The perfect partner for your amplifier head, whether it's valve-driven or transistor based, a good guitar speaker cabinet is an absolute essential when it comes to building the dream stack.
A Guitar Amplifier Head & Speaker Cabinet
While any guitarist could opt for a combo amplifier, an amplifier stack is not only classic but offers more control over your sound. A speaker cabinet is essentially a cabinet loaded with one or more speakers that have been specifically designed and tuned up to handle the frequency range of a guitar. Many speaker cabinets offer distortion-free output at higher volume levels, while some even feature a stereo function to widen your on-stage sound. While a combo guitar amplifier is a solid starting point for a lot of beginner guitarists, they're also the go-to set up for many professionals, especially since you can add an extra external speaker cabinet to beef up the output. Most of the time, however, a speaker cabinet will be coupled with a guitar amplifier head which can be matched with a cabinet from the same series for a uniform look and sound, or you can mix things up by matching it with a cab from a different range or even a different manufacturer - the choice is yours. If you need any help to find the right speaker cabinet for your guitar rig, then take a look at our Guitar Speaker Cabinet Buyer's Guide.
Speaker Cabinet Sizes: 1x 8, 2x 12, or Bigger
For every guitarist and every amplifier, there will be a matching speaker cabinet. The size of the cabinet will depend on two things: the speaker size, and how many speakers you want. The smallest cabinets will come loaded an 8 inch speaker, while the biggest can come loaded with a number of 15 inch speakers. Smaller speakers deliver a more direct sound with an emphasis on the mids and higher frequencies, and from there, while it can differ depending on the make and model of speaker and the materials used to build it, the general rule applies that the bigger your speaker gets, the deeper the bass frequencies get. Also, stacking multiple speakers in one cabinet is not necessarily better, but it'll certainly displace more air to result in louder sound.
Load Capacity, Impedance and the Right Cable
Before choosing a speaker cabinet, you need to know if it'll be able to handle the power of your amplifier. If your amplifier delivers more power (in Watts) than the speaker cabinet can take, then you risk the chance of causing your cab - or your amplifier and cab - irreparable damage. You also need to check that the impedance matches up, which is measured in Ohms. While you can combine a speaker cab of a higher impedance with an amplifier head or combo of a lower impedance (like an 8 Ohm cabinet with a 4 Ohm amplifier) the volume will be a little bit diminished. However, it's never a good idea to match a speaker cab of a lower impedance with an amp of a higher impedance. If you were to link a 4 Ohm cab up to an 8 Ohm amp, then the amp will need to work too hard, increasing the chance of transistor failure - and getting a transistor repaired isn't cheap. So, if you want to avoid any issues, it's just best to make sure that the impedance of your speaker cabinet matches the impedance of your amplifier. Lastly, always make sure to get a dedicated speaker cable to link your amp and cab. While they look like normal jack leads, a normal jack lead just can handle the signal level.
Frequently Asked Questions About Guitar Speaker Cabinets
What's a guitar speaker cabinet?
A guitar speaker cabinet is a cabinet loaded with one or more speakers and is designed to be linked to a guitar amplifier head to build a complete amplifier stack.
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