Grateful Dead Music Forum

Here is a premis... the less cab the better for JBL's.

I have D/K/E120's... and I play a lot with a D130 (same 4 inch voice coil)... I find that JBL's in a heavy cab (most of mine are the avatar vintage) adds a significant amount of bass response, which is counter to that Jerry tone most of us are after. Taking the entire back off helps a bit... but the D130 I have is in a simple, light pine cab... much less wood, and it sound closer. And, when I look at the hard truckers cabs, it looks like 3/4 inch birch plywood with no back and minimal wood overall.

Is my premis correct... less wood, and let the speaker do the work, not the cab?

I'll add my $.02 worth of theory. I think the original multi-ply birch cabs were Built To Last, not necessarily built to meet a tone spec. They got humped around the world. Also, they sounded the way they did when normally being pushed harder than any of us will ever push a cab.

My TRM pine cab tames some of the JBL shrillness when playing at more normal levels. Adds a bit of warmth that I like, as opposed to the ice-pickyness.

For an open back cab, I would definitely agree. When you look at images of Jerry's 3x12, it had no back panel at all. Those Avatar cabs are the heaviest, most overbuilt cabs around. I bought a 2x12 a few years ago and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Their price is alluring, however.

I have a pine TRM for my 1x15. It's a nice cab, and I know he has also made a few baltic HT style cabs. His prices are also very affordable.

Front mounted speakers make a difference too. Front mount=less cabinet effect, from my experience.