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Hey guy, I don't know if this is normal.
The bass player in my band has a Ampeg SVT 410HLF Cab with a Markbass Little Mark II.
Now, when he plays loud the speakers inside the cab light up. Depending on how hard/loud he plays, the speakers become brighter. I think higher tones make it happen more.
Could someone PLEASE explain this to me? Tell me if it's bad, if it doesn't matter, if it needs repair/maintenance.

Gabriel.

edit: Apparently is happens when he uses the SansAmp Bass Driver DI.

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dvdhawk Mon, 02/02/2009 - 23:34

Hi Gabriel,

The Ampeg 410HLF has a 1" horn in it along with the standard 10-inch speakers. A lot of 2-way speakers that use a built-in crossover these days use a light bulb as a fuse. It's ingenius really. It will blow if you over load it just like a normal fuse. Plus as an added bonus just below that breaking point - the glow of the lamp filament helps dissipate some of the excess energy - given off in the form of heat & light (like most lightbulbs - mostly heat). So it's like the ultimate slow-blow fuse. So, if your bass player is lighting up this bulb on a regular basis, he's dancing on the edge of over-powering the cabinet. The Sans Amp DI has probably thickened up the low end requiring more power.

I used to work with a guy who when he would blow one out of his PA cabinets, he'd go swipe a bulb out of a dome light in his Ford Econoline van and swap it out until he could get a replacement.

Hope that helps,

Dave