Ampeg cab with 4 10's and 1 15... Anyone play it?

[suraci]

Guitar center has a single cab by ampeg with 4 10s and 1 15
How does it sound... Compared to 810??

[JimmyM]

Like cardboard. I had them on a few gigs about 10 years ago. Always unplugged the 115. It didn't last long in the Ampeg catalog for good reason.

[HOOLIGAN]

I use one w/ an Acoustic 370 at
2 ohms using each input seperately-
Each section is rated at only 200w-but I haven't blown
anything up & crank it LOUD-
I Don't like it as well as my regular 810 though, but I run
my Orange TB 500 through that.

[Bass_Pounder]

That would be the 1540HE I believe.........

One of the worst cabs Ampeg ever made.

Couldn't ditch mine fast enough.

[suraci]

Gosh. The gc bass player / salesman said the 15 added a punchiness that 10's can't quite do. Thanks

[CL400Peavey]

Originally Posted by suraci

Gosh. The gc bass player / salesman said the 15 added a punchiness that 10's can't quite do. Thanks

Because they know its a pile of **** and want it sold quick. Or they have no idea what they are talking about, which wouldnt surprise me either.

[sad_katz]

Originally Posted by HOOLIGAN

I use one w/ an Acoustic 370 at
2 ohms using each input seperately-
Each section is rated at only 200w-but I haven't blown
anything up & crank it LOUD-
I Don't like it as well as my regular 810 though, but I run
my Orange TB 500 through that.

2ohms combined??

I'll stick to the 4ohm 810, thanks. (or 2x 810's if I ever go that low)

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

That would be the 1540HE I believe.........

One of the worst cabs Ampeg ever made.

Agreed - Mesa's 410 + 115 cabs are pretty lame, but Ampeg's version is even worse... A good friend had one of those and a B2RE - talk about a suckfest!!! I brought ove a Peavey rig I had under $500 into, and it crushed his Ampeg "pile" - he was so mad, he sold both amp and cab shortly afterwards...


- georgestrings

[jumbodbassman]

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

That would be the 1540HE I believe.........

One of the worst cabs Ampeg ever made.

Couldn't ditch mine fast enough.

+1

[suraci]

Why did I like the Pulse 600 with the Powerhouse? Maybe cause I was coming off of lame single driver small cabs??

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by suraci

Why did I like the Pulse 600 with the Powerhouse? Maybe cause I was coming off of lame single driver small cabs??

Yeah, pretty much any large multi-driver cab is going to sound more full than a single driver cab... I have a really good 115 cab, but after playing thru a 215, 610, or 810 most of the time, my 115 seems pretty anemic...


- georgestrings

[suraci]

Ok, Big cab... but in another thread I ask about my opposite liking for small boxy design
I like a MB 210 combo a MB jeff berlin ( obviously I don't play loudly ) and for a newly acquired single 12 shuttle?

I can't figure this out- two extremes- one huge but not boomy- the other boxy super tight
lots of in your face harmonics
What is the answer????

[suraci]

My latest "thinking" ( I'm sure !) is
I am attracted to the resonance of two very different cab designs
Since I want more than one kind of sound coming from my v jazz
One tight sound
One with more old school bass

I am thinking two cabs ( or two cabs INSIDE one large cab )
But xrossed over
So when I want want tighter. I emphasize the smaller can.. And vice versa for thicker sound
But ppl here say this is a dicey idea

Does the electronic x over make it less dicey?

[mazdah]

I think you should give it a try. I had 810E, now I use 410HE + 15E combo and I like it much. It doesn't have the great singing low mids of 810E, but both 410HE and 15E sounds A LOT better together than separate.

With 15E I have punch in hi-mids and lows
With 410HE I have great sweet low mids - that Classic Ampeg Sound.

With only 15E my sound is punchy, but kinda like a cardboard. Sits great in the mix but def. not impressive.
With only 410HE I cannot get enough definition in higs and hi-mids and there is not enough low end to sit well with drums - I'm fighting with guitars frequencies.

Both: Punch & lows of 15E, no cardboad sound thanks to 410HE. IMHO a great combination. Since 1540HE is like 410HE and 15E in one box it should be "fine, just fine". (quote from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aA-1rqtQWs

Sure it won't be as good as 810E and it may not be as good as two 410HEs or two 15Es but it will much be better than one 410HE or one 15E for sure.

EDIT: And the sentence "You won't be able to hear single "15 speaker with four tens because four tens will play a lot louder" is one of the biggest bull*****s I've read in the internet ever. The one and only bigger bull**** is "You should change your strings one by one, otherwise the neck will warp" sentence.

[johnk_10]

i played thru a friend's ampeg 1540 and didn't care for it with the stock 15". we replaced the 15" with a new eminence CB154 and it actually sounded pretty good afterwards.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by mazdah

I think you should give it a try. I had 810E, now I use 410HE + 15E combo and I like it much. It doesn't have the great singing low mids of 810E, but both 410HE and 15E sounds A LOT better together than separate.

