Summoning Flames

It looks like ubik.s in need of a new bass cabinet... because (has this ever happened to you?) our Ampeg 8x10 actually burst into flames.  We were playing a show on Christmas, and, as Joel plugged in and checked his sound for the set, we went through the classic stages of Speaker 'Splody:

• Um, what's that smell?
• Did you guys turn on a fog machine?
• Hey-- it's coming from your speakers!
• Holy shit!  Fire!

Then we hauled a box the size of a refrigerator outside, removed  the speaker, and pulled out hunks of flaming insulation.

What's strange about this is the Ampeg 8x10 is one of the most common bass cabinets in the world: these things are everywhere.  They're heavy as hell, but they practically live forever-- these suckers get passed from bassist to bassist and sold and resold so often it's a wonder Ampeg still makes them.  You'd think the world would be at the Cabinet Saturation Point by now.

Since none of ubik.s amps are super-powerful (no crazy 1000 Watt, circuit-blowing, speaker melting monsters), our ability to make speaker cabinets into incendiary devices is probably based on spooky supernatural powers.