ZT Lunchbox Passive Cabinet with non ZT head/amp

**jjang1993** · 02-11-2019, 12:00 PM

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**mr. beaumont** · 02-11-2019, 12:07 PM

I can almost guarantee you it would be just fine...my guess is ZT knows two things...

1. There ARE amps in the world that probably would toast that cabinet, so they don't want to hear about it from angry dummies who roast their cabinet.

2. If it ONLY works with a ZT lunchbox, then they sell MORE LUNCHBOXES

I'm a huge fan of the lunchbox. I use mine with a reverb pedal (and occasionally a Fender voiced preamp), and I can sound great (and be heard)pretty much anywhere with a minimum of space and weight. Great product.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 02-11-2019, 12:26 PM

I'm curious how that pair will sound together. Super portable!

**lawson-stone** · 02-11-2019, 01:45 PM

I've used the ZT lunchbox cabinet with a DVMark Micro50 head and it works very well, no problems.

**jjang1993** · 02-11-2019, 02:27 PM

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**mr. beaumont** · 02-11-2019, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by jjang1993

Cool! Thanks for the info guys! I'll probably order one next week. I'll report on how it all sounds.

Do you find the ZT cabinet ever flubbing/bottoming/rattling out? I tried the normal ZT lunchbox amp that was used at guitar center and I could've sworn it had a blown speaker in it.

I wonder how much of an impact going from a 12 inch speaks to a 6 inch would have in volume.

It very well might have been damaged-- I'm actually surprised by the amount of low end the lunchbox can kick out.

A hint for that though--the amp is naturally EQ heavy to the mids and highs--but the speaker can actually handle more bass. This is where using something like a Fender-voiced preamp comes in.

I'm guessing if your Amp head has enough bass with other speaker setups, you CAN probably get that out of the lunchbox too...

**Ronstuff** · 02-11-2019, 03:18 PM

I use a Zt Lunchbox extension cab with a Quilter 101R, and have used it with a Problock before. Works great!!

**jjang1993** · 02-12-2019, 01:36 AM

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**gunksman** · 02-12-2019, 02:39 PM

I have a ZT LB jr and am amazed at how great it sounds with a reverb pedal. ZT claims the speaker has a longer throw than normal (It’s pretty easy to see the cone move) and accounts for it deep bass for such a small speaker. I think the Jr’s 5” sounds like an 8” so the LB’s 6.5” is probably more like a 10”.

**jjang1993** · 02-12-2019, 07:32 PM

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**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 02-12-2019, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by jjang1993

So I called up ZT and they said it should work fine with the quilter head. The salesman said that the sensitivity is around 87db for the speaker, and because the cabinet has more wood behind the speaker, it's more robust than the combo amps in regards to low notes bottoming out. After doing some measuring, the smallest and lightest 8 inch speaker cabinet, the Vox PC108, will take up too much space in my suitcase so I'll be getting the ZT cabinet. Hopefully the ZT is loud enough to hang on gigs and jam sessions. The sales rep did say it doesn't have a lot of low end, which for me is perfect, the less low end the better. I've used the Microblock through different 12 inch speaker cabinets on gigs and jam sessions and the head itself has some serious power for being rated at 33 watts.

87dB is quite inefficient. The speakers I like are all 100dB or more, but those are 12" speakers. Smaller ones tend to be less efficient, eh?

**Geetar** · 02-17-2019, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by Ronstuff

I use a Zt Lunchbox extension cab with a Quilter 101R, and have used it with a Problock before. Works great!!

I’ve always been the curious about this combo! I have an old Zt lunchbox amp and a quilter aviator 8 ultralight. The aviator sounded to me much better (more “fender” like-to me less piercing brittle highs and a warmer tone)after changing the stock celestion speaker to an eminence alpha 8a.

But I have wondered if doing this quilter /Zt external cab combo would be an significant upgrade from the original lunchbox or if the speaker/small cab would still limit the sound enough that it wouldn’t sound much better than the original zt lunchbox. It would make a great subway /bike rig if it sounded good !

