Acoustic 220 + Ampeg BSE410H ?

[Lemming16]

EDIT: 24/01/2011

Hi, well, after playing it more time, i realized something. When i play at relatively low volume (in my room), the amp sounds great, very clear, just how i like.
BUT, when i play live in a small venue (With a loud drummer and 2 guitar players with 100W Marshall MG), i have to increase the volume to 9, so i can be heard.
Increasing the volume 9/10 makes my sound go like "Bzzzzzzzz, Bzzzzzzz" when the tones is at 0 (when my bass tone is at 10, it doesn't sound that bad, but its tooo bright, and most of the songs i play have a very clean and classic bass sound).

Let's say i need the classic clean bass sound like "Boom boooom", but its sound is like "Bzzzzz Bzzzzz" at gig volume. I think it is because of what i mentioned, the cab being 200W at 8 ohm and my amp being 120 at 4 ohms, which would make it like 80 or 70 watts.

Also, when i add an overdrive it sounds horrible, like a horrible fuzz (when it shouldnt sound like that, since i use the same effect and settings on my tiny Yorkville combo and it sounds beautiful).

So, i'm thinking 'bout selling my cab (Ampeg BSE410H and the Acoustic 220) and getting a Fender Rumble 350 with 2 10" (and obviously 350 Watts RMS)

What do you think? I'm just looking for a good clean and overdrive tone at a small venue volume. I don't know if the Fender Rumble 350 would deliver, or even any other 200W RMS combo.

Or i could also just sell the head and get a head with 150W at 8 ohms, like the new GK MB-200 or something else.

Thanks in advance.
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Hi everyone.

I bought the Acoustic 220 few months ago, and yesterday i bought the Ampeg BSE410H.

The Acoustic 220 is rated: 160 Watts RMS at 2 OHMS
125 Watts RMS at 4 OHMS
This info is according to the original Ad. http://acoustic.homeunix.net/twiki/b...ic/BassHead220

And my cab is an Ampeg BSE410H. ( http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/BSE410H_HS_HLF.pdf )
It is rated at 200 Watts RMS at 8 Ohms.

My question is... do these 2 get along? i really dont know much about this things, but i guess not, since my Acoustic 220 would give me like 80 watts...since the cab is at 8 ohms...

Does this mean i should get another head? Im taking a look at the GK MB200...the ultra portable new GK heads.

Btw, the Acoustic 220 head is VERY old, and the last time it had maintenance eas like 20 years ago.

What do you guys suggest?

EDIT: I forgot to mention, the Acoustic 220 has 2 speaker outs, and the cab has 2 inputs (Full range inputs it says). I am only using a guitar cable from 1 Speaker output to 1 input on the cab. Is this correct? or should i be using 2 cables coming out of the head to the 2 inputs on the cab.

[lug]

Originally Posted by Lemming16

Hi everyone.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, the Acoustic 220 has 2 speaker outs, and the cab has 2 inputs (Full range inputs it says). I am only using a guitar cable from 1 Speaker output to 1 input on the cab. Is this correct?

Yes. The second output is for a second box. The amp is stable down to 2 ohms so you could get up to 160 watts out if you hade two 4 ohm cabs. I've always found them to be quite loud for their rated power output.

[Lemming16]

Thanks, so i guess i should get a new head :S, i've heard that i could modify my cab too, from 8 ohms to 4 ohms...but i really doubt bout doing this.

I guess i should look for a head that gives 200 watts at 8 ohms.

[8_finger]

Just plug it in and play, you'll be surprised how loud that Acoustic really is.

[Lemming16]

Originally Posted by 8_finger

Just plug it in and play, you'll be surprised how loud that Acoustic really is.

I did, i dont know if its just my imagination, but im almost sure there is some distortion in the sound.

I am negotiating for a GK RB 400, its 250W at 4 ohm... It would be 150W at 8 ohm, i suppose it could handle the cab a little better.

Thanks for your answer.

[christw]

Originally Posted by Lemming16

I did, i dont know if its just my imagination, but im almost sure there is some distortion in the sound.

I am negotiating for a GK RB 400, its 250W at 4 ohm... It would be 150W at 8 ohm, i suppose it could handle the cab a little better.

Thanks for your answer.

You could rewire it from 8 ohm down to 2 ohms, actually.

The GK has a very signature tone and people tend to say they sound a lot louder than their rated power. If you get it, I'm sure it won't disappoint.

Your cab is relatively inefficient as far as 410's go. Upgrading that could make your Acoustic (or future GK) sound twice as loud, literally. Bag End 410's tend to go for $400 are rated at 103db@1w/1m as opposed to your 95db@1w/1m. I can attest that they sound great too!

[NecroticImbecil]

Originally Posted by Lemming16

I did, i dont know if its just my imagination, but im almost sure there is some distortion in the sound.

I am negotiating for a GK RB 400, its 250W at 4 ohm... It would be 150W at 8 ohm, i suppose it could handle the cab a little better.

Thanks for your answer.

I don't know if that's enough wattage to make much of a difference, but other than that it's a very different amp.

