• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Im officially a "No" tweeter guy

All tweeters have press-on spade type connectors. Just gently disconnect the spade connector from the tweeter (the positive + wire) and tape it up and let it dangle inside the cabinet. No need to cut the wire, it could just mean a more extensive repair project down the road should you decide to sell the cab. Just saying.

I was thinking the same thing...

balderdash. (been waiting to use that word)

Good word, I oft use flapdoodle or tommyrot :)
 
No damage to the crossover is possible in cutting off the tweeter. However keep in mind that anything the crossover would send to the tweeter is being filtered out, not being sent to the woofer.

In some crossover designs disconnecting the tweeter can present a short circuit to the amp at the crosssover frequency.
Instead of disconnecting tweeters, turn your treble down on your amp, or use the lpad, if there's hiss and no lpad, you can hang a piece of felt in front of the tweeter.

A good tweeter, in a good design never gets in the way of good tone.

This was maybe what I was thinking/read that disconnecting the crossover would be bad.
 
I thought I read somewhere that disconnecting the tweeter on the CMD was a no no with regards to potentially damaging the crossover, not sure?


Most likely doesn't have a crossover, just a resistor in front of the tweet to protect the amp.

You can cut whatever wired you need to so it just goes input jack---> woofer and it'll be just fine.

Could also put a simple on/off switch in the + wire going to the piezo to shut it off.

In any case, leave the tweeter mounted in the cab, even if it's disconnected, just to plug the hole it's mounted in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Black Bart
No damage to the crossover is possible in cutting off the tweeter. However keep in mind that anything the crossover would send to the tweeter is being filtered out, not being sent to the woofer.


Piezo's don't need a crossover. They can be filtered but very, very few do that. They filter themselves off at about 12db/oct. and most are just strung along with whatever else is in the cab.

Hell, most bass cabs don't have crossovers either. The woofers get the fullrange signal and only the tweeter is highpassed to protect it from lows.
 
Last edited:
This was maybe what I was thinking/read that disconnecting the crossover would be bad.

It's crossover-specific. In the case of a full second order or higher crossover and a non-piezo driver, just disconnecting the tweeter creates a very low impedance point at the crossover network's resonant frequency. That's probably what you read.
 
In some crossover designs disconnecting the tweeter can present a short circuit to the amp at the crosssover frequency.
Instead of disconnecting tweeters, turn your treble down on your amp, or use the lpad, if there's hiss and no lpad, you can hang a piece of felt in front of the tweeter.

A good tweeter, in a good design never gets in the way of good tone.

Maybe some will consider pulling the entire input dish/cross-over and replacing it with one that goes straight to the woofers with no crossover in the mix.
 
Possible misunderstanding/concept of what "flat" setting is and how a passive tone (attenuator) works vs. an active system with CENTER DETENT controls.

This. The F Bass likely had an active EQ system, where 1/2 or Noon, or 5/10 is "flat" ie no boost OR Cut to that Freq. On a passive Jazz bass, *most* of the time, having the knob set on anything other than its full value will result in some treble being rolled off to the capacitor in the circuit. ~80% of the time, my controls are WFO on all my basses.
 
If one wants to disconnect the tweeter in their bass cab, best practice is to also disconnect the crossover circuit board, l-pad, and whatever else might be there so the signal just goes straight from the jack to the woofer with no other parts in between, just like an old-school cab that only has one type of speaker in it. Then you don't need to worry about what type of crossover it has or what type of tweeter it has or any of that stuff and know everything will be Ok.

Leave the un-used components mounted in the cab, both to plug their mounting holes and also so you can easily return it to original condition should you decide to sell it someday.
 
I have almost always turned my tweeters down to about 30% on every cab I've had - and it works for me. All the way and I loose some of the ring/snap that I like;
If I didn't want the tweeter there, plenty of folks make cabs without tweeters - but I do. Just not up all the way.
I also like brand new round-wound strings. I like that dog to RING!
 
When I perform, there is usually a DI right before my amp in the signal chain. This makes me think that a clean flat amp and a full range cab would be the best way of hearing what I actually sound like into the board.

