ADA Bassline 15

[Tonecraft]

Making this post to share another great Craigslist find! Not sure what year this is from, but from the research I’ve done, it could be anywhere from the early 80’s to 2000’s. It’s in overall pretty good shape but I wasn’t able to test it because I assumed wrong that my MB500 could accept 1/4” speaker cable as well as Speakon, and i don’t have the adapter cable to hook it up.

I assume that converting the back plate to accept Speakon connectors is super simple with some reshaping of the hole and minor soldering. Is that the most cost effective route to go? I am building a pre/power rack so I may not even need to but I’ve read the Speakon cables have less resistance and can push the same amount of power more efficiently. Correct me if I’m wrong!

It houses an Electro-Voice 3400 15B, rated for 400 watts at 8 ohms. I’m sure it is going to sound great under my Epifani T112. Does anybody still play through one of these? My understanding is that these are meant to be bi-amped as part of a 115+210/5 stack, but can be run as a full range bass cab as well. I’m toying with adding a 4 or 5 inch enclosed mid in there somewhere since a 6 may not fit. Probably a waste of time but I am looking to build my own cab in the future so I am wanting to get my feet wet!

Have a blessed day

 

[Rockbobmel]

I think your GK has a "combination" 1/4 - Speakon. https://www.fullcompass.com/common/files/12866-GallienKruegerMB500OwnersManual.pdf

 

[Tonecraft]

I think your GK has a "combination" 1/4 - Speakon. https://www.fullcompass.com/common/files/12866-GallienKruegerMB500OwnersManual.pdf

I should have said in my original post that I have the MB Fusion 500; I just checked the manual and it only accepts 2 and 4 pin Speakon. I found the parts to convert it for about $20 minus adapters I already have and speaker wire to jump the input jacks so I can run in parallel if I ever choose to do so. The main reason I bought the Crown XLS1002 is so I can bi-amp my cabs, setting independent crossovers on each cab. Having all my cables the same helps my ADD brain sleep well at night lol!

 

[Tonecraft]

 

[elkkid2]

I know where the top cab can be found!

 

[Tonecraft]

I know where the top cab can be found!

Hmmm....tell me more!
That 210 seems pretty interesting with the v shape split on the front speaker and 2(?) 5” mid drivers. It’s along the lines of what I want to build but probably super heavy!

 

[elkkid2]

Hmmm....tell me more!
That 210 seems pretty interesting with the v shape split on the front speaker and 2(?) 5” mid drivers. It’s along the lines of what I want to build but probably super heavy!

Better hurry! I'm thinking of buying it myself. You could post ADA Bassline HX Pro into a search bar and find one in the SF bay area.

 

[elkkid2]

Better hurry! I'm thinking of buying it myself. You could post ADA Bassline HX Pro into a search bar and find one in the SF bay area.

As a matter of fact, I found the "VX" model there too. 2x10' plus 2x5" side angle cab.

 

[The Nameless]

I'm running a Crown XLS Series amp into a few older cabs that are not speakon equipped. I just bought a 1/4" to 1/4" speaker cable, cut an end off, wired a speakon at the other end. No soldering required, tho I do "tin" the ends of the wires before installing them into the sockets of the Speakon connector. That seems to be the cheapest way to convert 1/4 to Speakon. Adaptors are unreliable over time, in my experience. I wouldn't mod a cab until I knew I was gonna keep it forever. I just take ten minnits, make the cable.

 

[packhowitzer]

Ahh ADA... that takes me back. Used to play through an ADA MB-1 preamp. I even had the phantom powered MIDI foot controller. Memories.

(not my pic)
Link Removed

 

[JimChjones]

So there is (or was) such a thing as a commercial cab with a series output then? Still think its a dumb idea...

No soldering required, tho I do "tin" the ends of the wires

My understanding is that these days its considered better not to tin the ends because the solder will "creep" over time and make for a loose connection. Happy to be corrected by the pros though...

 

[The Nameless]

I was trained that way. Just habit. None of my ends have failed in a few decades of doin it. But I check those connections lots. The allen or phillips screw clamps will occasionally back out during use. Not sure it matters. Call me superstitious, cuz maybe it ain necessary, but I continue.

 

[seamonkey]

Get a Speakon cup with genuine Neutrik speakons.

Drop and Forget the "serial" jack. If you look at it you see a small insulation ring that keeps it from grounding out on the plate. 1/4" cables usually have metal ends and can ground out just by touching. If it really is a 400w cabinet it needs decent speakons just to be compatible with today's amps.

 

[Tonecraft]

Last night I went to Parts Express and got the exact connection plate as my cab but ready to take 2 Neutrik Speakon jacks, total was $17 shipped. I'll keep the original jack plate if I ever sell it, but I paid $50 for the cab, so I feel like it's a worthy upgrade for a relatively low investment regardless of the cheaper options! I really like the Speakon connections, and feel they are less likely to come loose, and can handle a bit more roughing around without coming loose. If they can handle higher wattage more efficiently/safely, then that is icing on the cake. I just like to have everything as consistent as I can. Engineering school is making me a bit anal I suppose!

My Crown XLS1002 gets here tomorrow and I'm exited to play with the crossovers. I am wondering what would and ideal crossover range for the stack...15" on the bottom, and the Epifani T112 with a built in crossover for the 1" tweeter. Any ideas?

