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Ampeg Classic 6x10 Question

J

J10elynne

Apr 15, 2009
34
1
www.myspace.com
#1
Im using the following:
Ampeg Classic 6X10
Ampeg SVT Classic 350watt Tube Head
Fender Jazz tuned C G C F
Fender P-bass Deluxe Special (active noisless) tuned C# G# C# F#

The problem I'm having is:
When I'm playing loud (rehearsal) I at times get what sounds to me like a blown speaker. I do not believe a speaker is blown. Its almost a like a bottoming out noise, a little crackley... its hard to explain I guess.
My diagnosis:
I'm thinking it may possibly be my tubes going old.
I'm thinking it may be because of my tuning.
I'm thinking it may be because, I have no idea what the little dial on the back of the cab is for? If someone could tell me what the purpose of that thing is, that'd be great.

Does anyone know if im any where near correct or have any suggestions?
I have plugged into another cab and get a similar noise (4x10) and it has the same dial thing on the back.

I'm a freshly converted guitar player so please excuse my ignorance... atleast for a few more posts!
Thanks for any help.
 
#3
A bottoming out noise is probably exactly what it sounds like...a speaker reaching Xmax and bottoming out. If you tune down, play loud, and crank the bass response, it's very possible to bottom those speakers out.

BTW, the SVT-CL is 300w. Not a big deal, but for accuracy's sake, you know?
 
#5
haha, im used to playing on 50 or 100watts. remembering the wattage of anything above that is beyond me... damn guitar players.

but yeah i figured this might be the problem. do you think getting another 6x10 would.
A. Help my problem.
B. My head would push 2 6x10's right?

JimmyM said:
A bottoming out noise is probably exactly what it sounds like...a speaker reaching Xmax and bottoming out. If you tune down, play loud, and crank the bass response, it's very possible to bottom those speakers out.

BTW, the SVT-CL is 300w. Not a big deal, but for accuracy's sake, you know?
Click to expand...
 
#6
so does this only happen in high volume sttings or is it a consistant problem? if both cabs made this sound it may be that your amp needs to have new tubes or that the tubes have to be biased. like the post above it maybe an EQ thing aswell. just try out a few different settings before resulting to costly repairs.
 
#9
Bass boost + too much volume sounds like the big problem to me. Honestly, that cab is so big on the low end that no good could come from the bass boost at that volume. After hearing this, I'm more convinced that it's speakers bottoming out. A 2nd 610 would split the load, but that's way overkill when all you have to do is not boost the low end so much.
 
#10
Fair enough. The main reason i'm thinking about adding a 2nd cab is because we're playing much bigger stages now, 1,000+ people so I'd like to have one on each side, even if its for something as petty as appearance and balancing out the stage. we have two guitar players so it'd make stage left look less empty. I just wanted to make sure that the head would push it fine.

JimmyM said:
Bass boost + too much volume sounds like the big problem to me. Honestly, that cab is so big on the low end that no good could come from the bass boost at that volume. After hearing this, I'm more convinced that it's speakers bottoming out. A 2nd 610 would split the load, but that's way overkill when all you have to do is not boost the low end so much.
Click to expand...
 
#11
Yeah, it's probably that darned bass boost button then. See what happens when you don't push that button in. And, not that you need another 610, but if you do get one, putting it on the opposite side of the stage will not help you at all. Others can explain why, but trust me, it's a problem. Just set 'em up side by side.
 
#12
My band decided to drop from Drop-D to Drop-D flat, and it actually made a noticeable tonal difference in my bass playing. It sounds much dirtier and nicer than it did before, but I'm also using my Avatar 4x10 at practice rather than my Carvin 8x10 at home and gigs. I'm not a fan of the SVT bass boost either, so it might be worth turning that off and turning up the bass knob (I dime mine at gigs but can't get away with it in my drummer's basement.)
 
#13
remember that you can achieve the same bass boost effect with the eq knobs - it is the equivalent of maxing the bass knob, selecting a certain frequency on the mids and bottoming that out, etc.

so try to compromise with the eq knobs, manually.

using the ultra low switch was the death of one of my 15 cabs.
 
#14
J10elynne said:
Fair enough. The main reason i'm thinking about adding a 2nd cab is because we're playing much bigger stages now, 1,000+ people so I'd like to have one on each side, even if its for something as petty as appearance and balancing out the stage. we have two guitar players so it'd make stage left look less empty. I just wanted to make sure that the head would push it fine.
Click to expand...

If you're playing for that big of a crowd I would hope that whoever is running sound would be mic'ing your cab.
 
#15
I'll echo what has been said: don't have a cab on each side of the stage. It's a blueprint for sonic disaster. Get another 610 and put it on TOP of your existing 610. That'll scream rock n' roll for sure. Or put them side by side.
 
#16
yeah.. that bass boost can be a problem. I have the same head and always leave it off but boost the lows a little on the eq.

In general, try not to over-eq your sound. That's a recipe for killing your headroom. You should be able to get pretty loud with the setup you have. Also- run a line to the PA for support.
 
#17
I used to play a svt 3 pro thru the classic 6x10 with a fender jazz tuned to CGCF and the problem was bass boost. I continued playing like that and ended up blowing 2 speakers. I forgot if it was the top 2 of the bottom 2 speakers that are wired together then the other 4 are wired together. this is done to make the cab run at 4 ohms. the problem with this is that the 2 speakers get the same amount of power as the other 4 and you either get speaker noise or worse blown speakers
 

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