1x18 Cabinet

noisenoisenoise · #1 05-03-2010, 02:32 AM

I was thinking about picking up a Carvin 1x18 to use as my sole speaker cab. I dig my current sound but I would like some more low end. I currently use a Fender Jazz Bass into a SWR 350 with a modified GK 1x15. Due to space/mobility restrictions I can't really run more than one cab. Is this a bad idea? Will it be too boomy/flubby? Who here currently uses a 1x18? Thanks!

Heres a pic of the current amp setup.

Pete · #2 05-03-2010, 02:37 AM

Why not? Many 18's have a nice boost around 2-3K and in the right box have plenty of low end. They do move slower though and I'm not the biggest fan of larger drivers in a bass amp. PA yes, bass amp no.

the JT · #3 05-03-2010, 02:55 AM

I wouldn't. Really depends what your goals are.

Evanseveneleven · #4 05-03-2010, 03:05 AM

Don't know Carvin stuff, but I have a Bag End 18 and it works perfectly well as a stand alone cab. It wouldn't be my first choice for the purpose but I do enjoy the sound every time I use it this way.

babebambi · #5 05-03-2010, 03:10 AM

I m using 2 18" cabs for one of my rigs
and I quite enjoy the sound it makes

problem with such rig is not the lack of high, as many would you believed; but a narrower dispersion

Pete · #6 05-03-2010, 03:21 AM

all drivers get more direction as frequency rises, more "beamy". 18's will exibit this arund 500hz+ range, 15's in the 1K and 12's in the 1.5-2K. This is an extreme generalization of course, all drivers have unique charactaristics and interact with the box a certain way too.

Floyd Eye · #7 05-03-2010, 04:23 AM

I have a Carvin rig that includes the 1X18. I wouldn't use it by itself, but you certainly could.

UncleBalsamic · #8 05-03-2010, 07:26 AM

Do you know for sure that you'll get more low end from a 118? I'd consider 410s as well.

Mo'Phat · #9 05-03-2010, 10:11 AM

OP - Have you tried the Carvin 1x18? Even with the titanium tweeter, it's not really meant to be used as a standalone cabinet. I would think there's a giant hole in the response frequencies from where the 18 stops and the tweeter begins.

Possibly the most versatile single cabinet in Carvin's line is the LS1503 PA cabinet. http://www.carvinguitars.com/product...product=LS1503 It's a 15x6xhorn cab that weighs the same as the 1x18, costs less, and has arguably much better sound.

The bonus is that if you do decide to upgrade to a different bass cabinet down the road, the LS1503 is an outstanding PA cabinet/monitor.

PS: There's a mega thread in AMPS called "Boutique 3-way on a budget" or something, which praises the LS1503 as a bass cab.

Din Of Win · #10 05-03-2010, 10:14 AM

I picked up a Fender 1x18 the other week and i'm super impressed so far. It's, i think, a PA speaker, but it's rated 8ohms and i used it with another 1x15 and i am VERY pleased so far. Loud and rumbly like woah.

TJBass · #11 05-03-2010, 10:25 AM

Hope you have a lot of power to run that carvin 1x18, I did use mine stand alone for a few month and then sold the whole rig. 300 watts into the inefficient carvin RL118 was fart city, probably because not enough clean power to get decent volume.

I'd look at a different 1x18 than carvin, or better yet....a different 1x15 than what you have if that ones not working for you.

UncleFluffy · #12 05-03-2010, 10:29 AM

I have the Carvin BR18N. Definitely not a standalone option, but with a 2x10 on top it's fine. Running without something on top would lose you a lot of definition.

mellowgerman · #13 05-03-2010, 10:38 AM

Most of the time I use only my custom 1x18 cab. It hosts a vintage EV 18" driver. The cab itself was custom built with less depth to prevent too much boominess. No horn, no problem. Totally love this set up with my quad 6L6, 100watt Fender PA-100 head. Incredible BASS tone! Sufficient in every way for what I do; psychedelic blues rock with a drums, guitar, and flute.

BassmanPaul · #14 05-03-2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellowgerman

The cab itself was custom built with less depth to prevent too much boominess. No horn, no problem.

Love the scientific design process!

As for me I wouldn't have an 18 in the house let alone attached to my rig. Luckily your taste is different from mine.

