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Post by bigben55 on Oct 6, 2014 21:22:42 GMT -7
On my Z28 2x10" combo w/blue label stock Z speakers? Its got the 4 & 8 ohm speaker jacks. I'd like less volume/ability to drive it harder with less volume.
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Post by muZician on Oct 6, 2014 22:19:41 GMT -7
if your speakers are both 4 Ohm and connected in series you can disconnect one speaker and connect the other one to the 4 Ohm output of the amp. if the speakers are 8 Ohm and connected in parallel then disconnect one speaker and connect the other one to the 8 Ohm output. you should consider the power rating of the speakers also...so the one connected speaker should have a rating of 30W at least
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Post by simpleton on Oct 7, 2014 0:54:11 GMT -7
I thought that the Z 10's, at least the pair I had in my Ghia 2x10, were 16ohm and wired in parallel to connect in the 8ohm jack. Do you have an ohm tester around the house?
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Oct 7, 2014 5:01:02 GMT -7
Power wise, the 1x10 can handle it.
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Post by doctorice on Oct 7, 2014 5:19:04 GMT -7
Pretty safe to assume you have 2 16-ohm speakers; that's standard for Z 2x10s. Doc's 4x10 cab also uses 16-ohm speakers.
You will be fine disconnecting one speaker. Plug the other into the 8-ohm output jack. The resulting impedance mismatch is OK. (Word of caution: You don't want to mismatch by putting a lower impedance speaker into a higher impedance output jack. 8 (on the amp) driving 16 (speaker) = OK; 16 driving 8 = risk of damage to output transformer.)
You'll get a bit less volume, but maybe not as much as you're seeking. Have you considered a Brake Lite or other attenuator?
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Post by Christopher on Oct 7, 2014 5:26:47 GMT -7
Try backing the volume to 9-10 o clock and put the T& B at 1-2 and see if that "gains" it up for you. Another thing is to check your PI tube or V2 in the back. If it's a 5751 (which is what the'28 shipped with as OEM) then you're not going to have as much break up as you would with a 12AX7 in there. V1 is an EF86 so DON'T put any 12AX7 or derivative in there. If you're looking to tame the efficiency of the Doc's tens I'd recommend some low wattage Jensens or similar speakers with @95-96db efficiency. The only problem is you won't have the rotund and firm low end the Z 10s provide. The pair of Doc's 10s I have in my JAZ are really big and full sounding compared to many other pairings of tens I've had in other cabs along the way.
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Post by bigben55 on Oct 7, 2014 7:22:56 GMT -7
I took it again to an open jam last night. Vol at 9, T&B dimed, with a strat and no pedals. Was playing a decent sized bar(probable max capacity is 150 ish) with drums, bass, 2 other guitar players, and a Hammond B-3. That was AS loud as I could get it. I play louder than that in my basement! But, it was right where it needed to be in the mix volume-wise. Problem was, the crunch just wasn't there. It's becoming a problem. Yeah, I have a great pedalboard, but bought the Z28 to be a plug and play/ride the guitar vol between clean and overdrive, and its just too damn loud. I brought the strat since it has the lowest output pickups of all my guitars. I need to be able to go from clean but loud enough to overdriven but not too loud via the guitar volume.
I've asked about speaker choice, the Z Brake Lite, and now running one speaker. Brake Lite "seems" the obvious answer, but honestly, I don't know if it'd do the trick without changing the tone. That bar was as big as I'd ever play(I'm not a professional, gigging musician). To crank the Z to usable levels, I doubt 1 or 2 clicks is gonna do it, and its an expensive experiment. I AM currently running a 5751. I'm gonna leave the settings where they are and try a 12AX7. That I haven't done at non-cranked volumes. We shall see.
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Oct 7, 2014 8:09:34 GMT -7
Bigben55, keep in mind that with the Brake Lite--on almost all its settings (except "0" no attenuation) and with any speaker load--the amp will "see" closer to 8 ohms than anything else. If you wanted to disconnect 1 of your 16-ohm speakers AND run 1 of them through the BL on clicks 1–4, then your amp will see close to 8 ohms and it'll be a safe match. Then also, if you hook up both 16-ohm speakers back up on parallel, you've got a true 8-ohm load anyway and it'll run fine.
This can get technically complicated a bit, but I guess what I'm saying is, leave the Brake Lite plugged into the amp's 8-ohm output and plug whatever (2x10's or 1x10) into the "speaker" end of the Brake Lite and you'll be fine.
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Post by Christopher on Oct 7, 2014 10:31:48 GMT -7
I'd switch the 5751 with a 12AX7 and try your settings again. There should be some hair then but you're not going to get a lot of saturation without hitting the EF86 hard. Use whatever has the highest output pickups of your guitars and try riding the volume knob on the guitar. That should do it. 9 oclock is loud enough for a '28. I rarely get mine to noon on the V b/c I can get a sound I like between 9-11 o clock. Good luck and take out that frustration with some power chords and your amp.
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Post by bigben55 on Oct 7, 2014 13:23:47 GMT -7
I'd switch the 5751 with a 12AX7 and try your settings again. There should be some hair then but you're not going to get a lot of saturation without hitting the EF86 hard. Use whatever has the highest output pickups of your guitars and try riding the volume knob on the guitar. That should do it. 9 oclock is loud enough for a '28. I rarely get mine to noon on the V b/c I can get a sound I like between 9-11 o clock. Good luck and take out that frustration with some power chords and your amp. Swapped the NOS GE 5751 for a JJ ECC 83 I had lying around, grabbed my G&L ASAT Special with the big MFD pickups, and went tweaking. My time yielded yet another great knob combination, which works with the strat and tele too. 8-2-5. With the strat and tele, make that 9-2-5. Works with the pedalboard too. I swear, I've done more tweaking on these 3 knobs than on amps with 12 knobs!
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Post by Christopher on Oct 7, 2014 14:40:14 GMT -7
So is it more what you were expecting to hear Ben? I have a hard time stopping when I put my ASATs into my Zs.
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Post by bigben55 on Oct 7, 2014 18:23:25 GMT -7
It's a bada$$ combination, an ASAT Special and the Z28. Problem is, while it sounds great not super loud, it sounds friggin killer super loud!!!
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Post by j4gitr (John) on Oct 7, 2014 22:10:07 GMT -7
I mostly play a G&L Legacy, but as of late that ASAT Special has been getting a lot of my attention. Those big mfd's sure sound good.
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