Bag End Club.

#141
I think what Count Bassie is referring to is the lack of sub-lows some BE cabs produce compared to other cabs with comparable drivers. Please correct me if I'm wrong, Count.
While in my experience this assessment is basically true, it's also been my experience that you may not necessarily want lots of low-end rumble.
Lows that shake the stage suck up a lot of amplifier power, and IME do not project into the room very well. I used to power a Mesa 210 with an older SWR head and got a great sound onstage, but because the lows dissipated within six feet so without PA support, no one knew I was there.
As I experienced last week, my shallow BE 210 did a much better job of projecting lows and low-mids into the room. Sure, there wasn't a lot of audible rumble 15 feet from the cab, but I could clearly hear every note played by the bassist borrowing my little rig.
A single BE 15, because of the 'beaming' phenomenon, will project low-mids like crazy, especially indoors if there is a hard surface behind the cab to reflect the sound that escapes from the rear port. When I run a pair of BE 15s stacked, that effect is magnified. And while you won't rattle the fillings out of the audience's teeth, they'll hear you quite clearly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MatronMother
#142
mike_v_s said:
...I've found that mid presence very beneficial most of the time and a little intrusive on occassion. I've been known to dial it out or bump the 40 hz slider depending on the situation.

Mike
Click to expand...

+1 here!

But, a bulletin: One of my speaker cables is 1/4 > Banana jack. I flipped the Banana end, and voila- bottom-end... oops...

Still not sure I like 'em- in fact when I had a single BE S15-D with a bigger cab to go with it (the Avatar B212) it was a more rewarding effect.
 
#143
Sheriff, understood pretty well. I do get it that what I perceive is not necessarily relevant to the room. I do however find myself hampered with being able to 'dig in' with the same gusto when I'm not getting a decent slam of air! But in a band, mix is everything out front, and in that regard I do believe you're right about the BE handling it.

And the SM-400 is giving me something to contend with (almost-tame-able sub-lows), despite the fact I like what it can do. The hi-pass gadget may fix it... another piece in my blessed signal-chain... sick of it! :p

After all is said and done, I might have to build a Bill Fitzmaurice thing to go with this mess, to give me some thump where I live.
 
#144
Brad Johnson said:
I was thinking the same thing.
:D

My current rig is an S15X-D and S10X-D stack. The bumblebee;). I also own an S15-D and D10X-D. While I dug the two 15 stack, my current stack is ridiculous tonally and is surprisingly loud.


P1001735.jpg


P1001740.jpg

They actually lay flat belong the window line.
Click to expand...

Beautiful Bimmer...the rig is nice too. :D
 
#145
Count Bassie said:
Wild eq curves? But isn't that what you're recommending? Your meaning is not clear.

My complaint isn't far-fetched, actually. These are small cabs and tend to be stronger in the mids than the lows, which leads me to an interesting angle...

They are rear-ported. Now I've heard some nice phat bass coming out the rear there, but because of the small size of these things they seem very particular about how they're situated. If I have the rear port shooting into what is effectually a 'bass trap' situation, then my ability to move any bottom-air is severely limited. Because of the varied spaces I play in this can be a real bummer. No eq curve is going to make this box into something it isn't.

Also... I don't believe I've hurt them, but I find the sound coming out of them to be a little crunchy-sounding, and not real solid.

Maybe it's my SM-400, but I've dialed-out as much of the very low bass as I believe is possible. There are threads about this particular head here on TB- but I've used my H&K preamp and power amp also, and still am not getting the 'presence' I'm after.
Click to expand...

A small bass bump is not the same as wild eq-ing. The difference is in degree. I have to do very little if any bass boost (via the pre-amp or bass) with the Bag End. The eq-ing to make the SWR (which is my practice amp) sound as good within reason to my ear has thus far been much more dramatic, and as of yet, unachievable goal. But hey, it's a practice amp.

