Tone from head or cab

Ironderby · #1 08-14-2011, 07:24 AM

I don't know very much about amps, does the tone you get come from the speakers or the head controlling it?

mattbass6945 · #2 08-14-2011, 07:28 AM

well, in short.....yes. without throwing too much at you, the bulk of your tone comes from your head. however, you need a cab that can handle what your head gives. check around on here when it comes to people searching for new cabs, you can learn alot from these previous posts. i have, i'm still learning.....

elavate7 · #3 08-14-2011, 07:42 AM

the tone and volume is all shapped from the head, but the sound all comes from the cab. so i say it al comes from the amp. cause no matter how crappy your cab is, if your amp can produse numerous tones, then best believe you can get all those tones

RickenBoogie · #4 08-14-2011, 07:55 AM

Both are players, but I'll say this: if one is more important overall, it's the speakers. A cheap amp through crappy spkrs will sound crappy, but a cheap amp through good spkrs can sound alright. Never skimp on the speaker cab.

billfitzmaurice · #5 08-14-2011, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironderby

I don't know very much about amps, does the tone you get come from the speakers or the head controlling it?

Both. Of the two the cab is the more limiting, because there's no way to adjust it.

georgestrings · #6 08-14-2011, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Both are players, but I'll say this: if one is more important overall, it's the speakers. A cheap amp through crappy spkrs will sound crappy, but a cheap amp through good spkrs can sound alright. Never skimp on the speaker cab.

Agreed - also, a cheap amp will *usually* hold up well - a cheap cab is *usually* toast in short order... I almost always buy high quality cabs used, but in excellent condition - that way, I save considerable money, but play thru quality gear...

- georgestrings

Sundogue · #7 08-14-2011, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironderby

...does the tone you get come from the speakers or the head controlling it?

Yes.

And the bass, and you.

It's not an either/or kind of answer. It's the sum of the parts. It's ALL important and really more a matter of the right combination of components.

tom once dead · #8 08-14-2011, 08:56 AM

Everything will have an effect on your tone. Playing style through to the speakers each one will have its own way of sounding. As far as which one changes the tone the most out of the head and the cab, the head is the biggest determining factor. That said each different speaker cab will colour the tone in its own way.

**SVE** · #9 08-14-2011, 09:43 AM

As people have said already, your tone is affected by both. The Head is very important for what sort of sound you want because certain heads accentuate certain frequencies. My Orange for example really emphasizes my low mids, thats what I wanted for my tone so I bought a amp that could do just that.

Cabinets with good speakers are really important too; I noticed a major difference in my tone from having a cheap Gallien and Krueger 410 to switching to an Aguilar DB212. Cabs can also voice your sound differently; My Aguilar DB212 has a nice low/low mid voicing that I really dig too. The former GK had a terrible brittle sound to it.

Mojo-Man · #10 08-14-2011, 09:50 AM

Quick answer, BOTH.
Head is important, but cab will color amp.
They must match tone your looking for.
EVERYTHING-will effect tone.
Bass-cable-effects-strings-amp-cab. the chain of tone.

LiquidMidnight · #11 08-14-2011, 10:22 AM

I'd like to add that most bass speaker cabs greatly color the original sound of your head, so what you're generally hearing is an interaction between your bass, your head, your speakers, and your own playing technique.

BurningSkies · #12 08-14-2011, 10:49 AM

Which is why many of us after playing for a very long time have gravitated to a cabinet that is less colored and closer to flat than many others.

Dustin Teel · #13 08-14-2011, 12:23 PM

99.9% of tone comes from your fingers/pick.

fourfinger · #14 08-14-2011, 12:31 PM

Head vs Cab? I'll try not to oversimplify but IME:

Assuming the wattages are well matched, and you have a choice between affording a cab you really like and a head you really like, go for the cab.

I think a 1x15 cab is never going to sound like an equivalent 2x10, for example.

staindbass · #15 08-14-2011, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

Both. Of the two the cab is the more limiting, because there's no way to adjust it.

thats the reason i think the right cab is most important.

Electricblue · #16 08-14-2011, 12:43 PM

Would a PA speaker class as "flat"?

Electricblue · #17 08-18-2011, 09:59 AM

little bump?

Sundogue · #18 08-18-2011, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dustin Teel

99.9% of tone comes from your fingers/pick.

And they are a lot cheaper than either a cab or an amp!

chaosMK · #19 08-18-2011, 10:40 AM

There was a fairly extensive discussion on this a while back. Personally I would invest into an epic head before an epic cab.

Driving a Mesa PH 1000 with a Backline or Beringer head wouldn't make me happy. Driving just any cab with a 400+ would at least be in the neighbordhood of where I want to be. I play totally different depending on what head I'm using given the way gain structures, possible tube compression, amount of clarity/directness, or other features effect my attacks... cab's dont do that for me.

Head is more important for recording IMO.

6jase5 · #20 08-18-2011, 10:47 AM

As was said, minimal coloration from amp and cab is best for me, with just a little little tube amp punch and grit making up that last 5%. I don't really want to hear that much difference from what I hear playing the bass unplugged.

I can dial in what I consider "my sound" on just about any brand or combination amp/cab or combo other than swr cabs, and I'm not putting them down by any means.