Bass amp speaker combos

SunDevil

I got a little Markbass 10" bass 45w bass combo at the weekend - seemed appropriate given I'm just starting out with bass, it sounded good in the shop and I'm short on space due to an excess of guitar gear

Volume isn't an issue, but it's either my ears or it's not very well defined on the lower frets of the E string?

I've currently got the cab up on a couple of 1" wooden slats to try and decouple it from the floor - something I've used before to help with boomy guitar cabs

So is the issue potentially a lack of amp power to cleanly drive the low end or a lack of speaker? ..if the later, I've got the options to add a second 210 cab or a 115, but which is the right way to go?

Baz

ecc83

Bit 'o' physics? It is very hard (but not impossible given enough power) to get decent bass out of a speaker/cab below its system resonance. I know Jack about that 10" amp but I doubt it has a resonance below the 40Hz or so of the open E string.

So yes, a bigger speaker and cab will get you that bottom octave but bass G repro in a small room is a bit doomed. 40Hz has a wavelength of 27 feet and every mortal thing in the room will rattle even at very modest volumes.

Dave.

SunDevil

Ta Dave

Indeed: Frequency Responce: 45Hz to 18KHz on the 110 and the 210 is the same

Bizarrely, the 115 is 50Hz to 17kHz

crunchman

A lot of the time you are hearing the harmonic rather than the fundamental.

Some Hifi speakers quote frequency response of 55Hz to 19kHz.  We can still hear bass guitar on them.

SunDevil

Gotcha, so if it's not a speaker issue, is the amp power too low to reproduce the lower frequencies clearly?

ICBM

What bass are you using? I find that some can be a bit undefined down there, and it's definitely the bass not the amp. Short-scale basses and ones that are too light or have skinny necks (so the instrument tends to flap about almost as much as the string!) seem to suffer from it most.

It won't be the amp, any modern power section will handle down to at least a low E and probably a lot lower totally cleanly until the point of clipping. It could be the cab, but if anything lifting it off the floor will probably make it worse not better. It's a good idea for guitar amps because it rolls off the fundamental, but that's the opposite of what you usually want for bass and you may find yourself turning up the lows more which will be counterproductive if the speaker is struggling.

If you do want to add a second cab, a 2x10" would traditionally be thought 'tighter' than a 1x15", but porting can reduce that as well as extend the LF roll-off point, so it may be a good idea to avoid that.

Bridgehouse

Definitely bass and not amp. Could be string choice - or could be pickup height at the low end. Equally though it could be the resonant frequencies in the neck, or the electronics...

SunDevil

Cheers all - it’s a P-bass style G&L. Pickups are Alnico V and the strings are 45-100. Pickup height and strings are all factory stock.

ill try dropping it off its stand tonight and see how it fares

Bridgehouse

SunDevil said:

Cheers all - it’s a P-bass style G&L. Pickups are Alnico V and the strings are 45-100. Pickup height and strings are all factory stock

Do you know what brand of strings G&L put on their basses? 

Worth checking pickup heights as well. 

SunDevil

I think D’Addario.. certainly roundwound

Bridgehouse

SunDevil said:

I think D’Addario.. certainly roundwound

Is it 34” scale?

Keefy

If it's the Micromark 801, that's actually an 8in speaker! I play mainly Precisions with flatwound strings through mine, and there is plenty of definition on the low notes.

Bridgehouse

Keefy said:

If it's the Micromark 801, that's actually an 8in speaker! I play mainly Precisions with flatwound strings through mine, and there is plenty of definition on the low notes.

Ironically I find flat wounds give a lot better definition at the low end most of the time.

SunDevil

10” speaker and regular 34” neck

Coupling the cab to the floor and flattening out a very slanted pickup have helped hugely - problem solved, I’d say - Thanks Gents!

I’m tempted to try some flatwounds - any recommendations?

Bridgehouse

SunDevil said:

10” speaker and regular 34” neck

Coupling the cab to the floor and flattening out a very slanted pickup have helped hugely - problem solved, I’d say 

Thanks Gents!

Aha pickup angle on a precision is def. a good first port of call - makes a big difference most times