18 inch Combo Bass Amps?

[DoughBoy1917]

Hey all!

I give up, maybe Imma have to build my own (although I'd really rather not) but is anybody aware of a combo bass amp, minimum 100 watts RMS that sports an 18 inch speaker?

Barring that, a combo with a 15 whose cabinet could fit an 18?

Thanks all!

[jnewmark]

The only 18" combo I know of is the old Ampeg B18 Portaflex, which does'nt even come close to 100 watts, but you see them now and then on Ebay.

[billfitzmaurice]

The main reason why combos in general don't have a lot of low end output is that the cabs are too small for the drivers inside. Loading a cab that's already probably too small for a fifteen with an eighteen will only make matters worse.

[BassmanPaul]

The only one that comes to my mind is Carvin's old Cyclops. IIRC it did have an 18" in it.

[RickenBoogie]

Yeah, +1 to Bill's post. I'm assuming you're looking for a combo amp capable of putting out lottsa lows(?). and if that's the case, you'd do much better with a small powerful head, and a cabinet that gives the lows, which won't necessarily be a big speaker. One of the deepest sounding cabs I've heard was actually a 4x10.

[greenboy]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

The only one that comes to my mind is Carvin's old Cyclops. IIRC it did have an 18" in it.

No, the woofer was a 15. And as I recall, like like their free-standing RL115 box, it had a lot of cubes - considering it was a combo especially.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by greenboy

No, the woofer was a 15. And as I recall, like like their free-standing RL115 box, it had a lot of cubes - considering it was a combo especially.

Fair enough! I'll bow to your knowledge.

[R. Laevinus]

What exactly are you hoping to achieve by using an 18" driver? Unless you happen to have one lying around that you're trying to use, there isn't really a good reason to have 'em in this day and age.

You can get louder, lower, cleaner, dirtier, higher, more midrangy, less midrangy, better breakup, no breakup, etc. with well-designed drivers in well-designed cabs. There's a reason why you don't see 18"s very often anymore.

...and besides, isn't the whole point of a combo that it's easy to transport? Wouldn't an 18"-loaded combo be almost as big as a 4x10"? What's the advantage?

[stiles72]

Originally Posted by jnewmark

The only 18" combo I know of is the old Ampeg B18 Portaflex, which does'nt even come close to 100 watts, but you see them now and then on Ebay.

+1 Ampeg had the B-18N and the B-18X which were both 50 watts tube. The "N" was marketed to bass players, and the "X" was marketed as a universal amp (guitar, bass, accordian, organ). That one also had a high frequency horn. In addition, their was also the BT-18L which was a 100 watt solid state fliptop

[DoughBoy1917]

Originally Posted by R. Laevinus

What exactly are you hoping to achieve by using an 18" driver? Unless you happen to have one lying around that you're trying to use, there isn't really a good reason to have 'em in this day and age.

You can get louder, lower, cleaner, dirtier, higher, more midrangy, less midrangy, better breakup, no breakup, etc. with well-designed drivers in well-designed cabs. There's a reason why you don't see 18"s very often anymore.

...and besides, isn't the whole point of a combo that it's easy to transport? Wouldn't an 18"-loaded combo be almost as big as a 4x10"? What's the advantage?

The bulk and size of the thing is not my main concern, (see my caveat below). I'm simply after a certain tone that I've yet to hear in any 10, 12 or 15" combo amp. Hell, even well equipped stacks. Then again not too many players are after what I'm after, but I have heard it before (not in combo's so I maybe S.O.L. unless I devise something) so it's neither new, novel nor unique.

I'm after a sound that contains only the very upper end of the mids and very extreme lows. Nothing in the middle.

The whole challenge is to get as close as possible to my target sound in as small a size as is possible, given the physical and electrical requirements of what I'm after.

Looks like it may be experimentation time.

[RickenBoogie]

Not possible- and you'd have to use some kinda filters on the signal, anyway. Bass amps produce "full range", which is generally from 50Hz or so, on up to over 5K Hz- and without some sort of cross-over, and major subwoofer, not to mention serious wattage, you will not accomplish this. Certainly not with ANY combo amp.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by DoughBoy1917

I'm after a sound that contains only the very upper end of the mids and very extreme lows. Nothing in the middle.

That's the job of a good EQ section, not driver size.

[NOLA Bass]

To me, a heavy hard to move combo defeats the purpose of it in the first place.