Heyy, rig question regarding an old '80 Peavey 18" BW cab (1801-4 bw, I believe)

[Spacebone1.02]

So I want to run my SVT-4 Pro
[ mono-Bridged: 1600 watts rms @4 ohms (1200 watts continuous), 3% THD
Mono-Bridged: 1200 watts rms @8 ohms (900 watts continuous), 3% THD
2 x 900 watts rms @ 2 ohms (600 watts continuous), 3% THD
2 x 625 watts rms @ 4 ohms (490 watts continuous), 3% THD
2 x 350 watts rms @ 8 ohms (300 watts continuous), 3% THD ]

into my SVT 410 hlf
[ RMS Power Handling: 500-Watts
Frequency Response (-3dB): 48Hz-18kHz
Usable Low Frequency (-10dB): 28Hz
Nominal Impedance: 4-Ohms ]

and (this is the cab in question, as I've been running the svt4pro into the 410hlf mono-bridged for years now with no problems)
into an old Peavey cab from 1980 loaded with the 1801-4 black widow driver.
[ rated According to this* spec sheet @
  4 ohms; 350w continuous,
  700w Program, and
  600w AES ]

*http://assets.peavey.com/literature/manuals/80300801.pdf

One point of uncertainty is that I'm not sure if this sheet still pertains to the 80s Peavey cab I've got (serial 0e-xxxxxx), and the other is of course, that even running in stereo at 4 ohms each side I'm going to be exceeding the 118's power rating; which works fine with my ampeg, but I'm unsure of how well these old Peavey cabs hold up to that type of excess.

Also, I wanted to try bi-amping them, and was wondering
a. if that would significantly effect the impact of power dispersal, with the crossover etc. and
b. if anyone has had experience with a similar setup, A-B-ing bi-amped vs. not.

Thanks

[justJon]

Disclaimer: Most of what I'm about to post is strictly opinion, not based on engineering/science, and I'm a DRUMMER not a bass player.

The SVT-4 pro into SVT 410HLF is what our old bass player came into the band playing. I hated that rig from day one. Not loud enough, and terrible (to my ear) tone. I started letting him A/B it with my old Acoustic 2x15 cab, rated way lower than that Peavey, and the tone and loudness improved immediately. He brought in an old Crate 2x15 loaded  with JBL's and it got even better, running his SVT-4 into 4 15's! Neither cab was rated for, I think , over 250W RMS, and we never had problems.

The old Peavey Black widows, In my experience, have been pretty bomb-proof. Unless you're constantly running the master at 8-10, I'd A/B it all day, and never look back, if you like the tone.

Never heard it/played with it Bi-amped, so can't speak to that.

My $.02

[Spacebone1.02]

Cool thanks, think I might get to work on trying it out today--might drop the bi-amp idea, as I'm reading that the hlf might actually get better bass response than the 18..

I've also got a Behringer 115 @ 8 ohms, 600w RMS, & Hartke 115 @ 8 ohms, 200w RMS, though I've kind of gotten infatuated with the idea of being able to utilize a 118..

[Lumpy]

You can definitely blow a Peavey 18" Black Widow speaker. They are not indestructible. It looks like you would be overpowering it pretty dramatically with that amp. Still, no guts - no glory. It's a good idea to match your speakers power rating with your amp power rating, IMO. Or if you are going to err, err on the side of underpowering your speakers. (After looking at your specs again, 490 continuous watts (amp) and 350 continuous watts (Black Widow) are not that big of a mismatch, i say go for it.)

I would not run that amp bridged, with any of your speakers. I don't see anybody recommending bridging an amp, and I can't imagine a scenario where it would apply - maybe if your amp was severely underpowered without doing it.

People used to be into bi-amping, but it seems like nobody does it anymore. Must not have been very effective. People tend to do what works...

In the bass world, they recommend using identical cabs if you're going to use multiples. But there are a lot of stupid rules, and if you only have mismatched cabs, then use what you have. The other option is to figure out which cab you really like, and sell your cabs to pay for it. You can get a used Ampeg 8x10 for 400-500 bucks. In my opinion, nothing sounds better.

[Spacebone1.02]

Cool thanks do the input again, yea I ended up calling Peavey yesterday to see if they had specific info on the 1980 black widows, & ya that was one of the last years they were rated at only 150 watts ha, so methinks I'd have blown it to high heaven--

Settling on a stack n a half with the hlf on one side, and the behringer/Hartke 115's in parallel on the other, should run cool enough to not overheat anymore being not bridged, & with way more speaker area--stoked!

..Anyone wanna buy an '80 Peavey 118 BW cab?  ha

(Though I will definitely be selling what I can for the 810, when I'm sure Ive got the means to transport it)

[khoomeizhi]

was gonna suggest you could get a new higher-wattage speaker to swap in, but they probably mostly cost more than the cabinet at this point...

[Pissy]

Its funny you mention bi-amping and how people don't do it anymore, Lumpy.  I sold my second cabinet, largely for me it came down to space and convenience. The sound was awesome, but not really worth the effort, because singularly my sound can get pretty close.

[Lumpy]

So it's extra equipment to buy, carry and set up.