Anyone actually used a car audio sub woofer for bass guitar?

::::BASSIST:::: · #1 07-26-2010, 06:29 PM

I know this is a bit of a doofus question, but I'm asking anyway.

I need to replace the blown driver in my UL112 and want to spend the least amount of cash on it possible and plan to buy one for less than $40 on CL. I plan to use this cab only for rehearsals so it does not have to be optimum tonally.

I have noticed that car audio sub woofers have fairly poor sensitivity like 88db. However, if I'm using my 500w LMII with a 4 ohm driver it should still give me enough volume for rehearsals right?

I am also aware that the highs will be fairly poor but that is not concerning to me as I cut most of my highs out anyway. As I said, this is only for rehearsals so tone really isnt too important. I have a couple of LDS 112s coming and I want to baby them and only use them for gigs.

Anybody experimented with this kind of thing?

Sundogue · #2 07-26-2010, 06:31 PM

Lots of people have tried without success.

The problem is, you not only have to drag the subwoofer around, but the car it's in as well because the car acts like a giant sound chamber for it.

Without the car it's crap...especially for live bass guitar. Unless you had like twenty of them and fed them unrealistic gobs of power.

lpdeluxe · #3 07-26-2010, 06:37 PM

Once you play your bass through one you will understand, grasshopper.

The sub is designed to reproduce the low-end 'thud', not the music. Listen, dammit, to what subs sound like in a car and ask yourself: do I want my bass to sound like THAT?

Hell no.

::::BASSIST:::: · #4 07-26-2010, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

Once you play your bass through one you will understand, grasshopper.

The sub is designed to reproduce the low-end 'thud', not the music. Listen, dammit, to what subs sound like in a car and ask yourself: do I want my bass to sound like THAT?

Hell no.

Thud is fine. As long as I can tell the notes apart. Like I said, its just for rehearsal. Hopefully, a judicious use of EQ would help as well.

::::BASSIST:::: · #5 07-26-2010, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundogue

Lots of people have tried without success.

The problem is, you not only have to drag the subwoofer around, but the car it's in as well because the car acts like a giant sound chamber for it.

Without the car it's crap...especially for live bass guitar. Unless you had like twenty of them and fed them unrealistic gobs of power.

So it would just be severely underpowered even with 500w?

Mr. Foxen · #6 07-26-2010, 06:45 PM

It will totally suck in every way. They aren't designed to take any eq, or middle or treble, it is basically a bad sub driver, with all the downsides of a sub, being no middle or treble, plus the disadvantages of home hifi speakers, as in delicate when faced with unprocessed sound, along with rubbish sensitivity.

Mids are what lets you tell notes apart.

Use your LDS cabs for practice too, they will need wearing in anyway, and you need to know your gear.

muddycreek · #7 07-26-2010, 06:48 PM

Stretch a bit, go on ebay, and find a new Eminence Beta 12A for $65 with free shipping.

You might even like the cab at the end of the day.

If you absolutely must go cheaper, the Pyle Pro PPA12 is a less-crappy-than-car-sub 12 for $42 shipped on ebay as well.

"T" · #8 07-26-2010, 06:50 PM

Now if you had the car on stage with you, that would be pretty cool!

Question is: Where would you put the mike for the PA?

KramerBassFan · #9 07-26-2010, 07:02 PM

Go to your nearest Wal-mart parking lot, and listen for somebody to pull up in a SUV blasting hip hop. That will be your tone. However, it'll take a 3000w amp fed by two batteries and an inverter in your trunk.

Then again, sometimes it works. I have a friend who uses them in his bass rig.

::::BASSIST:::: · #10 07-26-2010, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muddycreek

Stretch a bit, go on ebay, and find a new Eminence Beta 12A for $65 with free shipping.

You might even like the cab at the end of the day.

If you absolutely must go cheaper, the Pyle Pro PPA12 is a less-crappy-than-car-sub 12 for $42 shipped on ebay as well.

Pyle Pro PPA12 Woofer

# 200 Watts RMS/700 Watt Peak
# Sensitivity (1W @ 1M): 90 dB
# Frequency Response: 35-4 KHz
# 60 oz Magnet
# 2'' Kapton Voice Coil
# Stamped Steel Basket
# Strong Black Paper Cone
# Cloth Edge Suspension
# Bumped & Vented Pole Piece
# 8 Ohms Impedance

So its 8 ohms and the sensitivity is also pretty weak.
+ I live in Canada so shipping would cost $25

Thanks anyway for the suggestion.

