The EXTREME DANGER of UNDERPOWERING your cabs

[somedumbguy]

is that it kills my tone.


I've noticed that I really like the sound of a amp and cabinet that are both closely matched and both really pushing it.

Is that true for anyone else?

(sorry for the dramatic title, I couldn't resist)

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Nope, for bass I like the amp (tube) to do the shaping and the speakers to stay clean. Unlike with guitar where speaker distortion is an important part of the sound.

BTW 300W/~700W and 200W/~300W(before farting) ratio in my current rig.

As for the "dramatic title": if that stays, I'm afraid that the thread won't . And for a very good reason.

Regards
Sam

[seamonkey]

Old blues players use to slice their speaker cones with razor blades to get some fuzz sound. They really liked that.

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by seamonkey

Old blues players use to slice their speaker cones with razor blades to get some fuzz sound. They really liked that.

They also did heroin- coincidence? Perhaps...

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by somedumbguy

is that it kills my tone.


I've noticed that I really like the sound of a amp and cabinet that are both closely matched and both really pushing it.

Is that true for anyone else?

(sorry for the dramatic title, I couldn't resist)

Nothing wrong with that if you keep it to the good side of blowing your speakers and you don't get canned for being too loud. But they will wear out somewhat quicker.

[Kenny Allyn]

Not even really sure what your title/post means ...

Do you mean an overdriven sound, like an old tube amp, or a clean amp driving the speakers to the point of reaching their excursion limit?

I've heard a 100 watt Marshall Super Bass Plexi driven hard into a good 600 watt rated cab sound great , and a GK 1001RB set clean bottom drivers in a cab "rated" to match that amps output and that sound was well nasty ... two very different things.

... Can we NOT do the whole "underpower" thing again ... and just say we did.

[scotch]

Uber-yawn....

[lunarpollen]

I guess we're all committing dangerous acts when we are underpowering our cabs any time we don't have our amp volume turned up to 10! The horror! (?????)

[Rattman]

Originally Posted by seamonkey

Old blues players use to slice their speaker cones with razor blades to get some fuzz sound. They really liked that.

Ha ha!! That must have been a REALLY long time ago I think.... distortion pedals have been on the market seemingly forever... "sliced their cones...." oh my gosh...

[Steve]

Originally Posted by seamonkey

Old blues players use to slice their speaker cones with razor blades to get some fuzz sound. They really liked that.

LOL.

I'm an old blues player.
You slice up the speakers in my Bergie and I'm not going to like it.

[kdogg]

Originally Posted by bassteban

They also did heroin- coincidence? Perhaps...

LMAO! One of the funniest things have read in a long time! Mind if I steal it for my sig? You will of course be given full credit.

[hrgiger]

Originally Posted by Rattman

Ha ha!! That must have been a REALLY long time ago I think.... distortion pedals have been on the market seemingly forever... "sliced their cones...." oh my gosh...

Yeah and now we even have pedals better than that! "Torn's Peaker!"

http://www.rocknrollvintage.com/prod...a-Torns-Peaker

[vinxbass]

I don't use any distortion crap, I like my speakers to run cleanly. My amp shapes my tone the way I set it up to be. The only FX I use is a stereo bass chorus used very slightly to fatten up the sound a little - but that's it, nothing else.