Sunn Beta Lead Combo Question

[John Matrix]

I'm lookin at a Beta Lead 2x12 combo on line and I was wondering if there is an extension speaker jack. I think the 2x12 might be fine for a while but it would be ideal if I could plug into a cabinet. Thanks!

[doomedfuzz]

Yes it does. It is 4ohm but being solid state, its a little more forgiving than a tube amp - you can run it as a 6x12 set up (through a 4x12), but if you place the combo on top of the cab, its WAY to loud at ear level. I play in a super loud stoner/doom band and my band mates ask me to just run the 2x12 or 4x12 when I play that amp. The 2x12 will probably be as loud as you need, it is the loudest amp I own - more than a Rockerverb 100 and a Marshall DSL 100. My Sunn Enforcer is still in the shop, so can't judge that one yet!

[John Matrix]

thanks for the tips man!

[John Matrix]

actually, would you mind telling me what cab you are using specifically?

[doomedfuzz]

I use a cheap Hartke 4x12 that has the ability to switch between 4, 8, and 16 ohm. I usually run on the 4 ohm. I have plugged it into my 16 ohm Orange PPC412 before, a little volume drop but sounds great (better than the Hartke).

[John Matrix]

alright, not to beat a dead horse here, but i wanted to double check on this before I tried anything.

I might be borrowing a Mesa 412 from someone to try out with my 212 Beta Lead. This cab has inputs for 8ohm and 16 ohm.

Since the Beta Lead amp itself is 4ohm, does that mean the 212 speaker portion of the combo is 4 ohms?

The Sunn Museum entry on the Beta Lead says that if I am using 2 speaker cabs with a Beta Lead head, they should both be 8ohm (combined equaling 4 ohms?).

I guess my question is, what input should I use if I want to use the 412 along with the 212? Will I experience any volume loss or possibly blow something up? Sorry if these are dumb questions but I am new to mixing and matching gear.

I'm aware that this may be unnecessary since the 212 is really loud on its own, but I am playing in a 2 man band with a drummer and me being the only guitarist.

[John Matrix]

any ideas guys?

[doomedfuzz]

Well, a buddy of mine just screwed up a solid state amp due to some ohm mismatches, so I'm being more careful now. Unless that 4x12 is 4ohm (which it is not per your post), don't have the amp plugged into the internal speakers at all. Sooooo - just plug into the 8ohm input on the 4x12 and unplug the internal speakers. The outs are 4ohm each, so going to an 8 or 16 ohm cab ONLY (no internal) is not a problem, you might experience some volume drop, but not much. I'm going to look something up and I'll post more maybe in a few minutes. BTW, I just looked at the back of mine to verify the 4ohm outs.

[doomedfuzz]

This verifies what I thought:

http://sunn.ampage.org/site/catalogs/1979/1979catp6.jpg

This even more so:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachment.php?attachmentid=104189&d=1229804915

It specifically states to unplug the internal speakers any time you use an external cab.


you can print out all of them by looking on this forum: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/350415-sunn-beta-bass-combo-manual.html

[John Matrix]

thanks man, i found this website also that laid it out a pretty good explanation, although much more complicated, it explains some of the math in trying to use miss matched cabs together.

http://www.legendarytones.com/ohms.html