Change speakers in perfectly good cabinets?

[philthygeezer]

How about this? (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289087&highlight=desecration)

And this? (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289087&highlight=desecration)

I know that Allan feels the Aggies can get a little boomy and I can certainly see his point. Swapping out the drivers for neodymium Deltalite 2512 IIs seems to give the GS112 more of a flat response while still maintaining the fatness that I really like. So I wouldn't have to turn them up as much to hear them properly. This and it would lighten the cabs by 7 pounds each!

Of course the other option is to cut bass/low mids and turn the volume up.

Questions:
Is subbing in a couple of other drivers to shift the sound a certain way a perfectly normal thing to do, like switching pickups on a bass? Is it easily done and easily reversed? Do you compromise the tightness of the cabs and run the risk of introducing squeaks and strange vibrations by opening the speaker grill and swapping out drivers?

[burdizzos]

Go for it.

Try one, if you like it replace the other.

I really like the way the deltalites sound.

[philthygeezer]

Go for it.

Try one, if you like it replace the other.

I really like the way the deltalites sound.

I'm wondering if they sound any warmer than the stock Aggies. The weight savings alone is really tempting.

[burdizzos]

I'm wondering if they sound any warmer than the stock Aggies. The weight savings alone is really tempting.


I wouldn't say warmer.

The deltalites have an excellent midrange response through the range where the Aggie stockers disappear. The deltalites also have a smoother bottom end.

The net result is a sound that cuts through a little better.

[takeout]

Kind of a small box for the Deltalites though...

[burdizzos]

Kind of a small box for the Deltalites though...

The deltalite IIs like a smaller box. I'm sure they'd work better in a bigger box than the Aggie, but they should work fine.

The small box is part of the reason why the Aggies sound like they do. My guess is that there is a 3 dB hump between 70 and 120 Hz due entirely to the smallish box.

People normally hear that boom as exceptional low bass response, but if you park that cab next to one with a flat response down to the fundamental, the difference is overwhelming.

[allan]

People normally hear that boom as exceptional low bass response, but if you park that cab next to one with a flat response down to the fundamental, the difference is overwhelming.

Yup.®

[burdizzos]

Yup.®


If Allan and I agree, it must be the truth. Where's Juggs? If he agrees, then it is law.

:D

[allan]

I think Juggs will vote by proxy. It's law.

[mlwarriner]

People normally hear that boom as exceptional low bass response, but if you park that cab next to one with a flat response down to the fundamental, the difference is overwhelming.

Yup.®

If Allan and I agree, it must be the truth. Where's Juggs? If he agrees, then it is law.

:D

I think Juggs will vote by proxy. It's law.

The UnHoly Trinity of Bass Gear Knowledge hath spoken, and so it shall be done.

[philthygeezer]

I have a Schroeder 1210R here and I am comparing it with two Aguilar GS112s. The difference IS overwhelming.

-Flat, the Aggies are deep and clear, but the Schroeder has a full sound to it that is hard to replicate with the GS112s.

-The Aggies have deep bass but the Schroeder has a fuller sound.

-the Aggies tend to disappear a little when I use the enhance knob. The Schroeder's manners are simply curbed a bit when I crank enhance past 5 or 6.

-The Aggies are more clear, pleasant and polite. The Schroeder is less clear but warmer, and it has a persistent higher pitch that can give you a headache if playing too loud.

-The Schroeder sounds warmer and fuzzier with a JPJ-esque growly fullness to it when you roll back the tone knob. The Aggies seem to get 'dubbier' when you do this.

-The Aggies show more of the nuances of a Jazz bass when twisting knobs, with a really agressive J pup solo/tone full on. The Schroeder masks the differences but sounds less distant while doing it.

-It feels like it's challenging to EQ the full sound into the Aggies by pushing mids, while it's challenging to get a 'dubby' or even Jaco kind of horn out of the Schroeder by cutting frequencies.

-The Sansamp BDDI doesn't do much for the Aggies, but turning it loose on the Schroeder gives a monstrous, thick buttery tone that you could cut with a knife. There is a hint of blanket over it but not bad. This reminds me a lot of the JPJ/Led Zep kind of sound.

-While I'd like all kinds of variety, I'm leaning to the Schroeder because of that richness in the breadth of the sound, and the way it reacts to the Sansamp.

-These are really different cabs with their own sets of attributes, and I like things about both sets. That's why I'm thinking about the deltalite IIs.