Did I fry my Acme?

rojo412 · #1 06-03-2010, 08:35 PM

Had practice tonight and have been using my Acme Low B2 for quite a while now. QSC GX3, BBE Bmax.

I was messing with the head to get a better sound, found it, kept jamming. Playing a recently acquired Am Dlx 5 and it was feeling and sounding awesome.

Well, hand the bass to the guitar player, jamming on it, song is over, I play it again... sounds like a blown speaker.
RATFARTS!!!!

But is there any chance this is that bulb thing that these amps have? Could it have blown the bulb? Or did I toast something?

Didn't smell burning, didn't see a speaker ripped.

**B-string** · #2 06-03-2010, 09:54 PM

The bulb thing is usually to protect tweeters in cabs. Sounds like you toasted a speaker or have a loose connection on a speaker, BBE Bmax makes me guess the former.

rojo412 · #3 06-04-2010, 04:22 PM

Aw poop

Bluesy Soul · #4 06-04-2010, 04:55 PM

Contact Andy at www.acmebass.com and go over it with him. He's the best person to help you troubleshoot it; and if you need one or more new speakers, you can only get the proprietary replacements from him.

BassmanPaul · #5 06-05-2010, 09:35 AM

On the positive side, if you replace both the woofers you'll have a like new cabinet! You'll likely have to return the blown units to get replacements.

It is a horrible feeling realizing you damaged your speakers. I did the same by dropping a low B into a pair of mine before they had had time to warm up from a -43 C temperature. Shattered the surrounds of one driver in each cabinet. THAT was a long night!

Paul

rojo412 · #6 06-08-2010, 10:53 AM

Pulled the cover off and both speakers have creases in them. D'OH!!!! Any clue what a pair of these may run me?

Any other speakers worth considering as replacements besides factory?

mrpackerguy · #7 06-08-2010, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo412

Pulled the cover off and both speakers have creases in them. D'OH!!!! Any clue what a pair of these may run me?

Any other speakers worth considering as replacements besides factory?

Andy will give you a good price on new replacement woofers if you send the 2 creased ones back. $75 per woofer I think, so $150.

BassmanPaul · #8 06-08-2010, 12:32 PM

And no other speaker will work in that cabinet. To prevent this happening again may I suggest a second B2 to put under the first.

Paul

rojo412 · #9 06-08-2010, 12:36 PM

4 ohm... I'm switching heads to a GK 800RB, so that won't overpower or over distort.

BassmanPaul · #10 06-08-2010, 12:52 PM

Remember a 2x10 will only take you so far. By the sound of it you're past that point already. Even a 300W amp can excessively stress a 350W cabinet. To get louder you need more cones. I've used a single B2 for rehearsals at a reasonable level with out problems. You appear to be much louder that what I would call reasonable. To keep up without blowing your cabinet again you need a second one. The money you have to pay to repair your B2 is getting on for half of what a second cabinet would have cost.

Paul

spiritbass · #11 06-08-2010, 12:52 PM

With your original woofers, your cabinet was 4 ohms. Since you are needing to replace both drivers, you may consider setting it up to be an 8 ohm cabinet. Then you could add another 8 ohm B-2 for a 4 ohm, 4-10" stack. For future reference: if you blow the light bulb (fuse) your mid driver and tweeters won't function until you replace it.

Bluesy Soul · #12 06-08-2010, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo412

Any other speakers worth considering as replacements besides factory?

Not if you want an Acme and that wonderful low end.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

And no other speaker will work in that cabinet. To prevent this happening again my I suggest a second B2 to put under the first.
Paul

++++1

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo412

4 ohm... I'm switching heads to a GK 800RB, so that won't overpower or over distort.

Get the second Low B-2 first. I'm surprised the QSC put out a signal that creased both cones, but I guess it's possible.

rojo412 · #13 06-08-2010, 01:03 PM

I had a Genz Benz 210 cab, 200 w, that was more than adequate for the task of band practice. Well, until that blew speakers... 10 years after I bought it.

I don't even turn the amp up to 30% and I play in a funky/jazzy band. I have to fix the cab to sell it anyway, so it's gotta be done either way.

Good to know on the bulb though.

BassmanPaul · #14 06-08-2010, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiritbass

With your original woofers, your cabinet was 4 ohms. Since you are needing to replace both drivers, you may consider setting it up to be an 8 ohm cabinet. Then you could add another 8 ohm B-2 for a 4 ohm, 4-10" stack. For future reference: if you blow the light bulb (fuse) your mid driver and tweeters won't function until you replace it.

Changing the woofers for 8Ω will most likely require the crossover to be changed too.

Paul

BassmanPaul · #15 06-08-2010, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo412

I had a Genz Benz 210 cab, 200 w, that was more than adequate for the task of band practice. Well, until that blew speakers... 10 years after I bought it.

I don't even turn the amp up to 30% and I play in a funky/jazzy band. I have to fix the cab to sell it anyway, so it's gotta be done either way.

Good to know on the bulb though.

Depending on the gain structure of your amp 30% is quite possibly flat out maximum power. If your low EQ is boosted that will make matters worse.

Paul

rojo412 · #16 06-08-2010, 02:16 PM

Even the Acme site says to run 500 watts into this 350 watt cab. I'm not going to do that again. In fact, judging by the posts here, it sounds like the Acme cab is not suited for what I want.

I don't eq a huge low boost. I like to be heard, but I'm not doing anything "sub dub super bass" and this cab never had the slightest hint of distortion.

Maybe I should run this as a "low" cab in a biamp system... but I want to avoid a huge rig. I am considering the 800RB with the Genz cab (reconed) as the hi, Acme as the low and see how that works, but then again, the Acme just may not be my kind of speaker...

BurningSkies · #17 06-08-2010, 02:29 PM

May I also point out that it doesn’t surprise me that this has happened after you’ve gotten a new bass? I had this happen to me a few weeks after I started playing a new instrument (at that time, it was my PRS bass). In my case I ripped 3 of 4 speakers in my ol’ 410 on stage.

But many times the way we EQ an amp is a habit based upon the instrument that you’ve been playing for years. When you make the switch to a new bass, especially an active one, where you can boost frequencies (those low ones particularly), it can be problematic for your speakers. You may be feeding them more than they can take without knowing it. Its probably more common than we know. I was speaking to friend who leads a band and he said his bassist did the same thing when he got a new (active) bass.

Crockettnj · #18 06-08-2010, 02:38 PM

the xover is designed for the impedance of the drivers you have. changing it will shift the xover frequency which WILL change the tone of the cab. For good or bad is up to your ears, but it'll change.

Crockettnj · #19 06-08-2010, 02:38 PM

is he selling them for 75 each?

will33 · #20 06-08-2010, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo412

Even the Acme site says to run 500 watts into this 350 watt cab. I'm not going to do that again. In fact, judging by the posts here, it sounds like the Acme cab is not suited for what I want.

I don't eq a huge low boost. I like to be heard, but I'm not doing anything "sub dub super bass" and this cab never had the slightest hint of distortion.

Maybe I should run this as a "low" cab in a biamp system... but I want to avoid a huge rig. I am considering the 800RB with the Genz cab (reconed) as the hi, Acme as the low and see how that works, but then again, the Acme just may not be my kind of speaker...

Running the Acme as the low in a biamped system would defeat the whole purpose of the Acme. That would only require the 10's only and the x-over, mid, tweet, whatever would be a total waste of parts/money. Just fix the one you have or better yet, get a pair of 8ohms as stated. Long excursion can give cones a punishing if you're using one when you should be using 2.