Help...Am I clipping?

[PinkFloydDan]

Hey all
I am using a Thunderfunk 420 head with a 10 inch Raezer Edge cab rated for 300 watts and a 12 inch Raezer Edge cabinet rated for 400 watts. I have the amp's gain to 3 or 4 and the volume on 5. EQ is flat.

I have both cabs plugged into the amp head.

Now, when playing, It sounds like I am getting huge thumps, it sounds somewhat distorted, not clean as it is supposed to be.

Am I overpowering something or doing something wrong? I tend to hit the string pretty hard---just how I do it---but could that be the problem--certainly it only happens when I am rocking hard on riffs.

Am I under powered?

I just bought an Avatar 2x12...hope this will help---whactha all think>?

thanks for any help

 

[theshadow2001]

If have an active bass try changing the battery. It could be the root of the distortion.

Also is your bass knob boosted alot on the bass itself?

Are you sure that your running flat?Do you have the enhance knob cranked. This I think cuts mids and boosts lows and highs.

Are you sure these speakers can take such a high wattage? 300 watts seems really high for a single ten inch speaker. Im not familiar with the brand you mentioned but 300 watts and a ten inch speaker doesnt sound right not that its impossible or anyhting(or is it???)They are definitely both 8 ohm speakers?

Is the head tube or pre amp tube? It might need some re-tube.

Have the cabinets been used some in some other application with a different amp? If they were mistreated it could be the source of the problem.Have you checked the amp with different speakers or the speakers with a different amp?

Failing all that I'd take it to a tech because it seems your settings are quite low to be farting out.

remember underpowering doesn't cause your speakers to be damaged. If people with really high wattage amps play really quitely they dont blow anything up. Its sending the amp into clipping that causes damge to the speakers. Clipping doesn't affect the amp negatively apart from sound quality

 

[KJung]

You should be getting a very clean signal from your TF at that setting. Just to make sure you aren't clipping the input... turn the compressor on and adjust the input until the compressor light just barely comes on with your hardest playing on your E string... then, if you don't want to use the compressor, turn it back off. That's kind of a 'poor mans' way of setting your input gain at the optimal (hottest without distoring) level.

I would try just playing with the 12 also to see if it sounds better, since you might be pushing that little 10 to hard... I don't think those particular cabs are designed for aggressize playing.

Good Luck