How Important IS The Cab?

[Awake DT]

TB,

I've often wondered how important the quality of a Cabinet would really be, and how badly it impacts the sound of the Amp Head.

Say you have an Ampeg SVT head and you plug it into a Hartke VX410 and later you plugged it into an Ampeg SVT cab. Will there be a big difference between the two experiments?

The reason I ask is because I am looking for a new/used amp and I don't really know if I should buy a good amp head and pair it with any cab I can lay my hands on or should I just keep saving up for the best cab to pair it with. To thoroughly explain why I'm having so much trouble: I live in Panama, so not only do I have to buy it in USA, I also have to ship it here, and trust me: it gets expensive.

If I buy a Shuttle 6.0 from Genz-Benz, should I go crazy over what cab I will pair it with or should I get any old working cab? I want a 500 to 600W rig. I'd love to have a 4x10/2x10 + 1x15 or two 2x12 cabs .

Suggestions are desperately welcomed and be patient with my english!

[jmattbassplaya]

In my experiences, the cab is perhaps the most important piece of gear you'll buy. Look at it this way - you can have a killer head, but if your cab sounds bad then you're going to sound bad no matter how good your head is.

[Martin89]

Cab is more important than the head, as said above.

Also easier to upgrade head later than cab, just think about swapping lots of heavy bulky boxes in search of the right one, I'd rather get that right first and then maybe swap and sell upgrade smaller lighter boxes(heads).

[mb94952]

I agree with both guys above. All of my cabs (ok, most of them) are SWR and I NEVER get bad tone.

[Alex1984]

Really? I prefer to find the right head first, and then find the cab that sounds best with it. But yes, cabs are important determinant in your tone.

[bongomania]

Here's a different view though: for people playing on a medium-to-large stage, the cab is just a personal monitor. The audience is mostly hearing the PA, not your cab. So for those situations, the cab is not important at all--that's why so many large-stage performers use in-ear monitors. The big stack of cabs onstage is just "for looks".

If you are on a small stage, or playing at home, then the cab is the final sound-shaper between the amp and your ears, so in that case it is very important.

[Makatak]

Cabs can sound different in different situations too , I had a cab that sounded absolutely wonderful in a practice situation but didnt really deliver at a gig [ too scooped ] , the cabs I have now sound o.k [ mid-ish ] at home but absolutely kill at gigs .

[4-string]

I never gig without PA, but still feel the cab is the most important part of my rig. After my bass that is.

My rig tends to blend in with the PA, but even if it didn't and it was only my personal monitor, me having a great sound on stage is crucial to me. I am a set it and forget it guy, but if it doesn't sound good I am not able to forget it.

I am MUCH happier and playing much better when I am happy with my tone.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Similar cabs with similar drivers will most likely sound very similar. Obviously.

If comparing two totally different price/quality/whatever -range cabs, the difference can be quite big.

Some cabs are pre-voiced for some reason or another, and everyone will probably have their favourite.

If I had to sort my rig piece by piece by importance on the tone, the order would be just like the signal chain most of the times.

In any case, the cab would end up being the last on the list.


BTW, I'd add small stages on the bongomania's list. That's where the real benefit of going direct with just a (small) monitor amp/cab lies.

Regards
Sam

[Sartori]

In terms of how important the cab is to someone's sound... depends. For some, a cab is just a stage monitor. For others, it's an integral part of their sound. I tend towards the latter, but have nothing against the former.

How important is the cab's quality?

Very important. An amazing bass, and an outstanding amp will both probably sound like crap through a crappy cab... because a lame cab can only really sound like crap. You might get a variety of sounds out of it, but none will be good.

What constitutes a good cab is less easy to pin down. For some, a good cab sounds like whatever you put through it. For others, a good cab has a definite "voice," and always sounds like itself, even if there are a few variations. What defines it as good is that the player likes the voice the cab has.

[hasbeen]

my cab is more critical to my sound than my amp

[Kwesi]

Extremely. I'd say the cab is second only to the bass in producing the tone you want. Throw just about any half decent head on my AE410 and I've got 80% of what I want without turning any knobs. But if I put my F500 on a GK... anything I'm pretty sure I'll hate whatever comes out.

[dbase]

While were on the cab subject, has it ever been mentioned why cabs have to be built out of heavy plywood materials.
I remember lugging my Sunn 2x15 cab from the car up the stairs to the house every night after a gig at 3am. Why dont they make the cabs out of aluminum or some simular ultra light material? You know if they can send a man to the moon, why cant they....etc etc..

[Lars_Vegas]

concerning the sound at a rehearsal space or gig without PA:

I think my cab is a very important factor.

[sad_katz]

You cannot EQ a cab.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by dbase

Why dont they make the cabs out of aluminum or some simular ultra light material? You know if they can send a man to the moon, why cant they....etc etc..

It's not that it's not done it's just more expensive and time consuming and having to revamp their production process for lightweight materials is a cost major manufacturers don't want to incur. Check out some of the fearful build threads for people's experiences with trying to work lightweight materials into cab building. Also there is Flite cabs which makes light weight cabinets. Any material used also has to have the right sonic properties so it doesn't vibrate like crazy when you're pumping music through the speakers.

[klejst]

I too agree with what jmattbassplaya said. Well said.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by dbase

Why dont they make the cabs out of aluminum or some simular ultra light material? You know if they can send a man to the moon, why cant they....etc etc..

Price. Give me a billion dollars and I'll send you to the moon. Give me three billion and I'll bring you back.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by dbase

While were on the cab subject, has it ever been mentioned why cabs have to be built out of heavy plywood materials.
I remember lugging my Sunn 2x15 cab from the car up the stairs to the house every night after a gig at 3am. Why dont they make the cabs out of aluminum or some simular ultra light material?

One word.

Genelec.

Ok, they weren't the first, and aren't the only ones, but for some odd reason I tend to use 'em as an example .

Regards
Sam

[T. Alan Smith]

The cab determines if you'll hear yourself.
The cab has the edge in determining how you'll hear yourself.