Best way to get rid of a beat up large cab?

jamzcl

jamzcl

Jul 21, 2004
760
461
4,571
Des Moines, IA USA
#1
I had always wanted one of those Ampeg SVT-412HE cabs, partly because of the four 12's, but mostly cause they are pretty rare and I love the US made Classic Ampeg cabs.

So I had always been on the lookout for one and ran across one at Music Go Round about 2 years ago. The tolex was all beat up and the grill was snagged and curved in, but as long as it sounded good I didn't care what it looked like. It shows up and of course the tweeter was blown. Music Go Round reimburses me the cost of a tweeter.

Because of it's shape and weight (97 lbs, but feels much heavier) it's awkward to lift alone, and I like to be able to move my own gear. So I knew this wouldn't be my main gigging cab and would use it only occasionally. I've only gigged with it 3 times in 2 years and am now ready to pass it along as I don't like sitting on gear that doesn't get used.

Now that I'm ready to get rid of it I gave it a test run and there is an audible 'hiss'. The hiss could have been there the entire time as I used it only on outdoor gigs and may not have really noticed it. Anyway, I don't want to invest in tracking down the hiss and just want to get rid of it.

I'm torn how to sell it due to the fact that it's a pretty hard to find Ampeg cab BUT it's in pretty crappy physical condition and the hiss. A full disclosure of the issues along with pics would be provided. Would you sell it as a parts only thing, fixer-upper or something else? I've sold a lot of bass gear, just never something in this poor of cosmetic condition along with a performance issue and don't want it to just end up in a landfill.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ghostinthemach and Lvjoebass
#4
jamzcl said:
I had always wanted one of those Ampeg SVT-412HE cabs, partly because of the four 12's, but mostly cause they are pretty rare and I love the US made Classic Ampeg cabs.

So I had always been on the lookout for one and ran across one at Music Go Round about 2 years ago. The tolex was all beat up and the grill was snagged and curved in, but as long as it sounded good I didn't care what it looked like. It shows up and of course the tweeter was blown. Music Go Round reimburses me the cost of a tweeter.

Because of it's shape and weight (97 lbs, but feels much heavier) it's awkward to lift alone, and I like to be able to move my own gear. So I knew this wouldn't be my main gigging cab and would use it only occasionally. I've only gigged with it 3 times in 2 years and am now ready to pass it along as I don't like sitting on gear that doesn't get used.

Now that I'm ready to get rid of it I gave it a test run and there is an audible 'hiss'. The hiss could have been there the entire time as I used it only on outdoor gigs and may not have really noticed it. Anyway, I don't want to invest in tracking down the hiss and just want to get rid of it.

I'm torn how to sell it due to the fact that it's a pretty hard to find Ampeg cab BUT it's in pretty crappy physical condition and the hiss. A full disclosure of the issues along with pics would be provided. Would you sell it as a parts only thing, fixer-upper or something else? I've sold a lot of bass items, just never something that had physical and performance issues and don't want it to just end up in a landfill.
Click to expand...


I HATE tweeters in bass cabinets, they seem to only make a difference when you're in the store evaluating the cab... IMHO they NEVER sound good on stage and only add bad treble frequencies that interfere with others on stage. I would unplug the tweeter.

Now, my opinion on tweeter may not be shared with fellow players, and that's okay!

You should be able to sell the cab if it sounds okay, someone who buys it could always repair or re-cover it.

GLWS
 
  • Like
Reactions: flatfender, Bigbri, alesreaper9 and 5 others
#6
GrapeBass said:
I HATE tweeters in bass cabinets, they seem to only make a difference when you're in the store evaluating the cab... IMHO they NEVER sound good on stage and only add bad treble frequencies that interfere with others on stage. I would unplug the tweeter.
Click to expand...

I think the tweeter is turned all the way off and still get the hiss. Maybe it's the attenuator or crossover or something? Whatever it is I'm not fixing it because I can't invest anymore into it.
 
#7
Eric ER said:
Sell it for a price that will encourage someone local to come grab it. Guitar Center might take it if you can’t get rid of it, but you may be losing a lot of money. With the way cabs are getting more compact, lighter, and louder, you probably need to move it sooner than later.
Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea to run it over to GC. Even if they gave me $50 for it I'd have it out of my basement and would hope they could at least get it playable to where someone might want it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Eric ER and Mr.Ace
#8
I'd either consign it somewhere or craigslist it with full disclosure and set my price expectations accordingly. (When I consign a thing I disclose everything I can, on the agreement form, then it's on them to pass it all on to the customer - or deal with the returns if they don't.)
The only thing I've ever taken to the dump was a powered speaker that had to get repaired like every other time I used it. I finally gave up on fixing it but even if it were still functional, I wouldn't feel comfortable receiving any money for something I trusted so little.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrummerwStrings and jamzcl
#9
jamzcl said:
I think the tweeter is turned all the way off and still get the hiss. Maybe it's the attenuator or crossover or something? Whatever it is I'm not fixing it because I can't invest anymore into it.
Click to expand...

yeah, it's most-likey the crossover and attenuator. When faced with these issues I would literally unplug the tweeter and try to remove any crossover. I find the drivers in my cabs have more than enough treble for me. I also find that speakers, rather than tweeters, deliver a more musical tone in the higher frequencies for the bass guitar.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alesreaper9, Lvjoebass, Mr.Ace and 3 others
#14
jamzcl said:
I think the tweeter is turned all the way off and still get the hiss. Maybe it's the attenuator or crossover or something? Whatever it is I'm not fixing it because I can't invest anymore into it.
Click to expand...

Hiss comes from the amplifier not the cabinet which only reproduces the signal that is sent to it.

While we are not allowed to answer “What’s it worth” questions for non supporting members remember that one person's garbage is another's gold.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: obimark, Lvjoebass, fdeck and 4 others
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back