3 Ways to Make Your Guitar Cab Sound Better

  • Thread starter Thread starter BeZo
  • Start date Start date
The idea behind a Thiele cab supports the assertion of porting, open air travel for increased cone travel and bass, thump, that sort of thing. But there is also an optimal size for the porting.

I have heard a pair of old boogie 1x12 Thiele cabs that had a great full range, as well as good bass roll and thump.

I will go over my old Marshall 4x12 for wire and connectors when changing out the speakers.

Splawn is close to Atlanta. Maybe a 2 x 12 of theirs would be worth a test drive.
 
[/quote] Also, 16gauge? How about 11 gauge. You will hear and feel the difference.[/quote]

Not true
 
I like the idea of soldering right to the speaker and doing away with switches and boards. A few less things to troubleshoot when things go wrong, not having to open up the cab ever.
 
got any link of that automotive grade RTV silicon...???
I live in europe and a picture with more details would be nice...
(since I don't know if the europeans call it the same way)
 
The cheapes way to get more from your 4x12 is trying this wiring. Gives you two switchable options of parallel/series and series/parallel. They sound different and feel very different. I have proven this with clips some years ago (not sure where I got them now). It's a simple job, just a switch to connect/disconnect the white wire, well worth it!

AGL_4x12_schalt_16ohm.jpg
 
...in the diagram,how is it 'switchable"
Pulling the white wire on and off?


And I'm too lazy to look but is that wired 16ohm total?
 
John4021":1w4wtjdt said:
...in the diagram,how is it 'switchable"
Pulling the white wire on and off?


And I'm too lazy to look but is that wired 16ohm total?
Click to expand...

As I said, a switch that interrupts the white wire gives you the options. It's 16 Ohms.
 
BeZo":9p28adf3 said:
Go get some fiberglass insulation and line the back part of your cab.
Click to expand...
whoa--i wouldn't use fiberglass for this. it works great as thermal insulation, but it's pretty loose and floppy for using as acoustical batting. it also can be a bit of a hazard to work with; the individual tiny fibers can wriggle under your skin and itch like a sumbitch.

for filling a whole cab, i've used soft polyester pillow/teddy bear filling. for lining the walls of a cab, i've used 1" thick sheet polyester firm-pillow batting, tacked on with tiny nails. both are available from places like Michael's crafts store.

the thing about removing extra jacks to seal a cab is spot-on, in my experience. i could feel the air puffing out of the second jack hole on a stereo cab that i was only running in mono. :lol: :LOL: i've seen some manufacturers fill that second jack hole with a rubber stopper.
 
Every time I have opened a Marshall cab I couldn't believe the wire they use in there. My Bogner cab is the first one I didn't have to rewire.
 
No matter what type of wire you use, do not forget to take a peak at the wire that goes from the speaker's terminal into the cone/coil. Most people will claim that you should use big, fat, thick wire. But take a look at what kind of wire is actually used in your speaker, itself, and you may be surprised... Just take a peak under the speaker's terminal. :) :) :D What gauge do you think this is, hmm? If your signal chain is only as strong as its weakest link, then is heavy duty wire inside your cab and speaker cable going to make a difference when the speakers, themselves, have this stuff in 'em? ;)

8796091.jpg


038-1.jpg


Also, solder is not meant to be used as a mechanical connection. It is neither more nor less secure than using spade connectors if both are done properly.
 
FourT6and2":1cnrnji9 said:
No matter what type of wire you use, do not forget to take a peak at the wire that goes from the speaker's terminal into the cone/coil. Most people will claim that you should use big, fat, thick wire. But take a look at what kind of wire is actually used in your speaker, itself, and you may be surprised... Just take a peak under the speaker's terminal. :) :) :D What gauge do you think this is, hmm? If your signal chain is only as strong as its weakest link, then is heavy duty wire inside your cab and speaker cable going to make a difference when the speakers, themselves, have this stuff in 'em? ;)

8796091.jpg


038-1.jpg


Also, solder is not meant to be used as a mechanical connection. It is neither more nor less secure than using spade connectors if both are done properly.
Click to expand...

i think the thought process is that spade connectors vibrate off over time, but solder doesn't.
 
tubortski":1e1kzguj said:
That wire gauge looks as thick as instrument cable...
Click to expand...