 

[Tonecraft]

I just found an ADA 210 Bassline HX about 50 miles from me at a GC. It would be pretty cool to have a matching set, but I haven't even heard how this sounds yet!

 

[pie_man_25]

those old bassline cabs? Yeah they're crap. Send them to me for proper disposal.

Cool find, keep us in the loop when you give it a test drive.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

I just bought a 1/4" to 1/4" speaker cable, cut an end off, wired a speakon at the other end. No soldering required, tho I do "tin" the ends of the wires before installing them into the sockets of the Speakon connector.

Do not tin the wire to go into the Speakon's cups, the connection is to be made by The Wire being CRUSHED FLAT to make a solid and reliable connection.

I was trained that way. Just habit. None of my ends have failed in a few decades of doin it. But I check those connections lots. The allen or phillips screw clamps will occasionally back out during use. Not sure it matters. Call me superstitious, cuz maybe it ain necessary, but I continue.

Redo it and you will not be needing to retighten them. Again the wire is to be crushed flat and you are not doing that with solder on them.
Over 5 years of use and I have never once checked my speakon connections after making them. They are solid when done as the manufacturer recommends.

 

[The Nameless]

I don't check em except outta habit. I've had em back out without tinning wires. And the screws also flatten the solder. I also check the screws on my straplock buttons. Despite using wood glue in their threads, they come loose on occasion. I do a couple hundred shows a year. Running sound, too. That's a lotta connections, and I check em all. Several times a year. I've had screws back out of tinned and non tinned wire. So I just do what I do. I appreciate ya's checkin on me, tho. But after 35 years? I've found it just don't matter

 

[MVE]

Ahh ADA... that takes me back. Used to play through an ADA MB-1 preamp. I even had the phantom powered MIDI foot controller. Memories.

(not my pic)
Link Removed

I still have an MB-1.
Haven’t plugged it in or powered it up for a few years. But those things are awesome. I would still rock it if I was in a band where I needed to switch tones a lot.
I remember the “fretless” preset was especially awesome.
If I get bored and have income to dispose, I might try to fund some ADA cabs like the OP and assemble the stack from the 90’s era advertisements. Lol

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I should have said in my original post that I have the MB Fusion 500; I just checked the manual and it only accepts 2 and 4 pin Speakon. I found the parts to convert it for about $20 minus adapters I already have and speaker wire to jump the input jacks so I can run in parallel if I ever choose to do so. The main reason I bought the Crown XLS1002 is so I can bi-amp my cabs, setting independent crossovers on each cab. Having all my cables the same helps my ADD brain sleep well at night lol!

Are you talking about the outputs as seen in your photo on the next message? If so, you don't need to do anything to those output jacks to run them in parallel. They already are a parallel connection. An unusual feature you have on your ADA cab though is that it has both parallel and series outputs from the cab.

The parallel out is the industry standard parallel connection which reduces the ohms load on the amp. That is you can hook your ADA 8 ohm cab up to your amp and then either plug a second cab into your amp or into the "parallel" output of your ADA cab. Either way that will result in a 4 ohm load on the amp, which is the ideal load for the highest "safe" wattage output from your amp. With a parallel connection, 8 ohm cab + 8 ohm cab = 4 ohm load on your amp.

If you choose to hook another 8 ohm cab up using the "serial" output from your ADA cab, that makes a series connection, which adds ohms together for a higher ohms load on your amp. If you hook up two 8 ohm cabs in series, you get a 16 ohm load. That is safe on virtually all amps, but the higher impedance (ohms) means less power will come through the connection. A 16 ohm load will get about 1/2 the watts out of your amp than an 8 ohm load would.

Where this can come in handy for you is if you have a 4 ohm cabinet that you want to use with your ADA cab. Normally, with your amp, you can only use one 4 ohm cab. If you hook up a 4 ohm cab to either another 4 ohm cab or even an 8 ohm cab using the normal "parallel" connections, you will drop the ohms load of your amp below it's safe operating level. If the built-in safety features don't cut the power of your amp quickly enough, that will melt things internally - big risk of turning your amp into an expensive paperweight.

However if you hook your ADA cab into the amp and then hook a 4 ohm cab into the SERIES out connection, that will add the ohms load together. In that case, a 4 ohm cab plus an 8 ohm cab will produce a 12 ohm load which is entirely safe on your amp. That higher impedance means lower watts, but the addition of 2 or more speakers (like a 212, 210, or 410) will more than compensate for the 1/3 drop in power. Your total speaker area will move more than enough air to compensate.

I used to do this exact thing by hooking my 4 ohm 212 Sunn cab up to my GK Backline 250 amp and then plugging my my 8 ohm GK115bpx cab up to my Sunn cab using the series out from my Sunn 212 cab. That GK Backline 250 only produces 125-watts at 8 ohms and its minimum ohms load rating is just 8 ohms. So at a 12 ohm load (from a series connection) I could safely use that GK amp. Even though I was only getting about 85-watts to split between the two cabs, it was louder and sounded much better than just using the GK115bpx cab by itself. It gave me a giggable rig. I have much better gear now, but that series out on that old Sunn cab saved the day for me and the series out on your ADA cab will give you the flexibility to do the same if you need to.