Is it OK to lay 4X12's on their back for travel?

[itsme]

I was told to always travel with it upright, or on it's side. Don't know why. I know you should never lay it face down, 'cause the magnet weight can affect the cone. But how 'bout on it's back? For the first time this past weekend and had it on it's back 'cause the gig was 90 miles away, and I swear it sounds different now. Could be 'cause the speakers were newer, and I had the thing cranked all night. Sounds real warm now.

 

[ke2]

A sound engineer told me long ago that PA speakers were better off lying down on their fronts or backs because if you hit a hole in the road, the magnet might shift. Of course he might`ve been full of it, but it seems plausible.

 

[Szar]

4x12s should be transported on their back, any other way it'll tip over, or if you lay it on the front, the speaker might fall out if you hit a dip.

 

[Subclavian]

I've been laying 4 x 12's on their backs for years and haven't had any problems.

 

[squealie]

A sound engineer told me long ago that PA speakers were better off lying down on their fronts or backs because if you hit a hole in the road, the magnet might shift. Of course he might`ve been full of it, but it seems plausible.

Magnet shift is real. My 30 year old Marshall-Rolla speaker can verify.

 

[JTyson]

I've been laying 4 x 12's on their backs for years and haven't had any problems.

+1 30+ years, and trying not to count

 

[stoneage cabs]

As a cab builder, I also recommend {carefully} laying cabs with the speakers pointing downward....if the cab is not able to be transported safely upright.
As mentioned, the magnet issue is a big reason why.

 

[timbo]

I called and told Lindsey Wagner that my old Marshall 1960A's sleep number was 25 and she couldn't believe it.

 

[jmgman69]

I called and told Lindsey Wagner that my old Marshall 1960A's sleep number was 25 and she couldn't believe it.

 

[itsme]

As a cab builder, I also recommend {carefully} laying cabs with the speakers pointing downward....if the cab is not able to be transported safely upright.
As mentioned, the magnet issue is a big reason why.

Do you mean grill side down? That's the only way I heard never to transport them. Can't the magent affect the cone that way?

 

[blackba]

Doesn't it depend on if the cab is rear or front loaded?

I have always carried my cabs with the speakers pointing up, this keeps the magnet weight down....

 

[Wayniac]

If it is your car and you don't have to worry about anything punching through the grill.. speaker up is OK. But I prefer grill down...

 

[stoneage cabs]

As a cab builder, I also recommend {carefully} laying cabs with the speakers pointing downward....if the cab is not able to be transported safely upright.
As mentioned, the magnet issue is a big reason why.

Do you mean grill side down? That's the only way I heard never to transport them. Can't the magent affect the cone that way?

I'd never heard that before regarding the cone, so, I posed this q to Mr Ted Weber, and he seems to be in agreement that downward is best:


Q: ..for the average player, without a road case, what is the best way to transport loaded cabs? Cab on it's back side [speakers pointing up] ...or cab lying face down [speakers pointing downward.

A... "pointing down.
It's better to have them drift outwards than drift inwards".
Ted



But my initial concern was regarding the effects on the cab itself {and the baffle cleats & magnet possibly coming off/or loosened} while travelling down many a bumpy road...the magnet pulling in the wrong direction could have devestating effects on some cabs, and now we know, the cone travelling in the incorrect position.

 

[degenaro]

4x12s should be transported on their back, any other way it'll tip over, or if you lay it on the front, the speaker might fall out if you hit a dip.

If they're front loaded...

 

[itsme]

Thanks for the help guys. I have several long distance gigs coming up. I will now load my cab face/grill down. It 's great to learn something like this after so many years. Can't argue with Ted Weber's advice, either.