Hi everyone.
I've decided to take up bass guitar. Got guitar, picked up a 300W head REALLY cheap.
Now I need to stick a driver or two in a box.
I'm looking for some recommendations, what I have in mind so far is:
Paudio C12-300MB
Has extension out to 5.5Khz, but down a bit at 40Hz. I was thinking of maybe a pair in about a 150L box tuned to 40Hz.
Paudio C15-300MB
Quite a bit better at 40Hz, but rolls off at 3-3.5K. I do have a few of these: http://www.teptronics.com/psn1167.html to help out the top end if needed.
The place that stocks this stuff recommended
Paudio SN-15MB
Same situation as the last, but down just a touch more on the low end. Much lighter, which I'm sure will come in handy in the long term..
So what do you think? Should I just stop thinking too much and go with something?
Please don't recommend using an eminence driver from parts express, as the shipping to Australia can be more than the product.
Lastly, should piezo's be wired in series or parallel when you add multiple drivers for greater SPL?
I dunno what I'm doing, but it's gonna be loud!
Thanks in advance,
Mark
I've decided to take up bass guitar. Got guitar, picked up a 300W head REALLY cheap.
Now I need to stick a driver or two in a box.
I'm looking for some recommendations, what I have in mind so far is:
Paudio C12-300MB
Has extension out to 5.5Khz, but down a bit at 40Hz. I was thinking of maybe a pair in about a 150L box tuned to 40Hz.
Paudio C15-300MB
Quite a bit better at 40Hz, but rolls off at 3-3.5K. I do have a few of these: http://www.teptronics.com/psn1167.html to help out the top end if needed.
The place that stocks this stuff recommended
Paudio SN-15MB
Same situation as the last, but down just a touch more on the low end. Much lighter, which I'm sure will come in handy in the long term..
So what do you think? Should I just stop thinking too much and go with something?
Please don't recommend using an eminence driver from parts express, as the shipping to Australia can be more than the product.
Lastly, should piezo's be wired in series or parallel when you add multiple drivers for greater SPL?
I dunno what I'm doing, but it's gonna be loud!
Thanks in advance,
Mark
Hello Mark,
I would go for either a couple of 10's (or 4) or one or two 15's. 12's are mostly not recommended for bass, due to their "nasal" or midrangy sound (although a friend of mine had a Hughes&Kettner 2x12" with a 6" or 8" driver, which sounded excellent and was quite loud).
I wouldn't use piezo's, as they sound truly awful (IMHO). You don't see them used in cabinets as much as a couple years back, I guess more people have reached the same conclusion. If you want more top end extension, use proper midrange drivers and a decent filter.
I have used a 2x15" cabinet using RCF L15/554K drivers, these are high efficiency PA drivers which roll off a bit later than dedicated "instrument" speakers.
If I were you, I would try a single 15 first and then add a 2x10, 4x10 or another 15, later if needed. This way, you have maximum flexibility. My cabinet was about a metre tall, 65cm wide and 45 deep, each of the drivers alone weighed about 12kg. Not very practical, but really loud, I wouldn't go this way anymore (but I was a bit younger then).
Regards,
Jarno.
I would go for either a couple of 10's (or 4) or one or two 15's. 12's are mostly not recommended for bass, due to their "nasal" or midrangy sound (although a friend of mine had a Hughes&Kettner 2x12" with a 6" or 8" driver, which sounded excellent and was quite loud).
I wouldn't use piezo's, as they sound truly awful (IMHO). You don't see them used in cabinets as much as a couple years back, I guess more people have reached the same conclusion. If you want more top end extension, use proper midrange drivers and a decent filter.
I have used a 2x15" cabinet using RCF L15/554K drivers, these are high efficiency PA drivers which roll off a bit later than dedicated "instrument" speakers.
If I were you, I would try a single 15 first and then add a 2x10, 4x10 or another 15, later if needed. This way, you have maximum flexibility. My cabinet was about a metre tall, 65cm wide and 45 deep, each of the drivers alone weighed about 12kg. Not very practical, but really loud, I wouldn't go this way anymore (but I was a bit younger then).
Regards,
Jarno.
Piezos are not easy to destroy, but with powerful amp it is likely to happen. You can connect them in series, and so they sound louder too
Motorola piezo application paper was online once but CTS does not have it online anymore. I think I saw it on Partsexpress page somewhere
yees found it http://www.partsexpress.com/pdf/piezo.pdf all info there, and info like rolling off mids a little or adjusting sensitivity
Motorola piezo application paper was online once but CTS does not have it online anymore. I think I saw it on Partsexpress page somewhere
yees found it http://www.partsexpress.com/pdf/piezo.pdf all info there, and info like rolling off mids a little or adjusting sensitivity
Jarno:
Surely not *all* 12's sound "nasally". These are all PA drivers, not the normal 12" guitar speakers, which I don't really think are meant for bass.
As far as the peizo's go, I'm trying to do this on the cheap, so use what's on hand.
I'm not looking for hifi, just to add some sparkle up top. Although if my playing is as bad as it sounds without an amp, this might not be a good idea.
