Does Your Guitar Amp Sound Better At 4, 8 Or 16 Ohms? – That Pedal Show
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 Published On Jun 19, 2020

Take the same guitar amp, same speakers, same cabinet: does the sound change when you wire for 4, 8 and 16-ohm output impedance?

Life too short for long YouTube videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.

Welcome to the show. It’s a super tweaky one this week. We spend most of our time on That Pedal Show talking about the Big Things that affect tone – different guitars, amps and pedals as you would expect, plus all the various things within those categories, for example pickups, components, wattage, gain, EQ, speakers etc etc etc. Well here we’re getting a little more nuanced.
You might think that your amp’s output impedance is one of those things that makes no difference – you just plug in the cab and play, right? If it’s a combo, it’s probably always just plugged in and you’ve never given it a second thought. As we discover in this video, the differences are there. Do you care?
Enjoy the show!

SAFETY WARNING: When dealing with amplifier output impedance and speaker matching, IT IS VITAL that you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Failing to do so could risk voiding your warranty and/or causing damage to your amp.


Pedals & stuff in this episode…

• TheGigRig Three2One
https://www.thegigrig.com/three2one

• Sonic Research ST-200 Tuner (link for the ST 300 Mini)
Australia: http://bit.ly/2mR1s8c

• Greer Lightspeed
UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2KUP6rq
Australia: http://bit.ly/2KCxbd6
USA: https://bit.ly/3M84XCy

• ThorpyFX Warthog
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/2WoMXMS
Australia: https://bit.ly/2WRo1fY
USA: https://bit.ly/3qWCTK7

• Walrus Audio Ages
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/3qWKUxE
Australia: https://bit.ly/2APZuRG
USA: https://bit.ly/3DlYpv4

• Strymon Compadre Compressor Boost
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/30zYNX4
USA: https://imp.i114863.net/X767b
Australia: https://bit.ly/30yP0AC

• Dunlop EP103 Echoplex
UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2cQsuNc
USA: https://bit.ly/3EmUdfW

• TC Electronic Ditto
UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2v1PspS
USA: https://imp.i114863.net/RenEX
Australia: http://bit.ly/2X17xAv

• MXR Clone Looper
UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2sSvEbo
Australia: http://bit.ly/37Q18gS
USA: https://bit.ly/3xLibiy

• TheGigRig G2
https://www.thegigrig.com/g2

* Why do we have preferred retailer links? Find out here: http://www.thatpedalshow.com/partners

Interesting bits and go-to sections…
- Intro playing: 00:00
- What are we doing today?: 02:00
- What is impedance?: 04:50
- Speakers & loads: 07:30
- But does is sound different?: 10:40
- Matchless 4- and 16-ohm comparison: 13:35
- Do you prefer 4 or 16 ohms?: 19:15
- Marshall at 4- and 16-ohm comparison: 23:55
- What have we learned so far?: 30:45
- Impedance mismatches: 32:00
- Mesa Lone Star comparison: 33:10
- Mesa at 4- and 8-ohm mismatch: 35:47
- What about 100 watts?: 38:22
- What have we learned today?: 39:38

Guitars in this episode:
• 2002 PRS McCarty Soapbar – Mick’s video at    • New Pickups For PRS McCarty Soapbar: ...  
• Fender Custom Shop ’52 Telecaster – Dan’s video at http://bit.ly/2Hlpy5Y
• Fender American Vintage ’62 Stratocaster – Mick’s video at http://bit.ly/2cQv3yT

Amps in this episode
• Marshall 1987x with Custom Zilla 2x12 / Celestion Alnico Ruby speakers
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/31eVWmc
USA That Pedal Shop: https://bit.ly/3v3Xazc

• Matchless HC-30 with Matchless ESD212 / Customised Celestion G12H30 and Celestion G12M Greenback speakers

• Mesa Lone Star Classic 112 / Mesa C90 speaker

We hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to our channel.

You can buy TPS merch to support our efforts https://www.thatpedalshowstore.com

We are on Patreon – crowdfunding for creatives
  / thatpedalshow  

Please visit our preferred retailers!
UK & Europe: Andertons Music http://bit.ly/2cRvIvt
Australia: Pedal Empire http://bit.ly/2mWmJQf
USA: That Pedal Shop https://www.thatpedalshop.com/

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