It's possible the 410he and 115e have a better phase relationship than the 1540 did. And there is something to be said for adding drivers being an improvement. But I've tried that combination too, and it did nothing for me either.

EDIT: And the sentence "You won't be able to hear single "15 speaker with four tens because four tens will play a lot louder" is one of the biggest bull*****s I've read in the internet ever. The one and only bigger bull**** is "You should change your strings one by one, otherwise the neck will warp" sentence.

Nobody said you wouldn't hear the 115. You'll hear it. It just won't be as loud as the 410. And again, it allows for the possibility of destructive interference, which on a gig can drive you nuts to have a frequency range disappear because of phasing. I get enough of that on some gigs without my rig adding to it.

[Bass_Pounder]

Originally Posted by mazdah

(1) but both 410HE and 15E sounds A LOT better together than separate.

(2) Sure it won't be as good as 810E and it may not be as good as two 410HEs or two 15Es but it will much be better than one 410HE or one 15E for sure.

EDIT: (3) And the sentence "You won't be able to hear single "15 speaker with four tens because four tens will play a lot louder" is one of the biggest bull*****s I've read in the internet ever.

(1) Of course the two sound better together then either one seperate. Just about ANY two cabs combined will sound better then just one

(2) You answered your own argument. Two mismatched cabs will always sound better then just one cab. However, running two matching cabs is the way to go.

(3) Noone is saying that you will not hear the 15 at all. The 4X10 will be noticeably louder due to the FACT that they move twice the amount of air (displacement). What is said is that it (the 15) becomes the weak link in the rig because it cannot keep up with the 4X10, and many times you cannot hear when it is straining (especially when the 15 is on the bottom, and the 4X10 is up by your ears).

ETA - Jimmy done beat me to it

[mazdah]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

It's possible the 410he and 115e have a better phase relationship than the 1540 did. And there is something to be said for adding drivers being an improvement. But I've tried that combination too, and it did nothing for me either.

Maybe you just don't like that combination I don't like SWR amps - and it does not matter for me that they are great amps. I just don't like SWR.

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Nobody said you wouldn't hear the 115. You'll hear it. It just won't be as loud as the 410. And again, it allows for the possibility of destructive interference, which on a gig can drive you nuts to have a frequency range disappear because of phasing. I get enough of that on some gigs without my rig adding to it.

Well actually I hear my 15E a lot better than 410HE.
Maybe because of frequency response - "15 is punchier and clearer, maybe the higher frequencies of 15E are louder than the same frequencies in 410HE, but the fact is - I can hear my 15E very well in that combination. Maybe because both cabs have the same sensivity (98db), maybe because they were kinda made to work together? The sound barely changed, maybe the 410HE adds 20% of the overall sound? Just the "flavour" on top of 15E.

I haven't played 1540. And there must be a reason tht this cab is not produced anymore. But they discontinued B15 and V4B and PR 410HLF too... and they are monsters of sound

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

(1) Of course the two sound better together then either one seperate. Just about ANY two cabs combined will sound better then just one

Well, so that's why I like my stack

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

(2) You answered your own argument. Two mismatched cabs will always sound better then just one cab. However, running two matching cabs is the way to go.

Actually I talked to Dino Monoxelos of Ampeg and he said that he never heard this before last year.
People used cabs with different speakers since the beggininig of bass amplification and noone complained.

Many great bass players use 410+15 stack. There are theories that are just being payed for using that "15s with 4x10s but I don't think that Vic Wooten, Jack Bruce and others would be happy to ruin their sound just for money. They'd most likely use two 4x10's or two 15's just for the comfort of doing their work.

So maybe, two cabs that are exactly the same works better than two different cabs. But two different cabs are nothing wrong. They may not produce the sound some people like, but 410 + 15 is not wrong.

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

(3) Noone is saying that you will not hear the 15 at all. The 4X10 will be noticeably louder due to the FACT that they move twice the amount of air (displacement). What is said is that it (the 15) becomes the weak link in the rig because it cannot keep up with the 4X10, and many times you cannot hear when it is straining (especially when the 15 is on the bottom, and the 4X10 is up by your ears).

I have that combination. Even when I stay close to the stack I can hear 15E very well.

Well looks like this depends of cabs. Both 410HE and 15E have the same sensitivity level (98db)

[sad_katz]

Mixing two different cabs is not wrong. The problem, though, is when the combination creates unwanted phasing (some notes sound louder while others sound quieter) and you cannot tell it happening unless you stand some 10-15 feet away. It's like gambling - it might or might not work well. Better spend money and get predictable results, no?

Artists use whatever they are given. I'd also use 410/115 combo if it was given to me free of charge

[Zoa]

Mazdah, I believe you have some electronics and acoustics research to do. To the OP, that particular cab IMO is pure ick. If you do end up getting multiple cabs, your best bet is to buy matching ones.