Came face to face with one of those Ampeg 8 x 10 cabinets yesterday...
Comments
A couple of times.
There are a few different versions. The heaviest (the Pro version, that no pros ever bought) was 215 lb . 97kg / 15.3 Stone.
They are amazingly inefficient and suffer badly from beaming. But at the same time they can sound amazing.
Ampeg really should get up to date and stick a good LPF on all speakers in 1 of the columns. That would solve the beaming straight away and give much better spread.
There are a few different versions. The heaviest (the Pro version, that no pros ever bought) was 215 lb . 97kg / 15.3 Stone.
They are amazingly inefficient and suffer badly from beaming. But at the same time they can sound amazing.
Ampeg really should get up to date and stick a good LPF on all speakers in 1 of the columns. That would solve the beaming straight away and give much better spread.
The sound of them seems to vary over the years, there was a period where they used drivers that sounded like they had no high end at all. I used to use a rehearsal space with one of those and it was a struggle with any amp - I tried it with their EBS, my GK MB200 and my Ampeg PF50T over a few rehearsals. But then other times they've sounded great when they shown up as rented backline at events, so they’re not all like that. I'm not sure how to recognise the dull sounding ones, but you can tell as soon as you plug into one.
The dull ones have been thrashed.MartinB said:The sound of them seems to vary over the years, there was a period where they used drivers that sounded like they had no high end at all. I used to use a rehearsal space with one of those and it was a struggle with any amp - I tried it with their EBS, my GK MB200 and my Ampeg PF50T over a few rehearsals. But then other times they've sounded great when they shown up as rented backline at events, so they’re not all like that. I'm not sure how to recognise the dull sounding ones, but you can tell as soon as you plug into one.
Mind you, even the new ones without a tweeter top out at about 4Khz.
fretmeister said:The dull ones have been thrashed.MartinB said:The sound of them seems to vary over the years, there was a period where they used drivers that sounded like they had no high end at all. I used to use a rehearsal space with one of those and it was a struggle with any amp - I tried it with their EBS, my GK MB200 and my Ampeg PF50T over a few rehearsals. But then other times they've sounded great when they shown up as rented backline at events, so they’re not all like that. I'm not sure how to recognise the dull sounding ones, but you can tell as soon as you plug into one.
Mind you, even the new ones without a tweeter top out at about 4Khz.
I'd read that as the location of manufacture moved around over the years so did the driver suppliers, and there are apparently specific years of darker sounding cabs. Going up to 4Khz is about what I'd expect from most cabs without a tweeter, and is plenty for me if it's lively enough from about 2-4K. But this one in the rehearsal room, I don't think it had much useful output past about 1Khz.
On one of the bass forums a few years ago (I forget which one) a very excited poster announced that he'd picked up two of these for a bargainicious price - something like £250 for the pair.
His opening gambit was basically "any advice on transporting them for gigs etc?". Needless to say it was swiftly pointed out to him that perhaps the difficulty moving them around and the cheap price might be in someway linked...
His opening gambit was basically "any advice on transporting them for gigs etc?". Needless to say it was swiftly pointed out to him that perhaps the difficulty moving them around and the cheap price might be in someway linked...
Ampeg certainly had a very bad patch for a while and all the big name users moved to other stuff.MartinB said:fretmeister said:The dull ones have been thrashed.MartinB said:The sound of them seems to vary over the years, there was a period where they used drivers that sounded like they had no high end at all. I used to use a rehearsal space with one of those and it was a struggle with any amp - I tried it with their EBS, my GK MB200 and my Ampeg PF50T over a few rehearsals. But then other times they've sounded great when they shown up as rented backline at events, so they’re not all like that. I'm not sure how to recognise the dull sounding ones, but you can tell as soon as you plug into one.
Mind you, even the new ones without a tweeter top out at about 4Khz.
I'd read that as the location of manufacture moved around over the years so did the driver suppliers, and there are apparently specific years of darker sounding cabs. Going up to 4Khz is about what I'd expect from most cabs without a tweeter, and is plenty for me if it's lively enough from about 2-4K. But this one in the rehearsal room, I don't think it had much useful output past about 1Khz.
I remember the shock when Billy Sheehan - usually seen with four 8x10 on stage - swapped to Hartke.
Always seem to get them on festivals when backline is provided, need to fork them onto the stage and once in situ try very hard to keep them there. And of course the added bonus of the matching head which takes two people to place on top of the bloody thing.
Same results on a big stage can be achieved with a two by 12 but of course it doesn’t look as good. Nb standing in front of them sounds awful 10 feet away and things start to happen
In short nice visuals but an enormous pain in the back.
In short nice visuals but an enormous pain in the back.
I love Ampeg.
