does anyone here use 18 inch speakers

[clankenstein]

im using a biamed rig and i have a jbl e145 on the bottom end,nice sound only the  tone i want at the level i want makes the speaker want to get out of the box so i have been compressing the low end signal,not too satisfactory.so last night i went and bought 2 used jbl mr818 cabs,a 300watt 18 inch in each.if i run them both at 4 ohms my amp makes 750 watts so i m thinking this may do the business.im going to try them out on tuesday at rehearsal.i currently cross over to the top end amp -a marshall 9000 dual 50 watt valve amp at around 90 hz. this lets me drive the tops a little without farty distortion in the top cab.its a 4x 10 hartke at the moment though im beginning to suspect that a 2 x 12 may be better as well as easier to move.im wondering if any of you use 18s and how it works for you.

[rahock]

I don't own anything with 18s, but years ago I used to share equipment with another band on a lot of gigs and had a lot of playing time with an Acoustic 360 using 2 18" reflex cabs. There is nothing I have ever used that handled the lows as well, and definately nothing I've ever used that hit the back of the room with so much authority. Part of that was cabinet design, but an 18" speaker moves air and hits the back of the room well no matter what.
Never owned a an Ampeg B-18 either, but had considerable playing time on one at a club I used to jam at alot. Not a lot of power and not the most modern efficient cab design. It still handled the lows real well an had a suprising ability to hit the back of the room despite its lack of power. I never understood why the B-18 wasn't more popular back in the day
Rick

[nofi]

i had a sunn 18 reflex bin for awhile but it just had too much bottom and i can't believe i said that. been using 15's most of the time.

[Dave W]

Some of those old 18 cabs could overwhelm the back of the room yet not be heard well at all in the front. Not the best choice for a small or medium size venue.

[rahock]

Actually, although I have a great deal of respect for what the 18 can do, I haven't had any real need or desire to own any. Always got the job done with 15s, and more recently a couple of 12" Eminence neos that deliver boatloads of bottom.

When EV came out with their SRO speaker line in the late 60s-early 70s , they had a 30" version for a short time, that was beyond belief in delivering bottom. The only bass player I ever saw use them was Larry Taylor with Canned Heat. 4 30" speakers in reflex cabs that were about the size of my first apartment . He powered it with a stack of  Sunn heads (probably 200S). He was so low and powererful his sound did not really hit  your ears as much as it hit your body. It would make your belly and butt vibrate....Beware the Brown Note .
Awesome sound , but sure as hell nothing you'd want to tote around.
Rick

[rahock]

Some of those old 18 cabs could overwhelm the back of the room yet not be heard well at all in the front. Not the best choice for a small or medium size venue.

The Acoustic 360 set up I was using was pretty anemic for on stage volume compared to my normal 4 15" Ampeg set up, but it blew my Ampeg away at filling the room. And no doubt about it, it was a LARGE room rig.
Rick

[uwe]

I've been playing one or two 18" cabs (Eminence custom built or Ampeg) in addition to either 1x15" and 4x10" or 8x10" (Ampeg fridge) for the past decade or so. It's acoustic gluttony, spoiling more yourself as a bass player than doing anything for the band or the audience, but there is nothing wrong with that!  No other speaker can drench a room better with bass frequencies you can barely hear, but certainly feel. But no bandmate or audience member will actually miss something if you used 15" instead. The physical sensation that an 18" creates is more or less lost once you step away from it far enough. The acoustic signal you then still hear isn't billowing or muddy with today's 18" speakers anymore, but it is also nothing that a 15" wouldn't be able to provide as well.

I immensely enjoy standing close to an 18" while playing, but that's about it.

One other thing (but not relevant for me), they are certainly too slow  and sluggish for slapping!

[rahock]

I immensely enjoy standing close to an 18" while playing, but that's about it.

Yeah, kinda like an orgasm for your ears.....an eargasm maybe?
Rick

[gearHed289]

18's, especially in folded horn cabs, tend to be very "long throw". You end up cranking them to hear it onstage, while meanwhile blowing away people at the back of the room. My first real rig was an Earth 100 watt tube head with matching 18'' folded horn cab. When I got my first Ric at age 15 (back when they shipped with flatwound strings and using roundwounds voided the warranty), I couldn't understand why it didn't sound like "Roundabout"!   

I remember those 30'' EVs. Played a gig at Wheeling HS through at least four of those (for the PA, not my rig) when I was a kid.

I'm personally an advocate of going easy with onstage lows. I prefer to let the PA do the "heavy lifting". As soon as your stage volume starts doing battle with the PA, everyone loses. 

[Basshappi]

Hello everyone, my first post on this board. I "recognize" some of you from the old "Dudepit"

I still have a Peavey 18" I used for years, it was especially good when biamped and crossed over with a 2x12 cab. Fianally blew up the Black Widow in it and retired it. Someday I intend to build an exact duplicate and use them for PA.

I had my first "long-throw" lesson when I was 15. My band used to play alot of area high school auditoriums, 600+ size rooms. I didn't have a very good amp and my bass teacher let me use his rig. It was an Acoustic (360 or 370 can't remember) and a 18" Cerwin-Vega "W" cab. I'd never used a folded horn cab before so I can't hear myself onstage and keep turning the amp up louder and louder during our performance Some friends told me later that I was absolutely injuring people at the back of the room.

We didn't get asked back to play at that school again....Hmmm, I wonder why?


Aahhhh, good times!

[patman]

I actually traded my old 360 for a mint V4B and an 8x10 cab 30 or so years ago...

Everybody in the band told me how much better the Ampeg sounded in the bar we were playing at...

[Chris P.]

I used to play with one or two original Vox Foundation 18" cabs and they sucked. My Vox AC50 sounded much and much better with modern 4x10s and 1x15s. But newer 18" cabs will be a lot better I guess.

Nice story: I bought two 18" cabs for my AC50 but all they did was move a lot of air and moving my trousers, but the sound was just lacking any definition. We just had started Boilersuit and one of our first gigs was a band contest. When we arrived there the organisation told us all the bands would use our backline. We didn't knew that and of course that was a very bad thing of that organisation. I wouldn't allow it now. Everybody can use my equipment as long as they ask me first and as long they handle it with care. But we were young and we agreed. The band following us had a bass player who looked like Flea, played like Flea and sounded like Flea... ....but now with my amp After a fast series of slaps and pops my 18 inchers burped a bit It totally didn't suited his sound and playing style and the guy got angry at me!! I told him just to bring his own gear nezt time and to shut up. 

[Dave W]

Serves him right! 

[exiledarchangel]

The Anti-slapper's revenge! 

[Chris P.]

I'm so happy to be here! As Buzzardista I sometimes post at the Warwick forum, but that's all slapping, six strings and basses hanging ABOVE the belt...