Your thoughts on a new lightweight rig...

[neonrust]

Howdy boys and girls.  New to the forum...was a member of and used to occasionally post on SR.com.

I'm working on a lightweight amp rig.  The amp setup will be for a new stonery-bluesy-doomy project.  I play carvin sc90s (B-standard-string gauge 11-16-24-32-42-58) on the bridge with the tone rolled off, neck pup with volume rolled back handles the clean. My distortion is a 90s Rat as it's semi-fuzzy on the bridge and goes nearly clean when I switch to the neck. I like my tone to be sons of otis meets meets early queens of the stoneage.  Heavy and punchy. 

I'm thinking about using 2 or 4 15" carvin micro bass cabs and probably 2 quilter toneblock 200s.  My hope is to have a loud great sounding rig that will push some serious air and be a light grouping of separate pieces.(tb200 - 5lbs / each cab 30 lbs).

I know my choices in gear are not the standard, but neither is my brain.  Just wanted to ask if any of you for see any possible problems with amp rig before I move ahead.

http://www.carvinamplifiers.com/products/115mbe-micro-bass-extension-cabinet?variant=1050744361

http://www.quilterlabs.com/index.php/products/toneblock-amplifiers/tone-block-200

Thanks in advance,
Andy

[everdrone]

I have the gallien 410 cabs that weigh 40 pounds each!  so ya, an 810 is magic methinkz

Everyone I have played with loves the tone of them.  I get all my shizzle from the car to the jam in one trip with my rocknroller cart!!!

[Mr. Foxen]

You tried those cabs for guitar? Bass cabs tend to sound a bit AIDSy for guitar. Although my Kappalite loaded cabs sound great because they have the upper mid bump like guitar drivers.

For a light guitar cab solution, I'd be using a pair of poplar BFM XF212s, with those celestion neo guitar drivers.

[neonrust]

Have not tried the cabs, but they have a 60-5k freq range and are pretty small cabs.  My thought was that they could work as is or I could pop in an eminence 1518 if it doesn't.

[everdrone]

those BFM XF212s look cool!  great design, pointed at my ears etc etc


for my guitar rig I use two of the Orange 212s.  I vertically array them so that they are very tall and easily heard at practice.


I imagined at one point getting the orange 212 open back cabs and putting neodymiums in them and converting them to closed back cabs so they would weigh like 40 pounds each but that is expensive and detracts tone.

[Mr. Foxen]

Have not tried the cabs, but they have a 60-5k freq range and are pretty small cabs.  My thought was that they could work as is or I could pop in an eminence 1518 if it doesn't.

Frequency range is kinda meaningless bullshit, guitar speakers sounding right depend on how the frequencies behave in a relatively narrow band.

[neonrust]

Have not tried the cabs, but they have a 60-5k freq range and are pretty small cabs.  My thought was that they could work as is or I could pop in an eminence 1518 if it doesn't.

Frequency range is kinda meaningless bullshit, guitar speakers sounding right depend on how the frequencies behave in a relatively narrow band.

Point taken.  In your opinion Which mid-hump freq or other frequency should I be looking for?  Some guitar speaks I have been looking at(all emi) are...

15's -- legend 1518 or Big Ben

12's -- legend EM12, lil texas, deltalite 2512, delta pro 12a

[Mr. Foxen]

Totally a taste call, where and how big the mid bump is basically is what makes guitar drivers sound different to each other. Also if it comes from frequency response or from breakup modes of the cone (the distortion the speaker adds). Can't really tell how guitar drivers sound from spec because they are so non-linear, they'll sound different depending on how loud they are.

[RacerX]

How do you figure guitar speakers of any type would sound mounted in 2 or 4 15" carvin micro bass cabs?

My guess is "not very; use guitar cabinets."

[neonrust]

How do you figure guitar speakers of any type would sound mounted in 2 or 4 15" carvin micro bass cabs?

My guess is "not very; use guitar cabinets."

The size of the carvin micro cab is nearly the same size(+- 1inch) of avatars 115 for guitar.  These are very small bass cabs.  I'm not a rocket scientist....just taking guesses based on my limited knowledge.

[RacerX]

I can't argue with that. Guess away, then.

[Lumpy]

12's -- legend EM12, lil texas, deltalite 2512, delta pro 12a

I have a 1x12 with a Lil' Texas. The speaker weighs like 2.5 pounds, it can handle over 100 watts, and has a relatively flat frequency response (so it should sound pretty neutral). However my cab is open back, and I'm not using it for heavy doom rock so your mileage may vary, but I like it a whole lot. Down side is the price - I think about 150 per speaker. I found a used one for 75.

Even if you don't use neo speakers, by having separate cabs for everything, the weight would only be incrementally more (4 pounds per unit, or so).

[neonrust]

12's -- legend EM12, lil texas, deltalite 2512, delta pro 12a

I have a 1x12 with a Lil' Texas. The speaker weighs like 2.5 pounds, it can handle over 100 watts, and has a relatively flat frequency response (so it should sound pretty neutral). However my cab is open back, and I'm not using it for heavy doom rock so your mileage may vary, but I like it a whole lot. Down side is the price - I think about 150 per speaker. I found a used one for 75.

Even if you don't use neo speakers, by having separate cabs for everything, the weight would only be incrementally more (4 pounds per unit, or so).

Thanks lumpy.  Appreciate the insight on the lil texas.

Speaking of neo-speaks. I was just doing a bit of research and found the DV Mark 212 cabs are 27lbs!  Tough to find mucho info on them but they are a 300 watt neo cab.  I just need to find out what kind of balsa wood they are using to shed that kind of weight.  Haha!  I want a sturdy cab of course.

EDIT....Italian poplar is the wood in the DV cabs.  Couldn't find the thickness but seems like only good reviews.  ...and the 412s weigh like 45lbs too.

[everdrone]

wow that dv!  Id take a 212 over a one speaker cab any day.  not really keen on open back for doom though, maybe heavy blues would work though.

[neonrust]

wow that dv!  Id take a 212 over a one speaker cab any day.  not really keen on open back for doom though, maybe heavy blues would work though.

I hear ya.  I run through two 70's UL fender amps(pro&twin) so I'm not apposed to the open back, but I also have a traynor sealed back cab with v30s that I also love.  Their 48lb 412 is obviously closed though.

[dogfood]

That little Quilter sounds ok on Youtube through my laptops speakers...you are rolling the dice with that one.  It could be Sasha Grey or shit for all I can tell.  Instant Dan may not be a believer anymore but...Wizards, listen up.

[everdrone]

cool! THere are a lot of situations where I just cant hear a 212 since I am standing too close to it but others hear it better and no we cant switch places.  so ya that BFM XF212 with neos is enticing!