1x12 beats out a 1x15?!!

madjazzbass

madjazzbass

Jan 5, 2014
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#1
Wow! I never imagined that a 1x12 cabinet could ever beat out a 1x15 cabinet, but it did, and I heard it with my own ears; I LOVE 15's! and I was kind of heartbroken, cuz I really wanted to like this certain cab (Gallien Krueger 115 cab), it matches my new GK Fusion 550 head. The cab that beat it out was a 1x12 Green Boy/fEARless ... I believe it was. The GK cab started "farting out" at higher volumes, where are the fEARless remained nice and tight and focused; I have to find the video again on YouTube. Well, at least the Mesa Subway 1x15 is still in the running ... or the Hartke 115 ... or the Fender or Ampeg neos, Ha!
 
#3
I would be careful to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. While to your ears I am sure you hear a valid difference, the driver price point in the two cabs is different so it really is not a valid comparison except in the overall sense.
I also was a die hard 15" cab guy until I heard a modern designed high quality 12" speaker. The newer 12's more than do the duty of yesteryear's 15s and I am a convert to the 12's as well; never thought I would say that.
 
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#4
You will find nearly ANY fEARless 12 bass cab (built correctly of course) is going to outperform nearly every commercial bass cab out there (single 12 category). You should still do comparisons on the other cabinets for your own benefit. On the other hand, you might simply want to stop looking and start checking out what fEARless models could work for you. They come up used every now & then in the TB Classifieds....
 
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#5
Are you referring to the YouTube video comparing a GK Neo 115 to a Fearless f112, using an upright bass. No doubt that the Fearless cabs are great cabs for those who like a hifi/monitor tone. Most upright players prefer this . For those playing electric bass (referred to as 'slabs' in the video), a voiced tone is often preferred. GK cabs and amps are voiced for bass guitar. They do not sound like hifi monitors. Hence, the comparison of a Neo 115 to a Fearless f112 using an upright bass is not likely to make the GK look very good. OTOH, I am unable to make my Neo 115 lll sound as god awful as the one in the video. That nasal (honky) tone so evident in the video is not only not present in my 115 lll, that range is actually a little rolled off, so that I typically boost it a little. I also heard no fart out in the video. Listen closely, paying attention to how the instrument is being played. I suggest you audition potential cab purchases with your bass.
 
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#6
Yes, that is the very video that I am speaking about, and thank you for shedding light on this, I had no idea about the different voicings and all, much appreciated. Actually believe it or not, I'm on my way to a music store right now to see if they have one in store that I can try out with the fusion 550 head, (the head that I have) and hopefully they'll have a jazz bass in the store as well. HA!
 
#7
As has been often stated, speaker size only tells you the size of the speaker.
If you compare a Fearless F112 to an F115 it will not get as loud as the F115.
It will get louder than some 15's, but that in itself is meaningless.
You should choose a cab that meets your tone goals (sounds the way you want it to), and can meet your volume (SPL) goal with the power that you intend to drive it with. The drivers that the designer chose to meet those goals are immaterial if the goals are met.
To choose a cab by driver size is like ordering food by color rather than taste.
 
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#8
Well, I just finished checking out the gallien Krueger 115 cab, and I gotta say I was very disappointed by what I heard. They had two 1x15 cabs in the store, the other one was an Ashdown, the Ashdown 1x15 (to my ears) sounded much better; the Gallien Krueger 1x15 was very honky and very mid-rangey; now mind you I didn't have my Fender Deluxe Jazz Bass, so I just used whatever Bass was there, but all the settings were the exact same, I didn't change a thing, I went from one cab to the other and that GK cab sounded kind of horrible, and I was really wanting to like that cab, the Ashdown cab wasn't "as loud" but sounded warmer, punchier and deeper; more like what a 1x15 Bass cabinet SHOULD sound like, not harsh and ? shrilly sounding (like the GK cab.). I also checked out and Eden 210xlt, again I was very disappointed in what I heard, they had an Ashdown 2x10 as well, and once again the Ashdown (to my ears) blew away that Eden 2x10, again, not as loud, but better overall sound, Fuller, Richer, warmer, better tone. I'm so glad I got a chance to check them out in person, next up I'll be checking out a Mesa Boogie Subway 115 cab whenever I find one in a store.
 
