school me on modern bass cabs

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marqueemoon
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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by marqueemoon » Sat Sep 28, 2019 1:36 pm

That Fender Neo 2x10 looks promising. I like the vertical 2x10 form factor.

So, I took my new-to-me 400RB to a shop and played some cabs after trying it out in my practice space. First off I LOVE this amp. To me that's exactly how an electric bass should sound and I'm really excited about finding the right cab for it.

Here are my impressions so far.

Aguilar 15" - I liked this more than I thought I would. SUPER light too. Seemed less efficient than the others, but workable with my amp.
Bergatino 15"/8"(?) - This was a big ol' nope. Way too polite and clean.
Genzler 2x12" - Not bad. Definitely a little newer school sounding than I want, but not too heavy. Also really expensive.
Bag End 15" (no horn) - A little lacking in the low end, but handled it well when I bumped the eq a little. Heavy for its size but really solid. I'd be a little concerned with it getting lost in a stage mix though as it would basically be pointing at my ankles.
Bag End 2x12" (also no horn) - This was my favorite sonically. There's a definite midrange bump I had to dial back, but it sounded the most solid of all of them with real heft and character. Definitely a smaller footprint than the 4x10 I'm used to, but not that much lighter.

They had a Schroeder 4x10 too, but apparently it's in deep storage.

So right now I'd say Bag End is the front runner. Even though there's a weight penalty I was pretty impressed. Bass cabs have a rough life, so solid isn't all bad. I'm a little leery of the compact 15" thing only because I had a Music Man compact 15" many years ago that just couldn't quite cut it and tended to fart out when really laying into it.

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somanytoys
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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by somanytoys » Sun Sep 29, 2019 10:24 am

I like 2x10 cabs, but my experience has been that they will only get you so far by themselves, especially when pushed. You may find differently with newer cabs.

I have an old SWR Redhead that I bought long ago, but had to beef up for enough bass for practice, so I bought an 18” Big Ben and a power amp, and it worked well.

I bought a Hartke XL 2x10 cab a few years ago to use with various heads. It sounds good, but I had to buy a matching 15” cab for a truly full sound, especially depending on the head I was using.

It seems to me that amps lack something pushing only a single 2x10.

I have a G-K BLX 4x10 (that I’m reluctantly selling with an Acoustic head), and it’s the only 4x10 cab that I’ve had, but it can stand alone. It sounds good with pretty much any head (or pedal preamp & power amp), but it’s really heavy and a huge footprint.

I don’t have any 12” bass cabs, but I actually prefer the 15” cabs alone to the 2x10’s alone when playing with others. The 15s can carry the mids and even the highs well, but have the bass response that you can’t really get from 10’s, at least without a 4x10.

I love the punch and spank of 10s, but I feel like they usually need some help in a live situation, if it’s only 2 of them, and no PA support.

Like I said, things may be a lot different now, and you may find a 2x10 that works really well for you with that head. I hope you do, lugging around bigger cabs is a pain, but has been a necessity for me over the years.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by Larsongs » Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:43 pm

I agree. An ideal Setup would be to have both. A 2X10 & a 1X15 Neo Dymium Cabs.. Both are Super Light & sound great. Such a versatile Set up.. I'm liking the Eminance Neo Speakers a lot...

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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by marqueemoon » Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:03 pm

I keep thinking about that Bag End 2x12.

At practice last night I found that I was turning up mids and highs almost the same amount I had turned them down when demoing this cab.

The weight is definitely a bummer though.

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somanytoys
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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by somanytoys » Wed Oct 02, 2019 11:02 am

So what cab are you currently using at practice with the new amp? A 4x10? Amazing sometimes how much cabs & speakers can affect an amp.

I’m a little surprised that the 15” cab was lacking, especially in the lows department, since thats usually their real forte.

The 15” in my Hartke combo is only about an inch or 2 from the floor, and it’s on an isolator so that the bass doesn’t bleed through the hardwood floors, but you hear everything. Only the highs are lessened if it’s completely facing a different direction, unless you get their reflection from a wall. It’s the main reason I bought a Hartke 15” cab only for another amp. They are aluminum, so there’s that...

I doubt you’d regret the 2x12, seems very middle of the road, but I don’t have any experience with any. Unless that IS what you’re playing through at practice...

You could also consider putting the 15 on an amp stand (if it’ll fit), a small, hard leaning one or a taller one with a tilt. I only use them for guitar amps, but same concept.

