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Putting a cab on a combo? help!

T

Tomohawk92

Jun 17, 2009
9
0
#1
I bought an acoustic b100 combo and it has a "external speaker" jack in the back so I assume I can put a cabinet on it.. and I'm thinking about the b115 1x15 cab 250W. Will this work - do I have to put them next to each other or can I put one on top of the other, and how do I know I can even combine the two?

Thanks in advance for the help

also - should I have gotten a head + cab opposed to this setup?
 
#2
you should be able to.

I have a Fender 250watt 2x10 bassman pro combo and I have attached an Ashdown Mag series 1X15 onto it. All you need is some speaker cable. Either 1/4" or Speakon depending on the connectors available on your equipment. Personally I generally stack the 2x10 on top of the 1x15 that way the high end is a little closer to my ears and I can hear my attack a little better. hope that helps.
 
#6
Tomohawk92 said:
uh-oh.. there's options of gauges.. 12,14,16,18. the 18's are cheaper, does that mean anything?
Click to expand...


From tunemybass.com:

-----------------
Use Speaker Cable!
It’s important to use speaker cables to hook up your bass head to your cabinet. Though instrument cables used between your bass and amp input look similar, they are not. Speaker cables are thicker. Gauge numbers can be confusing. The thicker the cable, the lower the number. Use at least an 18- or 16-gauge speaker cable so you don’t damage your bass rig.
-----------------


I lifted this directly from tunemybass.com. It is a sister site to studybass.com. It has TONS of information about all things bass-related. I also have a combo and will eventually want to get an extension cab. I'll probably be using this site as a primer for learning all about amps, ohms, speakons, etc. You might find it useful.

Best of luck in your search.
 
#7
Tomohawk92 said:
I bought an acoustic b100 combo and it has a "external speaker" jack in the back so I assume I can put a cabinet on it.. and I'm thinking about the b115 1x15 cab 250W. Will this work - do I have to put them next to each other or can I put one on top of the other, and how do I know I can even combine the two?

Thanks in advance for the help

also - should I have gotten a head + cab opposed to this setup?
Click to expand...

If you are getting the Acoustic b100, then it is most likely a 4ohm connection. The Acoustic B115 is sold as an option for this combo, so I'd have to assume that it is a 4ohm cab. No problem, or for that matter no problem with any 4 ohm (or whatever the rating is) cabinet. Don't know why you couldn't stack them. You might have to take the casters off the top one tho'. I'd be tempted to seperate them if it was me.
 
#8
lowend219 said:
you should be able to.

I have a Fender 250watt 2x10 bassman pro combo and I have attached an Ashdown Mag series 1X15 onto it. All you need is some speaker cable. Either 1/4" or Speakon depending on the connectors available on your equipment. Personally I generally stack the 2x10 on top of the 1x15 that way the high end is a little closer to my ears and I can hear my attack a little better. hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Are you sure your combo can take an extension? I'm not aware of a pro version Bassman 250/210 combo. I know you can plug an extension in but, the internals already at 4ohm. Just checking :eyebrow:
 
#9
rcarraher said:
If you are getting the Acoustic b100, then it is most likely a 4ohm connection. The Acoustic B115 is sold as an option for this combo, so I'd have to assume that it is a 4ohm cab.
Click to expand...
Not sure about the extension cab, but you're right...the Acoustic B100 combo already runs at 4 ohms, so you would have to add a 4 ohm extension cab to it in order not to blow it up. Cheaper combos often run at 4 ohms to get max wattage out of a smaller amp, so they make the speaker inputs serial instead of parallel. That means you have to run a 4 ohm cab with it, and it also means that you'll cut your available wattage in half because two 4 ohm cabs will make an 8 ohm load.

There is good news, though...two identical cabs always sound better than one, and the extra cab would probably boost the volume enough to where you wouldn't notice the loss of wattage. This is something you definitely want to try before you buy, though.
 
#11
JimmyM said:
Not sure about the extension cab, but you're right...the Acoustic B100 combo already runs at 4 ohms, so you would have to add a 4 ohm extension cab to it in order not to blow it up. Cheaper combos often run at 4 ohms to get max wattage out of a smaller amp, so they make the speaker inputs serial instead of parallel. That means you have to run a 4 ohm cab with it, and it also means that you'll cut your available wattage in half because two 4 ohm cabs will make an 8 ohm load.

There is good news, though...two identical cabs always sound better than one, and the extra cab would probably boost the volume enough to where you wouldn't notice the loss of wattage. This is something you definitely want to try before you buy, though.
Click to expand...

Am I losing my mind :p I always thought two 4ohm cabs would present a 2ohm load?
 
#12
JimmyM said:
Not sure about the extension cab, but you're right...the Acoustic B100 combo already runs at 4 ohms, so you would have to add a 4 ohm extension cab to it in order not to blow it up. Cheaper combos often run at 4 ohms to get max wattage out of a smaller amp, so they make the speaker inputs serial instead of parallel. That means you have to run a 4 ohm cab with it, and it also means that you'll cut your available wattage in half because two 4 ohm cabs will make an 8 ohm load.

There is good news, though...two identical cabs always sound better than one, and the extra cab would probably boost the volume enough to where you wouldn't notice the loss of wattage. This is something you definitely want to try before you buy, though.
Click to expand...

On the site it says impedance is 8 ohms on both the combo and cab.. does that mean the max resistance (ohms) for the combo is 8 and to achieve 8 ohms you need the initial 4 that it runs on and a matching rating on the cabinet: 8 ohms?
 
#13
jbassbob said:
Am I losing my mind :p I always thought two 4ohm cabs would present a 2ohm load?
Click to expand...
Not if the amp has serial speaker jacks. Parallel jacks, yes, it will be 2 ohms, but cheaper combos usually have serial jacks so you can use a smaller amp and get more wattage out of the built-in cab. And those will reduce a 4 ohm load to 8 ohms with two 4 ohm cabs. But the vast majority of bass heads and your better combos have parallel jacks, so in that case two 4 ohm cabs will be a 2 ohm load.
 
#15
JimmyM said:
Not if the amp has serial speaker jacks. Parallel jacks, yes, it will be 2 ohms, but cheaper combos usually have serial jacks so you can use a smaller amp and get more wattage out of the built-in cab. And those will reduce a 4 ohm load to 8 ohms with two 4 ohm cabs. But the vast majority of bass heads and your better combos have parallel jacks, so in that case two 4 ohm cabs will be a 2 ohm load.
Click to expand...

Gotcha, I wasn't aware about parallel jacks on combos. Thanks!
 
#16
Tomohawk92 said:
On the site it says impedance is 8 ohms on both the combo and cab.. does that mean the max resistance (ohms) for the combo is 8 and to achieve 8 ohms you need the initial 4 that it runs on and a matching rating on the cabinet: 8 ohms?
Click to expand...
Hmmm...the plot thickens...the B115 IS 8 ohms. Says so in the advertising. But the B100 isn't so obvious about its impedance. All I can find is "full power as a combo," and "serial speaker jacks," which usually means it's running at 4 ohms. So if you add an 8 ohm cab, it would work, but the power to each one would be uneven.

And I have to go to a gig now and don't have time to investigate further, but I'm sure you guys will figure it out ;)
 

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