#9
madjazzbass said:
Well, I just finished checking out the gallien Krueger 115 cab, and I gotta say I was very disappointed by what I heard. They had two 1x15 cabs in the store, the other one was an Ashdown, the Ashdown 1x15 (to my ears) sounded much better; the Gallien Krueger 1x15 was very honky and very mid-rangey; now mind you I didn't have my Fender Deluxe Jazz Bass, so I just used whatever Bass was there, but all the settings were the exact same, I didn't change a thing, I went from one cab to the other and that GK cab sounded kind of horrible, and I was really wanting to like that cab, the Ashdown cab wasn't "as loud" but sounded warmer, punchier and deeper; more like what a 1x15 Bass cabinet SHOULD sound like, not harsh and ? shrilly sounding (like the GK cab.). I also checked out and Eden 210xlt, again I was very disappointed in what I heard, they had an Ashdown 2x10 as well, and once again the Ashdown (to my ears) blew away that Eden 2x10, again, not as loud, but better overall sound, Fuller, Richer, warmer, better tone. I'm so glad I got a chance to check them out in person, next up I'll be checking out a Mesa Boogie Subway 115 cab whenever I find one in a store.
Click to expand...

Remember that, not only the cabs, but the amps are voiced. You must audition cabs using either with the amp you have (best) or a similar one (usually difficult to know). Also be aware that the tone that sounds best with accompanying instruments is really quite different from what sounds the best for home practice (or an in-store audition). Some of that difference has to do with volume and the ears varying sensitivity to different frequencies (Fletcher-Munson curves), but much of it is due to the tonal balance of a group of musicians playing. The tone of the group is the combination of all the instruments. The easiest way to evaluate that aspect during an audition is to bring a recording and play along with it at moderately loud levels. The GK and Eden cabs you just evaluated are well liked for their in-group tone; not so much for their home practice tone. Many use one rig for home practice, and another for performances and rehearsals. Some cabs are voiced so that they can be EQ'ed for both roles, so you may want to tweak the controls a bit during auditions.

In the price range you seem to be looking at consider auditioning the GK Neo 112 ii, and the Fender Rumble 115 (the cab) - two popular, but quite different flavors. Don't forget that you are going to have to load and unload your cab(s) routinely - at least until after your first gold album. :)
 
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#10
madjazzbass said:
Well, I just finished checking out the gallien Krueger 115 cab, and I gotta say I was very disappointed by what I heard. They had two 1x15 cabs in the store, the other one was an Ashdown, the Ashdown 1x15 (to my ears) sounded much better; the Gallien Krueger 1x15 was very honky and very mid-rangey; now mind you I didn't have my Fender Deluxe Jazz Bass, so I just used whatever Bass was there, but all the settings were the exact same, I didn't change a thing, I went from one cab to the other and that GK cab sounded kind of horrible, and I was really wanting to like that cab, the Ashdown cab wasn't "as loud" but sounded warmer, punchier and deeper; more like what a 1x15 Bass cabinet SHOULD sound like, not harsh and ? shrilly sounding (like the GK cab.). I also checked out and Eden 210xlt, again I was very disappointed in what I heard, they had an Ashdown 2x10 as well, and once again the Ashdown (to my ears) blew away that Eden 2x10, again, not as loud, but better overall sound, Fuller, Richer, warmer, better tone. I'm so glad I got a chance to check them out in person, next up I'll be checking out a Mesa Boogie Subway 115 cab whenever I find one in a store.
Click to expand...
If you at all can, do take your bass to demo the cabs. You then have a baseline (bassline ha ha) to start from. And no, not all cabs are created equal. Similar price points comparisons will most probably sound more similar than comparing a lower pricepoint cab to a higher one. Then you have the subtleties in the similar price point cabs to compare to find what you like.
 
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#12
madjazzbass said:
Wow! I never imagined that a 1x12 cabinet could ever beat out a 1x15 cabinet, but it did, and I heard it with my own ears; I LOVE 15's! and I was kind of heartbroken, cuz I really wanted to like this certain cab (Gallien Krueger 115 cab), it matches my new GK Fusion 550 head. The cab that beat it out was a 1x12 Green Boy/fEARless ... I believe it was. The GK cab started "farting out" at higher volumes, where are the fEARless remained nice and tight and focused; I have to find the video again on YouTube. Well, at least the Mesa Subway 1x15 is still in the running ... or the Hartke 115 ... or the Fender or Ampeg neos, Ha!
Click to expand...
Price comparison?
 
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#13
madjazzbass said:
Yes, that is the very video that I am speaking about, and thank you for shedding light on this, I had no idea about the different voicings and all, much appreciated. Actually believe it or not, I'm on my way to a music store right now to see if they have one in store that I can try out with the fusion 550 head, (the head that I have) and hopefully they'll have a jazz bass in the store as well. HA!
Click to expand...

Watching a youtube video is about the same as reading the manufacturers specs and believing it.
 
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#20
So I was practicing today, with music, at sub-live volume (pretty loud). I was using my Jazz bass and a cab that had minimal voicing. I adjusted the EQ during the music to be audible and sound good with the music. Funny thing is that at one point when the music was a little quieter, I picked up on the tone of my rig more or less by itself. It was kind of honky, like the GK Neo 115. Just goes to show that that cab is likely voiced for performances and not for home practice or soloing.
 
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