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Geetar** · 03-02-2019, 02:27 AM

Would love to hear more details about how the zt external cab sounds in combination with another kind of mini amp (quilter ,dv mark etc.. ). Does anyone who’s used it this way have any more specifics on sound quality ?

**jjang1993** · 03-02-2019, 06:19 AM

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**Geetar** · 03-03-2019, 12:14 PM

Thanks for reporting back and looking forward to the videos ! My concern was that the zt cab might sound too thin or small with the quilters but it sounds like that’s not the case.

Interested in feedback on how the Quilter mini reverb sounds combined with the cab as well.

**jjang1993** · 03-05-2019, 12:23 AM

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**jjang1993** · 03-09-2019, 03:37 AM

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**Geetar** · 03-15-2019, 01:46 PM

I just picked up a zt lunchbox cab and a quilter interblock from GC just out of pure curiosity.

The first time I plugged it in I was def disappointed (the quilter knobs did feel kind of cheap (def not the case with my quilter aviator ) but today I’ve changed my mind after playing with the eq settings.

Comparing it with my old zt lunchbox amp, the zt cab combined with the quilter inter block doesn’t have as much of a thick tone (it actually has a lot more clarity) and is way quieter at rest in regard to background white noise of the zt amp. I can also tell it won’t get as loud volume wise as the original zt amp (maybe this is where the 101 reverb would be better ) but Its prob loud enough as I was thinking this set up would be more of a rehearsal amp when I don’t have access to a car (Bay Area public transit ) or would have to walk far from parking.

Reverb is def needed and I really like how it sounds with the reverb and pre amp of my tech 21 fly rig 5 but I kind of don’t like dealing with so many cables so am not sure if I’m going to keep this setup or not (again maybe the 101 reverb may be the way to go ). The 7lb weight of the cab is pretty amazing too.

**jjang1993** · 03-15-2019, 10:28 PM

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**Geetar** · 04-05-2019, 07:30 PM

I decided to go with the mini reverb instead of the interblock. There are some disadvantages, mostly in regards to the “aux in”trick you can do with the interblock plugging in a phone to practice with ..the mini reverb won’t work for practicing with your phone like this .However the louder volume, reverb and simpler power cord work well. I just got a nice camera messenger bag that fits both the cab and the amp in addition to a lot of other pockets which is great.

CADeN DSLR/SLR Camera Shoulder Messenger Bag with Camera Insert Sleeve Rain Cover Waterproof, Compatible for Canon Nikon Sony Mirrorless Cameras, 14 Inch Laptop DJI Mavic Drone Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D6L24GF..._dk-PCbA2MXSPC

**Gitterbug** · 04-08-2019, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

87dB is quite inefficient. The speakers I like are all 100dB or more, but those are 12" speakers. Smaller ones tend to be less efficient, eh?

The LB's 87 dB sensitivity would probably require so much gain from the Interblock that the tone would be far from clean. Every 3 dB more in SPL requires doubling the power, so compared to a pretty typical if not lowish 96 dB in bigger speakers you need eight times the power for the same SPL, if my math is correct.

Jensen P6V does 92dB, so it's actually quite loud for a small one. Takes only 20W, though. Sounds really sweet in a prototype Baby TOOB driven by Quilter Interblock 45. Master volume almost full, gain at 11-12 o'clock and the eq's more or less flat. For once, a Quilter with enough bass end! Played in a big room full of people, with four horns and a loud drummer. No problem.

Just received a pair of Eminence Alphalite 6A's today. 94 dB sensitivity, 100W power handling. Hasty trials through Interblock, both archtop and a Hofner Beatles bass. Very promising. The NY jazz cats relying on public transit would probably prefer inflatable gear filled with helium, but my 6.5" cabs (4 lbs for guitar and 5 lbs for bass) should be attractive enough. Will ship first samples to test pilots in about a week.