Nasse:
Thanks for the link, I was wondering where to get something like that!
I've got plenty of 'em so sharing the power won't be a problem.
Anyone else got an opinion on these drivers, or P-audio stuff in general. The reason for this brand is I can get it for a reasonable price in Oz. If you have other suggestions, feel free. I just have to get it in my country, as shipping from US is generally prohibitively expensive.
Mark
Surely not *all* 12's sound "nasally". These are all PA drivers, not the normal 12" guitar speakers, which I don't really think are meant for bass.
As far as the peizo's go, I'm trying to do this on the cheap, so use what's on hand.
I'm not looking for hifi, just to add some sparkle up top. Although if my playing is as bad as it sounds without an amp, this might not be a good idea.
Nasse:
Thanks for the link, I was wondering where to get something like that!
I've got plenty of 'em so sharing the power won't be a problem.
Anyone else got an opinion on these drivers, or P-audio stuff in general. The reason for this brand is I can get it for a reasonable price in Oz. If you have other suggestions, feel free. I just have to get it in my country, as shipping from US is generally prohibitively expensive.
Mark
Hello Mark,
I wasn't talking about guitar speakers as these are not suitable for (modern) bass amplification.
From your first message I gathered you are going to build your first bass cabinet. As such, the cabinet will be used mostly as a practice amp. If you go with the 15" you can do some gigging with it, add another 15" or 12" or multiples of each, or whatever you fancy, and do bigger venues. I agree, ordering from overseas only makes companies like UPS and the Customs in your country very happy.
Only now have I looked at the spec sheets for the drivers you mentioned and from the specsheet I think the drivers will leave you wanting, when you're expecting a super tight sounding high end cabinet. Because the efficiency isn't terribly high (which is normal for a not so expensive speaker), and coupled with the low fs could mean that the definition when used as a bass guitar speaker leaves something to be desired.
But at least a 15" moves serious air so IMHO is better suited to bass guitar. Why not combine one 15" with a 7" driver which is also on their site (DM720)?
If you want, add the piezo tweeter, but I don't think it's a worthwhile addition. The mid speaker IMHO is a great addition, but you will need to add a proper crossover as these speakers are a bit fragile.
All in all, go with the 15, add another one if you like (hope you have tolerant neighbours). Build a sturdy cabinet, play a lot, build another cabinet (4x10"), play even more.
Really, it's not all that critical, a bump here and there in the response graph gives "character" (as long as they're in the right place).
Regards,
Jarno.
I wasn't talking about guitar speakers as these are not suitable for (modern) bass amplification.
From your first message I gathered you are going to build your first bass cabinet. As such, the cabinet will be used mostly as a practice amp. If you go with the 15" you can do some gigging with it, add another 15" or 12" or multiples of each, or whatever you fancy, and do bigger venues. I agree, ordering from overseas only makes companies like UPS and the Customs in your country very happy.
Only now have I looked at the spec sheets for the drivers you mentioned and from the specsheet I think the drivers will leave you wanting, when you're expecting a super tight sounding high end cabinet. Because the efficiency isn't terribly high (which is normal for a not so expensive speaker), and coupled with the low fs could mean that the definition when used as a bass guitar speaker leaves something to be desired.
But at least a 15" moves serious air so IMHO is better suited to bass guitar. Why not combine one 15" with a 7" driver which is also on their site (DM720)?
If you want, add the piezo tweeter, but I don't think it's a worthwhile addition. The mid speaker IMHO is a great addition, but you will need to add a proper crossover as these speakers are a bit fragile.
All in all, go with the 15, add another one if you like (hope you have tolerant neighbours). Build a sturdy cabinet, play a lot, build another cabinet (4x10"), play even more.
Really, it's not all that critical, a bump here and there in the response graph gives "character" (as long as they're in the right place).
Regards,
Jarno.
Hello again Mark,
You could contact these guys:
Group Technologies: 217- 219 Albert Street Brunswick 3056 Melbourne
Tel +61 3 9381 4911- Fax +61 3 9381 4922
e-mail: frank@grouptechnologies.com.au.
They are the dealer for RCF speakers in Australia. I used to have a cabinet with two RCF L15/554K speakers in them, and I really liked the sound. They have a wide range of LF speakers, some of them with really high efficiency (the L15/554k's were 99db/1w/1m).
Not quite sure how these compare with the speakers you mentioned, costwise.
But on the website you mentioned is also the R15 76MB, perhaps this one fits the bill?
Regards,
Jarno.
You could contact these guys:
Group Technologies: 217- 219 Albert Street Brunswick 3056 Melbourne
Tel +61 3 9381 4911- Fax +61 3 9381 4922
e-mail: frank@grouptechnologies.com.au.
They are the dealer for RCF speakers in Australia. I used to have a cabinet with two RCF L15/554K speakers in them, and I really liked the sound. They have a wide range of LF speakers, some of them with really high efficiency (the L15/554k's were 99db/1w/1m).
Not quite sure how these compare with the speakers you mentioned, costwise.
But on the website you mentioned is also the R15 76MB, perhaps this one fits the bill?
Regards,
Jarno.
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