hitchy64 Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Hi their everyone, I have an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 combo with 15" speaker. The problem is I have trouble cutting through the sound of our two guitars, I am unsure which way to go. Do I get an extra cab, or swap my combo for one with a more powerfull amphead? I want to keep using a combo, and I dont have unlimted cash either. I was wondering what your thoughts were. Cheers, Hitchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) [quote name='hitchy64' post='441563' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:43 AM']Hi their everyone, I have an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 combo with 15" speaker. The problem is I have trouble cutting through the sound of our two guitars, I am unsure which way to go. Do I get an extra cab, or swap my combo for one with a more powerfull amphead? I want to keep using a combo, and I dont have unlimted cash either. I was wondering what your thoughts were. Cheers, Hitchy[/quote] Extension cab would do you the world of good, because you'd be able to stack the EB combo up on top of it, putting the built-in speaker closer to ear level. You'd also be increasing speaker surface area, and increasing the wattage of your amp from 130W to 180W. S.P. Edited March 22, 2009 by Stylon Pilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High score Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 [quote name='hitchy64' post='441563' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:43 AM']Hi their everyone, I have an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 combo with 15" speaker. The problem is I have trouble cutting through the sound of our two guitars, I am unsure which way to go. Do I get an extra cab, or swap my combo for one with a more powerfull amphead? I want to keep using a combo, and I dont have unlimted cash either. I was wondering what your thoughts were. Cheers, Hitchy[/quote] I assume you are not going through a mixing desk with pa subs. Extension cab will help of course and add projection but gitters being what they are, they will play lead even when they are not. Ask the buggers to turn it down a little........sometimes less is more......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 An extension cab will also get more watts out of your combo's amp, so it could be worth a go. Another important thing to consider is discussing the band mix with your guitarists, see if you can all agree where the bass is going to fit in the overall mix. A lot of younger guitarists tend to use a full sound that works well in their bedrooms but sounds muddy in a band, sticking to the treble end should help them cut through and make the bass audible too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Caveat - I'm certainly no expert. However, that's my experience of 15 inch speakers. They sound great on their own but can lost in the overall sound. I now have 10s (a 4x10 and a 2x10 also Ashdown) and, while it doesn't sound so good by itself, the overall band sound seems to be better. Hardly scientific though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='441593' date='Mar 22 2009, 11:17 AM']They sound great on their own but can lost in the overall sound.[/quote] Funnily enough, that's my experience with 10's, and why I use 15's ^_^ But really, the diameter of the speaker won't make a difference...good and bad designs can be had with any size driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) [quote name='hitchy64' post='441563' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:43 AM']....I have an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 combo with 15" speaker. The problem is I have trouble cutting through the sound of our two guitars, I am unsure which way to go. Do I get an extra cab, or swap my combo for one with a more powerfull amphead?....[/quote] The extra cab is the cheapest option, and as has been said, will get you the full power of your amp and an increase volume with the additional cone area. Your choice of extension cab is really between a 2x10 and a 1x15. They will both work well so, if you can, try your combo with both cabs and get the one that suits. If you have more cash to invest my preference would be to look at a 300-500 watt head and a 4x10. You could add the following to your combo: a 1x15 cab. a 2x10 cab and later replace the combo with a head and another 2x10. a 4x10 cab and later replace the combo with a head. Edited March 22, 2009 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneyg42 Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Also make sure the extension cab is the right ohmage to get the best power out of the combo, I would imagine it needs to be 8ohms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 What style of music are you playing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchy64 Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) Cheers for the replys folks. I think i'm going to go the extension cab route, maybe 2x10 to start with and see how that goes. The local music shop has a Marshal 150w valve amp combo with a 15" , I might go in and have a play next week :-)just for the hell of it and to see what it sounds like. As for what style we'r doing, we do 60s, 70s classic rock and also some newer stuff like Green Day, Feeder, The Offspring etc cheers, Hitchy Edited March 22, 2009 by hitchy64 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 I've no experience with your combo, but I don't think you can plug an ext cab into the EB series. I'd check there's an output for speakers round the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 You can plug an extention into the EB combos, the head part is kind of seperate, you can unplug the built in speaker entirely. You'll need a 8 ohm cab, the MAG 1x15 cab should be happy. Also, bear in mind you have a 5 band EQ on that combo, don't eq to sound nice on its own, fiddle with the mids once the guitards are done and find a place you can hear yourself. That marshall combo doesn't sound like a valve combo, its probably a hybrid, 150W of valves is seriously bit stuff, you'll se about 6 valves in it if that were true. Its probably a valve preamp, which isn't really the same, if the salesman tells you different, punch them in the face, or at least disregard everything they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchy64 Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 There are two 1/4" Jack sockets round the back, one has the combo speaker pluged in and the other is free. Is that all I need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Yep, now go and buy that extension cab and be loud and proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 I agree...extension cab is the way my friend...I reckon 10s will open your world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Flog all that stuff. Get yourself a POD X3 Live and a decent wedge monitor. World's yer oyster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Good stuff. Glad to be wrong for a change You should try both a 2x10 & a 1x15 ext cab to see what one you like the best with your combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 First of all are you elevating your combo on a beer crate, amp stand or chair? Try that first as it hell of a lot easier than adding another cab. Then assuming your guit@rists and drummer are not going to play less loud (which is the ideal solution) try tweaking your eq. I personally find boosting the 2k works for me. The classic "smile" shape on the eq guarentees I just can't hear it in band situation... So try gently boosting each eq level one at a time (probably the mids or upper mids) and see if that helps. If you do get a 2x10 stick it on top of the combo and if you can, angle it at your ears.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy67 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 boosting the mids is a great piece of advice. certainly cuts...btw, what type of amps is your guitarists using? it's real difficult to cut through marshall 100w valve heads and 4x12 cabs. andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 [quote name='andy67' post='442343' date='Mar 23 2009, 12:36 PM']it's real difficult to cut through marshall 100w valve heads and 4x12 cabs. [/quote] [url="http://www.abbeygardensales.co.uk/chainsaws/stihl-chainsaws/[email protected]"]It's just a matter of using the right tools for the job.[/url] S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchy64 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 (edited) We had band rehearsal tonight and the place we play in is a propper well set up place for bands to practice. I used an old Peavey 2x10 Bass cab that was laying around, and conected it to my combo. What a differance. Now I know what I need to buy. Cheers for the advice guys. PS I had a play with the eq, i'v got a really good sound that i'm happy with now. I'v rolled off the bass and added some treble, the Fender Jazz sounds awsome!! Edited March 25, 2009 by hitchy64 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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