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Post by stevegansen on Mar 23, 2015 11:23:12 GMT -7
Hello all,
I have been using a little Epiphone 1x12 Cab loaded with a WGS Reaper for years. It's been my secret weapon running side by side my Maz 18 2x10 combo. But it has developed a problem...whenever I play the 17th fret (high A), it resonates and a harmonic an octave below appears. I tried gluing everything back together and it helped but didn't eliminate the problem. I stuffed a towel in there and it went away..but so did my tone.
Has anyone experienced a similar problem? What can I do?
I also snapped a mounting bolt in half whilst removing it. So at the end of the day, the cab is near its end. It's been everywhere with me and it looks the part.
I can't afford a Dr. Z cab even on the used market...what kind of 1x12 cabs have you guys had luck with in the $200 range? I know the epi is a cheap cab but I've been happy with it. I just want something more durable and preferably a cab I can stack my maz on top of.
Thanks!
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 23, 2015 12:13:50 GMT -7
To add to this...I've recently discovered Avatar cabs online. What's the public opinion of those guys? $250 for an unloaded cab is a pretty sweet deal. They look like they'll match up with Dr. Z's awesome style as well
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Post by southmusic70 on Mar 23, 2015 13:10:03 GMT -7
Besides Avatar, you might want to take a look at both Mather and Jdesigns cabinets while you're at it.
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 23, 2015 13:46:03 GMT -7
Right on man. I like those cabs but Mather has a 7 week turnaround!
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Post by doctorice on Mar 23, 2015 14:36:18 GMT -7
Avatar is terrific. I got a 1x12 with a Celestion Creamback loaded for a very good price. I told them it was to pair up with a Dr Z, and they matched the grill cloth and tole really well. Mather and JDesign appear to have great cabs also.
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 23, 2015 15:48:21 GMT -7
Awesome, thanks man. Avatar is definitely what I'm gonna do. Just have to wait a few months for life to settle down.
Has anyone experienced obnoxious ghost noting from a cabinet before? Or am I one of the lucky few?
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Post by strat59 on Mar 23, 2015 16:25:27 GMT -7
+1 on Avatar cabs - I have a 112 vintage open back with a cream back. Dave also has the best prices I've seen on Celestion speakers. Well built cab for a fair price.
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Post by BritInvasion on Mar 23, 2015 17:20:12 GMT -7
That sound can be loose handle hardware , loose logo , speaker not evenly seated , speaker wire too close to a cabinet side panel - I've experienced all kinds of weird buzzes , rattles and harmonics over the years. Can be really exasperating locating the source.
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Post by wraparound (Steve) on Mar 23, 2015 20:24:03 GMT -7
^^^^^ Especially if you are alone trying to figure it out. You need some help from someone while you are playing. Have them put on some hearing protection and stick their head back there while you hit that note. Don't worry they will hear the ghost note even with heavy ear protection and they will forever remember the note! You may want to rotate the speaker a bit to rule out voice coil drop, and make sure not to over tighten the screws. I lay the speaker flat and finger tighten, then use screw driver in alternate pattern like changing a tire. Unlike the wheel on a car I never use the screw driver like a tire iron. The way to limit tension is to hold the screw driver with only your thumb and two fingers and turn until you feel you want to re grip the screw driver to do what you don't really need to do which is tighten it more. Hope that made sense. Very slight voice coil rub can cause the sound you describe and this method can help avoid this. The other thing that it can be is a setup change that introduced an unintended kind of buzz at that note. Get your ear really close to the fretboard and play the note in the manner that makes it show up amplified. But do this with no amp in a quiet room.
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 24, 2015 7:54:02 GMT -7
Right on, thanks everybody. It's definitely the cabinet/speaker, all 3 of my guitars create the problem and they sound fine unplugged. I would guess the most likely source is the speaker isn't correctly seated. Would it make sense that a towel shoved in the bottom of the cab eliminates that problem?
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Post by southmusic70 on Mar 24, 2015 8:34:27 GMT -7
Whatever works!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2015 9:36:11 GMT -7
Seconding the Avatar and JDesigns recs. I've had a nice Avatar in the past, and currently have 2 JDesigns cabs. They look and sound great!
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 24, 2015 10:54:35 GMT -7
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Post by southmusic70 on Mar 24, 2015 11:35:17 GMT -7
If weight is a consideration (and believe me, one of these days it will be), JDesign makes a cab with half-inch wood that weighs considerably less than the three-quarter inch cabs, like a 2x10 loaded for about 30 pounds in the half-inch.
Avatar and Mather may do this, too.
Just saying...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2015 12:32:12 GMT -7
If you go with an Avatar cab, ask Dave to turn the grill cloth 45 degress. That way, it matches up perfectly with a Z cab with the same grill. Also matches a Z head w/grill cloth valance.
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 24, 2015 12:32:55 GMT -7
For those who have taken interest in my problem, I found it. A cracked baffle. Please hold the applause. I put the note on a loop and dimed the volume (I'm still going insane...) and started feeling around the baffle. It completely stopped when I rested my hand on a certain spot and I looked...to find a crack. Multiple cracks. Unfortunately I gorilla glued the crap out of the baffle where it meets the cab (probably a stupid idea but I usually have those). So I just put gorilla glue on the cracks. If that doesn't work the cab is toast, the problem is only getting worse and the towel has ceased working.