And one of the reasons I liked the Bag End stuff was that you could get it to sound really good right out of the shipping box. No need to apply a 10-band graphic eq, or other tools to change the tone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MatronMother
#146
Thunderthumbs73 said:
A small bass bump is not the same as wild eq-ing. The difference is in degree. I have to do very little if any bass boost (via the pre-amp or bass) with the Bag End. The eq-ing to make the SWR (which is my practice amp) sound as good within reason to my ear has thus far been much more dramatic, and as of yet, unachievable goal. But hey, it's a practice amp.

And one of the reasons I liked the Bag End stuff was that you could get it to sound really good right out of the shipping box. No need to apply a 10-band graphic eq, or other tools to change the tone.
Click to expand...

Reasonable. My SWR is an issue. I have posted (forget where now!) that one problem I've just resolved is that I have a 1/4" > banana cable, and I finally flipped the banana half of the cable to fix the polarity (everyone: "Duh")... the speakers sound much better now. Still deciding if these are for me though.

Thanks for the help anyhow!
 
#147
Thunderthumbs73 said:
A small bass bump is not the same as wild eq-ing. The difference is in degree. I have to do very little if any bass boost (via the pre-amp or bass) with the Bag End. The eq-ing to make the SWR (which is my practice amp) sound as good within reason to my ear has thus far been much more dramatic, and as of yet, unachievable goal. But hey, it's a practice amp.

And one of the reasons I liked the Bag End stuff was that you could get it to sound really good right out of the shipping box. No need to apply a 10-band graphic eq, or other tools to change the tone.
Click to expand...

That's what I love about my setup, even though I've had people tell me I couldn't be running it like I do.:D

A typical gig goes like this: I roll in with my pictured rig on a little Kart-a-Bag cart, complete with my small amp bag and two small Ultimate stands. More often than not if the soundperson sees the BE speakers I get an approving nod right off the bat. If they're not familiar with them I get a "thank goodness he just brought a practice rig" because that'll make controlling the stage that much easier.

I'm usually completely set up in less than five minutes unless I'm shooting the breeze, which can extend that to maybe ten minutes. Set up, tuned up, volume set and ready to go. That's when the fun starts. For people unfamiliar with my setup, it blows them away with how abnormally (for it's size) full and clear it is. Even in a big room I typically have the pre on the LMII set between 10 and 11 o'clock depending on the bass and the Master around 9 to 10 (7 is off). EQ set flat, filters off, controls on the bass usually set flat or close to it.

I've used this same setup indoors and out and I still catch myself thinking how unbelievable it seems.

Of course in a room from hell I've found that the most helpful tweak of all is to bring my volume down so that's what I typically do. Like playing at the Corcoran Gallery in DC... marble, marble everywhere, long narrow rooms, tall columns, very high ceilings, deep pockets on the side of the room...:eyebrow:. There's no fix for a room that ugly.
 
#148
Brad Johnson said:
A typical gig ges like this: I roll in with my pictured rig on a little Kart-a-Bag cart, complete with my small amp bag and two small Ultimate stands. More often than not if the soundperson sees the BE speakers I get an approving nod right off the bat. If they're not familiar with them I get a "thank goodness he just brought a practice rig" because that'll make controlling the stage that much easier.
Click to expand...

I still look back fondly on the early / mid 90s and playing both indoor showcase and outdoor festival type gigs... watching the other bassists giggle at my AMP + S12 + S15 micro stack while I set up turn to confused stares during my quick sound check and then to dropped jaws during my band's set when my 'funny little practice amp' totally owned their 4x10 + 1x18 or 8x10 high powered monster rig in tone, clarity AND usable volume :smug: :bassist: :D

I know of at least 3 guys that caught me live back in the 90s that bought and still own Bag End stuff.
 
#149
I just went and spent an hour with my rig- 2 BE S15-Ds, an SWR SM-400 into a Crest power amp. I have got it where I can pretty well dig it, so I'm not in quite the state I was this morning!

