Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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 free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
ShuttleMax 12.0 with two 8 ohm cabs?
- Thread starter boing
- Start date
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
- 4,741
- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
I use that combo very often... What can i say.. I like it so much that i use it often.
I did a series of Christmas shows where i used my shuttle 12 through a pair of 4 ohm EAW wedges and that just slammed . in a good way...
Loud present, yet organic feeling and not too stiff...
the max 12 will two 4 ohms cabs all day long without any issues at all... even on outdoor 100 degree days.. i did a festival this past summer , stage temp was about 103.. shuttle didnt even hiccup.. and again i was loud on stage..
Shuttle max 6 is a cool amp too if you want dual input channels one FET or TUBE and perfect for 2 8 ohm cabs..
I did a series of Christmas shows where i used my shuttle 12 through a pair of 4 ohm EAW wedges and that just slammed . in a good way...
Loud present, yet organic feeling and not too stiff...
the max 12 will two 4 ohms cabs all day long without any issues at all... even on outdoor 100 degree days.. i did a festival this past summer , stage temp was about 103.. shuttle didnt even hiccup.. and again i was loud on stage..
Shuttle max 6 is a cool amp too if you want dual input channels one FET or TUBE and perfect for 2 8 ohm cabs..
wish i could sleep... 
OK, here goes...I already use a 6.0, and love the tone at low volumes. At higher levels, it seems the limiter/tube emulating circuit kicks in and I lose the clarity that I like so much. I do like cranking the preamp tube for character, but that's a different kind of organic tone than the muddiness I get with the master turned up. Even with 12ax7 turned down, the tone gets sloppier when loud.
I'm also wondering what the impact will be on feel and responsiveness going from a 4 ohm load to two 8 ohm loads. I'd like to think I haven't got the ear to notice such things, but I keep disappointing myself.
PS- unless I fall completely in love with the FET channel, I suspect I may end up with a 9.0...unless the GB guys do the unexpected and release something groundbreaking in 2010...
OK, here goes...I already use a 6.0, and love the tone at low volumes. At higher levels, it seems the limiter/tube emulating circuit kicks in and I lose the clarity that I like so much. I do like cranking the preamp tube for character, but that's a different kind of organic tone than the muddiness I get with the master turned up. Even with 12ax7 turned down, the tone gets sloppier when loud.
I'm also wondering what the impact will be on feel and responsiveness going from a 4 ohm load to two 8 ohm loads. I'd like to think I haven't got the ear to notice such things, but I keep disappointing myself.
PS- unless I fall completely in love with the FET channel, I suspect I may end up with a 9.0...unless the GB guys do the unexpected and release something groundbreaking in 2010...
I prefer the 12 for the better eq section.
EDIT: you can also run one 4 ohm load from the 12, just daisy chain the cabs; but you should get the same result from two 8 ohm loads. I A/B'ed the 6.0 and 12.0 the other day, both through a neox212, with almost identical eq settings, and the 12.0 just sounded clearer.
EDIT: you can also run one 4 ohm load from the 12, just daisy chain the cabs; but you should get the same result from two 8 ohm loads. I A/B'ed the 6.0 and 12.0 the other day, both through a neox212, with almost identical eq settings, and the 12.0 just sounded clearer.
PS- unless I fall completely in love with the FET channel, I suspect I may end up with a 9.0...unless the GB guys do the unexpected and relase something groundbreaking in 2010...
This is why I went Max 12 over the 9.0. I really prefer the FET channel. The added EQ is nice but I don't use it much. I prefer to be able to blend the FET and Tube preamps. I use just a touch of tube, but most of my sound is FET. I love the clean, full sound. I know you can dial back the tube on the 9.0 but it isn't the same as blending it with 2 individual volume knobs. The headroom is nice, as is the fact that the Max 12 can handle just about any gig and cab combination.
The ShuttleMAX12 will sound great with two 8ohm cabs run separately @ 375watts each. To get a really huge sound, you might need to feed the 8ohm cabs more watts. And that's the one major downside to the SM12: for practical purposes, you need two 4ohm cabs to maximize its 1200 watt power potential.
Sometimes, however, it just isn't possible to make the cab of your dreams in a 4ohm configuration.
The SM12 wins you back with its two-channel FET / tube preamps and extreme EQ capability. I was a very satisfied Shutlle 6.0 user. But I was surprised by how much I liked the FET on the SM12. I add just a touch of tube for electric bass. I turn the tube off for my acoustic bass guitar. The EQ provides maximum flexibility. I can't see going backward, sonically speaking, even compaerd to the 500watt @ 8ohm capability of the Shuttle 9.0.
My cab is an LDS 15/6 @ 8ohm. It needs a lot of power to express its potential - way more than the SM12 can provide. I like the 15/6 tone and depth so much that I added a QSC PLX 3602 power amp and put both into a rack. I suppose that's a step backward with the extra weight. What I get back is the incomparable tone of the SM12 with 725 watts per 8ohm cab. And you get the same tone and depth at lower volume, which is great for acoustic, jazz, etc. So I settled for the weight.
