speaker size for metal?

Pillgrimm13 · #1 08-29-2011, 08:53 AM

ive been racking my brain on the one, just joined a death metal band after 15 years of playing just for enjoyment. my current set up is a peavey mark III 150 watt head and a hartke 15" speaker cab. that worked till i got in this band. now ive got to compete with high powered stacks and a drummer so i need to upgrade. i like a bright clean sound with a growling low end when clean. when distorted i like a crunchy extremely heavy scooped mids distortion.

now as for the head i really like the ampeg sound (which is hard to beat in any music style) and for the speakers i really like aluminum because of the clarity. but what im trying to figure out is what size speakers dont i go with that will give me the sound i want clean and distorted and cut through the guitars and drums.

im kinda old school and have always like the sound of an 18" but have never used on distorted before. is it possible to get an aluminum 18" and would it stay clear or be muddy. 15"s also work great but not alone and 10"s are a big help with clarity but dont get the low end quite right for me.

ive been looking for a peavey 1820 cab that i can swap different speakers in. im thinking that might work but im terminally broke and have to sell some gear to get a cab and head so i want to make sure what i get is what im looking for, kinda like a one shot deal.

anybody have sugestions?

billfitzmaurice · #2 08-29-2011, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillgrimm13

anybody have sugestions?

Go to music stores, play through as many cabs as you can, buy the one that you like the best.

Pillgrimm13 · #3 08-29-2011, 09:10 AM

none of the music store around here have 18"s they r a rare breed these days. as a matter of fact if its not fender or ibanez its hard to find any bass gear around here.

Strohsx · #4 08-29-2011, 09:12 AM

Give 12s a shot pretty much the best of both worlds.

Thunder Pulse · #5 08-29-2011, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillgrimm13

ive been looking for a peavey 1820 cab that i can swap different speakers in.

You'll be disappointed if you do that. Cabs are designed around the speakers that are in them. You can't just throw in some same size replacements (even if they're high quality speakers) and expect it to sound good.

**Eric Perry** · #6 08-29-2011, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunder Pulse

You'll be disappointed if you do that. Cabs are designed around the speakers that are in them. You can't just throw in some same size replacements (even if they're high quality speakers) and expect it to sound good.

+1.

Smokin' Toaster · #7 08-29-2011, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

Go to music stores, play through as many cabs as you can, buy the one that you like the best.

Hmmmm, use one's own ears and judgment.....

Nahhhh... it'll never work.

anonymous02282011 · #8 08-29-2011, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillgrimm13

im kinda old school and have always like the sound of an 18" but have never used on distorted before. is it possible to get an aluminum 18" and would it stay clear or be muddy. 15"s also work great but not alone and 10"s are a big help with clarity but dont get the low end quite right for me.

How a speaker sounds has much more to do with the enclosure it's in as opposed to it's diameter. A good speaker cabinet is designed around the parameters of the speaker itself.

Thunder Pulse · #9 08-29-2011, 09:51 AM

I wish a new trend would take over the death metal scene where bass players started using Phil Jones cabs.

tom once dead · #10 08-29-2011, 10:00 AM

I thought this was a troll thread at first.

Anyway, 10's all the way for me. 15's get too muddy.

seamonkey · #11 08-29-2011, 10:08 AM

What other players are in the band?

You'll want a cab with lots of solid bass and plenty of mid-range to drown out the screamer, er I mean singer.

Buy from a store that lets you try out the cab for 30 or days and take it back if it doesn't work out. Store auditions only tell part of what the cab can or can't do in real life.

I'd also say, walk over to the PA dept and try out some combinations there. A good sub, and solid top can handle most every situation. Just like they do for FOH.

Nev375 · #12 08-29-2011, 10:09 AM

Size isn't important. It's shape and the pointiest metalliest looking speaker wins.

I suggest a custom speaker cab loaded with 5 of these drivers placed in a pentagram star pattern, tweeter horn in the middle.

Jim Nazium · #13 08-29-2011, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adbass

How a speaker sounds has much more to do with the enclosure it's in as opposed to it's diameter. A good speaker cabinet is designed around the parameters of the speaker itself.

Correct. The 'conventional wisdom' or folklore among bass players is that 15s have a certain sound (boomy), 10s have a certain sound (crisp), etc. but I think this arose from the popular cabinets we heard them in. We heard Acoustic cabs with 15s, Ampeg cabs with 10s, and SWR cabs with 10s + tweeters, and assumed the size of the drivers is what made them sound different. In fact, the drivers have many more characteristcs than diameter, and the cabinet size, porting, and crossover (if any) also affect the sound a great deal.

Moral: listen with your ears, not your eyes. Find a cab that sounds good and forget about what size drivers are in it.

Pillgrimm13 · #14 08-29-2011, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nev375

Size isn't important. It's shape and the pointiest metalliest looking speaker wins.

I suggest a custom speaker cab loaded with 5 of these drivers placed in a pentagram star pattern, tweeter horn in the middle.

HA!!! that would be awesome in a spinal tap way! lol

JLS · #15 08-29-2011, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokin' Toaster

Hmmmm, use one's own ears and judgment.....

Nahhhh... it'll never work.

Which should you rely more on, your ears or your judgment, for metal?

Marko5657 · #16 08-29-2011, 10:19 AM

I didn’t know people played death metal at that age, but what do I know…

Anyways, lots of speakers, two 15s, or two or four 12s, or six or eight 10s, hopefully something that's not too difficult to tote around.

Gearhead17 · #17 08-29-2011, 10:19 AM

Your rig is most likely going to be your stage monitor - get a decent 410 and have fun. It will go plenty low.

Keep in mind that you will have to ease back on how much you are killing the midrange between 200-900hz. If the guitarists are doing the same type of tone (distorted, little mids, highs and lows) do not expect to be heard too well. You will literally blend into the band's overall sound. Therefore, you will need more speakers to hear yourself. A decent 410 with the midrange frequencies cut a little bit (not as drastic) will work far better for you and others to hear yourself.

Pillgrimm13 · #18 08-29-2011, 10:20 AM

the guitar players are using crate heads and a mesa rectifier with 4 4 12" stacks. if i could find a music store that had a good selection of cabs i still wouldnt have the guitar players with their equipment to see how the bass pairs with their sound so im between a rock and a hard place. my hartke sounds great it sounded great in the store but it gets drowned out durring practice. a pa sub is a great idea i might try that if i can find one.

Marko5657 · #19 08-29-2011, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillgrimm13

...

a pa sub is a great idea i might try that if i can find one.

Naw… better to just get a bass cab or two (matching) with lots of speakers in them, and run them full range.

Marko5657 · #20 08-29-2011, 10:26 AM

And ear plugs!