Just wish I'd figured this mess out before I went to an audition with it last night. Too bad.

Gear is mostly a pain in the ass... maybe it's just the money part... :D
 
#150
I may get to borrow a stack from BE at NAMM - I need to find out what they offer that's powered.

I'd like a s10 or d10 on a s18 Infra - I won't be able to go loud (85dB limit) but I ought to be able to present it all.

True 20 Hz reproduction - FTW!
 
#151
knuckle_head said:
I may get to borrow a stack from BE at NAMM - I need to find out what they offer that's powered.

I'd like a s10 or d10 on a s18 Infra - I won't be able to go loud (85dB limit) but I ought to be able to present it all.

True 20 Hz reproduction - FTW!
Click to expand...

The last time I went to NAMM several years ago one bass builder had a Bag End 18 + 410 coax stack, ELF processor (IIRC), Crest CA9 and Millenium preamp. Even at legal volume the tone was gorgeous and physical... and I don't use those terms lightly.

:D
 
#153
Just curious; looking at some pre-amps and wondering what you folks think if the pairing of a BBE BMAX-T pre-amp into the power amp and 2 BE speakers I have? I'm reading conflicting notes on the BMAX-T sounding great or too clean or too hi-fi)?

I'm happy with my Acoustic tone but I finally realized why I have to crank my Acoustic head and Yamaha power amp volumes up so much: someone answered on another thread that it's probably the weak signal going from my Acoustic head's Effects Send into the power amp. I remember my Acoustic head sounding much louder at less volume thru only 1 BE cab.
 
#154
the_hook said:
I'm happy with my Acoustic tone but I finally realized why I have to crank my Acoustic head and Yamaha power amp volumes up so much: someone answered on another thread that it's probably the weak signal going from my Acoustic head's Effects Send into the power amp. I remember my Acoustic head sounding much louder at less volume thru only 1 BE cab.
Click to expand...

how about commissioning something like this http://www.lynx.net/~jc/pedals360.html
 
#156
yep to all that. the first time i heard bag end cabss were at a chick corea elektric band show decades ago, and john pattitucci was running them with both his upright and electric. it was a club i knew very well and i was close enough to the stage to get a good idea of the direct sound, and i was utterly blown away by the tone of those cabs. and i still am, for me they are the be-all end-all in commercially available bass cabs. brad lee sexton (rip bro) used to gig with a small 1-18 & 1-15 (s15d-l, the same cab i own) stack driven by an svt when he was with little charlie and the nightcats. P-bass with jamerson flats. and his sound was to this day the greatest live bass tone i've ever heard in my entire life. it was the ultimate "gimme a B-15 but ten times louder" rig. man....
 
#158
Got called to do a hip hop gig for the first time in my life last night. AMP BH420 and the stack of S15Ds. Drummer told me that the D on my A string didn't sound right, to play it lower. I played most of the night using the D on the B string (every tune was in D!) and the open B quite often. Slamming, heavy tone! The guitar player remarked "Man that rig brings the juice! What is it?"
 
#159
James Hart said:
how about commissioning something like this http://www.lynx.net/~jc/pedals360.html
Click to expand...

I should point out the Acoustic amp I have is the modern one, not the cool 1970's version. I was playing it last night and really had to crank the volume on both amps. It's too bad really, the tone is really good. I could probably just get a more powerful amp, but that seems just too ineffecient.

I'm still wondering if the BMax-T would be a good match? Or any other used, reasonably low priced pre-amp?
 
#160
hey guys -- I'm looking at a pair of 15" Bag Ends, here locally (one with tweeter, one without, S15D, and S15XD). They seem like a great portable alternative to me. Researching on the internet, just very little chatter about this line. Where's the love? Should I just a 2x15 or 2x12 in some other line like Epifani or something? Sell me on these Bag Ends, ok?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back