Fender extension cab

[Danuman]

Hi guys,

Hope it's not a question that's been asked too many times, but I've been thinking about this on and off for the past few years. On the off-chance anybody here has tried it; what about adding an extension cab to a reissue deluxe reverb?

I've seen some amusingly incompatible opinions on this matter, but I'd like to know whether it can be done reliably.
Since I got this amp I haven't really needed more juice than the modestly spec'ed amp delivers (without FOH), but as a bass player I've most definitely gigged with bands that were just too loud for anything less than a 212 guitar amp.

Just hedging my bets, I'm interested in your experience.

[Beer of the Bass]

They have two speaker sockets, but only an 8-ohm tap on the output transformer. So running a second 8-ohm speaker for a 4-ohm load would present a different load than the amp is designed around, and this is reflected at the primary side of the transformer. It seems that they're usually fairly tolerant of this and rarely break, but the sound will be different in a way that you may or may not like and it's likely that the amp will deliver less power than into an 8-ohm load, so the volume increase might be marginal. Some people find that running an extension cab works for them, but it might be wise to try before buying if possible.
You could also try running an 8-ohm 2x12" without using the internal speaker.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Beer of the Bass

[Danuman]

Thanks!

That's pretty much what I had gleaned from various sources. It still kind of confuses me why they put in the external socket, if you're not supposed to use it with the amp's own speaker, but I guess it's nice to have options.

There's a project looming which might ask more than the single twelve inch speaker can deliver. Maybe if I have some spare cash (ha!) I'll make it into a head.

[JimBobTTD]

I used to run a second speaker cabinet on a Blues Junior as they were able to handle a 4 ohm load without any problems - it was kind of cool to have a Marshall 2x12 under it.

Perhaps a Deluxe Reverb can also handle 4 ohms?

[Danuman]

Thanks for the suggestion! I guess it would be safe enough to do so, but I'm hesitant to invest in a solution if the result might be less than desirable. I'll try first whether the little monster can manage on its own.