Why are guitar cabs 12 inch and bass cabs 10 inch?

[CMB Studios]

Guitar rig half stack... 4x12...

Bass rig half stack.... 4x10...

Obviously there is good reason, what is that reason?

My guess is because of distortion levels

[Greg_L]

I don't know, no idea, so I'm just gonna guess:

Maybe guitars naturally need low end help, so they get a 12" speaker?

Maybe bass naturally needs a tamer low end and tighter response, so they get a 10" speaker?

[CMB Studios]

i think you're onto something... but then wth with the 1x15!?!?!? AH! madness

[mixsit]

Just generalizing..
4-10's have more surface area than an 18 (wrong.. make that 15
Add the relative depth of these cabs need for the range they work in -even for 4-10's the bass is deeper then the guit cabs..
I.e.. A 4-12 bass cab would be a frickin beast cart around..?

I always thought the silliest config'?.. was those early bi-amped rigs back about 15 20 years ago -the highs went to the 4-10 ..and the poor little 15 got the subs

[CMB Studios]

i would find it hard to believe that professionals would sacrifice tonality and quality and power because it would add 30 pounds to your rig.. especially compared to the standard 8x10

[fat_fleet]

i think you're onto something... but then wth with the 1x15!?!?!? AH! madness

You'd want to use a 15 in conjunction with some tens. A bass rig only going thru 15s sounds like mush.

[CMB Studios]

You'd want to use a 15 in conjunction with some tens. A bass rig only going thru 15s sounds like mush.

well yea thats a well known fact... im talking about the OP

[Chili]

All that plus, a 10" bass speaker is not the same thing as a 10" guitar speaker, or a 12" guitar speaker. Magnets are bigger, voice coils are bigger, resonant freqs are lower, throw is longer.

[domvac]

Does this in anyway explain the 4 ft. speaker in Back to the Future?

[fat_fleet]

well yea thats a well known fact... im talking about the OP

I don't get it. You didn't mention anything about 15s in your original post.