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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Aug 6, 2018 7:03:45 GMT -7
I absolutely loved the way the Nova 1x12 combo sounded with my Firebird at Z-Fest. There's something about the way combos respond (besides easier transport) that I love that seems to happen when the amp's chassis is built into the speaker cab. You know how tubes can get microphonic? They're all that way to some extent, and I think when the amp is cranked up a bit and the tubes are resonating they introduce more harmonics to the tone.
I recently converted my Z-Wreck from a head to a combo and it sounds sweeter. That's with the same 12" Gold that was in an open back Z-12 convertible cab. I'm sure the lighter wood in the combo and slightly different cab dimensions contribute, but I believe that the amp's tubes are being excited by cabinet resonance. Just a theory, but it makes sense to me. What do you think?
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Post by purpletele on Aug 6, 2018 10:55:06 GMT -7
I think I am a bit surprised but not totally surprised.
I have experienced the opposite with different amps, but I haven't played the wreck in either configuration.
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Post by Paul (TRANE) on Aug 6, 2018 11:32:28 GMT -7
Have to agree. Combos do sound sweet. I love the tones of my combos. The only drawback is the 85+ pound weight for the 2x12. I have a lighter 1x12 but that thing is a cannon volume wise, even with the master volume on it.
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Post by zpilot on Aug 6, 2018 23:30:45 GMT -7
Absolutely. Back when American made 6L6's were still readily available I preferred combos with those because the sustain seemed to be better than with heads . Now we have to deal with tubes that are notorious for rattles in combos. What a shame. I still have a set of JAN 7581A's in a Vibrolux Reverb.
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Post by Russell B on Aug 7, 2018 4:21:11 GMT -7
I have always preferred combos to heads and cabs. But, I've never considered exacly "why" I prefer them, other than portability. I suppose it just about has to be because the chassis is resonating along with the cabinet. Thanks Dave!
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Aug 7, 2018 4:33:31 GMT -7
Great thread started here. I agree with the above - there's just something different when you spin up a combo. A little extra sparkle and sustain plus the intrigue of all that sound coming from such a relatively small device.
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Post by Stephen on Aug 7, 2018 5:38:24 GMT -7
I had my Z-28 in a head-combo configuration. Honestly, I couldn’t tell any difference when I converted it to a combo. But the combo was definitely more convenient.
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Post by helmi on Aug 7, 2018 16:18:08 GMT -7
Personally, I've always been a separate head/cab guy. honestly, the only combo I can say I've really liked is my Monza 1x10.
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Aug 7, 2018 18:28:44 GMT -7
^^^^me too.
However, the ZPlus is making me rethink combos.
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Post by LT on Aug 8, 2018 13:17:35 GMT -7
I'll add that at least some of it depends on whether you like an open back or closed back cab. For years I used nothing but closed back, so a combo just didn't quite sound right. I got rid of my last closed back cab recently though (Mesa Thiele), so now all I have are open back.
I don't think I've ever tried the exact same amp, exact same speaker, in both a combo and a head/cab config.
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Post by helmi on Aug 8, 2018 13:23:15 GMT -7
I'll add that at least some of it depends on whether you like an open back or closed back cab. For years I used nothing but closed back, so a combo just didn't quite sound right. I got rid of my last closed back cab recently though (Mesa Thiele), so now all I have are open back. I don't think I've ever tried the exact same amp, exact same speaker, in both a combo and a head/cab config. There's so many variables involved.
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