Paul

Eric Moesle · #15 05-03-2010, 03:21 PM

Not to rag on anybody who thinks their 1x18 rig sounds "good", but 18's alone have a HUGE limitation in midrange and upper frequency production. Giant hole of sound missing. Well-designed 15" cabs have an 8" midrange driver specifically because of this, as well as a tweeter. There's a HUGE midrange hole.

If you like that sound, good for you - but I don't think you realize what you are missing!

BZadlo · #16 05-03-2010, 03:27 PM

A more powerful amplifier will also allow you to add clean low end.

Jaco who? · #17 05-03-2010, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noisenoisenoise

I was thinking about picking up a Carvin 1x18 to use as my sole speaker cab. I dig my current sound but I would like some more low end. I currently use a Fender Jazz Bass into a SWR 350 with a modified GK 1x15. Due to space/mobility restrictions I can't really run more than one cab. Is this a bad idea? Will it be too boomy/flubby? Who here currently uses a 1x18? Thanks!

Your space restrictions are limiting the amount of low end you can reproduce, not the diameter of the driver. The size and tuning of the box with whatever driver works best in it will dictate low end.

You don't specify how your little GK 115 is modified, but if it's got a little over 3 cubic feet to work with, an Eminence Kappalite 3015 replacement (non LF version) might be your best bet.

For regular viewers, I'm sorry for the scratched record, I'll quit now.

babebambi · #18 05-03-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

all drivers get more direction as frequency rises, more "beamy". 18's will exhibit this around 500hz+ range, 15's in the 1K and 12's in the 1.5-2K. This is an extreme generalization of course, all drivers have unique characteristics and interact with the box a certain way too.

I do want to add that the dispersion of the 18" cab is usually not any worse than a traditional 410 cab, considering the sound source of the 410 cab is even wider than 18" cab in most cases. So for anyone that turns off the tweeter (or way down), 18" could be viable. Or a 18" cab with a tweeter ... some how that just doesn't work in my mind, I don't know. But a 410 has the potential to take a lot more power and thus more SPL.

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleBalsamic

Do you know for sure that you'll get more low end from a 118? I'd consider 410s as well.

I will use my BigBen and Goliath as example, the BigBen do have more low end. But I don't think it's because of the size of the driver, it has much more to do with the cab design, and the size of the cab. The BigBen is 1.5 times as big as the Goliath; but only 80% the weight.

I would hypothesize that if the Goliath was in as big a cab, it will have that extra low end too. But, I never see 410 in that size, except for the Ampeg 410HLF.

craig.p · #19 05-03-2010, 06:05 PM

I used a Cerwin-Vega 1x18" bass-reflex (not folded horn) cab for a few months but gave it up. It filled small rooms with bass pretty well, but that's about all I can say for it. If you walked into the room and listened to the band, you could tell there was a bass player, but you couldn't necessarily pick him (me) out of the mix. It created more of a "bass wash" than separate, distinct notes. Tough to describe. Also that thing was a huge current sink. Watch out for that. Some 18s are very inefficient and need hundreds of watts to get anything close to dynamic/punchy. It will depend on the box, too. I drove that cab with a 220 watt-per-side Cerwin Vega power amp (1 channel) which routinely went into thermal runaway trying to feed that 18. A Sunn Coliseum worked marginally better but still wasn't enough to make it do anything meaningful. Half the problem was the driver was 8 ohms, so transistor amps were automatically at a disadvantage when it came to power delivery. Back then (mid-late 1970s) there were no transistor amps that could do more than maybe 150 watts at that impedance. And I didn't have the money or the hernia insurance for an SVT but that wouldn't have worked anyway because I would've had to buy a second cab to get the proper transformer match. Eventually I said come on, what the heck am I trying to prove here, and went to a different cab.

noisenoisenoise · #20 05-03-2010, 06:33 PM

Thanks for all the response guys. It definitely helping me sort out what I should be looking at. I'm pretty new to bass but I definitely have a sound that I prefer. My EQ is usually set with heavy emphasis on the lows and low mids. The highs are usually rolled back before noon. Not a fan at all of the SVT + 8x10 sound.

The GK cab now has a solid wood baffle, a repainted grill/GK badge, and an Eminence Legend 300 watt 8 ohm speaker. The head is 350 watts into 4 ohms and 240 in 8 ohms. I would prefer a 4 ohm cab so I can take advantage of the full advantage of the wattage. I can spend around $400-450 for a new cab. What is a good option for a big defined low end? I can't go bigger than a 4x10 realistically.