ashdown cab broken?

[sloppysubs]

ok here my deal.

i just moved to ohio from florida. well i took my amp with me and left everything to the movers. i knew it was a bad idea but i didnt have the car space. in any event. i set my gear up today and im playing, now my basses and my amp setting havent changed but my cab seems to be pushing a lot more low end than ever before. not a bad thing, but i want my old tone back.

so anyway, first thing i think of is the cab is broken. well there is a paint chip on the handle and a tiny dent. so i know it got hit or hit something. and the cab is rear ported (abm 414t model) and teh little plastic port hole things looked like they had almost fallen out. so im curious if something in my cab is beat up.

someone told me it might be my tweeter. or maybe insulation touching teh speaker or wires. either way, i wouldnt know. i need help!!!!!

 

[Magneto]

Well.. it sounds like you need to open her up and have a look-see. Kinda hard to see what's going on from the outside.
Pull a speaker out and see if there's internal damage. Might be something easily corrected.

Mag...

 

[sloppysubs]

well im nto exactly sure how to open teh cab and im not sure what to look for when i do.

to be honest im not a very technical person in that area of equitment. so im afraid to anything for fear of me screwing up something.

any more ideas?

 

[Magneto]

I'm not sure exactly what cab you have, but you mentioned something about the port looked like it had almost fallen out, and this port has to "seal" around the edges. This could throw the tuning out a bit, maybe change the sound of the cab. There may be nothing else wrong with the cabinet.

I was suggesting pulling a speaker out so you could inspect the interior. Might be a good idea to pull a speaker or speakers closest to those ports. Take a flashlight and look at the cabinet interior. Look for damage like cracked wood, joints or bracing, as well as any damage to the speakers or wiring.
If you're not comfortable with this idea, you might want to find something who is more experienced.

All in all, if all of the speakers are working, you at least know that they aren't damaged and the wiring is still intact. But you might need to fix those port tubes, depending on any damage.

Mag...

 

[sloppysubs]

i have the abm 414t model. heres a link:http://www.ashdownmusic.co.uk/bass/detail.asp?ID=108


its rear ported and has two little plastic cirular things that 'cover' the holes. is there a possibility that the problem is my tweeter?

 

[Magneto]

i have the abm 414t model. heres a link:http://www.ashdownmusic.co.uk/bass/detail.asp?ID=108


its rear ported and has two little plastic cirular things that 'cover' the holes. is there a possibility that the problem is my tweeter?

Without seeing a photo of the back, I'm assuming that those "circular things" are the fronts of the ports. The ports are usually a tube that extend into the cabinet some length. If one of these got knocked loose during that rough move, it will need to be resecured. As I mentioned, they are aren't supposed to leak around the edges where they are attached to the cabinet.

Tweeter: This shouldn't be hard to test. Turn up your highs and you should be able to tell if it's working or not. Chances are, the wiring didn't come loose, but it's a possibility. In your initial post, you mentioned the cab was pushing more low end. Well a non-working tweeter won't cause this, but if it isn't working it might sound like you have more low end without the brightness.

Are all the speakers firing?

You probably know this, but sometimes just changing rooms has a big effect on the sound of the cabinet. Heck, just moving a cab closer to a wall or changing its location just a bit can do this too.

Mag...

 

[sime]

i don't know if it's been touched upon, but cab placment and the room are quite important to the sound. is your cab now in a corner where as before it was in a little more "free" of a space?

 

[sloppysubs]

ok, i tried to take the back of the cab off. no good. that thing wouldnt come. however i was able to push a flashlight in. its seems that everything has stayed intact. nothing is obviously not hooked together, however, something might have slipped or come loose. all the speakers are working. ill do a tweeter test and see where that leads.

my ports are both able to come out. how do i go about resecuring them? GD movers i hate them.

speakers are good. ill run a tweeter test....

yes im in a different room. funny you mention my cab IS in a corner. the room is somewhat small. would putting it in a larger room make the difference?

and yes the sound isnt as bright as it was before. ill run a tweeter test but i suppose acouctics would be a problem too.

another quick thought, coudl it be the amp? i mean it did go through some pretty drastic tempreture changes on the drive up. could something in there be messed up. i doubt it, but you never know.

 

[sloppysubs]

ran teh tweeter test. it didnt hiss or scream or anything like that. just sounded like i had a tube screamer at full volume.

 

[Magneto]

ran teh tweeter test. it didnt hiss or scream or anything like that. just sounded like i had a tube screamer at full volume.

What's a tube screamer? I take it that it is working?

Why don't you call Ashdown (if possible), tell them the problem with the port tubes, and ask how they would suggest resecuring them. I would think they were originally glued in, but I am not sure.

Mag...

 

[sloppysubs]

What's a tube screamer? I take it that it is working?

Why don't you call Ashdown (if possible), tell them the problem with the port tubes, and ask how they would suggest resecuring them. I would think they were originally glued in, but I am not sure.

Mag...

tube screamer is a distortion pedal made by ibanez. meaning when i turned up my end it just sounded like a tone of gain coming through. no hissing or squels.

and not matter where my tweeter is set it doesnt make a difference.

and i e-mailed ashdown. if i dont hear from them before long then im gonna call.