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PA columns [message #1943] Mon, 23 September 2002 15:26 C4ster Messages: 686 Registered: June 2001 Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee... Senior Member Hi guys and Deb, This weekend I had the opportunity to really put my 3x15 horn cabs and 4x12 columns to good use. Just a little backround. These are all loaded with JBL speakers, E120's and E140's and I was pumping 1000 watts through each pair of them. I was running a pseudo crossover by using my graphic EQ to run only the lows up to 500 HZ and the Highs, above 2500 HZ throught the 3x15's and 500Hz to 2500 Hz through the 12's. The sound was EXCELLENT!!! The system ran continuously for about 9 straight hours. This included guitars, drums, and vocals. I got a lot of great comments both about the look and the sound. The only problem I encountered the entire day, was a cracking sound every once and again. I went to the 3x15's and saw that the horns were rocking with the 15's. I was afraid the light aluminum would fatigue and I would have to pick the drivers up off of the bottom of the column. But they held on and I will now reinforce the driver and support it and maybe separate the cabinet into lows and highs. I am not sure how much effect that will have but the result would be the same size as a 2x15 so I doubt if that would change it too much. I plan on increasing the system by adding more 3x15's and hopefully, a new sound company will be born. What color should I go to next? The 15's are cascade and the 12's are charcoal. How about blue or maybe red???? Insert advice here. Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1944 is a reply to message #1943] Mon, 23 September 2002 16:47 BC Messages: 583 Registered: March 2000 Location: Kentucky Senior Member Hey Conrad...thanks for the info. My siren cabs have been in use this month also. I have a Jensen 15 and a CTS 15 in each one with stock horn driver. (I think Pleat said it was an Atlas). By using an onboard graphic EQ on a Peavey PA head we have achieved acceptable sound. Much lower power than what you are running but we are only running vocals and the bass drum at this time. I have another pair of 3x15 cabs I will load for PA duty......as soon as I can figure out what I want to load...and how to get the money to do it! Anyone else using siren cabs?....BC Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1946 is a reply to message #1943] Tue, 24 September 2002 00:45 KustomBlues Messages: 490 Registered: June 2001 Location: Michigan Senior Member Conrad, I vote for blue cabs next :-) Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1947 is a reply to message #1946] Tue, 24 September 2002 09:34 C4ster Messages: 686 Registered: June 2001 Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee... Senior Member I like the blue. I think that blue is more subtle than even cascade but not as boring as charcoal or BLACK. I think the blue is too close to cascade in appearance. Brad is pushing a pair of Red columns that JC has. That would be spectacular. The money is in short supply, but if they are around in the future, I may find the need. Eventually I will wire the cabs into 2 circuits with a new connector and triamp the whole system the right way, but I need at least 2 large power amps before I will split the system. I will let everyone know how the PA is received. I have pretty substantial leads on customers for the PA and a couple of gigs lined up already. I get plenty of looks on the system as it is. I need some more color. Conrad Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1948 is a reply to message #1947] Tue, 24 September 2002 15:33 ET Messages: 146 Registered: October 2000 Location: Charlotte NC Senior Member ok...since you egg'd me on with the black comment...here I am...and yes, I do use my 3x15s...my Pa setup has a 3x15 siren on each side of the stage handling the mains, with my crossover allowing them to run down sometimes as low as about 650, but usually closer to 8-900 depending on the room and how much I need to throttle them. I then go to a pair of 2x15 cabs loaded with long throw sub speakers for my low end. right now I'm underpowered with only about 400 watts going to the siren cabs and a pair of 400 kustom heads running each of the 2x15s. I still get plenty of volume and some good punch, but I think I"ll enjoy more rock with more juice which will come shortly..looking at better quality Crowns. I also experienced the noise of shaking the sirens when I hit them too hard with low end and even tight and reinforced, I still have a little noise, but I think that's in the flex of the aluminum horn itself. The only real solution for me was running my really low end through the 2x15s. I used to run 500k chokes in the 2x15s but that sucks power and prohibits finding the sweet spots..my new Ashley elec xover makes a huge difference. oh, and I also took a pair of 200B head housings, made a baffle board for them covered in matching grill cloth and loaded PV 22T horns in there with their own crossover circuits. I hit these with a 150 watt amp and seperate eq for outdoors when I need more throw...they'll fry your eyebrows!!, but most of the time the sirens alone are enough for the dance floor near field sizzle without having to triamp. I do also hit the 3x15 sirens with a 32 band eq to scoop the snot out of the mids on those cabs at lower volumes...now then, as for color...you will find, sooner of later, that black endures and is acceptable in most all venues...sparkle is kool...way kool, but folks either love em...or not...black presents well, without standing out too much and catching that "gawdy" comment and there ain't much cooler looking than my stage with the pair of black PA cabs on each side of my stage, then a matched pair of guitar combos and bass rig cabs all in matching black up on stage...oh...and it does sound better too!! Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1949 is a reply to message #1948] Tue, 24 September 2002 16:01 C4ster Messages: 686 Registered: June 2001 Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee... Senior Member Ed, did you sell a pair of red PA's to John? I think they are starting to make their way to me. I did exactly the same thing as you by scooping the mids out and sending the lows and highs to the 3x15's. The 15's can't handle the highs and the crossover caps cross over at about 2500 HZ. (I read that somewhere). I am going to remove the 1/4" jack and replace the entire jack plate with a 4 wire twistlock recepticle and plug to bi amp the 3x15's and send the mids to the 4x12's. I also have formulated plans to support the horns from the rear. I think a plate going horizontally across the back of the horn with the driver poking through with the nose piece assembled the same as it is now. The plate will then be screwed into the sides of the cab. That should stop the flexing. I hope I didn't crack the horn. Heck, if you have another head box, I need it for my stage lighting system. I have a controller mounted into an old K200-A5 chassis. The faceplate is still there and gloriously proclaims, "Kustom". PS. I am working on my own version of "Play Loud" Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1950 is a reply to message #1948] Tue, 24 September 2002 20:06 Bill Messages: 64 Registered: March 2002 Location: Kansas Member ET, Just curious...what long throw bass speakers are you using in the 2-15 cab? Thrill Bill Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1952 is a reply to message #1943] Tue, 24 September 2002 23:43 Anonymous Conrad, I have a pair of the black 3x15 siren cabinets. Each cabinet has a cts and a jensen 15 with the kustom atlas driver on the siren horn. Keeping in mind that kustom cabinets have been trucked all over the world, and I have never seen the horn fatuge to the point I would ever worry about cracking the bell. An easy fix would be to use banding strap from each side of cabinet and use the tapped hole in back of the driver to support the rear of the horn. Here is my big idea, I have always wanted to take the baffle board out of a 3x15 cabinet turn it upside down, so the ports would be on the lower half. Install the speakers on the bottom and replace the horn on top. Add a air tight panel in the cabinet to seperate the horn from the two speakers, in a sense making it like a 2x15 cabinet. The reason for doing this is to keep the internal venting to match the 2x15 cabinet. This would keep the speaker cones better controled. Also on the 3x15 cabinets with the horns the bracing from front to back is on the lower half. Adding the seperator board would be a good way to support the upper half of the back of the cabinet. Just some thoughts to ponder. Don Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1953 is a reply to message #1952] Wed, 25 September 2002 09:06 C4ster Messages: 686 Registered: June 2001 Location: Mukwonago, WI (Milwaukee... Senior Member You be da man. Very interesting proposal. I would rather not change the overall look unless I did that without ports. I was just thinking of intalling a baffle board with cutouts for the edge of the horn and just above the ports. One of my horns has fatigue cracks around the driver opening that happened before I got the cabs. The drivers were assembled with the washers in the wrong place. I will assess my options when I open the cabs. Conrad Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1957 is a reply to message #1950] Wed, 25 September 2002 11:40 Anonymous hey Thrill...I've atually got an interesting match upin the 2x15s.. my bottom position is an Eminence 150 watter..can't remember the exact model, and in the top position I have a polycone and for the life of me I can't remember the brand, but they'v been great...they are duller in tone and really extend so I can just lay long low tones down on them, the eminence provide the crisper punch and the total cab mix is nice. mt 3x15 sirens have the original jenson heavies in there and they are in good condition. I went with 150 watt speakers cause I knew I was going to hit them with only my kustom power, Idid try the eminence 400 watt pro Kappa speaker in there and it was smooth, but it took all my 400 head could give just to move that speaker...I'd enjoy running larger speakers like that, but I'd have to have the juice to put to them, so instead I've been old school...real efficient speakers in the ported cabs. I found the eminence needed more airspace and works better in the bottom position..the polycone runs fine up top but the Emi did not. Also be careful that some of the heavier sub speakers have a real thick baffle facing on them and the studs on the kustom board aren't long enough to go through all that gasket. I've hit my 2x15 cab with 600 wattsrms from a friends amp and I was impressed...the thing wanted to all but walk away.. I'm not sure how the cab design would react to running a couple thousand watt speakers in there..its a different world today..most of my weekend jobs never need more than 300 watts per side of bass signal.. I know I'll get a tighter sound with more amp, and someday when I have toy money I may try to upgrade speakers and amps...but I really don't have any current plans. I'm really pleased with what I'm getting out of the lower wattage rig. I also forgot to mention I used to have a pair of 4x8 columns and I've bought another pair that are resting in BC's basement at the moment...I like the 8's for targeting vocal range. I think running them in a multi amp situation really adds to the tone capability of a PA..getting some of those freqs that the 15s just don't do well at lower volumes or near field situations so don't overlook adding 8s, 10s, or 12s columns into the mix when you're out there scoffin up cabs. I think the ideal speaker for the kustom cabs are the gamma pro series eminence which are rated for bass at 300watts rms. A pair of those per cab should be plenty for the weekend warrier and not a strain on the wallet. Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1968 is a reply to message #1943] Sat, 28 September 2002 14:33 BC Messages: 583 Registered: March 2000 Location: Kentucky Senior Member Last night we used my siren cabinets again at a local festival. The big difference was that we had Foxy on the board and the sound was great. Remember my cabinets are configured the same as Pleat's are with a CTS and a Jensen and the stock horn driver. By adjusting the EQ Fox was able to remove some of the offensive tone from the sirens and really get a nice sound.....or so I am told by the folks who come to see us regularly! One of the bad things about being on stage is that you never know how it sounds out front! But, I always know we have the koolest looking PA around! BC Report message to a moderator

Re: PA columns [message #1971 is a reply to message #1968] Sat, 28 September 2002 19:47 KustomBlues Messages: 490 Registered: June 2001 Location: Michigan Senior Member Hey, buy an Airline wirelss and take a walk out front, then you'll know what it sounds like!!! Report message to a moderator

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