# Split Cab? Wiring Questions...



## Skipper (Sep 5, 2017)

hey everyone, I’m new - to building extension cabs, amps, and this forum...

I had an idea that I thought was crazy, but too cool not to try, so here I am. 

I’m building a “split cab 2x12”, and what I mean by that is that I’m building two 1x12’s that can either be used together, or separately with my AC30CCH.

At present I’ve only built two 1x12’s and done a 2x12 rehousing of a Kustom Defender. So I’m super new.
So my understanding of wiring, etc. is still very elementary, at best, I think. 

I understand that input/output is determined by the signal path, and I also understand that the impedances need to match - my AC30CCH has a switch to select between 8 & 16ohms, so no matter whether I use one or both of these cabinets, I should be good to go. 

So the signal path, if I understand right, is as follows:

(out) AC30CCH
(in) 1st cab
(out) 1st cab
(in) 2nd cab

1. Does it matter which 1/4” jacks I use?
2. Can someone help me out with drawing a wiring diagram for this?
3. If you could pick ANY Speaker combination to use with an AC30, what would you use?

Thanks!


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## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

the answer is very simple....
IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE OHMS OF YOUR SPEAKERS .

If your speakers are 8 ohms each then you will need to wire the cabinets is series to get 16 ohms OR in parallel and get 4 ohms.
Assuming the 2 outputs for each cabinet are wired in parallel ( most are), then you will go from the amp to one cabinet and then from that cabinet to the other cabinet. This will give you 4 ohms and if you plug that into the 8 ohm output of the amp it should be OK but NOT ideal.

IF your speakers are 16 ohms then wire them as above and you will get 8 ohms total and that's perfect for your 8 ohm output.
ALSO...if you want just one cabinet, obviously you plug it into the 16 ohm output and your good to go.

If your speakers are 4 ohms.... you should wire them in series to get 8 ohms.
You'll have to figure the wiring out yourself and its not rocket science. Just a little more tricky.

Hope this helps.
G.


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## Skipper (Sep 5, 2017)

GTmaker said:


> the answer is very simple....
> IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE OHMS OF YOUR SPEAKERS .
> 
> If your speakers are 8 ohms each then you will need to wire the cabinets is series to get 16 ohms OR in parallel and get 4 ohms.
> ...



Thanks! I'm leaning towards using Weber Speakers, but I've got two 16ohm V30's on hand right now, so either way, I'm going to end up with two 16 ohm speakers, I think - *DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKER IDEAS/SUGGESTIONS?
*
Regarding the wiring - there's (3) 1/4" jacks involved in the cabinets, 2 inputs, one output. As I stated in my post, my plan was to go from the amp to one cabinet, and then that cabinet to the other cabinet when using it as a 2x12... my question is how to wire the input/output on the first cabinet _*(ie. does the speaker wire go from the input to the speaker, and then the speaker to the output, OR am I wiring from the input to the speaker AND the input to the output?)...*_ this is the part that I don't really understand just yet...

and lastly, I still don't have an answer as to whether it matters if I use mono or stereo jacks for the inputs or outputs... thoughts from anyone are appreciated!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Firstly, welcome to the forum! 
Please start new thread and post often.

I would use mono Switchcraft brand jacks for inputs and outputs.
Switchcraft has an excellent reputation due to their quality.

I'm no help to you regarding speaker choices. There are a multitude to choose from, as I'm sure you know.



Skipper said:


> the speaker wire go from the input to the speaker, and then the speaker to the output


This is the way I would approach it for the first cab. You might want to wait until others have confirmed my advice.

This might be of interest to you..
Shavano Music Online - Speaker Wiring - Series and Parallel

The main thing is that you want to wire the 16 ohm speakers in parallel to obtain a combined impedance of 8 ohms...which you know very well.

If you need parts (and further advice), these are excellent CANADIAN suppliers/resources..
Canada's #1 Parts Source For DIY Musicians - Next Gen Guitars

Canada's Largest Inventory of Celestion, B&C and Eminence speaker drivers.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

Skipper said:


> As I stated in my post, my plan was to go from the amp to one cabinet, and then that cabinet to the other cabinet when using it as a 2x12... my question is how to wire the input/output on the first cabinet _*(ie. does the speaker wire go from the input to the speaker, and then the speaker to the output, OR am I wiring from the input to the speaker AND the input to the output?)...*_ this is the part that I don't really understand just yet...


