randythoades Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 (edited) This may well be the wrong place to post this but i was interested in seeing if anyone had any suggestions for a speaker change specifically for DB (actually EUB at the moment) use. I currently have an Ashdown 150w VS112 cab which I use on occasion in addition to a matching VS212 cab with my Ashdown Little Giant. Each cab is 8 ohms and the ashdown has 2 speaker outputs. I also have the GK MB200 with one speaker output. My dilemma: I prefer the GK general tone with with EUB (running through a Fishman Platinum Pro first) but the Little Giant for regular bass. It is very handy having 2 amps with different EQ and I thought I would try the same with the cabs. As it stands, the VS112 gives out plenty of bass (in fact I turn the bass down significantly on the amp) but I find it slightly muddy in the mids and being an 8 ohm cab does not use the full power of the GK which may be slightly limiting when I get round to doing gigs on the DB. My initial thought was to maybe replace the ashdown driver with a higher quality (and hopefully lighter) 12" driver such as the Eminence Deltalite II but I can only find them in 8 ohm format. Would this make much difference? If I were using a higher quality driver with better sensitivity it would be louder and cleaner than what I have anyway so harnessing the extra power would not be necessary? In which case, a lower volume driver such as the Eminence Basslite would suffice. I would only be rehearsing and gigging small clubs and pubs and probably DI into PA if needed. Thanks for any advice in advance! Edited December 12, 2013 by randythoades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I wouldn't "tinker" any more. Take the quality of your sound to a whole new level and get one of the Barefaced Compacts in the FS section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share Posted December 12, 2013 (edited) [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1386863166' post='2305608'] I wouldn't "tinker" any more. Take the quality of your sound to a whole new level and get one of the Barefaced Compacts in the FS section. [/quote] Thanks for that... I have considered that as a proper option and probably will go that way eventually. Trouble is, I like to "tinker" more than play if the truth be known so was interested..! A much more minor point is that I find the Barefaced cabs (no offence to either Alex or any users) look a bit too modern to me and I much prefer the vintage look of the ashdown, especially since I would be playing 50s type music on DB. Plus, it is easier on marital bliss to merely change a speaker than buy a whole new cab to sneak into the house... As far as the good lady herself is concerned, it all looks the same! Edited December 12, 2013 by randythoades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I believe you only get an extra 3db or so going from 4 to 8 ohms. Not a lot at all. I'm no expert on this though, so you might want to confirm that. I do know that if you want louder, better tone, go for two cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistair Sutcliffe Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 If you like diy you could build a cab to already proven designs. I've built Fearful and Bill Fitzmaurice cabs and they're both excellent. Great fun too if you like a bit of diy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share Posted December 12, 2013 [quote name='fatback' timestamp='1386871322' post='2305789'] I believe you only get an extra 3db or so going from 4 to 8 ohms. Not a lot at all. I'm no expert on this though, so you might want to confirm that. I do know that if you want louder, better tone, go for two cabs. [/quote] I had heard this before but forgotten that! If i just got a better sensitivity speaker i would add overall volume anyway which would give the same effect. Actual volume wasn't the issue, but a tone more targetted to DB is. I quite like the idea of having a small rig especially for DB rather than lugging my other cab out too. I would settle for the tone i currently have but just wonder if there was a speaker more suitable for DB range rather than a rig originally bought for loud and proud classic rock bass. I experimented with speakers in my guitar rig and found thst speakers great for classic rock not necessarily great for rockabilly and vice versa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 If you want to DIY, i guess it comes down to the technical question of whether keeping the enclosure and changing the driver will give you predictable results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 I've never done this but if you want to tinker then I'd go for the Deltalite. Blue Aran has them for £116. Even if there are some mismatches in the cab and porting I can't imagine one wouldn't sound significantly better than the original Ashdown speaker. The tech info is on the Blue Aran site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 (edited) Just a though, but if the VS112 is muddy in the mids have you looked to see if the cab is lined with wadding? This is a corner that's often cut on cheaper cabs, and reportedly it does make a difference to the clarity in the mids. It would also be cheap-as-chips to try lining the cab... Edited December 13, 2013 by Beer of the Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted December 13, 2013 Author Share Posted December 13, 2013 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1386933246' post='2306521'] Just a though, but if the VS112 is muddy in the mids have you looked to see if the cab is lined with wadding? This is a corner that's often cut on cheaper cabs, and reportedly it does make a difference to the clarity in the mids. It would also be cheap-as-chips to try lining the cab... [/quote] That is a good point. I have checked and it isn't lined. What would I use to line it? Just the thin wadding that you would use for upholstery and hobbies? My wife has probably got a load of that and a staple gun! Might give this a go over the Christmas break. Can't hurt anyway, it is defnitiely not a top of the line cab but I like the look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted December 13, 2013 Author Share Posted December 13, 2013 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1386932052' post='2306497'] I've never done this but if you want to tinker then I'd go for the Deltalite. Blue Aran has them for £116. Even if there are some mismatches in the cab and porting I can't imagine one wouldn't sound significantly better than the original Ashdown speaker. The tech info is on the Blue Aran site. [/quote] I did the Win ISD model using the Deltalite and it looks like it should be a reasonably good match for the cab so I would be keen to try it, but I wasn't sure if it would be any more suitable to DB than the Blueline Ashdown driver, although i am sure that it would offer more clarity than the Ashdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 [quote name='randythoades' timestamp='1386954200' post='2306808'] That is a good point. I have checked and it isn't lined. What would I use to line it? Just the thin wadding that you would use for upholstery and hobbies? My wife has probably got a load of that and a staple gun! Might give this a go over the Christmas break. Can't hurt anyway, it is defnitiely not a top of the line cab but I like the look. [/quote] That's the stuff, but ideally quite thick. Still, If you've got loads of thinner stuff you could use multiple layers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted December 14, 2013 Author Share Posted December 14, 2013 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1386955560' post='2306838'] That's the stuff, but ideally quite thick. Still, If you've got loads of thinner stuff you could use multiple layers. [/quote] The stuff we have is pretty thin, probably only the 2oz weight and not got enough to do several layers so i will get sone 14oz dacron. Only about £10 on ebay will do. Will give it a try and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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