Acme Users Unite!!!

[idealtracks]

That's exactly what I have.

Thanks! I think I am gonna go for the B1500 and perhaps later add another 4ohm B4 Acme!

 

[groovlow]

hello

can anybody tell me what speakers [10s] are used in the 1st generation b2 ?. how about current b2 10s? I got some farting splits at the surround. OOPSY wrong rig for the gig.[Where's my ducttape?] i wanna start using this cab again.

thanks
joe

 

[Richard Lindsey]

hello

can anybody tell me what speakers [10s] are used in the 1st generation b2 ?. how about current b2 10s? I got some farting splits at the surround. OOPSY wrong rig for the gig.[Where's my ducttape?] i wanna start using this cab again.

thanks
joe

I think you have to get them from Andy. AFAIK they're custom jobs.

 

[Johnny Crab]

I think you have to get them from Andy. AFAIK they're custom jobs.

+1
I got two B2's a few weeks ago and 1st gigged them(vertical stack) on 11/21. AMAZING!! I'm using the DISCOUNTED & DISCONTINUED QSC 2402 that I stole(price-wise) from a major online store.

Now I'm gassing for two more to build a modular version of el benfa's rig ....

 

[groovlow]

thanks

the 10s in my cab are replacements from andy. shoot he used my comments on his site 10 yrs ago. i hate to bug him..he gave me all the Q this range and Qthat wayback i have all that info in a notebook somewhere. i'm looking for some options. do the current speakers have cast frames or stamped. Anybody try any other speakers in these cabs
with good results?

joe

 

[groovlow]

4ohm cab

 

[Richard Lindsey]

thanks

the 10s in my cab are replacements from andy. shoot he used my comments on his site 10 yrs ago. i hate to bug him..he gave me all the Q this range and Qthat wayback i have all that info in a notebook somewhere. i'm looking for some options. do the current speakers have cast frames or stamped. Anybody try any other speakers in these cabs
with good results?

joe

I would be dubious, because the cabs and the speakers were designed to work together as far as I know. I'm not sure it would be a good idea to mess around with others, nor do I think it would be likely to save you that much (and it might hurt performance). I don't think it would be bothering Andy to order replacements. It would probably be bothering him to expect to get them for free (which I'm not saying you were doing). I had to do this when I bought a used B-4, and I believe the deal was I sent him the old drivers plus $75 per driver.

 

[greenboy]

Those drivers are the ones for that cab. Others won't be able to take advantage of that cab tuning, or even do well with it. After all these years Andy's still got the corner on off-the-shelf bass cab low end ... maybe EA comes close but how much is drivers and how much is transmission tunnel...

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

... do the current speakers have cast frames or stamped. ...

Stamped steel...but they're only 10s so I think that they're just fine.

 

[jokerjkny]

oh man,

so, @ tonight's gig, i found yet another killin' combo: my b2 + my aguilar ag500!

i did turn both tweeters down at least a 1/4, but dangnit, found the sweet spot! really fat, thick, and beautifully rich. heck, the overdrive channel was unreal, too!

and yes, it was LOUD. plenty loud for my MTD 635 and me. sure i was only up against a fender deluxe 1x12, a laptop running reason, and a moderately loud drum kit, but aww yea, it was all fat aguilar/acme goodness. and not once did my low B feel lacking. and yes, the ubiqutious soundman did love my tone.

small, compact, light, yet bitchinly fat.

 

[alexclaber]

Oooh, cool new Acme info!

"2. New jack configuration

Effective Immediately, we will be switching the configuration of the input jacks on the Low B Series II models, with the exception of the "W" units.

Our traditional setup (Fig. 1), with one 1/4" phone jack, one Speakon connector, and banana connectors is replaced with dual identical jacks, each of which will accept either a 1/4" phone plug, or a Speakon connector (Fig. 2):


Invalid Link Removed

Fig. 1

Invalid Link Removed

Fig. 2

3. Availablity of New Polyswitches for Series II models.

At this time, I am pleased to announce that, upon request, the traditional Series II models can be equipped with solid-state Polyswitches for protection of the midrange, tweeter, and attenuators, instead of the traditional automotive bulb.

The classic bulb has been a great success, and in fact, has some distinct advantages over this more modern alternative. But the Polyswitches can be used effectively, and they never have to be replaced. Although most customers don't have to worry about it, replacing the bulbs in the Series I and Series II models has been a thorn in the side of those who do, from day one. I admit it.

There will be a $10 charge for the Polyswitch option.

Earlier units will be fully upgradable for those who love the cabs, but hate the bulbs. We will supply kits to do this, so cabs won't have to be shipped back. There will be an instructional DVD included in the $25 kit."

-------------------

I like those Speakon / 1/4" combo jacks - very neat!

And AFAIK the polyswitches were my idea - it just took Andy's expertise and cunning to make them work - groovy...

Alex

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

A polyswitch...is that like a PTC device that increases its resistance dramatically if too much current goes through it?

If so, I'd think it would be a difficult thing to calibrate...but I suppose Andy knows what he's doing.

The retrofit kit is a big leap for Andy who has always plastered every nifty internal feature with "Remove this tag and your warranty is void" labels.

