Author Topic: old amp + new cab?  (Read 1677 times)

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Offline paco)))

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old amp + new cab?
« on: October 01, 2008, 08:01:28 pm »
Hello, I mentioned this in an old post but I'm getting an old 1200s amp & at a pawn shop a block from me they have a new sunn/fender 4x12 cab for $225. I was wondering if this would work for a bass rig. The cab is 16 ohms & the amp only has 4 & 8 ohm outputs. Should I grab it or wait for an actual bass cab to turn up?

Thanks,
Chris

Offline EdBass

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Re: old amp + new cab?
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2008, 08:36:17 pm »
There should be a 16 ohm tap on the output transformer that's not wired to the output jacks. It's a pretty simple switch to make the outputs 8 & 16 ohms instead of 4 & 8 ohms. Even easier; odds are that cab has 16 ohm speakers wired series/parallel, and it's pretty easy to rewire it parallel/parallel to get a 4 ohm cabinet impedance. Plenty of bass players use/have used 4X12's, it depends if the drivers in that particular cabinet are up to the task.
Some guitar speakers won't hold up to sustained bass guitar use, or sound very good doing it, and a typical sealed 4X12 won't have nearly enough bottom end response to suit most bass players.
I guess the most important thing is if you like the way it sounds!

Offline paco)))

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Re: old amp + new cab?
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2008, 09:43:07 pm »
Thanks, I'm trying to look up threads about playing bass through these. It looks like it should be up to the task & I plan to wire it to 4 ohms until I find either another cab to run with it or an entirely new set up. I rekkon I shouldn't have any trouble selling it or trading it for an actual bass cab if I find one. Are there some schematics or a wiring guide on how to re-wire 16 to 4 ohms?

Thanks,
Chris

Offline EdBass

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Re: old amp + new cab?
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2008, 07:40:23 pm »
I sent a spreadsheet to your email address that should help you out.

Offline xsolarusx

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Re: old amp + new cab?
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2008, 01:39:31 am »
If it's about re-wiring, could you forward it to me?  Sorry to sort of bump in, but I'm trying to acquire as much knowledge as I can on wiring and whatnot.

Thanks either way!

I sent a spreadsheet to your email address that should help you out.
(2) 73 1st Gen Model T
Late 70's Marshall JCM 800 1960B cab