Blasting synths through suitcase cabinet?

Started by alexdecker, February 25, 2017, 03:50:45 PM

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alexdecker

Hey all

I read somewhere that the suitcase with its four speaker units is a full bandwidth amp. I have the 80W amp, which doesn't go that loud to begin with. Would there be anything wrong with blasting my Minimoog Voyager through the external inputs (outputs) in the suitcase amp?

Also, if I put a synth through the Return jack in the Peterson preamp, it should go through the amp, stereo tremolo and all, right?

– Alex

pianotuner steveo

#1
It's been a long time since I've owned one of these, but if I remember correctly, the tremolo does not work with any external keyboard plugged in, only the Rhodes itself. I'm sure someone who currently owns one will chime in.
Also, I had the amp and preamp but I did not have the original speakers ( long story) does the cabinet have tweeters? If not, you may not be able to reproduce above 4,500 hz or so efficiently unless you add them.
1960 Wurlitzer model 700 EP
1968 Gibson G101 Combo organ
1975 Rhodes Piano Bass
1979 Wurlitzer 206A EP
1980 Wurlitzer 270 Butterfly Grand
2009 73A Rhodes Mark 7
2009 Korg SV-1 73
2017 Yamaha P255
2020 Kawai CA99
....and a few guitars...

The Real MC

Steveo is right.  Fender intentionally used speakers that didn't put out much above 4500hz.  Rhodes pickups are a little noisy and these speakers masked the noise.  Fender guitar amps don't put out above that either.

pnoboy

During some period around the late 60s or early 70s, the suitcase amps had the same speakers used in the Bassman cabinet.  I had a suitcase piano from that period, and I can say that those speakers sounded really lousy--completely dull.  I ended up taking all 4 out and putting back 2 guitar speakers that faced the audience; I just left open the holes where the back 2 speakers were, so the cabinet became a sort of open-back enclosure.  There was a vast improvement in the sound.  Even so, I ended up selling the suitcase piano and getting a stage piano, which I felt was a further big improvement.

The Real MC

Quote from: pnoboy on February 26, 2017, 09:11:11 AM
During some period around the late 60s or early 70s, the suitcase amps had the same speakers used in the Bassman cabinet.  I had a suitcase piano from that period, and I can say that those speakers sounded really lousy--completely dull.  I ended up taking all 4 out and putting back 2 guitar speakers that faced the audience; I just left open the holes where the back 2 speakers were, so the cabinet became a sort of open-back enclosure.  There was a vast improvement in the sound.  Even so, I ended up selling the suitcase piano and getting a stage piano, which I felt was a further big improvement.

The pickups with green coil wire from that era were the noisiest of the lot.  The early Jordan preamp was intentionally bandwidth restricted to mask the noise, as were the speakers.  I have a silvertop piano with the green wire pickups but missing the Jordan preamp (no tears shed) and the only way I could tame the noise was with a Countryman type 10 DI box.  The Countryman was the only box that got the "E Model" tone out of this thing.  None of my other DI boxes helped the noise, and they changed the tone.  Green wire pickups from the 1960s are very sensitive to impedance loading.  Back in those days there wasn't anything better than JFETs for high impedance.

pnoboy

Quote from: The Real MC on February 26, 2017, 10:43:39 AM
Quote from: pnoboy on February 26, 2017, 09:11:11 AM
During some period around the late 60s or early 70s, the suitcase amps had the same speakers used in the Bassman cabinet.  I had a suitcase piano from that period, and I can say that those speakers sounded really lousy--completely dull.  I ended up taking all 4 out and putting back 2 guitar speakers that faced the audience; I just left open the holes where the back 2 speakers were, so the cabinet became a sort of open-back enclosure.  There was a vast improvement in the sound.  Even so, I ended up selling the suitcase piano and getting a stage piano, which I felt was a further big improvement.

