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The Acoustic Club

#1,701
(A short detour to the current conversation):

I've always admired acoustic amps ever since my dad played on one when I was a kid... simple and unassuming (love the lower case "a" in the name), yet powerful and rich in tone.

Got my first acoustic amp, the B100 pictured below, last year as a gift for my birthday when I started to teach myself bass at the age of 45 (always wanted to learn since I was 10!). I added the wheels not only for easier transport, but also to uncouple it from the floor.

Looking forward to partaking in the acoustic discussion, and possibly moving "up the ladder" a bit with more acoustic gear.

I'll be PMing The Owl for a number!
:bassist:

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#1,702
My name is Mudd said:
Isn't this a 2-10, not a 4?
Click to expand...

Yeah - my typo - my bad. Sorry

Also a new revelation to me.

Even though I am an Acoustic aficionado, I had never played the B-200 Combo until yesterday.

I was noodling on some 'other brands' of basses that weren't Fender or Ibanez and I now am a confirmed believer that the B-200 is a very nice combo amp. There was no problem with the ever-on notch filter and all of a sudden while I was testing one of the basses with the round PG, I noticed that I was hearing some nice tones and reproduction without a lot of coloring and changes to the tones when compared to one of the Ampeg 8-10s and it's matching head.

The only reason I changed from the Ampeg was that it kept on popping every 3 seconds and it was very annoying.

POP--2--3--POP--2--3--POP--2--3-- and so on .

I tried the shorter 6-10 version right next to it and it was quieter, but at flat EQ, it sounded hollow to me and with very little warmth. It was very powerful but like I said it left me a little unimpressed for all the cash it was 'worth'.

So-o-o I decided to try the B-200 Combo at flat EQ too.

Very nice, articulate and it could really rock the whole store. Plenty of power for 200 Watts and I wasn't even digging in or running the amp very high either (maybe 40%).

The 'bass-guy' at this particular GC - which is not the one I usually haunt - said that that particular Ampeg and cab has popped like that since it came in. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

It sounded like a capacitor was loading and discharging in a three-beat rhythm.
 
#1,706
Bjazzman said:
just got the mini 260 stack and love it! is the acoustic tone the same for the larger models? would a b600h/b810 setup sound just like this but alot louder?
Click to expand...

I watched a guy buy a couple of MIni 260s and he said they sounded pretty good - but I haven't had any experience with them in the same area to tell by a real A/B test.

But I tell you what - you've set an idea in my head and next time I'm at GC and I can get to them, I'll give it a try.

Ya gotta remember that the 'tone' or 'sound' of a bass is in the air it moves - really, that's what it seems to come down to anyway. I know that's not really an accurate statement - but more horses are always the vogue and I'm in there running with them.

Perhaps it's just needing a lot of headroom for when/if you want to crank it up and yours still at half throttle.

But I DO like to move a lot of air and with more Watts and speaker area, the better it seems to me. Of course - I play some 40-acre open pastures and barnyards and in the open air, sound just gets gobbled up by the openness - unfortunately not the guitars though.
 
#1,707
A very happy B200 owner here (would love to be memberified). I'm wondering if anyone has any experience running a 2x10 or 4x10 extension cab with it. I could use a little more punch. I'm also considering just getting another B200 for when I need more power. Any ideas?
 
#1,708
I've owned many acoustics in the past, all with the biggest cabs they had, 2x15's, single 18" in a bass reflex cab. I at some point got another amp and haven't used acoustics in many years. A few weeks back I did a trade deal for a few pieces of gear, one of which is an acoustic B100 in mint condition, perfect at home amp, incredible tone and I fell in love with acoustic all over again. I couldn't gig with the B100, but for home use I love it. I leave my big gear at the practice place (lead guitarists huge basement) and have the acoustic for playing at home. If it was a B200 I'd have no problem gigging with it. I'm going to be keeping my eye open for a larger acoustic now so I can have a second rig on this side of town since we play most our gigs in two key cities here (about 10 bars we play at in each city) and they are about 45 minutes apart.

EDIT: I forgot to ask, does anyone know who makes the speakers for the B100's and B200's? I couldn't find a brand name or any markings aside from acoustics.
 
#1,710
B600H through a B410 & B115 stack. Fathers Day sale at GC, $975 OTD. Thought about the B810, but decided that the ability to downsize was an advantage. Plus, I'm still young enough that I can handle deadlifting those cabs in & out of my car...just.

I wish they'd do a B215 or B118 W-bin fridge. Bring back the old 406 or 301 vibe. Be nice to have a B810 fridge and a B215 or B118 next to it run off the B600 head. Of course, I'd never be able to play without earplugs and I'd have to buy a truck, but that tone selection...:bassist:

Do I get a number?
 
#1,711
erbine said:
A very happy B200 owner here (would love to be memberified). I'm wondering if anyone has any experience running a 2x10 or 4x10 extension cab with it. I could use a little more punch. I'm also considering just getting another B200 for when I need more power. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Twin B-200s?

If you don't get some wave mud or comb filtering, it might be interesting. I've tried the B115 and the B-410 side-by-side and it wasn't good. Stacked with the B-115 on top is very good.

I think if I was you, I'd go for a B-600H and start with the B-410 cab and see what you get. You can always add a B-810 or another B-410 for some real excitement.

Looking back I shouldda done that first. But I bought the B-450 and added to it the B-115 and that combination is very nice.

What I don't do it use the B-115 when I need a lot of power as I am sure it will bark at the volume I have to use. I stick a B-410 under it and get a 6-10 unit that way.

Just for practice, I usually keep my original B-450 and a B-115 here at the house and it can really bulge the walls. We have no neighbors for over 1/2 mile from us. That helps, especially when I am playing my Boston songbook.

