Matrix GT-1000FX Advice

Teej

Member
I have a GT-1000FX that I run with my Axe Mk II and wanted some advice regarding setting levels correctly so I don't blow a speaker cab. At my band's practice space I currently have a Seismic Audio 2x12 that has two 16 ohm Eminence Man O Wars in it. I re-wired them in stereo so the RMS wattage rating from the Matrix is pretty damn close to the rating of the speakers (Matrix runs 150W per channel at 16 ohms, speakers are 120W). It sounds great for how little I paid for it but I want a nicer regular guitar cab for using at home and for gigs as well. Been looking at cabs that have more traditional speakers like the V30 or G12 and these tend to be 8 ohms at much lower wattage ratings. Does anyone here have some advice about how to know where the danger zone is on the Matrix amp's level controls for this type of cab?
 
You'd probably be better going for the 16 ohm versions of whatever speaker you decide on - for example, you'd know that putting the Matrix levels at 12 noon is roughly equivalent to attenuating it to 60W output at 16 ohms which is the rating on a V30. Most popular guitar speakers do come in both 8 and 16 ohm ratings.

You probably wouldn't be turning the AxeFX output level up to anywhere near getting 60W output from the amp/speaker - it should get painful on the ears long before that. If however you are an extremely loud player then maybe think about using a couple of 2x12 speaker cabs and double up on the speakers (parallel wired 16 ohm V30s would give you 120W at 8 ohms).

In theory, seeing as it is a SS amp you could run the Matrix full open to give yourself some headroom and just use your AxeFX output level and ears to know when the volume is loud enough - but by attenuating the Matrix to 60W (or a little less) you can experiment a bit more safely with levels versus volume to see if one speaker per cab is going to work for you.
 
You'd probably be better going for the 16 ohm versions of whatever speaker you decide on - for example, you'd know that putting the Matrix levels at 12 noon is roughly equivalent to attenuating it to 60W output at 16 ohms which is the rating on a V30. Most popular guitar speakers do come in both 8 and 16 ohm ratings.

You probably wouldn't be turning the AxeFX output level up to anywhere near getting 60W output from the amp/speaker - it should get painful on the ears long before that. If however you are an extremely loud player then maybe think about using a couple of 2x12 speaker cabs and double up on the speakers (parallel wired 16 ohm V30s would give you 120W at 8 ohms).

In theory, seeing as it is a SS amp you could run the Matrix full open to give yourself some headroom and just use your AxeFX output level and ears to know when the volume is loud enough - but by attenuating the Matrix to 60W (or a little less) you can experiment a bit more safely with levels versus volume to see if one speaker per cab is going to work for you.
I should clarify, I am looking at CABS that are already loaded, not speakers on their own. Your advice is helpful though, thank you.
 
Well ... the theory still holds ..... if you use 1x12 v30 loaded cabs rated at 60W @ 8 ohms you would turn up the Matrix levels to about a third open to start with and then turn up the output level on the AxeFX to see how it goes volume wise.

My own cabs could handle the Matrix open to about the 3 o'clock position - but I actually turned them back to about noon because it gave me more play/sweep on the AxeFX output level knob (which is the single place I set the playing volume from). If I left the Matrix fully open or at 3/4 open on it's levels then things get seriously loud when the AxeFX output is only at 8 o'clock .... I prefer to have my output on the AFX up round the 11 or noon position before things get stupidly loud.
 
For home use you should be perfectly fine with whatever speaker you choose as you'll likely never get near the rated top end of the speaker. Live though it would be a case of looking carefully at the signal lights on the amp and seeing how much power the amp is dishing out. With a 1x12 it may not be enough for gigging as normal stage levels are around 60-80w, you may find the old tricks of elevating the cab to chest level etc come into play then. With a 2x12 setup, if you can run in mono then it's likely you'll not reach the 120w rating as you'll get to the stage volume you need before that point. If stereo at 60w a side though it'll be a case of looking at the signal lights, remembering that you'll get a +3db boost from the doubling of speakers and possibly raising the cab a bit if you're on a bigger stage.
 
Update: Bought a cheap old Peavey 212 that someone had put a V30 and G12T-75 in (both 16 ohm). I rewired it to stereo and it sounds excellent. May replace the T-75 but we'll see. Going to bring it to band practice tomorrow to see how well it keeps up. Going to keep both channels of the Matrix at 50% or less to reduce the chance of blowing anything.
 
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