• 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.

Amp is to wide for cabinet.....

#42
madmarvin said:
Love? I can always fall in love again easy lol. But yes, I found that the older Ampegs I have I do really like and I have not found a smaller footprint solution that to me sounds similar.
Click to expand...

Madmarvin, you may never find a class D head that sounds similar to your old Ampegs. Just be prepared for that. What head are you referring to specifically? V4B, B25B, or the old SVT?
 
#43
madmarvin said:
Ok so this is more of a aesthetic post than anything else I guess but....

I am looking to buy a 212 cabinet that is 18.5" wide. Head in case is 22" wide. How dumb will this look? Is there any chance that it will be too unstable on stage? Should a get some boards for support?

May be a short time problem until I can find a decent class D that has the tone I want, but I haven't found one yet.
Click to expand...
Perhaps a little history should be pointed out here. Back in the 50's and 60's the Fender Bassman cab was designed to be used with the speakers horizontally next to each other, not vertically. Fender used chrome legs on the sides of the cab that allowed you to tilt the cab up at about a 30° angle or more.

The Fender Bassman became a real standard in the early 60's and instead of leaving that cab on the floor in the way it was originally designed, they stood them on end. With this vertical presentation, the amp hug over the sides of the cab. 1966 was the first year that they offered the 50-watt Bassman with vertically-mounted speakers where the cab was wider than the head. I bought one new in 1966 and used it until about 1971.

It's really not a big deal, even thought it looks a bit weird. I have a couple of small footprint Eden EX-112 cabs that use a whizzer cone (cone inside a cone) for the high mids and highs instead of a separate horn. That makes the cab smaller than a "normal" 112 cab. I actually turned my cabs on their side with the shelf port aligned vertically and my Eden head in its rack definitely overhung the cabs. Even without the rack, the amp would have been wider than the cabs. I often set the cabs up on a milk crate to get them off the floor.

I gigged with that set up for about 7 or 8 months before I bought my DNS-210 (by DNA) cab to use in their place at small and medium-sized venues. Here's a shot of that two 112 cab stack.

2x112Rig_525x700.jpg


If someone gives you crap about it, you can tell them this is the "vintage presentation".
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squittolo, Goatrope, Microbass and 2 others
#46
kosmicwizard said:
Madmarvin, you may never find a class D head that sounds similar to your old Ampegs. Just be prepared for that. What head are you referring to specifically? V4B, B25B, or the old SVT?
Click to expand...

I have an early 90s SLM SVT II Pro that I love. I like the extra drive tubes that allows me to run the master at full, drive at about 65-70%, using the gain to adjust the volume. It allows for full power tube saturation with preamp drive, and I still have volume control. It's damn heavy, but easy to move with help. The 215 cabs I have are just old and way too much honestly, I just bought the Berg 212 so hopefully that will do the trick. I thought about going for a sealed cab, but the new Bergantino's really intrigued me. I would prefer a sealed cab I think, but I decided to go for the ported one because of the size I didn't think a sealed cab would get the volume I wanted. I also have an SVT6Pro and an old SVT-200T. I use all of these in different capacities, but the II Pro is my favorite.

Plus now I can get a second Bergantino, with the SVT, that rig will just destroy.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mattwear, kosmicwizard and BasturdBlaster
#50
My buddy lays his Fender Bandmaster head amp on its side so it is vertical sometimes on the floor and sometimes on road case used as a stand next to his Cab (One of those Grateful dead influenced cabs ) The heavy part of the amp the transformers are on top, the way he lays it (input jack on the bottom) I never question him because he can cop Jerry Garcia pretty well, though sometimes I cringe in anticipation that it may topple over.
 
  • Like
Reactions: madmarvin
#56
Jim C said:
Edge tape is a thin wood veneer that comes in various widths.
It often times comes with an adhesive that is activated by heat; you can use a standard household iron to get it to adhere. Since the board was plywood, the edge was not so pretty.

Maple is the species of wood.
I'm not sure they make birch edge tape but since both species of wood are light in color and have a faint grain pattern, the match was near perfect.
I kept that board after I sold the amp but finally tossed it when I moved otherwise I'd post a picture.
Click to expand...
Oh...This stuff....i thought you taped the board to the side of your cab
81M6iDiWTTL._AC_SX522_.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squittolo and Jim C
#58
madmarvin said:
I have an early 90s SLM SVT II Pro that I love. I like the extra drive tubes that allows me to run the master at full, drive at about 65-70%, using the gain to adjust the volume. It allows for full power tube saturation with preamp drive, and I still have volume control. It's damn heavy, but easy to move with help. The 215 cabs I have are just old and way too much honestly, I just bought the Berg 212 so hopefully that will do the trick. I thought about going for a sealed cab, but the new Bergantino's really intrigued me. I would prefer a sealed cab I think, but I decided to go for the ported one because of the size I didn't think a sealed cab would get the volume I wanted. I also have an SVT6Pro and an old SVT-200T. I use all of these in different capacities, but the II Pro is my favorite.

Plus now I can get a second Bergantino, with the SVT, that rig will just destroy.
Click to expand...

I have a 1988 SVT ll non-pro and play it through a 2x15E cab, so I know what you are talking about. I've never felt or seen a class d head that can provide the 3d tone of a lead sled. I also liked the 6pro a lot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Artman, murphy and madmarvin
#59
I'm a little bothered by amp overhang, so if the cab is compact I like to set the rack on its side next to it. Most of the stages we play are not convenient to spread out so I have a couple small heads.
 
#60
158FF48D-C0B5-4E1C-8BEA-D1EEFAF2DC09.jpeg
Being a fat dude gigging in shorts means nobody’s going to notice that your amp head is wider than your cab. See? How easy was that?

A guy on the AudioKinesis thread referred to this phenomenon as “the aesthetic blight of lateral overhang.” Referring to amps, not me, honest.

HolmeBass said:
I wouldn’t worry about it. I don’t think it looks bad honestly. Looks like you picked your gear for the sound, not the look.
Click to expand...

I ended up with the lateral overhang through trying to be frugal and practical...a small bass rig might be the best use of that $40 used 210-watt mono power amp, which I already had. Kind of wish I’d have popped for a hard rack case instead of a plastic one, of only so I’d have the option of putting the 14” wide cab on top of the rack case. But it is stable, so oh well.

Fun fact: an Ampeg PF500 head is also 14” wide. Sometimes I think about that and get tempted to try one. Then I feel shallow for being too worried about amp dimensions instead of sound and functionality, and the cycle repeats...
 
  • Like
Reactions: murphy, Sascha Erni, madmarvin and 6 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back