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Big attenuators
- Thread starter Cartoonist
- Start date
I plug a 400 watt tube head into a 35 pound 15/6...
Awesome! Definitely looking into the speaker option then.
Thanks all, especially those who value facts over opinion.
For your head you should be looking at a 4 Ohm cab. This will limit your options, but this isnt a bad thing as it will limit the scope of your search.
What was your budget for an attenuator? I know cabs and amps are expensive in your neck of the woods. My suggestion to you would to be to contact Harley ([email protected]) who is a Greenboy authorized builder in NZ. I would ask him about pricing for a Bassic 15 loaded with a Faital Pro to get the cab in a 4 Ohm flavor.
Are there very many 4 ohm 115s available to you? I usually only see 8 ohm 115s.
I ran my SVT2pro at 8ohms for a while because i didn't know that the impedance wasn't supposed to exceed 4 ohms and I ended up having to take a trip to my amp tech.
From what I understand now- Ampeg tube heads (or maybe all bass tube heads) don't like loads higher than 4 ohms. so take that into consideration when you are downsizing your cabs.
I use my svt2 with 2 mesa 410s. Originally my thought was i would use both for big gigs with an impedance of 4 ohms. and i would use one for smaller gigs and practicing- with an 8 ohm impedance. I had always had solid state heads prior to this and didn't know that my plan was flawed. also the user manual didn't really say much about not doing it.
So i used it with one 8 ohm cab for maybe 50 hours of modest operation. and then wondered why it started sounding like bad.
after a trip to the amp doctor- now i know. this may be relatively common knowledge, but I had never once heard it discussed prior to my situation. if only i'd known about talkbass then.... sigh
good luck to you though!
I had a Peavey 115 cab that was 4 Ohms. One of the best commercial cabs I have owned.
I'm not saying they aren't out there, but the OP has already said that gear availability is fairly limited where he is.
I just wonder how many 4ohm 115s are in his neck of the woods.
what are there more of- slightly lower powered heads or 4 ohm, single speaker cabs?
but i once had a 4 ohm 118 that was just a delight to play through. so i know what you mean.
Cartoonist said:
I like my SVT at that sweet spot as well, so I use a VT pedal with mine for gigs where I'm overpowered with the SVT on its own. Better results than getting preamp distortion by modding the amp to get a master volume.
Everyone on this thread has replied to you with facts- I can vouch that what you might consider opinions are really facts that have been borne out of experience. Believe me, you aren't the first to want to use an attenuator or be able to OD an SVT at lower levels.
Solutions: less sensitive cab (maybe sealed, usually works great with tubes) or less powerful tube amp, or a pedal.
Hi One Drop,
Thanks for your input, and thanks to everyone else especially about the speakers. I'm sure that somewhere I can pick up a 4 ohm 15" cab cheaper than a $500 attenuator; there's no urgency and I'll take my time. In the meantime I will have plenty of fun using the amp in its full glory as is my main intention.
Not the people who haven't read what I'm saying and keep telling me I have the wrong amp rather than simply telling me that I can't do what I'm trying to do. The former is an opinion founded on inattention to what I have been saying, the latter may be regarded as fact gained from experience. That's forums for you though - sooner or later a technical discussion turns into a ****fight
Thanks for your input, and thanks to everyone else especially about the speakers. I'm sure that somewhere I can pick up a 4 ohm 15" cab cheaper than a $500 attenuator; there's no urgency and I'll take my time. In the meantime I will have plenty of fun using the amp in its full glory as is my main intention.
Not the people who haven't read what I'm saying and keep telling me I have the wrong amp rather than simply telling me that I can't do what I'm trying to do. The former is an opinion founded on inattention to what I have been saying, the latter may be regarded as fact gained from experience. That's forums for you though - sooner or later a technical discussion turns into a ****fight
Thing is, even if someone made an attenuator that would work, which we would all have already for the same reasons you want one, it wouldn't sound the same anyway. A speaker presents a dynamic and constantly changing load to an amp, which attenuators do not. Not the same thing at all.
So yes, you are FAR better off seeking a less sensitive speaker solution which will 'eat' more of the SVT power, with less volume.
So yes, you are FAR better off seeking a less sensitive speaker solution which will 'eat' more of the SVT power, with less volume.
How about a 96db cab: http://www.amazon.com/Aguilar-DB-115-Cabinet-Ohm/dp/B001U3YC2I/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_2
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Mr. Foxen
Commercial User
Or knock up an isobaric cab, can do it with two 8ohm speakers and you get low sensitivity from that loading, as well as stronger low end from a fairly small by heavy box.
Cool - I'll look that up.
Weber Mass has a speaker motor (plus resistors) so it's a dynamic attenuator. I have one on my guitar amp. But even the biggest Weber is way too small for this job.
I really like the speaker idea. Much more organic approach, and less stuff to lug around
Weber Mass has a speaker motor (plus resistors) so it's a dynamic attenuator. I have one on my guitar amp. But even the biggest Weber is way too small for this job.
I really like the speaker idea. Much more organic approach, and less stuff to lug around
Just make sure the small cab you get can actually take a cranked SVT. SVT's can put out close to 700w peak and can shred a 210 or 115 easily. Honestly, I think the way to go is to get a smaller amp AND a smaller cab if you want to be real with your overdrive. A typical 115 is not going to last with a cranked SVT.
Agreed. My 410 is 800W and I'd be looking for something in that range to be on the safe side (which might necessitate 2 speakers). I already have a smaller amp, so that's covered. This is just a project.
How about putting a dummy 8 ohm cab in paralel with a 8 ohm cab? With a dummy I mean an actual speaker fitted into a closed box (in front and to the back of the speaker), so no sound is getting out? It will act as an attenuator with the same dynamics as a cab. Any high powered woofer will do and it allows you to use 8 ohm cabs.
Dummy (muffled) speaker is getting along the lines of my original thinking (sort of); I know nothing of how speaker drivers operate but would removing the paper work? Getting into the silly ideas again (blame the whisky).
No because it would just shoot the coil out of the housing. You need a closed and dampened box on the front and back of the speaker. Size does not really matter. The small closed box protects the speaker from overexcursion. You need to make sure the thermal power rating is sufficient.
Weber does it. But not enough power handling for the SVT.
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Yep the Weber Mass is awesome, I use one in my guitar amp, but their biggest is 200W. I have been talking to them about using 2 of these in parallel to get sufficient loading. Perhaps they will purpose build one based on this principle.
That may be do-able, just gotta watch the impedance. But really, even two of them is perhaps sketchy. The SVT may be capable of doubling it's clean wattage rating when pushed hard.
