Changing speakers need advice please!!!

[mikeselfinflicted]

Hi i'm thinking about changing the speakers in my cabs.

i'm running 2 4x10 ashdown MAG cabs but the speakers just don't seem to cut it, i've been told the voicing of the cabs
is pretty good but the speakers are lame so i was thinking of changing over to eminence BP102's.

what i really wanna know is how much difference it will make in terms of perceived volume and difference in tone
against the ones in the ashdown cabs i can't find anything on the net that has helped clarify so far.

I don't wanna spend 4 to 5 hundred quid if there's no change.

any help would be greatly appreciated!

cheers peeps!!!!

[Mr. Foxen]

Better spending that sorta cash on better cabs. Unless you have a fairly good understanding of such things, port cabs and speaker swaps are unpredictable.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='mikeselfinflicted' post='782645' date='Mar 22 2010, 03:40 PM']Hi i'm thinking about changing the speakers in my cabs.

i'm running 2 4x10 ashdown MAG cabs but the speakers just don't seem to cut it, i've been told the voicing of the cabs
is pretty good but the speakers are lame so i was thinking of changing over to eminence BP102's.[/quote]
BP102s will take a lot of power in the low end but they're very weak in the mids; I only use them along with a midrange driver. I believe Ashdown uses Sica OEM drivers and that they aren't of very high quality. With eight of them you don't need a huge power rating, so the Eminence Basslite S2010 should be a good bang for the buck driver and they do sound very good. They also weigh almost nothing.

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='782657' date='Mar 22 2010, 08:04 PM']Better spending that sorta cash on better cabs. Unless you have a fairly good understanding of such things, port cabs and speaker swaps are unpredictable.[/quote]

This is good advice. Cabs need to match drive units and the sound of the bass end of the spectrum is determined by the match between the cab and speakers. Ported cabs need careful design if they are to work well for bass.If you want something custom then you would usually be better building from scratch than trying to adapt a cab. The trade-in value of your cabs will be less without the original drivers as well.

Guitarists get away with swapping speakers because

they don't use ported cabs

they aren't producing much real bass

most guitar speakers are similar in design

little of this is true for bass, which is why you haven't been able to find much about it. If you still want to go ahead only do one cab and tell us the dimensions of your cab (internal dimensions) and the size of any ports and we might be able to suggest some possibilities.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Phil Starr' post='783055' date='Mar 23 2010, 07:57 AM']Guitarists get away with swapping speakers because

they don't use ported cabs

they aren't producing much real bass

most guitar speakers are similar in design[/quote]

You forgot 'Their insturments sound horrible naturally and they like horrible midrange and distortion'.

I think the Ashdown cabs have tube ports, so if you can find a suitable tube, you can retune them to an extent, easily, but the ports might be a bit small for actually good bass drivers.

[chris_b]

[quote name='mikeselfinflicted' post='782645' date='Mar 22 2010, 07:40 PM']....Hi i'm thinking about changing the speakers in my cabs.... I don't wanna spend 4 to 5 hundred quid if there's no change....[/quote]
In my view, Ashdown MAG’s are OK but as soon as you hear the limitations it’s time to move on. You can spend a fortune upgrading the speakers but in the end you've still only got Ashdown MAG's. For £400 to £500 plus the value of your current cabs you could buy a high quality cab that would get you a much better tone and cut right through the mix. In the BC For Sale section there is a Markbass 810, a Tecamp 612 and an Epifani 410 for starters.

[mikeselfinflicted]

Thanks you given me alot to think about maybe i could trade them in an find an ashdown ABM 8x10!!!

guitarists get it so much easier its not fair!!!! :snob:

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='mikeselfinflicted' post='784174' date='Mar 23 2010, 11:35 PM']Thanks you given me alot to think about maybe i could trade them in an find an ashdown ABM 8x10!!!

guitarists get it so much easier its not fair!!!! :snob:[/quote]

If you have 4-500 then you should be able to get an ABM 8x10 easy enough. They aren't like the 4x10s though, they are sealed like the classic Ampeg. In fact, you can have mine for £400. As much as I love it, I need to lose a cab.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='mikeselfinflicted' post='784174' date='Mar 23 2010, 07:35 PM']Thanks you given me alot to think about maybe i could trade them in an find an ashdown ABM 8x10!!!

guitarists get it so much easier its not fair!!!! :snob:[/quote]If loaded with the same drivers it will be but more of the same result.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='784179' date='Mar 23 2010, 11:40 PM']If loaded with the same drivers it will be but more of the same result.[/quote]

Mine has black Celestions, pre the blue sicas, think the blues in the ABM are different due to the sealed, but maybe they aren't that sophisticated.

[mikeselfinflicted]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='784177' date='Mar 23 2010, 11:39 PM']If you have 4-500 then you should be able to get an ABM 8x10 easy enough. They aren't like the 4x10s though, they are sealed like the classic Ampeg. In fact, you can have mine for £400. As much as I love it, I need to lose a cab.[/quote]

Well i need to sell some stuff first but if your up for it i'd be seriously interested!!

would there be a big improvement in tonality/volume over the mag cabs?

i'm assuming there would be as the ABM series is pro gear

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='mikeselfinflicted' post='784269' date='Mar 24 2010, 01:36 AM']Well i need to sell some stuff first but if your up for it i'd be seriously interested!!

would there be a big improvement in tonality/volume over the mag cabs?

i'm assuming there would be as the ABM series is pro gear[/quote]

As I say, different animals, not actually tried the MAG cabs, but am assuming they have rear ports. Sealed cabs roll off in the lows a bit more, but sit happily in the 'loud' frequencies. Everyone loves the Ampeg fridge, which is also sealed, same sort of frequency range, maybe a different 'colour' within that range, although the only ampeg fridge I've played through was a bit of a mish mash of speakers, so not sure if it is good to compare directly.