Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What can you tell me about your experience with the Fender 70s cab with four 12s in the inverted triangle configuration? I would think that this design might not have projected so well.

Silence is golden. Have the low end gang been stumped?

Nah, I just don't have first person experience with one. IIRC, they did not have a lot of bottom end, partly due to the decreased internal volume caused by the concave baffle board, and probably due to the speaker drivers, themselves, not really being up to the task.

Well it seems that you weren't baffled after all Jeff.

Not first-hand, but close. Local buddy here has one since new in the mid 70's. Came with the Bassman 70 amp. The setup sounds a bit midrangey and the 4 12's really look identical to the guitar speakers, with tiny (by bass speaker standards) voice coils, maybe 1.5". Coincidentally, he uses it with a '74 4001MG. It actually sounds good at his low stage volume. Graham Maby of Joe Jackson fame says it's the amp he used on the first 3 LPs and he miked it up. To my ears it records beautifully. Great tone with his 70's Ibanez P/J copy.

I agree with the above post. But I didn't like the tone as being a little middy myself. I plugged the ports, installed four Jensen Concert 12's, and used it as a guitar cab for my Marshall 2203 head.

Top of the line for 1970's technology. There are many and much better cabs now for current bass work.

Fran and Scott thanks for your interesting comments.

Here is what the inside of the 4 x 12 1970s cabinet looked like.

Like the old days, I think I would just go with one 6 foot speaker and be done with it.

admin wrote:Like the old days, I think I would just go with one 6 foot speaker and be done with it.

giant speaker.jpg

admin wrote:

4 x 12.jpg

Here is what the inside of the 4 x 12 1970s cabinet looked like.

Indeed. That's why I used it instead of a conventional Marshall 1960 straight or slant cab for my Marshall 2203 head. It dispersed the sound somewhat so it wasn't quite so "in your face" when I played guitar gigs in smaller bars.

I blew up several speakers in my 4x12" and in the end used a saw to get it to fit in the car for taking it to the dump. Since then I used my '63 2x12" bassman cab. I have no memory of how it sounded anymore. This was in the days these cabs were worth nothing.