How to Install Speakers in a Bass Guitar Cabinet
Bass guitar cabinets are designed to reproduce the low frequency notes of the bass guitar with plenty of headroom for maximum volume output. If your speakers become damaged or if you are unhappy with the sound of your current cabinet, replacing the speakers can be cost efficient way to fix your cabinet. The number of speakers will determine the wiring scheme for your cabinet, but the most common configuration for a bass cabinet is four speakers wired in a series/parallel circuit. This configuration consists of two pairs of parallel speakers wired in series. A basic understanding of an electric circuit and a few tools are all you will need to install new speakers.
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Instructions
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Determine the power handling in watts and the impedance in ohms that you will require to match your amplifier. If your amp produces 400 watts of power with an 8 ohm output impedance, then your cabinet must be able to handle a wattage of at least 400 at 8 ohms. The wattage of your cabinet will be the sum of the wattage of each individual speaker.
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Remove the back of your speaker cabinet. Remove the speaker or speakers you want to replace if they are still in the cabinet. Make sure your replacement speakers match the size in inches of the old speakers, or else you will need to make modifications to your cabinet in order for the new speakers to fit properly.
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Set the new speakers into the mounts inside the cabinet.
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Connect a wire to the positive terminal of the top left speaker and solder it into place. Solder the free end to the negative terminal of the top right speaker. Repeat this process for the bottom left and bottom right speakers. This will create two parallel pairs of speakers.
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Solder a wire from the top left speaker's negative terminal to the bottom left speaker's negative terminal. Solder a wire from the top right speaker's positive terminal to the bottom right speaker's positive terminal. This will wire the two parallel pairs as a series circuit.
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Attach and solder a wire from the bottom left speaker's negative terminal to the negative terminal on the input jack. Solder a wire from the bottom right speaker's positive terminal to the positive terminal on the input jack.
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Connect your amplifier to the speaker cabinet and power it on. Test to make sure your cabinet is producing a clear sound. If the cabinet buzzes or hums, check to make sure your connections are secure. Re-solder wires as necessary. If the cabinet checks out, reassemble by securing the speakers in their mounts with screws and replacing the cabinets back.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase speakers that will give you a power handling that will exceed the power output of your amplifier. Having the extra wattage will avoid damage if there is a temporary spike in power from a surge. Higher power ratings will not effect the sound. All speakers should have the same impedance rating.
Make sure your cabinet can handle the output of your amplifier. If the power output of your amp exceeds the handling of the cab you will damage your speakers. Make sure the ohm ratings of your cab and amp match. Mismatched impedance can damage your amplifier. If you are at all unsure of how to wire your cabinet, consult your local guitar technician.
