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Change cab or driver?

R

ras1983

Dec 28, 2004
1,652
117
43
Sydney, Australia
#1
Well, where do i start?

i have a labsystems 1x15, 400W @ 8ohms. i run it with a GK 1001-RBII. the bass i use is a Bongo HH 5 string. i play at church (so thats anything from hyms to gospel). i play jazz with my teacher (and am looking to be a gigging jazz musician). i play classic rock with some friends, and i am a MASSIVE fan of hip-hop and rap, and would eventually like to play with a local hip-hop act.

Basically, the cab can't handle the low end of the bongo. i don't mind turning down the low end, but at the moment, at gigging volumes (which aren't too loud) the cab can't handle the bass and the bass doesn't sound deep enough because of the amount of low end i have to cut.

So, here is my dilemma. Do i change the driver for a more powerful driver, or do i get a different cab? i understand that there are many variables involved in changing a driver, but i'm not sure which rout to take to begin with.

Any help would be great. if i change the driver, i will have to add a 210 or something down the line, because i tend to chord and solo when playing jazz pieces. or do i save for a while and get something like a ht322 when they become availiable?
 
#5
Trevorus said:
I would add another cab. A 212 would have the clarity annd the low end you're looking for. With more drivers being used, you will not need to push them as hard.
Click to expand...

But won't the 1x15 still be farting, even if the second cab doesn't?

I have thought of this option, such as an 8 ohm GK 212 Neo or something. But at the moment i don't need two cabs, i could make do with one wondercab, for lack of a better term.
 
#6
ras1983 said:
But won't the 1x15 still be farting, even if the second cab doesn't?

I have thought of this option, such as an 8 ohm GK 212 Neo or something. But at the moment i don't need two cabs, i could make do with one wondercab, for lack of a better term.
Click to expand...

What is happening is you are trying to get too much out of one speaker. When you add more drivers, they all have to work less to get the same amount of volume. This means that they are less likely to "fart out."

The reason why I also recommend two cabs is that it is great to have a smaller cab arrangement, so if you are just going to a jam with a friend, you can take a smaller cabinet. But, if you need the volume, you can take another cab.
 
#8
Mr_Dave said:
Man, i reckon a new cab... I'm pretty over my labs cabs myself. Solid though.

What are you thinking might be your alternatives? there are so many great cabs now that really out perform the labs cabs, unfortunately they can be quiet expensive!!! :)
Click to expand...

Well, a HT322 sounds very appealing, but its 4 ohms, and my GK can only run a minimum impedance of 4Ohm, so i will be stuck with a single, large cabinet. initially i was thinking a 'engineered' 210 like a nl-210 or a ht210s, but they're only 210's, so i will need two of them some time down the line. the other cab i have been thinking about is a nv610, IF there will be any available here (since they're very limited in stock). I believe that they were available in a 8 ohm configuration. If thats the case, then i would keep my lab for jamming or something, since a 610 would be bothersome to transport.

other than that, i'm open to any great cab i guess.

BTW, bassgear direct will be importing bergs soon, so i'm waiting to see what range they will have available and at what prices.

I wish Guy would stock higher end cabs. they have great stuff, but i want access to the best stuff. If their selection of cabs was like their basses, then we'd have everything we could ask of a bass shop. Eden, GK, Aguilar, etc etc is good stuff, but i like the exclusivity of 'boutique' equipment.
 
#9
ras1983 said:
Well, a HT322 sounds very appealing, but its 4 ohms, and my GK can only run a minimum impedance of 4Ohm, so i will be stuck with a single, large cabinet. initially i was thinking a 'engineered' 210 like a nl-210 or a ht210s, but they're only 210's, so i will need two of them some time down the line. the other cab i have been thinking about is a nv610, IF there will be any available here (since they're very limited in stock). I believe that they were available in a 8 ohm configuration. If thats the case, then i would keep my lab for jamming or something, since a 610 would be bothersome to transport.

other than that, i'm open to any great cab i guess.

