Guitar speaker range, and high cut settings

[jman64]

I've mentioned in previous posts that when I use my Helix for playing out live with my band, I generally run it in 4 Cable Mode through my EVH 5150III 50watt head, and 2x12 cabinet. The 2x12 cabinet is rated at 16 ohms and is loaded with two 12" Celestion G12H 30W Anniversary Series speakers. I love the unit but as I work to refine my sound I've come across some unexpected results with my amp. Initially I found that most if not all patches where very bright coming through my amp, and several would have some unpleasant high frequencies that I needed to cut.

 

In reading up on high cut settings it seemed like the typical range was somewhere between 5-7K so I started there. In this range it seemed like that amp sounded good if you were directly in front of the speaker, but off to the side it would fall off a lot more than I was use to.  The rest of the guys in the band noticed when I had it cut at 7K and said that my sound had lost it's "bite".  So I played around slowly with the cut point to try and find exactly where that unpleasant frequency was. To my surprise that frequency was between 11-12K. I didn't really expect my amp to be putting out much at that high a range.  Is it ordinary for guitar speakers to have that high of a frequency range?

 

When I make a patch that is fully modeled ( using IR's normally) and play it through the PA speakers ( or on my Klipsch desktop speakers in my office) I don't notice that harsh frequency at all. So I'm assuming it's a range that my amp colors badly.

 

Jay

[datacommando]

I came across this info on the Celestion website about the 12" Celestion G12H 30W Anniversary speakers that you are using.

Mmm... very curious, the quoted frequency range is 75-5000Hz and a resonance freq at 85Hz.

I don't understand where the peak of 11-12K is coming from - most odd!

[phil_m]

It's not like there's no frequency response in those bands, though. It does start to cutoff, even pretty drastically, at 5000HZ, but there's still some response there. And our ears can be pretty sensitive in that range as well.

 

Here is the frequency response chart for that speaker:

 

[jman64]

Thanks for the responses. I have it tamed pretty well with a high cut, however I think I'm leaning even closer to switching to a FRFR speaker rig.

[gunpointmetal]

One of the biggest issues with guitar speakers (and lots of people's tones when mic'ed to FOH) is the directionality of the output. When you're off-axis and a few feet away from your guitar speaker, it sounds full and big and has the right amount of bite. Stick a SM57 in front of it and the board is getting shrill, flubby, gross tone. Set-up to sound big and and full with your head directly in front of the speaker, its going to sound kinda dull and bassy when you stand off-axis, but the FOH will be much better. This is why so many metal guys still thing their Triple Rec sounds amazing but the only thing an audience hears is fart and sizzle.