Maybe it's a cab problem

[countrybassist]

A few weeks ago I had thought that my head, 73' SVT, had failed. I took it into a local repair shop and the guy fixed it. As usual, I spend a few hours every Sunday morning working on new songs. Well after 2 hours or so, it did it again. Went hi-fi and lost most of the bass. Getting somewhat ticked off but still wanting to work on songs, I plugged my SVT-CL into the same cab. It seemed as though, after about 20-30 minutes, the sound thinned out again, so I went back to the 73' and plugged it into a 410HLF and it sounded ok. Now I can't be totally sure yet if it's the cab, because my son woke up and I had to stop playing so I wasn't able to run the 73' through the 410 for longer than 20 minutes or so. I was just wondering if this could be a cab problem. Oh the cab in question is an Ampeg 810. Now as far as the cab either thinned out or not, it was 6am and I live in an apartment so the volume is quite low so it was kinda hard to tell. Thanks!!

[staindbass]

measure the speaker impedance with a digital multimeter (ohms). then play the cab, and when it sounds thin,play for a few minutes then remeasure it. a voicecoil may be shorting when it gets warm or something wierd like that. johnny a.

[countrybassist]

That's a good idea. I'd rather it be the cab than the head.

[craig.p]

Flaky speaker cable, or corroded/rusty or worn out speaker jack in the cab or head, are other possibilities. Oftentimes appearances from outside don't tell the whole story when it comes to those problems. Example: I have a Peavey cab apart right now that exhibited the same problem you're experiencing. Everything looked good from the outside. Inside: major rust all over the speaker jack, causing poor/intermittent contact with the plug sleeve. As for yours, I forget what kind of connector those SVT cabs use (phone or XLR) but even if it's XLR, it still might be worth looking at the other side of the connector just to be sure.

[Eric Moesle]

Speaker problem? How can I focus on thinking about that problem for you when you not only use a '73 SVT just to learn songs at home on a Sunday morning, but that you do it when your kid is sleeping and have to stop when he wakes up!!!!

You are truly a man-god deserving of a perfectly working vintage SVT . . .

[countrybassist]

I dig the "man/god thing. Did I mention that when I learn new songs on Sunday mornings using the 73' SVT I'm also using a NYC Sadowsky Vintage PJ5 and an Ampeg 810? As I smoke cigarette after cigarette and drink 8 O'clock hazelnut coffee!!! Now to my potentail speaker problem...

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by countrybassist

I dig the "man/god thing. Did I mention that when I learn new songs on Sunday mornings using the 73' SVT I'm also using a NYC Sadowsky Vintage PJ5 and an Ampeg 810? As I smoke cigarette after cigarette and drink 8 O'clock hazelnut coffee!!! Now to my potentail speaker problem...

I bow to you sir. You have my dream life

[countrybassist]

It doesn't suck!!