I've tried to imagine your B-200 and it's 15 incher and then another B-115 underneath it. That should kick some serious air.

Remember that all the Acoustic gear has a switchable piezzo Hi-driver in them too - so you will get all the shrill you want if you actually turn it on. I don't turn mine on - but you might like it.

To date I have not moved to the Neo drivers at all. I like big cabs and I think a smaller Neo cab will steal some of the frequency response.

What's nice about the Acoustic gear is the mix-n-match ability you can have with it all. The heads are really great performers, I cannot speak for the pro-quality of the drivers yet, although I've only had a couple of loose lugs on the speaker connex - the rest of the performance has been great so far.

Most of my Acoustic gear is over a year old and still running great.
 
#1,712
erbine said:
A very happy B200 owner here (would love to be memberified). I'm wondering if anyone has any experience running a 2x10 or 4x10 extension cab with it. I could use a little more punch. I'm also considering just getting another B200 for when I need more power. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I'm going through this myself, right now...

The problem is that both the B100 and B200's speaker output jacks are that they are wired SERIAL. So that causes a huge jump in the total impedance of the system when you plug in a cab, like a B115 or B410 (each are 8 ohms). Add one of those to the 4 ohms of the B200, and the total impedance rises to 12 ohms!

That translates into a 1/3 cutting of your max output wattage down to 67 watts for each of the B200 and additional cab (200 watts @ 4 ohms when the B200 is alone, now pushing 200 watts @ 12 ohms. 4 ohms/12 ohms = 1/3):eek:

But it's not as bad as you think... halving the watts only decreases decibels by 3 (!). So if you started at 200 watts, 100 watts is 3 dB softer... 50 watts is an additional 3 dB softer (or 6 dB softer than 200 watts). If you are now working at 67 watts, you are only 4-5 dB softer!

Plus, you DO get to push twice as much air with that second cab, so that does compensate (actually alot) to the human ear. Especially if you boost your mids, which the human ear perceives as being louder.

So, based on that, I tried a B115 cab with my B200... IT SOUNDS AWESOME:bassist:

The other (bigger) Acoustic amp heads have PARALLEL output jacks which allow you to maintain your output wattage much better (and they start higher), and would probably be better for outdoor or really big venues.
 
#1,715
GatorDogDoc said:
I'm going through this myself, right now...

The problem is that both the B100 and B200's speaker output jacks are that they are wired SERIAL. So that causes a huge jump in the total impedance of the system when you plug in a cab, like a B115 or B410 (each are 8 ohms). Add one of those to the 4 ohms of the B200, and the total impedance rises to 12 ohms!

That translates into a 1/3 cutting of your max output wattage down to 67 watts for each of the B200 and additional cab (200 watts @ 4 ohms when the B200 is alone, now pushing 200 watts @ 12 ohms. 4 ohms/12 ohms = 1/3):eek:

But it's not as bad as you think... halving the watts only decreases decibels by 3 (!). So if you started at 200 watts, 100 watts is 3 dB softer... 50 watts is an additional 3 dB softer (or 6 dB softer than 200 watts). If you are now working at 67 watts, you are only 4-5 dB softer!

Plus, you DO get to push twice as much air with that second cab, so that does compensate (actually alot) to the human ear. Especially if you boost your mids, which the human ear perceives as being louder.

So, based on that, I tried a B115 cab with my B200... IT SOUNDS AWESOME:bassist:

The other (bigger) Acoustic amp heads have PARALLEL output jacks which allow you to maintain your output wattage much better (and they start higher), and would probably be better for outdoor or really big venues.
Click to expand...

I would think that if a bassist really had his heart set on playing through a pair of 15" speakers, at the relatively low cost of the B200, he could just buy two B200's and stack one on top of the other (good dispersion, and no comb filtering effect). Just use a Lehle splitter box to run the bass guitar into the two separate amps. That would give the full 200 watts going into each separate 15 inch speaker (400 watts total for both speakers). Lots of thunder for not much money! That would seem to be a better approach than buying one B200 combo amp and shoving a B115 cab under it and running it at 67 watts. Normally, buying two amps can be cost prohibitive. But in this case, it isn't. It's only a few clams more than the B200/B115 rig.
 
#1,716
SurferJoe, if the B450 had been available, I probably would have gotten it instead.

GatorDogDoc, I think adding an ext. cab to the B200 is only going to put off the inevitable need for more power.

I've got just enough power now with the B200 almost maxed out. Another speaker is only going to go so far. I thought that a couple 10's would expand the tone somewhat, but the fact is, I'm more of a 15" player anyway. With 2 B200's I've got 400w through 2 15's. And I wouldn't be maxing out my amp. And it opens up other possibilities as well.

I'm just looking for potential problems now, and hadn't thought of the comb filter effect, but I would think it could be minimized by stacking.
 
#1,719
erbine said:
GatorDogDoc, I think adding an ext. cab to the B200 is only going to put off the inevitable need for more power.

I've got just enough power now with the B200 almost maxed out. Another speaker is only going to go so far. I thought that a couple 10's would expand the tone somewhat, but the fact is, I'm more of a 15" player anyway. With 2 B200's I've got 400w through 2 15's. And I wouldn't be maxing out my amp. And it opens up other possibilities as well.

I'm just looking for potential problems now, and hadn't thought of the comb filter effect, but I would think it could be minimized by stacking.
Click to expand...

Good minds think alike!! (see my post #719).

A pair of B200's (stacked) would rock the house!!! (using a Lehle splitter box)
 
#1,720
SactoBass, do you think the Lehle splitter is necessary? I've got a volume pedal that has 2 outs and figured I could use that. It might add a little noise, but I would think it would be minimal.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of stacked B200s. For the oddness factor as much as anything else. But it would definitely rock the house if necessary.
 

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