 

[Johnny Crab]

Called last week for B2's and the "new" jacks will be on this pair. He asked if I used the banana plugs but I've only used those on amp outputs when required(centuries ago....Phase Linear amps!).

I'll stick with the light bulbs because so far as I've seen no "glowing speaker surrounds". I do leave the attenuators full up and use the preamp for cutting highs/mids if needed.

 

[Aram]

Quick Q: "0" is full up on the Acme's right? And 20 is attenuated as far is it will go?

Figures I've owned a B1 for years and never bothered to decipher this...I usually leave them at 12:00...

 

[jokerjkny]

Oooh, cool new Acme info!

"2. New jack configuration

Effective Immediately, we will be switching the configuration of the input jacks on the Low B Series II models, with the exception of the "W" units.

Our traditional setup (Fig. 1), with one 1/4" phone jack, one Speakon connector, and banana connectors is replaced with dual identical jacks, each of which will accept either a 1/4" phone plug, or a Speakon connector (Fig. 2):


Invalid Link Removed

Fig. 1

Invalid Link Removed

Fig. 2

3. Availablity of New Polyswitches for Series II models.

At this time, I am pleased to announce that, upon request, the traditional Series II models can be equipped with solid-state Polyswitches for protection of the midrange, tweeter, and attenuators, instead of the traditional automotive bulb.

The classic bulb has been a great success, and in fact, has some distinct advantages over this more modern alternative. But the Polyswitches can be used effectively, and they never have to be replaced. Although most customers don't have to worry about it, replacing the bulbs in the Series I and Series II models has been a thorn in the side of those who do, from day one. I admit it.

There will be a $10 charge for the Polyswitch option.

Earlier units will be fully upgradable for those who love the cabs, but hate the bulbs. We will supply kits to do this, so cabs won't have to be shipped back. There will be an instructional DVD included in the $25 kit."

-------------------

I like those Speakon / 1/4" combo jacks - very neat!

And AFAIK the polyswitches were my idea - it just took Andy's expertise and cunning to make them work - groovy...

Alex

wow,

awesome news. thx alex. speakons always make sense. and nice on the poly switch. guess no more glowing cabs.

 

[msquared]

oh man,

so, @ tonight's gig, i found yet another killin' combo: my b2 + my aguilar ag500!

I totally loved that combo when I had an AG500. In fact, that's a lot of the reason I want to get another one at some point soon.

 

[alexclaber]

Quick Q: "0" is full up on the Acme's right? And 20 is attenuated as far is it will go?

Figures I've owned a B1 for years and never bothered to decipher this...I usually leave them at 12:00...

Exactly. 0dB gives the closest to flat response (the mid and tweeter are internally padded to ensure the same response regardless of the number of woofers, so that the attenuators are always working from the same starting point), whilst -20dB is equal to 99% power reduction.

Alex

 

[alexclaber]

A polyswitch...is that like a PTC device that increases its resistance dramatically if too much current goes through it?

If so, I'd think it would be a difficult thing to calibrate...but I suppose Andy knows what he's doing.

The polyswitch is a circuit breaker that is heat activated. Too much sustained current raises the temperature too high, something inside the polyswitch then melts and breaks the circuit. Once the polyswitch cools down (which doesn't take long) the material solidifies and the circuit is remade.

I gather the polyswitch is calibrated so that in normal use the mid, tweeter and attenuators are totally protected from damage. If you are a complete buffoon and run nasty feedback or high volume sine waves above 1kHz through the cab, then the polyswitch will not kick in quickly enough to protect the midrange driver, whereas a bulb would blow more quickly. That's the downside versus the bulb. The upside is no high frequency compression at high volumes, and slightly more mid and high output because the bulb does add some resistance even at low current levels.

Based on the fact that many bass cab makers dare to eschew any protection on their HF components, I think the ~90% protection that the polyswitch provides is perfectly good enough, and the increased mids and high output, removal of bulb-related compression and the polyswitch's self-resetting nature is a valuable improvement.

The retrofit kit is a big leap for Andy who has always plastered every nifty internal feature with "Remove this tag and your warranty is void" labels.

And an instructional DVD too - from a man so averse to certain technology that he puts the photos of the new rear panel up as GIFs rather than JPEGs!

Alex

 

[BillyB_from_LZ]

The polyswitch is a circuit breaker that is heat activated. Too much sustained current raises the temperature too high, something inside the polyswitch then melts and breaks the circuit. Once the polyswitch cools down (which doesn't take long) the material solidifies and the circuit is remade.

...

FWIW, nothing melts inside the polyswitch, the conductive polymer within it changes its resistance dramatically once the max current/time threshold is passed. Only after it has a chance to cool down does it return to its previous low resistance state. The surface temperature of the polyswitch can reach 125 °C (or 260 °F) at the threshold point.

 

[jokerjkny]

FYI,

i'm finding the attenuators do an AMAZING job of tayloring the B2 to most any head. FYI, it really made me fall in love w/ how my aguilar AG500 behaves with it. was too airy at first, but turning it down a bit gave me a more meaty thicker sound that's more me.

making me realize how much better my iAMP would sound w/ the B2 now that i think about it.