BTW, bassgear direct will be importing bergs soon, so i'm waiting to see what range they will have available and at what prices.

I wish Guy would stock higher end cabs. they have great stuff, but i want access to the best stuff. If their selection of cabs was like their basses, then we'd have everything we could ask of a bass shop. Eden, GK, Aguilar, etc etc is good stuff, but i like the exclusivity of 'boutique' equipment.
Click to expand...

yeah problem is it costs so much to bring it in... and not much margin... and i think, things like aguilar they have to pay for everything they stock upfront. man, i would love to be able to try all this great gear... its getting better, thunderfunk, ea, epifani, bergs... but to actually plug in my own bass in a room with all this stuff and compare? still not a damn hope... oh well probably time to read more talkbass threads?!?!:D

im going so crazy i think myself, i'm going to get the thunderfunk, and then just end up with a SWR Golaith III... i can plug the thunderfunk in, go, hmmm , sounds good. and be happy. then get maybe a drbass112 or something for small practice, jazz gigs. and pretend that none of this great sounding gear excists... :help:

sorry, i keep rambling about myself in everyone elses threads...
 
#11
Mr_Dave said:
ha, i didn't even write what i was thinking in the first place...

i think the Berg would be huge with the GK1001... if you can find the cash, get a bigger cab and then a smaller separate practice cab, or hang onto the labs115? is it farting bad or just when your louder?
Click to expand...

The 115 just farts when i'm louder, at 'normal' volumes its fine.

The annoying thing is that the GK isn't clipping at the pre-amp stage, but the cab will be farting. terribly annoying, but what do you expect from your average 1 x 15? i'm not the type to boost the low frequencies, i would prefer to keep them flat, but the low end has to be dialled to about 10% to have a clean sound.

But, for example, at louder volumes i have to make a trade-off between clean lowend vs more volume. thats not a trade-off that i'm happy to make (which bassplayer is?), so i would rather solve the problem while i'm a student with no mortgage to pay.

The 1001 is an AWESOME amp, powerful as hell, and clean as hell. if i can pair it up with the right cab, then it'll be the shizzle.:rolleyes:
 
#14
sorry i didn't make that very clear...i meant like just keep the lab115 for rehearsals and small gigs for the time being because it will not get great resale and then get a nice pumping 'do it all' cab as soon as you can. but that means more money, even if you only got 600-800 or something for selling the lab systems.
 
#15
Mr_Dave said:
sorry i didn't make that very clear...i meant like just keep the lab115 for rehearsals and small gigs for the time being because it will not get great resale and then get a nice pumping 'do it all' cab as soon as you can. but that means more money, even if you only got 600-800 or something for selling the lab systems.
Click to expand...

That's my preferred option at the moment. i'd be lucky to get 600 for the lab, so its not worth selling IMO. it would make a good second cab for that killer cab.

I think Trevorus may have been onto something with the idea of a 212, but i want to see what bergies will be availiable before i make any decisions.
 
#18
Built a cab with an Eminence Delta 15A or L. Suggest that at first you don't make this a ported cabinet so that you get some lows but don't risk getting the porting all wrong which will result in that booming cab resonance that we've all heard discos get with cheap cabs. (All the bass notes sounding the same) You can put a port(s) in later if you feel you need more bass volume from the cab. I'm using a PA style Delta 15A and they are very efficient - meaning that once I plug this into my Ashdown 4x10 combo, there's a big increase in volume as the extension cab is more efficient. More bang for the same wattage. There's a lot to be said for building your own cabs as you know the quality of the components and if anything fails you can fix it yourself - but - there's such a lot of cheap Chinenese built equuipement now you probably won't feel liek you are saving money - but the sound will be better quality. OK OK guys befoire you lynch me - IMHO!

New Project - the one Delta has now been jioned with a 2x mid range flares and drivers, another Delta 15 and crossovers for a hybrid bass extensions and/or PA system. This will be about 400 watts a side and can handle bass or PA or both, or the whole band - whatever. Well that's the plan - finishing them this week so watchout for an update on how these turn out.
 

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