I've got a really stupid idea (4 x 4x12 cabinets, 2 amps!)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve Henningsgard
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Related question: I've got a mediocre Marshall 1960A cab (newer one without v30's), and a Laney 4x12 of some sort... is there a great way of upgrading the speakers/electronics/cabinets themselves to make 'em sound better? Not even necessarily cost-effective ones (although that'd be nice!)
If the Laney cabinet is older (80's or early 90's with the old logo) they are really nice cabinets once you get rid of the Fane or H&H speakers. If you like V30's, fill both cabs with them.
 
Make that +1000! You will have plenty of stage dynamics at 85 to 90 db. You are defeating the purpose of using sound reinforcement if your stage volume is any louder than that.
you will deliver better overall sound to the audience turning down the stage volume and turning up through the mains.

In the case that the venue we're playing has a respectable PA, this would obviously be the right choice! However, we regularly play in places that aren't even venues. Typically, kids bring out a shitty 100-watt power amp, a behringer mixer, and two (or sometimes one) Rogue (or some other less-than-stellar brand) speaker/s, most of the time they're blown, and typically there's only one mic: for the singer. Sometimes the place we're playing is a large, reflection-ridden room (like a barn, VA hall, etc. for instance). It is in these cases that a few extra cabs spread around the room might go a long way towards getting anyone to hear anything at all!
 
If the Laney cabinet is older (80's or early 90's with the old logo) they are really nice cabinets once you get rid of the Fane or H&H speakers. If you like V30's, fill both cabs with them.

I mention V30's only because they're generally recognized as decent speakers. I really don't know much about any different brands or anything, and would rather buy something great and less expensive than Celestions, if they sound comparable. Have any recommendations?
 
I mention V30's only because they're generally recognized as decent speakers. I really don't know much about any different brands or anything, and would rather buy something great and less expensive than Celestions, if they sound comparable. Have any recommendations?
Check out Ted Weber speakers (tedweber.com) and Warehouse Speakers (warehousespeakers.com). Both companies offer less expensive alternatives to Celestions, and I've heard good things about both.
 
I replaced 2 of my old ampeg cab's speakers with celestion rocket 50's.They sound decent enough and go for about 50 bucks a speaker.Nice tight bottom end and mids but don't have as bright of highs as the original ampeg speakers.I plan on replacing the other 2 one of these days since their old as dirt and i'd like to match the sound of all the speakers in the cab.Cheaper than 100 bucks for the vintage 30's or greenbacks.Marshall puts these in the mg series cabs i think.

You can always add some insulation to the inside of the cabs to dampen some of the bass.Isolating the speakers from each other by adding a partition inside is another option.
 
You can always add some insulation to the inside of the cabs to dampen some of the bass.Isolating the speakers from each other by adding a partition inside is another option.

It's generally accepted practice to not insulate the inside of guitar cabs. You won't dampen any bass by doing so, anyhow. The primary parameter that affects the low-end response of the speakers (aside from the design of the speakers themselves) is the cabinet size. Larger cabs provide extended low-end response at the expense of a little low-mid, while smaller cabs will have a sharper low-end rolloff but a flatter response down to that point.

Partitioning the speakers has no effect whatsoever (except to provide bracing so it's not necessarily a bad idea), since the the air volume in the cab doesn't care one way or the other.
 
In the case that the venue we're playing has a respectable PA, this would obviously be the right choice! However, we regularly play in places that aren't even venues. Typically, kids bring out a shitty 100-watt power amp, a behringer mixer, and two (or sometimes one) Rogue (or some other less-than-stellar brand) speaker/s, most of the time they're blown, and typically there's only one mic: for the singer. Sometimes the place we're playing is a large, reflection-ridden room (like a barn, VA hall, etc. for instance). It is in these cases that a few extra cabs spread around the room might go a long way towards getting anyone to hear anything at all!

hmm.
sounds like it is time to start thinking about a console, power amps and some stage speakers other than more guitar cabs.
just my thoughts:)
 
hmm.
sounds like it is time to start thinking about a console, power amps and some stage speakers other than more guitar cabs.
just my thoughts:)

I would agree.

Running a slave stack (as suggested by the OP) would work. For an even better improvement, get some PA.
 
It's generally accepted practice to not insulate the inside of guitar cabs. You won't dampen any bass by doing so, anyhow. The primary parameter that affects the low-end response of the speakers (aside from the design of the speakers themselves) is the cabinet size. Larger cabs provide extended low-end response at the expense of a little low-mid, while smaller cabs will have a sharper low-end rolloff but a flatter response down to that point.

Partitioning the speakers has no effect whatsoever (except to provide bracing so it's not necessarily a bad idea), since the the air volume in the cab doesn't care one way or the other.

Maybe but i have two cabs.My ampeg cab had insulation in it when i bought it.It's old and in used condition and maybe someone along the way added it but i took it out and had a horrible low end rumble.I normally turn my bass up all the way when i use this cab but had to turn it down to 3 to get rid of the rumble.Put the insulation back in and it sounded fine.

I bought a new SHS cab years back and it came with insulation type material in it. My peavey cab doesn't have any in it but has a lot more low end than the ampeg and i normally run the bass at 4 when using this cab.This is all using the same head.The peavey speakers crapped out on me a few years back and i replaced them with the SHS cab speakers.Not much difference with the speakers and it sounds about the same as before the speaker swap.

My ampeg has a cross shaped brace inside thats about 3 inches in depth.Probably doesn't make a huge difference but my peavey has the top 2 speakers and the bottom 2 completely partioned off from each other so it's like having two 2x12 cabs.I figured this attributed to the extra bass.It's probably due to the construction,wood used etc. but i'm still gonna try some insulation and see if i can get the two cabs to sound more alike.Both cabs are the same size with the same dimensions.
 
but i'm still gonna try some insulation and see if i can get the two cabs to sound more alike.Both cabs are the same size with the same dimensions.
For sure, if you want them both to sound as much alike as possible, you should try that.

The main purpose of using insulation in a cab is to reduce standing waves, which can affect the linearity of the speaker's response. Standing waves can be minimized in the design of the cab by the use of dimensions that aren't simple multiples of each other, and by using asymmetric bracing.

When you completely stuff the inside of a cab with dacron or fiberglass insulation (not common in guitar cabs) you actually increase the effective internal air volume because of the insulation's heat absorbing capability. Counterintuitive but true.
 
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