I'm wondering what speaker sizes you guys like to play most, how many, and why. Also, if you like buying heads and cabinets, or if you like combo amps better. Please give an opinion and and explanation. Thanks!
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Speaker Sizes?
- Thread starter dajman1800
- Start date
As a DIY'er, I can let my tone quality be dictated by design more than by driver diameter. Thus it comes down to how much air I need to move, and for most of my work as a jazz player, a 1x12 is ample.
Combo is preferable for convenience, given that I am not using big gear. Presently I am using a head & speaker for my larger rig, as I experiment with speaker designs. But I intend to put a Class-D power amp module inside the speaker, or get a lightweight head, eventually.
Combo is preferable for convenience, given that I am not using big gear. Presently I am using a head & speaker for my larger rig, as I experiment with speaker designs. But I intend to put a Class-D power amp module inside the speaker, or get a lightweight head, eventually.
Well, I voted 12's because I could only pick one and I think if you can only have one size 12's are the best sound stand alone. But my rig is a 212/210 setup, which is better than either one size on it's own!
How about any/all? It really comes down to tone- speaker size can somewhat describe tone in a very general way, but I find that many cabs do not fit into the driver diameter tone stereotype.
Speaker diameter has little to do with tone anymore. For example, my Acme 2x10 cabs have the bass extension of 18's with the punch of 10's. And without all the boominess.
I'm surprised to see that large of a percentage for 12"s but I love them. The 10"s were a close second though. The only 15" cabinet I ever liked was the Ampeg SVT215 Gene Simmons model that I got to play through at a show. The other band's bassist that it belonged to said the same thing about it.
10's are an all around great performing speaker that can cover a wide variety of shows and hence the reason I like them more. They can offer high end extension up to around 5khz, which means you can roll off that horn tweeter if needed. They can offer low end extension down to 40hz which is enough to cover a 4 string, however most designs roll off around 50hz. I have never heard a 5 string player complain about their B if the cab is designed right.
12's are great performing speakers which tend to favor the low mids, have great punch, but an overall lack of upper frequency extension sitting between 10's and 12's. Generally due to the crossover frequencies that are used for most horn tweeters, this is a non issue.
15's have a rich, almost lush like sounding low end if properly designed. The smaller the cabinet though, the more likely you are to find a lack of lows, and a more pronounced overtone above the fundamental. They almost always tend to fall off in frequency response around 2k-3.5k. This is not a huge issue however if you use a lower crossed over high frequency device. 15's would have the greatest potential to sound best for bass guitar, but this is not always the case due to the cabinet size required for that kind of sound. They can benefit much from having a dedicated mid speaker such as a 6-8" cone.
18's are good for R&B, but will never have the highs for a full range tone. They will be able to produce the fundamental note of the E & B strings (or lower) however will require a huge cabinet to really open up. These cabs are great for a bi-amp design, and most players I have seen use them opted for a 4x10 for the tops. They rarely required ANY low eq boosting for a full rich tone.
I have no comments on other speaker sizes, as I have no experience with them.
My preference, 10's. They just fit right, and can offer the same low end extension that a 4 string player like me needs. 15's are my next preference, but I would opt to have a combination of 15's and 10's for my ultimate rig.
12's are great performing speakers which tend to favor the low mids, have great punch, but an overall lack of upper frequency extension sitting between 10's and 12's. Generally due to the crossover frequencies that are used for most horn tweeters, this is a non issue.
15's have a rich, almost lush like sounding low end if properly designed. The smaller the cabinet though, the more likely you are to find a lack of lows, and a more pronounced overtone above the fundamental. They almost always tend to fall off in frequency response around 2k-3.5k. This is not a huge issue however if you use a lower crossed over high frequency device. 15's would have the greatest potential to sound best for bass guitar, but this is not always the case due to the cabinet size required for that kind of sound. They can benefit much from having a dedicated mid speaker such as a 6-8" cone.
18's are good for R&B, but will never have the highs for a full range tone. They will be able to produce the fundamental note of the E & B strings (or lower) however will require a huge cabinet to really open up. These cabs are great for a bi-amp design, and most players I have seen use them opted for a 4x10 for the tops. They rarely required ANY low eq boosting for a full rich tone.
