Bass speakers in a guitar cab?

[BluesProgMetal]

Is it a wise choice to put bass speakers in a guitar cab? Will it damage the cabinet itself? If possible I would like to put bass speakers in a Marshall 1960A cabinet so I can use it for bass.

[Nev375]

Bass speakers would be fine in a guitar cab if the guitarist using it likes clean response from his speaker.

It will absolutely still suck for a bass.

[BluesProgMetal]

Originally Posted by Nev375

Bass speakers would be fine in a guitar cab if the guitarist using it likes clean response from his speaker.

It will absolutely still suck for a bass.

So no it will not work?

[JimmyM]

It may work but it's not going to work by just throwing whatever bass speakers you can find in there. And Marshall guitar cabs aren't exactly optimized to work with bass, so you can count on losing some clean volume capability. I wouldn't do it. It'll cost way more than it's worth, too. Just get a bass cab.

[basscooker]

ok. since its been brought up, given the internal dimensions and cabinet specs, could an appropriate driver be found, and the 1960 be properly ported and insulated to make it work WELL ? yes, time consuming and pricey, but for the purpose of keeping the backline uniform, can it be done as a retrofit?

what about the jcm800 1960 bass cabs? aren't they the same as the guitar cabs with bass drivers?

[JimmyM]

You're not the first guy to try to do that with the backline. There's a reason you don't see it used very often, though. But if you absolutely have to do it, I'd suggest just throwing Eminence Alphas or Beta 12's in there. Don't know if the Beta's extra low end would help in that tight a cab, so maybe the Alpha would work out better. But I'd spend as little as possible. When you abandon the idea (and you will), you'll at least not be out a big fortune...just a small one.

To make it truly work for bass, I guess you could figure out a way to port it and all that, but you'd also have to beef up its bracing. Resonant cabs may work for guitar but not so much for bass. Sucks up a lot of energy needed for pushing lows.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by Nev375

It will absolutely still suck for a bass.

Obviously You haven't tried.

Originally Posted by basscooker

ok. since its been brought up, given the internal dimensions and cabinet specs, could an appropriate driver be found, and the 1960 be properly ported and insulated to make it work WELL ? yes, time consuming and pricey, but for the purpose of keeping the backline uniform, can it be done as a retrofit?

what about the jcm800 1960 bass cabs? aren't they the same as the guitar cabs with bass drivers?

G12H100 IIRC, so Yes, the cab dimensions are the same, only the drivers (and some construction details) are different. Sounds very good if vintage bass tone is Your goal.

If I was faced with the dilemma of uniform Marshall backline, I'd probably retrofit a 412 cab with 10 inch drivers, staggered as much as possible in the center line of the cab.
The dimensions should be pretty close to optimal then. Or 212 or 115, what ever is the preferred speaker size.

Regards
Sam

[billfitzmaurice]

what about the jcm800 1960 bass cabs? aren't they the same as the guitar cabs with bass drivers?

Yes. That only indicates that they were not well engineered. For that matter, they weren't engineered at all. The dimensions of Marshall stacks were arrived at based on having the least amount of waste from a 5x5 sheet of plywood.

but for the purpose of keeping the backline uniform, can it be done as a retrofit?

Sure, if you don't care if you sound good, just so long as you look good.

[Nev375]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Obviously You haven't tried.

Yes. You're right! I haven't tried because I know in advance it's a bad idea.

[Simon Rose]

Heck if you want a matching back line just pile up some empty 4x12 Marshall cabs about four high so it looks like a "rig of doom" then run DI to the PA. I'm sure everyone will be asking about your awesome tone from your "Vintage Marshall Cabs". In all honesty though your best bet if you want a true amp setup would be to put your cab off the side of your matching back line, or cover it with a cloth so people don't know your using something that doesn't match.

[MIJ-VI]

[Muziekschuur]

The Marshall VBA400 comes with a 4x12 cabinet.
I'm sure if you change out the speakers of that cab with bassspeakers you'll be fine.

[Fresh Eddie]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

You're not the first guy to try to do that with the backline. There's a reason you don't see it used very often, though. But if you absolutely have to do it, I'd suggest just throwing Eminence Alphas or Beta 12's in there. Don't know if the Beta's extra low end would help in that tight a cab, so maybe the Alpha would work out better. But I'd spend as little as possible. When you abandon the idea (and you will), you'll at least not be out a big fortune...just a small one.

I have Beta 15s in a really shallow old Traynor bass cabinet. They are nice speakers, designed to work with smaller enclosures. It might do the trick, but honestly, if it were me, I would stack empty Marshalls in front of my normal bass amp or go direct into the PA, as suggested.

[fenderhutz]

Avatar does it with their 412 guitar cab.

[carbonsystem]

Originally Posted by basscooker

ok. since its been brought up, given the internal dimensions and cabinet specs, could an appropriate driver be found, and the 1960 be properly ported and insulated to make it work WELL ? yes, time consuming and pricey, but for the purpose of keeping the backline uniform, can it be done as a retrofit?

what about the jcm800 1960 bass cabs? aren't they the same as the guitar cabs with bass drivers?

that's gonna be one heavy 4 12 cab.

if it's 2 x 15 i can imagine it sounding pretty good.

but I tend to really like bass rigs that sounds just a little like they've got some guitar in em (ex: my bassman rig being used for bass)

Still, it seems absurd to me to spend time and money for looks when it could be invested in sounds.

Tell your guitar player to **** off and retrofit his marshall cabs to into existing ampegs!