But it isn't. It's thin. Thin enough to fit through the eyelet in the speaker terminals (which is quite small). Take a look for yourself sometime. It's probably 18-20 gauge. On top of that, the wire in the speaker coil, itself, is even thinner. It's like the wire in your guitar's pickups. Same thing with the wire inside your amp. The wire coming out of your amp's OT secondary is normal hookup wire. So using a $200 speaker cable to go to your cab and using 1/2" thick wire inside your cab is overkill when the stuff inside your amp and inside your speakers is normal, reasonably-sized copper wire. But maybe that's just my opinion... :D

See the twisted green/yellow/black wires on the right-hand side? One of those wires is carrying your amp's sound to the speaker-out jack. And they are small. And they aren't some special breed of oxygen-free this or that. Just normal wire. I doubt an expensive speaker cable will do anything this stuff can't.

ec806f84b578e86f8b61bc70858f7a72-d33fw0a.jpg
 
FourT6and2":1kicy31s said:
tubortski":1kicy31s said:
That wire gauge looks as thick as instrument cable...
Click to expand...

But it isn't. It's thin. Thin enough to fit through the eyelet in the speaker terminals (which is quite small). Take a look for yourself sometime. It's probably 18-20 gauge. On top of that, the wire in the speaker coil, itself, is even thinner. It's like the wire in your guitar's pickups. Same thing with the wire inside your amp. The wire coming out of your amp's OT secondary is normal hookup wire. So using a $200 speaker cable to go to your cab and using 1/2" thick wire inside your cab is overkill when the stuff inside your amp and inside your speakers is normal, reasonably-sized copper wire. But maybe that's just my opinion... :D

See the twisted green/yellow/black wires on the right-hand side? One of those wires is carrying your amp's sound to the speaker-out jack. And they are small. And they aren't some special breed of oxygen-free this or that. Just normal wire. I doubt an expensive speaker cable will do anything this stuff can't.

ec806f84b578e86f8b61bc70858f7a72-d33fw0a.jpg
Click to expand...

Good point. I think it's mainly the length of the connection that would call for something heavy duty. OT to jack, speaker coil to terminals, speaker terminals to speaker jack... not needed. But, If your head is anywhere other than sitting on top of your cab, that is when you want to use something more substantial. Think like 10-50 feet from the cab.
 
FourT6and2":8rkhw61o said:
tubortski":8rkhw61o said:
That wire gauge looks as thick as instrument cable...
Click to expand...

But it isn't. It's thin. Thin enough to fit through the eyelet in the speaker terminals (which is quite small). Take a look for yourself sometime. It's probably 18-20 gauge. On top of that, the wire in the speaker coil, itself, is even thinner. It's like the wire in your guitar's pickups. Same thing with the wire inside your amp. The wire coming out of your amp's OT secondary is normal hookup wire. So using a $200 speaker cable to go to your cab and using 1/2" thick wire inside your cab is overkill when the stuff inside your amp and inside your speakers is normal, reasonably-sized copper wire. But maybe that's just my opinion... :D

See the twisted green/yellow/black wires on the right-hand side? One of those wires is carrying your amp's sound to the speaker-out jack. And they are small. And they aren't some special breed of oxygen-free this or that. Just normal wire. I doubt an expensive speaker cable will do anything this stuff can't.

ec806f84b578e86f8b61bc70858f7a72-d33fw0a.jpg
Click to expand...

great points dude! exactly what i think about that kind of snake oil.
 
Could acostically de-coupling the cab from the floor with an auralex board work with you're list of tricks?
 
LowDesertSludge":2fjui7cv said:
Could acostically de-coupling the cab from the floor with an auralex board work with you're list of tricks?
Click to expand...

Why would you want that? I would think you'd actually want the cab to be coupled to the ground.
 
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