bass_ferret Posted January 31, 2009 Posted January 31, 2009 When I started playing bass cabs rarely had tweeters - now they all do. After my last hearing test that showed the frequency response of my ears takes a dive above 2KHz I can hardly hear a difference between on and off. Are we paying extra for our cabs for a solution to a problem that does not really exist? Quote
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 31, 2009 Posted January 31, 2009 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='396293' date='Jan 31 2009, 01:00 PM']Are we paying extra for our cabs for a solution to a problem that does not really exist?[/quote] +1,000. Tweeters are to bass cabs as tits are to bulls. What's required are midrange drivers, which actually give useful response and dispersion that woofers cannot. They're generally not employed because they cost more than tweeters. Tweeters capable of working down to 2kHz are effective, but to make another animal based analogy they are as common as teeth on hens. Quote
silverfoxnik Posted January 31, 2009 Posted January 31, 2009 [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='396321' date='Jan 31 2009, 06:42 PM']+1,000. Tweeters are to bass cabs as tits are to bulls. What's required are midrange drivers, which actually give useful response and dispersion that woofers cannot. They're generally not employed because they cost more than tweeters. Tweeters capable of working down to 2kHz are effective, but to make another animal based analogy they are as common as teeth on hens.[/quote] +1 To me, there's something slightly artifical about the way some cabs with tweeters seem to reproduce the really hi-frequencies... Quote
EBS_freak Posted January 31, 2009 Posted January 31, 2009 [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='396329' date='Jan 31 2009, 06:55 PM']+1 To me, there's something slightly artifical about the way some cabs with tweeters seem to reproduce the really hi-frequencies...[/quote] I dont like playing without tweeters... given what you've just said, perhaps I just like the artificial sound? Quote
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 31, 2009 Posted January 31, 2009 [quote name='EBS_freak' post='396477' date='Jan 31 2009, 04:52 PM']I dont like playing without tweeters... given what you've just said, perhaps I just like the artificial sound?[/quote]There is something to be said for having response above 4kHz. The problem lies with the 2kHz to 4kHz octave where neither woofers nor tweeters will go, and it's the lack of that octave that's artificial. A good midrange will deliver better response and dispersion than a woofer can from 1kHz with highs to at least 6kHz, which most will find quite adequate. Quote
Finbar Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 I find they mess with my distortion sounds horribly, and I find my tone has more balls with it turned off. I just don't like the things. Quote
Mr.T Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='Finbar' post='396560' date='Feb 1 2009, 12:07 AM']I find they mess with my distortion sounds horribly....[/quote] +1 I was struggling big-time with the sound of my new cabs (paticularly when using any distortion).... 'till I turned the tweeter off! Sounded great at home, but too 'clicky' when cranked up. Quote
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 [quote name='Finbar' post='396560' date='Jan 31 2009, 07:07 PM']I find they mess with my distortion sounds horribly, and I find my tone has more balls with it turned off. I just don't like the things.[/quote] Distortion and tweeters don't mix. That's why guitar amps don't have them. Quote
BigRedX Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 Turning on the tweeters on my cabs (EBS Pro-lines) just brings out the string noise which I don't like. However on my alternative rig (Dr Bass) the tweeters do add something useful to my fretted sound when I play with a pick. However it's not enough for me to miss it it wasn't available. Quote
Stan_da_man Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 If I do use them it is never past 9 o'clock. I just find they add noise. Quote
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 Well, my new Aguilar cab has no tweeter on it. It's the only one I've ever played without one. I'm waiting for my next band situation to find out for sure if I've done the rght thing or not. Just waiting to see what happens when I put my Humbucking Telecaster through it Quote
Merton Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 Hate tweeters. None of my current cabs have them, the two I've owned in the past I had them turned off. Quote
mr_russ Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 I find a little bit of tweeter goes a long way - I don't go for a trebly sound but having it up about 50% really clears things up - many cabs sound pretty mushy to my ears without them. Quote
peted Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 I like tweeters for adding 'sparkle' to my bass sound (I like a reasonably hi-fi sound). My Hartke 2x12" has the tweeter set to 'pad'. I have not yet been able to practice or gig my BFM Omni10 (containing 4 tweeters!), but I suspect that I might have to EQ-out a little bit of treble to stop taking people's faces off Quote
bass_ferret Posted March 16, 2009 Author Posted March 16, 2009 I was about to start another thread about tweeters after reading WOT's comments on his Berg's and I remembered this one. The thing that puzzles me is that you can find the same tweeter being used in cabs from 1x10 to 8x10. Although they usually have some form of attenuation it still seems to me that a tweeter in a 1x10 is gonna be way louder than the same tweeter in an 8x10 unless it is already attenuated to match the cab when built. Quote
51m0n Posted March 16, 2009 Posted March 16, 2009 Depends on the quality of the cab the crossover and the tweater. I really dislike the tweeters in the Eden gear I've tried, you have to turn them wayyyy down or lose any hearing abpve 2K I like the tweeter in my ae410 more, and can live with it louder esp in a band setting - its very nice. Even then I dont like too much, just enough! The tweeter in my son's HT210 is gorgeous though, way smoother than even the ae410 Quote
Rayman Posted March 16, 2009 Posted March 16, 2009 [quote name='mr_russ' post='397543' date='Feb 2 2009, 09:06 AM']I find a little bit of tweeter goes a long way - I don't go for a trebly sound but having it up about 50% really clears things up - many cabs sound pretty mushy to my ears without them.[/quote] Ditto. I blew the fuse on mine at Saturdays gig and lost all my clarity instantly. Around about 50% tweet is about right for me too. Quote
Dood Posted March 16, 2009 Posted March 16, 2009 I think a huge problem with a lot of tweeters in bass cabinets are that... basically... the are cr@p. Or the crossover is... or both. I think that little thought goes into designing the two so that they work in harmony with the 'woofers' - whatever they may be. For example, I think the Behringer ones are pretty much the worst I have heard.. and even my Epifani one sounds shrill when it has to deal with full range audio. I like Alex's idea of using a quality midrange driver instead, but am yet to hear one in context to decide if I prefer a tweeter as well or instead of. - Which leads me to wanting to try Alex's BareFacedBass cabinets. Quote
Etienne Posted March 16, 2009 Posted March 16, 2009 I'm not a fan of tweeters either I must say- I always prefer them completely off. Not even the ones in my Berg HS210's (now WaterofTyne's) could convert me, but then again the drivers in those cabs are so good, you'd rarely need to use them anyway... However... I've just bought a pair of 2nd-hand Aguilar GS112's which have tweeters fitted, and I've found that because the drivers don't reach up as high as the Bergs do, I've had to dial a [i]smidge[/i] into the top cab for a bit of detail when using my Jazz Bass for certain styles. I'm gigging both of them with my Shuttle 6.0 this weekend, so I'll hopefully get a better idea of how they fit into the mix at volume... Quote
dave_bass5 Posted March 16, 2009 Posted March 16, 2009 I used to have the tweeters in my Schroeder cabs off but now i play flats i find they aren't so offensive now and so have them on about half. Quote
molan Posted March 18, 2009 Posted March 18, 2009 (edited) Never use them at low volume but find they help with personal monitoring in some band situations Also depends on which bass I'm using - sounded horrible with a Sadowsky (to my ears) as the combination of high output top end on the Sad was picking up every little clang when feed through a pair of tweeters. Of course this is just as much to do with my technique as anything else but I didn't really want everyone to hear every little buzz from my playing, lol. Edited March 18, 2009 by molan Quote
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