Someday, when GB upgrades power capability in the MAX line, you'll see the amp & rack for sale on TB. Meanwhile, heave ho...
Sometimes, however, it just isn't possible to make the cab of your dreams in a 4ohm configuration.
The SM12 wins you back with its two-channel FET / tube preamps and extreme EQ capability. I was a very satisfied Shutlle 6.0 user. But I was surprised by how much I liked the FET on the SM12. I add just a touch of tube for electric bass. I turn the tube off for my acoustic bass guitar. The EQ provides maximum flexibility. I can't see going backward, sonically speaking, even compaerd to the 500watt @ 8ohm capability of the Shuttle 9.0.
My cab is an LDS 15/6 @ 8ohm. It needs a lot of power to express its potential - way more than the SM12 can provide. I like the 15/6 tone and depth so much that I added a QSC PLX 3602 power amp and put both into a rack. I suppose that's a step backward with the extra weight. What I get back is the incomparable tone of the SM12 with 725 watts per 8ohm cab. And you get the same tone and depth at lower volume, which is great for acoustic, jazz, etc. So I settled for the weight.
Someday, when GB upgrades power capability in the MAX line, you'll see the amp & rack for sale on TB. Meanwhile, heave ho...
The Max 12 (as stated above) will deliver 375 watts to each side with 8 ohm cabs... an incredible 750 watts of smooth, buttery bliss. You can mix / blend the tude and FET... it IS the best of both worlds. The 9.0 is a good strong amp to get you to 900 watts at 4 ohms, but the sound difference is not really very audible.
Either way, you really can not go wrong. (... but with the Max 12 you can get really stinking loud with 4 ohms per side!!)
Either way, you really can not go wrong. (... but with the Max 12 you can get really stinking loud with 4 ohms per side!!)
Ukiah Bass said it really well. The MAX12 just didn't work well for me with my 8 ohm cabs. The entire Shuttle series (I have a 6.0, and now a 9.0...which replaced the MAX12.0) seems to be much happier when run @ 4-ohms. Strictly my opinion/experience there, so filter that in. I can say I'm ecstatic with the 9.0, both @ 8 ohms and 4 ohms.
Let me correct one slight item... the 9.0 did NOT replace the Max 12. Shuttle series has 3.0, 6.0 & 9.0... the Max Series is 6.0 and 12.0 - all current models.
I think the difference is audible between the Max 12 and 9.0 and I'm struggling with that right now as I have both at home. I own the Max 12, but all the 9.0 talk got me wondering so I brought one home for a couple days to compare. I run a Shuttle 112 8 ohm cab.
The 9.0 seems to push the cab better, but the sound is not a clear as the Max 12. More tubey I guess, and I had the FET and Tube pre's at the same level on the Max 12. I tried hard to keep things as similar as possible. I think the 9.0 is more tight or compressed and the Max 12 is a little more clean and clear if that makes sense.
The 9.0 does seem to work better with the 8 ohm cab, but I'm not sure if that's the sound I want. I'm guessing if I had a 4 ohm cab that I would be happier, but I don't want to haul around an Uber 212 or 410 as they are WAY overkill for my gigs - and my back.
I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't go wrong with either amp so it's really just deciding between the extreme tweakability of the Max 12 or the simple but sweet punchy, tight tone and even better portability of the 9.0.
Have to play them more today. Wish I had a gig in the next couple days.
Thanks for the correction of the correction. 
I was referring to ME with that statement - I sold my MAX12.0 to purchase a 9.0.
I was really intrigued by the MAX12.0 when I first heard one. It really is a terrific amp. I dug it because mixing the pre channels made it sound good with all of my basses. (The "hi-fi-ish" MTD and Sadowsky never sounded good to my ears through my Shuttle 6.0.) I very rarely touched any of the EQ knobs, and I just found the output lagging through my 8-ohm cabs. When I sampled the Shuttle 9.0, I was ecstatic to hear those same basses sound terrific. That, combined with the output, simply made it a better choice for me. Into a single 8-ohm cab, it offers noticeably more oomph than the MAX12, and when driving two 8-ohm cabs it really seems to be in its happy place.
YMMV, of course. Hopefully you can experiment a bit to see what works best for you.
I was referring to ME with that statement - I sold my MAX12.0 to purchase a 9.0. I was really intrigued by the MAX12.0 when I first heard one. It really is a terrific amp. I dug it because mixing the pre channels made it sound good with all of my basses. (The "hi-fi-ish" MTD and Sadowsky never sounded good to my ears through my Shuttle 6.0.) I very rarely touched any of the EQ knobs, and I just found the output lagging through my 8-ohm cabs. When I sampled the Shuttle 9.0, I was ecstatic to hear those same basses sound terrific. That, combined with the output, simply made it a better choice for me. Into a single 8-ohm cab, it offers noticeably more oomph than the MAX12, and when driving two 8-ohm cabs it really seems to be in its happy place.
YMMV, of course. Hopefully you can experiment a bit to see what works best for you.
