Warning Signs That You Are Overpowering Your Bass Guitar Cabinet

Even if you’ve matched your bass head and cab properly impedance wise and set your amp for clean sound, sending simply too much power to your bass cab can result in blown speakers. This often happens when you are using a rig you are unfamiliar with, as we tend to know the limitations of our own equipment and have chosen that setup for a reason. Borrowing another bassist’s amp or using a backline rig only to blow it up is definitely not a great feeling.

However, there are telltale signs to pay close attention to that will indicate if you are pushing the cab too hard. As long as you use your ears, eyes, and some common sense, you can prevent your bass cab from giving up the ghost.

1. Audible Distortion. If you play with a clean tone, it’s relatively easy to tell if your speakers are breaking up. This is not the smooth saturation you get from riding the gain control on your amp- rather, a speaker complaining sounds harsh and unpleasant. If this happens, turn down your volume or gain, or adjust your EQ. Keep in mind that it’s not any one of the aforementioned elements that can overpower your cab, rather a combination of them all. Your cab can still break up with the gain set high or master set low or vice versa, so it’s very important that you use your ears and listen for warning signs. A quick fix is to reduce the amount of low bass in your EQ section, as excessive amounts can really do a number on speakers that aren’t equipped to handle the power of the amp. If you use an overdrive pedal or have a dirtier tone, it can mask the sound of the speaker giving out, but the signs will still be there.

2. Odd Noises. When a cab is pushed past its limits, it can cause the speakers to vibrate, buzz, or even pop. When a cab is making sounds that it shouldn’t be making, you know something is wrong.

3. A loss of definition. A muddy sound and/or a lack of definition in the midrange are common symptoms of a speaker that’s on the way out. You may also hear increased compression or a sound that seems to phase in and out. When any of this happens, turn down!

4. Smoke and/or Fire. Bass cabs aside, these two are never good things to see. If you see (or smell) smoke coming from your bass amp, the voice coil has likely melted from excessive heat and the damage has already been done. The point is to not let it get to this point!

Of course, it’s better to prevent potential damage than have to repair a cabinet that’s kicked the bucket. When matching heads and cabinets, especially ones that you haven’t used before, make sure to do your homework and check out the wattage ratings on both of them before running them full throttle.

Have you ever blown up a cab? Let us know in the comments!

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