I also think that music stores have a shaman come put a spell on their place, because nothing ever seems to sound quite like it did in the store. :ph34r:
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by Larsongs » Wed Oct 02, 2019 1:42 pm

somanytoys wrote:
Wed Oct 02, 2019 11:02 am
So what cab are you currently using at practice with the new amp? A 4x10? Amazing sometimes how much cabs & speakers can affect an amp.

I’m a little surprised that the 15” cab was lacking, especially in the lows department, since thats usually their real forte.

The 15” in my Hartke combo is only about an inch or 2 from the floor, and it’s on an isolator so that the bass doesn’t bleed through the hardwood floors, but you hear everything. Only the highs are lessened if it’s completely facing a different direction, unless you get their reflection from a wall. It’s the main reason I bought a Hartke 15” cab only for another amp. They are aluminum, so there’s that...

I doubt you’d regret the 2x12, seems very middle of the road, but I don’t have any experience with any. Unless that IS what you’re playing through at practice...

You could also consider putting the 15 on an amp stand (if it’ll fit), a small, hard leaning one or a taller one with a tilt. I only use them for guitar amps, but same concept.

I also think that music stores have a shaman come put a spell on their place, because nothing ever seems to sound quite like it did in the store. :ph34r:
If it's a really cool Store & you've got GAS......You're on Ether!

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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by beauzooka » Wed Oct 02, 2019 1:47 pm

I've heard good things about the current GK Neo 2x12 Cabs.

If you like to do woodworking you could build your own:

https://billfitzmaurice.info/Simplexx.html

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marqueemoon
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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Oct 03, 2019 7:45 am

beauzooka wrote:
Wed Oct 02, 2019 1:47 pm
I've heard good things about the current GK Neo 2x12 Cabs.

If you like to do woodworking you could build your own:

https://billfitzmaurice.info/Simplexx.html
I really wish I had the tools and space to DIY. I don’t have a ton of free time either, but I’m in no hurry.

I’m liking the vertical 2x12 idea though. I need a small footprint.

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somanytoys
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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by somanytoys » Thu Oct 03, 2019 6:07 pm

I’d suggest an Ear Candy vertical bass bomb,, but I think I’ve been stiffed by Tim on my buzz bomb.
Shame, I was probably going to order bass cabinets from him, too, eventually.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by Spellcaster » Fri Oct 04, 2019 6:33 pm

I had to assemble a lightweight system last year that would keep up with a band but fir in the back of my Nissan Micra. I ended up with a Fender Rumble 150 head (160 watts, 7 lb, fits in a bass case) and a Traynor 1x15" Neodymium cabinet which only weighs 39 lb. Highly recommend it.
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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by N0_Camping4U » Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:37 am

I have a Fender Rumble 500 head + cab and I love it. I hit it with an EQ pedal (MXR 10-Band EQ) and it sounds great. It's lightweight and portable as hell. I use a zip-up back pack style Fender bass case. I can put the 'head' in the pocket of the bass case, along with the cables. Then the pedal and adapter fit in another pocket. The cabinet is easily handled 1 handed - with another free hand to sign autographs.

I really like the setup, I run guitar and a reverb unit with it too when I just want to bring an easy light setup at times as well. With an EQ pedal I can get suitable tones out of it for guitar, even. But I'm a surf guy so I don't have a complex tone.
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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Oct 25, 2019 8:07 pm

After much searching I found a reasonable deal on a Schroeder 115L.

I finally got to play the Schroeder 4x10 mentioned above and dug the sound, but it wasn’t much smaller and lighter than what I’m currently using. A good mix of old school thump and modern high fidelity though.

The 115L is 35 lbs and 104dB which is pretty wild. 4 ohm too, so potentially a good match for my Bassman.

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Re: school me on modern bass cabs

Post by infrared72 » Sun Nov 17, 2019 5:54 pm

Before I relocated last year, I had a gk neo 115 and a double set of hartke hydrive 112's. I used a gk mb fusion 500 which could drive either/or but not both sets of cabinets. The gk neo 15 was very nice - loud and very punchy. Bass guitar was truly meant to play through 15" speakers.

I also liked the hartke hydrive 112 X 2 stack. Small and compact enough to fit in my scion xb, but powerful enough to rattle the rafters with a precision bass. Both the gk and hartke cabinets were easy on my back and always delivered. Sorry to say I had to sell all of it due to relocating about 400 miles north last year. Hope to score a new bass amp setup soon.

In a different band situation I was in as a guitar player, the bass player was playing an elrick 5 string through a gk mb head and a Schroeder 15 cabinet and it thumped! The low b didn't flub out and held up well. Pretty sure his was a 15L+. That was a great sounding cabinet as well and again super lightweight.

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