• 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.

speaker wattage

Ripper75

Ripper75

Aug 8, 2005
489
78
The Sticks, Vermont
#1
I'm thinking of getting a lower wattage cab that matches my V4, but it's only 170 watts. Should speaker/cab wattage be close or match amp wattage? A guy told me I should match up the wattage, so find a 100-170 watt cab for my 100 watt Ampeg V4 amp. I understand ohms, but now I'm wondering if the 600watt GK cab I have now is not being pushed suffeciently with my low wattage amp. Should speaker/cab wattage be close to amp wattage? Any clues here? Thanks.
 
#5
I have NOOOOO problem with my V4. I've just heard that they sound better pushed to like 5. When I play through my GK neo212(600watts?) I play at like 2.5 and it's loud but dosent have that growl. At 5 it's just way too loud. So I am wondering if some amps just sound better pushed a bit more, with a lower wattage cab...?
 
#6
if your looking for more growl try adjusting your pickup height first. You may only need just a bit more signal to go to the preamp. Next would be a different set of pickups. If that still doesn't give you enough then try changing the pre amp tubes to something just a little bit hotter/dirtier. Maybe a good pedal would do the trick also.
 
#7
Ripper75 said:
I have NOOOOO problem with my V4. I've just heard that they sound better pushed to like 5. When I play through my GK neo212(600watts?) I play at like 2.5 and it's loud but dosent have that growl. At 5 it's just way too loud. So I am wondering if some amps just sound better pushed a bit more, with a lower wattage cab...?
Click to expand...
The V4 is a tube amp correct? Tubes sound better when they're pushed harder, if you want that sound you gotta turn it up.
 
#8
The lower wattage cabinet will not solve your issues with the tube amp not being pushed hard enough to get that warm, tubey tone.

In general, there are only a couple considerations when "matching" a cabinet with a head.

1. A cabinet with very high power handling capabilities may be less efficient than some others. So, a lower output amp might not be as loud as it would through a different cabinet.

2. A cabinet that is rated significantly lower than the head may fry if you push it too hard. Although, there are MANY players who play heads with RMS output ratings as much as 2x the rated handling of the cabinet with no issues at all.
 
#9
Ripper75 said:
I have NOOOOO problem with my V4. I've just heard that they sound better pushed to like 5. When I play through my GK neo212(600watts?) I play at like 2.5 and it's loud but dosent have that growl. At 5 it's just way too loud. So I am wondering if some amps just sound better pushed a bit more, with a lower wattage cab...?
Click to expand...

IMHO and IME, you're looking at the wrong spec. You could try a lower sensitivity speaker, which may or may not work for you. Many guitarists do this, and I personally got much better results (more distorted, which was what I wanted) using a less sensitive old Jensen than a very sensitive E-V when I was recording guitar through a tube amp. If you want cone breakup, drivers rated for lower power may or may not get you there in some cases (they may blow up too...especially old Jensens, LOL!), but it sounds like you just want/need the amp to do more of the work without getting louder than you already are, right?

I wouldn't throw money at this until you verify that the results are going to work for you, by actually trying it, in any case.
 
#10
Thanks Passinwind. Thats right, I want to get that tone without getting louder. I am curious because the orignal speakers that were made for the early 70's V4-B were lower wattage (sensitivity?) speaker cabs. I'm trying to get a more authentic vintage tone. With a lower wattage cab, I would have to turn my amp up louder, hence working it harder and getting that tone, possibly...?
 
#11
Ripper75 said:
With a lower wattage cab, I would have to turn my amp up louder, hence working it harder and getting that tone, possibly...?
Click to expand...

Again, it's not the wattage rating, it's the sensitivity (incorrectly called efficiency in many cases). And even that rating is a huge can o' worms, so trying other cabs is going to be your best bet by far. There are just too many variables to reliably predict the outcome without actually trying it. It can and does work sometimes though, in my experience.
 
#13
You may want to consider some sort of power attenuator if you're looking to achieve the distortion that comes with pushing power amp tubes.

Guitarists using tube amps often come up on the same problem when they try to match their distortion tone between high and low volume. The Marshall Powerbrake ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]) is a pretty well known example for guitar, though there are other makes (Weber?).

Basically, they are placed inline between the amp and the cabinet, and draw off power that would otherwise be used to drive the speakers so that you can increase the load on the amp to a level where it is driven into distortion.

I did a quick search and couldn't find any examples of them being used for bass, but I would suspect that it would work, based on the principle of the idea. The relatively higher wattage used in bass amping may be an issue - someone more knowledgeable than I may be able to add a note?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back