Why do we have tweeters in bass cab?

[TimmyC]

When guitarists are predominately using frequencies higher than we are, why do nearly all the bass cabs have tweeters/horns and guitarists have none in sight?

I know a lot is down to personal taste and I turn mine nearly all the way off. Opinions?

[Dood]

Tweeters on guitar amps using over drive and distortion generally sound harsh and fizzy due to the design of guitar amps. They also tend to fail when they are driven very hard with distortion too.

Personally (as I like the 'brand new string' sound) I would never be without quality tweeters. They enhance the sound of my basses and add clarity to my playing.
Distortion can sound fizzy on my rig if not treated with some addition tweaking.

It is purely down to taste, yes. I do have a bit of a bugbear with some manufacturers who seem to think that any ole tweeter & crossover will do.. and the cheaper the better lol. They (not pointing any fingers) sound shrill and pretty aweful, to the point that they should just be turned off!

[Chopthebass]

Some argue that the woofer/tweeter arrangement leaves a gap in the crucial midrange frequencies, particularly with a 15" & tweeter. Can't comment coz I've never had or tried a three-way cab.

[alexclaber]

The same reason that bassists often record or provide the FOH with a pure DI'd signal but guitarists almost never do.

Alex

[alexclaber]

[quote name='Chopthebass' post='107864' date='Dec 21 2007, 09:07 PM']Some argue that the woofer/tweeter arrangement leaves a gap in the crucial midrange frequencies, particularly with a 15" & tweeter.[/quote]

The woofer/tweeter arrangement works well if your woofer goes high enough or your tweeter goes low enough, but the former tends to compromise bottom and the latter is expensive. And once you get off-axis these problems get much worse as the bigger the speaker the lower the frequency as which the sound goes from dispersed to beaming, so although 10" or 12" plus tweeter cabs can sound even off-axis, 15" plus tweeter cabs will have a hole in the lower treble region.

3-way cabs are much preferable to 2-way woofer plus tweeter cabs IMO but I'm starting to think that for many bassists 2-way cabs with woofer and midrange are a more elegant solution.

Alex

[The Funk]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='107876' date='Dec 21 2007, 09:19 PM']I'm starting to think that for many bassists 2-way cabs with woofer and midrange are a more elegant solution.[/quote]

That could be interesting. I know the Hartke 2.5XL has a 5" driver and the Phil Jones cabs just have 5" drivers - not sure if they're used as midrange speakers but speakers that size could easily be accommodated in many cabs.

[jammie17]

I often wonder how past bassits recorded the countless wounderfull songs, and music, without the bass tweeter....

[bass_ferret]

[quote name='jammie17' post='107994' date='Dec 22 2007, 06:58 AM']I often wonder how past bassits recorded the countless wounderfull songs, and music, without the bass tweeter.... [/quote]
Jamerson never used one. Most of his motown stuff was straight into the desk though.

[TimmyC]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='108044' date='Dec 22 2007, 11:11 AM']Jamerson never used one. Most of his motown stuff was straight into the desk though.[/quote]

I thought he used an Ampeg B15n for a lot too?

[TimmyC]

I suppose it just comes back to the vintage vs modern sound - its just whatever works for you

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='TimmyC' post='108048' date='Dec 22 2007, 06:23 AM']I thought he used an Ampeg B15n for a lot too?[/quote]For monitoring, his recorded sound was taken direct.
The purpose of tweeters is to allow the full range of the bass to be reproduced. As noted previously the main defect usually lies in the implementation, not the device. Most bass cabs would be far better served using a midrange driver in lieu of or in addition to a tweeter, the main reason why they aren't is cost, pure and simple.