The pickups with green coil wire from that era were the noisiest of the lot.  The early Jordan preamp was intentionally bandwidth restricted to mask the noise, as were the speakers.  I have a silvertop piano with the green wire pickups but missing the Jordan preamp (no tears shed) and the only way I could tame the noise was with a Countryman type 10 DI box.  The Countryman was the only box that got the "E Model" tone out of this thing.  None of my other DI boxes helped the noise, and they changed the tone.  Green wire pickups from the 1960s are very sensitive to impedance loading. Back in those days there wasn't anything better than JFETs for high impedance.

JFETS are still the best component when one needs high impedance and low noise.

Ben Bove

#6
Interesting notes above.

The biggest detraction from using the suitcase cab for other instruments, is that they take that channel away from the Rhodes.  So, if you plug a synth into channel A, the synth will be on A but the Rhodes sound no longer comes through channel A.  It'll only come through channel B, and the Rhodes vibrato will sound like a mono wurly on one half of the Rhodes amp.  That may or may not be a problem for your usage.

If you plug a stereo keyboard into channels A and B, there'll be no Rhodes sound.

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The Real MC

Quote from: pnoboy on February 27, 2017, 11:27:19 AM
Quote from: The Real MC on February 26, 2017, 10:43:39 AM
Quote from: pnoboy on February 26, 2017, 09:11:11 AM
During some period around the late 60s or early 70s, the suitcase amps had the same speakers used in the Bassman cabinet.  I had a suitcase piano from that period, and I can say that those speakers sounded really lousy--completely dull.  I ended up taking all 4 out and putting back 2 guitar speakers that faced the audience; I just left open the holes where the back 2 speakers were, so the cabinet became a sort of open-back enclosure.  There was a vast improvement in the sound.  Even so, I ended up selling the suitcase piano and getting a stage piano, which I felt was a further big improvement.

The pickups with green coil wire from that era were the noisiest of the lot.  The early Jordan preamp was intentionally bandwidth restricted to mask the noise, as were the speakers.  I have a silvertop piano with the green wire pickups but missing the Jordan preamp (no tears shed) and the only way I could tame the noise was with a Countryman type 10 DI box.  The Countryman was the only box that got the "E Model" tone out of this thing.  None of my other DI boxes helped the noise, and they changed the tone.  Green wire pickups from the 1960s are very sensitive to impedance loading. Back in those days there wasn't anything better than JFETs for high impedance.

JFETS are still the best component when one needs high impedance and low noise.

Not necessarily... Not a hard and fast rule as JFETs have their own foibles.

pnoboy

Quote from: The Real MC on March 01, 2017, 06:25:17 PM
Quote from: pnoboy on February 27, 2017, 11:27:19 AM
Quote from: The Real MC on February 26, 2017, 10:43:39 AM
Quote from: pnoboy on February 26, 2017, 09:11:11 AM
During some period around the late 60s or early 70s, the suitcase amps had the same speakers used in the Bassman cabinet.  I had a suitcase piano from that period, and I can say that those speakers sounded really lousy--completely dull.  I ended up taking all 4 out and putting back 2 guitar speakers that faced the audience; I just left open the holes where the back 2 speakers were, so the cabinet became a sort of open-back enclosure.  There was a vast improvement in the sound.  Even so, I ended up selling the suitcase piano and getting a stage piano, which I felt was a further big improvement.

Some parameters of JFETS are not well controlled by the foundries, but nothing can touch them if one needs low noise and high impedance--at least in the audio range.

The pickups with green coil wire from that era were the noisiest of the lot.  The early Jordan preamp was intentionally bandwidth restricted to mask the noise, as were the speakers.  I have a silvertop piano with the green wire pickups but missing the Jordan preamp (no tears shed) and the only way I could tame the noise was with a Countryman type 10 DI box.  The Countryman was the only box that got the "E Model" tone out of this thing.  None of my other DI boxes helped the noise, and they changed the tone.  Green wire pickups from the 1960s are very sensitive to impedance loading. Back in those days there wasn't anything better than JFETs for high impedance.

JFETS are still the best component when one needs high impedance and low noise.

Not necessarily... Not a hard and fast rule as JFETs have their own foibles.