Speaker Combinations

MooseKnuckle · #1 05-12-2010, 08:08 AM

I'm a noob to upright, and looking for an amp. I'm confused on whether I should look towards an 18" or multiple 10"s. I've done alot of searching. I've seen alot of 8x10's used for it, but doesn't a player want the boom of a sub-like speaker too? Any help is greatly appreciated.

**Basschair** · #2 05-12-2010, 08:29 AM

I'm curious about this as well. For a small setup, I'd assume a tweeter/5"/10" such as a Contra, but am very interested in knowing what would be a nice compliment to this...12"? 15"?

Pat Harris · #3 05-12-2010, 08:50 AM

I've never had any luck/usable sound with a speaker size over 12" for upright. You'll find many players use a single 12", single 10", 2x10, or the AI Combo for upright.

Other than the outdoor festival gigs, I doubt you'll see many upright bassists lugging around an 8x10. We tend to like portability and tone over sheer brute force

Ric Vice · #4 05-12-2010, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat Harris

I've never had any luck/usable sound with a speaker size over 12" for upright. You'll find many players use a single 12", single 10", 2x10, or the AI Combo for upright.

Other than the outdoor festival gigs, I doubt you'll see many upright bassists lugging around an 8x10. We tend to like portability and tone over sheer brute force

+1 I also like having a cabinet with smaller speakers in pairs.
That's why I love a 2X8 cabinet for Double Bass. To my ears, the speakers recover faster between notes. If that makes any sense.
However, a engineer or cabinet builder will tell you that it's more how the cabinet is ported and designed than the size of the speakers. The Ampeg B-15 sounds great with a Double Bass, but the porting of that particular cabinet is somewhat unique .

Ric

**Basschair** · #5 05-12-2010, 11:33 AM

Right on, guys: thanks for the advice. I'll stick with saving for a Coda+ and use an extension cab for the bigger gigs.

MooseKnuckle · #6 05-12-2010, 10:27 PM

Yeah, thanks for the quick insight. Especially before I go "overkill" and "BOOM" the crap out of the band or audience. ;0p

drurb · #7 05-13-2010, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric Vice

However, a engineer or cabinet builder will tell you that it's more how the cabinet is ported and designed than the size of the speakers.

Indeed! Some of the "fastest" bass response (I actually dislike that term, but I'll go with it

) in the history of speaker-system design has been achieved with 15" drivers. It may be true, however, that, practically speaking, bass cabs with 15" drivers have less desirable transient response, in general. That's really more a function of the overall design than the size of the driver, per se.

kerrycares · #8 05-29-2010, 05:21 AM

GK NEO 1x12 is a great cab for upright and electric

Wild Rice Chris · #9 06-01-2010, 06:51 AM

For bigger speakers with DB, I'm a fan of Bag End. I sometimes use a pair of (1980 equivalent) S15-B and S12-B cabs with EVM-XXL speakers at practices when I don't feel like carrying my Wizzy cabs. I have a pair of S15-D cabs with Bag End drivers, but have not used them with DB (many, many gigs on EB through them).