They make the best bass amps but pretty much everyone other that 1st tier touring bands has moved away from those cabs.
I use an SVT-7Pro and a Barefaced Big Baby now.
They make the best bass amps but pretty much everyone other that 1st tier touring bands has moved away from those cabs.
I use an SVT-7Pro and a Barefaced Big Baby now.
I like the amps a lot, currently I have the PF50T through a pair of home built 1x12" cabs. But if I was ever going to go for a rig with a bigger Ampeg head, I'd probably look elsewhere for cabs.octatonic said:I love Ampeg.
They make the best bass amps but pretty much everyone other that 1st tier touring bands has moved away from those cabs.
I use an SVT-7Pro and a Barefaced Big Baby now.
Yo! I've seen that mighty Ampeg in the flesh too. Crazy they don't have side handles, but the wheels on the bottom are a good idea. I doubt anyone sane would try to lift it.As for gigging with one, that's probably only for the hardcore. I imagine the tone must be out of this world, but the hauling and setup sounds brutal. Better have buddies to help out!
<SPAMMER: Link removed>
<SPAMMER: Link removed>
Er ... what's with the polish website link? Clearly not bass or guitar related.Gregory262 said:Yo! I've seen that mighty Ampeg in the flesh too. Crazy they don't have side handles, but the wheels on the bottom are a good idea. I doubt anyone sane would try to lift it.As for gigging with one, that's probably only for the hardcore. I imagine the tone must be out of this world, but the hauling and setup sounds brutal. Better have buddies to help out!
<SPAMMER: Link removed>
You don't lift them. You wheel them, and if they need to go upstairs you use *the* lift.Gregory262 said:Yo! I've seen that mighty Ampeg in the flesh too. Crazy they don't have side handles, but the wheels on the bottom are a good idea. I doubt anyone sane would try to lift it.
You can lift them with three people if you need to put them in a van or a long estate car - wheel it to the van grille first, one person at each side, tilt it right back and the two each side lift the bottom corners while the third (strongest) lifts it by the back handle and pushes it in. They have slide strips on the back for exactly that reason.
They're not really for normal gigs though, they're for professional stages where there are roadies to do all that. Then they can have flightcases too, and if you think the cab is big and awkward... ;)
Exactly ... I helped my Mrs with the odd load in as crew when she was a production manager at the Royal Albert Hall ... and I've helped to shift a couple of those ... 'musical lead wardrobes' we nick named them.ICBM said:You don't lift them. You wheel them, and if they need to go upstairs you use *the* lift.Gregory262 said:Yo! I've seen that mighty Ampeg in the flesh too. Crazy they don't have side handles, but the wheels on the bottom are a good idea. I doubt anyone sane would try to lift it.
You can lift them with three people if you need to put them in a van or a long estate car - wheel it to the van grille first, one person at each side, tilt it right back and the two each side lift the bottom corners while the third (strongest) lifts it by the back handle and pushes it in. They have slide strips on the back for exactly that reason.
They're not really for normal gigs though, they're for professional stages where there are roadies to do all that. Then they can have flightcases too, and if you think the cab is big and awkward... ;)
He's been banned already!OilCityPickups said:Er ... what's with the polish website link? Clearly not bass or guitar related.Gregory262 said:Yo! I've seen that mighty Ampeg in the flesh too. Crazy they don't have side handles, but the wheels on the bottom are a good idea. I doubt anyone sane would try to lift it.As for gigging with one, that's probably only for the hardcore. I imagine the tone must be out of this world, but the hauling and setup sounds brutal. Better have buddies to help out!
<SPAMMER: Link removed>
I suggest not clicking on the link!
True, I mostly encounter 8x10 cabs as house gear where it never moves, or as rented backline where it comes in on the big truck with the ramp along with the big PA gear and stays on a festival stage all weekeend, where wheeling an 8x10" is probably easier than deadlifting a 4x10 with side handles.ICBM said:You don't lift them. You wheel them, and if they need to go upstairs you use *the* lift.Gregory262 said:Yo! I've seen that mighty Ampeg in the flesh too. Crazy they don't have side handles, but the wheels on the bottom are a good idea. I doubt anyone sane would try to lift it.
You can lift them with three people if you need to put them in a van or a long estate car - wheel it to the van grille first, one person at each side, tilt it right back and the two each side lift the bottom corners while the third (strongest) lifts it by the back handle and pushes it in. They have slide strips on the back for exactly that reason.
They're not really for normal gigs though, they're for professional stages where there are roadies to do all that. Then they can have flightcases too, and if you think the cab is big and awkward... ;)
I knew a guy who did pub gigs with “ a fridge” I always marvelled at it
I played through them at an outdoor gig where back line was provided. The headliner was a really big deal so the PA and sound people were top drawer - all I did was plug in and play. The bass sound was absolutely immense. Obviously that was down to more than just the bass cabs but they must have played a part.
