Using a 110 cab for a small club blues jam??

[JMacBass65]

The stopper for me was when you said that you wanted to use it at a blues jam - meaning that potentially other bass players (with ham hands) would be using it. One thing to use it yourself with discretion, quite another if others will be cycling through and using it.

Fair point, but I have been going to this jam for a couple of months, and so far it's always been the same guys turning up, nobody with a heavy hand, everyone can play, so I "think" I am OK there - but.....you never know.

Looks like it's worth while getting, regardless.

Just what I need to hear when I am trying to keep from spending money needlessly........

 

[brianrost]

Can a 110 handle a blues jam at a small club??

Sure, with enough wattage into it...assuming the speaker can handle it. I've been using 1-12" at a jam for years, I'd be comfortable with a 1-10" if it was well designed.

 

[MegaSwing]

The question is not, 'Can it be heard?'. Of course it can be heard. The question is, 'Can it dominate the mix?'. THAT'S what makes a small bass cabinet special.

 

[JMacBass65]

Sure, with enough wattage into it...assuming the speaker can handle it. I've been using 1-12" at a jam for years, I'd be comfortable with a 1-10" if it was well designed.

Genz Benz NeoPak 3.5 - 350W into 4 ohms.

The question is not, 'Can it be heard?'. Of course it can be heard. The question is, 'Can it dominate the mix?'. THAT'S what makes a small bass cabinet special.

Yeah - I wonder.

 

[steelbed45]

My F110 hangs with a medium loud crowd

Not with the OP's amp it couldn't. The sensitivity on that cab is way too low for a small head like the 3.5 to really punch.

Just my opinion after owning 2 F110's.

 

[BAG]

If the blues jam has a good PA and you're DI-ing to that then using that cab as a monitor should be fine with everything but the loudest drummer.

 

[Bassquest]

Just what I need to hear when I am trying to keep from spending money needlessly........[/QUOTE]

Ah, ya need it. Never know when, it'll be just the right size for an acoustic gig.

 

[StatesideRambler]

I have yet to find a 1x10 that could keep up with a full band.

I hear that a lot. I also recall a James Baldwin quotation, "Those who say it can't be done are usually interrupted by others doing it."

Keep looking ... either for the right cab or for a band that doesn't mistake loud for good.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I hear that a lot. I also recall a James Baldwin quotation, "Those who say it can't be done are usually interrupted by others doing it."

Keep looking ... either for the right cab or for a band that doesn't mistake loud for good.

Not saying it can't be done. I'm saying I haven't found a cab that does it. I am not a loud player, but if there is one place I would not want to skimp on it would be the cab.

 

[LT131]

I have yet to find a 1x10 that could keep up with a full band.

Maybe their band is not as "full" as yours. Maybe they are using it as a monitor with FOH. I would never show up at a rock gig with 1x10. That way lies madness.

 

[Bodeeni]

I did a gig on Sunday with my Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0/110. We had 2 guitars, Harp, keys and drums with small kit. Lowish volume and the 10 cut easily. I was not pushing it. But everyone else had a tiny amp, too. I did a no drum jazz gig with guitar, keys and sax with a ten watt Warwick BC-10 practice amp and it worked easily too.

 

[Al Kraft]

I think DNA makes great gear, credible company, credible designer, but there is clearly a labeling error. A 110 bass cab that will handle 1400 Watts requires suspension of disbelief. Additionally there would there be no reason to build something like that unless it doubles as a space heater.

Other than a few of the super cabs I'm not sure there is any 110 that's safely and competently up to the task, especially if you're looking for significant low end extension and/or serious volume with a 5 string. Further, I would argue that any 110 will likely be at its limits in a full jazz jam situation if asked to carry the club on its own. I can see some 112 cabs getting it done, but even then they may be operating with little margin left (which is fine) in some situations.

 

[FugaziBomb]

Should have pointed out my GB is 2 ohm capable (500w).