Passinwind · #11 07-26-2010, 07:06 PM

Was your cab originally 4 ohms Torin? If not, check to be sure the crossover is actually only a highpass to the tweeter, or you will have a problem if changing woofer impedance...

::::BASSIST:::: · #12 07-26-2010, 07:14 PM

No it was 8 ohms. So if I switch it to 4 ohms I should bypass the tweeter? Dont really use the tweeter anyway.

::::BASSIST:::: · #13 07-26-2010, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KramerBassFan

Go to your nearest Wal-mart parking lot, and listen for somebody to pull up in a SUV blasting hip hop. That will be your tone. However, it'll take a 3000w amp fed by two batteries and an inverter in your trunk.

Then again, sometimes it works. I have a friend who uses them in his bass rig.

Ah-ha!

So someone has done it.

3506string · #14 07-26-2010, 07:55 PM

I have a friend that had replaced two blown speakers on the bottom of a 4x10 with xplod subwoofers. I think it may have been a hartke or genz benz cab. It wasn't the worst sounding thing in the world but it didn't sound good. Then again he still had 2 of the original drivers so at best it was acting like a sub + mid range+ tweeter combo. I wouldn't use a single sub even for the smallest rehearsals. It will likely end in frustration.

There are plenty of cheap, mediocre, generic looking PA drivers on ebay you just have to search around a little.

seismic audio

goldwood

seismic audio actually these look somewhat similar to the discontinued madison knights that are wonderful drivers

eminence

Sundogue · #15 07-26-2010, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

So it would just be severely underpowered even with 500w?

The sound will be severely undereverything. You could possibly get away with it if you had a few of them and about 2000 watts...AND a decent midrange cab like a 10/6 or something similar.

Imagine the sound of bass outside a nightclub (or even, I don't know...maybe the outside of a car with a sub inside?). That is all you would hear. Totally indistinct mush.

If you want to use it just for rehearsal, you wouldn't have to worry about tuning and you could play every note of every song on open strings, one handed and no one could tell.

billfitzmaurice · #16 07-26-2010, 08:21 PM

This will be the result:
1. You spend 40 bucks on a driver that won't work.
2. It sounds so bad that you eventually spend the 80 bucks you should have for a driver that will work.
3. You wasted 40 bucks in the process.

::::BASSIST:::: · #17 07-26-2010, 09:04 PM

Well I just couldnt stand the curiosity!

I went to wal-mart and paid too much for a mediocre sub woofer. They have a 90 day return policy which I will abuse. I'm not going to wreck the thing. I am just testing it.

Its 4 ohms, 88.6db sensitivity and 200w RMS.

I am going to give it a thorough testing in my condo's underground storage area. However, a few things I have noticed at apartment vol levels.

-As suggested it is very weak in terms of volume. I dimed the gain & master volume on my LMII (but wasnt plucking hard at all) and though I could tell it was loud-ish if I had those amp settings on my other UL112, it would be blasting and the neighbours would be at my door right away.

-It DOES take eq! Yes, the eq knobs do have an effect that is useable. By turning up the high-mids to about 1:00 I am getting a useable tone. Granted far from fantastic, but not pure mud. With everything set flat it does sound pretty dull and muddy.

- I am going to experiment further and try boosting some of the eq knobs to about 3:00 and see what the result is. I am also going to bring my VT Bass along and add more gain and "thunder" that way.

This is becoming more of a fun experiment than anything. If, after the above experimenting, I am getting enough volume for a rehearsal I *might* go ahead just keep the sub in there.

Pilgrim · #18 07-26-2010, 09:20 PM

I tried it with a cheap auto sub with enclosure that I had sitting around. Sounded awful - like mud. No musical quality, just thuds and fuzzy sound. Auto subs are not built to reproduce the clean notes produced by a bass guitar.

Don't waste your time.

::::BASSIST:::: · #19 07-26-2010, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

I tried it with a cheap auto sub with enclosure that I had sitting around. Sounded awful - like mud. No musical quality, just thuds and fuzzy sound. Auto subs are not built to reproduce the clean notes produced by a bass guitar.

Don't waste your time.

Too late.

MichaelVee · #20 07-26-2010, 09:26 PM

Torin, just contact Epifani and get the driver replacement. Stop tinkering!