4x10 and 4x12

[themickster]

Why is the 4x10 made more for bass than for guitar, but the 4x12 is more for guitar?

 

[Redbrangus]

I have difficulty understanding why a 4 x anything exists, but one factor might be that an enclosure needs to be pretty large (in internal volume) to adequately accommodate four 12" drivers. That's not an issue with a guitar cab.

 

[themickster]

I have difficulty understanding why a 4 x anything exists, but one factor might be that an enclosure needs to be pretty large (in internal volume) to adequately accommodate four 12" drivers. That's not an issue with a guitar cab.

I think you misunderstood what I meant by the word 'more'. By 'made more for bass' I meant 'more often', not 'bigger'.

 

[Auer]

I think you misunderstood what I meant by the word 'more'. By 'made more for bass' I meant 'more often', not 'bigger'.

Because size, like Red said.
Should be at least one reason, sure there's more.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Today, ego.

Back in the 60s-70s, with no PA support, you needed lots of speaker area for volume. Back then, bassists weren't using a 410 alone. That's more of an 80s thing.

 

[Redbrangus]

I think you misunderstood what I meant by the word 'more'. By 'made more for bass' I meant 'more often', not 'bigger'.

I think I understood you; I'm sticking by my previous answer. An enclosure big enough to provide adequate internal volume to properly load four 12-inch drivers for bass is going to be a large box -- much larger than a Marshall 412 cab, for instance. My proposition is that manufacturers don't offer much along these lines because the market would be limited for a 412 cab big enough to do the job properly.

 

[themickster]

I think I understood you; I'm sticking by my previous answer. An enclosure big enough to provide adequate internal volume to properly load four 12-inch drivers for bass is going to be a large box -- much larger than a Marshall 412 cab, for instance. My proposition is that manufacturers don't offer much along these lines because the market would be limited for a 412 cab big enough to do the job properly.

Thank you, but I was hoping to hear from someone that knew what they were talking about. Maybe you haven't seen some bass players with Marshall 4x12s and getting good lows nor Lemmy's two 4x15s.

 

[themickster]

Today, ego.

Back in the 60s-70s, with no PA support, you needed lots of speaker area for volume. Back then, bassists weren't using a 410 alone. That's more of an 80s thing.

That doesn't say why 4x10 for bass and 4x12 for guitar.

 

[ziko]

I think I understood you; I'm sticking by my previous answer. An enclosure big enough to provide adequate internal volume to properly load four 12-inch drivers for bass is going to be a large box -- much larger than a Marshall 412 cab, for instance. My proposition is that manufacturers don't offer much along these lines because the market would be limited for a 412 cab big enough to do the job properly.

my Bag End 4*12 would not agree with you.
Although it is intended for guitar use it specs down to 50Hz frequency response and I find it works very well with bass

 

[Redbrangus]

Maybe you haven't seen some bass players with Marshall 4x12s and getting good lows nor Lemmy's two 4x15s.

I've seen some -- not too many. I know enough to know that almost anything can be MADE to work -- after a fashion -- given enough brute force, especially on a big concert stage with a big SR system. I understood the premise of your query to be why don't we see more 412s being used for bass; I'm offering that there aren't very many (if any) good ones and it's kind of a poor engineering concept from the get-go. But then, what do I know?

 

[jthisdell]

Back in the 60’s 412 was developed for guitar and it worked and was successful and continues. The 412 was developed for bass but was not successful because of physics. Bass moved to 215 because the physics was better and then later to the 410 as the physics was understood. Now bass cabs are varied because the physics is known.

 

[ctmullins]

Because guitarists are hopelessly mired in tradition.

And bassists are





ummmm






Ever so slightly less mired in tradition…

 

[Phaidrus]

Thank you, but I was hoping to hear from someone that knew what they were talking about. Maybe you haven't seen some bass players with Marshall 4x12s and getting good lows nor Lemmy's two 4x15s.

Not an expert here but I suppose bass players using Marshall 4x12s and then Lemmy in particular are not considered typical bass players going for a typical bass guitar tone. Lemmy famously played the bass like a guitar (no basslines whatsoever, just distorted power chords played with a pick, like playing rhythm guitar in a band, which, in that sense, had no bass player). Don't get me wrong though, I like Ace of Spades! By the way, I do play through a 4x10 and love it for its ability to cover anything from fusion jazz to reggae dub.

 

[SteveCS]

my Bag End 4*12 would not agree with you.

...

possibly because

...

...
the physics is known.

 

[Marko 1]

Why is the 4x10 made more for bass than for guitar, but the 4x12 is more for guitar?

It would probably take an engineer who lived through those times when cabs were being developed to give a decent answer...

but it's just how it evolved, probably no specific reason, and the market may have had some input during those many decades.

That said, I'm gonna brag that I have two 4x12 bass cabs, and they're awesome.

 

[themickster]

Not an expert here but I suppose bass players using Marshall 4x12s and then Lemmy in particular are not considered typical bass players going for a typical bass guitar tone. Lemmy famously played the bass like a guitar (no basslines whatsoever, just distorted power chords played with a pick, like playing rhythm guitar in a band, which, in that sense, had no bass player). Don't get me wrong though, I like Ace of Spades! By the way, I do play through a 4x10 and love it for its ability to cover anything from fusion jazz to reggae dub.

Not all of Lemmy's bassing was chords

 

[Killing Floor]

Why is the 4x10 made more for bass than for guitar, but the 4x12 is more for guitar?

Because rock’n’roll > “carrying everything in one hand”.

 

[Marko 1]

Why is the 4x10 made more for bass than for guitar, but the 4x12 is more for guitar?

That's actually old news.

Nowadays bass players are all about 2x10s, 2x8s and little single-driver cabs...

at least those who still use them at all.

 

[ardgedee]

It's because the 8x10 bass cab was what bassists would play in bands where the guitarists used 4x12 guitar cabs (ideally, multiple 8x10). 4x10 cabs were cut-down versions.

Lemmy was doing his thing, for sure, but Lemmy represented less than one tenth of one percent of the number of professional bassists at that time, and should be considered an outlier.

 

[Auer]

That's actually old news...

now bass players are all about 2x10s, 2x8s and little single-driver cabs.

At least those who still use them at all.

If you're not playing thru twin 15's you're just pretending.