Subwoofers and Djent

[speedy thrash]

I was wondering if I were to make a cabinet with subwoofers, at least 100 watts, what head would be able to get a djenty tone out of it? I currently have a 4 ohm 300 watt sub, but only one, and I'm looking for a head of equal or less value than the 65 watt Crate combo amp I have. Any suggestions?

[Stealthdjentstic]

Why on earth would you want to do this?

[Oxidation_Shed]

You need dedicated guitar speakers to get a good guitar tone: they are designed to alter the frequencies in specific ways. This sounds like a recipe for a horrible, boomy, fizzy mess of epic proportions.

Equally, djent is all about mids, not bass.

Finally, you're not going to get a good head for less than the value of a 65w Crate combo, trust me.

I hate to burst your bubble but this is a diabolically bad idea.

[mniel8195]

wow...i would sell your sub woofer it has no place in guitar music. Best amp you going to get for the money at 100 watts is going to be a 5150 or on its variations.

[speedy thrash]

Originally Posted by Stealthdjentstic

Why on earth would you want to do this?

Because I found an old subwoofer in my shed and thought it might be a cool project to make a cab with it inside, i attached my iPod to it and it sounded fine, huge as hell, I thought an EQ might bring up the highs and mids a bit, apparently not....

[wakjob]

Rivera did this in the 90's. I think it was called the Los Lobottom. It has its uses but....really?

The Big Bottom Pod patch uses this as part of the modeling.

[tuneinrecords]

I had a Rivera Los Low Bottom back in the early to mid 2000's. I only sold it because I was playing a lot of shows and needed a more simple setup for setting up and breaking down and transporting. Playing a big sounding 7 string tuned down 11 gauge strings lowest to high - Ab Db Ab Db Gb Bb Eb. I ran a Mesa Dual Rec into a 4x12 Fender cab (does not look like a typical fender cab) and then ran the Los Low Bottom through the FX loop on the Mesa. My effects pedals that went through the loop actually went through the fx loop on the back of the Low Bottom. I also had pedals that ran in front of the amp. A lot of equipment and cords and a lot to worry about on top of performing a show.
Anyway... I would get funny looks from sound guys at the bars and clubs I played at. I know they were all thinking how silly it was, but damn it sounded huge and awesome. Especially at home I really appreciated it. The fullness was amazing. You could run it as a blend or you could have only the low frequencies go through the sub only - which was great to hear low power chords mixed in with high lead notes - the back and forth sound of the 4x12 and the sub woofer cab.
For anyone thinking a sub woofer has no place with guitars, don't knock it until you've tried it. I really only got rid of mine because it weighed a ton and I need a more simple set up. I also went back to 6 string standard tuned guitars for a while. I do both again now. I do miss the Los Lowbottom, but I don't miss lugging it to gigs.

[mortbopet]

I sometimes run my guitar through a hartke 115xl Cabinet, and can say that it sounds good. Even though this isnt an active subwoofer like yours, i would still not recommend it. Speakers are built with a purpose in mind, and bass speakers/subwoofers should be used for the area that they are built for. The same happends when you run a guitar amp through a 4x10 bass cab. If you only consider the speaker size, this would make sence, but the speakers are built for a whole other frequency area, which you wont hit when playing a guitar through it - thus sounding horrible/false.

[Baelzebeard]

It depends what kind of driver it is.

If it is a sub for car audio or home theater, then don't bother, their frequency range is very limited, and simply aren't suited for guitar.

If however it is a sub driver from a PA system you might be able to get some mileage out of it. Even some 18's can cleanly reach up to 2khz.

[Splinterhead]

I would imagine that it would indeed sound huge. But I'm thinking in a band situation it might be a bit too full spectrum. I'm wondering if it interfered with the bass player's frequencies. For the "djent" sound the going consensus is to roll off the bass and accentuate the low mids to add a bit of body to the sound.

I think a sub would sound cool with a clean sound...possibly solo guitar stuff.

[tuneinrecords]

Here's a shot of my old rig with the sub woofer.

[Stealthdjentstic]

Originally Posted by Splinterhead

I would imagine that it would indeed sound huge. But I'm thinking in a band situation it might be a bit too full spectrum. I'm wondering if it interfered with the bass player's frequencies. For the "djent" sound the going consensus is to roll off the bass and accentuate the low mids to add a bit of body to the sound.

I think a sub would sound cool with a clean sound...possibly solo guitar stuff.

Yeah exactly, I don't think a lot of people realize that the guitar tone in the genre relies heavily on the bass to flesh it out and give it that nice booooowww.

[wizbit81]

There's someone on rig talk selling a sub at the moment, and describing how he uses it and how it works with his sound....probs worth a read for you.

[Najka]

less bass for Djent tones, keep it punchy not muddy

[wakjob]

Back when I was chasing djent tone, I wasn't listening for 'boooowww'. I wanted 'bert bert bert'.