I like the sound of my cab with the tweeter off, however. Maybe I should look into pedals that could simulate a tweeterless cab..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scottkarch
When I perform, there is usually a DI right before my amp in the signal chain. This makes me think that a clean flat amp and a full range cab would be the best way of hearing what I actually sound like into the board.

I like the sound of my cab with the tweeter off, however. Maybe I should look into pedals that could simulate a tweeterless cab..

Low-pass everything below 3khz (thereabouts to taste) and you are there. If you had an amp with a graphic EQ (Carvin for example) you could just dump those sliders on those frequencies. 3khz and up, more or less.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oysteivi
I bought an Ampeg 410HLF cabinet second hand. The first time i heard it I said OMG what a crappy sound is this? Like I had totally new strings or something. Oooooh, wait there is a tweeter in the cab, with a control knob! I turned the tweeter all the way off! Now that's better! Now i love this cab. The tweeter is totally useless for me ; I am a bass player!
 
When I perform, there is usually a DI right before my amp in the signal chain. This makes me think that a clean flat amp and a full range cab would be the best way of hearing what I actually sound like into the board.

I like the sound of my cab with the tweeter off, however. Maybe I should look into pedals that could simulate a tweeterless cab..


That's one approach. There are filter units, parametric eq's, etc. you can buy that help remove stuff you don't want sent to the house. Some OD/distortion/fuzz pedals have features like that built in as well. Of course, a mic on a cone speaker naturally does a similar thing.

If you send an absolute dry DI right off the bass, then the soundguy has to do that stuff externally at the board. Great if he's on your payroll and knows you, your band, and your desired sound. Not so great for him/her, or you, if you're one band on a five band bill and none of you have ever met before.

Comes down to the individual situation and whether or not FOH is acting like a producer, reproducer, or noisemaker. Same goes for the folks in the band.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oysteivi
I have almost always turned my tweeters down to about 30% on every cab I've had - and it works for me. All the way and I loose some of the ring/snap that I like;
If I didn't want the tweeter there, plenty of folks make cabs without tweeters - but I do. Just not up all the way.
I also like brand new round-wound strings. I like that dog to RING!
That's the way I like it too: a bit of tweeter will do it.
This because I believe one has to exaggerate the mids & highs somewhat to have the perfect Basssound in the mix.
(a bit of sparkle that's not in your face, but enhances your tone. I hope I'm getting my point across...)
The further sound-adjustments I do with my fingers.
For those non-tweeterees, I respect their opinion and taste.
 
When I run my PA (not big fancy stuff, regular workingclass stuff, if that), I start by chopping off/ignoring the extreme top and bottom octaves, those being 20-40hz and 10-20khz. That stuff isn't even audible to a lot of people and causes more problems than it solves, IMO. What's left in between (40hz-10khz) is tone, and it really wouldn't hurt anything to shrink that to 50hz-8khz IMO.

If your bass rig reaches 5khz, there's only one octave left on the top side, and whatever you've got going on up there will be completely washed out by cymbals, vocal overtones and guitars, keys, horns, etc.

4khz is treble for a bass guitar.

Though if you disconnect everything but the tweeters from a speaker system, you should still be able to hear the remnants of a bass line plinking along in there somewhere. It shouldn't 100% disappear, IMO...more like 96. :)
 
I very respectfully and humbly disagree but difference's in opinions are what make the world go round. (usually) I want a tweeter that is relatively smooth in it's output, vs. a very clanky tweet that is all about 3khz and nothing else. If I turn my tweeter up, it's because I WANT to notice and hear it. If I don't I turn it down. I like to have options :)

My point is--if your at a relatively flat setting the tweeter should bring detail all the way up without being noticeable. That's why our amps have treble controls. If you start with a good sounding tweeter---it's still going to be good sounding if it's boosted. Or cut. But a tweeter that is harsh sounding as part of a relatively flat curve--it's going to sound NASTY if it's boosted.

I want to use a tweeter that would sound great in a PA top. If you used the tweeters in most bass cabs in a PA box---it would be unlistenable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: will33

Latest posts