Too many cabs, but also not enough?

[Topkat13]

Your ears bro.

 

[pepj]

My needs are for systems, nominally rated at 400-800w of amp power.
My cabs go to 500w to 750w.
When outside, these get to the amp limit by going to 1:30 ish on the vol dial.

I have a favourite amp 400w/4 and pick my cabs for the gig.
I'm looking at a 650w amp when it comes up, but do not envisage any new cabs unless a reasonable priced used 610 came up, and everything else added up.
That would make 4 configurations.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I used a Markbass CMD 121P Combo for small to medium sized clubs with no FOH [Had extension 12 but never needed] worked and sounded fine; also was more than enough for stage volume with FOH at larger clubs.

That said I wanted a one cab solution and amp head for anything I might face and lightweight also upgrade in sound and quality.

Went with Mesa WD 800 and 1x15; I am confident this setup it will handle any Local club I play without FOH

Subway 1x15 has good heft and a beautiful midrange natural and musical and is half the weight of Barefaced 6x10

Now Mesa doesn't have 10's baked in Vintage type sound[which I used for decades] but I find it actually more to my liking at this time; Sounds like no 15 I have ever come in contact with

 

[ELG60]

I often play out with a pair of Two10S's. They're very good at what they do.

 

[steelin4u]

I voted for A and C, because I'm not sure what you are going to use the small cab for. If the 'when the big guns aren't needed' situation is a living room practice/rehearsal with 1-4 people, or a restaurant jazz trio, or any other small indoor gig, the modified 110 is a cheap, lightweight option. You can find an eminence 10" 4 or 8 ohm speaker for under $100 and try it out. This would be a great choice if money/savings is slightly more important to you right now than the tone of wherever you are using the cab. (If you might need to be heard outdoors with any sort of low end authority, forget about the modified single 10, IMO)

If tone is more important than savings/money, just get the one you already know will make you happy as your ultimate small rig.

 

[el murdoque]

It's quite easy:

Fire the drummer!





....and then look at the specs of that sub. Frequency response 27Hz-110Hz. I doubt it'll really come to something useful when you gut it and send it a full range signal.

That 210 barefaced cab on the other hand is not only great, AFAIK you can set it to 12 Ohms and integrate it into your rig to get an 810 .... for those days you need to be heard in a thunderstorm over the noise of a starting 747.

 

[Gougedeye]

I voted for you to get what you want. If you are like me, a compromise will lead to more speculation and never being satisfied with what you have. Whatever you get, make it scalable.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Sweetest sounding cab I've ever heard is my Bergantino NV610. I used it regularly with a stupid loud band I used to play with that had a bunch of gigs with easy load-ins, but that band fell apart a few years ago. Since then I've been juggling a bunch of bands and sub gigs, but only ever use the 6x10 for the occasional outdoor gig if I know it has an easy load-in.

Aside from size and weight, the other problem with a 6x10 is the intimidation factor: even if your bandmates trust you to use it appropriately, it might cause concern with management at smaller venues, or anyplace concerned about volume.

My alternate rig is a pair of high-efficiency 1x12 cabs that punch well above their size and weight: the only time I've ever wanted more was outdoors at high volume (should have brought the 6x10!) The point is, I recommend a pair of smaller cabs, e.g. 1x12, 2x10. First, there's the modularity factor: I've done plenty of smaller/quieter gigs with a single 1x12, and it's a nice easy schlep. Another big advantage is that it's narrower, taking up less stage space, which can be a huge advantage when crammed into a small area. Even when I was running a pair of 2x10 cabs, I would stack them vertically: takes up less room, gets the drivers closer to ear level where I can hear them better.

 

[REV]

We all have a sound in our head (and this sound may change depending on what band we are playing in) and we're never going to be totally happy until we achieve "the sound". It's a life long search (unless you get lucky). Do what you need to do to get "the sound".

 

[lug]

The correct way to buy cabs for bass is to find one that, by itself, is capable enough to handle any gig you'll ever play. Then buy 2. Nothing shortens the life of a bass guitar cabinet more than not having a bit of overkill in the displacement department. Headroom is your friend.

This is exactly what I did when the were having a blowout sale on TC Electronics RS212's. One matched well with my amp at 8 ohms, 2 well at 4 ohms. Turns out having 2 for outdoor gigs is really really nice.

 

[DEMS854]

After a fair amount of deliberation and much appreciated advice, I pulled the trigger and ordered the Two10S w/ tweeter.

I appreciate the other alternatives that so many of you offered up from your own personal experiences, but I ended up going with my first mind after a few days worth researching everything I could find regarding folks suggestions.

After my deep dive into the topic of cabinets, I feel pretty good about the decision. PayPal credit helped with the sticker shock. 6 months interest free made it an easier choice haha.

Lead times right now from barefaced are 6-10 weeks, so not too far off. Shipping to USA was a breeze last time I ordered, import fees were negligible.

Hopefully this makes life a little easier; more enjoyable, and still scratches the itch.

thanks again for the collective $0.02

 

[chris_b]

After a fair amount of deliberation and much appreciated advice, I pulled the trigger and ordered the Two10S w/ tweeter.

Good move.

Now start saving for the second one.