3X10 combo cab wiring?

[loudriver23]

On the Fender Amp field guide page it claims the 3 10 inch speakers are wired in parallel giving a 2.6 ohm load. Can this be right? Or could they have made a mistake and they were actually wired with some kind of series/parallel configuration?
I noticed the Ceriatone kit has an 8 and 16 ohm speaker jack, so I don't want to destroy a tranny, so how are these guys wired up?

 

[Baltar]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

i guess yes, because there are replacement trannies with 2,6Ohms output.

but i can't tell if you don't mention the model. which fender 3x10 combo?
Vibroking? Bandmaster?
what are you doing?

 

[loudriver23]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

I'm seriously thinking about a Ceriatone 5E7 Bandmaster kit. Their trannys have 4,8,16 ohm capabilities.
Nik recommended getting 3 16 ohm's wire them in parallel to get 5.33 ohms and set the tranny to 4 ohms.
Or getting 2 8 ohms wire them in series, and 1 16 ohm to wire in parallel with the 2 speakers to get a net of 8 ohms.

 

[Baltar]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

I'm seriously thinking about a Ceriatone 5E7 Bandmaster kit.

for sure a nice amp!

Nik recommended getting 3 16 ohm's wire them in parallel to get 5.33 ohms and set the tranny to 4 ohms.

this would be my favourite setup.

Or getting 2 8 ohms wire them in series, and 1 16 ohm to wire in parallel with the 2 speakers to get a net of 8 ohms.

that's what he suggested?
if you do that, you would run the speakers at different volumes.
the two 8 ohm speakers would consume the same power together,
as the single 16ohm speaker alone.
maybe it wouldn't sound bad, but technically i don't like the solution

 

[loudriver23]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

So would you agree that the slight mismatch would be harmless to the tranny?
Also, what are your feelings in regards to speakers?
Jensen vs Weber.

 

[Baltar]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

normally if kim suggests this option, i'd go for it.
it's a missmatch for about 30% and should be not an issue for a good output tranny.

 

[jeremy]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

webers are much better speakers than the new jensens. i have both p10r and p10q jensen and a weber 10a150t. the p10q is ok but the weber blows it out of the water. ill never buy another brand of 10" speaker

 

[loudriver23]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

webers are much better speakers than the new jensens. i have both p10r and p10q jensen and a weber 10a150t. the p10q is ok but the weber blows it out of the water. ill never buy another brand of 10" speaker

Thanks Jeremy,
I am now actually considering on getting the Bandmaster in head form and just run a 2X 12 cabinet. I do prefer the bottom end on the 12's, and yeah, I'll be going with Webers. Ted already recommended some 12's to me, one american and one british voiced 12 inch ceramic based, lightly doped speakers. It won't be a true tweed bandmaster at this point, actually somewhere between the tweed and blackface, I'm expecting good things.

 

[ES350]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

The 2.6 to 4 ohm mismatch is not a problem for the 5E7 or the later Bandmaster versions. It sounds great...you can also use a Super Reverb, tweed Bassman, or multitap OT to increase your options. I run the 4 ohm tap in my 3x10" Bandmaster and it works just fine; I have also tried a Super Reverb OT into a 2.6 load. Slightly different tone, a little stiffer.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

normally if kim suggests this option, i'd go for it.
it's a missmatch for about 30% and should be not an issue for a good output tranny.

Normally a plus or minus 100% is capable with a good tranny. The old bandmasters are still going strong so that's a testament to the design.

The thing is that with the mismatch the way it is it lowers the headroom a bit.

Luke

 

[loudriver23]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

The thing is that with the mismatch the way it is it lowers the headroom a bit.

Luke

Thanks for that bit of info, headroom is a key factor for me, although the cleans of the bandmaster seemed available at quite a loud volume, so I should be good in either way.

 

[jeremy]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

i have one 10" and one 12" in my bandmaster type amp (celtic aislin) and its great, the 10" really adds another dimention to the sound that i would surely miss if it wasnt there. if i were to do it again i might do a 3x10" with three different weber 10's.

in your case with the 8 ohm and 4 ohm tap (which is what i have on mine as well) you could do a 2x10" like a tweed super and get the proper match. the other cool thing (which i do) is that you can run just one speaker off the 8 ohm tap for lower volume or a different sound. with two different speakers you can have three tonal options, speaker 1, speaker 2 or both.

 

[zzmoore]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

I have never been comfortable with mis-matched impedance. You could just wire 2 8 ohm in series for 16, then wire that parallel with a 16 for 8 ohms total. Or the other way and end up with a 16 ohm load. Take your pick, either one of those is better than the wrong way. IMHO
Good Luck

 

[jeremy]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

that was mentioned above and you are correct but it also means that the 16 ohm speaker would get half the power and the other two would each get 25% which will change things tonally.

i stand by my suggestion for a two speaker amp rather than three

 

[loudriver23]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

i have one 10" and one 12" in my bandmaster type amp (celtic aislin) and its great, the 10" really adds another dimention to the sound that i would surely miss if it wasnt there.

This sounds like a great idea, I can pay a nominal upcharge for a baffle resize and be good to go with a great combo. Would you go with a Bansmaster Cabinet, or a Super cabinet.

 

[jeremy]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

if you are going 2x10 i would go with a tweed super cab, but see if you can get it 11+ inches deep. i use 12" boards when i build mine which end up being like 11.5" deep and i think it helps with the bass response.

if you want 2x12" then id go with the bandmaster cab with a different baffle, but same thing see if you can get it a little deeper. two 10" can be really great. the weber 10a150t is fantastic, i highly recommend it. maybe mixed with a ceramic.

 

[ES350]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

Weber sells a 2x12" cab that is cut for the 5E7/5E5 chassis...that circuit sounds great with P12Q's or P's.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

To answer your original question, for three 8-ohm speakers in parallel:

Z = 1 / ( 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 ) = 2.67 ohms

I'd go with Jeremy's suggestion, it's different and kewl.

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

There's a builder on the Hoffman forum who's been making combos with one 10" speaker and one 12". His latest build is here. Seems like it could be really cool with the right combination of speakers.

For the three speakers in parallel, the math works out if you have two 16 ohm speakers and one 8 ohm:
[1 / (1/16 + 1/16 +1/8)] = 4 ohms

This brings me to a possibly crazy idea: two tens and a 15". Not sure what it would be best for, but it would be loud

Chip

 

[jeremy]

Re: 3X10 combo cab wiring?

two 10 and a 15 sounds like a bass rig to me. if you mix the impedences then different speakers will get different amounts of power, might be cool but you need to consider it when making speaker choices.