• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Extension Cabinet for AI Contra

Mingus Fingus

Mingus Fingus

Jun 4, 2005
224
12
45
Brooklyn NY
www.adamhopkinsbass.wordpress.com
#1
I'm wondering what types of extension cabs people have tried with the AI contra. I have a series II that I have been pretty unhappy with soundwise and was to the point of trying to sell it. I've been using the amp for years and haven't been able to adjust to the downfiring speaker sound. Instead of trying to sell it, I am thinking of supplementing it with an extension cab that isnt one of AI's. I'm thinking of looking at 15" speakers (I used to think they sounded muddy with upright, but recently heard some players with a great sound coming out of only a 15"). Any advice would be great. Weight is a definite concern since I will be carrying my bass, contra, and the extension cab. Thanks!

adam.
 
#2
Can you tilt the amp?
It helps to get a better tone.

I have a Clarus I series II with a Contra extension cab as the cabinet, and I bought a Yorkville Y110M monitor to complement my setup.
I disconnected the tweeter inside the box.
Lightweight, great tone which gives me more highs and I get more output from the Clarus since I'm now running at 4 ohms.
 
#3
francois,

I've tried everything...tilting the amp, putting it up on a chair facing outwards, flat on the ground, and can't get a consistent sound in different rooms. I think a major problem is how different it sounds in rooms with hard floors compared to playing in a carpeted room. I think the head is great, so im going to hold on to it, but getting an additional more traditional speaker would help the problem. thanks for the response.

adam.
 
#5
Hi Fingus, i had the same problem. Thank god you can seperate the amp from this lousy cab!! (just open the amp CAREFULLY:eek: )
Now i use my Serie II AI with one or two Ampeg Portabass Pb 110H. They are light and the sound seems very good to me (and others- now i get compliments on my sound!). I know they are said to be kind of LowFi- i dont agree with that. Most of the times i need only one of this boxes.
My first new cab after setting the AI free was a Glockenklang Space deluxe. The sound was good of course, just a bit too massive. The weight of the of 1 Glockenklang is like 2 Portabass. Then i switched to AMpeg because the SOUND is better:hyper: .
 
#6
I've never owned an AI but I have used them several times over the years. While I've never disliked them they never impressed me enough to ever consider buying one and I'd always considered them highly over-rated....until the last few weeks when I started using one with a Raezer’s Edge cabinet that belongs to a guitarist whose house I've been rehearsing at. I am truly impressed with this rig and consider it among the best sounds I've ever gotten with any amp. It's a single 12" speaker and I'm not sure of the model and they guy's in Montreal at the jazz festival but when he gets back I'll find out what it is.
 
#7
cool, thanks for the feedback. i'll check into all of those. i was considering separating the cabinet from the head and just using the head to power a wizzy 12" but I always get compliments about my sound out in the house (the positive of AI i guess). anyone have experience with powering both the AI combo and an additional external 12" cabinet? i think that would be ideal for me if the contra II could handle it.

adam.
 
#8
The AI is good for a load up to 2 Ohms. YOu could use any 4 Ohm cab(the internal speaker is 4 Ohm). Dont know if using an 8ohm-cab could cause any problems...
But: if you use a 12" cab, you will hear close to nothing from the AI cab- you may be surprised how loud this little amp can be. At least for me this made clear i had to get rid of this round thing! I would divide the cab from the amp, add a handle and sell it as an EX.

good luck
 
#9
Mingus Fingus said:
.... i was considering separating the cabinet from the head and just using the head to power a wizzy 12" but I always get compliments about my sound out in the house (the positive of AI i guess). anyone have experience with powering both the AI combo and an additional external 12" cabinet? i think that would be ideal for me if the contra II could handle it.

adam.
Click to expand...

Hello Adam ..... before you get to disconnecting things :eyebrow: in the Contra, why not try the Wizzy 12 in a 4 ohm version as an extension speaker? As said above, the Contra can handle a 2 ohm load (two 4 ohmers in parallel) and give you lotsa volume. With the Wizzy SPL at 126 and the Contra at 112, most of the sound will come out of the Wizzy anyway :) and you will still have some good decent sound coming from the Contra too. Maybe you can keep the AI close to you for a "bass monitor" and set the Wizzy away where it sounds good to the house and yer bandmates. I have a Coda and I sure know what you mean about the variability of the Contra sound in different rooms, stages, flooring materials, etc :rollno: (although that's probably true for any bass amp/cab combo). I've been looking into this for awhile and am about to raid the cookie jar for a Wizzy :D . I think a number of folks have done the Contra/Coda with Wizzy extension around here ... search out some past threads. Good Luck ... if you do it, let us know how it sounds.
 
