Bass cab changeup

[NWBasser]

After hauling my Carvin 2x10 cab to practices with the new band, I'm thinking of going lighter and smaller. The Carvin cab sounds great, but it's a bit on the heavy and unwieldy side of things.

I have it up for sale and am thinking of getting a 112 box. I'll likely go down to BassNW and audition different cabs. There are a few 112s that weight less than 30 lb. which would be quite nice. It's be great to have a smaller cab to grab and go when I jam with people like my brother Frankenfretter.

I've also been giving a bit of consideration to replacing my Avatar neo 410 with another 112 for a portable 2x12 gig solution. I'm not sure if a pair of 112s will be loud enough for me, but I'll go with one first and try to get a sense of what they can do.

If a 2x112 isn't loud enough, I'll likely sell the 410 anyway and get the new Avatar TB153 which is a 15/6.5/tweeter three-way cab. Supposed to offer much better dispersion than a 410 box.

Anyhowz, that's the direction I'm taking with my bass rig.

[progrmr]

When I was jamming bass with a classic rock band I was lugging around this 1X15 Peavey TKO - it was a freakin' awesome amp but it had to be close to 100lbs. Yea...that didn't last long. I left the 15" behind and was using a 12" Fender Rumble - not my favorite tone but it worked just fine and cut through the mix well.

I've since gotten rid of the Rumble for a 12" Peavey Basic 112 - excellent amp, doesn't weigh a ton and has plenty of low end.

Sounds like you requirements are a lot more than what I needed though - I have seen some local bassists use a Markbass 2X10 cab and one of their ultra small amps (like 600W in a really small package) that could totally rock the house, bar, club etc.

[piratejohnrob]

Make sure you check out those 12 inch speakers the tone is less punchy than 10s and have less bass than 15s. I guess that is obvious, but you will notice there aren't that many Bass cabs that have 12s because they just don't quite do it for bass. If you look into the Eden amps they have several combo amps that are surprisingly light. I used to have the Peavey TKO progmr was talking about and switched to the Nemesis by Eden and it was the best sounding amp I have ever owned. They make 2x10 versions and I thinks a 1x10 with an extension cab either in 1x10 or 1x15. Well worth the money with less weight and no sacrifice of tone.

[NWBasser]

Make sure you check out those 12 inch speakers the tone is less punchy than 10s and have less bass than 15s. I guess that is obvious, but you will notice there aren't that many Bass cabs that have 12s because they just don't quite do it for bass. If you look into the Eden amps they have several combo amps that are surprisingly light. I used to have the Peavey TKO progmr was talking about and switched to the Nemesis by Eden and it was the best sounding amp I have ever owned. They make 2x10 versions and I thinks a 1x10 with an extension cab either in 1x10 or 1x15. Well worth the money with less weight and no sacrifice of tone.

Actually there are a lot of bass cabs using 12's. BassNW here in Seattle carries at least eight different models and they are quickly becoming very popular. These are not the 12's that you'd see in a guitar cab, they're specially designed for bass use. With the right driver and cabinet tuning, a single 12 can be as punchy as a pair of 10's or as deep as a 15. It's something of a misnomer that 15's or 18's are deeper. It all depends on the design. For example, the Acme B2 cab with a pair of 10's will sound even deeper than most 15 cabs.

I already have a Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 600-watt head and am looking for a lighter cab solution. To that end, I visited BassNW yesterday and auditioned several different cabs. I tried a Euphonic Audio Wizzy 12, a TC Electronics RS12, a Bergantino AE112, and a Hartke Hydrive 112. The TC Electronics was very deep sounding, at least on par with a 15, but that sound doesn't cut very well in a band mix, so no go there. The EA Wizzy had a strong mid presence, sounded very good, and was under 30 lb. The Berg sounded like a massive wall of bass, was very light, but a bit too expensive at $650. The Hartke was the least expensive, a bit over 30 lb., had the option of changing the impedence between 4 and 8 ohms, and sounded delightful. It was nearly as deep as the TC, but had a much better mid presence. A pair of these would easily keep up with a heavy-handed drummer and would cut through an overdriven Mesa.

All I have to do is sell my current 410 and 210 and then I'll get a pair of Hartkes for a very loud and portable rig.

[MAXIFUNK]

neo speakers are so much lighter than regular speakers but are still a little pricey. But they are great sounding and so much easier on your back.

[NWBasser]

neo speakers are so much lighter than regular speakers but are still a little pricey. But they are great sounding and so much easier on your back.

Yeah Maxi, both my current cabs (2x10 & 4x10) are neos and do sound quite good.

These Hartke 112's are 30 lb. each. I'm hoping that a pair of 112's will be enough to do the job. That arrangement would certainly make load-in/out pretty easy.

[MAXIFUNK]

Yeah Maxi, both my current cabs (2x10 & 4x10) are neos and do sound quite good.

These Hartke 112's are 30 lb. each. I'm hoping that a pair of 112's will be enough to do the job. That arrangement would certainly make load-in/out pretty easy.

Honestly for most gigs/venues you have more than enough with 2x12 setup. 2 weeks ago I saw a guy with a 2x12 on top of a 1x15 setup man it sounded good, prowl, bottom, bite very smooth tone/sound. MarkBass head and SWR Marcus Miller preamp 2x12 markbass neo-cab and 1x15 SWR neo-cap. Great Rig.

[NWBasser]

Almost there.

Sold the 410 and got the first Hartke Hydrive 112 cab. Sounds great and is very light at 30 lb.

I'll likely sell the 2x10 tomorrow and get the next Hydrive then.

I'll post pics of the complete rig when it's done!

It's a great time to be a lazy bass player.

[NWBasser]

Oh rats! BassNW was sold out of Hydrive 112s, so I put one on order and should be here later in the week.

I sold my Carvin 2x10 on Friday.

So far, I'm very impressed with this cab. I've used it for band practice and a pretty loud show on Friday and it held up like a champ. I pushed it very hard on Friday and nothing burned up. I guess it's probably broken in now.

[FrankenFretter]

Oh rats! BassNW was sold out of Hydrive 112s, so I put one on order and should be here later in the week.

I sold my Carvin 2x10 on Friday.

So far, I'm very impressed with this cab. I've used it for band practice and a pretty loud show on Friday and it held up like a champ. I pushed it very hard on Friday and nothing burned up. I guess it's probably broken in now.

Any problems cutting through the mix with a single 12? Is it strange to just have one small cab when you're used to something bigger, i.e. do you feel like something's missing?

[NWBasser]

Any problems cutting through the mix with a single 12? Is it strange to just have one small cab when you're used to something bigger, i.e. do you feel like something's missing?

Well, I definitely don't get the whomp of a 4x10 with it!

Running one 112, there's certainly something missing versus a bigger cab.

Reportedly, a pair will be nearly on par with a 4x10.

At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

I'll be posting pics of the mini-rig as soon as the other cab comes in.