Extension Speaker/ Add another

[johnfitz123]

I have a 20w pratice Bass Amp with an 8" speaker, I would like to add a similar sized cab with either a 10" or 12" speaker what is the process.

I have built speaker cabs before no problem there I would love to know the following.

is it worthwhile

can i use say a 10 or 12 inch speaker in the extension cab and would that compliment the 8"

how would I wire it up the current speaker has "tabs" to allow for a lead off to another speaker (it seems)

can I just connect another speaker (allbeit in another speaker box) to the "tabs" provided or do I need other hardware.

thanks

[RickenBoogie]

First, what 8" combo? and 2nd, it's doubtful that such a tiny practice amp would have an ext spkr output, but that's what you'd need.. Just get a bigger bass rig.

[Ibanez Bassist]

Small amps like that one dont have an out for passive/active add on's or FX send/returns as far as I know, But I could definitely be wrong.. larger combo or rig. as RickenBoogie said..

[sad_katz]

Can't say whether it's worthwhile or not unless you specify the purpose of adding another speaker.

Are you planning to use it for live gigs? How big are the gigs and what amplifications are the others using? Or is it strictly for home practice?

[Stumbo]

Read the Ohms FAQ before you do anything otherwise you may kill your amp.

[dan stanton]

Yes, you can use the tabs off the 8". Make sure you get positive and negative correctly aligned. I am assuming this is a solid state amp, so you would increase the wattage output with 4 ohms vs. 8 ohms. Also you could drill a hole ih the back and add a socket for an extension speaker.

[B-string]

Originally Posted by dan stanton

Yes, you can use the tabs off the 8". Make sure you get positive and negative correctly aligned. I am assuming this is a solid state amp, so you would increase the wattage output with 4 ohms vs. 8 ohms. Also you could drill a hole ih the back and add a socket for an extension speaker.

Just watch out for smoke coming from the overloaded amp head.

[fivestringgecko]

+1... Bigger amp.

5sg.

[rad bassman]

1 question, why?
a 20 watt practice amp is just that, for practice purposes, i fail to see what you may gain by this exercise tbh, no offense intended whatsoever.

just adding a cab to the internal driver will drop the ohmage of the amp and get more watts, but that may well over cook it too, or, wire it in series with the internal driver which will increase the ohmage and reduce the watts output and increase the cone area, you could end up losing volume.
disabling the internal driver and using and external cab could work better/give a better tone, but with 20 watts, what are you hoping to achieve?

[deafman]

My daughter and I share a Rumble 25 as my Bassman isn't finished yet. I didn't want to make permanent mods to the combo. I took out the speaker, unhooked the leads and pushed them out the little hole in the cabinet. I bought a 3" project box from Radio Shack, drilled a hole for a 1/4" jack in it, soldered pigtails to the jack. The wires that went to the internal speaker have female "blade" terminals on them so I put matching males on my pigtails. I ran a 2' speaker cord through the hole in the box to the speaker, put terminals on the lead, connected it to the speaker and put the speaker back in.
My project box with the 1/4" output jack is tucked into the backside of the amp compartment. I can use the internal speaker or my external Eden. I wouldn't recommend running both. Some of these little amps are designed to run 8 ohms min. load. If it has an 8 ohm speaker in the little combo that is what I would use for an extension.

[BassmanPaul]

OP as several folk have commented, your combo will be at it's minimum impedance with the internal speaker. Adding a second speaker load will almost certainly kill the combo. Anything you do to your amp will be a waste of time and money. Save up and get yourself something worthwhile.

[tabdog]

Paul is absolutely right,

Tabdog

[johnfitz123]

Thanks guys I will leave it alone

JF

[Stumbo]

Good idea.

[Lowtonejoe]

Originally Posted by johnfitz123

I have a 20w pratice Bass Amp with an 8" speaker, I would like to add a similar sized cab with either a 10" or 12" speaker what is the process.

I have built speaker cabs before no problem there I would love to know the following.

is it worthwhile

can i use say a 10 or 12 inch speaker in the extension cab and would that compliment the 8"

how would I wire it up the current speaker has "tabs" to allow for a lead off to another speaker (it seems)

can I just connect another speaker (allbeit in another speaker box) to the "tabs" provided or do I need other hardware.

thanks

You could always run the cab in series instead of parallel without hurting the amp.

This would cause the power output to drop but since you will be adding another speaker you would be moving more air than you were before.

I have a Roland Cube amp that has a series output. When I hook it up to any of my cabs there is a definite increase in volume...just not as much as when you hook it up in parallel with an amp that can handle the lower impedance.

A lot of guy blow off the fun of experimentation by saying that it's not worth the money, time or trouble but the fun and experience that you get from a project like this is well worth it.

I once had one of those mini Marshall practice amps that are only about 5 inches tall. I installed a speaker out on it and powered a 4x12 cab! It was way cool and sounded awesome! It's surprising how loud 1 watt through a big cab is...but don't plan on performing with it or using it for band practice.



Joe.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Lowtonejoe

You could always run the cab in series instead of parallel without hurting the amp.

This would cause the power output to drop but since you will be adding another speaker you would be moving more air than you were before.

I have a Roland Cube amp that has a series output. When I hook it up to any of my cabs there is a definite increase in volume...just not as much as when you hook it up in parallel with an amp that can handle the lower impedance.

A lot of guy blow off the fun of experimentation by saying that it's not worth the money, time or trouble but the fun and experience that you get from a project like this is well worth it.

I once had one of those mini Marshall practice amps that are only about 5 inches tall. I installed a speaker out on it and powered a 4x12 cab! It was way cool and sounded awesome! It's surprising how loud 1 watt through a big cab is...but don't plan on performing with it or using it for band practice.



Joe.

That's pretty cool. I have a little MS-2. The OD on it actually doesn't sound too awful bad through headphones. I think the thing is pretty much a crude dirt pedal with a 2" speaker attached to it. How'd it sound through real speakers? I might have to try that just for fun.

[Lowtonejoe]

Originally Posted by will33

That's pretty cool. I have a little MS-2. The OD on it actually doesn't sound too awful bad through headphones. I think the thing is pretty much a crude dirt pedal with a 2" speaker attached to it. How'd it sound through real speakers? I might have to try that just for fun.

Unbelievingly enough, it sounded pretty genuine. Kind of like the first Guv'nor pedals. I used a Guv'nor through a p.a. once and after rolling off the treble it sounded really good.



Joe.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Lowtonejoe

Unbelievingly enough, it sounded pretty genuine. Kind of like the first Guv'nor pedals. I used a Guv'nor through a p.a. once and after rolling off the treble it sounded really good.



Joe.

Ya, I was pretty surprised when I plugged phones in mine after some time spent listen to the buzz from the little speaker.