O (smooth cone alnico) and the eights are tone tubby "low watt" hemp cone alnicos. I've also used Jensen Jet 10" tornado instead of the weber and that sounds really good too. I tried 2 x 10 and 1 x 12 but the 2 x 8 + 10 is what I liked best out of what I had avaible to try. I think that combo radiates pretty well, and is still reasonably portable. The tone tubbies are dark as far as 8 inch speakers go so you get some nice bite but not too much.
However I've beeing thinking about 10 + 12 but didn't have a cab to try it with. I have a 2 x 10 that's big enough so I would just need to get a baffle made. That combo might sound great with a masco so let me know how it works out. What kind of speakers are you thinking of?
If your Masco is like mine it should have different impedance jacks, so if you use spade connectors to the speakers you you could just unplug one of the speakers (which will change the impedance) and then use the appropriate impedance jumper on your amp. Should be no big deal. I've messed around with that. But Skip will know for sure obviously.
Steve
Hello Marcos- There is certainly no downside to using a 10 and a 12 in the cabinet other than the hassle of making the baffle. However, it's a fact that 4-10s have been the most popular historically.
Rather than use a junky switch, I'd suggest wiring each speaker to individual cables. As long as you have two speaker jacks on the amp, you can select either or both.
As far as your new amp, I'd suggest playing it first through speakers/cabs that you are familiar with. That way you instantly hear the difference that the amp alone makes in your tone.
My amps aren't fussy about speakers- Kim usually uses the stock 4-10s in a rental Blues Deville as the cabinet for his Masco(!).
I'll follow your advice. I'm excited about experimenting with the options!
I'll be sure and let you know how the experiment goes. I'm planning on trying the new amp out with my RI Bassman speakers, and with a 1x10.
Since I posted this question, I got a "deal" on a cab with with one 16 ohm Eminence Canabis Rex and one 16 ohm Weber VST C10Q.
Thanks for sharing your experience (although now you've given me another option to consider and another reason to acquire more gear, which I did NOT need!).
Marco, the solution to the question you pose about blendng the speakers in your cabinet, is to add an L-pad control. What you do is to choose which speaker will be always on, then wire in the L-pad control with the other speaker and make sure the L-pad impedance matches this speaker value (will be 8 or 16 ohms). Then you will be able to fade the other speaker in and out, while maintaining a constant load on your amp. The wattage rating for the L-pad should be at least 20 watts, something like this would be perfect: http://www.amazon.com/CAD-25-341-L-Pad-10-25-Watts/dp/B00BRPW8ES/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1398991687&sr=8-3&keywords=8+ohm+l-pad
I just snatched the last L-pad available on Amazon, and I will look forward to installing it and seeing how it works. Thanks for the tip!
Hello Marcos- Well, someone is finally mentioning "L-pads"! What are they? Basically they are special potentiometers that are designed to allow a speaker's volume to be adjusted. In large PA installations like offices, schools etc., where there are a bunch of individual speakers all connected to same amp, an L-pad enables the volume of a speaker to be raised and lowered individually.
I would certainly say it could be a fun experiment for a Sunday afternoon, but if "your" tone is dependent upon a precise blending of two different speakers at a gig, you're in trouble! I'm pretty sure that all of the real gods never have anything between their amp and their speakers but wire. One of the reasons that the classic circuits sound so good is that there are very few components between your mike and your speakers......extra gizmos can easily turn into tone (and time)-killers.
Skip Simmons
Hey Marcos - A Masco MA-17!! Awesome - it would really kick butt with a 10" and 12" speaker combo. The new Megatone ME18 now comes with a single 10" or 2 x 10" You might want to ask David Barrett or Mike Wezolowski (Wezo) at Megatone about the difference and why they went that way. You also might want to look at the wedge monitor (2 x 10") for some ideas. I'd love to hear whtever you end up with. I know my first generation Megatone ME-18 is killer for tone and volume!!