why is it that we don't use anything but 12"?

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Guys... please slap me on the face if this question is too dumb but...

Why is it that we, guitarists, only like to use 12" and 10" speakers?... I thought the key to great sound was TONAL VARIETY???.... according to that, having a divestity of speakers in your cabinet will enrich your sound.

Actually I remember that back in the day when I couldn't afford my own amp, I used to keep my bassists' to practice at home. It had a 15" speaker in it... I thought my guitar sounded pretty nice there!...

[ April 20, 2003, 04:40 AM: Message edited by: rodrigo_echeverri ]

[lerxstcat]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12"?

15" speakers are really good for downtuned and 7-string guitars. Doesn't
Dimebag Darrell have stacks now that consist of one cab with 2 15"s and one with 4 12"s?

12"s and 10"s just happen to cover the frequency range of a standard A=440 tuned
6-string guitar better than 15"s to most
people's ears. Also, for metal players,
the look and earthshaking abilities of
multiple 4x12 cabinets is an audio and video erotic stimulation due to the traditional "manly" double stack configuration. Whether you power them with heads or a rack, you want that wall.
(Of course probably only 1 or 2 cabs are live even if 10 are set up)

[Newc]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12"?

Brian May uses a wall of carboard boxes that are painted up as Vox AC30s, and he has one amp with a mic on it pumped through the p.a.

And yes, 10s and 12s handle E and Eb better than 15s or 8s. If I'da had my druthers back when I was giggin, I'd run through a full p.a. system with only my MP-1/TSR-12 rack units, but now I'd just use my Twister miked into the p.a. like Brain May [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Newc

[hollow08]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12"?

Originally posted by lerxstcat:
15" speakers are really good for downtuned and 7-string guitars. Doesn't
Dimebag Darrell have stacks now that consist of one cab with 2 15"s and one with 4 12"s?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, he does, but what does that have to do with downtuned and 7-string guitars? [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

He dosen't use 7-string guitars, and to lowest he has ever tuned down to was 'G G C F A D' for two songs. All the rest are in Standard E or D.

[OklaStrat]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

a 15" cab is also favored by some blues guys.

The best reason to stick with 12" speakers is because they are the standard, and you'll find much better support for em than any other size.

Hmm... 15" speaker cabs... hmmm... low wattage power amps and 15" speaker cabs... hmmm...

Pete
[email protected]

[Black Mariah]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

I prefer 15's. I don't like a lot of high-end and 15" speakers tend to have less high-end in them. They can also handle lows better (In my experience). For example, my Sunn Concert Lead will tear your head off through my Carvin cab because it's so bright. I plug it into my homebuilt 2x15 and it's perfect.

[lerxstcat]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

Originally posted by Aaron Fox:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by lerxstcat:
15" speakers are really good for downtuned and 7-string guitars. Doesn't
Dimebag Darrell have stacks now that consist of one cab with 2 15"s and one with 4 12"s?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, he does, but what does that have to do with downtuned and 7-string guitars? [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

He dosen't use 7-string guitars, and to lowest he has ever tuned down to was 'G G C F A D' for two songs. All the rest are in Standard E or D. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's "doesn't", and "the". [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

It doesn't really, except that since Rodrigo asked about other size speakers Darrell is one guy I know using 15"s in his guitar rig. Also, if you're tuned below standard E, you're downtuned, so if
he tunes to D, then 'D is for Downtuned!" Also, a low G below E would also be below the low B of a 7 string, unless you described that tuning backwards from what you meant.
Tunings are listed from low to high, FYI.

DUH! [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

[ April 25, 2003, 04:41 AM: Message edited by: lerxstcat ]

[BigDaddyD]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

My Rivera has a single 15" EV and it sounds awesome whether high gain or clean.

[ColdVayne]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

Dimebag has tuned his guitars drop D , 1 step down , step and a half and step down drop C. I should know i have played every pantera song practicly live as covers before being able to play my own stuff. Yeah he does have a custom cab from Randall which uses 2 , 15 inch jaguar speakers. I have 2 of his 4x12 cabs and there my fav cabs , but i am thinking about getting his 2x15 because i played one and it sounded great.

[80sRock]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

The size of the speaker has a lot to do with the frequency(sp). The size of the speaker effects the tone. A 15 pushes a lot of air and the cone will move farther for lower frequencies but has a harder time producing highs. On a guitar if gives a deeper sound but lacks on the higher notes due to the inefficiency of it producing higher frequencies (tighter cone movement). 12 inch speakers fit the frequency of the guitar best. 10 inch speakers sound a little brighter on the guitar. This does not mean that 10 and 12 inch speakers can't be used for bass. Some bass rigs use 8 inch speakers but a lot of them. A few 8 inchers combined will move a lot of air required for the lower frequencies. Please pardon any spelling errors.

[hollow08]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

'Sandblasted Skin' and 'The Underground in America' are tuned one step down, then the 'E' string (now 'D') is dropped to one octave below the 'A' string (now 'G').

Those were the two songs I was talking about.

*triple checks for spelling mistakes*

[toejam]

Re: why is it that we don\'t use anything but 12&quot;?

Originally posted by OklaStrat:
Hmm... 15" speaker cabs... hmmm... low wattage power amps and 15" speaker cabs... hmmm...

Pete
[email protected]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LOL I see a project coming on. How about those 18" bass speakers Carvin has? I could see an 18" on the bottom and a 15" on the top. [img]graemlins/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]