where do I stand?

[JTUK]

I always run my cab output higher than the amp as bass can be brutal and I like the leeway.
This may be a legacy of low powered speaker wattage of old but I still think it's valid.
I certainly don't want to prove that theory these days.

So... if you have a 350/4 amp then I'd have 2 12" cabs if the band is loud.
If you run pedals that confuses things and maybe also masks any damage being heard.

For piece of mind...get a 2 x cabs set-up... 12's might do... and you have a decent carry/lift and as much power
cab wise that you'll need unless you are playing stages.

Altho I use 10's over all else, I wouldn't be using a single 210 for anything bar quiet gigs. Double them up and a different
ball game, of course, but an expensive way to go...

Edited May 4, 2013 by JTUK

[Musky]

What JTUK says.

It's not so much the wattage you have to look out for, but the excursion of the speaker - which manufacturers seldom disclose. A higher rated cab should have more leeway than a lower rated comparable speaker. It's just finding out whether the speakers are actually comparable.

The wattage rating on the cabs tells you how much power they'll take before the voice coil is at risk but the cones themselves can be damaged at a much lower wattage, particularly if you like cranking the bass control up. The way to avoid damage is to use your ears, but that can be difficult if you like a distorted sound anyway.

[paul torch]

Hmmm. So not a simple thing them. I do like a slightly overdriven sound so maybe I should be looking for something that is higher rated.

Thanks for the advice guys.

[Lozz196]

Congrats on the Rumble 350 Paul, I bet that sounds nice, especially with a bit of gain added.

I agree with the others, I prefer to have more power availability than is needed, so I won`t be pushing anything. A couple of the matching 112s would be a nice portable rig or if you don`t mind the weight, the 410 (76lbs/43kg). That would be plenty for any situation, and its 4ohms so you`ll get full power availability from the amp.

There are some great soundclips of the Rumble set-ups on Fenders website, I like the fourth one, with the red Precision:

http://www.fender.com/en-GB/series/rumble/

Edited May 4, 2013 by Lozz196

[paul torch]

Cheers Lozz.

Yeah, been having a go with it and just a touch of gain sounds cool.

So do you think 2 of focus 12s would be fine even if I run it a but hot with the dialled in around 3 o'clock? Would a 15 help with the bottom end?

[xgsjx]

Nice!

If you're worried about watts, then if you have 2 8Ω cabs on your Fender Rumble it's putting out 350 watts at 4Ω. If you turn the amp to FULL whack, then each cab is going to get 175 watts each.
As Mr Foxen once said, "My gran has a 2000 watt heater & it's not very loud".

My advice is to use your ears. How does the cab you have sound? Do you like it or is it farting? If you like it & just need more of the same, get the same cab. If you don't like it, go & try some others.

A 15" probably wouldn't help the bottom end any more than a decent 12". But again, try things out & see what you like.

[Lozz196]

Yep, 12s/15s, as long as they`re good, the amount of lows shouldn`t be a problem. I use two 112s (Markbass) and I`m definitely a hold the low-end bassist, and have no problem with getting enough depth. Plus, Fender amps always sound very warm/deep/rich to me anyway, so the Rumble cabs should be voiced similarly.

[paul torch]

Nice one, thanks for the advice.

Been looking at the Rumble 112. Seems reasonably priced and 500w at 8 ohms should be able to handle anything I can throw at it.

[paul torch]

This may be a thicky question, but what is the difference between program and continuous when talking about wattage?

[Musky]

Continuous is what you should be looking at - Program is used to indicate it's peak rating.

[paul torch]

Thanks Musky