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sat4n
Published on 11/09/08 at 10:08
The Ampeg 8X10 -- "the refrigerator" -- is pretty much the gold standard speaker cab for rock bass guitar. I should point out that the one I own, the only one I've used, and the one on which I'm obviously basing this review, was bought new in 2006 or '07. It was one of the last made in the USA.
It has eight 10" speakers, obviously. It can be run in stereo (top and bottom) or mono. It has a roll bar and big wheels on the back side, so you can move it around like a hand truck. This means that even though it weighs more than most people I know, I can still move it around by myself pretty easily. It has hard plastic rails on the back for sliding in and out of cars, and up and down stairs. I've moved it around several times, to different people's houses and to clubs. I've broken a lot of stuff doing this, and put holes in walls, but the worst that has ever happened to the cab is a few scuffs to the tolex. People often say that tough gear is built like a tank. I'm pretty sure this thing can actually be turned into a tank!
SOUNDS
I play a '70s Ampeg V4B, an all tube amp, kine of an SVT jr. The sound is tight, funky, balanced, aggressive, whatever you want. The natural inclination of this thing is, obviously, to rock, but it responds extremely well to different amp settings, and I'd imagine it would create an accurate picture of any amp you plugged into it. Standing in front of it you feel the bass hit you in the chest, even at relatively low volumes, and yet it never gets muddy or flabby. It's tall enough that the bottom is coupled with the floor, but the top is right at ear level, giving you the best of both worlds in terms of tonal balance and range. I have never played in a room with this thing that its sound could not fill up. People who play, like, five or six-string bass may feel that it's too aggressive in the mids and not booming enough in the near-sub-sonic range, but unless you're trying to hit the brown note or something this is probably the best cab you can get.
OVERALL OPINION
One last thing -- if you have a normal sized car (say, a Camery) this will fit in the back seat snugly. I used to think you needed a van or station wagon to have one of these, but it's just so well designed that it fits exactly in the back of a four door car.
I tried the whole range of Ampeg cabs when I bought this, because there was an Ampeg dealer in my town going out of business and having a big sale. This one sounded by far the best. Believe the hype.
It has eight 10" speakers, obviously. It can be run in stereo (top and bottom) or mono. It has a roll bar and big wheels on the back side, so you can move it around like a hand truck. This means that even though it weighs more than most people I know, I can still move it around by myself pretty easily. It has hard plastic rails on the back for sliding in and out of cars, and up and down stairs. I've moved it around several times, to different people's houses and to clubs. I've broken a lot of stuff doing this, and put holes in walls, but the worst that has ever happened to the cab is a few scuffs to the tolex. People often say that tough gear is built like a tank. I'm pretty sure this thing can actually be turned into a tank!
SOUNDS
I play a '70s Ampeg V4B, an all tube amp, kine of an SVT jr. The sound is tight, funky, balanced, aggressive, whatever you want. The natural inclination of this thing is, obviously, to rock, but it responds extremely well to different amp settings, and I'd imagine it would create an accurate picture of any amp you plugged into it. Standing in front of it you feel the bass hit you in the chest, even at relatively low volumes, and yet it never gets muddy or flabby. It's tall enough that the bottom is coupled with the floor, but the top is right at ear level, giving you the best of both worlds in terms of tonal balance and range. I have never played in a room with this thing that its sound could not fill up. People who play, like, five or six-string bass may feel that it's too aggressive in the mids and not booming enough in the near-sub-sonic range, but unless you're trying to hit the brown note or something this is probably the best cab you can get.
OVERALL OPINION
One last thing -- if you have a normal sized car (say, a Camery) this will fit in the back seat snugly. I used to think you needed a van or station wagon to have one of these, but it's just so well designed that it fits exactly in the back of a four door car.
I tried the whole range of Ampeg cabs when I bought this, because there was an Ampeg dealer in my town going out of business and having a big sale. This one sounded by far the best. Believe the hype.