Moos3h Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Hi folks, Gigged my new rig last night: GK 500w amp 2 x Ashdown Mag 115 'deep' cabs It sounded good but I was very disappointed with how it handled the low end, a low E would result in the speakers bottoming out and a real loss of definition. Got through the gig fine but I just couldn't use all the power from the head as I have the impression the cabs just can't handle it . I'd like to replace the speakers and can afford something like: Eminence delta Eminence delta LF Eminence Deltalite But I can't run to the Basslite or Kappalite. Would these speakers do the job, do you think? Cheers James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Many will advise against doing this, as speakers should be matched to the size of the cab. A lot of techy stuff I really don`t understand, I must admit. Saying that, I`ve changed a few speakers over the years, and it has always worked fine - must have got lucky. On paper the Ashdown should go low enough, at 37 Hz - 2 kHz, but with only two of these, I think the fact that it`s all lows could be the problem. The lack of highs and crispness is giving the lack of definition. I prefer a 210 cab with a 115. Again, many say don`t do it, because of mismatching speaker sizes, but I`ve always found the combination to work well. Eminence are great speakers, well used in the bass world. I`d be reluctant to put in any not-bass-specific speaker, but these look to be quite good: http://www.lean-business.co.uk/eshop/eminence-legend-cb15-8ohm-15-300watt-bass-guitar-speaker-p-869.html They also go to 3 kHz, so more highs than the Ashdowns. Still £90 though. To be honest, in your position I`d get the matching 210, and sell one of the 115s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moos3h Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Thanks for that! The problem was that I deffo wasn't driving the input gain hard (5/10 with the pad switch in), all EQ at 12 o clock and master about 3 and the cabs were making the sound like they were bottoming out - not distortion but more of a 'clank' that wasn't string noise, for sure. The trouble was that this didn't mean I sounded that deep, I didn't - I was surprised by the lack of apparent low-end so I'm not sure (although ENTIRELY happy to be proven wrong!) that adding a 2x10 instead would help? Cheers for the advice, I shall keep an eye out for a cheap 2x10 though as perhaps upgrading the speaker in the 1x15 may just be too unpredictable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Well strange as it may seem, my sound is deeper when I have the tweeter engaged. It seems to add crispness and clarity, so the lows, instead of being woolly, have a defined edge to them, accentuating the depth. I always think my sound is warmer, rounded, and middy, without the tweeter, and less deep. The "clank" mentioned sounds to me like too much gain - I`ve had this when I`ve upped the gain on my GK MB500. Using a 410, I have the gain at about 2 o`clock. Any more than that, and I too hear a "clank" after the notes, especially on the lower ones. Does seem strange that you`re getting that with gain on 5, eq flat, and with the pad switch in though. Maybe the Ashdown speakers aren`t "fast" enough - I`m sure there is correct terms for this - for the music you play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moos3h Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 You could indeed be right! I'm still convinced the gain is set fine - I get this same issue if I use an Ashdown ABM head and the VU meter is barely moving - the clank i hear though is at the start of the note, it's like the speaker shoots forward and hits its limit (I'm sure the terminology I'm using isn't helpful!) I'm very tempted to do a speaker upgrade anyway, because I can use the 15's elsewhere in our PA if it doesn't work out, so the money won't be wasted - the Deltalite is looking like the front-runner so far because I can save some weight too which will be nice - also, it seems that the response in the mids and highs are pretty good too (from reading reviews etc) so I can test out your theory about more highs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 (edited) [quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1325959936' post='1490478'] You could indeed be right! I'm still convinced the gain is set fine - I get this same issue if I use an Ashdown ABM head and the VU meter is barely moving - the clank i hear though is at the start of the note, it's like the speaker shoots forward and hits its limit (I'm sure the terminology I'm using isn't helpful!) [/quote] Exactly the same as what I get, if I have the Gain on more than 2 o`clock. Maybe a "reduce gain/increase volume" scenario, as well as speaker upgrade. Edited January 8, 2012 by Lozz196 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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