LAB Series L2

[Pekka]

I'm getting the L2 amp soon and was wondering if anyone here could share their experience about it, I'm sure someone has played one. I've heard plenty of good things about it and it sure looks like a solid state amp I'm looking for: reliable, reasonably loud (for 100 watts), warm and not modern sounding.

There's one thing that bothers a bit. It says "minimum load 8 ohms" and I have only 4 ohm cabs (SVT 810E and EBS CL212) so I have to get me a 4x10" 8 ohm cab (which I had planned to do for some time)...or does it work with a 4ohm cab without blowing the fuse or doing worse damage? At talkbass someone said that the original manual stated it could drive 4 ohms too but since there's only one cab output jack...?

[Dave W]

I know very little about the LAB series, but I definitely wouldn't run it with a 4 ohm load if its only speaker out is marked for 8 ohm minimum.

[Hörnisse]

I had one with the matching 15 cab but cannot recall the ohms rating of the cab.

[dadagoboi]

SVT 819E  is 2-8 ohm cabinets in parallel. Just plug into the top 1/4" mono jack to get 1-8 ohm 4 speaker array...nobody on TB knew that?
http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/svt810eav.pdf

[Pekka]

SVT 819E  is 2-8 ohm cabinets in parallel. Just plug into the top 1/4" mono jack to get 1-8 ohm 4 speaker array...nobody on TB knew that?
http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/svt810eav.pdf

Mine is just a mono cab so it's a 4 ohm version. 1994 I think, anyway before they made it bi-ampable.

[jumbodbassman]

IIRC its the last few years for that.   Prior 810 were olny 4 ohm

[Highlander]

It would probably not be too hard to alter the wiring to suit, following the wiring for the multi-purpose version... my Marshall cab has two pairs of differing speakers and can be run at 4, 6 or 8 ohms...

[dadagoboi]

Mine is just a mono cab so it's a 4 ohm version. 1994 I think, anyway before they made it bi-ampable.

IIRC its the last few years for that.   Prior 810 were olny 4 ohm

It would be very easy to rewire the cab giving the modern 2-8 ohm configuration.  4-10s should definitely handle the power  Since everything is in parallel a single toggle switch and at the most a little wire would do the trick.  Then you'd have an 8 ohm 4-10 or 4 ohm 8-10 with the flip of a switch without compromising the box.

You can hear what the cab would sound like just by pulling a wire off one terminal of the bottom 4 speakers, or any 2 horizontal pairs.

The only downside I see is no matter what the ohms you're still hauling an 8-10 around.  

[Pilgrim]

The only downside I see is no matter what the ohms you're still hauling an 8-10 around.  

[Psycho Bass Guy]

The best thing anyone can do about most advice from Talkbass, especially regarding amps, is ignore it. Especially on an amp that old, you don't want to feed it a 4 ohm load. LAB's are basically s/s Fender Showmans and need efficient cabinets if you need gig volume out of them. Using half of one the biample SVT 810's would be a waste of time and energy and wouldn't sound that good anyway. There are plenty of great 8 ohm cabs out there. A used Trace Elliot 1153 would be a great match. It's an 8 ohm single 15" cab with ports that can be blocked to tune the cabinet differently, and is reasonably loud and bassy, and best of all, cheap and pretty common.

[Pekka]

It would be very easy to rewire the cab giving the modern 2-8 ohm configuration.  4-10s should definitely handle the power  Since everything is in parallel a single toggle switch and at the most a little wire would do the trick.  Then you'd have an 8 ohm 4-10 or 4 ohm 8-10 with the flip of a switch without compromising the box.

You can hear what the cab would sound like just by pulling a wire off one terminal of the bottom 4 speakers, or any 2 horizontal pairs.

Been thinking of doing that too for years so I could use two amps with the cab...but I think for the gigs where I need the stereo setup I still wouldn't take the 810 but the EBS 212 and a 4x10" which I have been planning to get for years too.

I have a friend who is very handy with any stuff that includes wires so maybe I'll have the Ampeg cab rewired anyway, just in case if I'll use four amps some day...

The only downside I see is no matter what the ohms you're still hauling an 8-10 around.  

I've never had a problem hauling the 810 around. It has wheels and a good handle and fits into my car and it hasn't killed my back yet.

[Pekka]

The best thing anyone can do about most advice from Talkbass, especially regarding amps, is ignore it. Especially on an amp that old, you don't want to feed it a 4 ohm load. LAB's are basically s/s Fender Showmans and need efficient cabinets if you need gig volume out of them. Using half of one the biample SVT 810's would be a waste of time and energy and wouldn't sound that good anyway. There are plenty of great 8 ohm cabs out there. A used Trace Elliot 1153 would be a great match. It's an 8 ohm single 15" cab with ports that can be blocked to tune the cabinet differently, and is reasonably loud and bassy, and best of all, cheap and pretty common.

The guy undirectly quoted from a manual but I too doubt it very much.

15" cab could be an option too but I really like the 4x10" and could use the cab for smaller gigs (theater stuff for example) with either the Hiwatt or L2. The EBS 2x12" sounds great there's some tightness lacking when used with the Hiwatt. The SS Lab could make a difference with it but it's, as you know, a 4 ohm cab...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

The Trace cab puts out a comparble amount of volume to most 4x10's, and when you seal both ports, gives you the tight response of one, too. It's my goto cab for most jam-medium sized shows. Before I got it, I was hauling a Gibson GB410, basically a pre-SWR Goliath 4x10, for small stuff. The Trace is WAY more versatile and smaller to boot. The basic tone of the 1153 is similar to the old CTS 15" speakers in B-15N combos but with more punch and clarity. I used it for musical orchestras with it running off my Eden VT300 (the OLD one made by Koch Electronics). It has great dynamics and keeps consistent tone across a wide dynamic range. The closest I've ever heard a modern cab sound to it is the Genz Benz Neo 2x12. Another option is the old Ernie Ball (NOT vintage Music Man) HD212 and 210 series of cabs are all 8 ohms, and sound awesome, but they're hard to find and extremely heavy.

[Highlander]

... and it hasn't killed my back yet.

Time patiently waits for no one... 

[Pekka]

Time patiently waits for no one... 

To be honest, I don't have to haul it around very often, usually about 10 times a year. My main income comes from playing at the theatre where I use usually my Ampeg B100R combo and have to carry it in when the rehearsals start and out when the season ends.

I wouldn't use a Hiwatt either if the weight was a problem. You got to have some style: you don't want be seen with some yellow tiny MarkBass gear behind you, do you?