I had a 320, which is a more powerful old Acoustic. With my big, new-model high wattage, inefficient cab it distorted when I got it loud enough to use in band practice. I don't think the amp was broken, it just had to work hard to push that cabinet to loud volumes. It was an awesome distortion though. The same amp when used with a more efficient old Acoustic cabinet (the one it was shown sitting on in the old catalog) went very loud and stayed clean, producing what sounded like the same output volume as with the other cab but with the actual volume control quite a bit lower.

You're not going to be able to modify an 8 Ohm cab to 4 Ohms without either changing all the speakers or disconnecting 2 of them. As Christw said, you could rewire it to 2 Ohms and get the full power out of your amp. Easy enough to do, easy to reverse, and doesn't cost anything. I think the issue is probably the inefficiency of the cab, as he said.

If it were me, I'd try rewiring it to 2 Ohms (if the Acoustic output jacks are configured for one 2 Ohm load from one output jack - mine was, the matching cab was 2 Ohms) before I spent any more money. I've rewired more cabs than I can count, it might not be something you want to mess with -- but it's pretty straightforward.

[Lemming16]

Originally Posted by christw

You could rewire it from 8 ohm down to 2 ohms, actually.

The GK has a very signature tone and people tend to say they sound a lot louder than their rated power. If you get it, I'm sure it won't disappoint.

Your cab is relatively inefficient as far as 410's go. Upgrading that could make your Acoustic (or future GK) sound twice as loud, literally. Bag End 410's tend to go for $400 are rated at 103db@1w/1m as opposed to your 95db@1w/1m. I can attest that they sound great too!

Hi Chris, thanks for your answer.
Unfortunately, there's no way i can buy another cab, i live in Mexico and there aren't any good things on sale, and the things on sale are EXTREMELY expensive.

Luckily i found the ampeg by 2nd hand.

More than volume, i care better about tone, since the venue i play in, it's not very big.

As i said, i dont know a lot bout this stuff.
What i think (i can be totally wrong) is that the sounds comes out a little distorted because the amp is not giving enough power to the cab (My amp would give like 80 watts to the 8 ohm cab, i guess it wasn't made for 8 ohm cabs).

So that's why im thinking bout getting a higher wattage amp, like the GK RB 400 i mentioned before. I'm not sure about this, what do you guys?

Would it sound less distorted and better with a higher wattage amp? (GK RB400) Or is it gonna sound the same way?

Thanks in advance, and please excuse my english.

[christw]

Originally Posted by Lemming16

Hi Chris, thanks for your answer.
Unfortunately, there's no way i can buy another cab, i live in Mexico and there aren't any good things on sale, and the things on sale are EXTREMELY expensive.

Luckily i found the ampeg by 2nd hand.

More than volume, i care better about tone, since the venue i play in, it's not very big.

As i said, i dont know a lot bout this stuff.
What i think (i can be totally wrong) is that the sounds comes out a little distorted because the amp is not giving enough power to the cab (My amp would give like 80 watts to the 8 ohm cab, i guess it wasn't made for 8 ohm cabs).

So that's why im thinking bout getting a higher wattage amp, like the GK RB 400 i mentioned before. I'm not sure about this, what do you guys?

Would it sound less distorted and better with a higher wattage amp? (GK RB400) Or is it gonna sound the same way?

Thanks in advance, and please excuse my english.

Well, the GK will not be too much louder but I absolutely love they way they sound. I also really like the old Acoustic stuff too.

Anyways, it takes 10 times the power to be twice as loud given the same speaker cabinet and it's capability to handle it. If your cab wouldn't melt down, it would take 800 watts to be twice as loud. I would focus on getting a different cabinet (second hand, of course!) to either supplement your current Ampeg or to replace it. If you got the GK and another 8 ohm cab, you would be pulling the full 300 watts out of it and have a lot more speakers moving. This would be perceived as A LOT louder.

By they way, you're using better English than plenty of people on this forum do.

[Steveaux]

Originally Posted by Lemming16

EDIT: I forgot to mention, the Acoustic 220 has 2 speaker outs, and the cab has 2 inputs (Full range inputs it says). I am only using a guitar cable from 1 Speaker output to 1 input on the cab. Is this correct? or should i be using 2 cables coming out of the head to the 2 inputs on the cab.

Wrong. You must use a SPEAKER CABLE.

[Lemming16]

Originally Posted by Steveaux

Wrong. You must use a SPEAKER CABLE.

I already got the speaker cable, and i don't really hear any difference, but i guess it will be more reliable now to play).

Btw, is the distortion caused by the low wattage amp? or the cab?

[SurferJoe46]

Something not mentioned so far is this: The drivers may already be blown - or damaged by someone in a previous situation - this is the problem with used gear as I state all the time.

You actually have nothing but chin music from the seller telling you that it was only played by a little old lady at a rosary meeting for soft hymns and Gregorian Chants.

Unfortunately the logistics are as they are and a used cab was the only viable thing to buy for the OP.

Now where else could distortion come from - the amp? Possibly - if a final is going bad or a cap is 'way outta specs or the voltage is wrong - any/all of the above, but most likely the drivers have been farted by that little old lady when she was playing Speed-Metal/Banda-Fusion music at a Quincenera.

Are there any other bass cabs to try the amp on in your area? That'd eliminate the amp or condemn it, either way.