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Super efficient, Vintage-esque cab

#3
If you want really efficient cabs, you have to go DIY. I recommend Bill Fitzmaurice designs. Two Eminence drivers will run you probably $300, then add in plywood and various supplies, you've got one heck of a great cab.
 
#4
early portaflex cabs are very efficient, but the later ones go a good amount deeper and might require a little more juice to get them kicking. but they came with 30w heads so they weren't THAT inefficient.

thinking of getting a little bastard?
 
#5
SpamBot said:
An LDS 115 with the 3015 driver or two should do the trick.
Click to expand...
Single driver cabs aren't especially sensitive, and high xmax drivers are of no benefit with low power amps. The best bet in this case would probably be a 2x10, perhaps loaded with guitar drivers, depending on the amp.
 
#6
Bill, wouldn't something like your Omnitop 212, or a Jack 210 be a good choice? I know you're bound by the commercial users rules, but I'm specifically asking about these two cabs, or any other of your cabs, with a lower powered tube head. I think that allows you to respond ...

Cheers,
Liam
 
#7
JimmyM said:
early portaflex cabs are very efficient, but the later ones go a good amount deeper and might require a little more juice to get them kicking. but they came with 30w heads so they weren't THAT inefficient.

thinking of getting a little bastard?
Click to expand...

I'm actually obsessed with possibly modifying an Epiphone Valve Junior head to use as my practice/ living room amp.

billfitzmaurice said:
Single driver cabs aren't especially sensitive, and high xmax drivers are of no benefit with low power amps. The best bet in this case would probably be a 2x10, perhaps loaded with guitar drivers, depending on the amp.
Click to expand...

Guitar drivers could be a good bet.

Thanks for the ideas guys.



-RTK
 
#10
billfitzmaurice said:
Single driver cabs aren't especially sensitive, and high xmax drivers are of no benefit with low power amps. The best bet in this case would probably be a 2x10, perhaps loaded with guitar drivers, depending on the amp.
Click to expand...

The 3015 puts out a staggering amount of volume in a very small box. Definitely a valid way to go in my opinion, because of the ability to double as a fantastic little rig for a normal bass amp too.

A guitar 2x10 will be somewhat louder (Ranging from 3-5db sensitivity advantage average, it looks like) but useless for a normal bass cab.

The advantage of the kappalite over other 15" drivers is that it plays in a 2.6 cf box remarkably well by comparison, from what I can tell.

A guitar 2x10 sounds like a great bet if you're literally never going to want to run with something louder, I suppose.
 
#13
While many 10" guitar speakers have fairly high efficiency ratings, they are not as efficient in the range where most of the bass guitar signal lies. On top of that, the most efficient ones typicaly have zero Xmax. If you like the idea of using guitar drivers, 12" cones might serve your needs better. If your small tube amp puts out more than 10 watts or so, the Kappa Pro 15A, Kappalite 3015 or a similar driver from another manufacturer would be your best bet. These have efficiencies of 100-101 dB @ 1W 1M in the 100-300 Hz region, and will not fart out when you play on the E string through a 25 watt amp. You will not get 103 dB sensitivity when the voice coil starts to leave the gap anyway. I once had a guitar player complain that my bass rig was causing his cabinet to fart out.
 

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