Yes...also a local radio company in my small town was a speaker distributor in the 50s thru the 70s and blown Jensen speakers in 50s Fenders were common especially when used for bass guitars...Fender got away from Jensen in the early 60s and open back cabs for Bassman amps...the 50s Fender open back bass amps weren't ideally suited for bass at all...along came Ampeg B15N and the 60s Bassmans things got better.
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NCD: Ampeg 810E, tell me more about it
- Thread starter baxter_x
- Start date
Camry backseat...impressive! In the 80's I fit one in the back of my Mazda GLC hatchback with the rear seats down. Not sure how I wrangled it in though.
For the OP, it's got 8 speakers and is crazy heavy. There are many lightweight options like Barefaced but use what makes you happy.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,067
- 5
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- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
The implications are quite small at lower power in a ported or sealed cabinet (and especially in the open back cabinet designs).
In practice, it makes a small difference compared to how the mythology suggests night and day difference. At much higher power, it can make more of a difference because the reaction forces on the wood panels are greater.
I have some old BFI cabs that are loaded with EVM18Bs. The cabs were originally unbraced and made of extremely low-grade plywood. The cabs are too small for the drivers, so not a lot of lows. However, they originally sounded full close to cabs, but the lows seemed to die off quickly with distance. The low end was unfocused/woolly (awful).
I installed braces that put tension on the panels by pulling the sides, top, bottom, and back inward. No room to brace the front panel. I also lined the inner panels with fiberglass batting. Now they sound is tighter and leaner up close, but the lows seem to project better. IMHO, the do sound better, but still not great.
So my perception is an overly flexy box is not a good thing for bass.
It barely fit! I bought it years ago at a pawn and I measured 1st before I bought it..it's a cheapie Acoustic 8x10 I modded by adding internal.bracing as it was an all open sealed cab which sealed cabs the internal dimensions you have at least a bit of room to deviate size...it worked well, much tighter bass....pawn couldn't give it away it was spray painted on grill cloth which I painted black....it doesn't leave the house lol!
I would chose the Fender bassman neo that I owned a several years ago. Fantastic cab and not too heavy.
But that Ampeg 810 will probably not move much. And I got it at such a low price, I'll be able to sell it quickly if I want.
Just for the pleasure, both amps plugged in the cab:
In 2006 sometime, they went back to plywood.
You’ll need a head that can do 2 ohms, or one head slaved into another one. But I get the appeal. Still, I’d rather have an 810…if I could still move one around on the regular and not get a heart attack.No doubt.
I don't see myself buying a 410 either, not when I can grab one of my 210s in each hand. I can see myself buying 2 more 8ohm 210s to go with the two I already have though
Well considering the fact that I own a 2ohm capable Mesa D-800+ & a 2 ohm capable Mesa 800D, and a pedal board that can swap between or drive two amps at the same time, I think I got it covered. Matter of fact because of my board and two amps, I could run two 4 cab stacks made up from all 8 ohm cabs. And the 4 cab stack that I have right now(115x2 + 210x2) has a little more speaker surface area than an 810
I could also turn the tuner pedal off (it's normally "always on") and run a third amp from it, dry signal only. And I do have a third amp, a 4 ohm GK Goldline 500 on top of a 4 ohm GK Neo IV 212 that is my "church" rig. I could always use the GK GL 500 and run two more 8ohm cabs instead of the 212, giving me the ability to run three amps and ten 8ohm cabs all at once. Oh the insanity of it all
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Wasnex does not like this cabinet. I do, and so do MANY others.
Yes it's heavy. Is it worth it. Yes. And then no.
Yes it's heavy. Is it worth it. Yes. And then no.
I can understand why he doesn't. I share his view I feel the Fender neo that had was better. However there is something weird about that cab. Once in a mix, it seems to become alive and really shines. That's how I feel it every time I played one onstage.
Is this cab from the famous "dark" era?
I didn't feel like it was particularly dark. But It's my first Ampeg 810.
Nope, they cleared up that issue sometime in 2006. Well before November.
Be rather expensive to add neos, and cheap but expensive ones no thanks. Have 2 OSB cabs and 1 plywood. Dont care either way. Sound mostly the same.
I just tilt it back and push, nothing to carry. Rather have one cabinet opposed to multiple cabinets you have to carry. After about 10 years the wheels get worn out. The only annoying process to go through replacing them. The vinyl gets shredded from loading, first one bothers you 10 or 15 years later, Dont care.
I have one favorite cab, it is OSB you can tell I use it the most because the sides are shredded. Not a real way to explain the difference very subtle.
Being a complete Ampeg expert I can tell you it is black and has 8 speakers. likely after you get use to it, wont really care about any other cab.
Good to have 3 of them, just to say you have 3 and then leave one at practice, toss one in a vehicle for shows. Then a 3rd one for no reason but can plank it in your bedroom or practice naked stage dives into bed. Or just take 2 to a show and let everybody know, why you are the headliner.
I just tilt it back and push, nothing to carry. Rather have one cabinet opposed to multiple cabinets you have to carry. After about 10 years the wheels get worn out. The only annoying process to go through replacing them. The vinyl gets shredded from loading, first one bothers you 10 or 15 years later, Dont care.
I have one favorite cab, it is OSB you can tell I use it the most because the sides are shredded. Not a real way to explain the difference very subtle.
Being a complete Ampeg expert I can tell you it is black and has 8 speakers. likely after you get use to it, wont really care about any other cab.
Good to have 3 of them, just to say you have 3 and then leave one at practice, toss one in a vehicle for shows. Then a 3rd one for no reason but can plank it in your bedroom or practice naked stage dives into bed. Or just take 2 to a show and let everybody know, why you are the headliner.
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Shouldn't be a dark sounding cabinet...
There was a time in the late 2010s (just before covid) where I was playing weekly through a Mesa Carbine M9 hooked to an 810e cabinet.
That was an incredibly good sounding combination. The midrange was just right, and the really low thump was such a pleasure at relatively low rehearsal volumes. Occasionally I got herded into a room that had a Heritage cab - but they let me carry the M9 over. The Heritage cab didn't sound as nice to my ears, so I began to ask the band MD to make sure we got the room with the 810e in it.
Couldn't imagine owning one, though. There's just no way I could transport one, and venues always loathe it when someone shows up to a gig with one, because it means the bass player is going to probably need a stern talking to to keep their volume under control, especially at some of the newer venues where dB meters are running throughout the show.
There was a time in the late 2010s (just before covid) where I was playing weekly through a Mesa Carbine M9 hooked to an 810e cabinet.
That was an incredibly good sounding combination. The midrange was just right, and the really low thump was such a pleasure at relatively low rehearsal volumes. Occasionally I got herded into a room that had a Heritage cab - but they let me carry the M9 over. The Heritage cab didn't sound as nice to my ears, so I began to ask the band MD to make sure we got the room with the 810e in it.
Couldn't imagine owning one, though. There's just no way I could transport one, and venues always loathe it when someone shows up to a gig with one, because it means the bass player is going to probably need a stern talking to to keep their volume under control, especially at some of the newer venues where dB meters are running throughout the show.
