Like MANY people over the years, I was interested in a good compromise between a guitar and bass amp.
I was told that no guitar amp works for bass, stop trying.
Then it's oh no, the cabinet must be designed in accordance with the oracle of Aiwass, lest he release his wrath in the form of "wasted money", which seems to be less of an issue when discussng $3000 jazz bass copies or $300 fuzz pedals or a third Stingray because you liked the color.
So I looked into it. Actual research.
And it seems like a classic case of "the loudest, longest speaking mouth at the forum said this, so..." mixed with Hearing With Your Eyes.
Not to debunk every myth cherished in these halls - for instance, the "tuned cab to match the drivers" nonsense.
Yeah, IF it's a ported cab, not merely vented or a sealed cab. Also, do you honestly believe that EVERY cab that comes out has some radically different driver? Google "greenback clone" or "evm 12l clone" or the origins of many a speaker - "customers liked Brand X's Model Y, so we cloned it and smoothed the mids or added some power handling".
Or the similarities between most 4x10s, allowing for quite a bit of customization via speaker choice.
Legends, ignorance, lazy research, downright prejudice. All things in the way of our goals, which tend to be a better addressing of an individual's needs.
So, the Marshall 4x12? Classic 1960a?
Impossible to use for bass and sound good, right?
Not only are we dealing with a sealed cab, thus giving us far more flexibility than with ported designs, the cab itself does have a limitation: it rolls off frequncies below 100hz.
In other words, nature has provided a crossover/HPF for us.
Must be why bassists were getting away with G12H30s back when The Ox was destroying the expectations of what a bass could do.
Looking at the evolution of the 1960a cab itself, it basically stopped around 1973. MDF back panel to dampen the center post. Still built the same way.
After 50 years of competitors "offering something better", whether it be a Dual Showman or a Genz Benz G-Flex or Vader or Mesa Recto Large, even many metal players will point out that 1960a cabinets *simply sound better than the many attempts at making it obsolete*, not unlike a P Bass.
My 1993 Nissan SE-R was revolutionary, kickstarting the "sport compact" craze in the 90's and being praised as nearly miraculous at the time. Fast, efficient, and capable of perfectly neutral handling.
It was also a "happy accident", the chassis is unremarkable (try seeing much difference between the contemporary Corolla and the SE-R), and was literally some sway bars, shocks, and a bigger motor vs. the standard unremarkable Sentra it was based upon.
So don't give me the "best use of a 5x5 sheet" bs. It works.
The "problems" a 1960a cab has are similar to the "problems" an SVT 810e has.
Which, if you play rock metal or loud blues, ain't much of a problem.
Not everyone wants to sound like 'Seinfeld' or play dub reggae.
Some people get the idea of an instrument fitting in the mix, instead of trying to get 3-6 other audio sources to fit a badly eq'd and leveled single SUPPORTING instrument.
So a "lack of lows" makes for a less boomy mix, more room for the kick, etc.
CONTINUED!
I was told that no guitar amp works for bass, stop trying.
Then it's oh no, the cabinet must be designed in accordance with the oracle of Aiwass, lest he release his wrath in the form of "wasted money", which seems to be less of an issue when discussng $3000 jazz bass copies or $300 fuzz pedals or a third Stingray because you liked the color.
So I looked into it. Actual research.
And it seems like a classic case of "the loudest, longest speaking mouth at the forum said this, so..." mixed with Hearing With Your Eyes.
Not to debunk every myth cherished in these halls - for instance, the "tuned cab to match the drivers" nonsense.
Yeah, IF it's a ported cab, not merely vented or a sealed cab. Also, do you honestly believe that EVERY cab that comes out has some radically different driver? Google "greenback clone" or "evm 12l clone" or the origins of many a speaker - "customers liked Brand X's Model Y, so we cloned it and smoothed the mids or added some power handling".
Or the similarities between most 4x10s, allowing for quite a bit of customization via speaker choice.
Legends, ignorance, lazy research, downright prejudice. All things in the way of our goals, which tend to be a better addressing of an individual's needs.
So, the Marshall 4x12? Classic 1960a?
Impossible to use for bass and sound good, right?
Not only are we dealing with a sealed cab, thus giving us far more flexibility than with ported designs, the cab itself does have a limitation: it rolls off frequncies below 100hz.
In other words, nature has provided a crossover/HPF for us.
Must be why bassists were getting away with G12H30s back when The Ox was destroying the expectations of what a bass could do.
Looking at the evolution of the 1960a cab itself, it basically stopped around 1973. MDF back panel to dampen the center post. Still built the same way.
After 50 years of competitors "offering something better", whether it be a Dual Showman or a Genz Benz G-Flex or Vader or Mesa Recto Large, even many metal players will point out that 1960a cabinets *simply sound better than the many attempts at making it obsolete*, not unlike a P Bass.
My 1993 Nissan SE-R was revolutionary, kickstarting the "sport compact" craze in the 90's and being praised as nearly miraculous at the time. Fast, efficient, and capable of perfectly neutral handling.
It was also a "happy accident", the chassis is unremarkable (try seeing much difference between the contemporary Corolla and the SE-R), and was literally some sway bars, shocks, and a bigger motor vs. the standard unremarkable Sentra it was based upon.
So don't give me the "best use of a 5x5 sheet" bs. It works.
The "problems" a 1960a cab has are similar to the "problems" an SVT 810e has.
Which, if you play rock metal or loud blues, ain't much of a problem.
Not everyone wants to sound like 'Seinfeld' or play dub reggae.
Some people get the idea of an instrument fitting in the mix, instead of trying to get 3-6 other audio sources to fit a badly eq'd and leveled single SUPPORTING instrument.
So a "lack of lows" makes for a less boomy mix, more room for the kick, etc.
CONTINUED!
. I've heard of people playing with V4 412 cabs as well.
