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07-05-2010, 07:20 PM
| | |  Amps with tweeters: what's the point?
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So I'm looking at getting a new practice / small stage amp, and came across the Ibanez SWX65, which has a built-in tweeter. I found out that tweeters are like subwoofers for treble, but what's the point of having one when the instrument being amplified is so low? I know harmonics can get pretty high, but my sans-tweeter amp can produce them with ease.
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Originally Posted by CrashMiller  That awkward moment when your technique exceeds what can be written with current music writing techniques. | |
07-05-2010, 07:22 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Manhattan | | | Depending on attack, a bass still has higher frequency overtones and a tweeter brings them out. |
07-05-2010, 07:24 PM
| | | | its for overtones, it gives everything a more hifi sound, they don't overdrive well though.
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07-05-2010, 07:25 PM
| | | | What are overtones?
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by CrashMiller That awkward moment when your technique exceeds what can be written with current music writing techniques. | |
07-05-2010, 07:27 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Invisible_Kid What are overtones? | well every instrument has unique frequencies that sit over the route notes. If it weren't for overtones all instruments would sound very similar. I think thats right anyway 
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07-05-2010, 07:29 PM
| | | | Ah, I see. Thanks for the help, guys.
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by CrashMiller That awkward moment when your technique exceeds what can be written with current music writing techniques. | |
07-05-2010, 07:33 PM
|  | Registered User
President, Baer Amplification | | | | | Some people like tweeters, some people don't. SWR was the first company to put out a commercially available bass cabinet with a tweeter back in the mid 80's. I remember buying one of their very first cabs and it was amazed to hear the high end of my bass so clearly for the first time. Since then I've done a major turn around and don't care for tweeters at all. That 410 w/ tweeter became the standard for bass amplification and has been copied by everyone to this day. Tweeters do offer a major benefit in that they offer much wider dispersion for your top end.
Last edited by R Baer : 07-18-2010 at 12:21 AM.
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07-05-2010, 07:52 PM
| | | | Thank you, I was considering buying a SWR LA12 w/ tweeter as well.
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by CrashMiller That awkward moment when your technique exceeds what can be written with current music writing techniques. | |
07-05-2010, 09:52 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Lawton, OK / Ruston, LA | | | Tweeters capture a lot of nuances that standard sized bass speaker just don't reproduce efficiently. Some people like them some don't. Tweeter-less cabs sound muffled to me whereas to some, cabs with tweeters sound harsh and overly bright. |
07-05-2010, 11:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Wellington, New Zealand | | | They give you a full range frequency response, much like running a DI straight into a PA or recording system. Compared to tweeterless cabs which have a pretty sharp roll off around 3-4k. If playing clean they will give you lots of high end clarity and definition, and if you are using OD/Dist/Fuzz (without a speaker sim) they sound fizzy and harsh, that said lots of people seem to like that sound.
Totally personal preference. I hate them, so I'm glad that most cabs with tweeters allow you to turn them off! |
07-06-2010, 12:38 PM
|  | Must. Stop. Buying. Basses. Errrrkkkk!!!! | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Roseville, CA | | | My practice rig (Ibanez Promethean combo) has a tweeter. It also has an Aux In. I can plug my Bass Trainer into it and play MP3s through the same combo that I'm playing my bass through. Thanks to the tweeter, it all sounds pretty good. Not like it would sound if you tried playing an MP3 through a speaker that only had a low frequency woofer in it.
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07-06-2010, 12:44 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Huntsville, Alabama | | | Things get real ugly doing a distorted sound with tweeters, even a 2 or 3 way with mid.
Obvious observation is Lemmy is not using cabs with tweeters. There is a reason people love SVT boxes. They sound glorious driven by a tube head at speaker smoke minus epsilon volume levels.
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07-16-2010, 07:27 PM
|  | Is this thing on? | | Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Where else? In the dog house. | | | A marketing ploy, IMHO
Had a 2x10 with tweeter. Turn it down, sounded great. Turn it up, sounded same except the tweeter would make a clicking sound.
I also had a 1x15 combo w/o tweeter. it made an awesome keyboard amp. No horn or tweeter. I'm pretty sure keys have higher notes than my bass. I think. What do I know, I'm a bass player, not a musician. |
07-16-2010, 07:30 PM
| | | | I love my tweeter!!
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07-16-2010, 07:34 PM
| | | | Gotta say the LA 12 is an awesome little amp! They're cheap and have an awesome sound. And they are WAY louder than any other 60 watt amp you'll find.
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Originally Posted by john turner bassists, on the other hand, are a lot more prone to share with me their negative opinions, under the mistaken impression that i give a crap. | |
07-16-2010, 07:35 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Virginia Beach, VA | | | There's a lot of useful harmonic / overtone content in the >4 khz region. My Acme cabs and my brother's Epifani cabs both have tweeter attenuators which allow you to match the cabinet response to the room or taste.
Riis
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07-16-2010, 07:36 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Los Angeles | | | I never use them , as I don't have any now but if it was there I may or may not turn it on a hair . It can add some cut in a live mix especially where the guitard and drummer are very loud and at 15 feet away it will have a nice clarity . |
07-16-2010, 07:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Pelham, AL | | | it's used to produce frequencies of the string. you're thinking of pitch. pitch is how high or low the note is. frequencies are things like "bass" "treble" "mids" and such. kind of like the characteristic of the note you're playing, not the note itself. a tweeter is used to produce the higher frequencies of a sound (6k-10k to 20k hertz). |
07-16-2010, 07:42 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Horsham, Pa | | Who makes an amp with a tweeter? My cabinet has a tweeter, but I've never seen an amp with one.
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Originally Posted by Smurf-o-Deth Music is magic that rides a unicorn into my ears! | |
07-16-2010, 08:05 PM
| | Temp Banned (TOS Violation) | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Stouffville, Ontario | | I like tweeting.
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