If you're not sure about stuff like that, I highly recommend reading up on understanding signal paths. The link above is a good start, but don't stop there. Keep digging and reading to further your understanding.

If it were me, to make life really simple I would wire both cabs the same way, as follows:









Both jacks are mono and are wired in parallel. That way it doesn't matter what cab goes where, nor does it matter which jacks you use since they are wired in parallel. Just make sure you use 16 ohm speakers.

Using this design, when using both cabs, plug your amp (using the 8 ohm output) into one of the cabs using either of the jacks, then use the other jack on that cab to connect to the other cab (again, it doesn't matter which jack.) When using just one cab, plug your amp (using the 16 ohm output) into either jack of either one of the cabs.

Just remember which setting your amp's output should be on for each of the difference scenarios.

That is about as simple as it gets. Hope that helps.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

@jbealsmusic Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to this thread with your expert advice.



jbealsmusic said:


> If it were me, to make life really simple I would wire both cabs the same way, as follows:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is a cool concept that I must try to remember!


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

16 ohm speakers are perfect for your usage, because your amp has 16 and 8 ohm settings on the impedance switch. Using one speaker, you set the amp impedance switch to 16, when you use both speakers (parallel), you will switch the amp to the 8 ohm setting.

jbeals wiring suggestion is correct. 
There is also an alternate that is a bit simpler, but may limit your options when using different amps.
You have 2 speaker jacks on your amp head. You can wire your cabs with one single jack in each. Then you run a cable into each cab from the head.
Amp impedance switch setting to 8 when using both cabs, 16 with a single cab.


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## Skipper (Sep 5, 2017)

jbealsmusic said:


> If you're not sure about stuff like that, I highly recommend reading up on understanding signal paths. The link above is a good start, but don't stop there. Keep digging and reading to further your understanding.
> 
> If it were me, to make life really simple I would wire both cabs the same way, as follows:
> View attachment 119705
> ...



Seriously, thanks for taking the time to respond to this thread @jbealsmusic, and thanks for the idea of wiring up both cabs the same way so that it doesn't matter which one comes first! Oh, and that wiring diagram is ever so helpful! Thanks again!


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## Skipper (Sep 5, 2017)

This is a cool concept that I must try to remember![/QUOTE]

Thanks, @greco! I'll make sure to post some pictures here when I'm done building these! It's a cool design, and I just thought, "hey, I've never seen this, which somehow (logically, duh  hehe) led me to the conclusion that therefore I should try and make it!


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## Skipper (Sep 5, 2017)

jb welder said:


> 16 ohm speakers are perfect for your usage, because your amp has 16 and 8 ohm settings on the impedance switch. Using one speaker, you set the amp impedance switch to 16, when you use both speakers (parallel), you will switch the amp to the 8 ohm setting.
> 
> jbeals wiring suggestion is correct.
> There is also an alternate that is a bit simpler, but may limit your options when using different amps.
> ...


Thanks for your reply regarding the speakers, though, I was more leaning towards certain speaker recommendations (ie. Weber vs. Celestion vs. Tone Tubby vs. Jensen, etc.). And to that end, I'm still very interested to know what anyone's thoughts are on speaker pairing. I just finished building - I'm pretty sure I mentioned this - a 2x12 for a buddy with a Weber Alnico Blue Dog & and (unfortunately) reused the stock Eminence Speaker that came with it, but I'm trying to get him to swap it out for a Jensen MOD series speaker to blend better with the Weber... 

Anyways. Any speaker recommendations (aside from the impedance - as we've definitely nailed that down quite well), are still very much appreciated!

Thanks guys!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Skipper said:


> Thanks for your reply regarding the speakers, though, I was more leaning towards certain speaker recommendations (i.e., Weber vs. Celestion vs. Tone Tubby vs. Jensen, etc.).


Have you considered what the Warehouse brand of speakers has to offer?

WGS - Warehouse Guitar Speakers - Canada


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