So, is anyone using smaller speakers with their power scaling Eg amps to get that speaker breakup at the lower volumes when attenuated? I mean we all have at least one cab that can take the amp dimed... so what about the other end?
down the road I am considering finding a really nice 10-15 watt cab to run my amp scaled back.. but still pushing the speaker. I love my 212x but have not even gotten it near the break up volume to hear what that will add to the tone. That day will come soon
If I can figure some fancy footwork around the differing speaker loads+ efficencies.. it would be nice to hook up+ mic 2 cabs at differing wattages off the same head- one playing clean and another breaking up... then have more options on tape, or play around with panning.
You will be walking the line between speaker breakup and speaker burn out. The 15 watt speaker will be very easy to blow with a fairly low power amp. There are different types of speaker distortion. One is a sort of compression that occurs when the cone can't move as fast or as far as you are demanding and it start to "squish". More of a feel thing. Overdriving a speaker to the point where the magnet looses control of the cone movement (too much power and low end) is not a nice distortion. Choosing the right speaker for a given cabinet is the key to all this. A Vintage 30 or Greenback in a small 1x12 cab has a nice tone up to a certain volume. Then they will begin to "break up" and eventually burn out. The highly technical term for this is "farting out". I think we all know the sound. We find, for example, a Classic Lead 80 does not "fart out" when used in single or dual configurations and works very well in smaller open or closed back boxes. Makes it a good choice for 1x12 or 2x12 combos. On the other hand, a Vintage 30 will fart like your Grandpa in a small, open back cab. This is not a reflection on th quality of a speaker. Just the correct (or incorrect) application. Conversely, a Classic Lead 80 does not sound very good in a 4x12.
2x12, G12M-25's.
Want to grab a matching 2x12 and maybe try doing a slightly different (but similar) speaker.. maybe mix n match.
With the Rebel, I have found that Greenbacks are great. With higher watt amps, I still prefer my EVM-12L's. Could just be voicing tho..
