Maximizing Your Sound With a Carvin Extension Cabinet

Carvin Audio’s V112E 1x12 Guitar Extension Cabinet with an Eminence GT12 speaker is the perfect addition to any rig, big or small. Its lightweight construction makes it portable and its 100W of power handling is enough to make an impression in any situation. With such a versatile tool available, you’ll want to get the most out of it, so here are a few tips for doing just that.

Amp Up

Obviously, you need some kind of power amp to drive any speaker cabinet, but that doesn’t mean you have to run out and get a big combo amp or head. The V112E also pairs beautifully with Carvin’s MACH100 100W Stereo Pedal Amplifier. The advantage here is flexibility. You can bring the MACH100 out on its own or bring out your V112E to use as a second cabinet – say if you’re playing on a large stage with an existing combo amp and you want to be able to hear yourself on both sides. Or use two V112Es and the MACH100 in stereo mode to create a stereo sound. Great if you have creative stereo effects on your pedal board like delays or Leslie-type effects.

Add an X1 All Tube Preamp Pedal with 12AX7 tubes to the mix and you’ve got a powerful, classic sound, without the bulk of a classic combo amp.

Protect Your Gear

Connecting up your V112E with a pedal amp like the MACH100 is pretty straightforward, but if you want to combine the V112E with another combo amp or power amp head, it pays to know about the impedance specs of your gear. You never want to connect an extension cabinet with less impedance than your amp's minimum impedance spec, as that can cause damage to the amp. For reference, the V112E’s nominal impedance is 8 ohms. You’ll have to check your amp’s specs to make sure you’re ok there.

In most cases, you’ll want to connect the V112E in parallel – again your amp’s documentation should let you know how the extension output is wired – usually it’s in parallel but it’s worth checking. You may find an impedance switch on your amp, too. It’s easiest if you match them.

Next, make sure your amp’s power output doesn’t exceed the V112E’s ability – the V112E can handle 100 watts.

Use V112E to Enhance Your Tone

An extension cabinet can do more for you than just providing a convenient speaker for your pedal amp, letting you hear everywhere on stage, or creating a stereo experience. A well-placed/chosen extension cabinet can be used to enhance or improve your tone when using another combo amp. Perhaps your combo amp is small and needs a boost in the low end. A combo amp can help that, and the V112E’s closed-back can help tighten up the low end when your combo is open-backed. You can also use the combo amp to simply fill in the sound, say by putting it on the other side of the drumkit. Or simply increase your overall volume by stacking one or two extra V112Es.

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