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Post by southmusic70 on Mar 24, 2015 13:07:47 GMT -7
Everything will be better for you once you get the towel back into the bathroom where your wife has probably been looking for it.
Make sure to do this while she's not around.
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 24, 2015 13:20:33 GMT -7
If you go with an Avatar cab, ask Dave to turn the grill cloth 45 degress. That way, it matches up perfectly with a Z cab with the same grill. Also matches a Z head w/grill cloth valance. Awesome, thanks for that advice. What does that mean?
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 24, 2015 13:21:34 GMT -7
Everything will be better for you once you get the towel back into the bathroom where your wife has probably been looking for it. Make sure to do this while she's not around. Hahaha I was caught red handed with said towel yesterday....
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Mar 24, 2015 17:25:22 GMT -7
To add to this...I've recently discovered Avatar cabs online. What's the public opinion of those guys? $250 for an unloaded cab is a pretty sweet deal. They look like they'll match up with Dr. Z's awesome style as well If you saw how many Avatar cabs I have, you'd freak. (And that's not including the ones that I've sold on here to various Z-brothers.) I have a 4x10 cab on order right now, as a matter of fact. They're excellent cabs, but I'd have to warn you they're not always a 100% perfect match for Dr. Z stuff. For instance, their "blonde" tolex is identical to Dr. Z's, but the black definitely isn't (it is black, but it's a smoother finish) and I think the red's not the same either. Avatar's white piping is a little brighter, too. Also, Avatar's "gold weave" is the same as Dr. Z's "tan" and Avatar's "silver weave" is the same as Dr. Z's "salt + pepper"... BUT... they run the fabric 90-degrees different from each other (Doc's goes sideways, Avatar's goes up/down). If you know in advance, though, call Avatar and they'll run the fabric to match if you want. Aside from all that, though... I still love 'em and I have lots of Z-amps sitting atop lots of Avatar cabs and I'm happy.
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Post by simpleton on Mar 24, 2015 19:16:23 GMT -7
Great idea to use a loop...I have a problem that I will using your idea to help sort out. I don't need physical friends after all, the cyber ones are working out just fine. I'll pm you if I get a flat tire and see if you've got anymore genius ideas.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2015 8:02:10 GMT -7
Thanks for the clarification Mark. Cloth should be turned 90 degrees, to match a Dr. Z cloth. Not the 45 degrees I stated previously.
The red tolex from Avatar is "very" close to the red Dr Z uses. But here again, the texture is different - so the match isn't "perfect". My red Z heads on top of my red Avatar cabs look very close.
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 25, 2015 16:43:38 GMT -7
Great idea to use a loop...I have a problem that I will using your idea to help sort out. I don't need physical friends after all, the cyber ones are working out just fine. I'll pm you if I get a flat tire and see if you've got anymore genius ideas. Hahaha glad I could be of some assistance
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 25, 2015 16:44:37 GMT -7
As far as matching goes...I'm not terribly concerned with it. As long as the blonde looks like the blonde amp I have, I'm happy. I'm used to using a tiny little black and red Epiphone cab after all...haha not exactly a close match to the Maz
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 27, 2015 8:07:41 GMT -7
Well the problem continues. Gluing the cracks with Gorilla Glue didn't help...but now the towel shoved in there is helping again.
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Post by LuckyBlackCat on Mar 27, 2015 13:05:57 GMT -7
Just something to consider if you're looking to save $...
Keep your eyes out for a used Egnater Tweaker extension cabinet. I had one for a while that was decent quality and very light. The best part was I scored it used at GC for $130, which included the stock G12H30 speaker. Not a bad deal if your in a pinch.
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Post by stevegansen on Apr 13, 2015 11:04:13 GMT -7
Behold. I have fixed the problem. My woodworking/audio engineer friend helped...we cut a new baffle out of MDF and glued/screwed it to the existing baffle. Mounted the speaker...and no vibrations! All of the ghost noting is gone. Tone is a little different, not as lively as it was, but I'm not gonna win any tone grammys anytime soon. It still sounds like a Maz 18 so it still sounds AMAZING. Thanks everyone. I'll still give Avatar a call when I get the money/fame.
Have a good one
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Post by loucardguitar (Johnathan) on Apr 13, 2015 20:10:45 GMT -7
I can echo what everyone else has said about Avatar. They build a solid, great product and it doesn't take too long for them to get everything built and out to you.
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Post by j4gitr (John) on Apr 13, 2015 21:06:23 GMT -7
In the meantime, if you find a Peavey SX112 cabinet it might be worth a look. I picked one up in excellent condition for $150. It's convertible and measures the same dimensions as the Z convertibles. The sheffield speaker that came with it is gone, replaced with a creamback. The cabinet resides at church. It sounds darn good. I'd like to have a Z- convertible, but I can't beat the price I paid. You may find one even cheaper than the one I found.
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