SVT 212av farting out on a low B

Bob Brinkman

Bob Brinkman

Sep 14, 2016
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#1
Hi all, I read through a lot of threads on here before purchasing one because everyone seemed pretty happy with them. I can not seem to get the thing to handle a low B with any sort of volume, it gets real farty compared to an 8x10. Any suggestions or thoughts from other owners?

I am running an SVT II(non pro) with a passive bass (nordstrand big blades) and have tried both with an overdrive pedal and clean.
 
#5
Is it brand new?
I ask because I bought one and paired it up with my SVT CL and it was farting out on an E. after breaking in the speakers a bit they sound much better now. Also seem to handle louder sounds as well.
 
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#7
In my experience with comparable quality cabs (Bergantino for instance) a 210 has more output than a 112, a 410 has more output than a 212. For me it makes sense that an 810 will be way more capable of higher volumes than a 212. Add another 212 and you will have something similar.
 
#8
In case this helps anyone, I threw a RAT in front of it (they attenuate everything below 60hz, link) and it sounded way better up to about 5 o'clock on the SVT. Around 7-8 it got bad again. They are good sounding little cabs but I'd probably avoid if you need something that you can play stupid loud. I shoulda done my homework better, I just looked at the specs and saw they were in the same range as an 8x10 and didn't think about the port.

The 8x10 is still king, I'll probably try a sealed 4x10 or maybe 2 of the 2x10s as a replacement for when I am playing at insane volumes.
 
#9
Bob Brinkman said:
Hi all, I read through a lot of threads on here before purchasing one because everyone seemed pretty happy with them. I can not seem to get the thing to handle a low B with any sort of volume, it gets real farty compared to an 8x10. Any suggestions or thoughts from other owners?

I am running an SVT II(non pro) with a passive bass (nordstrand big blades) and have tried both with an overdrive pedal and clean.
Click to expand...
The 212av has a published frequency response of 71hz to 18khz (-3db). 71hz is over an octave higher than the fundamental of the low B. It's not surprising at all that this cab is having trouble reproducing those frequencies. Honestly, this cab seems like a pretty bad choice if you're looking to reproduce the lowest notes of a 5 string bass.

The common Ampeg 810e goes a bit lower (-3db at 58 hz) but is also a sealed cabinet so it has a natural, controlled roll-off of the lowest frequencies. You definitely can't get 30hz at significant volume but the gradual roll-off of the sealed cab combined with the sheer output of the eight 10inch speakers at 60hz and higher makes up for that.

A HPF such as the Broughton or Fdeck will likely help you clean those lowest frequencies up and keep the cab from farting out and getting damaged. But you'll still be giving up that last octave.
 
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#10
Pat C. said:
The 212av has a published frequency response of 71hz to 18khz (-3db). 71hz is over an octave higher than the fundamental of the low B. It's not surprising at all that this cab is having trouble reproducing those frequencies. Honestly, this cab seems like a pretty bad choice if you're looking to reproduce the lowest notes of a 5 string bass.

The common Ampeg 810e goes a bit lower (-3db at 58 hz) but is also a sealed cabinet so it has a natural, controlled roll-off of the lowest frequencies. You definitely can't get 30hz at significant volume but the gradual roll-off of the sealed cab combined with the sheer output of the eight 10inch speakers at 60hz and higher makes up for that.
Click to expand...
It's a well-known fact that those low notes are heard more from the second harmonic than the fundamental. Graphs of those notes played through devices that do 20-20k prove it. One can argue that they like cabs that go lower, which I guess is legit, but I've never had a problem using those low notes using any of those cabs. Of course, I'm not looking to blast a cab into outer space, either, but still, I hear the difference between the low B on my 5 and the octave higher plain as day every time.
 
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#12
JimmyM said:
It's a well-known fact that those low notes are heard more from the second harmonic than the fundamental. Graphs of those notes played through devices that do 20-20k prove it. One can argue that they like cabs that go lower, which I guess is legit, but I've never had a problem using those low notes using any of those cabs. Of course, I'm not looking to blast a cab into outer space, either, but still, I hear the difference between the low B on my 5 and the octave higher plain as day every time.
Click to expand...

I hear you Jimmy. I think the relative presence of the fundamental vs. 2nd harmonic is highly dependent on a bunch of factors, including overall bass response (which is in turn informed by body and neck woods, neck/body joint, scale length, string type and age, pickup configuration, etc.), playing technique and amp response/EQ.

I've checked out my 36" scale length 6-string which IMO has a pretty monstrous B-string response. Here were my observations of the response of the low D (fundamental ~37hz, 2nd harmonic ~74hz) as viewed with the RTA function on my Behringer XR18 mixer. Bass was played direct through a Radial JDV active DI.
  • Fingerstyle on the Low D - 2nd harmonic 6 to 10 db higher than fundamental.
  • Slap on the Low D - Fundamental and 2nd harm. about even.
  • Double-thumb on the Low D - Fundamental ~3db higher than 2nd harmonic.
I have no doubt that these outcomes are specific to that particular note, my bass, my playing and this "testing" set-up. But I was very surprised to see how much presence the fundamental had in each scenario.

And I think it's a very individual issue as to whether a player requires more of that fundamental in their overall sound. I'd bet most do not, which works out since most cabs don't put out at those frequencies. But some do and maybe the OP is one of those guys.
 
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