What Can You Tell Me About this Peavey Cab?

[RyanJD]

So, as it turns out, the 1x15 in a stack that I am using is blown. I don't think this was my fault, but regardless, I want to replace it, if only for myself.
At the moment I'm only playing out of a 4x10, so I went looking around locally to see if I could find any cabs for sale.

There was an ad for a Peavey 1516 with a Black Widow speaker. Here's the bulk of the ad:

This is a great-sounding and in good condition 80s Peavey bass cabinet.
It easily handles 400 watts and can be bi-amped or used full range. It has a 15" Black Widow speaker for lots of thump and two 8" speakers for highs.
The casters are removable and the cabinet easily fits in the back seat of a car. Peavey made these for a short time and they are very hard to find.

And here's the pictures:





So I was just wondering if anyone knows about these.
I talked with the guy and he said he was willing to do $150 for it.
Is that a deal?

Thanks for any input,
Ryan

[CL400Peavey]

If you were playing with the 410 and the 115 in a stack together then it probably was your fault that you blew the 115. If you pair your 410 with some other cab and start to push them, the weaker of the two will go out. In the case of the 115 since it was probably on the bottom you couldn't even hear it protesting. If you want a full stack match up your current 410.

[RyanJD]

I see.

The same guy also has these for sale:

410 Bass Cabinet with 4-10" Peavey Scorpions and high frequency tweeter. Carpet covered - $165

410 Bass Cabinet with 4-10" Carvin PS10's (200 watts each) - $165

He said he would do $150 for either of them...

Also, I don't know much about cabs, obviously, but why would 2-4x10s sound better than a 4x10 and a 1x15? o_O

[CL400Peavey]

What kind of 410 are you using now? get a second one of those. If you want the ins and outs of why matching cabs are optimal then do some reading through the stickies. This topic gets covers about 20 times a day in different threads.

[fenderhutz]

They don't handle a ton of wattage and it doesn't sound that good. They are also very heavy. Anything else you want to know? The 210 and 115 in the same cab theory just doesn't work well.

[will33]

Originally Posted by CL400Peavey

If you were playing with the 410 and the 115 in a stack together then it probably was your fault that you blew the 115. If you pair your 410 with some other cab and start to push them, the weaker of the two will go out. In the case of the 115 since it was probably on the bottom you couldn't even hear it protesting. If you want a full stack match up your current 410.

+ a big 1.

The 15 in the cab in question is a 4 ohm Black Widow. Ribbed cone is a 1502 model, smooth cone is a 1505.

Whatever it is, don't put it in your cab, you'll only blow it faster.

[RyanJD]

Ok, I just went and checked the rig I use.
It's a Carvin R1000 head, an RL410T and a RL118. (I had no idea it was an 18. I never really checked out the back of that cab...)
They were all paired together and have been used that way for about 10 years. I've only been played on that rig for about 6 months.

So, the suggestion is to get a second RL410T? Or replace the RL118?

[fenderhutz]

Second 410.

[RyanJD]

But this is exactly what I was using:



As in, they were paired that way from Carvin when they were purchased.

But 2 410s are better huh...? :0

[CL400Peavey]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Second 410.

Just because they were sold together doesnt mean that is a great, or even good set up. A single 118 cab wont match the output of a 410, it simply cant move as much air given the same amount of power. So while the 410 is just warming up, the 118 may be at its limit.

If in some magical fairy land all the specs of the speakers were the same (impossible but lets pretend) the 410 has about 314 in^2 of cone area, the 118 has about 255. Now if they move in and out the same distance, the 410 will move more air (be louder).

Now back to reality...

Its not so cut and dry as just cone area, but its a good way to look at it. There are a ton of other specifications that will determine how a speaker will sound and how loud it will be. There are cases where people are very happy with mixing cabs, but its unpredictable.

Matching cabs is the way to go for predictability of your sound.

[fenderhutz]

There is no reason that they should have been paired together. The theory was "Hey I got a bigger speaker it will go lower". Nope. Most if not all 410 bass cabs have a better low end response. Also 18's aren't that great for bass anyway because of response. You add another 410 it will open up your sound. That 18 was holding it back.

[RyanJD]

Okay thanks for the responses guys. That really clears things up, especially your post CL.

Guess I'll start looking for another Carvin RL410T!

[fenderhutz]

It doesn't even have to be a matching cab. If your current carvin is 8ohm just grab another 410 at 8ohm and try it out. I think that head is stable at 2 ohm so you could grab a 4ohm 410 and run at 2.67ohms.

Edit: Just try to get a similar wattage rating to balance out the power. Don't get a 200 watt 410 cab lol.

[CL400Peavey]

Originally Posted by RyanJD

Okay thanks for the responses guys. That really clears things up, especially your post CL.

Guess I'll start looking for another Carvin RL410T!

Selling rigs with mixed speaker cabs is a marketing trap for un-informed buyers.

[Bass_Pounder]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

It doesn't even have to be a matching cab. If your current carvin is 8ohm just grab another 410 at 8ohm and try it out. I think that head is stable at 2 ohm so you could grab a 4ohm 410 and run at 2.67ohms.

Edit: Just try to get a similar wattage rating to balance out the power. Don't get a 200 watt 410 cab lol.

If it is not the same model cab, loaded with the same speakers, he will still run the risk of phasing issues.


Additionally, although I also subscribe to the "matching cab" theory, in this case the OP may need something else.

OP needs to see if the full range sound of the RL410T is to his liking before getting another one.

The Redline cabs were generally known for being weak and thin sounding. *IF* you do not like the tone you are getting from the 4X10, adding another one will not be the cure.

[fenderhutz]

I have never had phasing issues mixing cabs, not saying it doesn't happen though. I was poor bassist back in the day and I bought and played what was loud and cheap. Mixing Hartkes with Kustoms etc. I am lucky enough now to have two matching 15 cabs in which I never use the second lol.

[RyanJD]

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

The Redline cabs were generally known for being weak and thin sounding. *IF* you do not like the tone you are getting from the 4X10, adding another one will not be the cure.

It's not too bad for what I'm doing, but the sound isn't entirely to my liking...

So what's the current recommendation then?
Another 4x10, 8ohm, higher watt cab, not necessarily the same one?

[Bass_Pounder]

Originally Posted by RyanJD

It's not too bad for what I'm doing, but the sound isn't entirely to my liking...

Then getting a matching cab is only going to double the amount of "not to my liking", not make the tone better.

[CL400Peavey]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

I have never had phasing issues mixing cabs, not saying it doesn't happen though. I was poor bassist back in the day and I bought and played what was loud and cheap. Mixing Hartkes with Kustoms etc. I am lucky enough now to have two matching 15 cabs in which I never use the second lol.

How often were you standing out in the crowd or at the back of the room?

[will33]

Originally Posted by RyanJD

It's not too bad for what I'm doing, but the sound isn't entirely to my liking...

So what's the current recommendation then?
Another 4x10, 8ohm, higher watt cab, not necessarily the same one?

I used to have one. I found it quite punchy but lacking in the deeper bass. Best way to avoid all these issues is to find one cab you like the tone of. Not volume, tone. Many people hear louder as better. Then if this one cab is not loud enough, get a second identical one. Get these in the 8ohm variety so they will work with whatever other amp you may end up with in the future.


To the earlier poster, it's the impedance of the cabs that will dictate power distribution. One being 200 watts and the other 800 makes no difference here, although, if they are identical cabs, they will have identical power ratings, whatever that may be.