Years ago, I worked with a band who had got their whole backline from Hiwatt (this was in the 70's). The bass player wanted a 4x15 cab with Fane Crescendo speakers. Hiwatt built a heavier version of their 4x12 and put scaffolding poles in it to strengthen it. It had the usual Hiwatt skids and cut out handles. It was a bitch to move and was top heavy because of the handle placement. After that, the Ampeg 8x10's are a breeze! btw. the amp was a Hiwatt 200, so that weighed a ton too.
UnclePsychosis said:…His opening gambit was basically "any advice on transporting them for gigs etc?".
Trailer hitch on the cab and a tow bar on the van/car. Sorted!
Mmmmmmmm bet one of those would sound nice with my double bass
Dear Santa ... bla bla bla ...
Plus a stretched Ford Transit ...
Dear Santa ... bla bla bla ...
Plus a stretched Ford Transit ...
We used to have the full Ampeg set up in the band I was in the 90s... loud when it worked, loud when it went bang and the howling was loud when the bill came through (rinse and repeat, in my experience).
Lifting the f*cker into a LWB Transit at the end of a night was "challenging", but then we also had two early 60s AC30s and a Fender Twin, plus drum kit, several flightcased guitars, pedal boards, merch and four slightly "tired and emotional" psuedo Rock Stars-in-waiting to get into it too... which was equally challenging at times.
TBH, they are a bit a of dinosaur these days. Yes they sound "like an Ampeg" but I wouldn't want to go back. And really, I've played venues where there's more in the monitors than these things can fart out. Geddy Lee proved that you don't need them doing arena tours, let alone the Dog n Spanner on the High Street.
Lifting the f*cker into a LWB Transit at the end of a night was "challenging", but then we also had two early 60s AC30s and a Fender Twin, plus drum kit, several flightcased guitars, pedal boards, merch and four slightly "tired and emotional" psuedo Rock Stars-in-waiting to get into it too... which was equally challenging at times.
TBH, they are a bit a of dinosaur these days. Yes they sound "like an Ampeg" but I wouldn't want to go back. And really, I've played venues where there's more in the monitors than these things can fart out. Geddy Lee proved that you don't need them doing arena tours, let alone the Dog n Spanner on the High Street.
I recently had the misfortune of having to move a HiWatt 4x15 cab... biblical weight. Respect for gigging them.PhilKing said:Years ago, I worked with a band who had got their whole backline from Hiwatt (this was in the 70's). The bass player wanted a 4x15 cab with Fane Crescendo speakers. Hiwatt built a heavier version of their 4x12 and put scaffolding poles in it to strengthen it. It had the usual Hiwatt skids and cut out handles. It was a bitch to move and was top heavy because of the handle placement. After that, the Ampeg 8x10's are a breeze! btw. the amp was a Hiwatt 200, so that weighed a ton too.
I went to Daddy’s Junky Music with my heart set on one of these back in the mid-90s. Got there and it was heavily thrashed so I ended up with a Peavey 2x15 cab and a Mark IV head. That’s a sliding-door moment for me, wondering how that Ampeg would have sounded wound up at gigs. Maybe one day I’ll get to try one.
You k ow what sounds better than an ampeg 8x10?
Two of them, stacked. We used to do that 20 years ago.
Two of them, stacked. We used to do that 20 years ago.
You mean lying on their sides? I’ve seen bands do that and it puzzles me why - surely it’s much harder to set up than just putting them side by side, and the result is still a 4x4 square of speakers.Reverend said:You k ow what sounds better than an ampeg 8x10?
Two of them, stacked. We used to do that 20 years ago.
Wasn’t two cabs the standard configuration for the SVT rig when it first came out because the original drivers couldn’t reliably handle the output of the head with a single cab…?Reverend said:You k ow what sounds better than an ampeg 8x10?
Two of them, stacked. We used to do that 20 years ago.
I used to move my Ampeg 8x10 by myself. Dragging it up the stairs of the Barfly in Camden. Hence in ended up needing new wheels and had lost a lot of vinyl. The upshot was I never worried about being heard. I was 20 younger though.
we used to rent 2 of them for our bigger shows and always had them on their side (no idea why).
If you think the cabs are heavy, try lifting an SVT Head in a flight case on top of the bastards, holy shit!
If you think the cabs are heavy, try lifting an SVT Head in a flight case on top of the bastards, holy shit!
I had no idea there were no side handles on the things - even if you were stupid enough to actually try and lift one =) - they come with their own mounted wheels on the base to act as a trolley.
Has anyone on here actually gigged with one?