I run an Aguilar tone hammer 700 and a single 112 Aguilar 8ohm cab.
This band that I just joined practices at such a high volume but I can't hear the detail in my playing that I would prefer.
The Aguilar cab is rear ported.
I'm considering a new 4ohm cab so that I can get the full 700 Watts out of the amp.
I do own a second 112 8ohm cab but I hate to have to schlep two cabs and an amp to every rehearsal.
Will a single forearm cab make a big difference? Would a front port vs rear Port make a big difference.
Suggestions welcome.
First off, there’s some very good advice from the previous posters. Especially earplugs. If you’re playing with band mates that insist on practicing at loud volume, -which is completely unnecessary, IMHO, definitely wear earplugs. The first thing
I would do is politely ask if volume levels could be brought down, especially at rehearsals. But I’ve also been down the same path. More on this later.
I use a TH500/GS112x2 setup for medium sized rooms. It can get quite loud, and I bet with the additional 200 watts that your TH700 provides, using both of your 112 cabinets will be enough volume for practically any gig.
Volume Wars: Back when I depended on gig money to make ends meet, I was in a very good band, that was regularly booked on good paying gigs.
So in essence, I was pay-stuck.
We were only a trio, but the Guitarist/Lead Vocalist was one of the loudest guitarists that I’ve ever played with. And all he ever used was a Fender style 2-12” all-tube combo amp! The drummer had the latest, greatest DW drum kit that really projected the sound. I religiously wore earplugs. I already have tinnitus, I didn’t want it to get any worse.
It was the same routine at every gig: Once the crowd started getting into the band, and hit the dance floor, the guitarist would up a little. Then the drummer would start hitting harder to hear himself. Then, the guitar player would turn up some more……You get the idea.
So, I assembled this rack. I used different speaker cabinets back then. Both 8 ohm cabinets. A Bergantino HT210 and a Bergantino HT115.
That guitarist and drummer could still make it hard for me to hear myself, which looking back, is ridiculous. (I also believe how the Bergantinos are “Voiced” were a part of the problem. They sounded a bit more “Polite”, so they didn’t punch through the mix as well as other brands of cabinets that I now own.) I ran the power amp in stereo, so each cabinet was getting roughly 600 watts.
EQ: Those band mates forced me to learn about EQ. And I learned over time was that the low mids band is your best friend. You can actually turn your bass control knob down some, and boost those low mids.
But bottom line to me now, is you should also enjoy and actually have fun playing in a band. So, if this group doesn’t want to turn the volume down to a sane level, it might not be a bad idea for you to look for a different band.
