to combo or not to combo, that is the question

[norburybrook]

I'm having a day off today and have been pondering all things Dumble as I sit here surrounded by my returned gear from LC.

I recently build a second gen ODS and made a combo like the original. It's great and I'm going to try and get some NOS parts in there to really see what I can coax from it.

So, combo......It's heavy...I'm thinking of making a head cab, if I have to carry stuff by myself then I prefer a head and cab.

I also feel a separate head and cab is 1; more versatile and 2; better for the amp.

Anyone care to express their views on the combo /amp head conundrum?


Marcus

[Synchu]

All heads here.
Much more versatile, if you ask me. And that back pain from years ago, lugging a 35 kg 100W, EV12 equipped Dynacord combo, still jumps, whenever I get a thought of building a combo.
5E3 is the largest I can think off, pain free.

Niki

[erwin_ve]

Combo for my 2nd gen hybrid! I made sure to transport it in a flightcase with wheels.
I think the head+front ported cab sounds better for bass response.

[Guy77]

Maybe do the combo frame with machined pine to make it lighter.
I am just finishing off a combo for one of my JM amps.
I used machined pine with a Birch ply baffle ( I will redo the baffle to use thicker birch). It feels so much lighter then the all plywood version I had before.
Excited to hear how it will sound with a Celestion Gold!

JM_combo.jpg

[pompeiisneaks]

I personally feel that combo's have two major disadvantages:

More prone to noise due to all of those things mixed together, speaker vibrating, can cause the transformers to move, etc etc etc.

Heavy as hell compared to a separate head and speaker cab.

There seem to be no con's to a head and speaker cab from my POV. You 'can' get the noise coupling if you put the head on top of the cab and the head has no real rubber or at least softer feet to limit vibrations, but you can also just set the head somewhere aside from the speakers as needed.

~Phil

[didit]

[...] seem to be no con's to a head and speaker cab from my POV [...]

Walking into the world with a guitar case in one hand and your amp in the other.

Best .. Ian

[M Fowler]

Combos just don't stack up.

[Charlie Wilson]

I was thinking if it were a 50w with a lighter speaker... wait, it is a 50w with a lighter speaker. Come on, bass players are going to think we are total wussies. Combo it and get a gym membership.
CW

[pompeiisneaks]

At my age, I'll get a membership at the local orthopedic specialists ;D

~Phil

[norburybrook]

I was thinking if it were a 50w with a lighter speaker... wait, it is a 50w with a lighter speaker. Come on, bass players are going to think we are total wussies. Combo it and get a gym membership.
CW

Charlie I think that when people go on about Les Pauls being heavy. Remember I'm a bass player as well for my regular bass gig I have a roadie or backline tech as they're now called so I don't have to carry, or set up ANY equipment , hence my complete aversion to anything remotely heavy if I have to carry it myself!.


I think if the actual cabinet were light weight pine that would make a huge difference but I can't work with that as I dont' have the tools to make good finger joints. 18mm ply is very forgiving of but joints, screwed and glued but it is by it's nature heavy.


I'm leaning towards making a head cab for it, I can keep the combo cab in storage or chop it down into a 1x12 cab.


M

[Synchu]

I am lately doing butt joints with pine and also paulownia which is an extremely light wood. Both work very well, if you drill'em before using screws.

Paulownia is somewhat awkward to work with as it is not very elastic (don't know whether this is the correct term), but it is extremely light and looks and feels strong enough. Smaller amp headshells (Tweedle Dee for example) weight next to nothing.

Niki

[BarryW]

I put my 2nd gen 50w in a combo cab, pine as noted above. It sounds great and is easy to transport with a celestion G12-65.

[stelligan]

Last build was a 102 in a pine combo cab. Handy but, Emi Hemp Dog speaker made it heavy.....

These can come in handy at times. Rubber feet in front and these in back....
https://www.speakerhardware.com/2-12-fl ... caster.php

caster.jpg