I've been told that even if an amp is rated for a 2 ohm load, it still isn't optimal. 2 ohms will create a significantly higher thermal load, which can - as I've been told - eventually even damage amps rated for it. I am not an engineer though, and this has all come to me word-of-mouth

 

[JMacBass65]

I've been told that even if an amp is rated for a 2 ohm load, it still isn't optimal. 2 ohms will create a significantly higher thermal load, which can - as I've been told - eventually even damage amps rated for it. I am not an engineer though, and this has all come to me word-of-mouth

Sounds like a question for @agedhorse, the man who designed the Neopak 3.5.......

 

[JMacBass65]

If the blues jam has a good PA and you're DI-ing to that then using that cab as a monitor should be fine with everything but the loudest drummer.

Maybe their band is not as "full" as yours. Maybe they are using it as a monitor with FOH. I would never show up at a rock gig with 1x10. That way lies madness.

It's 2 guitars, bass, drums, the occasional harp. Nothing but vocals in the PA. It's not "that" loud - I have been able to have conversations without trouble about 40 feet from the stage, if that's any indication.

 

[FugaziBomb]

Sounds like a question for @agedhorse, the man who designed the Neopak 3.5.......

Interested to hear as well. Also have heard that THD can get significantly higher with loads under 4 ohms, but at this point I'm starting to talk above my pay grade.

 

[Al Kraft]

I've been told that even if an amp is rated for a 2 ohm load, it still isn't optimal. 2 ohms will create a significantly higher thermal load, which can - as I've been told - eventually even damage amps rated for it. I am not an engineer though, and this has all come to me word-of-mouth

I think if an amp is billed as "2 Ohm capable, but 2 Ohm operation is not recommenced for extended periods" you may be right. A well designed amp that is intended to be used at 2 Ohms should be perfectly fine operating at that impedance. The designer will have considered all the necessary thermal management and other requirements and likely designed in some protections via self sensing circuits and/or component performance margins to operate comfortably within specified environmental conditions.

The bottom line is that a lot of the success in terms of performance and longevity/reliability rests with the skills of the designer. A company that offers a multi-year, and perhaps even transferable warranty is not likely to cut corners in design or manufacturing only to have that short-sighted decision come back as a boatload of expensive warranty claims. I think it's fair to say that not all items marketed to operate at given conditions will last equally long under those operational conditions...given that we can't always get insight into the designs, things like length of warranty and transferable warranties on an item can be good indicators of a manufacturer's level of confidence in their product.

 

[BAG]

It's 2 guitars, bass, drums, the occasional harp. Nothing but vocals in the PA. It's not "that" loud - I have been able to have conversations without trouble about 40 feet from the stage, if that's any indication.

You might struggle in that case, especially later in the evening as the drummer begins to hit a bit harder and the guitarists gradually turn their amps up as they always tend to do.

 

[LT131]

It's 2 guitars, bass, drums, the occasional harp. Nothing but vocals in the PA. It's not "that" loud - I have been able to have conversations without trouble about 40 feet from the stage, if that's any indication.

A good 1x10 could very adequate for your band the majority of the time. I play in a similar outfit where volume depends on the gig. Smaller gig/lower volume=110 working fine. What if you're asked to do a larger venue needing more volume? IMO, especially for us bassists, we should always err on the side of headroom. A 2x10 isn't much larger. I use a 2x12 that fits in the back of a small car along with everything else. If you decide to stick with 1x10, make sure to get another just in case. I would love to have 2 great 1x10's!

 

[JMacBass65]

What if you're asked to do a larger venue needing more volume?

I gig fairly regularly, and have larger things covered just fine with one of these two setups:

The desire to grab this 110 is rooted in impulse, curiosity, GAS (it sounded amazing) and bogus rationalization (I "need" it because I'm doing this sub thing for a blues jam). The reality is I don't need it, because not pictured above is a Carvin RL210 the will in fact cover this gig just fine. It's just that the Carvin is an utterly generic and uninspiring cab bought to fill a need a number of years ago.