StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) Hey guys Went and played my bass the other day through my rig which as most of you probably know, is a Trace Elliot GP12 Series 6 250w Head through a 1980s Marshall JCM800A 4x12 Bass Series Cabinet (loaded with 3 of the original celestion G12-65's and 1 unknown piece of crap the previous owner fitted) Upon plugging in (to the active input) and playing (oh, just to note, first bass I used was my Tobias which is tuned to D) there was a HUGE crackle and distortion whenever I hit any notes registering below a middle D (anything from the 7th fret on the A string downwards). Atfirst, I thought my amp might be overloading which it was slightly clipping at times, but I turned the input down so it was on the "Thumbs up" Green light and there was still the distortion and crackling. There is no buzzing or anything coming from the amp head and I use proper heavy duty speaker cables to connect head to cab. So, I tried turning all the bass off the bass guitar and turned the Pre Amp off (rolled them off on the dials) and the distortion stopped. Rolled on the bass to full, still no distortion, rolled on the Pre Amp and it was back. So, i only turned off the bass this time, and there was no distortion noise. Grabbed my P Bass copy (seymour duncan quarter pounders, tuned to E standard) and switched it over to the passive input. Guess what? exact same problem. It's not like I had it on loud either as I was in the house, it was on 2 and a half at most. Just for extra notes, I played it both finger style and with a pick. When using a pick, the punch obviously wasn't as powerful as it was from my fingers but there was still the distortion. Also, When I played it 4 days ago, this didn't happen at all. Well, I say not at all, there has been a slight niggle every once in a while of this problem for a little while but I've ignored it, probably a stupid idea? Sorry if I annoy anyone by calling it "distortion" but it's the only word I can use to describe it really. I hope it's not a blown speaker although, if it is, it would be a big relief to me but not my wallet (celestion G12-65 Rola speakers are £120 each brand new which I don't have the money for) Please help me out here guys, I've got a very important headliner show next week and I need this sorted ASAP. Thanks Stevie Dewar Edited June 3, 2010 by StevieD_FenderP2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Any chance of trying it with another cabinet/speaker? Does it happen in equal amounts at all volumes, or only when loud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 I haven't personally got another cab to try it through but i'm going to ask a friend to bring his over to try it out. I happens when the amps output is past 2 and a half / 3 which is bad considering I need it to be around 5 when I gig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Ok, but it only happens when the amp output is over a certain level, so not when it's quieter? I'm just trying to rule out the chance it could be the amp is all. Have you tried cleaning the speaker cable connectors and jacks? (just by unplugging and re-plugging them a half dozen times or so)? Is there any way you can put your head near the cab and hear if it is a specific speaker that is doing this, or if all of them do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 It kinda seems like the top left speaker is doing it (which would be the replacement piece of sh*te) but I can't be to sure I've tried cleaning all the cable ends and even used an ear bud to lightly clean the jack inputs on both the head and cab. Also, yeah, it doesn't seem to do it when it's quieter. I'll go and give it another try in a few minutes as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 Heres a little update Went and played my amp earlier, was playing on 2 and a half, Tobias Bass with pre-amp, bass, treble and volume pots on full, input on the amp set to 3 (usual setting, green thumbs up came on) and I started playing Now, there was no distortion at all at this level, so I turned up to 3 and a half output, then 4 and a half, then 5. When it hit the 4 and a half mark, there was slight distortion which is why i went to 5 which is when it started to get really noticable on the note range mentioned in the first post. Thing was, it then went away for a little while and came back. I've taken the back off the cab to see if there's any damage on the speakers and I couldn't see anything. Kept the back off and sat behind the cab to keep an eye on the speakers. All connections looked in tact and nothing looked out at all. Is it usual for one speaker to be moving more than the others though? I noticed the main cone section of the "black" speaker (the only non matching one) was moving a considerable amount more than the others. Wierd thing was, with the back off, i didn't notice much distortion from the cab but then every little once in a while, it happened. Anyone able to enlighten me on this situation? Should I try unwiring one speaker at a time to see if I can determine which speaker it might be (if that is the actual problem) or is that not recomended? Cheers guys Stevie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 sounds like the odd speaker is rated much lower than the rest and is about to pack it in. They should be moving by about the same amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 [quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='857413' date='Jun 4 2010, 04:15 PM']Should I try unwiring one speaker at a time to see if I can determine which speaker it might be (if that is the actual problem) or is that not recomended?[/quote] That might work, but it depends how your cab is wired up. It does seem to me however that that speaker will most likely need to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 You really need to try your speaker with another amp or another speaker with your amp to be certain of where the fault is. The speaker is the leading suspect but some failing capacitors could give you crackling at high levels. It is not unusual for one speaker to move more than another even if they are all working perfectly though if they do it probably means this speaker should not be in this cab for other reasons. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 Delberthot - Yeah, I really doubt it is the right one for the cabinet which is why I'm looking around for a matching speaker to the rest of them in the cabinet. There is nothing telling me the power rating or anything on the back of the lone speaker. Escholl - My cab is wired up so that the 2 left ones are tied in together and the 2 right ones are tied in together. I unhooked the 2 right ones (thats where the unknown speaker is) and had just the 2 left ones running, plugged in everything, turned up to 8 (i've never done this before, was shitting myself haha) and there was no crackle or anything. Didn't bother trying it with the other side incase i smoked the suspect broken speaker xD Phil Starr - Where would the failing capacitors be? I've never heard of this problem before :S I'm trying to find someone to drive over to mine with a bass cab to try my head out through their cab and really give it some drive to check it out fully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umph Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 best way to test is to play and get your head right next to the speakers and listen to see if its distorting or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 [quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='857906' date='Jun 5 2010, 01:49 AM']Escholl - My cab is wired up so that the 2 left ones are tied in together and the 2 right ones are tied in together. I unhooked the 2 right ones (thats where the unknown speaker is) and had just the 2 left ones running, plugged in everything, turned up to 8 (i've never done this before, was shitting myself haha) and there was no crackle or anything. Didn't bother trying it with the other side incase i smoked the suspect broken speaker xD[/quote] Well, it's certainly sounding like it's the speaker, which means you will likely have to put out for a new one. The only last thing to check is to make sure the connectors going to the spade terminals on the speaker itself is clean, but in all honesty from what you've said you will probably need a new driver. Just look at it this way -- your cab will finally be fully matched, and will be sounding even better than it did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 [quote name='escholl' post='858194' date='Jun 5 2010, 02:28 PM']Well, it's certainly sounding like it's the speaker, which means you will likely have to put out for a new one. The only last thing to check is to make sure the connectors going to the spade terminals on the speaker itself is clean, but in all honesty from what you've said you will probably need a new driver. Just look at it this way -- your cab will finally be fully matched, and will be sounding even better than it did! [/quote] Well mate, what you're saying is very very true. I would love it to be all Celestion driven, just the problem of affording one at the minute. I've just been a little flamboyant and spent out £100 on new clothes, £110 on Sonisphere fest (Maiden are playing, end of... haha) and £110 on P Bass parts for my project build which I shall be putting a few pictures of up on here. If you know anyone selling one of these speakers then please do get in touch. Oh, jsyk, I re-soldered the wires leading to both the left speakers and it didn't seem to make much difference, if any at all so it most probably is the speaker Thanks very much for your help in all this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 yeah, they're a wee bit pricey [url="http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313&_nkw=celestion+G12-65&_sacat=See-All-Categories"]http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trk...-All-Categories[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 Oh that really does make me weep to see that. Hurts me deeeeep and hurts my wallet even deeper xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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