Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center
  • 0

1x12 or 2x10? Combos for Blues and Rock


soulfield

Question

Who has a preference one way or another?  

Played a Swart AST last week and fell in love. 18w will be a welcome addition to the higher output amps I have now and I really like the 2x10 custom vibrolux reverb and MM 410 combos I've got.  In fact the only 12 Im using now is a single canabis rex in a open back cab pushed by the boogie mark iib but I tend to gravitate towards the combos for most of my playing.  The new combo and all my amps for that matter are used for recording and jamming only (might gig once a year tops.)

Given the above would you guys go for a single 12 or the 2x10?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

First, re the AST. Great amp! If you want to go in that direction, you might want to consider the AST Pro. The slightly larger cabinet and a few other improvements make it a good upgrade. The cabinet "opens up the sound" in a good way. That said, in some ways, Swart's newer Mod 84 is an even better amp, and about the same price. Worth checking out.

If cost was not a major consideration, I would ponder an upgrade to an alnico speaker, with my favorite being the "Alnico Cream". While a 90 watt speaker seems overkill (and the best price I have found is $239!), it sounds fantastic with lower powered amps too.

Re speakers, I much prefer a FOUR x 10 to a single 12. But for some reason, a TWO x 10 does not edge out the single 12. May just be me, but that was my conclusion after trying one of my favorite amps (Mesa Blue Angel) in all three combos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Django!  Im looking at used and possibly a new AST master but that is getting really up there $$$.  I suppose the 2x10 is rare so used will be really hard to find.  Not in any hurry so Ill dig around until I can find a good deal.  Not many of these on the market and the ones I find are priced only a hair below new.  

It just occured to me the AST master can run an extension cab along with the internal speaker(s) and 4/8/16 loads so perhaps a 1 x12 would be the way for me to go (+ more common) so I could plug my 1x12 extension and run 2 x 12!  Then again 2x10 + 1x12 could be cool

1 x12 starting to sound like the way to go

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Django!  Im looking at used and possibly a new AST master but that is getting really up there $$$.  I suppose the 2x10 is rare so used will be really hard to find.  Not in any hurry so Ill dig around until I can find a good deal.  Not many of these on the market and the ones I find are priced only a hair below new.  

It just occured to me the AST master can run an extension cab along with the internal speaker(s) and 4/8/16 loads so perhaps a 1 x12 would be the way for me to go (+ more common) so I could plug my 1x12 extension and run 2 x 12!  Then again 2x10 + 1x12 could be cool

1 x12 starting to sound like the way to go

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their master volume amps are very good. If you can get one, go for it. A 2 x 10 cabinet would be pretty easy to cobble together and would be a good mix/match setup.

A friend locally has an AST Pro, but I think he is asking a bit much, nevermind that it is on the opposite side of the country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their master volume amps are very good. If you can get one, go for it. A 2 x 10 cabinet would be pretty easy to cobble together and would be a good mix/match setup.

A friend locally has an AST Pro, but I think he is asking a bit much, nevermind that it is on the opposite side of the country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love 2x10s in an open back combo for blues to bluesy rock. Still kicking myself weekly for getting rid of my old BF Vibrolux Reverb years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure on both questions. The amp is all stock and the speakers appear to be wired in parallel so I would guess that it is set up for 8 ohm output and the speakers are providing a 5.333 ohm load with that wiring configuration. That's a small enough impedance mismatch to not cause any problems. It was built in 2000 and I've owned it since 2011 and it's never given me any problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you may get slightly better sound dispersion with the 2x10, but that would also depend on the frequency response and efficiency of the speakers. 10's can be pretty dang punchy, though I can say that unfortunately I've had limited experience with 10s. All of my current combos have 1 or 2 12"s. Cabinet size and shape will definitely help determine the overall sound. I have a MesaBoogie DC-5 I got from someone here, and it is a ton more punch than the little carvin Vintage 16 I have, which has a much smaller cabinet. Both are "open back" but the MB just is louder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the input guys!  Im on the hunt for a swart one way or the other.

I suppose with the 410HD Music man and 2x10 vibrolux it wouldn't be bad to bring another 12 into the fold.  Not to mention I keep a few 1/4" male to female TS cables around so I can run any of my amps into any cab or combo speakers.

At this point it will be a matter of what "spits on my shoes" as these are rare to find used.  Im facing GAS head on and hoping I dont give in and buy a new one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you do decide to go new, these guys are up in our neck of the woods and I have bought from them a few times which were all good experiences. They aren't really a traditional music store in that you have to make an appointment to demo anything in store. Otherwise you can just purchase online if you know specifically what you want.

https://www.humbuckermusic.com/pages/swart-amps

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/6/2017 at 0:24 PM, Jeff R said:

I love 2x10s in an open back combo for blues to bluesy rock. Still kicking myself weekly for getting rid of my old BF Vibrolux Reverb years ago.

DSCN5533_zpss2p5rpjn.jpg

This old '64 Vibrolux is still the amp by which all others are judged - 45 years later.

 

 

ETA:  There was a really bitchin' picture here earlier, but apparently Photobucket has lost it's mind.

ETA2 - Photobucket appears to be functioning again at the moment. Let's see how long that lasts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...