#10
I use an AI focus series II (I have a series III on order) with one or two of the cabinets depending on the gig. I love the down shooting speaker and can't imagine going back to a front shooting one. I'm surprised with the problems you guys have been having. I have far fewer problems with compensating for rooms with the AI cabinets than I did when I ran pick one: a Polytone, an SWR workingman 12 or California Blonde or a GK 800 RB or SWR 300 watt head with a Bag End cab or GK (forget the model; the little combo with the 12 inch speaker). I get everything from a pleasantly invisible increase in presence at low volume to a righteous roar at high volume. I use them outside and I've even played a rock gig on upright with them (although I really pushed them to their limits and probably wouldn't do it again).

The down shooting speaker only works on upright though. It sounds horrible with electric. I still pull out the Polytone or the SWR/Bag End for the extremely rare gig on electric.
 
#12
I carry a scrap of carpet with me to put under my Coda when we play on hard floors. I always use the tilt foot. I also use the Realist, and it sounds OK. Sometimes I put a mic in foam under the tail piece. I also use my Coda for BG in my acoustic rock trio (no drummer).

I hear that yet another AI EX cab is the real ticket for more volume. It's that dividing the Ohms in half makes the extended rig louder.
 
#13
Thanks for all the helpful replies. I have a better idea of what's going to work for me, and what might not. From what I've read in these forums and from live rigs I've seen that get really good tone and projection, I'm deciding between a Wizzy 112, not powered, and a Aguilar GS112NT without the tweeter. Know guys in town who have thes cabs so I'm going to try them out with the AI, both with the combo amp, and with the head running just through the cabinet and see what I come up with. I'll be sure to post when I conclude my studies!

adam.
 
#15
stefaniw80401 said:
I hear that yet another AI EX cab is the real ticket for more volume. It's that dividing the Ohms in half makes the extended rig louder.
Click to expand...

That is very true. The amp goes from 100 watts through one speaker to 300 watts (or something like that) through 2 speakers. The overall sound of the rig changes as well. Since the amp doesn't have to work as hard, the rig sounds much fatter particularly at higher volume than with one speaker. I liked the two speaker sound so much that I used to haul both speakers around even for low volume gigs just to get that fat sound. Nowadays I'm too lazy and usually just haul one around.
 
#16
I just acquired a series III Coda, which is just an extra channel different from the Contra. I like it with my Ampeg PB 212H. This is a 4 ohm cab with a huge sound. It weighs 38 lbs. and has wheels. I've used the AI without the Ampeg also in small venues for DB. It's great. With the Ampeg cab I did an outdoor gig and had ample volume. At 2 ohms, it is a 500 Watt amp. I don't know if the Series II was rated the same, but in any case with an extension, it is a powerful combo. The internal speakers get more power with an extension also. It is a much louder system with an extension.
 
#17
Silversorcerer said:
At 2 ohms, it is a 500 Watt amp. I don't know if the Series II was rated the same, but in any case with an extension, it is a powerful combo. The internal speakers get more power with an extension also. It is a much louder system with an extension.
Click to expand...
According to the AI manuals, the series II output was rated at 200 watts alone, and 300 watts with a 4 ohm extension speaker.

I bought my Acme B1 extension speaker while I was waiting (6 months) for my new Series III Coda to arrive. I'm not sure if I would have bought the extension speaker if I had played the Coda on some jobs first. With all the extra power on the Series III, I find that don't need the extension speaker nearly as often as I thought I would. However, it does come in handy in loud situations and on some big band jobs.
 
#19
Alright...reached my final conclusion today, for anyone interested. i borrowed an Aguilar GS 112NT last night for rehearsal (suprisingly light for the specs online). Great amp...clear and beefy. The extension cabinet is DEFINITELY the way to go with the contra for my purposes. It defined the sound so much more clearly and added a lot of bottom and power. The Aguilar is great, but is ranked at 8ohms where the AI is better matched for a 4ohm cabinet. Conveniently the Wizzy 12's are 4ohms so I just placed my order for a 112 M-Line. I'll report back when I get it and try it out, but from all reports I feel that I am going to be very pleased. Thanks for the input.

Adam.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back