2x12 for my Marshall Superbass head

[Iome]

So i finally got my 4x12 Marshall fridge sold, great cab but to big, loud and heavy.
Now i need a smaller cab and was thinking of a 2x12 or 2x10. A friend of mine has an empty 1922 Marshall cab he'll let go for cheap, does anybody know if it would be worth filling it with some bass speaker, and which, or would it sound too thin being a guitar cab?? Anyone?

[drbassman]

I do remember reading somewhere that the volume/design of the guitar speaker cabs didn't always work so well for bass applications.  I know in my experience, the guitar speaker cabs for the Music Man amps didn't work so well for bass application, hence I didn't keep them.  I'm sure some of the cab freaks here could shed some light on that notion.

[Pilgrim]

IME most guitar cabs don't have the inner volume to work well with bass speakers.  BUT - if one selects speakers specifically for the cab, I would imagine that it would be OK.  That doesn't mean it would be cheap.

Also, a pair of 12's can get heavy pretty fast.  Were it me, I'd only be looking for neo speakers to minimize weight. That certainly would run the price up.

[slinkp]

For a long time I used an Ampeg VT-22 cab, which, when the vintage drivers blew, I loaded with more modern Eminence drivers (I forget which ones, this was around 1994). 

It sounded great up close, I loved recording it, but didn't project low end very far. It was a ported cab and I think it was not tuned right for the drivers, or maybe was just too small.

The 1922 will be different - it won't give you port tuning problems as it's sealed, so it should be nice and tight. Will it have enough lows from the small depth (less than 12" externally)?  Good question.  Depends very much on your taste.

One advantage to sealed cabinets is that they don't change a ton as you change the size.  Check out this diagram comparing frequency response of two sealed cabs where one has twice the internal volume of the other:

... from this article http://www.eminence.com/2011/06/sealed-vs-ported-enclosures/

If you don't have drivers handy to try the experiment, you might try playing around with some speaker cabinet design software. Feed in the cabinet dimensions and the parameters of whatever driver you're interested in and see what it predicts.   For a sealed cab for 4-string, I personally would look for good response down to at least 80 hz (if it's more than 2 or 3 db down at that point I'd worry), and smooth rolloff below that.

But that takes a lot of effort for a smidgen of theoretical understanding. It might just confuse the issue.  Nothing will tell you as much as your ears.

[Iome]

Damn...thanks for the response guys..
I agree the best thing is to hear the cab..which requires having the speakers and i have to admit i don't understand much of diagrams and parameters.
I think i'll just leave the 1922 alone and start looking for a cab.

So next question  have any of you guys tried the Ashdown VS 212, 2x12 (the red one they made for the little bastard) or the Rootmaster 212T (also Ashdown)?

I've looked at the Ashdowns, remembering they had a nice sound back then when they came out and you find them cheap used...

[drbassman]

Well, in terms of less expensive cabs, I have a new (bought it over a year ago for about $329) Ampeg 15" 8 ohm Portaflex cab that sounds great and can handle significant volume.  Give one or two a listen if you can.  I like mine and used it for gigs before I got 2 Mesa cabs.

Ampeg doesn't make any in 12", but they have 2x10 and 4x10 models.

[maxschrek]

Damn...thanks for the response guys..
I agree the best thing is to hear the cab..which requires having the speakers and i have to admit i don't understand much of diagrams and parameters.
I think i'll just leave the 1922 alone and start looking for a cab.

So next question  have any of you guys tried the Ashdown VS 212, 2x12 (the red one they made for the little bastard) or the Rootmaster 212T (also Ashdown)?

I've looked at the Ashdowns, remembering they had a nice sound back then when they came out and you find them cheap used...

Those Ashdown 2x12 cabs are really nice and sound good too. Another option would be Avatar, or if you wanted a Marshall style 2x12 to match your head, you could have Jeff Swanson build you one for not much more $ than you buy another for.

http://swansoncabinets.com/index.html

[Aussie Mark]

How about the new Ampeg SVT212AV.  Nice looker too.

[amptech]

I had trouble finding speakers for a 2x12 cab once, and ended up contacting the speaker factories.
A guy at celestion looked at the cab specs (this was for a reflex horn cab, see a music man 212 thread) and I ended up buying
two celestion BN12/300 Neo speakers. They are the best 12's I have heard so far, at least of those I have owned.

I have run it with my 1973 superbass head too, and it sounds better than the 412 marshall tv cab with guitar speakers.
You'd have to check on your cab's spec, but at least I've had a very positive neo 212 experience!

[Iome]

I've heard bad things about the Ampeg 212AV, wouldlove to try one out. I've thought about Avatar too, but i'm in Italy, the shipping from US would kill the deal....and i would be charged 22% extra in taxes.. 

I've also been thinking of a 1x15, but am afraid i would loose something in sound and just be boomy...I know, you need to try the cabs...

[amptech]

Italy, huh? I thought of going to Italy or Spain now, just to escape from this ridiculous heat we've had in Norway this summer.
Can't remember last time it rained, it must be 7800 Farenheit and it's not noon yet!

[Iome]

yeah this year is crazy, we've had a lot of rain this summer and up i Scandinavia it's burning hot.

Hvor i Norge bor du? Jeg er selv fra Helsingør (DK) 

[rahock]

Avatar is tough to beat in the bang for buck department. However, I would replace the drywall screw speaker mounts with T-Bolt anchors. The only cabs that sounded as good or better were two or three times the cost .
Rick

[amptech]

Hvor i Norge bor du? Jeg er selv fra Helsingør (DK) 

Bor i Moss (Østlandet) så da er jo Helsingør et steinkast unna

[Iome]

ja, lige bag hjørnet....just around the corner...