I have no comments on other speaker sizes, as I have no experience with them.
My preference, 10's. They just fit right, and can offer the same low end extension that a 4 string player like me needs. 15's are my next preference, but I would opt to have a combination of 15's and 10's for my ultimate rig.
I like the brightness of a 410 partnered up with a 15 to get some smooth bottom end. But i voted the 10s, i feel they cover more of the range i need compared to the 15s or 12s
I play 10's, 12's, and 15's...
Normally, my rig is either a 4X10 + 1X15
But...I also do (2) 1X12's, or a 1X15, or a 4X12...it depends on the gig.
Normally, my rig is either a 4X10 + 1X15
But...I also do (2) 1X12's, or a 1X15, or a 4X12...it depends on the gig.
Although I have a 1x15 and a 1x12 cab ... I'm all about 8s ...
http://www.talkbass.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/842/cat/28
http://www.talkbass.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/842/cat/28
... Fast with lots of clean bottom.
http://www.talkbass.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/842/cat/28
http://www.talkbass.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/842/cat/28
... Fast with lots of clean bottom.
I'm the only one who voted for an 18" so far.
Kind of a dishonest vote, as I don't have one, but of all the speakers I've played through, an old Big Ben with the Bag End 18 run by a peavey firebass was instantly my favorite sound, feel and response time. The Big Ben has a great big wide port on the back, which I'm thinking allows the speaker to respond quickly enough to have all the high end snap I need, which isn't much.
Realistically, though, I'll never need a big biamped system, the Bag End is an 8 ohm speaker, and so on-- I wound up picking up the GB neox 212. Smaller amps will be enough to get volume with the 4 ohm, and it'll have the versatility to play the kinds of music that I've been doing.
But if I could build a band's tone and eq everyone around the sound of that 18", that's just what I would do. (insert Bwa Ha Ha laugh here) But I'm afraid that's unrealistic. Nobody in my band would want to pull that much bass out of their tone.
Kind of a dishonest vote, as I don't have one, but of all the speakers I've played through, an old Big Ben with the Bag End 18 run by a peavey firebass was instantly my favorite sound, feel and response time. The Big Ben has a great big wide port on the back, which I'm thinking allows the speaker to respond quickly enough to have all the high end snap I need, which isn't much.
Realistically, though, I'll never need a big biamped system, the Bag End is an 8 ohm speaker, and so on-- I wound up picking up the GB neox 212. Smaller amps will be enough to get volume with the 4 ohm, and it'll have the versatility to play the kinds of music that I've been doing.
But if I could build a band's tone and eq everyone around the sound of that 18", that's just what I would do. (insert Bwa Ha Ha laugh here) But I'm afraid that's unrealistic. Nobody in my band would want to pull that much bass out of their tone.
Eden's D210XST goes down to 30hz with a 103db/m sensitivity rating (plenty loud)...if you haven't heard them yet, you might like them alot. Plenty of low end for an open B.
so tight and so much bass 
Another 12" here... although I don´t really have any special passion for 12s, it just happens that my cab of choice (EBS NEO-112) has a driver of that size.
I do, however, subscribe to modularity. After all, an Ampeg 8x10 fridge is nothing more than four 2x10s stacked on top of each other. YMMV, but I rather carry couple of small boxes than one big.
I do, however, subscribe to modularity. After all, an Ampeg 8x10 fridge is nothing more than four 2x10s stacked on top of each other. YMMV, but I rather carry couple of small boxes than one big.
I'm currently using 2 1x12 Aguilars which are pretty good, but I really prefer the right 10s. Of course all 10s are not created equal. The nicest cab I've tried recently was an Accugroove Tri110 but I'd need a couple of those and they are seriously expensive in the UK.
15's are my fave, especially when you have multiple 15's, the sound fills and carries for days.
I'm really suprised to see 12's leading the poll, because I frequent alot of clubs to watch alot of talent in various genres, and count on one hand how many times I've seen bassists using 12's. 
I'm really suprised to see 12's leading the poll, because I frequent alot of clubs to watch alot of talent in various genres, and count on one hand how many times I've seen bassists using 12's. I have an 18" in a gigantic cab, great for dub and reggae, but I would like to add - 2x10" or 4x10" for versatility.
